Hollow Earth Expedition isn’t considered an old school game, but the premise sounds interesting and I’ve heard good reports about the game. However, the PDF version is $19.99 — about twice the maximum I’m willing to pay for a PDF copy of a game — especially one I’m buying “on spec.” It is supposedly “pulp done right”, but the fact that the description says the system “emphasizes storytelling” has always made me even more reluctant to part with money. I can’t however, turn down free. I just got a copy for free. You can too. Exile Game Studio is offering a free copy of the Hollow Earth Expedition core rules PDF for Valentine’s Day. Here’s the link to the free download on DriveThruRPG from the Exile Game Studio’s Facebook page. The link will only work on Valentine’s Day.

Here’s the description of the game:

First we discovered that the Earth is round.

Then we discovered that it’s hollow.

Now we must keep its secrets from falling into the wrong hands.

Explore one of the world’s greatest and most dangerous secrets: the Hollow Earth, a savage land filled with dinosaurs, lost civilizations, and ferocious savages! Players take on the roles of two-fisted adventurers, eager academics and intrepid journalists investigating the mysteries of the Hollow Earth. Meanwhile, on the surface, world powers and secret societies vie for control of what may be the most important discovery in all of human history.

Set in the tense and tumultuous 1930s, the action-filled Hollow Earth Expedition is inspired by the literary works of genre giants Edgar Rice Burroughs, Jules Verne, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The subterranean action is powered by Ubiquity, an innovative roleplaying system that emphasizes storytelling and cinematic action.