Evermist?

[ScottishFox]

If you already play Fantasy HERO then pick up Evermist.  It's good.

 

I don't see it being the kind of product that breaks HERO system back into the market in a big way.  The production values (formatting, artwork, etc.) are not there.

 

I used to buy some Vampire the Masquerade products back in the 80s even though I didn't play it.  They were just loaded with great art and had a compelling setting to read about.

[Lawnmower Boy]

I bought it and had a look through it. I'm not one to read adventure supplements cover to cover, but I've had an unscratched itch for the kind of fantasy-forest adventure that I want to see since forever. Unfortunately, no mind-reading writers have given me that. Adrian Selby recently tried with his novel, The Winter Road, which reinforced the itch. Anyway, long story short, bought Evermist.

 

I would describe it as a "forest dungeon." It's a big area of mist-enshrouded forest that repays careful exploration. The adventure is a bit cliched. Strange forces attack the Keep on the Borderlands MIstguard, and the PCs have to plunge into the depths of the forest to find out what's what. There are random encounters, programmed encounters, and a boss dungeon with a boss boss at the end. But the setting is good, the homebrewed monsters appropriate, and I like the attention paid to the NPCs. The setting makes some effort to encourage skill-centric play, and if this were an old-time D&D supplement, it would introduce some potentially setting-busting new "skill monkey" rules. But we don't do that in Hero, so pooh on that. (Seriously, it's a strength that's a weakness.)

 

It definitely needs a million gold Cronkheits dropped on quality art, and I will keep DOJ in mind when my startup* is bought out by Google. 

 

*It's a handy app that tells you when the next bus is coming. Best thing about it is that it doesn't use up phone charge because, get this, it's on paper. I call it "the bus schedule," and it has about a million times more utility than Google+, so I've got high hopes. 

[ScottishFox]

Update:

 

Currently taking my Saturday crew through the adventure and so far so good.

 

They're all in the 300+ point range now - long campaign - so I'll have to beef up the monsters in some aspects (mostly just raw OCV/DCV  - or convert their attacks to 1 hex AoE so they can actually hit the characters).

 

But, the flavor of the setting is resonating well with the players and they quite eagerly traded off some of their spare magic items for candles to protect them from the mist.

[archer]

7 hours ago, ScottishFox said:

Update:

 

Currently taking my Saturday crew through the adventure and so far so good.

 

They're all in the 300+ point range now - long campaign - so I'll have to beef up the monsters in some aspects (mostly just raw OCV/DCV  - or convert their attacks to 1 hex AoE so they can actually hit the characters).

 

But, the flavor of the setting is resonating well with the players and they quite eagerly traded off some of their spare magic items for candles to protect them from the mist.

 

Glad to hear it's going well.

 

Anything from the setting working particularly well or particularly poorly?

[ScottishFox]

12 hours ago, archer said:

Glad to hear it's going well.

 

Anything from the setting working particularly well or particularly poorly?

 

What's working pretty well is that the Mist is an undefined horror.  All they know so far is that without their preciously small supply of candles that the mist will severely mess with their perception of time.  Additionally, I let one of the players make a Forensic Medicine roll to determine a creature killed by "The Sentinel" was a corrupted / mutated person.  Long, ropey limbs, broken fangs and claws - former human and hinted that perhaps the mist did it.

 

I modified the main roads to be chain roads in the sense there is a thick chain running from post to post along the entire road so travelers don't get lost when the mist is too heavy to see.

 

What's working well:  The creepy atmosphere, the lack of visibility and fear of an unfamiliar setting.

 

The adventure could benefit from a couple player handouts and artwork.

 

 

[Tywyll]

I take it there are no new races or magic systems or anything? 

[ScottishFox]

My group finished the Evermist adventure a couple of weeks ago.

 

I give it a solid 4 out of 5 stars.

 

It was weird and alien enough to put a little fear back into the hearts of the otherwise nigh-invincible late game heroes (350+ points each).

 

I would have given it 5 stars, but it really needs a little work on the player handouts and artwork.

 

That being said - I would recommend it if you're looking for a Ravenloft - Blair Witch vibe setting for your FH campaign.

[Steve]

It's been added to a bundle on DriveThruRPG: AU Charity - Fantasy Supplements [BUNDLE].