Meme-Free Zone

Another repeat Bundle - Fellowship

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 17:41:46 GMT

This is the a repeat offer of the Fellowship Bundle which presents (for a third time!) the Liberi Gothica Games FRPG of heroism against world-shattering odds, Fellowship.

https://bundleofholding.com/presents/Fellow2026

The first time this was offered I said: "I have to be honest here - I've been "off" fantasy RPGs for a long time, and am not a huge fan of the Apocalypse Engine rules set. And the subject matter doesn't really appeal much, in my experience the most epic thing about most epic quests is how badly they get screwed up once the players are in the mix. Having looked at some of this material, I don't feel that it is especially well presented - the overwhelming impression I got from some of it was clutter, too much crammed into too small a space. Admittedly one of my recent reviews complained about another bundle where it seemed that there was not enough content per page, but there needs to be a balance, and I'm not sure it's been achieved here. This isn't really something I want. But if you've been thinking of running a huge epic quest campaign it's possible that this is exactly what you need, so don't let me stop you!

Unfortunately my opinion hasn't changed much. More books were added when this was last offered in 2023 (if you previously bought the first version of the full bundle you should have got the new books free) which extends the possibilities of this series, but I'm still not very interested.

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Another SF Bundle - Perilous Void

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 17:55:31 GMT

This is a bundle of "system-neutral" material for SF RPGs, consisting mostly of percentage tables for generating planets, alien races, etc. etc., by Jason Lutes and published by Lampblack & Brimstone. There's also an adventure with setting etc. designed using the tables

https://bundleofholding.com/presents/PerilousVoid

This is cheap and has a lot of useful ideas if you want to create an adventure background in a hurry. Like most random generation systems the results will probably need some tweaking, and adaption for the rules in use, but it's cheap and ought to be useful. And it's time I posted my occasional reminder that I get to look at this stuff free - if you have to pay for it your mileage may vary.

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Another Fantasy Bundle - Runecairn

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 17:29:03 GMT

This is a bundle of material for Runecairn from By Odin's Beard, a one player / one GM game system based on Norse legend, plus We Deal in Lead, a weird west gunfighter RPG based on the same rules-set, and a quickstart primer for their new game of serial killer investigation, Midnight of the Century.

https://bundleofholding.com/presents/Runecairn

Due to travelling over the weekend and losing all my passwords and email access (thanks, Apple and Google), I have to apologise for the delay in posting this one. I've still got 80+ emails to deal with and lots of other things to sort out so I haven't really looked at this in any detail. It looks pretty cheap and is probably worth a look if you like one on one play.

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Two Revived Fantasy Bundle - Tunnels and Trolls

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 19:01:43 GMT

Another two fantasy bundles, this time the venerable Tunnels and Trolls, the second fantasy RPG. These offers are being repeated now to publicise a kickstarter for a new version of the game - Tunnels & Trolls A New Age. I'm slightly sceptical about the need for a new version, which allegedly isn't going to be very compatible with the old rules, but what do I know...

TUNNELS & TROLLS BUNDLE (originally published September 2018)
https://bundleofholding.com/presents/Tunnels2026

T&T ADVENTURES (originally published June 2021, formerly titled "Tunnels & Trolls 2"
https://bundleofholding.com/presents/TunnelsAdventures

When these were first on offer I said (of the game)

I only played T&T a couple of times, since everyone I knew was using D&D, but it does have a lot going for it if you want a fantasy system with an emphasis on dungeon-bashing and don't mind its sense of humour. It works reasonably well, it's a fairly streamlined system that can be picked up fairly easily, and it only uses six-sided dice, always a hit with those who don't like endless confusing polyhedra. It isn't really my preferred style of gaming any more, but for those who do like this sort of thing there's a lot for your money, and some good stuff in the bundle and available on line for the system.

and of the adventures

...it's a little dated by modern standards. Having said that, it's still a fun and easy to use system, and if you want a game where you can get a character created and start playing quickly it's still a good choice.

Still annoyed that my favourite T&T adventure, Rat on a Stick, has never made it to these offers, but it was an independent production from Judges Guild and appears to be unavailable. The only dungeon-delving adventure where the first choice is whether to kill the inhabitants or start a fast-food franchise and sell "ratsonastick! They're luvverly" to the monsters... but I digress. If you're interested in the slightly jokey "everything is a trap or a monster" style of play and don't already own a lot of this stuff it's probably something worth considering, if you don't already own it all. And if you're a T&T player it's worth checking to see if these offers can fill gaps in your collection.

Since all of this material has been available as PDFS for several years now I'd better add that if you already own a lot of it you way want to think about just buying the bits you don't have before going for the bundles - cherry picking may be the cheaper option.

