No comments about Classic Battletech Total Warfare (Classic Battletech).

5 comments about Kingdoms of Kalamar: Campaign Setting Sourcebook (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.0 Fantasy Roleplaying).

1. This book is one of the best-created campaign worlds I did ever encounter for a RPG. The design is not based on a few powerful characters or a book, but a complex evolution of races, cities and wars. The history and the religions based on this world makes it the best described and most accessible d20 setting available at this point.

   A huge advantage of this setting is the rich support by modules and books, not only is there besides this book an Atlas of the world of Tellene, there are race descriptions, adventures and much more.

   In short this world is believable to play in, an evolution where you can believe that actually would work if magic exists while not letting lose the major fantasy marks. I did only encounter as fast as I can recall now 1 book with a better fantasy world and that is Tolkien him self. So I can say without doubt that it is a book worth buying if you are interested in RPG.




2. The Kingdoms Of Kalamar Campaing Setting is a very detailed book that skips completly over the "crunch" that seems to be a prequisite for most D&D book these days and instead get down to the serious buisiness of discribing the world.

   Although many of the human realms are inspired by real world examples (Rome etc.) they still manage to portray a very different world. In the world of Tellene, humans dominate the world but are given heaps more flavour than the standard fantasy humans. Kingdoms of Kalamar uses human sub-races that each have individual appearances and culture.

   The section on language further enhances this and although I may never find a practical use for them (apart from naming my characters of course) they add so much to the setting, showing that there is actual structure behind the some say bizarre place names of the setting.

   The gods of the setting are, despite whatother reviewers have said, original and their depth is amazing. With information on the organisation of the churches, sacrafices and holy places, it is much better done than any other setting I have seen.

   The minor sections of the book, like the armies of Kalamar, laws and section on Tellenes constilations are not entierly nesesary but they add even more detail to the setting already displayed.

   Kalamar presents as a low magic campaign world but can be played at any level. One of the things I like most about Kalamar is it's versatility and the magic of the world is a prime example. There could easily be no magic or flying cities it's up to you. This differentiates this setting from those like the Forgotten Realms that are stuck at certain levels.

   A mature look at slavery is one of the best things I like about the setting as it is fully integrated and can be used as a moral device for my players.

   All in all the Kingdoms of Kalamar Campaign Setting is a very good buy for any game( because the D&D stuff in it is limited to some horse breeds, a few magic items and a NPC index) or indeed just as a source of ideas and material.




3. I have been a player of Dungeons and Dragons since around 1980 or so. I believe this is the best world sourcebook on the market, bar none. The world is a nice outline, but does not have too much detail where you feel straight jacketed into running a high magic world a certain way, like the Forgotten Realms. You get a lot of plot hooks in each chapter and there are lots of ways you can run the plot hooks. And, an added bonus from the design of the book is that it is very easy to just drop in a random module or adventure here. You're not so overwhelmed with details where it would take tons of work to modify a generic adventure. A thing I particularly liked is that you, the PC, can become the most powerful person in the world. In the aforementioned Realms, there is always Elminster or some near god-like bad guy. In Greyhawk, you have legendary characters going back to the game's creation. How can you outshine them? All in all, this book will give a DM a nice world that is quickly playable and easily adaptable to any campaign you want. If you want high magic, it's easy to add in dragons, magic items and whatnot. But, what is the Realms with Elminster and a magic shop on every corner? If you want to run a low magic world, you are all set. It's certainly easier to add the magic in than take it out



4. Though intended for use with Dungeons and Dragons 3rd Edition, this background-heavy, rules-light sourcebook can be used for just about any RPG system. Where most commercially available campaign worlds for gaming are based on someone's hodge-podge home game, the World of Tellene was built as a whole, with thought to plate tectonics, ecology, weather patterns, cultural migrations, wars, linguistics and sociology all taken into account from the start. Magic flavors the mix, but isn't responsible for illogical juxtapositions like an arctic climate at the equator or similar aberrant phenomenon.

