Hollow Earth Expedition RPG (EGS1010, 6x9) Paperback – March 1, 2014

After hearing about HEX for awhile, I finally bought it. Buyers should be aware that the 2006 hardcover, 8/5 x 11" size, color plates and end papers edition is out of print. The latest edition (or printing, since none of the content - that I'm aware of - has changed) is a smaller travel size softcover that's all black and white.Because playing a tabletop game for the first time with a gaming group can be a daunting task with lots of book passing, I decided to acquire both versions. The softcover retailing for about $20 while the former hardcover retailed at about $35.So, finally got to run it for my players. The session went well. Even though there's a lot of period information and suggestions, I think GMs will have their work cutout for them if they're trying to emulate films like Big Trouble in Little China, King Kong, and possibly even Indiana Jones. The rules for creating characters, combat, and just playing the game take up a fair amount of space. Then there's play examples, a bestiary, some NPC stats, introductory adventure, and list of resources. Not too much about outside-the-box cinematic storytelling or capturing the feel of your favorite film.But then HEX is supposed to be rather vague and open-ended. It's not for telling one particular genre story really well, instead it helps the GM run a bunch of stories with the same general type of setting fairly well. So, it loses a little something when it tries to stretch itself between Journey to the Center of the Earth and The Time Machine, Jurassic Park, or Lovecraft's "Beneath the Pyramids". A successful campaign really needs a talented GM with a lot of free time or one of the HEX supplements to aid him.As for the system, I think Ubiquity is fine. Combat was super lethal. A couple of the PCs were a little trigger-happy (which is perfectly understandable when one of the main character archetypes is Big Game Hunter) and NPCs/beasts didn't last more than a single round.Aesthetically speaking, it looks nice. Back in 2006, there were very few black and white RPG books with this kind of high quality artwork. Nowadays, however, it might not seem quite as special. The 6 x 9" travel size re-print is also nice, but lacks the breadth of artistic vision which the hardcover embodied.All in all, I'm glad I bought it and look forward to running Hollow Earth Expedition again!~ Venger Satanis

If you love Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park or both... this is the game for you. It's fast, versatile and just a LOT of fun! The great thing is that, while there are Ubiquity Dice that you can buy, you can literally use ANY dice with the game (as long as there are an even number of sides, of course).The system is fluid and fast and the book is beautifully laid out. One thing that stands out to me is the care that was taken with everything. In many games with pulp-era settings, they tend to gloss over history. It's as though the "where and the why" of the era isn't as important as guns and fists. Hollow Earth Expedition does an excellent job of laying out the history of the world for you and highlighting events of interest to GMs looking for ideas. Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of guns and nazi-punching action in HEX (and dinosaurs!!), but they didn't stop there. The creators give you a very well-rounded, and well though out game. If you're stuck on a desert island and can have only one game... you want Hollow Earth Expedition.

Good system. Some basics for the experienced RPG-er (like Encumberance, etc.) are a little hard to locate, but the system is designed to be loose & more story- and Role-play oriented then a stickler for rules. I suggest getting the GameMaster's Screen to keep those charts easily at hand, rsther than having to try and search through the book for them. If King Kong, The Lost World, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Mysterious Island, Atlantis: The Lost Continent, and Indiana Jones are all in your Netflix queue, this is the game for you.

If you ever wanted to play a rpg where Indiana Jones, The Rocketeer, Jurassic Park, Journey to the Center of the Earth and The Shadow, would meet: don't look any further. You have to play "HOLLOW EARTH EXPEDITION"!The system is simple yet powerfull. The background is detailled yet let room for your imagination. I've been playing rpg for over 20 years (D&D, Star Wars, Warhammer, Shadowrun, Vampire, L5R, etc...) and this has to be one of my favorite games. The first time I ran it, my players loved it...and so will yours! Enjoy!

HEX is a great game backed with a great set of mechanics. I fell in love with this game back in 2006 as it has all my favorite genres rolled into one. Dinosaurs, Nazis, Pulp Heroes, and heavy doses of Lost World excitement. This digest size version is perfect to bring with you on a trip or convention. A must have for a Pulp fan!

The trade paperback size is not as easy to use as the larger volume though it is clearly printed well constructed.I'd probably recommend spending the extra couple bucks and getting the hardback if you're a Game Master but, for players this is fine.

Awesome pulp game utilizing the Ubiquity engine. I can't recommend this one highly enough. The mechanics are a breeze to learn and the game play is fast paced and fun.

Great book

Super Zustand