5 comments about Dragonball Z: The Anime Adventure Game.

1. I personaly like the book.It has the most oraginal and ostanding ideas i have ever seen.The book is good for all Dragon Ball Z/Gt fans.(I woulden't recommened it to new comers though)You have to get into the book and know at least part of the story line.When the book arrived i was over joyed and started reading it right away.If you have qusetions about the book contact me at THESUBLAW2@aol.com.The book is somewhat hard to get a hold of.You can get it here,Barens and noble or Comic Heven.I hope this helps you if not just e-mail me and i will try to help.



2. The overall idea of a DBZ RPG is good, and the system posited here works pretty well. However, the rules listed in this book are full of contradictions and many things are left unexplained. Currently, the book is most useful as a reference to the English version of DBZ as it gives info on all the characters (major and minor) in the Saiyan Saga (which is before trip to Namek). The game itself needs some work, so don't buy this if you expect to learn it quickly. Your best bet is to wait for the Frieza Saga book coming out soon, which hopefully will have rules errata for the main game (or maybe rewrite the whole thing).



3. The game is great,but you will have to read the instructions 3 or 4 times to fully memorize the rules the authors are geniouses and I cant wait for the freeza saga.DBZ fans will be amazed while RPG fans will have loads of fun.



4. They lacked in a few areas. I understood everything in the first read. I have found that over all, this is a near-perfect game... therefore I gave it a near-perfect score.Thankfully they made some revisions in the Frieza Saga book. I can't wait for the Trunks book to be out (Supposedly last week of September).



5. Introduction: Firstly let me begin by saying I only recently got the book, so I haven't really had time to read everything in extreme detail. Now for a review, not hard, overall its a good book with potential. But I'll explain in more detail ...
   
   How does the book span out? The book like other anime based role-playing books starts by explaining parts of the anime bit by bit before moving on into actual game rules and mechanics. This will be quite helpful if your planning on using the base characters and locations from the series, otherwise it might just end up a base for creating you own. It could end up as a reference more than anything else.
   
   The book only really gets into the main mechanics around half way through, it starts with combat and how that works and goes to other things like powers and training. After its done with the bulk of the rules (which you will need to read more than once) it then moves onto some nice pointer tactics for battle situation, and even a short demo battle to give you a taste of what it's like during combat. This part of the book is good, not many faults on first glance.
   
   A good thing about this book is it ends with some help on creating your own sagas and making campaigns, as well as some rules you might want to use in your games to keep them going smoothly. It really does try and help you create your enemies and settings as much as possible. This is something other game systems might try selling that as a separate book (not going to name and names).
   
   Good points with the book: The strongest part of the book is really how well its been done. The makers could have gotten this very wrong, dull rules or unneeded complicatations but it seems it hasn't. The rules are faithful to the series and allow you to have the right Dragonball Z feel to your game. All this on my first read, several reviews make the same point and I now understand why.
   
   Also the obvious reason why the book is good; its Dragonball Z in proper role-playing form!
   
   Problems with the book: The first is really the amount of actual game content, or rather the lack of content. The book itself seems rather short (around 144 pages) and considering about half are filled with information rather than rules this lets the book down slightly. Adding to this the book only covers the Saiyan Saga (which might put some people off if you like the higher powered Sagas). This is ultimately going to irritate you, and that leads you onto the next problem; once you get this book you WILL want the others. "That's not a bad thing ..." I hear you say? - It is when it means forking out even more money for the books, and the hardest part; finding them. Yes, the other books (two others right now) as I found are quite hard to find. I eventually found them, but not for a cheap price.
   
   Apart from than that my only problem is the obvious; bugs in the system. Like every role-playing system this one has it's problems, not that I have noticed any yet, but from reviews of the book I have seen suggest this book has some teething issues that are later sorted in further editions of the game. Another reason why you will want and possibly need to get the further editions to the game.
   
