No comments about Dry Lands: Empires of the Dragon Sands (d20 Fantasy Roleplaying Supplement).

No comments about Praetorians.

5 comments about Dark Ages Companion - A Sourcebook for Vampire: The Dark Ages.

1. Great book filled with lots of info on different religions, really helps form backgrounds for npc's. On top of that I also have a pc who is a salubri and It REALLY helps, thank god I found a book that has the discipline of Valeren in it. Anyway overall this book was very helpful.



2. While Vampire: The Dark Ages is infinitely resourceful, the Dark Ages Companion is infinitely more so. It has detailed information on aspects of the dark ages which will help any chronicle. Included are several new bloodlines, plenty of new disciplines and new powers for old disciplines, and details on several religions. Possibly the most valuable resource is the new data on combat, including the mass-combat for the armies of the day.

   All in all, this product is essential to run a complex chronicle, and well-worth the money.




3. If a chronicle is hard to build, it is a dark ages chronicle, not because of lack of plot, but excess of it, there's too much going on with the church, also there's chivalry and clan differences begin to break the vampire society. Certainly it is a good time to have a companion to give you few details.

   It expands existing disciplines providing new ones, with even new rituals. The blood lines also prove to be interesting characters that players might enjoy, and storytellers trying to run the dark ages chronicle will find this book quite useful.




4. If you have just purchased Vampire: The Dark Ages, then you will want to look deeply into this book. This book contains information to help make vampire chronicles even more dynamic than before. This volume contains a detailed section outlining the various actions and reactions of different religious organizations. I state organizations because too often the word Church is assumed to mean the Holy Roman, or Catholic Church. Although it was a major power in Europe, there were still plenty of other religions in the world; each religion had its own agenda and these are illustrated in the Companion. Now a Storyteller can be sure throw a massive curve into a Chronicle when Cainites are now confronted by not only Catholic clergy, but also pagan and followers of even more remote religions. What basis of belief do the Assamites follow? It is most assuredly not catholicism. With this book, you can get a slight taste for their beliefs, or the beliefs of those in their homelands.

   So that is the church, but what about Cainites themselves? The Companion carries the higher level disciplines for the one listed in the Dark Ages core book. The authors have also included more Thaumaturgical paths as well as power to make better Infernalists. This book carries a wide selection of Dark Thaumaturgical paths and rituals. It also carries a few new disciplines altogether. Wait! New disciplines? Who wield them? This volume also adds four new clans/bloodlines. The Laibon, Lhiannan, and Lamia make their possible First Appearances in the White Wolf canon. Their chapters contain information on their origins, structure, beliefs, and discipline just as it does for all others. The one exception is that it also spells out each bloodline's fate. These Cainites do not survive into the modern days, and now you know why. But, I only mention three, who is the fourth?
   The Dark ages are a strange time. Not only does it see the "birth" of a new clan, but also the genocidal hunting of another. Yes, the Salubri are still alive at this time and the Companion provides both a clan overview as well as a long listing of Valeren, the Salubri principle power. For all you veterans, Valeren is not the same as Obeah. Now we have the actual power the Unicorns wielded long ago in Enoch, the very power that is said to have temporarily soothed Malkav of his madness. This alone makes the book worth its cost, but the authors have included so much more.

   In summary, coupling this book with Vampire: The Dark Ages will only enhance a chronicle. If players feel they done this before, add a few new religious antagonists, or just drop one of the unknown clans into he story to add danger, intrigue, and a huge new enigma to solve. Do not forget to spice the game with the upper levels of Disicplines. You may have a Brujah or a Nosferatu with a ton of Fortitude, but what good is that when you opponent can strike you from across the room without moving? What good is a ton of Potence and Celerity when your weapons shatter upon impacting another Cainite and not leaving the slightest mark? Who said the "things-that-go-bump-in-the-night" in the night do not have their "things-that-go-bump-in-the-night" as well? Can we say Methusala? Sleep well, childer. Sleep well.




5. This is an absolute essential guide for Dark Ages: Vampire players. It has info on Medieval life, history of the time, religion of the time period, and fictional info on more obscure DA:Vampire bloodlines and disciplines, including the frightening Baali and the mysterious and doomed Salubri. Definitely recommended, excellent reading..... If you're going to play a Dark Ages Vampire game, get this!

No comments about Players Guide To Glorantha (Runequest).

No comments about Hunter Storytellers Guide.

No comments about *OP Tradition Book: Virtual Adepts (Mage).

3 comments about Forbidden Kingdoms: Pulp Adventures.

1. I would have never picked up this book, save that I won it at the 2002 GEN CON "Jenn Khan" contest.

   Yes, it's 40 dollars, but I must highly recommend it once they make a revised edition.

   8 new character classes are presented, and none are weak. It even includes two classes that use psionics; a psionic system far superior to the one that TSR published. The new prestige class are also wonderful. And the new skills would push this book up to 6 stars, especially with the stats fpor early 1900's cars and weapons.

