No comments about Under The Shadow Of The Dragon.

No comments about Battlefield Evolution: Modern Combat.

5 comments about Munchkins Guide to Power Gaming (Steve Jackson Games).

1. When we started our Shadowrun campaign last year, the GM mentioned that he'd be watching for people who took Phobia: Man-Made Satellites. I, being a relative novice at munchkinization, asked why, and he pointed me to this book.

   I've actually had this for a while, but it is, by far, the single funniest book I've seen or read in years.

   The basic setup is pretty straightforward. There's a chapter on general munchkin strategies, and them specific strategies for fantasy, modern, sci-fi, horror, supers, and live-action games. There is also a section on dealing with munchkin players, intended for the GM. There's even a quiz to tell you how munchkin you are, and how bad your players are.

   Is there useful stuff in there? Depends on your definition of useful, but it's all funny, and the GM section does give somewhat useful strategies.

   But, it is side-splittingly funny. The first time I ever read it, my sides hurt from laughing so hard.

   If you get a chance, read it...it's great.




2. Having owned this book since it came out, I can heartily recommend this book.

   Having a lot of experience in gaming, I read through and could see where the author was coming from. Every incident he described, I had seen, every tactic in that book has been tried, and every ridiculous excuse and strategy has been done, and worked before. Side splittingly funny in itself, it is twice as damaging to your laughter muscles if you have a long experience with those annoying players who we unfondly call "munchkins"




3. Having owned this book since it came out, I can heartily recommend this book.

   Having a lot of experience in gaming, I read through and could see where the author was coming from. Every incident he described, I had seen, every tactic in that book has been tried, and every ridiculous excuse and strategy has been done, and worked before. Side splittingly funny in itself, it is twice as damaging to your laughter muscles if you have a long experience with those annoying players who we unfondly call "munchkins"




4. if you expect to come out of this book a better person. Forget. If you want a good laugh. Then by all means get this book!



5. I've been a fan of the D&D spoof game "Munchkin" for a long time. It's got to be one of my all-time favorites! Whenever my friends and I get together we play it, and it always ends up with everyone rolling around laughing. This book is written along the same lines (published by Steve Jackson Games I believe) and is just as funny! Anyone who has an understanding of what AD&D is like will love it, even if they have never heard of the "Munchkin" game. I had a great time reading it, and I bought it for several of my friends as birthday gifts recently! Great read, well worth the price!! Would recommend to any gamer!

1 comments about First Run (Shadowrun RPG).

1. This is a great book to own if you are a first time player of Shadowrun. Though it has its flaws I definately reccomend getting this book. It can really give you some good ideas for runs and it has is chock full of info. Not to mention the fact that it has a lot of cool artwork.

2 comments about *OP Isle of the Mighty (Changeling - the Dreaming).

1. I found this a very insightful book. It told everything one would want to know about England, Scotland, and Wales and the Changlings who live there. I persoanly saw hundreds of possible story ideas for my troup. The reason I do not give this book 5 stars is because of one or two small problems I had with the book. 1) Their is to much involvement from the mages. While I do enjoy Mage:The Acension as a game this book I feel should have been mainly about the fae. 2) In the preface about Wales they mention 6 kingdoms, looking at the map their are 6 kingodms but they only talk about 5 kingdoms in the book. 3) the map misspelled the names of the kingdoms in Cymru. 4) they mention the War of Ivy the english version of the Accordance war but they dont truly tell what happened in this war. But these are small problems considering that this book is so good. I would recomened it to all fans of Changling: the Dreaming. As one of the finest in the series.



2. There is too much to say and too little space to say it. The only people I know who like this book are people who are not native to, or have never visited, Britain. I have yet to find a British native who appreciates this book (and I have asked many).

   When it comes to fitting in with the Changeling system, you can't really fault this book. It works with what has gone before and what comes after. But the point of the book was to fit the Changeling world into British history and British mentality, and at that, it fails dismally. It does not describe a Britain with which I am familiar, it does not describe a celtic past with which I, as a celt, am able to identify. I recognise the fictional setting of the World of Darkness, and yet a book that claims it is giving real life historical facts and real life modern geography, should really check whether those facts and geography are true or accurate. The depiction of the celtic regions in this book conform to stereotypes that these regions have fought *bitterly* against for years - not just against the rest of the world, but against Westminster as well. Similar portrayals within such works as World of Darkness: Gypsies generated a strong backlash by that community, that was listened to by the developers. The complaints British roleplayers have about this book are pretty much the same. The source material the authors advise reading or watching, particularly for the Welsh section, are popularist, fictional, New Ageist, and in at least one particular case, conceived by people who had never been to Britain, let alone Wales, in their life, prior to the release of the relevent works. Indeed, the film sources recommended are actually guarenteed to be the only thing on this planet that can unite the Welsh - in disgust.