   Conclusion: I know it might look like I'm being pretty negative, the bad points are a lot bigger than the good in my review but despite that I stand by saying the book is a great role-playing game. Not without it's problems, and yes it had more potential and I'm sure it will reach this when I receive the other books and read through them all. Right now I'm happy with the book, It's got a lot of great features and interesting possibilities and it`s looking to be a lot of fun, keeping in mind it's bad point I strongly recommend this to any keen role-players that are interested in Dragonball Z looking for something new and fun.

5 comments about Diablo II: The Awakening (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Fantasy Roleplaying).

1. There's two ways to use this product, both of which I heartily recommend, although "The Awakening" doesn't succeed equally at both.

   As a sourcebook, it's terrific: There's five new AD&D kits (Amazon, Barbarian, Paladin, Necromancer and Sorcerer) that can be used to flesh out the standard AD&D characters of the same names (lifting new skills and spells for necromancer specialist mages, for instance) or to replace standard character types with these more colorful archetypes.

   There are dozens of new spells, many of them quite good (the "corpse exploder" is a hoot), 100 or so new monsters (in true Diablo-style, though, they're actually variants on 20 or so base new monster types) and, of course, over a million new magic items, using the Diablo system of variable enchantment types piled atop one another (a system so interesting, it's how magic items are going to work in the upcoming 3rd edition of Dungeons and Dragons).

   This is how I'm using the book. I'll be dropping Scavengers and Acid Spitters and Fallen Ones into my dungeons. Maybe my players will recognize them, maybe they won't. An upcoming necromancer archvillain will also have spells the players have never encountered before, drawing on this book, the wonderful-but-impossible-to-find Complete Necromancer's Handbook and the skills in this book. Great stuff all around.

   The other way to use the book, though, isn't as successful: The dungeon crawl is fun - and HUGE - but the editing mistakes that were mildly annoying in earlier parts of the book (at least one monster's hit dice is clearly a major typo) become a real problem here, with items listed on the maps that don't show up in the description and vice versa. (The two chest sizes allegedly indicated on the map are actually both shown with an identical image, for instance.) And while Tristram is described - with spoilers, for those who haven't played the original computer game - there's no map, which seems an odd omission.

   Having said that, though, this measures up quite well against the classic "Temple of Elemental Evil" module from AD&D's heyday, and I'll likely be using this as a straight forward dungeon crawl on those occasions when my full gaming group can't all get together. But even if you just use the source material that make up the first ¾ of the book, "Diablo II: The Awakening" is a great value and a terrific campaign resource for any DM.




2. The big complaint I have with this particular product is the typos, again, and again, and again mistakes that range from mild (listing a monster by CV on the map but CA in the description, for instance) to annoying (the total absence of a description for major bad guys).

   A secondary complaint is the amount of randomness left in the game - I HATE generating random treasure in front of my players, so I spend about an hour to 90 minutes for each level generating items in barrels, chests, sarcophagi, and carried by monsters.

   The maps are so tiny that I was compelled to blow them up to double size to use them.

   And finally... there is no roleplaying to speak of, not a lot of plot, but a lot of hack-and-slash. By the time you take a party through this game they will be very high level, very powerful characters barely able to walk under the weight of their magic items.

   Having said that, the resource is great. There are five new character kits, lots of new monsters (even if, just like the Diablo computer game, they are all just variations on a theme), and great treasure tables. It is so much more fun to hand out a Glowing Short Sword of the Mind than another short sword +1.




3. If you are expecting a normal AD&D adventure with a Diablo twist, you'll be surprised. It's the reverse: Diablo with an AD&D twist. All of the spells are just different damage ranges; there are almost no non-offensive spells in the book. The "million" magical items are arragned in random tables that have a tendency to produce really stupid items ("holy spear of corruption".... a HOLY spear of CORRUPTION...!), the "100" new monsters are actually about 20 with four or so varieties, with no habitat/society or ecology. They write down intelligence scores, but why bother? The monsters have no use besides hack-n-slash tactics. There is no plot at all. There is no motivation for the players beyond monsters to kill (which apparently is fine for the targetted demographic of this sourcebook). Mike Selinker's foreword made me want to vomit.

