PHM Issue 0 — An Introduction to Absalom by Todd Leback is a role playing game supplement published by Third Kingdom Games for use with Old School Essentials. 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 available as a 19 page Pay What You Want PDF from DriveThruRPG. One page is the front cover, one the front matter and Table of Contents and one the Open Game License.
Hexcrawling Rules explains that supplements are published that are intended to be used through the Populated Hexes Monthly series, with Domain Rules and Hexcrawling Basics being free. It then lists other useful books, primarily OSR rulesets.
Maps & Scale explains that each hex will have two hex maps; a six-mile hex with major features and a subhex with minor features.
Absalom gives some background on the setting.
Campaign Setting gives some broad details on static date, the setting being humancentric, Chaos storms and gods being real, but local.
Using Populated Hexes covers different ways from using the series, from drop-in adventure locations to the entire game world.
A full-page colour hex map, Map 1, follows, showing an overview of part of the setting, broken down into different areas.
Populated Hexes Monthly explains what each issue of the ‘zine contains.
Maps explains that Map 1 is split into 32 sections and names these.
Setting Miscellany explains that this information is consolidated on the World of Absalom wiki.
No Demi-humans? explains that the normal demi-humans are fey and not normal playable races, with animal folk called felken filling that niche.
Languages gives background on the various languages spoken.
The Planes explains that Absalom does not use the normal Inner and Outer Planes model. Several different realms are covered; the Shadowlands, Faery, Dreamlands and the Elemental Matrix.
Dynamic Lairs explains that the lairs and dungeons use placement tables to create a living environment.
How Does Alignment Work? explains that this is a literal struggle between Law and Chaos.
Cycles are the effects of the battle between Law and Chaos.
A Brief History of Absalom is what it says, a very brief history.
Area Maps gives overviews of the maps on the following pages, with a map key.
The final eight pages are colour hex maps covering those areas mentioned in the previous section.
PHM Issue 0 — An Introduction to Absalom in Review
The PDF is bookmarked with major and minor sections linked. The Table of Contents is to a similar level of depth and is hyperlinked. Navigation is good. Bar the colour maps, there is only one illustration. Presentation is adequate.
What this supplement is intended to do is provide an overview of the world of the Populated Hexes series. It’s not much use if the hexes themselves are going to be dropped into other settings, nor is it that useful by itself. But it’s not intended to be useful in those cases. It is intended to be useful with the other supplements in the series if they are being used in the Absalom setting, and there it does help. Effectively, it does what it sets out to do. Despite references to game systems, this particular supplement has no stats, making it generic. PHM Issue 0 — An Introduction to Absalom is a useful and complimentary supplement for the Populated Hexes series and it can be found by clicking here.
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