Post Free RPG Day 2012 PDF Roundup

That's right, that time of the year has come and passed once again. There were a lot of goodies available at game stores around the world and I hope that you were able to get out to one of them to try your luck.

For those of you that were not able to make it to your FLGS this year (or just didn't get as much loot as you would have liked) I have compiled this handy list of links so that you can go download what you missed.

BattleTech: A Time of War

What's this? A BattleTech RPG? Yes, that's exactly what this is. I'll be honest, I didn't even know this game existed until I saw this on Free RPG Day. A lookup on RPG Geek revealed that this game has been around since 2009! For Free RPG day we got a Quickstart edition of the rules that includes short mission (read: adventure) and some characters to throw at it.

If you like what you see in the Quick Start then you should know that the full rulebook is on sale right now for $15.

Brass & Steel

Brass & Steel is a brand new steampunk RPG from Pamean Games that bills itself as a hybrid of tabletop and live action role playing. If that sounds like something you might enjoy then you're going to love this free Quickstart edition.

The Quickstart rules come with an adventure, but it isn't your typical tabletop fare. No, The Case of the Croquet Mallet is a one-night LARP adventure for 12 players and 2 storytellers. Dust off your monocle and glue some extraneous cogs onto everything in site to prepare for this one.

If you like the cut of Brass & Steel's jib then you can pick it up for the very reasonable price of $10.

Conspiracy X

If memory servers, and it rarely does, then Conspiracy X used to be a GURPS setting. Nowadays they are using Unisystem. I'm not a fan of the system, but I am a fan of conspiracies and secret wars. Conspiracy X takes inspiration from all of your favourite alien and supernatural conspiracy stories.

If you like the idea of playing a man in black then you should definitely check out the free introductory game kit they handed our for Free RPG Day. It has all the rules you need to play through a two session adventure.  The full product is also half price right now.

Cosmic Patrol

Cosmic Patrol is a new game from Catalyst that I don't know a lot about. From the looks of the free quickstart rules they gave out for Free RPG Day it looks to be a game set a pulpy retro-future of which the likes of Buck Rogers would be at home in.

Looking through those same rules also reveals that Catalyst is trying their hand at a more new-school style of RPG. You know, the kind that has been all the rage since Fate RPG went mainstream.

Pathfinder

There were three adventures for Pathfinder RPG this year. Paizo published an adventure called Dawn of the Scarlet Sun, which you can download here. Next up is Shadowsfall: A Temple of Orcus from Jon Brazer Enterprises. Finally, we have Undying Legacy of the First Ones. That last one was actually Kickstarted so that it could be given away on Free RPG Day, a worthy Kickstart if I have ever seen one. Also, if you like what you see of NeoExodus then you should be aware that there is also a free setting primer.

Shadowrun

Can you believe that Catalyst Games Lab had not one, but three different products for Free RPG Day 2012? This is a company that deserves your support, people. They're genuinely trying to get more people involved in gaming.

The final item they had was the Shadowrun 4 Quickstart Rules. This has actually be available for quite some time now, but that's no reason to keep you away from ruining some poor decker's day. Just like with the other Catalyst games, the full version of Shadowrun 4 is on sale right now for just $15.

Warhammer 40k: Only War

Not content with just Dark Heresy, Rogue Trader, Deathwatch, and Black Crusade, Fantasy Flight Games is releasing yet another Warhammer 40k RPG. Am I the only one that wishes they would just release a universal 40k RPG?

In any case, Only War is the latest and it seems to be focused on the Imperial Guardsman. If that sounds interesting to you then head on over to FFG and download Eleventh Hour, an introductory adventure that will give you a taste of what is to come with the forthcoming Only War. If that isn't enough to tide you over then you can always put down $20 to get a copy of the beta rules. You will get a credit towards the final product, but paying for a beta still leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

Not yet available digitally:

• Dead in the Eye (D&D 4e Adventure) - Unlikely to see this since WotC did not publish last year's adventure digitally either.
• Dungeon Crawl Classics Adventure - We probably won't see this one either seeing as how Goodman didn't publish last year's adventure for download.

• Harn setting material with world map

• Slavers of the Sunken Garden (PFRPG) - Probably won't be available for free as the publisher's website has a pre-order priced at $18.99 

• Castles & Crusades Adventure - I don't know if we will end up seeing this or not. Here's the free quick start rules to tide you over in the meantime.

Categories: Battletech, Brass and Steel, Conspiracy X, Cosmic Patrol, Free RPG Day, Only War, Pathfinder, Shadowrun