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The Monograph of Guilt Replace Dark Speech with Abyssal Since D&D offers no true sanity mechanic, replace the mechanic for reading the monograph of guilt with the following: Anyone not afflicted with the curse who attempts to read the Monograph must succeed a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw with disadvantage or gain an Indefinite Madness effect by rolling a d100 on the Indefinite Madness effects table (p.260 DMG) or selecting one they feel they would enjoy roleplaying the most, as long as it’s okay with the DM. Rescue and Clues – Searching the area for clues requires succeeding a DC 14 investigation/perception check. Rescue and Clues – Searching the area for clues requires succeeding a DC 14 investigation/perception check.

The game’s world map looks like it was pulled right from the tabletop RPG source book, albeit quite a bit more zoomed in. It’s a thing that happens, and can/does happen relatively often, but it’s not a stealth game I’m not anywhere near done with the story so far However, so far all of the choices I’ve had to make have felt relatively tough and  combat almost always feels lethal, it’s definitely not hard to manage winding up with one or more of your stalkers bleeding out in the grass if you’re not careful. Overall I highly recommend giving Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden a try if you’re curious about it, especially if you love turn-based tactical games, enjoy a robust post-apocalyptic universe, or just enjoy the casual banter between two friends who happen to be anthropomorphized human/mutant hybrids clinging to a threadbare existence murdering bad-dudes together and meeting new friends along the way.

Dungeon Mayhem is a competitive card game for 1-4 players, and while the box says ages 8+ I’m going to wager you could bump that down to 7+. The shield cards are played and left out in front of you like creatures summoned in MtG. Hearts of course heal lost health, and the play again cards let you play 1 extra card for each one shown. In a 2 player game it’s obvious who is going to be the target of your attacks, but in multiplayer games it’s more of a free for all, which is fine, but if you’re playing with folks who like to single out certain people – the game may breed arguments (see: sinister  siblings, quarrelsome cousins, fragile friends, etc.) mighty powers are: destroying a defense card in play, stealing the top card from any player’s deck and playing it as his own (pickpocket), and disallowing any of his opponents cards from effecting him until his next turn (clever disguise).

While I do have a long history with the franchise and often am overtaken by the nostalgia of being a 14 year old kid playing the game for hours on end with friends and drawing maps inside of my now dilapidated 3 ring binder covered with a hastily-affixed inkjet print out of some of Larry Elmore’s art, I’m not sure that it’s really the a game for the RPG-curious in its current iteration. I’m not saying buyer’s remorse can’t happen in other RPGs, but I am saying that “rerolling” in D&D can be a lot more involved than necessary. Explaining to new players a system that’s based around the works of a science fiction author who’s work was popularized likely before they were even born isn’t exactly a shining beacon of accessibility. Selling retro-styled T-shirts and endless types of licensed retro schwag is definitely a way to help market the game, and even those who have no idea that it’s nostalgic will likely bite just because it’s D&D and it looks cool as hell.