   Six human culture/ethnicities clash and mix to destroy or create nations; hobgoblin empires struggle to maintain and expand against hostile neighbors; elves, dwarves, gnomes and halflings try to keep their cultures living and free from the dominance of human influences. Orcs, giants, and monsters on the fringes of civilized lands exist logically according to their natures and resources, with realistic rivalries and goals.

   Histories of peoples and nations, backgrounds for adventures, current events, languages, timelines, military forces and more are detailed here - while leaving future events entirely up to the DM and the players. The setting is also well supported by adventure modules, a Player's Guide, an Atlas, sourcebooks, and a web-community where the designers actually thrive on feedback from the consumers.

   It's also the only Offical game setting produced under license for the D&D3e game system by a company other than Wizards of the Coast, with far greater quality standards than what mere d20 licensees produce.




5. When I first started gaming over 25 years ago there wasn't much in the way of campaign settings other than modules. When it came to a world, you were pretty much on your own. Then TSR came out with the World of Greyhawk in the early 80'swhich at the time was quite wonderful. You got a couple of nice maps and two soft cover books detailing the lands and peoples of Greyhawk. Times have really changed! Kenzer and Co. have produced one of the most detailed and rich campaign settings ever for Dungeons & Dragons in this massive 272 page hardcover book.
   
   "Kingdoms of Kalamar" introduces us to the lands and peoples of the continent of Tellene. The first two-thirds of the book detail everything you could possibly want to know about the area with a different chapter for each kingdom. These sections detail the climate, population, government & politics, military, temples, economy, underworld, and interesting sites of all of the cities and towns within each kingdom. Each of the various human peoples is described meticulously including their histories and migrations, physical make-ups, styles of names, even their alphabets.
   
   The attention to detail is staggering as each city is give a one to two page synopsis that in addition to the info mentioned previously, also includes the city's history, notes on demi-human and humanoid populations, notable NPCs, and also provides anecdotes that can be used to develop adventures in these various regions. For example, we learn that in the city of Ospolen the daughter of Duke Letton has been kidnapped and the Duke is offering a reward of 10,000 gold pieces for her safe return.
   
   "Kingdoms of Kalama"r is filled with political intrigue providing a framework for more than just the typical hack & slash gaming experience. We learn that the Empire of Kalamar was once much larger but the current ruling family has managed to lose nearly half its territories. The Duchy of O' Par declared itself independent just eighty years ago without reprisal and the Principality of Pekal rebelled against the empire over one hundred years ago and now the Empire is dead set on regaining the territory. These various notes and interesting sites will provide the DM with many solid foundations for adventures for player characters.
   
   The selling point of any campaign setting is if it's just words on a page or if the world is truly living and breathing. Kingdoms of Kalamar is incredibly vibrant. While maybe some gamers find the various political intrigues of these lands unneeded in a role-playing game, I found that they added tremendous depth. So often, campaign settings tend to be very one-dimensional with flat histories and characters. Not so in "Kingdoms of Kalamar." In the east on the Kaotoon Island in Reanaaria Bay you will find Aasaer, the City of Pirates. Described as having "seedy taverns that litter every corner, murder victims rotting in the alleys, and prostitutes crowding the doorways", it's a location that sounds like a fun place to visit!
   
   The final one-third of the book features sections on the various organizations and groups of Kalamar, major languages, law in the kingdoms, and appendices on constellations, armies, and NPCs. The book also gives a description of each of the nearly four dozen Gods of the world with their names in the assorted languages, symbols, typical appearance, raiment colors, etc. A short history of the gods is provided as we learn that the Creator made fifty-four gods, each representing a different aspect of Her personality. The Gods eventually war amongst themselves and nearly a dozen are destroyed. Now they use the peoples of Tellene as their pawns, drawing power as their number of worshippers increase.
   
