Michael Ghelfi's free DnD audio library: bit.ly/GhelfiUA-cam Michael Ghelfi's Patreon: bit.ly/GhelfiPatreon Buy the Forbidden Lands boxed set in PDF: bit.ly/FLBoxedSetPDF Buy the Forbidden Lands in print: bit.ly/FLBoxedSet
Thank you for a great review. Grew up in the 80s and 90s Sweden with Nils Gulliksson illustrations. So as a Swede I had to play this out of national pride. And by the gods it was not wasted time. 65 sessions. And my orc could in the end finally retire as a fighter to his own tavern, together with his childhood goblin sweetheart. Ah, those were the times...
One of the best RPG starter sets out there, considering what you get inside the box. Then again, all Free League starters are amazing value for the money.
I loved the artwork, reminded me of the Hero Quest tabletop game and early Games Workshop. I looked it up and turns out Gulliksson also did the art in the former, so it checks out.
This looks incredible, it's like the designers combed James Mal's old blog taking notes of everything he wished TSR era D&D had incorporated (hexcrawl and d&d endgame with strongholds, especially) !
Great review, Ben. I've had this box set for about a year now. There are so many great things about it. Alas, I have yet to actually play it, as I'm currently running a home brew campaign. But I love the way this game is designed.
Thanks for the overview. Would have liked to hear more of your opinions on the system in comparison to other old-school options for what it tried to do.
4:09 Erik Granström, credited with Setting and Adventure Sites, is also a recognizable name. He wrote the Svavelvinter module for Drakar och Demoner, a real classic in swedish ttrpg history, and the basis for the first roleplaying game published by the Free League by the same name.
I highly recommend Mutant Year ZeroI prefer how settlement building works in mutant compared to the base building in forbidden lands but both are solid options
I freaking love Forbidden Lands. Its one the only times that I read the handbooks cover to cover... they are just that good! And the whole set is so beautiful. The system is easy. The setting is suitably mysterious. Seriously, guys, pick this game up!!
Damn I love the games these guys and gals make. Running Vaesen now and finished up a Tales from the Loop campaign over the spring. Now I just need to get some folks to play Mutant Year Zero.
I hope those stronghold rules are good and I also really like those injury charts. That looks like it would work really good with a homebrew system I have wanted to implement which characters learn and get better at healing certain parts of the body.
There is a 1 in D66 chance Loot was stolen from a Dragon and then a 1 in D66 chance for the dragon to come and want it back from the players. guess whos players had to invent a lie to deceive a dragon about the sword that was stolen from him...
I've been running a Raven's Purge campaign for a while now, and both the campaign and the rules have their ups and downs. Over all, the players are happy, so we'll keep playing it until it runs its course, I guess. But I really, really wish the stronghold rules were better. Sigh...
Hi ben! have you ever looked at or reviewed the game "mazes"? I found it through john wick who did a short video on it and I think you might really enjoy reading it (and I would love to hear your thoughts on it if you ever end up making a review on it). anyhoo good work as always on the video I just remembered it now and I didn't find a review of it on your channel.
Hey Ben, maybe you will cover this in your next review, but how does this boxed set hold up as just a campaign setting, like say I dumped to system and used something like WWN? Is there still plenty of value in it for the ideas and subsystems, or is it really about Forbidden Lands as its own game system?
Not Ben, but imo the system is the strength here, not the setting. That being said some of the adventure sites are really great and could easily be dropped in to other settings.
Was the map paper or another material? it almost looks like a flexible silicone/treated map. Also props on the design to leave the areas unnamed for personalization touches.
That's the paper version of the Map, but I know of at least 3 other types, there's a A3 Velvet Map from allrolledup.co.uk, there's a Neoprene Map I've seen on the French Version Crowdfunding campaign, and there's a giant cotton Map from Fria Ligan store site.
@@TonyJ1776 My pleasure, although that prompted me to check the giant cloth map at freeleaguepublishing, it shows in the store you can add it to the cart, but sadly it's sold out :(
There are no clerics in FBL. You can use bind magic to create useful gadgets and weapons, or you can find the many relic artifacts. Heck, you can homebrew your own.
Every profession can use any items/artefacts. Professions aren't classes, they only give you several willpower activated talents. Nothing preventing sorcerer from wearing plate armor, wielding battleaxe and training axe fighter talent.
