If you liked the core rules, the adventures are where the system really shines. Some of them are a bit hit and miss, but ones like A Red and Pleasant Land, Vornheim, Broodmother Skyfortress, and Veins of the Earth are mind-shatteringly good. Some of the best RPG books I've ever seen. Also, there's a really cool app here that lets you automate the whole Summon spell: summon.totalpartykill.ca/
Yeah, I have Veins of the Earth on my Amazon wishlist - it's just the price that is putting me off at the moment. As for others - I have had a few recommended to me by various Twitter folks - Deep Carbon Observatory and A Red and Pleasant Land too. Will make sure to check the others out too. Thanks for the heads up QB.
Huge fan of LOTFP...their adventures are also top notch. I recommend Vornheim, Broodmother Skyfortress, Deepcarbon Observatory and Deathfrost Doom to get you going as well.
I loved this review. Nice presentation style, succinct and informative. Actually I also like the gentle tone and the northern accent. Good storytelling voice, I reckon. Thanks, Bud.
Great review. I have yet to run LotFP "as is" but I love the lean, mean rules. I've pilfered quite a lot of it for my home brew. And like QB has already mentioned, their supplemental material is top notch.
@@benpuffer7891 I think the system runs perfectly fine the way it is. I just have a tendency to make changes in whatever I’m running, because I’ve been using hybrid rules for most of my gaming life.
Great reveiw, converted my alternate history elizabethan campaign from 5e to lotfp recently , most players love it though one hates the lower power setting and the absence of adding strength to damage really annoys him but as a DM loving it and finally got to use my signed copy i had as present
Excellent review of one of my favourite RPGs! There is some great free content available as well, such as the Referee book from the Grindhouse Edition (completely backwards compatible) which also includes a fantastic free beginning adventure titled A Stranger Storm. Also I believe PDFs of the Free RPG Day products are still available free, including one adventure (Doom Cave of the Crystal-headed Children), a sandbox adventure/setting (Better Than Any Man), and the two Weird Magic System supplements (Vaginas are Magic and James Edward Raggi IV's Eldritch Cock) which include an alternate magic system (in which ALL spells become 1st level) and a BUNCH of spells based on Heavy Metal song titles! When it comes to the published adventures, LotFP can't be beat in my opinion. The best are those penned by James himself, including Death Frost Doom, Death Love Doom, and Fuck For Satan. Kelvin Green wrote my next two favourites, Forgive Us and Fish Fuckers. Rafael Chandler's No Salvation For Witches is fantastic as well. Welcome to the LotFP rabbit hole, mate! Can't wait to see more on this line from you.
Another great review Bud! LOTFP is a name I had heard in passing a few times, but never really looked into it further. After watching your review however (and reading the comments about the infamous adventures), my interest was piqued and I had to pick it up as a hardcopy. Linked your review to a friend, who ended up buying every supplement/adventure available. Now finding myself as a player in their LOTFP campaign for the foreseeable future (barring world-ending magic mishaps) - thank you!
Great Product for the New Year. Love this Game so much. It's such a great rendition of the B/X rules, and as you said is beautiful in brutal simplicity. It's simplicity also makes it highly hackable which is a huge deal. Generally to play this version of the game you need multiple characters per player. If you do that, then the game is great fun as its lethality doesn't have so big an impact.
I've recently discovered Forbidden Lands by Free League and it's quickly become one of my favorite RPG's. I recommend you check it out and see if it interests you as well. It has a old school flavor that I think you'll enjoy, especially since you like older adventures such as the Night Below.
LotFP is one of my all- time favorite systems. It puts the bite back into D&D and adds an interesting twist. You have to enjoy, or at least tolerate the author's voice, but that is not a problem for me. Thanks for this fair and informative review. I would like to see more on OSR products if you share the interest.
I have a number of further LotFP products on my wishlist that I intend to purchase and review over time. Click on the Amazon icon in the bottom right of my banner to check out what I am thinking of purchasing.