   The book also has two large, fold-out maps with the entire continent of Tellene, beautifully done. A nice touch is that the developers did not mar the map with a grid. Instead they provided the nice touch of including a tear-out, clear plastic overlay with a hexagonal grid to place over the map.
   
   Different people look for different things within a campaign setting. I don't like to have everything spelled out for me, taking the creative thought out of the game. "Kingdoms of Kalamar" provides a detailed framework from which the DM can create all manner of adventures from. This is an extremely well constructed world, ready to be trampled underfoot by your player characters!
   
   Reviewed by Tim Janson

5 comments about Dragon Warrior VII (Prima's Official Strategy Guide).

1. Indeed, it took me over 100 hours to finish DW7, it was a satisfying game. It was very satisfying, but also frustrating for I got stuck few times here and there. I got really stuck at one point and bought this strategy guide. I expected a full blown walk through with detailed step by step, however, I was left with more frustration because of this strategy guide rather than feeling liberated from the agony of being stuck.
   
   It doesn't have a WHOLE WORLD MAP, which confused me lot of times, and how to reach certain location was just vague. It would've been a much better strategy guide if they simply put a whole map with arrow pointing at every location with their name-I'm not sure if the writer's intention was for the gamers to figure out the rest of the game with only structured guide, so the gamers can have their own share of 'fun' to figure out the way- and I don't think that's 'funny' or 'justified' when we are talking about a game strategy walk through. Information regarding items, weapons, and armors was insufficient. For instance, if you can only get this weapon from an enemy, it doesn't specify which enemy you would have to fight to get it, or though the whole walk through does show where to get certain items from either treasure box or from a certain event, on the weapon/armor list, it doesn't say anything, doesn't specify specific location.

   If you are looking for something 'barely' enough to proceed with your games, this might work fairly well, however sometimes, that 'barely enough' isn't enough, really.
   I don't know what to say.. unless the price is really reasonable, I wouldn't recommend this strategy guide at all. But again, what are you gonna do when you are really stuck, right? It's a hughes game and I'm sure it might be an impossible job to really create a thorough walk through, however, just basic element and content of any walk through for RPG was missing, thus making it very frustrating. Good Luck.




2. Wonderful!! A great help. it was organized, a step by step success to defeat the Demon Lord and restore the world of all it's lands free of evil. Every aspect of this strategy is in FULL detail. gives great information on the weaponary, armory, Items and special item showing a pictures and plenty of information, gives an entire beastiary (monster) selection as well giving from Hp to capture rate. tells you almost exactly where every last Shard is and where the pedistals are in the temple to use them. a MUST have to know all the information in this great game



3. Wonderful!! A great help. it was organized, a step by step success to defeat the Demon Lord and restore the world of all it's lands free of evil. Every aspect of this strategy is in FULL detail. gives great information on the weaponary, armory, Items and special item showing a pictures and plenty of information, gives an entire beastiary (monster) selection as well giving from Hp to capture rate. tells you almost exactly where every last Shard is and where the pedistals are in the temple to use them. a MUST have to know all the information in this great game



4. While it doesn't look like much, the author packed a crazy amount of useful information in this small book! The job/level system is a little overwhelming at first, and the author sumerized it up nicely in the beginning of the book. I found this great since you don't have to read through the walkthrough section and spoil the story for yourself. When you get stuck, each part of the game has a it's own section in the walkthrough, so it's really easy to find. There are tips-0-plenty throughout the guide as well. Over all, I am very satisfied, and recommend this guide to anyone who wants to get the most out of Dragon Warrior VII.



5. This book will come in very handy if you buy the game. The game takes between 100-250 hours to beat and is extremely difficult. Without the book it will probably take well over 500 hours to beat it, if you don't give up. My brother is hard-core gaming geek and has well over 200 RPG games. He has only needed a strategy guide and help 3 times and this was one of the games he needed it for. If you can beat the game without it, you are a genius.
   