   If White Wolf wish to include atmospheric facts, then they should research these facts, or keep the game pure fantasy. I have not seen the problem crop up in any of the other systems, where the developers have (for the most part) meshed fantasy with reality, while not perfectly, certainly with consideration for the history and climate they are altering. There is no such consideration in this book. The coverage of history is inaccuarte, the coverage of celtic languages and practices is insulting (bearing in mind that the celtic languages are fighting for identity and survival) and the coverage of modern life in Britain is simply comical.

   You can certainly get plot seeds out of this book, but frankly, if you can't come up with these plot seeds from the other books, you should not Storytelling. This book, ultimately, may be more useful for Vampire players who wish to discover (from a single paragraph) what the Tremere were *really* doing in Britain in the Dark Ages, and anyone interested in the great Glastonbury Pact formed by the supernatural community of the British Isles to fend off the Tremere threat, than it is for Changeling players - unless Changeling players really feel the need for forking out money purely for an inaccurate map of the Chimerical Kingdoms of Britain.

   Anyone searching for information on Northern Ireland should not look here. It is a book for Great Britain, not the United Kingdom, and poorly done at that.

2 comments about Dragonstar: Guide to the Galaxy.

1. In any game being the GM/DM/Referee is like being the Wizard of Oz before Dorothy came to visit. The Galaxy Guide is for the Game Master running a Dragonstar campaign. Like any good storyteller you need to know the history and working knowledge of what lurks beneath surface and behind closed doors of a given setting to give it true life. Described within is the history of the setting, major players for good or for ill as well as some mechanics necessary for the genre that traditional sword and sorcery never need worry its pretty little head about. There are also toys to dole out to the players in the form of spellware (the Dragonstar equivalent of cyberwear)and new monsters to possibly spring on your unsuspecting players. Enchanted armor and equipment(including guns) are discussed here as well. It is an excellant book, but it can be a bit bewildering if you have not read its companion the Starfarer's Handbook first. If you have the basic trilogy(Player Handbook, Dungeon Masters Guide and Monster Manual) from Wizards of the Coast, these two offer a bit of fine tuning as well as new option. Keep in mind that Dragonstar fully works within the framework of the Dungeons and Dragons game just that it presents the game within the fabric of a science fiction universe with slight tang of Fantasy for a bit of extra taste and flavor. If you have the money to get all three, buying this with the aforementioned Starfarer's Handbook and Imperial Supply for the same campaign setting will not only give you a lot of enjoyable reading to do but a very complete science fantasy setting that you can use to transport yourself and your players on a magical, mystical journey into uncharted territory where the only limit are the collective imaginations of your group.



2. There's a lot of meat to the Guide to the Galaxy. Reading through it left me wanting to jump right into a new campaign. Together with the Starfarer's Handbook a GM will have most of what they need at their fingertips.

2 comments about Ravenloft II: The House on Gryphon Hill : Module I10 (Advanced Dungeons and Dragons).

1. In this classic sequel to the original I6, Count Strahd von Zarovich has returned... as nightmare incarnate! The adventure begins as an horrific dream, as the heroes find themselves drawn into a murky fantasy realm until they can't tell which side of their existence is the one true reality. The answer lies in the House on Gryphon Hill, where an enraged vampiric lord awaits his newfound prey. A disturbing, intense, and very well-scripted adventure for levels 8-10.



2. Module 110 is, along with it's better know companion, module 16, one of the cornerstones upon which the Ravenloft setting was built on. Unlike the original Ravenloft module, which placed heavy enfasis in a gothic atmosphere, this adventures has a more fantastic feel; harpies and an orc tribe beign the most prominent. Nonetheless, the story is excellent, and Ravenloft fans will be surprised by the names of some of the residents of Mordentshire. As it is, the adventure needs a little work to make it fit in the standard Ravenloft setting, but it's worth it. I searched for this one for a long time, and I wasn't disappointed.

No comments about Classical Hack Scenarios: Rome.

1 comments about Call of Cthulhu Gamemasters Pack (Call of Cthulhu Horror Roleplaying, 8801).

1. Since the amazon.com description doesn't give too many details, here's what you get with the d20 Call of Cthulhu Gamemaster's Pack: A tri-fold GM screen, four handy bookmarks, a booklet of official-looking forms, and a largeish booklet that comprises the Gamemaster Pack proper.

