Description

Our first official commercial release, Caltrops is a small generic fantasy supplement that provides a description of two dice games played by the goblins of Tufartu Reach. You can add flavor to your campaign by simply describing the games being played by NPCs, but the fully functional rules are also suitable for direct use by you and your players.

Product Info

Number of pages: 5

Cover Art by: Liz Hooper

Buy it at: DriveThruRPG (What you get: High quality pdf optimized for veiwing on a 16×9 screen, High quality pdf optimized for home printing, Low resolution pdf for printing, epub and mobi versions.)

Sample Text

From page one of the text:

It's late. You've just been relieved from your post as day guard and are heading back to your tent on the far side of the war camp. Twilight is upon the Reach, a grey blanket on the shoulders of the mountains. The outskirts of camp are subdued, quiet. The shadows blend the tents, boulders and sheep into the long grass, in cold greys and black. You're tired, but the smell of cooking draws you to the core of the camp. As you come around a low tent, the warm glow of a huge fire dances on your surroundings, bathing everything in golden orange and red.
Your friends and family are sitting around the cooking fire, on large mats atop the stamped-flat grass. Some are talking, some are working at minor menial tasks, some just lounging about. Everyone is dressed for fighting, with weapons laid near to hand. But the atmosphere is relaxed, genial. You snag a bowl of stew —mutton, grains and tubers — and a tankard of weak beer as you pass. Your thoughts are on bed and food, and you head off to your tent. But you see a Skudge game starting on the far side of the fire, and all thoughts of rest leave your head. You shuffle up, kneeling to place your meal on a convenient rock. The fatigue of the day melts away as you reach one hand into your bag of caltrops and the other into your purse. You know the night is just beginning.

Introduction

The warrior goblins of Tufartu Reach live austere lives. Their days swing from the abject boredom of the military camp, to the glorious horror of battle. To pass the time in camp, the goblins have invented many games that use simple military implements as the playing pieces. One of their most common tools of war is the caltrop — four spikes arranged in a small pyramidal star such that, when dropped on the ground, one spike always points straight up. As every member of the Tufartu Guard is issued his own bag of caltrops, they find their way into many goblin games. To use the caltrops as number-keeping devices, the goblins scratch small lines across their tines to denote the numbers 1–4. If you don't have access to numbered caltrops, you can substitute standard four-sided dice, as can be found in any reputable gaming store.

This is a great little supplement for GMs looking to add some flavor for characters, especially the betting kind. It's a short read with two simple dice games that NPCs may be playing or more interestingly that your players can play to pass the time.

Some of my players aren't as into the roleplaying portions of the game and end up heading off to the local tavern for some gambling. Though I'm sure I could have come up with some games for them to play rather than a simple skill challenge, this supplement gives two good examples with the background that goblins often play these with marked caltrops. A little fluff and a little crunch. My kind of supplement. Break out the d4's and ante up.

Rating: [4 of 5 Stars!]

And here is another one from Erathoniel Woodenbow at DriveThruRPG:

This is original. It's got a lot of background that is interesting, but not necessary. It is basically a time waster for in between rounds, and I think it's pretty high-quality. The presentation is professional, and the games are well described. It's not perfect, since it's so simple and could use a little more, but it's priced right.

Rating: [4 of 5 Stars!]