Hero Kids – Fantasy Expansion – Brecken Vale Gazetteer by Justin Halladay is a role playing game supplement published by Hero Forge Games for use with Hero Kids. This supplement details the primary setting of the Brecken Vale and neighbouring areas.
The supplement is available as a 79-page PDF from DriveThruRPG for $9.99, as a softcover print on demand colour book for $19.99 or as both PDF and softcover for $19.99. The PDF is the version reviewed although it was purchased at a reduced price thanks to a special discount. The PDF comes in two versions, one a more printer-friendly version without the page backgrounds. One page is the front cover, one the front matter and two the Table of Contents.
Brecken Vale gives a brief description of the Vale and how the kids end up having to help.
Across the Vale lists the various regions of the Vale and beyond. This is followed by a full-page colour map, which expands the area previously covered by adding lands beyond the Vale. The thirteen different locations are then covered. Each is named and given a description, and in some cases divided into sub-areas or points of interest, and each also has at least one adventure hook.
Rivenshore gives an overview of the major town of the Brecken Vale.
Rivenshore Locations lists various important locations in the town and is followed by a colour map. The fourteen locations of Rivenshore are then detailed, each with an adventure hook.
People of the Vale lists various important NPCs, 25 in total, ranging from humans to non-human species, and one god, some friendly, some not. Each has a portrait, a description, common phrases and an adventure hook.
Culture and Custom starts with looking at Societal Structure. Karls are all the people of the Vale, and the leader is the jarl. The Council of Elders give the jarl advice. Law and Order are next, with the basic laws, justice and law enforcement. Taxes, Tributes, Tariffs and Toil are the various payments to and from the Brecken Vale. Calendar and Festivals looks at months, weeks, days, seasons and festivals. Deities of the Brecken Vale looks at the various gods, describing them and typical invocations for help.
Geography gives a brief geographical overview of the Brecken Vale and its surrounds.
Climate looks at the climate of the Brecken Vale and beyond.
Lineages of the Vale looks at the various intelligent species to be found in the region, giving their names, descriptions, homeland and how common they are elsewhere. These are dragonkin, dwarves, elves, forest-folk, froglings, halflings, humans, lizardkin and orcs.
Factions of the Vale looks at the different groups that are active in the area, giving an overview of each. These are brigands, city guards, commoners, the Cult of Hydraxis, Dragon Cultists, nature protectors and the town watch.
Vale Encounters is a series of tables for creating random encounters depending on the terrain, along with a secondary table for adding complications and unique circumstances.
Brecken Vale Campaigns has a number of different campaigns comprised of different adventures. Many of these are published adventures whilst some are just adventure hooks. However, Twilight Watchtower, one of the hooks, has been published as an adventure since the Gazetteer was released, so the others may follow suit.
Character Codex lists various NPCs of the Vale, with a short description and the adventure(s) they appear in, if they do.
Character Cards and Maps has colour NPC cards for the 25 NPCs of the Vale who were described area, though one NPC has two forms and two cards as a result, together with two blank ones. The final four pages are colour and black and white maps of the Brecken Vale and Rivenshore.
Hero Kids – Fantasy Expansion – Brecken Vale Gazetteer in Review
The PDF is well bookmarked with major and minor sections linked. The Table of Contents is to a similar level of depth and is hyperlinked. Navigation is good. The text maintains a two-column landscape format and appeared to be free of errors. There are a number of colour illustrations, the majority of them maps, map parts and NPC portraits. Presentation is okay.
How the Gazetteer is written suggests that all of the existing adventures have already been played out, given how some of the NPCs are described; that does mean if they haven’t, descriptions will need altering. An NPC who fell into lava at the end of an adventure will not bear the scars from that if the adventure is yet to be run. The same may apply to some descriptions.
This is the most detailed examination of the Brecken Vale by far, together with the people who live there, and it also expands the area available for the first time. There are many different adventure hooks within the text which could be developed into a lot of adventures. Some parts of the book look like they are of more use than others; Culture and Custom seems like a chapter aimed more at adults than children, as it seems doubtful children are going to be that interested in the matters within. Hero Kids – Fantasy Expansion – Brecken Vale Gazetteer is a useful expansion for any Hero Kids campaign set in the Brecken Vale and it can be found by clicking here.
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