I want to see a YearZero version of Symbaroum. This game Forgotten Lands was somewhat of a disappointment for me. I love the engine particularly. The product becomes less useful due to the level of setting baked into the rules - I wanted less of that, so that it was much more setting agnostic. Unfortunately they are all too often just over that line and that you have is - for my use anyway - all to often linked to the worlds gods or the not very good setting background (the explanation for the blood mist etc is not a very evocative one - its mostly so they can justify the core conceit of the forgotten lands. Id rather they have said these are the forgotten lands and here are five ideas for why they had been forgotten. The one included lacks imagination being very stereotypical and yet also feeling cludged on. Anyway there is too much setting that your sort have got to take on and the GOD's man dont even get me started on the stupid that is the gods.
I'm not opposed to settings being baked in, but there's just something about the Forbidden Lands setting and the blood mist nonsense that I don't like at all and has kept me from picking this up.
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Buy the Forbidden Lands boxed set in PDF: bit.ly/FLBoxedSetPDF
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Thank you for a great review. Grew up in the 80s and 90s Sweden with Nils Gulliksson illustrations. So as a Swede I had to play this out of national pride. And by the gods it was not wasted time. 65 sessions. And my orc could in the end finally retire as a fighter to his own tavern, together with his childhood goblin sweetheart. Ah, those were the times...
One of my favorite things about the Forbidden Lands is how beautiful the art and text are.
One of the best RPG starter sets out there, considering what you get inside the box. Then again, all Free League starters are amazing value for the money.
Bonus: it’s the game! Not just a paired down starter set! Buy this and that’s all you really need. The campaign books are just extra and great
About 50 sessions into a west marches forbidden lands game and the editing of the book for looking up stuff at the table leaves a lot to be desired.
Exactly what I felt after playing this with my group. Not for 50 sessions but maybe 10-ish.
I was thinking the same, a lot of flipping around, small criticism in a great book though.
I loved the artwork, reminded me of the Hero Quest tabletop game and early Games Workshop. I looked it up and turns out Gulliksson also did the art in the former, so it checks out.
Honestly, if I end up ever getting the books, it's because of the artwork. That cover art alone has such pull and just calls to me.
Looks like most of the art is just reused stuff from the early editions of the Swedish rpg Drakar och Demoner(1982).
@@nightdew4934 Yes, that nearly made me jump out of my seat when I noticed that. Awesome! I love that artwork!
Really reminds me of Mutant Year Zero, I am really glad they went for black and white on matte paper!
This looks incredible, it's like the designers combed James Mal's old blog taking notes of everything he wished TSR era D&D had incorporated (hexcrawl and d&d endgame with strongholds, especially) !
Been wanting him to go over this for a while
Same here :)
I live this game. It does everything I wanted to do with 5E West Marches, but makes it a seamless part of the game.
Great review, Ben. I've had this box set for about a year now. There are so many great things about it. Alas, I have yet to actually play it, as I'm currently running a home brew campaign. But I love the way this game is designed.
Thanks for the overview. Would have liked to hear more of your opinions on the system in comparison to other old-school options for what it tried to do.
4:09 Erik Granström, credited with Setting and Adventure Sites, is also a recognizable name. He wrote the Svavelvinter module for Drakar och Demoner, a real classic in swedish ttrpg history, and the basis for the first roleplaying game published by the Free League by the same name.
Thank you for providing this review!! Made the jump and ordered it, so excited to play it with my group. :D
After many years of D&D, my experience with Forbidden Lands has been quite refreshing. Amazing game!
What do you find amazing about it? To me it feels kinda generic OSR fantasy. Symbaroum on the other hand is pretty evocative and feels unique...
Agreed. I'm 25 sessions in and everyone is having a blast
I highly recommend Mutant Year ZeroI prefer how settlement building works in mutant compared to the base building in forbidden lands but both are solid options
I freaking love Forbidden Lands. Its one the only times that I read the handbooks cover to cover... they are just that good!
And the whole set is so beautiful. The system is easy. The setting is suitably mysterious. Seriously, guys, pick this game up!!
Damn I love the games these guys and gals make. Running Vaesen now and finished up a Tales from the Loop campaign over the spring. Now I just need to get some folks to play Mutant Year Zero.
Michael Ghelfi sponsoring Questing Beast? Heck yeah!
😄
Glad to see this, just trying to decide if I want to get the Foundry modules.
I hope those stronghold rules are good and I also really like those injury charts. That looks like it would work really good with a homebrew system I have wanted to implement which characters learn and get better at healing certain parts of the body.
I'm amazed at product's quality.
Especially at this price point. This whole set is cheaper than one 5e book.
Beautiful art and layout in this one.