   It gives you walkthroughs and maps of most of the levels. It also has a guide in the back of all the monsters you will face and what they drop, etc. Weapons, armour, items, characters, etc. also have their own sections. The only thing I don't like and I really can't fault Prima for it is, is that it does not give "all" the info you need. For example, it tells you that there is a couple of bonus dungeons but, not how to get all the pieces to open them. This may seem small but, I tried for weeks to figure out how to open them. After 3 three weeks I finally found something on the internet how to open them. Another is tiny medals, there are tiny medals in this game to upgrade weapons. You do not really need them but I wanted to try to find all. The prima guide gives you the location for a lot of them but not all. You need to 100 to open the bonus dungeons and if you invest this much time into a game it will make your blood boil if you can't find them. Find that stuff at Dragon's Den on the internet. Other than these small things the guide gives easy explanations how to beat the game, for the most part. BUY IT!

2 comments about Tasslehoff's Map Pouch: The Age of Mortals.

1. I must say that I got really disappointed when I got these maps. First: I was expecting at least some kind of cardboard box for protection...C'mon, even coke 12 packs have cardboard boxes, so they can't be that expensive! But no, it's just a plastic wraping and nothing more. Then, the small maps: I hated the "computerized" look. They do not agree with the fantasy feeling, and worse, some of them I could have done better myself with graphical software and a spare day. And again, the paper quality is not the best. Why not use thicker paper, and then put two maps back to back, since they all have a blank side (wich could also hold some short descrption of the place or something like that)? Why not make them to last, even at a higher price? Now I understand why there was people at the Dragonlance forum buying two copies.
   
   Then comes the bigger map...it's the only reason I gave 2 stars instead of one. At least is the most complete map ever done for Dragonlance, and is indeed well done, tough it still all digitally made. Is that much difficult to get an artist and a cartographer to hand draw one map?
   
   Another sad thing...the other side of the map is blank. Does someone remember the old boxed set map, with encounters and other info at the back? The "random campaign generator" or something similar?
   Why not? Why not some closer shots of some areas, even if it is done in black and white? Or the climate maps? Or the reduced maps with the dominant groups in different ages? Or a pre-cataclism map? Anything, but the big white blank space. Seriously, the whole product have room for so much improvement that it doesn't even look like an official product. Again...I'm dissapointed. (Sorry about english mistakes, I'm not a native english speaker).



2. I really like the huge map of Ansalon that comes with this, along with all the smaller ones. I can't wait for the new one to come out in March.

1 comments about CthulhuTech.

1. The game is based upon Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos and mecha anime like Robotech, Evangelion, The Gyver and Blue Gender. Then it develops a rich storyline to mix its influences and add its own flavor: what might have been just another copy of cool settings turns to be a great game that stands on its own. Cthulhutech is well written, with gorgeous illustrations and a good editing, but the binding of the book is weird and it won't last long... The background is mind blowing if you're into horror, science fiction and anime. Cthulhutech keeps the strength of Call of Cthulhu in a futuristic world and expands it with the mecha genre with cyberpunk and military sublots. It's a good setting for horror stories, imho as good as Call of Cthulhu, and on the action side it is far more interesting than games like, to cite a few, Starship Troopers, Battletech or Mutant Chronicles. The system seems good, easy to learn and fun to use. 5/5 - Cthulhutech is a great transposition of Lovecraft's universe to futuristic times and a highly recommend game.

1 comments about Acting Games: Improvisations and Exercises : A Textbook of Theatre Games and Improvisations.

1. Acting Games: improvisations and Exercises: A textbook of Theatre games and improvisation help me with my stage fright.

1 comments about Pathfinder Chronicles: Rise of the Runelords Map Folio (The Pathfinder Chronicles).

1. This product provides all or most of the maps found throughout the Rise of the Runelords adventure path. They are basically HIGH quality copies for handouts to players, leaving out many of the DM details the players don't need.
   