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Another RPG Bundle - Magpie Apocalypse

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 18:15:48 GMT

This is a big bundle of games and supplements for the Apocalypse Engine system from Magpie Games, some of which have been in previous bundles, but including new material such the Kickstarter record breaker "Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game."

https://bundleofholding.com/presents/MagpieMega

I'm not going to try and track down what I've said about these games in the past, it gets a bit complicated, but I think there's a lot of new stuff that ought to appeal, especially for Avatar fans. But as usual check what you have and what you want, cherry picking can be cheaper if you already have a lot of it.

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Another RPG bundle - Scion 2E

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 19:52:30 GMT

This is a bundle of material for Scion 2E from Onyx Path Publishing, an RPG about people becoming gods which seems thematically somewhat like the Percy Jackson background. I don't think it has been in one of these bundles before.

https://bundleofholding.com/presents/ScionOrigin

This isn't a genre I particularly want to play with at present, but it looks like you get quite a lot for your money. Layout and design seem good, and the art avoids some common cliches although some of it does veer towards one uncanny valley or another.

Later - I'm reliably informed that the Storypath system itself uses mechanics similar to World of Darkness 1e, which I'd somehow missed.

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RIP Nicholas Brendon

Sat, 21 Mar 2026 20:56:43 GMT

Just heard that Nicholas Brendon, who played Xander Harris on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, died on the 20th, apparently of natural causes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_Brendon

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/nicholas-brendon-dead-buffy-vampire-slayer-b2943051.html

To me he was always the best viewpoint character for the show, the normal guy who was doing his best to cope with the sheer insanity of living on the mouth of hell, but some people seen to think that that wasn't sufficiently cool and and that Xander should have had superpowers far beyond anyone else in the show. I'm afraid that they're missing the point; he was the closest to normal of a team that was otherwise super-powered to some extent, and the best bridge between our world and theirs, and he played the role spectacularly well. He'll be missed.

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Another Bundle - Deadball

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 17:41:50 GMT

This is a bundle offer of Deadball from Akers Games, a baseball simulation dice game.

https://bundleofholding.com/presents/Deadball

I am (a) British and (b) not a sports fan, and have no interest whatever in baseball statistics. I am obviously not this game's target audience. If you are, have fun.

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Another Horror Bundle - Trail of Cthulhu Megabundle

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 19:01:25 GMT

An extra big bundle of matrial for Trail of Cthulhu (first edition), the GUMSHOE system game of Cthulhu Mythos investigations from Pelgrane Press.

https://bundleofholding.com/presents/TrailMega

There's a lot of material here, but most of it has been in previous bundles - Fearful Symmetries, The Book of the New Jerusalem, and Cthulhu Apocalypse (combined retail value $62) are new. I think that as usual with these bundles it may be worth checking how much you already own, and how much you actually want, and possibly just buy one or two that you really want rather than the whole lot.

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Another RPG bundle - Age of Ambition

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 18:57:36 GMT

This is a bundle of material for Age of Ambition, an RPG about a fantasy world trying to modernize and adapt to technology and rapid social and political changes following an alien invasion:

https://bundleofholding.com/presents/Ambition

I'm not familiar with the rules system, but it looks reasonably playable and layout is good. If you get the complete bundle you're getting a lot for your money including numerous worldbooks and adventures, and the setting is novel enough that players ought to find it interesting.

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Another RPG Bundle - Ninja Crusade

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 18:16:56 GMT

Starting in an hour, Ninja Crusade Bundle featuring "the Third Eye Games RPG of ninja, conspiracies, and high-flying martial arts."

https://bundleofholding.com/presents/NinjaCrusade

The premise here looks rather a bit like last week's Mists of Akuna but without the steampunk elements, and as with that this really isn't a setting that interests me much, I'm just not knowledgeable enough about ninja and martial arts generally to be interested in running games where they're a major part of the background. Parts of it were in a 2016 bundle, and I wasn't really very interested then either. Having said that it's cheap and presentation looks OK., and they don't refer to multiple Ninja as Ninjas which is a friend's pet peeve about most games that use them...

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Another RPG bundle - Campaign Starters

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 19:45:20 GMT

0one Campaign Starters presents interactive .PDF maps and floorplans for ready-made tabletop roleplaying campaigns from 0one Games.

https://bundleofholding.com/presents/CampaignStarters

This isn't really something I need - I don't really do fantasy, and I prefer to make my own maps as I need them, and keep them as minimal as possible. But if it's something you need it could be a good deal.