There's a free PDF available of one on Drivethrurpg. The new one is allegedly due out this year (2023), but has been in the works for years. But all you need to play is in the Rules And Magic book.
Outstanding review. I hear there are no magic items, which is fine, that wouldn't sit with the bleak outlook but are they're any critters or are referees supposed to lift them from other OSR/original games?
The core book doesn't have either. But the LotFP source books have plenty of each. There is no unified LotFP setting (as far as i know) or canonical monster manual.
As a refinement of B/X it's a pretty good rework, making everyone a bit more interesting. The only thing I'd change is the Specialist, since a character who is JUST good at skills and sucks at everything else isn't really my bag. The biggest trouble of LotFP are the adventures: many of them are simply foul, not just badly designed adventures but actively gross and sickening to read through, much less play. That said, the core rules work just fine if you want to run some classic adventures but don't want to dig out the older, clunkier rules. It also uses the silver standard so the massive hoards of wealth needed to level up can be cut down to a fraction of the size, thankfully. Overall I'd still prefer AD&D 2e since I know the rules I like out of the set and can run it smoothly to any kind of B/X retroclone, but given the chance I'd still like to try out more LotFP.
@@BudsRPGreview It's a good rulebook, for sure. The big infamous adventures, though? Not so much: Blood in the Chocolate comes most to mind there. There's others that are pretty good but it's quite a mixed bag. It's too bad that they've had such vile ones in the mix, since it makes me not want to take the chance and read more myself despite the good things I've heard about their other adventures. I've heard great things about Veins of the Earth, though, as far as developing your mythic underworld - light as both a resource and a currency, more mysterious local races (like a redone Derro), and stuff like that. If you were looking for any kind of inspiration for that sort of adventuring, it should be good.
Some of the adventures are too much, but there's also some absolute gold in there. Try Deep Carbon Observatory, Death Frost Doom, and Tower of the Stargazer.
@@misomiso8228 DFD and Tower of the Stargazer are ones I'd actually point at as being poorly designed retroclones. DFD wants to be an outdoor survival hexcrawl, and that part of it works fine. Some of the mythic stuff it uses is fine. The owls? Not so fine, nor are some of the arbitrary curses or limited ways to find the goal of the adventure. Tower of the Stargazer has ridiculous Tomb of Horrors level traps on the FRONT DOOR, yet it's advertised as a "great way to teach new players the game", when it is no such thing. Traps and poison being practically every other step is not a good teaching method for anyone, it's mostly annoying and boring rather than "teaching them caution". As for Deep Carbon Observatory, that one's pretty good. It really is a shame that, despite most of them having a good premise or map, they fail to live up to the premise by being stupidly brutal, having bad design, or both. The ones that are good are pretty dang good, though!
117 albermarle rd - Sound settings: Your video's sound isn't working might be due to the audio being turned off on the video player. ... Sound card: To check if it is a computer sound card issue, please visit another site to see if there is audio player on other online videos.
@@BudsRPGreview Ha, sorry. I commented on the incorrect video. I didn't realize I was commenting on someone else's channel, as I thought this was one of their uploaded videos, but turns out your video was one of their "liked" videos.
I'm sorry, but the edgy for edgy's sake of Lamentations is just way too 90's douche bag bro for me. It's contrived and feels like a desperate plea to "Look at me! Look at me!". Mechanically, it's very similar to tons of other OSR games, which is why the company tries to shock people by how (I hate to use the word again but it's the best fit) edgy their game is. I've read the book and a few of the adventures. There are several good ideas scattered throughout but overall LotFP gets a nope from me.
@Jasper Jaguar I don't know how old you are, but there's a good chance I've been listening to metal for longer than you've been alive. And you missed the whole point of my comment. It's not edgy. It's wanna be edgy. It's a try hard to be edgy. LotFP is for all fake ass, new metal, screamo fans, not true
@@ishmiel21 I can think of plenty of other systems that are better than Lotfp (OSE, DCC and the old but still good White box come to mind) but the adventures, especially the first ones, are something else, blood in the chocolate and veins of the earth are just great and, regardless of what the author did or didn't do, frostbitten and mutilated is great too.