   The maps are also usable separately. Just fill in the locations for your own adventure.
   
   I was actually rather surprised to see how useful I found this product to be. When I first opened it I thought without hesitation that this was a great add-on for running the adventure path. If you like lots of 'extras' to go with running your adventures, you will probably find a lot of use for this.

5 comments about WoD Changing Breeds (The World of Darkness).

1. Overall I was pleased with this book. The content is well organized and it was interesting to see what white wolf did with the various changing breeds and integrating them into the nwod.
   
   I was pleased with the new format for creating the changing breeds and the inclusion of so many of the breeds in one book. I had honestly expected there to be less breeds in the book but I was pleased that there were a fair amount contained within.
   
   You'll find good writeups on the bastet, gurahl, ananasi, nuwishi, and others. The weretigers have better stats now than the werelions, but that's just a problem because I prefer playing werelions. However, I will say that I think this book is a definite improvement on stats and mechanics from the previous edtion.
   
   I do have a pet peeve with white wolf over the lack of a character sheet in the book. This isn't so much of an issue for me right now because I'm creating npcs to interact with the characters and it's easy enough to use the npc stat block for that purpose. It is however annoying when the gm is dealing with a group of players who are new to the nwod and wod in general. It's just nice to have that character sheet there to help them through the learning process.
   
   As of this writing I was told by white wolf customer service that the basic nwod character sheet will have to do. Hopefully the exclusion of character sheets in their products is not a trend being set, as I think this is a bad decision.
   
   To me, a character sheet is a basic element that should be included in a book where characters can and probably will want to create characters.



2. I'll confess, I was fully prepared to dislike the bejeezus out of this book. I'm not a big fan of the expanded archetypes concept (though I do think Werewolf: the Forsaken is a brilliant game on its own merits), but given the sheer importance of the idea, or at least the potential importance, I decided to give its presentation a chance.
   
   And... I didn't hate it. *gasp!*
   
   Don't get me wrong; I didn't come off reading this book a changed man in the core regard. I still don't like the expanded archetype model (especially not for the new Werewolf, as a setting), but if it was going to be done -- and let's face facts, it was *going* to get done -- then this was a noble effort at doing it well, or at least fixing some of the mistakes of the version produced for Revised.
   
   If you're thinking of running a changing breeds game, give it a look. If you're not, you should probably take a pass, as there's nothing in here for you. If you're all but settled on the idea that you *are* running this material, then (and only then) is this potentially worth the buy. But at least I can say that there is a situation where it's worth buying. And I'm always happy to relate that fact loudly whenever I can.



3. Were-wolves, were-boars, were-eagles... African witches who take the shape of hyenas and leopards, clever tricksters like Coyote, men who swim with sharks and crocodiles, the centaur and satyrs of Greek myth. This book takes the nigh universal concept of shapeshifters of every stripe and runs wild with it (pun intended). It is most assuredly not a supplement for Werewolf: the Forsaken, but it does share some thematic elements with that game. Of course, you could just as easily use it to come up with ALTERNATIVE werewolves. Or even RIVALS to the Uratha if you desire. What sets it apart from other books, like 'Skinchangers' or the material from the end of 'War Against the Pure' is that it has rules for entire societies of creatures that aren't Werewolves, and indeed may even interact with each other.
   
   The book gives some basic rules for running Changing Breeds, basically presenting them as humans who were... changed by feeling the pulsing, primal heart of nature awaken within their soul. The book gives some broad overviews of how Changing Breeds interact with each other, animals of their species, mortals and even other supernaturals. There is a very strong theme of man vs. nature, with some strong environmentalist and New Age elements thrown in, so if that sort of thing annoys you, you might want to ignore this book (or skip over the culture sections). But really, the material in the book is broad enough and full of alternative possibilities that you can use it to run anything from remote jungle jaguar tribes in the Amazon basin to gangs of urban street dogs in the inner city to even foxes and cat girls within the 'furry' subculture. And yes, I DO find the latter example silly, and probably wouldn't involve it in my games. But thats just me; whatever floats your boat I guess.
   
