The Big Book of Amazing Tales

The Big Book of Amazing Tales is ready to order now on DriveThruRPG.

What’s in the Big Book of Amazing Tales?

The Big Book of Amazing Tales is a 224 page collection of adventures for the Amazing Tales role-playing game. All together you’ll find 17 adventures split across four campaigns. The Big Book of Amazing Tales is packed with illustrations by Iris Maertens and Ayu Marques. The book also includes a selection of handouts specially designed for kids to make, solve and colour in.

In the Big Book of Amazing Tales you will find…

A Dream of Trees

A campaign set in the deep dark wood, can a band of fairy heroes help a young girl escape her foes and realise her destiny? A dream of trees is suitable for the very youngest adventurers.

The Quest for the Dragon Crown

A campaign set in a magical kingdom long ago. The kingdom of Merrydown is threatened by Dragons and only the legendary Dragon Crown can save it. If only anyone knew where it was…

Captain Cadava’s Treasure

A campaign set on the pirate seas. The chance discovery of a treasure map puts the heroes on the track of the legendary treasure of Captain Cadava. But is all as it seems?

The Cryptid Conundrum

A campaign set among the stars. The Planetary alliance is threatened by an unknown enemy. Just who are the cryptids, why have they kidnapped the head of the Space Rangers, and can anyone solve the fiendish puzzles they have left behind? The puzzles in the Cryptid Conundrum are aimed at older players (8+).

The Big Book of Amazing Tales also contains…

Rescue City: Rescue City is a brand new, thrilling setting for Amazing Tales, where the heroes are people you might meet just walking down the street. Join the medics, police officers and fire fighters and do your part to protect the citizens of Rescue City. Rescue City is specially written as a setting for creating non-violent Amazing Tales. 

Amazing Lessons: A guide for teachers who want to incorporate Amazing Tales into their teaching. Written by primary school teacher and King of Dungeons author Baz Stevens.

Gaming as Therapy: A guide for parents who want to use Amazing Tales to help their children reach their full potential. Written by practicing child therapist Lilly Smith. 

You can order the Big Book of Amazing Tales now on DriveThruRPG.

Introducing Amazing Lessons and Using Amazing Tales Therapeutically

Two of the most common questions I’ve had since releasing Amazing Tales have been. ‘Can you use this in a classroom’ and ‘Could you use this for therapy?’. To which my answers have been along the lines of ‘Probably, but since I’m neither a teacher or a therapist I don’t have much to contribute’.

Well, now I do. Thanks to Baz Stevens and Lilly Smith who are respectively a primary school teacher and a child therapist. Both have made extensive use of Amazing Tales in their work, and now they’ve put together some guidance for anyone who wants to follow in their steps.

Amazing Lessons is Baz’s guide to using Amazing Tales in the classroom. He talks about the overlap between teaching and games mastering, the ways Amazing Tales can be used to support the curriculum and what the process of playing a game with 30 players looks like.

Using Amazing Tales Therapeutically is Lilly’s introduction to the use of games as therapy. The six page guide includes advice on teamwork, social problem solving, impulse control, creativity and fine motor skills. 

Amazing Lessons and Using Amazing Tales Therapeutically are both availble for free via DriveThruRPG.

Five ways to make your child’s first role-playing game amazing

How old does a child have to be to play a role-playing game? I know of children who’ve started role-playing at the ripe old age of three and a half. My rule of thumb is that if a child can read numbers up to ten, and follow a bedtime story that lasts 20 minutes, then they’re ready.

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But making that first game a success is still a challenge. Here are five ways to make sure that first game is memorable for both of you.

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Captain Cadava Sails!

A seemingly chance encounter puts the heroes on the trail of the long lost treasure of the feared Captain Cadava. 

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Shiver your timbers, hoist the mainsail. Swab out the bilges and splice the mainbrace!

Captain Cadava’s Treasure, the second campaign for Amazing Tales is a thrilling pirate adventure within which your heroes can swashbuckle their way across the seven seas, explore seedly pirate strongholds and ancient jungle temples. Come face to face with sea-monsters, dinosaurs and, most terrifying of all, Captain Cadava himself!

Captain Cadava’s Treasure is available for download from DriveThruRPG

In Captain Cadava’s Treasure you will find a pirate campaign made up of:

  • Four adventures, each good for hours of play
  • Four full page, colour illustrations by Ayu Marques
  • A map showing all seven pirate seas
  • Random encounter tables for the pirate seas, providing endless piratical adventure
  • The Reef Challenge, a puzzle of seamanship

To complete the quest the heroes will have to

  • Investigate Deeptown, a deadly pirate stronghold
  • Brave the wreck of the Rotten Oak in the mysterious Sunken Sea
  • Explore a long lost temple on a jungle island
  • Deal with a pair of treacherous pirates
  • Face off against the deadly (and dead) Captain Cadava

Captain Cadava’s Treasure was made possible by the supporters of the Big Book of Amazing Tales kickstarter. 

