GM’s Miscellany: Eventures (P1) by Creighton Broadhurst, Simon Butler, Jeff Gomez, Jacob W. Michaels and Bart Wynants is a role playing game supplement published by Raging Swan Press for use with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. As such, it is covered by the Open Game License and some parts are considered to be Open Game Content as a result. The supplement is also available in versions for Pathfinder 2, Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition and OSR.
The supplement is available as a PDF from DriveThruRPG for $9.95, as a softcover print on demand book for $12.99 or as both PDF and book for $14.46. The PDF is the version reviewed and has 71 pages with two being the front and rear covers, one being an ad, one the front matter, one and a half the Contents, one the Open Game License and one a map of Gloamhold and surroundings.
The Foreword explains this is the first eventure compilation book and explains how eventures came about.
Languard at a Glance has the stats for the city, a brief overview of the city, which is the capital of the Duchy of Ashlar and where the eventures are set, its appearance, lore, appearance, dress and naming of inhabitants, a brief look at notable locations, a map of the city and a sidebar covering its relationship with Gloamhold.
A Day Out at the Circus has some general details on using the circus in another campaign, its arrival in town and descriptions of the ship, the White Tiger, and its crew that the circus travels on. A sidebar has whispers and rumours. The grounds of the circus after setup are described and mapped. The different acts of the circus are covered, with sidebars covering carnival games, minor events and the food available from the food cart. Finally, there are more adventure hooks which can continue even after the circus leaves.
A Day Out at the Executions has various hooks to get the characters interested in attending the executions, some, gruesome, descriptions of the punishments, a map of the surrounding area with brief descriptions of most of the places and a more detailed description of The Last Chance, a deliberately grim-seeming tavern situated near Traitor’s Gate, which is covered in a sidebar. Next are details of various people who can be found in the area; beggars, vendors, entertainers, townsfolk and the executioner and his assistants. A sidebar has a dozen rumours. What happens over the course of the day is covered, with a d12 list of minor events, and finally some more adventure hooks after the executions.
Five Nights at the Scythe has an overview of the tavern and what’s available, a map of the surrounding area and of the Scythe itself, some notable staff and patrons, important locations in the place and an explanation of different ways of using the five different nights. There are some hooks to get the characters to the tavern and then descriptions of each of the five nights, which basically have different events happening in the tavern each night. There are two sets of tables of d6 minor events and d6 rumours; it’s odd that these weren’t combined into d12 tables. There are finally some more adventure hooks.
Four Nights at the Orc’s Head starts with an overview of the tavern and the services and food available, a map of the tavern along with details of the owner, some general hooks for the Orc’s Head and sidebars describing where the tavern is in Languard and how to play Dragon and the Thief. Following this is a d10 list of NPCs who may be in the common room, who are then briefly detailed, and three d20 tables to determine mood, intoxication level and activity. Various staff are then detailed and then a brawl. The four nights are then covered, with different events on each night. Two sidebars have d10 minor events and d10 whispers and rumours. Finally, there is a full-page Dragon and the Thief gameboard.
Night of the Masks starts with an overview of this event in Castle Languard. There are hooks to get the characters involved and tips for running a social event of this type. A sidebar covers the seven types of masks, what they look like and who can wear them. Following this is the order of major events for the night, and a sidebar has a d8 table of minor events. Castle Languard us mapped and there are brief descriptions of the various locations. Various NPC guests of interest are described, with names, alignment, sex, species, class, a brief description and some details on them. A sidebar has a d10 table for making conversation and three others have other events related to the NPCs. Finally, there are more adventure hooks.
Raisa’s Auction Most Wondrous starts by describing Raisa’s Curios, describing notable NPCs, a map of the location and one showing where it is in the city, using the business in your own campaign and suggesting 20 Things #9: Bustling Marketplace and 20 Things #25: Curio Shop & Pawnbroker as resources to add additional detail. There are hooks to get characters involved, including an advertising flyer, and sidebars have a d12 table of whispers and rumours as well as tips on configuring auction lots and adding more. There are details on before the auction begins and drinking and browsing, as well as a table of NPCs, mostly briefly described but some are also given more detail. Sidebars have d8 curios for sale and d12 minor events. Five lots are described in detail, covering powers, reserve, provenance, bidding and development, and a sidebar references Dungeon Backdrop: The Crumbled Tower, which one of the lots is connected to. Finally, there are details on how the auction concludes and payment and some adventure hooks.
Where There’s a Will starts by explaining that an infamous pirate has just been killed; his body will be hung from Traitor’s Gate and fellow pirates are going to decide what happens to his treasure. There are hooks to get the characters involved, a sidebar about using the eventure in your own campaign, a d8 table of rumours, some true, some false, a d6 table of false rumours after the news spread and another d6 table of more and d6 minor events. The celebration of the death is covered, with a d20 table of dressings and events, the funeral, a list of notable pirates present, with names, alignment, sex, species, class, a brief description and some details on them, the reading of the will at another location with the pirates, some details on an artefact the dead pirate was looking for and some more adventure hooks.
GM’s Miscellany: Eventures (P1) in Review
The PDF is bookmarked with by the looks of it everything bar the sidebars linked, although the nesting is off. The Contents is to a similar level of depth and is hyperlinked. The text maintains a two-column format and appeared to be free of errors. There are a number of black and white illustrations. Presentation is decent.
This is a compilation of other supplements without any new material it looks like, so if those are owned, this probably won’t add anything new. However, if those are lacked, this is a more cost-effective way of getting them all. These are all in an urban setting, specifically the town of Languard in the Duchy of Ashlar, but with some changes, they could be dropped into another setting. The supplement has what is essentially a collection of urban events and locations that can be used to flesh out a city and make it more interesting, though the GM will need to do some extra work in most cases to finish the eventure off before using it in a campaign. Though this is aimed at Pathfinder, it will also be comparatively easy to use it with other systems. GM’s Miscellany: Eventures (P1) can be found by clicking here.
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