   Mechanically, the Ferals are all more or less designed along the same base. Much like Werewolves (and spirits) they have Harmony as their 'morality stat,' along with Essence (spiritual power), Feral Heart (their 'power stat' which limits how they can use Essence), shapeshifting which triggers the Delusion and gives physical benefits, and even vulnerability to silver. They also have a form of status called Respect, which is similar to Werewolf's Renown. And furthermore, they also have Accords... sort of castes like the Sun-Chaser (tricksters), Wind-Runner (shaman) and Heart-Ripper (warrior). Again, this is similar to Werewolf's Auspices, but a little more broad. A Heart-Ripper can be anything from a savage man-eater to a passionate seductress, for example. But what sets Ferals apart is that they have a whole bunch of animal themed powers and tricks, as well as some new Merits, designed so that you can create any sort of animal-man hybrid that you could ever want. Want your creature to have venom, or breath underwater? Sure. There are even special surprises for 'trickster' themed creatures in the spirit of Reynard the Fox, Br'er Rabbit, Anansi or Raven.
   
   The remainder of the book is really dedicated to a bunch of pre-written Breeds, societies of shapeshifters that have developed around a particular species or type of animal, along with some guidelines for creating your own Breeds. Most are regionally or culturally specific, in no small part because some draw on local folklore, but also because it wouldn't make sense to have them run around all over the place being too common. Leopard men are spooky in the heart of the Congo, less so in downtown New York. The great part is, you'll certainly get some usage out of these, whether you allow them as selections for players in your game, decide to involve them as NPCs, or simply use them as inspiration for creating a Changing Breed more appropriate to your game. Its a pretty good bestiary.
   
   So... what sort of critters can you expect to find here? Some will be familiar to fans of the old changing breeds of Werewolf: the Apocalypse, re-imagined for the new World of Darkness (and often made much cooler). Others are brand spanking new. They have the Bastet, or were-cats, which include the Rajanya were-tigers of India, Balam jaguar gods of Central America and the clever Qual'ma Ni lynx shaman. The Royal Apes include the Hanuman Brahmins of India, Sun Wukong martial artists of China and witch apes of West Africa. There are were-hyenas, were-dogs and even the vargr (an alternate take on werewolves) who run with the Pack, elk men and centaurs (yes, centaurs!), were-bears and the web-spinning were-spiders. There are also Land Titans, the were-elephants and were-rhinos of Africa, India and Southeast Asia. And the ever Gothic were-ravens, Aztec hummingbirds, were-bats, warrior eagles and occult Strigoi owls. My personal favorites were the Laughing Strangers... tricksters who take the shape of foxes, raccoons, hares, possums and the like. The last few pages even mentioning obscure 'shadow breeds' like the Satanic goat-folk, dolphin changers, were-crocodiles and even shapeshifters who become swarms of insects!
   
   Theres more than enough material here for any game that details shapeshifters, whether the exotic beasts of non-western legend or even alternate takes on werewolves. While it certainly can stand up on it's own merits, this book works VERY well when used in conjunction with the material published in 'Skinchangers,' already a diverse exploration of shape-shifters, in addition to the stuff from the back of 'War Against the Pure.' Still, either way, its well worth the buy in my opinion. I also greatly appreciated the fact that the authors mentioned artists like Azam Ali, Dead Can Dance and Emilie Autumn under 'Recommended Listening' in the intro... Its almost like they looked at my iPod or something. Very ironic, but cool. :-D



4. I was really surprised with this as its actually very good. Gives lots of interesting character shape changer options. It worked for me, anyway.



5. New World of Darkness pulled me in again where the Old World of Darkness couldn't. In combining that old splats for alternate were creatures into a single volume and giving rules for creating your own, White Wolf eliminates the need to own about ten or so books to run whatever were you like.
   