There is a 1 in D66 chance Loot was stolen from a Dragon and then a 1 in D66 chance for the dragon to come and want it back from the players. guess whos players had to invent a lie to deceive a dragon about the sword that was stolen from him...
Hey QB, have you heard of "HighFell: The Drifting Dungeon" from the same guy that made "Barrowmaze" and "The Forbidden Caverns of Archaia?"
Magic SHOULD be scary!!! I might get this just for the magical mishaps table.
I agree. I went a step further and spent $1.00 on a larger magic mishap table from drivethroughRPG. Whoever wrote that has a sick sense of humor.
I've been running a Raven's Purge campaign for a while now, and both the campaign and the rules have their ups and downs. Over all, the players are happy, so we'll keep playing it until it runs its course, I guess.
But I really, really wish the stronghold rules were better. Sigh...
Can it be more banal?
The guy in a hood at 12:44 on page 89, good thing tey croped that immage, would be weird if he still had 2 shadows...
You who know, you know...
Hi ben! have you ever looked at or reviewed the game "mazes"? I found it through john wick who did a short video on it and I think you might really enjoy reading it (and I would love to hear your thoughts on it if you ever end up making a review on it).
anyhoo good work as always on the video I just remembered it now and I didn't find a review of it on your channel.
Omg baby at 7:07🥺🥺🥺
Hey Ben, maybe you will cover this in your next review, but how does this boxed set hold up as just a campaign setting, like say I dumped to system and used something like WWN? Is there still plenty of value in it for the ideas and subsystems, or is it really about Forbidden Lands as its own game system?
Not Ben, but imo the system is the strength here, not the setting. That being said some of the adventure sites are really great and could easily be dropped in to other settings.
I bought Spire of Quetzel just based upon who the authors were!
Yeah some of Quetzel's adventure are almost unplayable. They contain great ideas but it looks like they weren't written with FL's ruleset in mind.
4:15 Never heard off him. Must be something from the days of DoD.
What about solo play?
Was the map paper or another material? it almost looks like a flexible silicone/treated map. Also props on the design to leave the areas unnamed for personalization touches.
That's the paper version of the Map, but I know of at least 3 other types, there's a A3 Velvet Map from allrolledup.co.uk, there's a Neoprene Map I've seen on the French Version Crowdfunding campaign, and there's a giant cotton Map from Fria Ligan store site.
@@mistigri4261 Thanks for all the info!
@@TonyJ1776 My pleasure, although that prompted me to check the giant cloth map at freeleaguepublishing, it shows in the store you can add it to the cart, but sadly it's sold out :(
There are way too many RPG systems and not enough dungeons\campaign settings. Is this just the state of OSR right now?
Forgive me for being that guy... but at 21:30... I'm pretty sure you can not "build" a cauldron.
Actually you can build a cauldron, there is a crafting system. A cauldron requires 1 unit of iron, a forge and the blacksmith talent.
Sadly almost no magic items for wizards, thiefs, and clerics... the only good class is fighter. Otherwise, very good sandbox tools!
There are no clerics in FBL. You can use bind magic to create useful gadgets and weapons, or you can find the many relic artifacts. Heck, you can homebrew your own.
Every profession can use any items/artefacts. Professions aren't classes, they only give you several willpower activated talents. Nothing preventing sorcerer from wearing plate armor, wielding battleaxe and training axe fighter talent.
How's it going, fellas?
Just fine, just fine
You?
@@spudsbuchlaw Really good, thank you
@@kennethallore9061 sweet, yo
I want to see a YearZero version of Symbaroum. This game Forgotten Lands was somewhat of a disappointment for me. I love the engine particularly. The product becomes less useful due to the level of setting baked into the rules - I wanted less of that, so that it was much more setting agnostic. Unfortunately they are all too often just over that line and that you have is - for my use anyway - all to often linked to the worlds gods or the not very good setting background (the explanation for the blood mist etc is not a very evocative one - its mostly so they can justify the core conceit of the forgotten lands. Id rather they have said these are the forgotten lands and here are five ideas for why they had been forgotten. The one included lacks imagination being very stereotypical and yet also feeling cludged on. Anyway there is too much setting that your sort have got to take on and the GOD's man dont even get me started on the stupid that is the gods.
I'm not opposed to settings being baked in, but there's just something about the Forbidden Lands setting and the blood mist nonsense that I don't like at all and has kept me from picking this up.
"You are going to be able to fill those in to what you want them to be" No thanks if im buying a supplement it better fill stuff in for me.