First Impressions - Rogues (powered by Tombpunk)

'Rogues' is the supplement that encouraged me to get hold of Tombpunk. It's an expansion that brings the criminal into Tombpunk. If you recall from my earlier review, there's no equivalent of the D&D Thief/Rogue/Assassin in Tombpunk; this book adds in those options, along with mechanics for city-based games and a selection of settings. The book links back to a number of Outland Entertainment's fiction anthologies about criminal life in a fantasy setting. It's written by Alan Bahr and Alana Joli Abbott. I've not read the source fiction so I can't tell you how successful it is in nailing the vibe.

'Rogues' is presented in the same format as Tombpunk; a digest-sized hardcover with B&W internals, slightly longer at 115 pages. It's printed using POD from DTRPG.

The book opens with a short introduction which concludes with a short comic strip featuring the same character used in the core book. It's fun, and really gives a clear vibe of what the book is all about. Arguably, it's aiming at rules-light "Blades in the Dark" style shenanigans.

Three new character classes are introduced; Knaves, Scoundrels and Brigands. Knaves are your generic criminal (or blackguard). They're stealthy and able to carry out a nasty sneak attack. Brigands are the highwaymen of the setting. They're skilled at ambushes, good at getting the most from selling their ill-gotten gains, and know their way around a horse. Scoundrels are pickpockets and con-artists. They're good at picking pockets (duh!) and know the streets like the back of their hands. They don't have any mechanical advantages to pulling a con or fast-talking, despite the description as being a con artist. I like these three classes as they definitely build on the originals and add new flavour to the game.

The book then talks about the economics of city life. They're effectively exactly the same as those in the core book. You don't need an Adventurer's Licence to live in the city, but those costs are replaced by higher taxes to the local Lord.

The next section talks about running cons. Cons have a mark rating, equal to double the number of characters in most cases. The party has a heist rating. Each time you complete a section of the con, you roll a D8 against your heist rating. If you roll under, you reduce the mark rating. When that hits zero, you succeed and get the treasure.

This section disappointed me; it's exactly the same as the mechanics for dungeons. I'd hoped for something more. it would have been nice if they'd included something similar to flashbacks in Blades in the Dark or the preparedness ability in Gumshoe. Both of those tools reward players for getting stuck in and encourage creative thinking without analysis-paralysis. I think that an opportunity has been lost here.

The Enemies section includes the common opponents that you would meet in a city; guards of various types, their commanders, knights and nobles, and the Guild. If you don't check in with the locals, you could end up in trouble. The section rounds out with the Church of Order and an obligatory mad wizard.

Mechanics completed, the book digs into multiple micro-settings.

• 'Gato Peterero' moves outside the city to raid a temple in the jungle. It's a fun setup but why focus on a city and then immediately go beyond it?
• 'Rat catchers' deals with an infestation of were-rats (no stats in either book though!) who are spreading plague and looking to take over.
• 'Cranglass' deals with a remote village and edges into folk horror.
• 'The Aktherian Wastes' places the characters in the town of Perin on the edges of a frozen wasteland, looking to make their fortunes.
• 'Beyond the Veil' is an interesting set up. A shadow world exists which influences the reality that most people live in. The character can see and enter this world, fighting back against evil, corruption and tyranny. There's a lot of potential in this, especially if you manage to slow the reveal to the characters.
• 'Wanderers' is a post-apocalyptic setting where aliens have conquered and seeded Earth, and humanity have retreated underground, hiding from the threat of the Wanderers. it does show the versatility of the system, but you'd have to rationalise some of the more fantasy elements (especially Shepherds and Ritualists from the core book).
• 'Placid' is another SF setting; the colony was founded 500 years ago, but two of the three original ships didn't make it. The colonists made do, developing powers due to crystals found underground, where the dangerous Thumpers live. Suddenly, a second ship arrives, bearing colonists with higher technology and the original leaders and funders of the expedition.

Overall, I like 'Rogues' but I feel that it hasn't quite delivered on its promise. There's no real development of the game for the specific genre (city-based capers and cons) beyond the new character classes. The settings, in the main, are really interesting but don't really feel like they mesh with the theme of the book. There's useful material here, but ultimately I was left a little disappointed.


18th September 2021.