   As with Changeling: the Lost, there are typos, and I can mostly make it what is intended. The single star lost is for those typos where I can't figure out what the authors intended and for the inexplicable changes in font size in the middle of a description. Well, that and presenting organizations as breeds. I'm all for having organizations, but they should be entities unto themselves.
   
   This book really makes me want to play or run a were adventure.

5 comments about Shadowrun (3rd Edition).

1. I liked the idea of shadowrun very much, and once I learned how to play I enjoyed the simple runs that we had; however, the advanced aspects of shadowrun (e.g. magic, decking, rigging and vehicles, etc.) had very complicated and convoluted rules. First off, the magic section makes very little sense with regards to the drain and mana system, and the aspected magician isn't explained at all. Secondly, the Matrix uses overcomplicated rules for even simple tasks. The technical jargon used was quite confusing. Another nuisance was the shotty binding (mine plus two other books are falling apart). I reccomend waiting for the next edition to come out because of these reasons. The game is fun, just not very clear.



2. Like lots of game books, this one includes two main elements, an introduction the Shadowrun setting and the rules. The setting is a creative mix of "cyberpunk" technology and fantasy, in a grim dystopic world. The rules are an awful mess.

   What I like about the setting is that it offers a detailed future history that explains how all the technology and fantasy elements ended up in the same setting. It feels reasonably self-consistent. The only serious hole is the idea that a mishap with a computer plugged into a character's brain could injure the character. Who would build a computer-brain interface without the firewalls and surge protection necessary to prevent a software-domain mishap from causing physical harm? Who would use such a product? Temporary disorientation makes sense, but physical harm doesn't. That's a common cyberpunk convention, however; even _The Matrix_ follow it.

   Along with the technology and fantasy ideas of the setting, there is the social system. The world of Shadowrun is an amoral dystopia where corporate power eclipses all governments. Money can buy anything, even military might, without meaningful restraint of laws or governments; the police are corporate employees who protect corporate interests, but protect ordinary citizens only incidentally. In short, it is pure Libertarianism.

   In the typical campaign style, player characters start as ordinary low-lifes, with just enough extra power to allow them to take jobs as deniable corporate covert forces. They take jobs that their corporate backers prefer to keep clear of their acknowledged employees -- in other words, thuggery that would be illegal in a setting where law meant anything -- in hopes of gaining greater powers with their corporate payola. There are alternatives to that campaign style -- one could even be a noble "street doctor" out to elevate the quality of life of the masses -- but the setting material doesn't offer much support for such alternatives. In short, player characters are likely to be hoods, not Robin Hoods.

   A player's liking for the setting will depend on a few things. Some people will like the fantasy-cyberpunk hybrid; others will not. The gloomy dystopia of the social setting will appeal to some players, and be depressing to others. The opportunity to be a small-time villain struggling to become a big-time villain will appeal to some, but put off those who want to be heroes. A game-master with the creativity to offer heroic opportunities to players can avert the villain issue, but removing the fantasy-cyberpunk and social dystyopia elements would make something that is no longer Shadowrun.

   While the setting is a question of taste, the game mechanics are a wreck of cumbersome rules. Anyone who likes the setting should ignore the rules, substitute something playable. GURPS, FUDGE, Hero, and even d20 are all improvements on the native Shadowrun rule set.

   The rules are extremely elaborate -- more complicated than GURPS or Hero -- but also very abstract, along the lines of d20. Normally, elaborate rules are meant to provide a feeling of detailed simulation. For example, GURPS tries hard to give every rule a justification that improves the feeling of realism, and does a pretty good job of it. In contrast, abstract rules are meant to favor quick, simple play, at the cost of leaving a lot of details to the imagination, or even reducing them to statistics without a clear connection to the world of the characters. The d20 rules do a good job of this, offering fairly simple game mechanics, but offering no quantitative connection between game-mechanic statistics and measurements in the world of the characters.

