DCC RPG Free RPG Day Adventure Starter "Advanced Look"

Tuesday morning I checked my email and found a surprise waiting for me from Joseph Goodman. Besides a nice note saying something about "an advance look at our Free RPG Day module," the email had a PDF of the Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG Free RPG Day Adventure Starter (cover art shown above) attached! Joseph, you made my week, man!

Unfortunately, I have not been privy to the playtest rules that have been introduced at various gaming conventions these past few months, but looking over this introductory pair of adventures I can say that I am excited as hell to get my hands on the upcoming beta rules that will soon be released! According to Joesph the beta rules are in a “race to the finish”, and Goodman Games is "hoping to release them a couple days before Free RPG Day." I can't wait!

Looking over the adventures, there are two contained within the adventure starter: The Portal Under the Stars (Level 0-1), by Joseph Goodman and The Infernal Crucible of Sezrekan the Mad (Level 5), by Harley Stroh. Both are well written, and seem like they are going to be a ton of fun. I really like the art direction Goodman has taken with DCC RPG. The artwork hearkens back to the game's pulp roots, as well as the roots of the hobby, and it makes me want to play the game. There are several full page panels that showcase fantastic pieces by Jim Roslof and Peter Mullen. The hand drawn maps illustrated by Doug Kovacs are inspired, in my opinion. Not to mention the great cover by Mr. Kovacs.

It is apparent to me that Goodman has pulled out all the stops here, and is setting a precedent with this Free RPG Day adventure starter. If this is a sign of things to come then it looks like DCC RPG is going to be a huge hit. If ever there was a time for this kind of game I feel this is the time. And I am saying this without having played the game. I can be a hard person to impress, especially when it come to games. So far, color me impressed!