   Basically, it's a carbon copy of the Diablo video game, only with D&D rules. Get the Diablo computer game instead; it's exactly the same, except that its sheer pointlessness can be forgiven.




4. It Is The Best Ive Purchassed Yet! Its Way Better Then Diablo2 D&D For Begginers. It Has New Abilities New Weapons And Over 1,000,000 Magical Items! All You Need Is The Players Hand Book And Your Going To Have The Greatest D&D Guide Yet! (Note) You Should Play The Begginers Version Of Diablo2 D&D Before You Play This. But This Is Only My Opinion.....



5. Most of the monsters, items and levels are quite similar to the cd game. However, if you are looking for a role-playing challenge, find a different adventure. This game crams treasure down the party's throats. It is earned, but only because this is just one long hack and slash adventure.

2 comments about Spells & Magic (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.0 Fantasy Roleplaying, BAS1004).

1. I started my gnome as a gemcrafter, wondering if there was something I could do to make that skill useful. I took alchemy, and craft wonderous items as a lark. Turns out, I made the perfect pre-cursor to the Jewel-mage.

   He started his elf as a wizard, in a dragon cult. He took all the other craft item feats for fun. Turns out, he also is the pre-cursor to a Dragon-mage.

   If you're looking for something more to do with your character and the prestige classes you've seen so far just don't cut it, then check out this book!




2. This book doesn't really stretch into new areas. Instead, most of the material are tired old rehashed that you could find simply by googling for it. Sure, it is nice to have it all in one place - and the design is acceptable - but for the price I expected more than you would find in the various net books.

5 comments about Magic: The Gathering -- Official Encyclopedia Volume 4.

1. This book is great 'cause it has pictures of all the magic cards you can think of!



2. Volume 4 contains Urza Saga, Legacy, Classic, Portal-3K, Unglued, Starter as well as Top 1998 World Championship Decks. Wizard of the Coast really should wait until at least Urza Destiny come out before relasing this volume. But this is again a great book with nice picture, information as well as the printing quality is great. Although it might not be the right time to issue it but as a M:tg collector, this is one of the book that should be on your bookshelf (Volume 4).



3. As is typical with this series, the books are great for collectors looking to complete sets. These books are also useful to anyone who plays regularly and is looking for information on cards that can help them beef up their decks.



4. Volume 4 covers Urza's Saga, Urza's Legacy, Classic, Urza's Destiny, Portal: Three Kingdoms, Unglued, and Starter. As always, this volume covers ONLY those expansions released since the previous volume of the encyclopedia. After covering the individual sets, the book gives an overview of 1998 World Championship decks. The book concludes with a "Deckbuilders Indexes" section, as in the earlier volumes of the Magic encyclopedia, but this is now out of date (see Volume 6 or higher).

   The introductory material (i.e., the section before the expansions are presented) is a bare minimum in this volume: "How to Use this Guide" and "A Visual Guide to Magic Cards". Each expansion covered in Volume 4, as usual, is provided with an introduction, describing any new twists added for that set (including new types of decks that came about as a result), and any noteworthy cards in that set. The introductions provide an informative overview (including descriptions of storylines that were added or updated by the release being described). The entertainment value of the introductions is in inverse proportion to the number of broken cards in the expansion and the severity of the flaws, so with the exception of the deliberately broken Unglued expansion, the introductions in this volume are rather bland. The individual cards for each expansion are listed in alphabetical order; they're shown at about 3/4 actual size. The versions of Magic that included those cards (at the time of printing) are specified, as well as any errata. The card lists' images artwork and flavour text came out well.

   Having said all that, I would rate this as a mediocre, and even dull volume of the encyclopedia. Consider, if you will, that I have ranted about the encyclopedia's policy of dribbling out a few expansions at a time instead of waiting until they have a substantive amount of material built up. So why have I rated this volume as highly as I have?

