Product Review - 21 Plots III

21 Plots III

This also came to me as a prize for participating in the 2015 Amber Zone Adventure writing contest. Thanks, GKG!

What is it?

This is the third installment of 21 Plots, a supplement series by Gypsy Knight Games. It presents the referee with 21 situations or adventure seeds. Some but not all are patron-based. The supplement presents only a framework, the referee gets to develop the adventure and fill in the details.

What format?

It's a PDF.

What can I do with it?

There's plenty of material to keep the PC's busy, if not happy. The supplement is weighted towards PCs that have a ship and routinely engage in trade or chartered freight hauling; many of the 21 plots have interstellar transporting as their basis. A number of them are criminal scenarios, usually smuggling. I've stated before my distaste for out-and-out criminal jobs, so I wouldn't put those in front of my players. Other missions are negotiation, investigation and missing persons.

How easy is it to use?

The plots each follow the CT “76 Patrons” format: a situation is outlined, and the referee is given six options or twists to flesh out and add detail. Plots are often stated to begin on a given world, but any of them could be transplanted to another world if that's where the PCs are. Few of them are dependent upon specific characteristics of the world. That's the strength of this brief format – referees have lots of room to make the situation fit the PC's abilities and the player's plans.

Would I have bought this for myself?

If I played in the Clement Sector setting, I might buy this book. As I prefer to play in my own setting, this is not as useful. Besides, I have a lot of fun writing my own Amber Zones and 76 Patrons situations. Putting that aside, this is a useful tool for a referee to have in his kit. It's worth a look. You can find it at DriveThruRPG.