   The screen is complete and stands up well, but is slightly smaller than most screens I've worked with. The side facing the players features the incredibly cool artwork for Chaosiums current edition of the Call of Cthulhu RPG. Unfortunatley, the screen doesn't have the game's skill list, so you'll need another method to keep track of which skills can be used untrained and other skill details. Other than that oversight, the screen is so handy that I hardly have to consult the rules book while playing.

   The bookmarks are nice and functional. Each is customized for a different section of the rules and features a mini-index of relevent information. Between these and the information on the screen, finding information during a game session is not a problem.

   The book of forms is rather useless to me. While it is nice to have official looking forms (dental records, asylum records, etc.) as play aids during a game, these are all customized for an Arkham setting - little use in my Chicago-based games!

   The main Gamemaster Pack book is largely comprised of a nice adventure, "The Lost Temple of Yig". The 30 page strikes a good balance between adventure and exploration. Game stats are given for both the d20 and the original version of the RPG. Further background for "The Lost Temple of Yig" or your campaign is given about its Vanguard Club. The official errata follows, which isn't as bad as you'd think - it just seems that some of the authors of the original book didn't communicate too well as most of the errors are internal inconsistancies. A conversion system for using original Call of Cthulhu material with the new d20 version is pretty straightforward - you determine the level of the character you're converting and buy skills and feats from there. Next up are the record sheets, which along with the GM screen, are the shining stars of the pack. There is a redesigned two-page character sheet (with an old-school insanity track), minor character sheets, and monster master and minion sheets. The graphic design of these sheets (and the whole package) is outstanding.

   Overall, while I would've preferred paying a little less for just the screen, bookmarks, and sheets alone (errata should always be free!), the adventure and background information is good enough that [this]is a bargain for the whole package. More than a screen, this is a pack to make any d20 Call of Cthulhu Gamemaster's job easier.

3 comments about Mage Sanctum and Sigil (World of Darkness (White Wolf Hardcover)).

1. This supplement for Mage the Awakening is an excellent resource for understanding the dynamics of Concilium politics, the various roles and makeups of cabals, how Banisher cults work/what they do, and how some of the Seers of the Throne are organized.
   
   It gives quite a few suggestions for bonuses for cabal symbols and also suggests how you can decide what your sigil and name will be.
   
   However, you do have to sort of slog through this book. It's not very easy reading- the whole tone is very intellectual and a bit on the dry side, so you do have to sort of try to pay attention. Despite that, though, I highly recommend this book for either players or storytellers.



2. As the previous reviewer noted, SIGIL AND SANCTUM can be pretty dry. It is a supplement for MAGE: THE AWAKENING and deals with the laws and practices of Awakened society. At times it reads as interesting as the corporis jure of most countries. The main sections are on the rights and duties of cabals to Mages in general, Consilia laws, courtly etiquette, sanctum security, etc. It's hard to imagine getting much use out of this unless it's important to the ST to create an illusion that his/her NPC's have an historical, detailed tradition that the PCs must follow in order to fit in. Otherwise, it seems like overly involved information that either will never come up or could be invented on the fly as need arises. It's about as banal as finding out whether Mages prefer Wheaties or Cheerios for breakfast. Of course, some people will need precisely this kind of book for a specific scenario they have in mind. More power to ya, buddy, but it seems like an awfully small niche. Plus, you could choke on the number of specialized, narrow-use merits introduced. There's a merit for sanctum security, with dots distributed between locks, doors, walls, windows, etc.
   
   The most interesting part of the book is on the structure of Seers of the Throne pylons and Banisher cults. Now this is interesting, but it seemed unrelated to the rest of the theme. Very interesting stuff and very useful as potential antagonists. So even if you don't like the first part of the book, maybe you'll like the second.



3. This book is indispensible in understanding not only the place where Mages dwell (their sancti) but in understanding their political culture and society. It is written well and clearly and concisely to help you understand these two main topics.
   
   Prologue is the obligatory introductory fiction that describes the book. The book is then divided into 4 chapters. One covers Awakened politics; two covers sanctums and defenses for the places that Mages call home; three discusses cults and various antagonists including the Seers of the Throne and the Banishers. Finally chapter four is for storytellers to help them understand how to introduce Mage politics and sample cabals to help players model theirs.
   
   Overall this book is more a tool and reference book for Mage storytellers, its not ideally suited for players (look at Tome of Mysteries and Tome of the Watchtowers for that). However, it is ideal in helping to craft and fleshout a good story or chronicle that is set in awakened society. It is beautifully illustrated and the rules for helping build sancti are well done.