A Review of the Role Playing Game Supplement Beating Around the Bush (A Fantasy Scenario for TSRPG)

Beating Around the Bush (A Fantasy Scenario for TSRPG) is a role playing game supplement published by Skirmisher Publishing for use with TSRPG.

The supplement is available as a 32-page PDF from DriveThruRPG for $2.99 but was purchased at a reduced price as part of a special bundle. Two pages are the front and rear covers, three the front matter and one is ads. There is also a zip containing 30 images, including tokens, from the adventure.

The opening paragraph explains that this is a scenario for Travel-Sized RPG in which the characters take a wandering trek through the Wye Valley, which has recently hired mercenaries to deal with marauding Gnolls. The adventure is both self-standing and a companion for A Long Way to the Top.

The Dramatis Personae has the hirer of the mercenaries, the ruler of Gloster, as a behind the scenes character along with a number of NPCs the characters can encounter.

Background & Overview explains that an invading army of Gnolls was mostly destroyed, but some survivors have ended up in the region and destabilised things. The mercenaries have been hired to deal with this threat.

Running the Scenario explains that the adventure’s order is not specified and it also covers layout and how Challenges work.

Involving the Party has a number of hooks to get the characters involved.

A sidebar, Gloster, gives details on the settlement in the region.

Following this are various encounters, with various creatures, people and locations. Each encounter is detailed, and there are different ways they can turn out, especially for those with beings who move around and may be encountered more than once. Each encounter also has details on what encounter could follow it. There are a range of encounters, some friendlier than others, though many can be made friendly, or at least not hostile.

Appendix I: Silurian Heights gives some details on the region in question.

Appendix II: Weather has a table for determining weather.

Sample Characters has character cards for the four characters, with images, background and their stats and equipment.

The final page of content is the rules for TSRPG itself, meaning that this adventure works standalone; the rules do not need to be purchased separately. The game is a storytelling game that is played through a series of Challenges; details of how these work, success and failure and difficulty are given.

Beating Around the Bush (A Fantasy Scenario for TSRPG) in Review

The PDF is bookmarked with major and minor sections linked. Navigation is decent. The text maintains a two-column format and appeared to be free of errors. There are a number of colour and black and white images, up to full page in size, some of which are custom, as well as some colour maps. Presentation is decent.

With the, admittedly short, rules for TSRPG included in the adventure, this is not merely an adventure but a stand-alone game; a GM could even use the included rules to come up with their own adventures. TSRPG is definitely a rules-lite system. There is a bit more detail on the region the adventure is set, plus another adventure that it compliments, making this easier to turn into something other than a one-shot than many TSRPG adventures. Beating Around the Bush (A Fantasy Scenario for TSRPG) can be found by clicking here.