Free Role Playing Game Supplement Review: FT – Phillipsburg

FT – Phillipsburg is a free supplement published by Adventures in Filbar set in Filbar which is intended to be compatible with the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons and AD&D 2nd Edition games. The FT range of supplements primarily cover urban areas; this one details the frontier town of Phillipsburg in the Duchy of Bast. Phillipsburg is visited in the adventure FQ4 – In the Caravan Service and is close to the Barony of The Knolls.

Unlike previous free supplements in the FT range, this one has a number on the cover, FT20, if not in the title. This was actually started with the previous, paid, FT supplement, FT – Barony of the Knolls, which was the first supplement in the FT range to sport the new cover layout.

FT – Phillipsburg is a seventeen page PDF which lacks bookmarks. The first page is the recently improved cover, which has a hex map on which Bast is located, although not the precise location of Phillipsburg. One page has a map of the town, which would appear to be derived from a map produced in RPG Citymap Generator, which has then been altered and annotated. There is also single, probably royalty free, photograph on one page, intended to show part of the town.

One page is an introduction to the town, giving an overview of its construction and condition, which is poor. The remainder of the supplement describes 37 locations of interest in Phillipsburg, together with any relevant non-player characters at these locations. Some locations are left without a description, and could be fleshed out by a GameMaster. Those that are described cover most of the important places, and businesses, that players are likely to deal with, and there are histories and current happenings that could be developed further. More mention is made of the organisation called the Caravan Masters, an important trading group in the Filbar setting, for the town sits on a trade route.

Despite being intended for the AD&D 1st and 2nd Edition systems, no stats are given for any of the NPCs, so this supplement is effectively system neutral. The town itself, despite some references to Filbar-related places and organisations, is almost setting-neutral as well, making it comparatively easy to drop into most similar fantasy settings. No significant errors were noted; proof reading seems to have improved, The town map is adequate, although not stunning, but it does its job. FT – Phillipsburg is a nice small town that can be placed on many frontiers, and it’s free, so click here to download it.