Isle of the Unknown - Anyone campaigning with it?

mannclay · November 21, 2013, 08:40:55 PM

Quote from: RPGPundit;710694I think "weird new world" is a much better LotFP product for this sort of thing.

I'm into it, but the map is not numbered and there are only small write-ups to various regions of the world. Still useable but not the same as the Isle. True thought that i have not read the "weird new world" completely yet.

UPDATE: wait... i see what you mean. Yes, "weird new world" can also be conceived as i'm explaining the Isle. But, i do enjoy keyed entries being as much as i need from a setting.

mannclay · November 22, 2013, 09:36:19 AM

Another factor also drew me to this book. No, Tolkienesque elements. That's a big one for me, I'm bored with what some called vanilla fantasy.

RPGPundit · November 24, 2013, 10:56:46 PM

Quote from: mannclay;710711I'm into it, but the map is not numbered and there are only small write-ups to various regions of the world. Still useable but not the same as the Isle. True thought that i have not read the "weird new world" completely yet.

UPDATE: wait... i see what you mean. Yes, "weird new world" can also be conceived as i'm explaining the Isle. But, i do enjoy keyed entries being as much as i need from a setting.

WNW is still "weird fantasy" only much less goofy. That's the main point.

mannclay · January 13, 2014, 11:25:59 AM

Quote from: RPGPundit;711359WNW is still "weird fantasy" only much less goofy. That's the main point.

no, i'm sorry. i don't think that's the main point of my thread. the main point is that i have found some real good use from Isle Of The Unknown and noticed how open it leaves me to create what i want out of it.

I hope other products are made this way in the vein of good ol' hex crawls and some awesome pure creativeness. how much can one handle of the same fantasy tropes any longer? We need more products like Isle Of The Unknown, a book or pure originality and creativeness.

Here's a great review explaining further what i mean: http://in-the-cities.com/2012/03/12/isle-of-the-unknown/

DKChannelBoredom · January 14, 2014, 07:26:24 AM

It's great that you've got good use and milage outta Isle of the Unknown, really.

Myself, I'm thorougly in the too-stupid-silly-weird camp.

One thing is being original, but I'm not sure if slapping claws og suction cups on a bouncy koala really counts as original.

my biggest grief is, that all the monsters more or less just sits around, waiting for adventurers to turn up and fight them. 95% of them are f*cking hostile, and the same goes for the clerics and wizards. The book pretty much assumes, that the players will be murderhobos and just fight around the Island. Anything else will have to made up from scratch by the gm -and what's the point of the book then - other than being a monster freakshow?

Pretty book though.

bryce0lynch · January 14, 2014, 08:20:52 AM

Quote from: mannclay;723076We need more products like Isle Of The Unknown, a book or pure originality and creativeness.

Well, no, but your heart is in the right place. Isle is one of the weakest crawls there is. Stater and Wilderlands provide a nice dynamic environment.

I'm happy you're getting some use out of it, and it IS a pretty book/map. But maybe a Time/Life book series or Thesaurus would serve the same purpose?

The Ent · January 14, 2014, 08:56:24 AM

Quote from: Justin Alexander;709714This is the second most disappointing RPG product I've purchased in the last 5 years.

My elevator pitch would be: "If you like giant, flaming parrots with four legs then you'll love the Isle of the Unknown!"

Full review over here.

OT, but that's a damn fine blog you keep, there, man.

Especially the Tekumel review.

Keep on rockin'.

mannclay · January 14, 2014, 02:01:20 PM

Quote from: DKChannelBoredom;723371It's great that you've got good use and milage outta Isle of the Unknown, really.

Myself, I'm thorougly in the too-stupid-silly-weird camp.

One thing is being original, but I'm not sure if slapping claws og suction cups on a bouncy koala really counts as original.

my biggest grief is, that all the monsters more or less just sits around, waiting for adventurers to turn up and fight them. 95% of them are f*cking hostile, and the same goes for the clerics and wizards. The book pretty much assumes, that the players will be murderhobos and just fight around the Island. Anything else will have to made up from scratch by the gm -and what's the point of the book then - other than being a monster freakshow?

Pretty book though.

I will not deny that the monster thing was overkill for me and so i find it necessary to use them in various ways where PCs won't be just fighting them.

Someone mentioned that if the monsters were just within monster tables, things would be all the better. i agree.

mannclay · January 14, 2014, 02:06:44 PM

Quote from: bryce0lynch;723387Well, no, but your heart is in the right place. Isle is one of the weakest crawls there is. Stater and Wilderlands provide a nice dynamic environment.

I'm happy you're getting some use out of it, and it IS a pretty book/map. But maybe a Time/Life book series or Thesaurus would serve the same purpose?

The Stater crawls are great, i just am tired of the vanilla fantasy trope reused in those crawls. I feel i have to take out lots more than i wish in those products, or maybe i'm attacking them in the wrong way. That's why i enjoy the Isle. But, i would like to have seen the Isle monsters setup in monster creation tables instead of so many within the hexes. But the weirdness encounter descriptions are some of my favorite.

mannclay · January 14, 2014, 02:23:57 PM

Here's an example of how i'm using it. Pardon the rendition if its too big: