Sphinxes, the first of Sages, Zine Review

This is my attempt at taking a look and reviewing the Zinequest 2 projects I backed.

See some disclaimers at the end of this post.

Overall feel

Sphinxes: the First of Sages is a 16 page-long zine (including front- and back cover), focusing on... sphinxes! The PDF formatting is strange, since it uses two-page spreads for the body. The biggest appeal and draw for me to get this zine was the artwork and aesthetic. Given that, I recommend you check their Kickstarter campaign, which frankly is a bit scarce, to see the art by Alex Coggon and Charles Ferguson-Avery. As for other previous works, I own Into the Wyrd and Wild, which I consider a helpful toolkit for running forest-wilderness adventures.

Sphinxes has great layout. Each individual spread has thematic margins that emphasize the sphinx being presented. The art features really great sphinx pieces, where I think all but one are done by Alex Coggon. This means that a bit of cohesiveness is lost with the one by Charles Ferguson-Avery. The PDF has no bookmarking or layers.

Also, the title page has a typo: "Shinxes".

The zine suffers from rules inconsistency and lack thereof. The KS project page claimed loose 5e compatibility. Maybe? Since two authors worked on the zine, 4 of the sphinxes have very light rules (and some spells that follow DCC-like effects?), and the last sphinx has more robust statblock to be used during play (AC, HD, etc.).

Introduction and attributes

A first two-page spread covers an overview and introduction about sphinxes. The first page has rumored origins, their similarities and differences compared to dragons (the former are curious, the latter plain greedy), sphinx lairs and followers, and how to use them in combat. These overviews are a bit verbose and not descriptive enough. They could've been summarized in a few bullet points.

Sphinxes in Combat is particularly confusing. It sits mid-way between a system-less description of abilities and a mix of 5e and generic terms. Spells like Silence and Mage Hand are contrasted with "saving throws", "disadvantage", "save versus poison", and two spell descriptions, Eye of the Storm and Sundering Laughter that are lacking mechanical and thematic focus. Of note is also that these guidelines seem only relevant to sphinxes 1-4, not 5.

The second page is Physical Attributes of the Sphinx, with some lovely smaller drawings, showcasing the anatomy. Show don't tell! Writing could be trimmed here, in lieu of more sketches (feathers are described as treasures, why not show some?). For me the most interesting bit is the last paragraph, where time-halting pockets are described; reason why sphinxes can negate the passage of time. This can give some game-able material: can you bring your ally or PC in time, before they succumb to their incurable disease?

Actually, the final spread (pages 14-15) could have been pulled in to the beginning of the zine, to soften the introduction and provide a less dry point of entry to the zine.

The 5 Sphinxes

The meat and potatoes. We get 5 two-page spreads, each with their own sphinx, including individual (and gorgeous) pieces of artwork. Great layout, with margins matching each individual sphinx and their theme in the spread.

Some general notes on the first 4 sphinxes, and then I'll jump to the tone of each one. The 5th I will look at and discuss separately, since it follows different format and content.

The left page gets the name of the sphinx, together with art, and some keywords based on Virtues, Vices, Wants, and Speech. I really like these, concise and punchy, gives a good idea on how to run them.

Following are a few paragraphs riddled with more details, like lairs, mannerisms, history, and organizations they are each involved with. There are too many proper nouns (to locations, organizations, etc), and not that much game-able material. The structure is also a bit off. Perhaps adding a few categories "Description", "Lair", "Organizations", "Fierce Secrets" would have helped?

There is also the odd omission. For instance Naccalat reads "Naccalat is a scrupulous leader and hordes their followers like they do their treasure; feverishly. To join with the sphinx is to join a family that borders on fantastical cult.". Yet this camaraderie is not within the mentioned Virtues, Vices, Wants, and Speech, so it makes it harder to parse or understand. If the idea was to have an unreliable narrator, a clearer tone for the reader/referee would've been great.

The second page contains a spell, thematic to the sphinx presented. The format is not reminiscent of 5e, and it compared a result from d20+(one of Int/Wis/Cha modifier)+Level against a codified table with results and effects. Seems reminiscent of DCC, perhaps? Each is just too much for actual use for a single spell, and devoid of much in terms of mechanics. The higher results of the table would make a fitting boon, magic item, or scroll, for the sphinx to have in their lair (and to bestow on helpful PCs), so the effects can be repurposed that way.

In order, we get:

• Zalar Vos Noxium - this one shouts LAW through all pores. Space and time as theme, tied with clockworks and their care-taking. And a tower as their lair.
  
• Naccalat es Crisclet - a cunning thieves' guild master. Doors, keys, and passages. Could be the face behind a curio and relics extraction company. The most dangerous, perhaps.
  
• Leu’li vac Oren - a trickster, an illusion (?), dealing in rumors and curios. Probably the most likeable of the bunch.
  
• Meticus En Laosim - meticulous, a librarian, the brainy one? A library is implied, so potentially this one could be plucked into the Stygian Library? I might do that...

Lastly, we get the Shadowbound Sphinx, which is a generic monster (instead of one unique sphinx) with 14HD and some nasty abilities. Darker and likely more antagonistic, it follows a more appealing stat-block with HD, AC, etc. Numbers are fairly system-agnostic (e.g. AC as leather). But for some reason the attacks are still given in damage size, instead of "as sword", or "as dagger". I also suffer from this rotten habit. The monster description text is somewhat evocative, but has certain words repeated too often, in succession. There is also a "save versus madness", which... is not bad? But I'd rather have vs Intelligence, or similar.

The second page is a sample Warlock subclass, the Path of Shadowbound, assuming you get one of the critters as your patron. Flavor being madness and randomness. The level 1 features gives d6 extra spells per day to the Warlock, and the 14th one a twisted Wish spell. Probably too much for a class, I'd not let this roll on my 5e table as-is. However, as separate boons granted by such a sphinx after a quest they make more sense (which by the way, is suggested in the text!).

End sprinkling

Two final pages at the end add some seasoning to the topic. First, a one page short story about an implied origin for sphinxes, that ties to books, knowledge, and understanding. Solid for inspiration, but no gaming material, it should have been on the first page of the zine to open up less coldly.

We also get d20 Random features in a sphinx lair. They vary in originality and length up to 30is words. For instance 19: "Flickering candles that never seem to burn down or emit any heat." could be improved. Or 11: "Warm deep, thermal fueled pools of a variety of colors, looked over by a water spirit that sings softly from the alcoves."

What I see missing is an extra line or two to add interactivity and something exciting the players can do with the locations when encountered. Take 11. Specifying the colors in the pool. A line or two about the song, or how interacting with the spirit could pan out. Do they like other art forms? Will they trade a song (with clues) for gems?

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This concludes the review. The zine is a visual treat, but in general lacks defined game-able ideas to apply to the table. Organization and editing could be improved. If you really like sphinxes, I'm not aware of any other dedicated zines. Maybe we see future treatment of other monsters by the authors?

Disclaimer

- In the interest of full disclosure I bought this with my own funds.

    - I was a backer on their Kickstarter campaign and paid 5 US$ for the PDF version of the product in February 2020.

- Nobody is paying for this review. All of the opinions you see are my own.
- Nobody is approving or reading this post before it goes up.
- I have no relationship with any of the authors of this product.