Free Role Playing Game Supplement Review: GM’s Monthly Miscellany: August 2014

GM’s Monthly Miscellany: August 2014 is a free role playing game supplement published by Raging Swan Press. This is one in a regular monthly series of supplements, primarily intended for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, consisting of eleven regular issues and a twelfth compilation issue that is also available as a print on demand softcover. The supplement is covered by the Open Game License and therefore some of it is considered to be Open Game Content.

This is a fifteen page bookmarked PDF. Three pages consist of Raging Swan’s standard, plain, front and rear covers and a third similar page. One page is the Contents and front matter, one page is the Open Game License and one page is the Foreword. The supplement is available in two formats, one optimised for print and one optimised for screen.

GM Advice: Why I Love the Slow Advancement Track is an article from the Raging Swan site about the publisher’s personal campaign and how he prefers it with slower advancement.

Vulcanbridge At a Glance is taken from Village Backdrop: Vulcanbridge, and gives details on this unusual mining village built on pylons above a, sometimes active, lava field. Its history, demographics, lore and rumours are covered, along with various locations and notable NPCs, as well as a village map.

Mith’Varal At a Glance is from Subterranean Enclave: Mith’Varal, a dwarven mining village whose mithril mines have run out. Again, this has notable NPCs and locations, history, demographics, local lore and rumours and a map of the settlement.

Tribes: Hobgoblins of the Mailed Fist is from Hobgoblins of the Mailed Fist and covers a rather unusual hobgoblin tribe. This tribe is large and works primarily as mercenaries, and is on decent relations with the surrounding kingdoms, leading it to be less evil in nature. The tribes ecology, society, lairs, combat and tactics are covered, although no notable NPCs. Tribe members can be found hired as mercenaries far from home.

From My Campaign: Lord Monel Dehar is the stats for a major undead villain.

GM Advice: How to use the Slow Advancement Track is another article from the Raging Swan site and another on slow advancement, where after a couple of years of play players are still quite low level, rather than the 1-20 climb seen in a short period in the Pathfinder Adventure Paths.

The PDF is unusually well bookmarked for one of this size; in fact, it’s unusually well bookmarked compared to many larger ones, with all of the major and many of the minor sections included. There are a few illustrations, most from other supplements  but perhaps a couple of stock images as well. The text follows a two column format, and only one error was noticed.

This isn’t merely an advertising supplement for other products, as the contents have use in themselves. Both Vulcanbridge and Mith’Varal have enough information to use the settlements as-is, although the latter also seems to have mentions of things only found in the main supplement, but a good GM could develop them. The hobgoblin tribe provides an unusual group of humanoids who could actually be allies, and Lord Monel Dehar could be a potentially deadly foe. GM’s Monthly Miscellany: August 2014 is not just advertising, it’s a collection of useful articles, and it’s free, so click here to download it.