Reviews:

Aurican's Lair

RPG.net

ENworld

Reviews from Rlyeh

There comes a time in the lives of Player Characters when they start wondering about the point of adventuring and accumulating wealth and experience. Of course, some mercenary types do so for the sake of doing so, entering the vicious circle of killing monsters only so they can kill more powerful monsters and eventually die a horrible deathin a forgotten tomb, their bodies eventually looted by some other adventurers. Yet other players want their alter egos to actually achieve something in their lives, have a place to return to between adventures, something to protect and care about. A home.

Inside you will find:

a customizable description of such a home for players: The Sleeping Manor

over 15 possible upgrades to the house that provide in-game benefits

a number of locations surrounding the Manor

list of 40 random events that occur when PCs are away, adventuring

ideas for an over-arching plot involving the Manor, the PCs and their evil neighbor

a hand-drawn map of the area

Low price: in an average group of 1 DM and 4 players, it's only 1$ per person! See the reviews and discussions below and leave your own opinion, too!

Update 1.1: Now with a printer-friendly, black and white version! Let's save the environment together:)

Still not convinced?

What is special about “Homeward Bound?” In short – there is nothing available like it. It is truly unique. In my experience players often want some kind of a base, HQ, or castle to operate from, but their GMs either don’t have time to do anything but “Ok, this inn is your base now” or, quite contrary, buy or develop a set of rules so complex that without an Excel spreadsheet it is impossible to control all these rooms, income sources, soldiers, servants and so on. What is more, in DnD 5 players often complain they have no way to spend the money they earn/loot/steal – magic items are usually found and lifestyles are too vague to care about.

“Homeward Bound” is lightweight (only 24 pages long) and it is purposefully short, but it provides a whole lot of options, for both game mechanics and the campaign’s narrative. It gives the game a whole new angle, a home they can care for. It starts with descriptions of the house, in two versions for the GM/players to choose. If they want more – there is a set of upgrades they can purchase. These are not purely cosmetic additions, but provide tangible game effects, like extra hps or speed. If they want more – the camera pulls out and several neighbours are presented to visit or fight with. And finally, if they are hooked up, there is the Big Bad Guy – a framework for a campaign, that can be run on its own, or as an extension to the main story.

Although nominally for DnD5, it can be easily adapted to any game system. It’s short, but full of ideas and options. It’s unique. It’s streamlined and easy to adapt to any campaign. It’s easy on the eye. It’s here.