No comments about Mutants & Masterminds: Worlds of Freedom.

2 comments about Path of Shadow (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.0 Fantasy Roleplaying).

1. This is a great source, it has 19 prestige classes with their respective organization that not only can be applied to the rogue class but also to the ranger and bard classes, their all well balanced, but most importantly you would want to play them all.

   It also has 13 legendary classes, this is a great concept, because it will give you more options for high level campaings, and because the tests you would have to take to achive them would give your DM more material for adventures (and this adventures will be very exiting).

   The art of the book is also great, some people won't like it because it's black & white, but I think it's perfect for a Book called Path of Shadow.

   If you are looking for a great source book with complete information (and that is better than the oficial one) this is it.




2. This little gem contains a number of cool ideas. My players aren't rule lawyers, so they trust me to pull together neat ideas for their characters. Path of Shadow has lots (I mean LOTS) of classes and abilities that you can either use as presented, or do what I do and merge them into existing classes. This is a 3.0 book, but I'm not having any trouble using it with 3.5.

2 comments about Battlestar Galactica GM Screen (Battlestar Galactica).

1. I think this is a great product. It was very useful and I hope to see more support for the game.



2. I like screens with lots of color for the players to look at and helpful info for me to use on the inside. I was not disappointed.

No comments about In Nomine The Final Trumpet (In Nomine: Revelations).

5 comments about Hackmaster: The Official Game Master's Guide.

1. The HackMaster GMG, like all HackMaster material, reads like the original 1st Edition AD&D gamebooks by Gary Gygax, but with lots more humor and with plenty of good-natured ribbing to the "Godfather of Gaming".

   The HM Gamemaster's Guide is a great book, and like it's old 1st Edition AD&D counterpart, it can give a GM plenty of ideas for his/her campaign, simply by opening it and taking a look around. It's creative, well-written, better organized than most RPG's GM reference material, and it is DEFINITELY more entertaining (most RPG reference books read like VCR instructions and are about as dry as plain saltines with nothing to wash them down).

   In short, if you like the fun you had years ago with your hack-n-slash AD&D campaigns, and you're not interested in the new gaming system that Wizards of the Coast is trying to pass off as "D&D", then HackMaster is for you. Don't believe those that try and tell you that HackMaster is just a parody of a popular RPG... it's a full-scale, playable, well-thought-out, and well-playtested RPG based on the game that started an industry!




2. I for one, totally than WOC for fecking up D&D. This allowed for Hackmaster to be readily available. I've been gaming off and on for more than 5 years. I thank God my GM decided to drop D&D and convert to Hackmaster.

   It is funnier, more interesting and more fun than D&D could ever hope to be. I just got the GM guide, and can't wait to begin GMing.




3. This book contains Most of the 1st and 2nd edition rules for AD&D,and a whole lot more! Unlike 3rd Edition which claims to be clear and concise this book actually is organized and clear in it's presentation. The art is good, but not distracting from the content. Plus the book is actually ENJOYABLE AND EASY TO READ. Seriously, I could hardly put it down.(I stopped trying to decipher the 3rd ed D&D after Chapter 1 Yecch! What a headache.)

   Plus this version of the game actually stops all those annoying arguments people get into over the rules. (Just do as the GM says or get a roll on the Smack-Down Table) They thought of EVERYTHING!

   This is more than a Roleplaying game. It's also Primer for how to play a roleplaying game. Loaded with Good advice. Wow!

   A+ Good job Kenzer Keep em coming!




4. Call it AD&D with a big bold sense of humor and lots of murder and mayhem. Hackmaster is the game and you're not going anywhere without this Hackmaster Game Master's Guide. Hackmaster is a truly brilliant game from Kenzer & Co., and something that veteran (I hesitate to say old) AD&D gamers like myself will love. Hackmaster freely and with permission uses the original AD&D rules (hence the remarkably similar covers) to those original Ad&D books of the late 70's and early 80's but imbues it with a sly sense of humor and an in your face attitude to provide the kind of gaming experience that you used to love before TSR and now Wizards of the Coast went nuts and started putting out a gazillion supplements.
   
   Veterans (there's that word again) will recognize much of the material contained in side this massive book but you'll still have to pay attention because the designers have added their special little nuances throughout to make this one hilarious but still straight-forward, RPG experience. Everything you'd expect to be covered is, including character creation, class, race, etc, but these guys have added their own little touches such as character quirks and flaws that add new depth to those two-dimensional character. These quirks take form in things like male pattern baldness, lips, and nosebleeds. Some could even aid your character. Turning to combat, Hackmaster has, hands down, the largest critical hit table that I have ever seen, even including an anatomical drawing to help show where the damage is done.
   
   Hackmaster provides a tool that is overdue by some 25 years...a Smartass Smackdown table. This table is used for dealing with out of control players. Roll a D100 and see the results. Perhaps that whiner develops a twitch, perhaps that ruthless killer of NPC's is infected by a skin-eating bacteria, maybe the dawdler slowing down the game finds himself the object of unnatural love from a powerful NPC (I'll let you define unnatural) It's touches like this that make the book a scream. Want another nice tool? How about a random tavern name generator? Now that really works!
   
   The magic item selection contains all those great items you remember from the original DM guide although some of the names have been changed to protect...someone. Thus we have the Hand of Vectra, along with the companion Eye, and, new to this book, the Feet of the Lich Vectra. There's also the Ring of Mercy Killing (AKA the Ring of Kavorkian), the Rod of Gender Bending, and the Bolt of the Month Pouch. If I am making this sound like a parody it's really not. At it's core Hackmaster is good, old time AD&D hack & slash fun. The designers have simply taken what is a great game and added a little humor that was probably already there to begin with in your own campaign. And, Hackmaster also has the largest random encounter tables I have ever seen, requiring the roll of a D10,000 to find out what you run into. What a superb book and what a great tribute to a simpler time of RPG gaming.
   
   Reviewed by Tim Janson



5. If you have the first edition AD&D stuff by Gygax, then you really don't need this book. Its basically AD&D with some funny commentary every once in a while. I bought this thing when i decided to get back into gaming. I wanted something simple so i could introduce new players to dungeons and dragons. I took one look at the character creation part and decided that Hackmaster wasn't for the group i was putting together. It would have taken three hours to roll up. definately not a way to introduce new folks to the game, but if you hate the D20 stuff and you want to get into gaming the way it was in the good old days then you should give hackmaster a try.

5 comments about Guide to Hell (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, 2nd Edition, Accessory/11431).

1. The Guide to Hell is a decent sourcebook if a DM lacks the Planescape setting, or the Planescape monstrous Compendium vol 1. If a DM has both of these, then the section revolving around the inner machinations of Hell is still new and quite cool. Of course, most DM's will want to heavily modify various parts of this book- I beefed up all the Lords of 9 to make them strong enough to fend off my PC's party of 6 lvl 9-12 heroes, changed most of their names, etc. There is a bit of conflicting info here with planescape- in that setting a PC can descend into Nessus if he's lost his bloody mind and really wants to, but in the Guide to hell, simply being there without asmodeus' permission means instant death. I favor the latter personally, but this is just one example of some contradictions between this and planescape. If a DM only owns the Monstrous Manual and wants to incorporate the diabolical, this book includes brief run-downs for every type of devil/baatezu. The devilkin race is neat, some of the kits are OK, and the summary info is very useful if you can't get it anywhere else. It is also more informative and comprehensive than the overview provided in Planes of Law, but apparently that's what some people did not like about it, they found it dry. I feel that a DM can add juice and flavor to the cold hard numbers when he's writing adventures, but if things like the Illithiad are more your style this book may not be for you. When I buy an RPG book I want it to provide me with the stats and overviews that I can flesh out into adventures rather than "tone" or too much flavor text, but that's me. If that's what your looking for, this book is a good purchase. Otherwise, I'd point you to the "Faces of Evil" book which does a nice job of combining info about fiends and flavor. It's probably more fun if not so useful.



2. One comes away from this book feeling very little. Many of us don't use a "Hell" in our games, but something similar...in this sense the book was ok, providing characters and settings that are easily adapted to your own environment. The information on playing in Hell was fairly good, as was the discussion of new kits. For the price, the book is good (IMHO - a wise decision on WotC's part to provide books of very specialized use at a low price).



3. Wow, this is the best aid I have for the adnd game yet. It'slike a whole campaign setting in 1 book, and it is (worth the cost).The devils in it are awesome monsters. The lords of the layers are also very cool. I like the whole idea of it the best. The creators of this book made a VERY good book here.



4. Ah, the Nine Hells! After 20+ years of ignorant attacks on the game system by Christian extremists, it's nice to be able to say that again. Don't get me wrong, I love Planescape, but somehow, it just didn't seem to provide a gothic, forsaken, ultra-dramatic Hell. Now we have it! Granted, it's a bit unorthodox and anti-classical, but I believe that's the point. This isn't a mere retread of the classic AD&D representation of Hell - if you want a tamer, more Dantean environment, check out Dragon 75, 76, the Manual of the Planes, and the 1st printing of the Monster Manuals I and II. This book has a more creative vision - it tries to remold our interpretation of the Infernal into something more cosmic, alien, and underwordly. You get the impression that Hell isn't necessarily a place where the damned go for punishment; rather, its raison d'etre is as the ultimate stronghold of diabolic (lawful) evil. And it's good! The Blood War and history are briefly touched upon, but then we plunge in up to our necks with fantastic details on devils and their beliefs and society, notes on infernal cults, the priests-turning-fiends table, and great new kits that your players will love if they want to dive into "the 9." The Devil Slayer is your basic Hell-bent (ahem) crusader, the Thaumaturgist is a diabolical summoner who specializes in comprehending contracts and magical circles, the Inquisitor is an horrific cleric subclass, the Hellblade is a type of ninja-infiltrator who destroys devils, etc. Then, we have L'Ordre de la Croix-Rose Veritas, a great devil slaying "Templar" order in Greyhawk. But there's more! Diabolic magic, the descriptions of the Hells, infernal powers, the arch-devils, and minions are all described. All in all, it's an amazingly useful compendium. I give it four stars only because its unorthodox nature keeps it from appealing to everyone. In Pace Requiscat!



5. One of the things that always bothered me about the Planes as described in 1st edition was that it seemed flat, populated by killing machines, and mostly the romping ground for inhumanly powerful characters looking for stuff to kill that would give them suitably huge experience. Period. Then, in 2nd Edition, Planescape was published, and I was astonished. Here, at last, was an attempt to explain how the planes actually worked, to populate them with a more realistic demographic, to make them more than a playground for 18th level fighters. Granted, many people disliked Planescape (I suspect they were the very same 30-year old children I refer to above). But most people I have spoken to found Planescape to breath life back into the stale, boring Planes. And now this. This product is a sad rehash of Planescape information: it encourages DMs to treat fiends like monsters, ignoring their immortal patience, tremendous intelligence, and experience. It describes one of the seven lower planes. 'Hell,' as it really is in D&D and has been since the beginning, encomapasses all the lower planes, not just Baator. If you want a 'to do' list for your munchkin campaign, this is your product. If you're interested in things like setting, dialogue, actual role-playing (as opposed to combat simulation), or story, this should be at the very bottom of your list.

3 comments about Jerusalem by Night (Vampire: The Dark Ages).

1. I must admit a book like this has been needed long ago. I myself prefer to play Vampire, the Dark Ages over Vampire, the Masquerade. The book shows Jerusalem as the center of faith in the dark ages, which is somewhat true since to all of the three main religons in the world, Jerusalem is a city of holy importance. How can a vampire survive with all this faith around? How much of the vampire's faith is twisted for the character to survive? The book gives a decent picture of the past situation of the religons involved with some twists. Highly recommended.



2. As an avid player of Vampire, a history major specializing in the ancient near east as an undergraduate, and now as a graduate student studying biblical studies, I was very excited when I got my hands on Jerusalem by Night. Jerusalem certainly is a great place to set a vampire game, and I thought this book would open up the door to a lot of ideas for a campaign.

   However, the book is lacking in many key areas. Most specifically, the history section of the book, in which over 2000 years are summed up in a few dozen pages, is some of the most dry and uninspiring writing I have ever read in a white-wolf product. Concepts are sketchy at best, mostly glossed over, and of questionable accuracy. In addition, there is almost no attempt by the author to tie vampires into the history--only some feeble mentioning of vampiric activity that was misinterpreted as acts of God or the introduction of a character only to say that said character came to the city at this time. The vampires do not seem to manipulate Jerusalem as they do other cities.

   Another complaint I have is the way in which the author defines the religious groups of mortals who live in the city without going into detail on any of them. We don't know who controls the groups, what they want, how they operate, etc. And some ways in which they are defined is not only incorrect, but offensive to those groups. Take, for example, the name by which the author refers to Jews. He routinely calls them "Followers of Yahweh". While technically that may be correct (as God's name is given as Yahweh in the Torah/Old Testament), Jews are forbidden to use the name of God in speech and would refer to him only as God (in Hebrew: Elohim) or Lord (Hebrew: Adonai). If they were reading God's name, they would say only "The Name" (Hebrew: ha-Shem). When referring to them, you should say Hebrews, Israelites, Children of Israel, or Jews, depending on when in their history you are referring.

   My final complaint is that in one of the oldest cities in the world, the author does nothing with the myriad of possibilities tying vampires to the religious world. I am not sure if he was afraid to offend or if he just lacks true vision of what could have been.

   All in all, this book takes what could have been a great concept for a campaign and does not do anything with it. It is dry and inaccurate, and doesn't really give you too much to work with. The only value I see in it is that it does give you some non-player characters to steal for your game, but that is not enough to make it worth it. Do yourself a favor, if you want to run a game in medieval Jerusalem, go and by a basic history book on the city and make up your own stuff about the vampires who populate it. Your money will be much better spent.




3. This slightly outdated setting book for Vampire: the Dark Ages covers Jerusalem before the Fourth Crusade. If your following the Dark Ages metaplot (as presented in Dark Ages: Vampire and the Bitter Crusade) then this book might need a bit of an overhaul. If your just using it as a general guide book, then its not as big a deal. Anyway, after an average peice of fiction the book gives the standard introduction. A short list of recommended reading and some common Arabic terms are given as well, but nothing you couldn't find elsewhere.

   The bookest strongest point is the first chapter, a very brief history of Jerusalem from the Hebrews onward to the Dark Ages timeframe from a vampire point of view. Brief mention is made of periods of Roman, Muslim and Latin rule, and its chock full of interesting little quotes and sidenotes. However, I really feel like such an ancient city deserved to have a bit more... mystery, exoticism or even more supernatural elements. The next chapter focuses on society and religion, going into overviews of Judaism, Islam and Christianity (including mention of the non-Catholics in the Middle East such as the Nestorians, Greeks and Armenians). The most interesting part was some information on how Cainites follow Islam and Judaism, particularly about getting around the prohibitions about consuming blood.

   The next chapter, Geography, was another strong point for the book and detailed the many sites infused by True Faith in the city. It then goes on to give profiles and stats for a variety of Cainites in Jerusalem, sorted by clan. It was interesting to see how the clans are almost all split between Muslims and Christians and some characters (like a dog-like Gangrel methusaleh, an out of place Viking, al-Hakim and the Bashirite Ravnos) were quite interesting. Most however struck me as so-so but thats just me. The book then closes out with some useful advice for running chronicles set in Medieval Jerusalem.

   With the writing of the Bitter Crusade, games set in Jerusalem are going to be a little different. Still this is a decent book for running games in Jerusalem before the fourth Crusade. My only comments are that it doesn't cover enough culture, history or religion. Other supplements (like Veil of Night and Libellus Sanguinus III) cover the region even better, or better yet you could even go to your library and do research on the Middle East, Jerusalem and the Crusades and come up with more stuff. But if you come across this book its still worth taking a look.

No comments about Conan RPG Titos Trading Post (Conan (Mongoose Publishing)).

No comments about Brujah Antitribu Starter Dec (Vampire, the Eternal Struggle).

1 comments about *OP Laws of the Hunt (Mind's Eye Theatre).

1. After the, equally magnificient Laws of the Night, where you get to play the role of the Kindred, Whitewolf now publishes a live-action rpg where you get to stand in the shoes of the vampire hunters. The rules are simple and garantuee a lot of fun. Nobody should miss this masterpiece...