I begin this review by thanking Aenarion’s Coven for sending us a digital copy of The Wanderer Cartographers; we’re talking about a small handbook for D&D5e that introduces a new guild of cartographers. It consists of 13 pages, including all the necessary details to define the guild and incorporate it into any campaign.
This small compendium is exclusively available in English and only in digital format on DriveThruRPG for approximately $3.95 (around €3.70 at today’s exchange rate) or on Aenarion’s Coven’s Etsy profile at the same price.
The Wanderer Cartographers: a Neutral Guild
The Wanderer Cartographerscontains the history, ideals, and rules of the eponymous guild of cartographers; it also provides methods to incorporate it into a campaign, access to its ranks for player characters, and a list of NPCs that are part of the guild.
Founded by Mol’Capoor, a drow wizard, about 200 years ago, the Wanderer Cartographers were established to map the world for clients in exchange for compensation. This guild’s defining feature is its neutrality, as Mol’Capoor believed that no one would betray someone capable of providing highly detailed maps to potential adversaries.
Alongside Mol’Capoor, serving as the archivist, the Wanderer Cartographers consist of three types of members.
The Wildlands Cartographer specializes in mapping untamed lands and the treacherous Underdark.
The Urban Cartographer excels at mapping urban environments and uncovering hidden passages and traps.
Lastly, the Keeper, an exceptional fighter trained in both martial arts and magic, ensures the survival of the cartographers.
Noteworthy aspects of The Wanderer Cartographers include detailed descriptions and maps of the guild’s headquarters. The simplicity of these descriptions allows Dungeon Masters to add their own creative touches while staying true to the authors’ vision.
Layout and Readability
With its classic layout, easy-to-read font, and parchment-colored background, the handbook ensures a pleasant reading experience. The addition of a handwritten font for certain sections, such as the Guild affiliation contract, adds an immersive touch for players.
The letter written in a font that mimics handwriting does not hinder the smoothness of the manual; it is a beautiful prop for the players: the Guild affiliation contract.
The maps of the headquarters are very well done, as is customary with Aenarion’s Coven products, although I found the lack of other illustrations to be a drawback considering the overall quality of the product.
Conclusion of The Wanderer Cartographers Review
In conclusion, I found The Wanderer Cartographers to be a rather interesting supplement to integrate a new faction into D&D5e campaigns; the narrative ideas that can arise from this compendium are numerous. If you want to fill the game world with fearless explorers who have political weight, this manual is for you!
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In this preview we will talk about the demo of Alberver’s Redemption, the first chapter of La Torre,an epic saga for D&D5e and 3.5e.
Let’s start by thanking The Velar Companyfor providing us with the demo of the project. We recommend that you follow them on their website, their Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
If you are interested in this product, you can find it on Kickstarter; if you want to try the demo you can find it here, both for D&D5e and for D&D3.5e. We also leave you the video presentation of Alberver’s Redemption made by the same authors.
Alberver’s Redemption Setting and NPCs
This adventure of La Torre saga takes place in Minian, a thriving and charming river town. The place is well described and deepened, going to pit both important personalities and compressars; this is done both in the chapter dedicated to the city and in details scattered throughout the adventure.
The setting outside Minian, on the other hand, is barely sketched, but it is a very precise authorial choice. In this way, the authors were able to concentrate on the city to make it as interesting as possible and allow its inclusion in any home countryside.
A point in favor is the presence of boxes to help the master to make the most of the cityand its characters so as to make Minian alive during his exploration.
NPCs, on the other hand, are all well-characterized, well-rounded personalities who know how to remain impressed. Only a few are presented in the demo, such as Mrs Lebernoff and her cohort or the blacksmith Gastadiun and his son Romoond. Although there are not so many, they are all well-characterized and represent one of the strengths of the saga.
In short, in terms of setting and NPC, in this preview Alberver’s Redemption surprised me and left me pleasantly impressed.
Preview of Alberver’s Redemption Story
In the demo provided are the first four chapters of Alberver’s Redemption; thanks to them I got an idea of how the saga will develop and I could already appreciate some unexpected and very welcome twists.
All chapters are structured in a linear way, with the exposition of events and various developments based on the actions of the characters. Even here the side panels are an excellent support for the narrator.
The adventure begins in the most classic of taverns, with the characters (native Minian adventurers) looking for new assignments. Suddenly a woman feels bad and from there the deeds of our heroes will start; from this moment they will have to face conspiracies, skeletons, powerful personalities and much more. I also point out that all enemies have their own dedicated statblock.
Although the beginning is a classic, the whole evolution of the plot in the following chapters has intriguing and inspired points.The plot seems well-written and has no logical holes; I’m very curious to discover the next developments!
Writing and Art
From the point of view of writing, the material sent to us is excellent; the content is exposed simply and clearly, never being heavy or redundant.
I really appreciated the support offered to the master;in addition to the boxes already mentioned, at the beginning of the manual there is a chapter to explain how to narrate the adventure, with useful tips also for other adventures. In addition, the full version will also explain how to calibrate the clashes and how to distribute the experience.
From an artistic point of view, this first chapter of Alberver’s Redemption presents itself very well. All the illustrations are intriguing and in line with the rest of the manual; they are definitely an added value to the product!
However, the real strength in my opinion arethe maps, really very detailed and fascinating. They are all in color and each is offered in two versions: one for the master (with annotations) and one for the players. The quality is really high, so much so that it can rival those of some official products.
Preview of the protagonists of Alberver’s Redemption
The protagonists of the saga can be created by the players or chosen from the pregenerated ones provided by the authors.
For the characters created by the players the manual from many background ideas and indications to create a coherent and double-edged group with the city of Minian. All this has precise references to the official manuals, in order to make the operation convenient and fast.
If instead, you want to opt for the prefixed characters, know that they are all very interesting and (of course) alreadywell-inserted in the setting. They are very varied and allow you to build a heterogeneous and fulfilling group to play. In addition, each of them already has their card filled with all the necessary information; surely an advantage in case you have in the group new players or with little imagination!
Additional Mini-Adventures
In addition to the main storyline, the demo features two mini-adventures made to be freely included in the adventure.
The first mini-adventure consists of helping Mrs Lebernoff find her cohort; it is a short but interesting plot; it allows you to explore the city of Minian by interfacing with various inhabitants and could make Mrs Lebernoff a recurring presence.
The second mini-adventure, on the other hand, allows us to explore the exterior of Minian, also discovering elements of lore that go beyond the city context. The aim will be to find the blacksmith’s son, a kind-hearted but somewhat naive boy.
These plots are very simple but nice; they are useful to give breath to the characters and diversify the tones compared to the main plot. In addition, the attention to detail is noted by the presence of statblocks dedicated to enemies and the maps included.
In addition to these two, in the full version, there will be other mini-adventures that intrigue me from the title. If that’s the quality, I can’t wait to try it!
Conclusion of the Preview of Alberver’s Redemption
In conclusion this demo allowed me to take a look at the first chapter of a saga that seems really interesting. Although some plot steps are quite simple, it is certainly a product worthy of attention both for the care with which it is made and for the quality of the maps and illustrations.
And then I can’t wait to find out how the adventure will go; I really hope I can find some surprises that will take my breath away!
If you liked this preview of Alberver’s Redemption, keep following us to discover more manuals for Dungeons & Dragons!
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