As a company, I quite like Green Ronin Publishing. They’re not one of my absolute favourites in terms of publishers, but they do put out a lot of good stuff. They first caught my attention for writing the second edition of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, which was excellent. I also liked their Mutants and Masterminds. I’ve had some good games of their Dragon Age RPG, too.
The system that was originally designed for Dragon Age, the Adventure Game Engine (AGE), has proven to be adaptable, with Green Ronin putting out generic version of the system for fantasy, modern, and sci-fi settings. They have also released other games using the system, including one based on one of my favourite sci-fi series, The Expanse. They also, in 2017, released a new edition of their 2005 RPG, Blue Rose, moving it from the True20 system to the AGE system.
Today, we’re talking about Blue Rose, which currently features in a pair of Bundles from Bundle of Holding.
Blue Rose places players in the captivating Kingdom of Aldis in the world of Aldea, a land of breathtaking beauty and deep mystique. This game places a strong emphasis on storytelling, character development, and fostering meaningful connections among the characters, as they journey together to protect their homeland from darkness and oppression. The rich and inclusive setting encourages players to embrace themes of love, empathy, and compassion, making Blue Rose a truly unique and engaging RPG experience that transcends the boundaries of conventional role-playing games. Whether you’re a seasoned RPG enthusiast or a newcomer to the genre, Blue Rose promises an unforgettable adventure filled with magic, intrigue, and the power of heartfelt bonds.
Blue Rose Bundle
The first bundle is a repeat of one originally offered in 2020. This is the bundle for anyone new to the game and features the core of what you’ll need. As usual, the bundle is split into two tiers. The first costs $7.95 and gets you the following items:
The core book is clearly the main offering here. This beautifully-illustrated, 384 page book contains everything necessary to play Blue Rose. This is the tier you therefore need in order to actually interact with the game and use the rest of the content from these bundles.
The tier also includes a pair of books – a novel and a novella – to help flesh out the setting and draw you into the world of Aldea. There’s also a further short story collection to offer more insight into different people and places in the setting.
The only actual game material in this tier is therefore the core book, but given that you’re paying $7.95 for the tier when this PDF along is normally around $25, that’s not a bad deal.
The next tier will net you everything in the first tier plus the following content:
The tier is priced on a curve which, at the time of writing, is at $19.97.
In terms of content, Six of Swords gives you a handful of adventures to get you going with Blue Rose, and there’s another pair of short stories for further inspiration.
The narrator’s toolkit is the sort of stuff you generally get along with a GM’s screen, with the addition of some pregenerated characters. Having some pregens around is always handy for getting into a one-shot or helping new players.
The main item in this tier is the setting book, Aldis: City of the Blue Rose. This book explores the capital city of the primary kingdom of the setting. It’s a location that you will likely use with regularity, and such a book will help you flesh out this urban fantasy setting.
Overall, this is a decent bundle. It’s heavier on fiction than we normally see, with less of a focus on game content, but what is there seems pretty solid. The first tier is a great deal for all players, and GMs should seriously consider the second tier, largely for the city sourcebook.
You can click here to visit the Blue Rose bundle page at Bundle of Holding.
Aldean Adventures Bundle
The second Blue Rose bundle currently on Bundle of Holding is a smaller affair, consisting of only a single tier. This bundle is priced at $9.95 and will net you the following content:
Whereas the previous bundle was quite heavily focused on fiction, this one is right back into game material. There are two smaller adventures in here; one for 1st-level characters and another for characters of level 2 to 4.
There are then two more substantial books. Six of Cups contains a further 6 adventures. There’s a lot of adventuring content in this bundle, isn’t there?
The thing is, they’re all pretty small adventures. Envoys to the Mount addresses this, giving us a more substantial, multi-chapter adventure that will form the basis of a campaign for players.
With this bundle consisting entirely of adventure books that the non-GM player should definitely not read in order not to ruin any surprises, this is definitely a bundle for GMs. It’s hard, therefore, to recommend this one to the typical player who just won’t get much out of it, or with which they could sabotage their own fun by giving away key plot points of other information that makes the game less enjoyable for all.
You can click here to visit the Aldean Adventures bundle page at Bundle of Holding.
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