No comments about Draconomicon I: Chromatic Dragons (D&D Rules Expansion).

5 comments about Magic Item Compendium (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying).

1. For a while there, it seemed like WOTC was so into their 4th edition that they would not be publishing anything good for a while. But alas, here is something really good! this suplement has a ton af great information in it. Really great idea for adding powers to magic items, creating small ones and large ones. No matter how strict the DM is about magic, eventually you will be able to create some of these great ideas. And for the DM, hey, the bad guys need good armor too!



2. I loved it as soon as I pulled out of the box and touched the shiny new cover. Opening it up was like entering a whole new world. The items are fresh and exiting. Easy to read and a joy to locate a new item that lays in wait for the unsuspecting adventuring party.
   
   The only thing I have to say that is negative is:
   it would be nice to have pictures of every item. But how realistic is that?
   But how NICE would that be too!!!! With all the other details and research a DM has to do, it is nice to look at an image and describe it, alter it, or just hold up the book and say, "it looks like this."
   
   So, if you can live without a picture of every item... then this book is what you need next to you at every game session! There are new and refreshing items...something for everyone!
   
   Happy Gaming and I really think you will love this addition to your DM collection.



3. It's good but still unorganized like the Spell Compendium, the table helps a lot though, unlike in the spell compendium. They should have added the page of each item in the table in my opinion.



4. 
   Simply stated, this is a good book.
   
   To expand on this,the Magic Item Compendium is similar to the Spell Compendium in which it takes the magic item properties of many previously made source books(as early as Complete Adventurer to as late as Magic of Incarnum in the WOTC revised 3rd edition D&D series), as well as many prominent magic items. The book promises over 1,000, but if this is true I can't say. It does have many other properties right on, such as having lower cost items than featured in the main books. But what really caught this book for me is it's flexibility.
   
   Sure, one could argue that having a book merely composed of magic items would be pretty much useless unless your campaign allowed for a lot of said magic items. But, these could be easily 'dispelled' by the books overall purpose: Taking all of the magic item properties of most of the source books previous to it's making and putting them in one handy tome. There are magic items (and their properties) from the Eberron setting, from the Draconomicon, from the Complete Adventurer book, all without having to buy the said source books! Even if one where to have said source books, the Magic Item Compendium focuses specifically on finding these properties and items within and presenting them in a well organized fashion for any DM looking to create new, more interesting items of choice.
   
   Another handy feature of the Magic Item Compendium is giving items levels by price, and tables to show what priced magic item a player of x level would most likely have.
   
   This book, like many wotc books, isn't without it's woes. It has about 7 pages worth of errata, or corrections, on the wotc site, meaning if you want the book to be free of error you'll have to retrieve the errata file.
   Not to mention that while the magic items and are neatly organized and easy to read from, all of the meat and bones new rules (magic item levels, creating relics and item set bonuses, etc.) are all in the back of the book, after all of the actual items the rules refer to have been presented.
   
   Other than a few minor complaints, the book is solid and a good addition to any campaign.



5. One of my players got this for me, so thank Goddess I didn't waste my own money. It doesn't have the magic items from the Dungeon Master's Guide -- the very core of magic in D&D! Do I need to go into further detail, other than to say that while Wizards of the Coast was selling this book, they were already hard at work on version 4.New.Coke, which makes all 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 3.5 books OBSOLETE? They knew this when they sent this to press and knew it when they sold it to gullible buyers who didn't know they were being ripped off. Save your money! If you are reading this review, Wizards of the Coast (and their money-grubbing parent company, Hasbro) have already made it obsolete. PLEASE DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS BOOK! Far better is "Pocket Magica (Arcana)," which contains all of the items from the 3rd edition DMG and many magic items which appear in books publiushed by other companies.
   
   * One star out of five (and only because there's no half-star rating)

5 comments about Spell Compendium (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying).

1. The best 3.5-D&D spells from WotC (the official publisher) collected in a single book with the quality they usually bring to us.
   
   With this book and the core Player's Handbook, you'll have all the official spells of the game, including from the "Complete..." handbook lin.
   
   Really useful if you don't want thousands of reference books.



2. This book was the 6th D&D book I purchased for our group. As I did not have access to the vast majority of various other books, from which these spells are taken, the book was a 'bargain' for me. It is also a shrewd purchase for gamers who are less interested in the flavor of some Wizards books and just want the game info. There is no page index for the book but the back of the book lists the new spells by class & level. Virtually the entirety of the book is the spells listed in detail alphabetically so the lack of pin-point page citation is not a big deal.
   
   The only complaint I have with the product is minor. They renamed some spells (primarily took out the 'Bigby', 'Mordenkein' etc). As an original matter having simpler spell names is probably a good idea, but to change them in a spell supplement is just a hassle for those gamers who want to go to a specific location for a spell. This change is only asking for compatibility trouble and confusion. The spell name changes are listed in the book.



