First of all, I want to thank Max Moon Games for sending us a review copy of Abyss of Hallucinations – Volume 1. This is a setting compatible with the old-school RPG Mörk Borg.
This work is inspired by and based on the Book of Lies by the English occultist and writer Aleister Crowley; within this text from over a hundred years ago, there are cryptograms, poems, questions, rituals, ambiguous allusions and philosophical instructions. Max Moon has taken inspiration in content and tone, without the pretension of revealing an analytical reading of Crowley’s work. This also allows you to appreciate the manual I’m about to review without ever having read the Book of Lies.
If you are interested in buying Abyss of Hallucinations – Volume 1, keep in mind that it is available in the official store for the price of $25 (currently around €22.70).
The Structure of the Abyss
First, I’ll try to give some context. The Abyss represents Hell, or rather an interpretation of it; an absurd, distorted interpretation of it, full of temptations, desire, fornications, shocking ideas and symbolism. Some say that the greatest sages can even come out of it but, of course, there are no certainties about it.
The manual contains a map of the Abyss. Its hexagons represent the main structure and places of interest, which I report below:
- Unicursal Heptagram: centre (and symbol) of the Abyss, anyone who enters it must pass this test (more information later).
- City of Pyramids: glass settlement with perennial flames.
- The Southern Cross: desolate expanse with a huge inverted cross in black stone in the centre.
- Desert of the Slouching Beast: desert where strange rites take place.
- V.V.V.V.V.: vvvvv vvvvv vvvvv vvvvv
- The Wound of Amfortas: rift created by a huge spear, from which the False God is said to have come.
- The Skidoo Inn: no one can enter, but the place is always crowded and leaving is permitted (and welcome).
How to Enter the Abyss
A big doubt that the manual took away from me was: how do you enter this Abyss? For this purpose, we find a short introductory adventure: Unicursal Heptagram.
After some pages of introduction and explanation of the few necessary mechanics, we find a random table that gives us various ways in which the characters can be knocked unconscious; this is the pretext for introducing them to this place (later described room by room).
In this review I will now analyze the plot of Abyss of Hallucinations – Volume 1; as usual, I will do it without spoilers that could affect the gaming experience. The characters wake up in a seven-sided room, with irregular engravings on the floor; in addition to the central structure from which they came out, they notice that on each of the walls, there is a door with a symbol on it. Interacting with a strange figure submerged in filaments and exploring what lies behind the doors, they will be faced with puzzles and esotericism. Combat can be an option in some cases, but it plays a marginal role and above all, it’s not what makes this adventure special. After all the characters will have to figure out just how to get out of this area, and doing so will require acumen.
Reviews of Mechanical Options Proposed by Abyss of Hallucinations – Volume 1
The new options for players are not so many, but they manage to be very thematic.
We find three new classes. The Mountaineer is very robust and used to surviving in difficult territories. The Offspring of Pan is the chosen one of the deities of this setting and embodies its power. Finally, the Seeker of the Left Hand Path is instead a sorcerer who owes their power to a deity.
The other important element that has been introduced in this manual are some specific divinities. These are six new beings with dark and dangerous powers who pour their influence over these lands and their inhabitants. Each of them manages to be unique and fascinating, outlining a bleak aspect of the setting. I really enjoyed The Stag Beetle, the god of midnight and the end; when invoked, he devours corpses and leaves only the skeletons, ready to serve his worshiper. Also very interesting is Our Lady of the Stars, the companion of chaos and infinite space; she grants her worshippers the ability to fly and breathe any atmosphere.
Conclusions of the Review of Abyss of Hallucinations – Volume 1
In addition to these intriguing contents, the 44 pages of this manual also contain black and white illustrations. They are very simple, yet deeply themed; they manage to raise the level of immersion further (thanks also to very high legibility due to a classic layout).
As the title of the protagonist of this review says, Abyss of Hallucinations – Volume 1 suggests that there will be other manuals that will expand the setting; I’m very much in favour of this idea because the material included is already enough to start sessions with strong elements that can easily make an impact, but I’d be very happy to see more variety and depth added. For this purpose, the reference work, the Book of Lies, can be an excellent source of inspiration.
To conclude, I can say with certainty that lovers of esotericism and OSR will love this manual!
