A Review of the Role Playing Game Supplement Weekly Wonders – Cinematic Dinosaurs Volume I

Weekly Wonders – Cinematic Dinosaurs Volume I by Alex Riggs and Joshua Zaback is a role playing game supplement published by Necromancers of the Northwest 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 available as an eight-page PDF from DriveThruRPG for $1.49 but was purchased at a reduced price as part of a special bundle. Two pages are the front and rear covers, one the front matter and one the Open Game License.

The Introduction talks about dinosaurs and how, like most animals in Pathfinder, they don’t have much in the way of interesting abilities, which is where this supplement aims to help by adding two dinosaurs with abilities and some new rules. The CR of the included dinosaurs have a slightly different meaning to those found for most creatures, as the goal for encounters with these is to survive the encounter, not necessarily defeat the creature, like with cinematic dinosaurs.

Optional and Supplemental Rules have rules for allowing massive creatures to bash objects more effectively, knock creatures from high places by battering against objects and added DC, hardness and hit points for a wider range of things to break.

Both dinosaurs have similarities to the standard ones. The Primordial Triceratops has the added abilities of trampling creatures, impaling them on a horn and protecting itself from attacks by larger creatures with its horns and crest. The Primordial Tyrannosaurus Rex can tear a creature apart in its mouth, rather than swallow whole, has a superior sense of smell, a terrifying roar that extends its frightful presence, is tuned to seeing moving objects not still ones, does more damage with a bite and can charge through many things without even slowing down.

Weekly Wonders – Cinematic Dinosaurs Volume I in Review

The PDF is bookmarked with major and minor sections linked. Navigation is good. The text maintains a two-column format and appeared to be free of errors. There is a single colour illustration. Presentation is okay.

These dinosaurs may not be for everyone, but they certainly are far more intimidating, and closer to those seen in films featuring dinosaurs, than the vanilla dinosaurs from the bestiaries, which are mostly just tedious to kill bags of hit points. The two updated dinosaurs here are true terrors that can do a lot of damage. Weekly Wonders – Cinematic Dinosaurs Volume I is an interesting improvement on dinosaurs and it can be found by clicking here.