So today is the day when A Red & Pleasant Land, a LotFP book written by Zak S using the LofTP gaming system (but also some D20 rules) is released. I have just bought mine 1 hour ago and have made a first (really, really) fast reading of the PDF (the book will gone with the postman in 15 or more days).

While my reading of it is nowhere complete and extensive, I do some first toughts and impressions about it.

First of all, if you like Zak S' Blog and his art, you will be delighted by the book, since it is 192 pages of his input. So, in the other hand, if you are not a fan of his work, I'm not sure that you will enjoy it.

Second, while I went through the PDF, I have started thinking about a Ravenloft like sandbox campaign using aA Red & Pleasant Land Setting, with the cursed mists of Ravenloft as a mean to put the PCs there. Using Tarot Cards and a chessboard also came to my mind.

I will try to found some websites with Romanian and Slavic names and surnames to give them to the different protagonists that Zak S described in this book.

I am very pleased with my purchase and hope that Zak S will do more RPG books in the future (why not writing some for Night's Black Agents, after you know Kenneth Hite ? But it is, of course, just a suggestion.).

Good summary. I feel the same way about it, and I consider it an art book as much as it is an RPG supplement.

There are some really cool ideas in there for sandbox-y campaigns. I really love the simple encounter table in the map, which is color coded and it looks really cool.

I find that this product is extremely inspiring.

As an aside, I really regret choosing not to get a physical copy of the new Death Frost Doom (which Zak wrote). At least I own the PDF (got it in a Bundle of Holding recently) but it's just not the same.

Quote from: Necrozius;802179As an aside, I really regret choosing not to get a physical copy of the new Death Frost Doom

You chose poorly.

I just ordered both.  No other useful input, really.    No time for pdfs at the moment, and I process physical copies better anyway, so I guess I'll know in a fortnight.  But I liked Vornheim, Death Frost Doom is well reviewed, and I like art in game books, so I figure I'm covered.

My biggest first impression was that postage to Korea only cost 6 euros. The hell? I paid vastly more than that when I ordered RPG books before.

Quote from: Daztur;802192My biggest first impression was that postage to Korea only cost 6 euros. The hell? I paid vastly more than that when I ordered RPG books before.

I think he's shipping from Europe. It's the US Post Office that has insane international shipping rates.

So, I have got some time to read further A Red & Pleasant Land and my first (very) good impressions are confirmed ! I really liked what I have read and seen and it gave me lots of game ideas. Somehow, it is the direction that I wished Ravenloft and Vampire : the Dark Ages had taken : a bold and weird direction, with a mix of the grotesque and the mundane (To be fair to VDA, aR&PL is set in a fictional 16th century Europe, so at least 3 centuries after the time when the former took place).

The book is divided in 7 parts :

I - A Guide to the Place of Unreason : a 20 pages description of Voivodja, a war torn, vampire infected, weird reflection through a dark mirror of Romania.

II - The Alice : a 5 page new race/character class which can be female or male (the male Alice is called Alistair and if you do not like gendered word, you can call them fool).

III - Beasts & People : a 50 pages compendium of the monsters that plague the once fair lands of Voivodja.

IV - Adventure Locations : a 55 + pages description of the castles of 2 of the mains antogonists of Voivodja and 3 sample locations.

V - Optional rules : self describing. 6 pages long.

VI - Tables & Ressources : 29 pages of cool random tables for spicing your players' time in Voivodja.

VII - Players Handouts.

So 192 pages of a (very) welcomed bizarre adventure setting ! Buy it if you can ! ^_^

Quote from: JeremyR;802285I think he's shipping from Europe. It's the US Post Office that has insane international shipping rates.

Not in comparison to Canada. Actually the ONLY thing the US does better.

Yeah, international shipping cost sucks but Raggi has made some commendable effort by putting a 20 euros cap for 1st class shipping and a 10 euros cap for 2st class shipping, so this should prevent you to getting this stuff in print if you wish so (Of course, if you are not interested in this, don't bother with it !).

It's a beautiful book, based solely on what I've seen from the preview images. It's tempting to buy it purely for the graphic design, since I doubt I'll have the opportunity to use it for at least a few years, but I just can't afford to blow the cash right now.  

Quote from: Mark Plemmons;802394It's a beautiful book, based solely on what I've seen from the preview images. It's tempting to buy it purely for the graphic design, since I doubt I'll have the opportunity to use it for at least a few years, but I just can't afford to blow the cash right now.  

Ask Santa.

Quote from: Zak S;802665Ask Santa.

That fat fuck still owes me money.

I am starting a more careful reading of the digital version of A Red and Pleasant Land but I am suprised form the lack of Ottoman Turks inspired protagonists in this setting. But maybe I did not catch them form my first reading (they might be there but I did not see any crescent moon symbol). Since Zak didn't write it as a real history inspired setting, it is someting that can be easily overlooked but the Hungria and the Romania where The Countess Bathory and the Prince Vlad Dracula lived where full of Ottoman Turks.

I have read 2 times AR&L and started thinking of what I can do with it. If I use it a day for a gaming session, I think I will make the Pale King the Pale Prince Mordryd, sent by his beloved mother Morgane Le Fay to conquer new lands in the name of his father the Pale King Artorius. I will also make the Colorless Queen the Colorless Princess sent by his Mother Circea to (also) conquer news lands in her name, using the mystic tutelage of Myrdryn, once advisor to the Pale King (maybe reborn as the Hatter). The setting will take place in 16th Europe with a weird fantasy twist.

It seems that the author of A Red and Pleasant Land have put (a part of) my 2nd post in this thread on his list of people's reactions to his book on his blog. If it helps people to make their minds on it, that's cool !