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Another Repeat Bundle - Good Society

Wed, 25 Feb 2026 19:09:55 GMT

This is a repeated offer of Good Society from Storybrewers Roleplaying.It's inspired by Jane Austen and similar authors, and TV shows like Bridgerton, Downton Abbey, and Upstairs, Downstairs. The supplements include rules for magic, an adventure involving vampires, and LARP rules (Live Action Role Playing):

https://bundleofholding.com/presents/2026GoodSociety

Last time I said:

The closest I've come to this is the Regency add-on for Fiasco, which I played at Continuum last year, but that wasn't a fully-fledged RPG.

I really like the idea of this, especially if it proves possible to adapt it to e.g. Master and Commander and other adventure material with this setting - the Scarlet Pimpernel-inspired Sense, Sensibility, and Swordsmanship might be a good starting point for that - and the price is pretty good. It's lavishly illustrated and looks like a lot of fun. Unless you hate Austen I think it's definitely worth taking a look.

We still don't have a Master and Commander supplement, or anything Sharpe-like, but apart from that I don't think there's anything I want to change here. It's a fun bundle and worth a look, especially if you like the source material.

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Slightly Foxed

Wed, 25 Feb 2026 03:28:00 GMT

Something I didn't expect to see when I was walking down Harley Street on Saturday afternoon (having accidentally stayed on a bus a couple of stops past my destination, since I wouldn't normally have been there)...

Didn't seem at all worried by humans, just wandered along the road and stopped to scratch a bit while I was taking the photo. I'm guessing it came from Regent's Park, which is just the other side of Marylebone Road. Harley Street was very quiet, with very little traffic and few pedestrians, which may help to explain it. Couldn't stop to take more since I was headed for a bus stop and the Transport for London phone app said the bus I wanted would be there in a couple of minutes (which it was).

Full-sized version here

https://www.flickr.com/photos/150868539@N02/55114619271/in/dateposted-public/

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Another Fantasy Bundle - Mists of Akuna

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 20:58:03 GMT

This is a bundle of material for Mists of Akuna, a "campaign setting of Eastern fantasy noir steampunk from Storm Bunny Studios for Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition." Basically, slightly apocalyptic fantasy steampunk with Ninjas and oriental monsters and magic.

https://bundleofholding.com/presents/MistsOfAkuma

This is another setting that doesn't interest me much - I'm not a fan of 5E and I've never really got into the oriental background much, and piling so many elements together would probably be a steep learning curve if I tried to pick it all up now. Presentation is good, with a lot of the illustrations having an anime look, and it looks like you get a lot for your money.

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A small petition

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 19:02:26 GMT

I've signed a good few online petitions over the years - but there are some I won't sign because there's only a very brief summary of the text and a "sign this petition" button. I've now set up a petition asking for it to be compulsory for all sites with online petitions to link to the full text of petitions without having to click a "sign this petition" button.

Needless to say the link they have sent me DOESN'T say that it's a link to the text, rather than making you sign, but I've checked and it does just link to the petition page.

Want to be the second to sign? Press the link below if you dare... And yes, I know that there's a missing "to" in the title of the petition, I noticed too late and can't change it...

Press Me

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Another Fantasy Bundle - Wolves Upon the Coast

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 18:52:07 GMT

This is another fantasy bundle described as an "old-school hexcrawl campaign," in which the characters are given a ship and a dead master, and have to make the best of things: "You were thralls. Now your master lies dead in the bottom of a raiding vessel, equipped for adventure. You are free."

https://bundleofholding.com/presents/WolvesCoast

This probably isn't for me - I've more or less given up on fantasy games completely, and if I was to come back to them I'd probably be looking for something more exotic. I'm also trying very hard not to laugh at one of the three islands that are the heart of the campaign, which for some reason is named Ruislip - for those outside the UK, ours is a suburb of London just to the north of Heathrow airport...

Having said that, this looks playable if you like this sort of thing, it's just not my cup of tea.

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Another Fantasy Bundle - Downcrawl-Skycrawl

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 19:09:34 GMT

Underground and aerial fantasy adventures from Aaron A. Reed, the second edition of Downcrawl (going downwards) adding Skycrawl, for the upwardly mobile.

https://bundleofholding.com/presents/Downcrawl

I'm probably not going to find this useful, but if you run fantasy adventures it may be worth a look - it's cheap and seems to have some fun ideas.

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A Little on the Small Side

Thu, 12 Feb 2026 11:28:53 GMT

Yesterday I was wondering if I should sell on my USB Zip drive and remaining disks (100 and 250 megabyte capacity) because they're too small and unreliable to be useful and I last needed to recover data from one about a decade ago. But I decided against it for the same reason I always do - if I ever need it it would cost a small fortune to get a replacement.