Amazing Adventures and free rules

Just because you’re locked down doesn’t mean you can’t take your family on an adventure. And because a lot of us could do with that right now I’m releasing the complete rules for Amazing Tales and a series of one page adventures for free. So whether you’re a role-playing veteran, or someone who’s never thought about setting foot in an imaginary world until today – I hope you find them useful.

The Rules

The Two Page Quickstart rules for Amazing Tales.

The Adventures

The Witch and the Willow: Cracked Sorrybranch, a mean willow tree has captured Maybeth Pickleberry, a kind witch, and is keeping her in a magic sleep. Before she was caught Maybeth cast a spell to make fairy lights that would bring help, but she didn’t finish it in time. Now the spell is leading lots of small animals into Bracklands Gully. (A Deep Dark Wood adventure)

Of Dragons and Dwarves: The town of Sweetgrass is beset by small earthquakes and strange rumbling noises from below the ground. The cause is Grom, an escaped golem from the nearby dwarven mine. Grom’s digging could soon collapse the ground under the whole town! (A Magical Kingdoms adventure)

The Race to the Rock: The heroes follow a treasure map to Eagles’ Rock pursued by the ferocious Captain Brimstone and his ship The Devil’s Galleon. After passing through many hazards the heroes must scale a perlious cliff to reach the treasure, and face its giant guardian. (A Pirate Seas adventure)

The Megarathi Mission: The heroes are sent on a secret mission to infiltrate an enemy base on Planet Tora Prime and rescue the scientist Jor Mila. Jor Mila has information that the evil Admiral Blex is planning an attack on earth. Can the heroes stop him? (An adventure Among the Stars)

A Very Rainy Day: Heavy rains and floods make life difficult along the river bank. Can the heroes keep the residents safe? A Very Rainy Day is specially written for very little gamers. (A Deep Dark Wood adventure)

The Warlock of the Ruins: The crazed warlock Sable Darkmoor has returned to his keep, and is preying on residents of the nearby town of Farrowdale. The heroes must venture into his dungeons to rescue them and stop his plan to summon the hideous and hungry frog demon Slibbobobuleth. (A Magical Kingdoms adventure)

Sailing the Upside Down Sea: The heroes find themselves magically transported beneath the ocean. They’ll have to deal with underwater pirates, a sea witch and a mischevious mermaid if they’re going to make it back to the surface. (A Pirate Seas adventure)

The Birthday Party: His excellency T’Korum, the Xilensian Ambassador to the United Worlds is celebrating his third birthday, which makes him 399 in human years. President Vendergast, the very formal President of the United Worlds is throwing a party for him aboard Space Station Lalande and has asked the heroes to make sure everything runs smoothly.

Princess Melody and the Spider Witch: Bushybrow, an excitable squirrel comes running up to the heroes and blurts out the news that the kind Princess Melody has been kidnapped by the hungry Spider Witch and taken to her dark castle on the mountain. The heroes have to rescue her!

The Tower of Frost: The cold-hearted Frost King is sending snow to punish Sunrise Village for mining in his mountain. To end the snows the heroes must scale a high peak and investigate a mysterious tower.

Black Jack’s Curse: A message in a bottle leads the heroes to a castaway, who directs them to a pirate treasure. But Black Jack won’t give his treasure up easily!

Station Obscura: An excavation on a dead planet reveals puzzles and adventure!

Vick and Caw’s Cunning Plan – The heroes find the fairy village of Rivelin in a panic. Bellespa, a talkative fairy has lost a necklace of pearls; and Fairy Corinna, a lazy fairy is missing her diamond tipped wand. But worst of all, Chrysanthalia, the proud Fairy Queen has lost her golden crown. Can the heroes help?

The Travelling Temple of Moo – Among the Mountains of Klesh simple peasants, tend their farms in the shadow of ancient monuments dedicated to forgotten gods. The heroes rescue Jason, a courageous boy who has fled from the evil priests of Moo. Can the heroes defeat the priests and save Jason’s village?

Into the Bomb – Zenusian Separatists have seized control of the Zenusian Embassy and set a Voltage Bomb to explode. Can the heroes sneak in and defuse it?

