Free Role Playing Game Supplement Review: GM’s Monthly Miscellany: September 2015

GM’s Monthly Miscellany: September 2015 is a free role playing game supplement published by Raging Swan Press. The supplement is part of a series that consists of eleven regular monthly issues followed by a twelfth compilation issue that is also available as a print on demand softcover. The supplement is primarily aimed at the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and as a result is covered by the Open Game License with some parts being considered to be Open Game Content.

This is a fourteen page bookmarked PDF. Two pages are Raging Swan’s standard plain front and rear covers, one page an advertisement for their Patreon campaign, one page is the Contents and front matter, one page the Foreword and one page the Open Game License. The supplement comes in two versions, one of which is optimised for print, the other for screen.

20 Things to Find in a Dusty Crypt is from the Raging Swan site. This is a simple crypt dressing list that can be used to flesh out a suitable location.

Kennutcat At a Glance is from Village Backdrop: Kennutcat and details a small village which covers an entire island. Details are provided on the village’s history, demographics, marketplace, notable NPCs and locations, village lore and rumours and a map of the settlement.

Alchemist’s Laboratory: An Alternate Dungeon is taken from Alternate Dungeons: Alchemist’s Laboratory. This has details on designing, running and sacking an alchemist’s laboratory, such as the dangers and dangerous substances as well as valuable items that would be found there, although not in detail.

Caves & Caverns: Strands of Terror is a monster from Caves & Caverns. This is an encounter with an elder roper, a potentially dangerous foe which is described in detail, including instructions on moving the EL up or down by one level.

20 Things to Find in a Necromancer’s Sanctum is another article from the publisher’s site, this one describing 20 necromancer-themed items that could be discovered.

The PDF is fairly well bookmarked for its length, with the major sections indexed, and the Contents is also hyperlinked. Unfortunately, there are a number of errors in the bookmarks, decreasing their utility. Navigation is not bad, but it could be better. The text maintains a two column format and no errors were noticed. There are a number of black and white illustrations but, except for the village map, these would all appear to be stock.

This may be a promotional supplement but it still has use in and of itself. Enough details are provided on Kennutcat to use it as-is, although there are references to a threat to the settlement that aren’t covered in this extract. The article on the alchemist’s laboratory is an interesting start for developing one, but really needs to be longer – in other words, the full supplement – to use it properly. The Strands of Terror encounter can easily be dropped into a subterranean setting. GM’s Monthly Miscellany: September 2015 is a decent collection of articles, although perhaps not as good as some issues, and it’s free, so click here to get it.