Inside the Manor

 The delight of opening my mailbox and finding something other than bills and junk mail is, frankly, worth the price of a fanzine.  Tearing open the envelope (after snapping the obligatory photograph of course) confirmed my suspicion that this reward had set the bar far to low.  The Manor #1, quite simply, is pure joy. 

Nostalgia aside, as it’s perhaps the lowest form of flattery, the Manor #1 is worthwhile for it’s capacity to bring depth, that little extra to your game.  In an OSR community that often worships at the altar of minimalism, the Manor #1 refreshingly adds colour rather than build or (re)interpret.  Containing no new rules or even elucidations, there is no canon to be found, only vignettes, textures and illustrations.  Sure, it’s a quick read but the effect is exponential, ideas that create ideas.  Specifically, the issue includes a short  (appropriately titles) “Micro Adventure”, one short random table, one longer table with twenty ‘fleshed-out’ descriptions, an adventure site with a plot hook, NPC seed and hooks and, thankfully, a “Poetry Slam” entitled ‘Umber Hulk’.

The Manor #1 is indeed useful.   But more importantly it’s fun.  And in a niche pastime all too rife with bitterness, bitching and back-biting, goodness knows we need that!