Exile Game Studio

[quinchris]

I have it and it's great!

I was looking at the RPG Now website when I spied the pdf of Mysteries of the Hollow Earth available for download. Obviously I jumped at the chance.

This book is great Jeff and his team have outdone themselves. This book completely redeems HEX after the disappointment of Secrets of the Surface World. (and No I did not like Secrets of the Surface. Too much magic, martial arts. The equipment lists were useful but that was it.)

Mysteries is what I liked in the Core book. Adventure, exotic locations, exploration, monsters.

The art work in the book is incredable! It really adds to the "feel" of the setting.

The templates for non human characters are simple and very well thought out.

For me the best was the sample character, The Ape Naturalist. The picture alone inspired me in a dozen differant directions. I have always used Ape men as more civilized then what was in the core book. Sort of a cross between Planet of the Apes and the Greek/Roman Empire. A series of militeristic city states warring with each other and the Amazons when ever not fending off dinosaur attacks.

But the ape in the book was even better! Dressed in almost modern clothing he was obviously from a more (relativly) advanced civilisation. And he was carrying a blunderbuss! Wow! To my mind he must come from a society capable of building such things. Now I have a vision of chimps in a 17/18th century society. A single valley or island with a steam punk technology. Clever chimps and monkeys swarming over large brass machines armed with wrenches and oil cans. At last a use for the Weird science rules in the previous book.

That the the best for me but there are no weak areas (well, except for the adventure at the rear). All the races are well developed with plant men, fishmen, jaguar men, amazons, pirates, hawkmen all being well rounded as both characters, a society and each having a cool location.

Story ideas about in every paragraph!

I thought the adventure was bad. Highly scripted and contrived I thought the ending was kind of interesting but it really read like it was meant to be a reward for those people who have been following the forums here. No I am not going to be giving the secret away but it is really cool, just not particularlly useful as a starting or continuing adventure.

Overall a fantastic book! And I did not even have to wait for GenCon.

These are my thoughs. Abuse me and my opinions as you will, I bare no grudges.

[HarrierPotter]

Hey quinchris, haven't seen you around in quite a while! I'm good with your opinions, but I feel like abusing someone today. Still available for that

Anyway, MotHE is definitely full of WIN, isn't it? I'm definitely jazzed with all the beastmen. My fave art pieces from the sample characters are the pantherwoman and lizardman. I'm not really fond of any of the straight up human ones.

I guess Jeff decided to make some of the detractors happy what with the map, too. Personally, I liked having no map, but I guess it doesn't hurt anything really.
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- Daniel Potter (MYTHIC ERAS)

"When the dark subsides / An eternity goes by / On the fault line / Between Then and Now."

[wulfgar22]

I'm drooling...so when is this going to hit the UK shops?
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Dr Karl Magnus in....THE ANKH OF CHEPHREN!

http://www.chumley.co.uk/hex/

[madwabbit]

Great post, qc! Thanks!

One minor quibble: having playtested and run the Fate of Atlantis adventure several times, I disagree that it's "bad." Sure, it's railroady and somewhat contrived, but it's perfect for bringing together the feel of the Mysteries book and its various elements, all in one place, particularly if you use the sample characters. Remember that these adventures, in all three books, are meant to be standalone samples of the system and setting.

Whether they succeed or not as coherent episodes within a campaign or as a kick-off probably depends on how the GM goes about pulling them in.

(I also disagree with you on Secrets, but that's another post for another time. )

[quinchris]

I hear what you are saying and I suppose that for a lot of people the adventure would be great, but I don't like it.

I like the isea of starting in a cell, being sent the colosium to battle with strange creatures, followed by a frantic escape. It's the rest of it that puts me off.

It just feels that it should be the climax of a long campaign not an opening or continuing adventure. Also I would have prefered an adventure that could also be used by characters that have being playing for a little while instead or just a new campaign.

Don't let this put you off as a I know i am particular as to my therories of adventure design. The rest of the book is fantastic. I was put off HEX by the Surface world book so this one is a welcome return to form. Consider me a HEX fanatic again.

I personally could have done with out the map of the Inner World as I liked the Pellincar(?) concept with land and oceans reversed but i can see why the new one was included.

I love the artwork on page 9 with the giant statue as well as the sea monster on page 16. The Giant scorpians on 67

The concept of Titans was a suprise to me and one I will certainly be using.

There are just so many great ideas.

[Boomcoach]

OK, now you have me drooling! A friend picked up a copy for me, so I should have it in my hot little hands by Wednesday. I will also be starting up a game that has been on hold for a month or so. It will use the Hollow Earth books for world concepts, but my players prefer Savage Worlds, so it will use those rules instead.

It is becoming a pulpier world all around!
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Truth has an acknowledged liberal bias.