If you liked the core rules, the adventures are where the system really shines. Some of them are a bit hit and miss, but ones like A Red and Pleasant Land, Vornheim, Broodmother Skyfortress, and Veins of the Earth are mind-shatteringly good. Some of the best RPG books I've ever seen. Also, there's a really cool app here that lets you automate the whole Summon spell: summon.totalpartykill.ca/
Yeah, I have Veins of the Earth on my Amazon wishlist - it's just the price that is putting me off at the moment. As for others - I have had a few recommended to me by various Twitter folks - Deep Carbon Observatory and A Red and Pleasant Land too. Will make sure to check the others out too. Thanks for the heads up QB.
@@BudsRPGreview Veins of the Earth is a massive book, I was shocked when I received it honestly if that helps justify the cost.
Yeah, I've seen the thickness of it and it is a monster.
VotE really needs to be bought semi-local as the postage can work out more than the book.
Recently sourced it from the UK and it is a gem.
@@AngryPict On Amazon it is currently $46 and comes with free shipping.
the way you narrate review and explain every aspect is outstanding, I really like this video
That's very kind. Don't forget to sub!
I agree with this -- it's an exceptionally well-articulated breakdown. Hats off to you.
I really like your style, Bud. Honest, straight forward reviews. Excellent channel!
Thanks! Glad you're enjoying them.
Thank you for opening the curtain and giving me a look at this book.
Glad you found it useful. Don't forget to subscribe etc.
Excellent review, thank you. I have placed an order for the book.
Excellent. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Just ordered LotFP. Your review clinched the deal.
Great review! Thank you for this! 👍🏽
Huge fan of LOTFP...their adventures are also top notch. I recommend Vornheim, Broodmother Skyfortress, Deepcarbon Observatory and Deathfrost Doom to get you going as well.
Still my absolute favorite OSR system to run and play. Players who've never played B/X style D&D pick it up surprisingly quick from my own experience.
I loved this review. Nice presentation style, succinct and informative. Actually I also like the gentle tone and the northern accent. Good storytelling voice, I reckon. Thanks, Bud.
Cheers dude. I also have a Patreon if that is something you would be interested in, with extra stuff on it.
I'm intrigued! Great review Bud!👍
Great review. I have yet to run LotFP "as is" but I love the lean, mean rules. I've pilfered quite a lot of it for my home brew. And like QB has already mentioned, their supplemental material is top notch.
Are there common changes or additions ppl need to make to the system?
@@benpuffer7891 I think the system runs perfectly fine the way it is. I just have a tendency to make changes in whatever I’m running, because I’ve been using hybrid rules for most of my gaming life.
Great reveiw, converted my alternate history elizabethan campaign from 5e to lotfp recently , most players love it though one hates the lower power setting and the absence of adding strength to damage really annoys him but as a DM loving it and finally got to use my signed copy i had as present
I also have a signed copy. I met James Raggi at UK Games Expo last year and he signed my copy for me.
Thats so cool , as i said mine was just thoughtful present from one of my players, bought me black chainmail coif year before he is the man
Nice thorough review. You also have a real storytellers voice.
Totally love this review. I saved this video to watch again later as I flip through my copy of that core book for LotFP :D
Excellent review of one of my favourite RPGs! There is some great free content available as well, such as the Referee book from the Grindhouse Edition (completely backwards compatible) which also includes a fantastic free beginning adventure titled A Stranger Storm. Also I believe PDFs of the Free RPG Day products are still available free, including one adventure (Doom Cave of the Crystal-headed Children), a sandbox adventure/setting (Better Than Any Man), and the two Weird Magic System supplements (Vaginas are Magic and James Edward Raggi IV's Eldritch Cock) which include an alternate magic system (in which ALL spells become 1st level) and a BUNCH of spells based on Heavy Metal song titles!
