An Endzeitgeist.com review

This installment of the Village Backdrop-series is 10 pages long, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page advertisement, 1 page SRD and 1 page back cover, leaving us with 5 pages of content, so let's take a look, shall we?

As always the case with this series, we are herein introduced to a village that comes with full settlement statblocks, nomenclature, habits, industry, rumors and all the nice things required to properly run it - but before I get into Riverburg, take a look at that map. Yeah. That just about says it, doesn't it? Don't want to - well, Riverburg is NOT your run-of-the-mill village. Created at the conjunction of 3 rivers, the village has been erected on sturdy poles and stilts rising from the sluggish waters of the rivers, offering barges and services for those seeking to travel the forests and rivers.

And, of course, the village hosts unsavory elements (represented by two statblocks) consorting with river pirates; enigmatic, moaning caves that can be found in the vicinity; potential for whole houses to be stripped (and probably let loose) - burnt-out barges floating down the river...believe me when I say that this little pdf has more adventure potential than many supplements of 4 times the size!

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are top-notch, I didn't notice any glitches. Layout adheres to Raging Swan Press' crisp, elegant two-column b/w-standard and the pdf comes fully bookmarked and in two versions - one optimized for screen-use and one to be printed. It should also be noted that DMs can download player-friendly versions of the map on Raging Swan Press' homepage as a print-out/hand-out resource - which is plain awesome.

I was duly impressed by Brian Wiborg Mønster's offerings so far for Raging Swan Press and this is no different - in fact, I'm once again thoroughly impressed by this supplement. Iconic in construction and in the angle taken, this makes for a cool semi-floating town that just sparks the imagination without rethreading tried and true terrain. This village backdrop is simply glorious, sparks the imagination, ahs adventure-potential galore and makes for a superb investment for the low and very fair asking price - final verdict? 5 stars + seal of approval for one superb village. I look forward to seeing more of Brian Wiborg Mønster's creations! If this great backdrop is any indication, we have a talent on the rise here!

Endzeitgeist out.

At the confluence of three rivers, some wise fellow established an inn called the Singing Bargemen where those who ply their trade on the rivers could quench their thirst. Around this inn a village has grown up, built on pilings driven into the slowly-flowing muddy river, preferable to the thickly forested shore. It's home to river guides and others who earn their keep on the water, not a rich place but for them it's home, and for others a welcome stop on their journey.

The village is described in detail, with rumours and personalities and details of the various buildings in the complex. As well as the inn, there is a Rivermen's Guildhall, a temple to the river god, a marketplace and a handful of private homes. Oh, and an, ahem, house of ill repute for those whose need for refreshment takes other directions than a few pints of ale. The sole access to shore is guarded - it's far easier to approach the village by water.

The village survives on fishing and hunting in the forest, and on passing trade from people travelling up and down the rivers. Some come to visit nearby caves which are rumoured to contain treasure. Oh, and pirates are said to lurk in the forest.

A few random events to liven the party's visit and details of a couple of notable residents round out this work, a small and likely disregarded little place that makes a handy stop if your plotline takes the characters along the river (or even loses them in the woods!).