And as if by magic, today's daily_illuminator_feed has a link to someone's project to build a USB drive based on bubble memory with a staggering 128 bits of memory. For comparison, the first three words of this post, with spaces and the space after the third word, are 16 characters = 128 bits, the whole capacity of the drive... which looks larger than the main board of most computers!

The Illuminator post is here - https://www.sjgames.com/ill/archive/2026-02-12

The project is here - https://blog.adafruit.com/2026/02/02/a-128-byte-core-memory-module-as-a-flash-drive-raspberry_pi/

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Another Repeat SF Bundle - Neon City Overdrive

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 18:48:52 GMT

This is a repeat offer of the cyberpunk RPG Neon City Overdrive from Peril Planet, last offered in May 2022

https://bundleofholding.com/presents/2026NeonCity

Last time I said "Since I received this at about midnight and it only runs for a week I haven't had much time to take a detailed look. It's a system that looks reasonably playable, it's drawing on all the usual cyberpunk sources, and it's pretty cheap. I'm not sure I actually NEED another cyberpunk game, given how many I already own, but if you just want to dip your toes in the water I think it's worth a look. The usual caveat - I get to see this stuff without having to pay for it, if you don't your mileage may differ."

Since then I've taken a more detailed look - artwork is good (and credited to humans, not AI), and mostly avoids the tropes of the genre. Layout is a bit flashy but readable, and there is an emphasis on story-telling rather than rules. I think it's definitely a good one for a quick look at the genre.

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Another RPG Bundle - Bundle For Two 4

Mon, 09 Feb 2026 19:07:15 GMT

This is a bundle of two-player RPGs for Valentine's day, the fourth such offer from Bundle of Holding. They come from a variety of authors and publishers, genres range from Georgian romance to far future exploration and horror

https://bundleofholding.com/presents/ForTwo4

This isn't really my preferred style of play - I prefer a larger pool of players - but if you like a more intimate approach to gaming the bundle is pretty cheap and may be worth a look. My personal favourite from these is probably Retired: The Ordinary Life of a Former Supervillain, which looks like it could be a lot of fun, and might be expanded to a larger group of characters, but several others look entertaining.

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Another Fantasy Bundle - Human Gorilla Heists

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 19:37:30 GMT

A bundle of "system neutral" material for fantasy thieves from Human Gorilla Creations

https://bundleofholding.com/presents/HumanGorilla

This isn't something I particularly need but it's relatively cheap, nicely presented (with most art apart from maps etc.) from antique sources, and seems to have a sense of fun, as witnessed by the titles of some of the books. If you're running this sort of adventure it's worth a look.

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And Another Fantasy Bundle - Forbidden Psalm

Mon, 02 Feb 2026 20:12:18 GMT

This is the Forbidden Psalm Bundle featuring the OptimisticNL 28mm miniatures games compatible with the Mörk Borg RPG, an old-school fantasy system:

https://bundleofholding.com/presents/Forbidden

This is the first set of miniatures rules I've seen in these offers in a fair while, but the Mörk Borg connection unfortunately means that these rules share that system's somewhat idiosyncratic ideas of layout and typography, which in my case usually gives me a headache. If that's not going to put you off, and you want miniature rules, it may be worth a look.

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Another fantasy bundle - Shadowdark Compatible

Mon, 26 Jan 2026 19:42:33 GMT

This is an offer of material from multiple publishers compatible with the RPG Shadowdark, a modernized "old school" game of dungeons, monsters, etc.

https://bundleofholding.com/presents/ShadowCompat

This doesn't include the Shadowdark rules, but you can get a free Shadowdark Quickstart Set from Drivethru RPG.

I'm not really into dungeon-bashing games any more, but Shadowdark is apparently state of the art for the genre, and this bundle adds a lot of adventures at a reasonable price. If you're into the system it's probably worth a look.

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Fanfic - Harry Potter / Buffy / Bedazzled - Harry Potter: Undazzled - VII

Sat, 24 Jan 2026 22:57:37 GMT

This is a crossover between the Harry Potter books, the Buffy The Vampire Slayer TV series, and the film Bedazzled (1967, not the 2000 remake), with some other crossovers and Easter eggs, so far including Dogma (1999) and Time Bandits (1981). All characters belong to their respective creators / owners / megacorporations of doom and not to me, please don't sue...

( VII - Out of Time )

Comments please before I post to archives. Previous chapters are posted on these sites:

On Twisting the Hellmouth - https://www.tthfanfic.org/Story-34251/MarcusRowland+Harry+Potter+Undazzled.htm
On Fanfiction.net - https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14336114/1/Harry-Potter-Undazzled
On Archive of Our Own - https://archiveofourown.org/works/54407350

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