When it comes to the published adventures, LotFP can't be beat in my opinion. The best are those penned by James himself, including Death Frost Doom, Death Love Doom, and Fuck For Satan. Kelvin Green wrote my next two favourites, Forgive Us and Fish Fuckers. Rafael Chandler's No Salvation For Witches is fantastic as well.
Welcome to the LotFP rabbit hole, mate! Can't wait to see more on this line from you.
I've just dropped a stack of them on my wishlist.
Another great review Bud! LOTFP is a name I had heard in passing a few times, but never really looked into it further. After watching your review however (and reading the comments about the infamous adventures), my interest was piqued and I had to pick it up as a hardcopy. Linked your review to a friend, who ended up buying every supplement/adventure available. Now finding myself as a player in their LOTFP campaign for the foreseeable future (barring world-ending magic mishaps) - thank you!
Krissy S wow! Thanks for the feedback. Hope you enjoy it!
Great Product for the New Year.
Love this Game so much. It's such a great rendition of the B/X rules, and as you said is beautiful in brutal simplicity.
It's simplicity also makes it highly hackable which is a huge deal.
Generally to play this version of the game you need multiple characters per player. If you do that, then the game is great fun as its lethality doesn't have so big an impact.
Another great review, Bud. Love your style
I've recently discovered Forbidden Lands by Free League and it's quickly become one of my favorite RPG's. I recommend you check it out and see if it interests you as well. It has a old school flavor that I think you'll enjoy, especially since you like older adventures such as the Night Below.
Cheers dude.
Excellent review. Thank you for the flip-through!
This sounds like it might be a good fit for Ravenloft.
Possibly yeah.
LotFP is one of my all- time favorite systems. It puts the bite back into D&D and adds an interesting twist. You have to enjoy, or at least tolerate the author's voice, but that is not a problem for me. Thanks for this fair and informative review. I would like to see more on OSR products if you share the interest.
I have a number of further LotFP products on my wishlist that I intend to purchase and review over time. Click on the Amazon icon in the bottom right of my banner to check out what I am thinking of purchasing.
Awesome review!
Glad you enjoyed it
Oh hell yes brother! I thought I could just add guns and Basic D&D ethos to 5e but I need to switch to this permanently.
It's savage to the extreme and has some incredible material written for it.
This is a GREAT review.
Either that is a very small book or you have gigantic hands.
I have COLLOSAL hands.
Considering this game did you not like the summon spell or liked how dangerous it made everything?
Okay so this book is for players, but is there a LotFP GM’s book?
It doesn't need one.
There's a free PDF available of one on Drivethrurpg. The new one is allegedly due out this year (2023), but has been in the works for years.
But all you need to play is in the Rules And Magic book.
Outstanding review. I hear there are no magic items, which is fine, that wouldn't sit with the bleak outlook but are they're any critters or are referees supposed to lift them from other OSR/original games?
The core book doesn't have either. But the LotFP source books have plenty of each. There is no unified LotFP setting (as far as i know) or canonical monster manual.
Nice
I think this might get me out of D&D it just seems way too cool.
It's incredibly cool. No babies allowed!
Who did you nick this book from?
Theo Hamer Amazon - but it was £15 for the privilege.
As a refinement of B/X it's a pretty good rework, making everyone a bit more interesting. The only thing I'd change is the Specialist, since a character who is JUST good at skills and sucks at everything else isn't really my bag.
The biggest trouble of LotFP are the adventures: many of them are simply foul, not just badly designed adventures but actively gross and sickening to read through, much less play. That said, the core rules work just fine if you want to run some classic adventures but don't want to dig out the older, clunkier rules. It also uses the silver standard so the massive hoards of wealth needed to level up can be cut down to a fraction of the size, thankfully.
Overall I'd still prefer AD&D 2e since I know the rules I like out of the set and can run it smoothly to any kind of B/X retroclone, but given the chance I'd still like to try out more LotFP.
This was the first LotFP book I have ever read, and I thought it was fantastic. Kind of see what you're saying about the Specialist.
@@BudsRPGreview It's a good rulebook, for sure. The big infamous adventures, though? Not so much: Blood in the Chocolate comes most to mind there. There's others that are pretty good but it's quite a mixed bag. It's too bad that they've had such vile ones in the mix, since it makes me not want to take the chance and read more myself despite the good things I've heard about their other adventures.
I've heard great things about Veins of the Earth, though, as far as developing your mythic underworld - light as both a resource and a currency, more mysterious local races (like a redone Derro), and stuff like that. If you were looking for any kind of inspiration for that sort of adventuring, it should be good.
Chronische Veins of the Earth is on my wish list as it came very highly recommended.
Some of the adventures are too much, but there's also some absolute gold in there.
Try Deep Carbon Observatory, Death Frost Doom, and Tower of the Stargazer.
@@misomiso8228 DFD and Tower of the Stargazer are ones I'd actually point at as being poorly designed retroclones. DFD wants to be an outdoor survival hexcrawl, and that part of it works fine. Some of the mythic stuff it uses is fine. The owls? Not so fine, nor are some of the arbitrary curses or limited ways to find the goal of the adventure. Tower of the Stargazer has ridiculous Tomb of Horrors level traps on the FRONT DOOR, yet it's advertised as a "great way to teach new players the game", when it is no such thing. Traps and poison being practically every other step is not a good teaching method for anyone, it's mostly annoying and boring rather than "teaching them caution". As for Deep Carbon Observatory, that one's pretty good.
It really is a shame that, despite most of them having a good premise or map, they fail to live up to the premise by being stupidly brutal, having bad design, or both. The ones that are good are pretty dang good, though!
I love the simple rule set but I find the setting and art...disturbing.
Job done!
I thought it would be much worse.
@@GabrielAlejandroZorrilla Same, there is a lot worst around.
117 albermarle rd - Sound settings: Your video's sound isn't working might be due to the audio being turned off on the video player. ... Sound card: To check if it is a computer sound card issue, please visit another site to see if there is audio player on other online videos.
Wut?
Are you still blasting hip hop these days?
I'm not sure this is for me as I am not a hip hop fan.
@@BudsRPGreview Ha, sorry. I commented on the incorrect video. I didn't realize I was commenting on someone else's channel, as I thought this was one of their uploaded videos, but turns out your video was one of their "liked" videos.
I'm sorry, but the edgy for edgy's sake of Lamentations is just way too 90's douche bag bro for me. It's contrived and feels like a desperate plea to "Look at me! Look at me!". Mechanically, it's very similar to tons of other OSR games, which is why the company tries to shock people by how (I hate to use the word again but it's the best fit) edgy their game is.
I've read the book and a few of the adventures. There are several good ideas scattered throughout but overall LotFP gets a nope from me.
Well I loved it. YRPGMV.
@Jasper Jaguar I don't know how old you are, but there's a good chance I've been listening to metal for longer than you've been alive.
And you missed the whole point of my comment. It's not edgy. It's wanna be edgy. It's a try hard to be edgy. LotFP is for all fake ass, new metal, screamo fans, not true
Yeah, it's watered down B/X with soft-core art. Whatever, meh.
@@sunsin1592 That's a pretty lack luster description, man.
@@ishmiel21 I can think of plenty of other systems that are better than Lotfp (OSE, DCC and the old but still good White box come to mind) but the adventures, especially the first ones, are something else, blood in the chocolate and veins of the earth are just great and, regardless of what the author did or didn't do, frostbitten and mutilated is great too.
A pity the content is so fucking misogynistic, because the rules are fine.
If you don't like it, don't buy it. Nobody is forcing you.