Mini Review - Toys For the Sandbox 11- The Astral Star (Generic OSR)

The Astral Star is the 11th installment in the Toys For the Sandbox series of... not quite adventures, but more like stories hooks and adventure seeds.  I believe as I write this, Occult Moon is up to 13 in the series, plus a free "Issue Zero" and a bonus that those that grabbed the freebie in the first 24 hours were eligible to receive.  Yep, its a pretty lively series.

The Astral Star takes the series to new heights and new dimensions.  This is one that would benefit if you could place some rumors and seeds a few sessions (or longer) in advance, as it would really make for a larger impact on the PCs if it could be successfully pulled off.

The hooks (and twists) are really, really good this time around.  With a little work, some could be used to decent effect as seeds to encounters or adventures of your own design.  That is the one shame of this series.  Six hooks, each with 3 twists gives you 18 possible ways to get your party involved.  Since you will only use one, you have 17 that laying there, wishing they were used.   I'm already thinking of ways to use a handful of the ones I won't be using in different set ups.

The Astral Star deals with the Astral Plane (not a big surprise there), but I don't want to spoil the major twist here.  I really do like it.  It's very innovative and can certainly lead to a whole chain of events for your party, either immediately or in the party's future.

Best of the lot so far IMHO.  I've liked them all, loved a bunch, but The Astral Star beats them all.

Oh, and I label this "Generic OSR", as it is most certainly drawn from and OSR mindset and gaming history even if there are no stats included.

From the blurb:

Toys for the Sandbox is not a module, it is not a campaign setting, instead it is a framework for GMs to use to reinforce their own imaginations. Sometimes players zig when you expect them to zag, other times they take your plot point into a back alley and leave it penniless and bleeding. Each week we present a new location with a map and some flavor text. In addition we add 4 NPCs with a bit of history and a few simple thoughts on how to stat them for whatever game you are playing. There are also 6 plot hooks each with 3 ways to twist them. Added to that there is usually a table or two filled with rumors and encounters.

This week we explore the wreck of the Astral Star, a legendary ship filled with heroes that disappeared a long time ago.