   Sadly, I could only rate this a 4, simply to the ABSOLUTELY SLOPPY editing. WHoever edited this thing should be burned in effigy. Many class description are worded purely. (One entire class does not have its benefits described; just the titles.) Numerous references to "page xx" were left in.

   Still, I am looking forward to more stuff printed in this series. They just need to cut back on the price and get a new editor, stat.




2. First things first: The FK-book comes in a nice and handy format with high quality illustrations. I wish other publishers would consider the same format. It is an easier read in the comfy chair, and does not take up the entire gaming table.
   
   The chapters on the steam-punk and nazi-thug ages are most entertaining, setting the scenery and delivering some good points of inspiration. Unfortunately, as is so often the case with new and daring RPGs, there is a lack of ready-for-use adventures. Some stating adventures would be nice, especially since such are hard to find and otherwise would require a lot of GM-work. A user-friendly chapter with NPC-templates, locations and artifacts, similar to the D20 Modern Menace Manual would be a nice addition. Maybe even a time-line? The Cthulhu 3rd edition is a good example of an RPG with a lot of extra material for setting the stage.
   
   The book contains all I would ever need on firearms, psionics and martial arts. Good. The weird science chapter could do with some examples ready for use in play, like war-of-the-worlds tripods, ray-weapons and rocket-packs...
   
   The character classes are well done, and the dividing of hit-points into stamina and wound points is smartly done as well. The game clearly stresses simplicity, but inadverdently seems to appease the more reality-seeking gamers bent on detail and rules. The rules for auto-chases are much to burdensome in my opinion. Perfect for Car Wars but not for storytelling, counting reaction time seconds and rounds...
   
   And, yes... Unfortunately the editing is sloppy. For instance: Some page references are simply "XX".
   
   All in all: FK makes a good impression! It has some minor faults, but gives me a good basis for pulp adventuring. It is a book to build on. A revision would be nice, so long as the handy size and quality binding is kept in place. Far too many RPG books fall apart at the seems after a few flicks.



3. At first I only had this product in PDF form, and I now have the print version. Now that you have that perspective, I can begin the review.
   
   I applaud Hyrum for making a Modern/Pulp setting based off of D&D. Not that there's anything wrong with d20 Modern, per se, I just feel that basing it off D&D is better for this particular setting.
   
   Psionics: As a long time role player, I have seen several versions of psionic mechanics ranging from the AD&D2E Psionics handbook, to the skills and feats method presented here. I like the idea of being able to improve on abilities with some effort, and thus I'd have to say that FK's treatment of psionics is thus-far my favorite for a D&D-rooted setting. Especially the Advanced Psionic Skills section, where you need to meet prerequisites before you can even purchase the skill.
   
   Hero Points: they serve a similar function to Action Points in d20 Modern, though the effect is different. I do like they advantage they give if you don't feel the need to spend them in a given level, and I like that they "reset" at each level. IMO that is one flaw of Action Points in d20 Modern, if they are not spent, or minimally spent, they continue to grow arbitrarily high. I've never been a fan of "sitting numbers".
   
   Martial Arts: The idea of Martial Arts as a skills and feats system is not something new to me. I have seen it used to good effect in both volumes of Blood & Fist, as well as in Oriental Adventures.
   
   Firearms Rules: Now here's something I really like. Build your gun, from the ground up. Added mechanics that I think really improve this section are: Accuracy, Penetration, and Recoil. Guns should be a bit better at accuracy than archaic ranged weapons. Since armor grants a Protection - it's like Damage Reduction - and reduces defense in Forbidden Kingdoms, this acts as an "armor piercing" rating for determining damage once your round(s) hit. Recoil . . . yeah, guns give you feedback. The more feedback you get, the lower the accuracy modifier. Sure, they only give you two example guns in this section, but with all the creation rules, it's more than enough. I especially liked the Showdown rules. Additional firearms statistics are given in the Equipment chapter.
   
   Weird Science: Mostly useful for Steampunk and Tesla Time, although if you work outside the suggested timeline, there's no reason you couldn't create a character similar to Doc Brown from Back to the Future. An example item and weapon or two would have been a nice addition.
   
   Aside from a few editing problems, the only other thing that detracts from this work is what seems like edition confusion. On the lists of class skills, some are based in D&D 3.0, others in D&D 3.5, and still others have both, giving this an "edition 3.25" feel.
   
   For the printed format, I must say that I like the shape and size of the book. Having gaming books take up most of your section of the table has been a hassle in the past.

2 comments about *OP Ravenloft Legacy of the Blood (Ravenloft Accessory).

1. Legacy of Blood is one of the greatest books to purchase to make your Ravenloft Campaigns stand out. In Ravenloft you can't always go against the Darklords simply because that sometimes wreak havok on the carefully constructed world. On the other hand players want to be a part of the world and interact with it. Legacy of Blood helps bridge the gap, in it you will find classical Ravenloft Characters as NPC such as Eva Mordenheim, Sir Viktor Helsinger, Talen Von Zarovich, and many more. You are also given the unique ability to stat and make your own decendants of such families as the Von Zarovich's, the Mordenheim's, and the Godefray's to name a few. When creating these characters you will find that each family starts off with some wonderful merits and some family flaws. Each of which has a set of family feats which enhances your core families reputation rather well. The book also gives you some prestigue classes that help further cover the topic of gothic science, war, diplomacy, revolution, and sorcery.
   I would recommend using this Book to players of Ravenloft and DM's both can use this book to create Characters with ties to the Dread Realms. I'm thrilled that they produced it and it can only add to the potentional of any Ravenloft game.



2. This product goes in line with the Gazetteers, giving the DM a thorough and large amount of information about the NPC's in Ravenloft. It is a must have when running a game for Ravenloft and for as much info was given in the Gazetteers for the domains, Legacy gives to the people within those domains. From the Von Zarovich's to the Boritsi's, it is a great book on the people of the land.

4 comments about Transactions of the Royal Martian Geographical Society: The Journal of Victorian Era Roleplaying.

1. If you like role playing in the Victorian Era, this is a resource that you won't want to pass on.

   There are all sorts of nifty things, adventures, floorplans, characters, cross over ideas, and background flavor.




2. This volume collects the first four issues of the Transactions of the Royal Martian Geographical Society, a formerly-defunct magazine for GDW's late, lamented Space:1889. I regretted not acquiring these issues when they came out, but now I'm glad I waited. This combined edition is greatly superior to the originals: layout is improved, there are more graphics, and it is nice to have everything combined under one set of covers. The articles themselves are good-to-excellent in quality, and are frequently better than the material released for the original game. Many of the authors are professional historians or graduate students of history, and their depth of knowledge shows. The only thing preventing me from giving this product five stars were the facts that a: my copy (and mine alone, it seems, since I spoke with others who purchased this) was a little defective, and b: this product only covers Space: 1889--which was entirely fine by me, but might limit its appeal to other Victorian-era gamers who aren't great fans of the Space: 1889 universe. Future issues will broaden the coverage, I am told.

   I am also told that the editors believe that this product was not 100% perfect, and that there is room for improvement. Personally, I don't see how. I found the product to be excellent, and welcome its release. And if volume 2 is going to be better than this, as the editors promise, it will be _extremely_ impressive indeed.




3. I loved the first volume that Mark and Matt put together, and the second was even better. Being a post-GDW-collapse convert to Space: 1889, I didn't even realize that there had been a "Transactions" fanzine. I think that the new format does more justice to the efforts of Mark and the varied authors to improve upon the basic game materials than the fanzine. I think that the second volume would be more useful to those who are looking for more general information on Victorian Era Gaming and not just for Space: 1889. Loved it! Eagerly awaiting the 3rd Volume.



4. Space 1889 was not the greatest game ever produced. The marketing of the game seemed weak. And, to be perfectly frank (pun intended), many of the illustrations were terrible! But, inspite of that and the demise of GDW (a tragedy in my not-so-humble opinion), the game lives on in the small enclaves here and there, joined by the internet.

   I think that really says the ideas behind the game mechanics were brilliant. And I'm grateful to those who produced the game.

   Transactions was a great fanzine. It, too, had an ignominious end. Now, with these compilations, it lives again. And better, far better than before!

   This compilation has accounts of two miniatures games, which lend a great deal to the playing of the game.

   If you enjoy movies like "Zulu", "Rogues March", "Beau Geste", "Four Feathers" and "the Light That Failed", you'll love this book.

3 comments about Fools Luck: Way of the Commoner (Changeling, the Dreaming).

1. Wondering what the Kithain were doing all those years before the Resurgence? Wanna know what the commoners REALLY think of the ruling minority? Sick of flinching to a bow every time someone says Gwydion? Get this book



2. The history of the commoner's, new backgrounds, and a new art-metamorphosis. It's time to have the power to turn into the creatures from our own fantasy stories! Yes, you can turn that prince into a frog.



3. After going through the core rule book, a potential Changeling Storyteller would be well advised to thumb through this book. The lion's share is devoted to the Changeling's take on the history of the World of Darkness, with a great deal of material on the Interregnum (when the Sidhe had left) and the Accordance War, which can provide hooks for developing a background for a chronicle's setting. Additionally, secret societies and political viewpoints (conservative, moderate, radical) can provide ideas for bringing intrigue into a story. Finally, a chapter is devoted to assisting the Storyteller in creating a chronicle by suggesting possible themes, moods and story seeds.

   Players might be able to draw inspiration from the historical chapter, and they are given a new merit, background and art (Metamorphosis!) and two new kith to try out.