   I'm very fond of the Unglued expansion: that deliberately broken expansion put in for fun, deliberately designed to wind up the rules lawyers, and stuffed with in-jokes about broken cards in previous expansions. "Blacker Lotus", for example, has artwork similar to Black Lotus, and it's even more powerful - but you have to tear up the card to play it, and it's rare. Lots of cards for summoning chickens, squirrels, and clams (Clam-I-Am, Clam Session, and Clambassadors are all cute). The introduction for Unglued points out lots of little things you might miss on your own (e.g., each card has a word down by the copyright; placed in numeric order, the cards spell out a hidden message from the designers).




5. Anyone who believes in magic in this enlightened era is pathetic. I only wish I could give it negative stars. Poorly written and edited, it is even more a waste of time than Rowling's drivel.

2 comments about *OP Order of Reason (Mage the Sorcerers Crusade).

1. I love the order of reason..I can't belive that they where not in the mage the ascention handbook. This book has every thing you will need for mage the socerors crusade.



2. This book, while interesting, just isn't up to the level of the books before it. The introduction of the meta plot by White Wolf, along with making the game that much darker, dampens my enthusiasm for this title. However, it does include some interesting ideas, and the exploration of the Order of Reason is a good addition. I do miss Phil Brucato's fine way with the game, though.

5 comments about Greyhawk: The Adventure Begins (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons).

1. Compared to the original Greyhawk boxed set, or even the City of Greyhawk boxed set, this new "return" of Greyhawk is pathetic. TSR killed Greyhawk several years ago, and it seems they are intent on killing it by default again by not releasing quality materials. Fortunately I am an old Greyhawk fan and DM, and have a ton of material to reference and plenty of in-house produced stuff. One who is new to the world will be terribly disappointed. Shame on you TSR/WotC, for doing a disservice to this rich and vibrant campaign.



2. Compared to the original Greyhawk boxed set, or even the City of Greyhawk boxed set, this new "return" of Greyhawk is pathetic. TSR killed Greyhawk several years ago, and it seems they are intent on killing it by default again by not releasing quality materials. Fortunately I am an old Greyhawk fan and DM, and have a ton of material to reference and plenty of in-house produced stuff. One who is new to the world will be terribly disappointed. Shame on you TSR/WotC, for doing a disservice to this rich and vibrant campaign.



3. Have you ever wished that you could have all of the essential information and darkest secrets of the Free City of Greyhawk in one volume, compiled at your fingertips? This giant, 128-page guide (for the DM's eyes only!) gives full details on the people, cultures, shops, sights, dungeons, and arcane magic of the most famous and majestic city in roleplaying. Also includes a gorgeous color poster map of the surrounding regions, a 16-page map booklet, and more! The ultimate reference for a classic Greyhawk campaign.



4. This is a good addition to the world of Greyhawk campaign setting. More for the updated and conflict resolved history of Oerth and Oerik than for anything really new. Its focus is more on the city of Greyhawk than on the rest of the Flanaess. This is good for starting a campaign, but not if you are somebody who already have long estiblished campaigns going on in the World of Greyhawk.

   The author being Roger E. Moore was a wise choice of for this project, as he is responible for much good stuff to come out about the D&D game. He wrote lots of articles about it and was editor of Dragon Magazine for several years as well. He contributed many of the non-human deities to Greyhawk back when Gary Gygax was still manning TSR and activily developing Greyhawk.

   Is is good that Greyhawk has once again become the home of the Dungeons and Dragons game.

   All in all, a solid product.

   However, if you are a long time gammer, much of the information contained within is stuff you already knew and either used, or didn't use. Its one biggest draw-back as I see it is the aceeptace of most of the enforced story lines on it. The greatest stength of the orignal world of greyhawk was that there was no enforced campaign historys. But, you can't just toss all the Greyhawk Wars/From the Ashes stuff either, I guess. Too many people using it.

   But then, thats almost a religious issue amoung RPGers. Still, its good that Greyhawk is no longer dead.




5. I am running a campaign set in and around the city of Greyhawk, and this particular book has proven to be more useful to me than any of the other Greyhawk accessories, including the boxed set of the City of Greyhawk. The area map is excellent, and the place-by-place descriptions of the different sections of the city are arranged in a very user-friendly manner. All in all, a great book.