   The standard Shadowrun rules provide the worst of each rule design style. They are even more complicated and detailed than GURPS or Hero. It's difficult to reduce the complexity of the rules by dropping optional rules, because cutting rules is likely to break the rules that remain. But beyond comparative differences, the game statistics lack any perceptible connection to the characters. (For example, in GURPS one inch of steel armor equals 20 Damage Resistance, and in Hero each 5 Strength doubles the weight a character can lift.) The sole exception is money, which means the same thing to the characters as to their players.

   The standard Shadowrun rules also suffer in comparison to d20. The absence of a strong link between game statistics and the statistics a character could perceive makes both rule sets abstract. But in d20 the abstraction does a good job of speeding game play. One rolls to hit, then rolls damage, with addition-only arithmetic and a linear probabilities that are comprehensible to a math-shy child; all non-combat tests are resolved with the same one-roll mechanism. With Shadowrun, one assigns dice pools, rolls initiative to calculate the number and order of actions in a round, assigns dice pools to actions, rolls damage if an attack hits, rolls dice to avoid damage if one is hit, etc. Several different systems apply to different types of non-combat actions. The pools of "exploding" dice defy anyone short of an actuarial hobbyist with a spreadsheet. And still the statistics don't correspond to anything perceptible to the characters.

   Summary: If you like the idea of blending cyberpunk and fantasy in a gloomy, corporation-dominated dystopia, and being a small-time villain struggling to join the big-time, the Shadowrun setting is excellent. If you have a creative enough game-master, you could even play a heroic character in the same dystopia. But throw don't touch the rules.




3. Despite complaints from other reviewers this game plays very well for both new and old players alike. Adjusting the rules to fit any groups taste is easy and smooth, as the rules share little dependance on one another. The setting is varied enough to allow for play as heros, villians, neutral factions, or any thing imaginable. Play from the grimy urban, to the slick corps, to the lightly associated tribes of the north west.



4. I love the Shadowrun setting, and like the rules, and can say that if you are a fan this is a great book to own, with rules changes and flavor/background text that make it worth having. However, if you want to start playing Shadowrun this is not the book to get. Produced during the final disintegration of FASA as a functioning company it is riddled with major errors and inconsistancies. It is painfully obvious that the editors were the first people layed off, and they couldn't even be bothered to offer a copy of the book to a dedicated fan to look it over before the print run. There are many small errors and huge, glaring ones, like half the text on one page being repeated, suddely and exactly, on another page. If you want to start playing the game, I recommend either the Fourth edition, for a preference, which is a new, well edited, book with a sturdy binding, produced by FanPro, along with a set of improvements and innovations that does make it better than previous editions. Alternately get the old second edition, a much more usable book than third, although with a classic FASA disintigrating binding.



5. One of a series of cyberpunk role-playing games that is also crossed with elemental summoning and magic. This Third Edition bring more clarity and speed to the players who enjoy this game, and to the referees who need quick resolution of tasks and combat.
   
   While speeding up the character creation and combat systems, Jordan Weisman and his cohorts put together an awesome resource for the proliferation of this gaming series: "Shadowrun".
   
   Bringing the Second Edition into the Third, there are tables for use to convert some of the basics from the 2nd edition to the 3rd. Magics and summoning have been refined and added to, to make this new 3rd edition a much more fluid and viscous gaming system.
   
   This is also one of many games in my RPG collection, and a MUST HAVE if your are planning to purchase 4th Edition "Shadowrun." And grab some of the supplemental material for any of the previous iterations, 1st, 2nd and 3rd. This additional information is invaluable for extended play in the "barrens of Seattle" and the twisted convolution of the world that we so knew. Science fiction at its finest!
   
   I play. I have friends who play. I am looking forward to playing the "Shadowrun" game for the XBOX 360, based in part on the 3rd Edition and grounded sharply on the 4th.

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