Hot Springs Island (2017) is the first of presumably many rules-agnostic sourcebooks/campaigns for Swordfish Islands (which is the name of both the publisher and the world, conveniently). It comes in two books – a Field Guide for players and The Dark for GMs – and you can get a sweet map by Mockman Press.

Hot Springs Island is a hex crawl in the spirit of Isle of Dread and Griffin Mountain – a vast wilderness containing all manner of mysteries to explore, a rich history and a complex web of hostilities among the inhabitants to navigate. You’ve got ogres who aren’t really ogres who have recently freed themselves from slavery, a debauched efreet slinging extra-planar narcotics, vengeful nereids, some dead asshole elves, badass lizard people, weird monsters, orange sludge, singing statues and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Hot Springs Island is one of those spots where all sorts of powers in the multiverse have an interest (even if they don’t know it yet). The presentation of that multiverse is particularly intriguing, full of immortal trade cartels and hard partying socialites – it seems that for eternals, assuaging boredom is the driving motivation. FRPG Powers tend to be haughty and serious; it is refreshing to see some that are vapid and greedy too.

The Dark goes to great lengths to detail not just the locations on the island (which are fantastically creative), but the wants, needs and motivations of all the major NPCs and many factions lurking off stage. The result is one of the most robust and vivid sandboxes I’ve encountered. In reading the book, it is easy to get a handle on all this information and start to see what might happen once the players start butting their noses in (probably nothing good).

I love Gabriel Hernandez’s art, particularly the landscape and landmark work. A good amount of art repeats across both books, but that is understandable, considering.