No comments about World of Cthulhu 1 (8/04).

3 comments about *OP WoD: Midnight Circus (World of Darkness).

1. While the book had a good premise (a new threat to the world of darkness) it really fell short in the area of game-play. The type of story that is required is for a cross-over campaign and for the Storyteller to have almost every book published by White Wolf. It does not supply any new rules. and the majority of opposition are very tough customers.



2. I second the comments of the other reviewers. As someone who turns to supplements like this for inspiration more than for a game-session-in-a-book, I found this one of the best sources I have ever seen.



3. Midnight Circus is a very strange supplement, as supplements go. Part setting book, part adventure, all kreepy circus coolness; it is a crossover book for all the major lines of the original World of Darkness (the book is from '96 I think, so that means 2nd ed. Vampire, Werewolf, Mage, Changeling and Wraith) that deals with an infernal circus and the supernatural creatures that inhabit and run it.
   
   Anastagios Olde Time Lunar Carnival And Midnight Circus (a traveling carnival, circus and freak show ala P.T. Barnum) roams the World of Darkness, ensnaring gullible souls and luring unsuspecting people both supernatural and mundane in. Some leave. Most come back for more..
   
   As a setting, it is a dark fantasy of circus horror. Scary clowns, freaks on display, haunting ghosts and an evil circus conductor from hell all contribute to a delightful aura of spokyness that screams out for being played while listening to Nick Caves' The Carney!
   
   The downside to this book is that it is a total crossover thing.. Which isn't everyones cup of boiled leaves. But I loved it, and I've heard others saying they did too.
   
   Overal, I give this bok five stars, because it hit all the right spots for me. Wonderfully written, great art, and a chilling story. I didn't really care much for the actual adventure provided in the book, but the setting material and the NPC's were brilliant, and I am definately going to use Midnight Circus in the future!

1 comments about Will to Power.

1. I gave this four out of Five stars due to the tthin page count for a hardcover. Great bok and a good addition for the GODLIKE game. Lots of examples of characters and background info on the Nazi superhumans. The book is a must for anyone GMing GODLIKE and a good read for those just playing or just wanting to be entertained, Dennis Detweiler is an excellent writer and does in research. It shows in this book.

2 comments about Sidewinder: Recoiled (d20 3.5 Western Roleplaying, Mythic Vistas).

1. While it still relies the d20 moderns corebook for a few things, the game comes into its own onces your base hero (fast,tough, smart, whatever) can qualifiy for the advanced classes given. I would rather they had made the product stand alone, but as the d20 core book is only needed for the first 3 character levels and some basic rules this isn't a bad system. They also provide periodic updates and modules from their website.
   
   If you are considering running a western's campaign and already have the d20 moderns book, I recommmend this game most highly.



2. I was pretty impressed with this book. I have a large number of gaming modules and this one stands out in my opinion by being well written and well organized. It has possibly the best Index and Table of Contents I have seen in awhile. That might seen an odd observation, but you have looked more then one rule book, you know how rare and yet how useful those are.
   
   Sidewinder: Recoiled builds on to the Open Game License (OGL) D20 system rules a well thought out approach to bringing Western movie genre into the RPG world. There have been other approaches, but this one sticks to a non-magical west. Dog House Rules has provided a lot of material in the book and in supplements to run a more historical western game. But, they excel at giving you the tools and options to give your campaign the Hollywood/spaghetti/pulp feel.
   
   Whether you want the good ol' westerns like Shane, Stage Coach, The War Wagon, or True Grit ~ or if you want the grittier more mythic feel of Sergio Leone ~ or even David Samuel "Sam" Peckinpah ~ the tools are here.
   
   There are lots of historical information and even more on their website, [...] - they also have a range of additional material available through download PDF's including Fort Griffin. A resource for a frontier town with maps, buildings, and Non Player Characters.
   
   A great resource for anyone wanting to run a Western Themed campaign.