The Forsaken Crypt of the Serpent Master – In a crowded evening market an old man tells the heroes tales of the Serpent Master, who dwells in a hidden tomb, where he raises his serpentine servants on the bodies of fallen warriors. Do these heroes think they might be able to end this evil?

Orion Down – The heroes recieve two distress calls at the same time from identical coordinates. Space Station Orion reports life support failures and needs urgent assistance. Starship Kohoutek reports a collision and power failures. Can the heroes save the day? And can they work ouit what’s behind the accident?

The Tadley Wyrm Firetalon, a vain red dragon has descended on the town of Tadley, eating cows and terrifying the locals. Can the heroes save Tadley?

Cantina Crisis The heroes are enjoying a relaxing drink in Cantina 23 and waiting for the band to start when Sasfrood, a hyperactive alien mariachi yells “Hey, that’s my saxodoodle!” At the same time, the heroes see a four armed quasgar exiting the bar with a saxodoodle case.

Under Alien Seas: The beautiful coral gardens of the ocean world Pelagia are threatened by a mysterious cloud of silt. Can the heroes solve the mystery and end the threat?

Robotop Rescue: On a planet made of living metal with lava seas an evil scientist plots a fiendish scheme. This is an adventure for awesome robot dinosaurs.

Are you ready for Rescue City?

Rescue City is the first additional setting for the Amazing Tales RPG. Let your children play heroes who are cops, fire-fighters or medics as they rush to save the day in a city where there’s always someone in need of rescuing.

Rescue City is specially written to provide adventures that are non-violent, but thrilling. As well as ten story seeds it includes a short scenario called Parachute Pandemonium to get your Rescue City adventures started.

Rescue City includes four full page colour illustrations by Ayu Marques.

Find out more about Rescue City, and order a copy for just $3 from DriveThruRPG.

Where can I get Amazing Tales?

I’ve nearly finished transitioning all our various channels from the original edition to the revised edition. So here’s an update on where Amazing Tales is currently available. The revised edition includes 8 extra pages, with advice on creating stories without violence, a sample adventure and tips for creating memorable NPCs.

A PDF copy of Amazing Tales

If you want a PDF copy. DriveThruRPG is the only supplier. $4.95. All PDF versions are now the revised edition. If you’ve already bought one, your PDF has been updated to the revised edition, just download it again from DriveThru to get the new material.

Order a PDF of Amazing Tales from DriveThruRPG

A hardback copy of Amazing Tales

Your local game shop can order copies of the new edition from our distributors at Studio 2 (USA) and Asmodee (UK).

Details for retailers who want to order copies are here.

Amazon carry Amazing Tales via their US store front.

If you’re looking for customer reviews and ratings at Amazon see what people said about the first edition.

Print on Demand via DriveThruRPG The print on demand version is being updated to the revised edition. For reasons the print versions are on a new product page. In a week or so once all the updates have cleared DriveThru’s system everything should be back on the original product page.

Order Print on Demand copies here.

New pricing

The eagle eyed amongst you might have noticed that the price of the print on demand standard and premium editions has increased, to $24.95 and $29.95 respectively.

The revised print edition is also priced at $24.95. Why is this? Well there are a few reasons.

  1. The original price was too low. I wasn’t selling the hardback copies at a loss, but it was close.
  2. Amazing Tales is printed in China, when we ordered it wasn’t clear if it would be hit with additional tarriffs. So the pricing has to account for that.
  3. I try and keep the print on demand (POD) and retail prices similar to support retail outlets. They’re the bedrock of the hobby and I don’t want to undercut them by selling the POD copies for less than the retail copies.

Hardship pricing

It’s a tough world out there sometimes, and I’d hate to think of parents who want to play Amazing Tales with their kids, but can’t because there’s a choice between buying a game and paying the rent. If that’s you, drop me a line, and we’ll make it work.

Watch this adorable two year old play an RPG

I love this video. This young man is nearly three, and he’s playing Amazing Tales with his parents. His character Sword the Knight has just captured a goblin who has stolen both pizza and icecream, and he’s taking him to jail. But things don’t work out the way Sword is expecting…

If this looks like something for your family, check out Amazing Tales a role-playing game for kids aged four and up (two and up?!) to play with their parents.


The therapeutic value of RPGs

Almost since the invention of the hobby in 1971 claims have been made for the benefits of role-playing games. Early advocates tended to focus on the benefits for literacy and mental arithmetic that came from playing games that relied on heavyweight rulebooks and complex rules. More recently interest has focused on the social and emotional benefits of games.

This article points to some key resources in the area.

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