This week we have a 2-for-1, Encounters on the Savage Seas volume II and volume III are supplements by Jeff C. Stevens.

Disclaimer: We were provided with a free digital copy of this product.

If you want to check out the first instalment, I refer you to our review of it.

Encounters on the Savage Seas II

The second instalment is just as big as the first one – almost 100 pages and 19 more chapters of maritime encounters. Once again, each chapter features a different author, along with artwork and maps from several different artists.

The majority of encounters are small adventures – smaller than one-shots, I’d say since most of them run 1 to 2 hours, so you’re able to fit multiple in a single session – or, perhaps, sprinkle in one every session if you run a campaign. In terms of levels, they range from 1 all the way to 15, but since they’re on the smaller side you can adjust the difficulty relatively easily, and there are some instructions on how to do so. As for the theme, again there’s quite a wide range – players can investigate and stop a chaotic trickster on a ship, encounter a literal living storm in the form of an enormous elemental, face ghosts, undead, and various other horrors, race in the underwater tournament Aqua500, and of course go search for treasures and shipwrecks of all kinds.

Besides the adventures, the last two chapters are dedicated to new creatures and items, there’s a chapter about a restaurant ship and the various interactions the players can have with its crew, and finally – or, well, firstly, since it’s the very first chapter, a list of tasks associated with the maintenance a sailing ship might require. On their own, they’re a bit mundane to just toss at your players to pass the time, but they’re a fine addition in any stressful encounter – sure, you’re massacring those pirates, but you’d better keep all those ropes and sails in top condition or there will be trouble. Alternatively, you can also use these as a sort of resource management – you’ve got limited crew and hours in a day, can you keep your ship afloat?

There is also a Fantasy Grounds version if you’re playing on the VTT.

Encounters on the Savage Seas III Free

The third instalment is a bit different – it’s much shorter, but it’s also free! As such, I thought I could fit it in this review as well. Well, I say shorter, but certainly not short – it’s 37 pages with 6 encounters, so it’s quite something really. All 6 encounters involve combat, ranging from levels 1 to 10, again with optional scaling – and as usual, there are maps and artwork and plenty of details on how you can run these. There was just as much, if not more, effort put into this as with the paid versions – some might dismiss it as obvious or expected, but it takes a lot of effort to create a supplement of this quality and I want to give credit where credit is due. Also, this one also has a Fantasy Grounds VTT version. If you’re curious about the whole Encounters on the Savage Seas series, you can start from this one, and get a sample of what’s in store if it piques your interest further.

Overall, my final verdict here is about what you’d expect – I’m a big fan of Jeff’s projects, so I highly recommend these particular ones as a great source of side quests or plot hooks if you’re running an oceanic campaign.

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