Legendary Planet – The Assimilation Strain
From: Legendary Games
Reviewed by: Ron McClung
Legendary Planet: The Assimilation Strain is a new RPG Adventure from Legendary Games.
I supported a Kickstarter recently called Legendary Planet, by Lengendary Games. There were many reasons why I did it but in the interest of full disclosure, one of the primary reasons was to support a friend – Neil Spicer. He and I go way back to early college when we gamed together for a time. Now, Neil is well known in the industry circles as a Pathfinder freelancer and Paizo RPG Superstar. However, I was even more excited that his ideas were being converted to D&D 5th edition. That was a clincher for me.
Legendary Planet is a very interesting add-on setting for any fantasy RPG, primarily for Pathfinder or D&D 5th edition RPG campaigns. It is a planned adventure path to take the characters from your stereotypical fantasy setting and introduce sci-fi elements to it. Hearkening ti inspirations like Edgar Rice Burroughs or the classic D&D adventure Expedition to the Barrier Peaks, I was drawn in fairly easily.
From the back cover: “A strange sickness afflicts the frontier settlement of Holver’s Ferry, threatening to overwhelm its citizens with an alien madness. Already the town has nearly torn itself apart, and the local sheriff is missing. ”
I starts out fairly tame and innocent but gradually builds to a brutal crescendo. A logging town has gone quiet and for some reason or another, someone wants to know why. It’s a very easy premise to introduce a party into. The adventure is divided up into 3 major parts. First part is the primary investigation zone of Holver’s Ferry, where a bunch of seemingly random encounters occur, many of which seem like a horrific scene from 28 Days Later in a fantasy setting. The GM can pick and choose which encounters the deal with, depending on the time constraints (convention vs. home game). Clues from the town take people to Part 2 and 3, where things get gradually darker and harder for the characters.
From the back cover : “When the PCs brave the surrounding wilderness as the village’s latest newcomers, the beleaguered townsfolk desperately turn to them for assistance. But can these erstwhile heroes trace the diseased carrier to its source and solve the mystery before they, too, succumb to The Assimilation Strain? ”
The final encounters are a good mix of classic D&D creatures, converted Pathfinder creatures and new sci-fi inspired entities. I won’t get into too much detail but I highly recommend a hardy and balanced party of 4 or 5 that have leveled up to at least 2nd level before entering into the final encounters.
When I ran it , I extended the game into a 3 night event, running it 3 to 4 hours at a time, adding a few encounters here and there. There is some great opportunity for customization, if the GM so chooses. However, the adventure itself stands alone really well, starting out fairly easy but gradually growing in difficult. It is well written and well put together, as well.
In conclusion, I really look forward to this adventure path and hope I have an opportunity to run it. I am very glad they are taking the D&D 5th edition route along with the Pathfinder route, because I really feel it works well in D&D 5e.
For more details on Legendary Games and their new RPG Adventure “Legendary Planet: The Assimilation Strain” check them out at their website http://www.makeyourgamelegendary.com/, and at all of your local game stores.
Codex Rating: 19
Product Summary
Legendary Planet: The Assimilation Strain
From: Legendary Games
Type of Game: RPG Adventure
Authors: Tom Phillips and Neil Spicer
Editing and Development: Alistair J. Rigg, Neil Spicer
Lead Developer: Neil Spicer
5th Edition Design and Development: Dan Dillon
Artists: Frank Hessefort, Jethro Lentle, Cj Marsh, Beatrice Pelagatti, Michael Syrigos, Colby Stevenson
Cartography: Pedro Coelho
Design and Layout: Richard Kunz
Number of Pages: 35
Game Components Included: One PDF adventure
Game Components Not Included: Core 5th edition rulebooks, core setting book
Website: http://www.makeyourgamelegendary.com/
Reviewed by: Ron McClung