3. Few of Wizards of the Coast (WotC)'s books are worth the cover price (over-inflated due to glossy full-color pages - even on almost entirely B&W books (such as this one)) and this is no exception. However, what this book has going for it is a ton of new magic spells.
   
   There are all sorts of spells for the D&D game in this book and most work flawlessly into almost any and every style of play without any concern or specific review by the GM at all. There's little to cause a game to become unbalanced in this book (a nice change from some of the books WotC was putting out at the time this came out).
   
   The only significant drawback to this book is that it lacks the spells of the Player's Handbook and Campaign Setting rulebooks. It would have been nice if the book included all the spells from such books (at least the "SRD" (System Reference Document) spell materials) so that the "compendium" book would have been more complete and allowed for new ideas and avenues of magical ability into any D&D game a little more easily. The lack of some of these means this is another book you'll want to carry around (instead of replacing one, two, or more books you will have to carry around) with you.



4. The Spell Compendium contains a wealth of new spells and spell ideas for any of your spellcasting characters. Some of these do edge towards the overpowered, while some go the opposite way, but regardless, they offer some special variety and uniqueness for your spellcaster to take advantage of. Many of them have appeared in one form or another in numerous modules or other sources. Now they are collected for easy reference. Some are certainly great utility spells that have been missing since 2nd edition. I even found one that was very similar to a spell I once created from scratch for a campaign I was in that I felt my character needed as part of a divinatory/investigative tool (Object Read).
   
   Also, the collected listing of Domains, their powers and spells is a welcome addition. So if you are looking for some potentially signature spell or style that will set your spellcaster apart from the usual, or want to throw something totally unexpected at your party of adventurers, this book may have it.



5. I have been playing Dungeons and Dragons since 1st edition and have always wanted one book that encompasses all the spells there are out there all though it dosen't have spells from the PHB it has all the rest ranging from Draconomicon to Vile Darkness and everything in between anyone who plays any type of character in D&D would do well to buy this book and even if you don't play a player it's good for making a memerable reacurring villian that your players will always love to see what he pulls out his spell book next

5 comments about Dungeons & Dragons Premium Dice (D&D Accessory).

1. The bag is cute and the dice are nice but I just wish they came in a variety of colorsinstead of just blue.



2. They see me coming every time. Every time Wizards sells a new set of dice, I buy them and every time I am disappointed. With this set it is the numbers printed on the dice. You would imagine after 30 years of making dice, people would get it right. This new set has three different number ones on them. On most of the dice there is the straight up and down "bar" which I prefer, and then the four sided dice has a one with a little flag at the top. The 12 sided dice has several numbers different from the rest of the set. The number ones on it have the flag and the serif at the bottom. The numbers should have all been consistent to make a perfect set. The dice bag however is nice.



3. Cool little bag with a full set of good colored dice and it all comes in a ridiculously big box. Excellent.



4. I'm so glad that Wizards of the Coast has made a set of "official dice" for Dungeons and Dragons. I've been using unofficial dice all my life, and couldn't tell the difference.
   
   But now, wow! Using officially sanctioned dice has made all the difference in my game play. It's like a completely different game! 4th Edition D&D is actually fun now!
   
   Thanks, Wizards!



5. I was looking for a new set of dice, and since all the local hobby shops have fallen down I had to look to the internet. Since I have the Prime account I figured I'd give the D&D Premium Dice a try. I was a little annoyed that there were not pictures nor descriptions of what the dice might look like anywhere.
   
   The dice are blue with speckles and white numbers, they're very easy to read, and very lightweight. I am satisfied with my purchase. One thing, it still includes the d% dice which is now basically useless in 4th edition.

No comments about Knights of the Old Republic: A Star Wars Miniatures Huge pack (Star Wars Miniatures Product).

5 comments about Monster Manual IV (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying).

1. In the beginning, after my original read of the MMIV, I had the same thoughts as many of the other reviews. The new stat blocks, being not like the old stat blocks, were a nusience to read. The extended information on ecology, encounters, knowledge, treasure, and whatnot, while kind of useful, sucked up space where more monsters could have been. And the endless inclusion of well-known monsters with class levels was just a waste of space. I mean, what DM worth their salt couldn't throw a few class levels on an orc or drow when they needed them?
   
   And then there I was, ten minutes to my next session with a burning need to have a pair of lizardfolk barbarians fight my players. Yeah, I could have added some attack bonuses and whatnot on the fly, but then I realized, "Wait! I have the MMIV! That has more lizardfolk types than I could possibly need! And they're statistically correct!" Thusly, my game was saved.
   
   Yes, any DM worth their salt can add a few class levels to monsters... if they have the time. For us more harried DMs, having pre-generated leveled monsters is a boon beyond reckoning. And the maps can be used over and over again. Certainly I've used a cavern map of mine at least four times with my current group. Each time it was the lair or corridor or ambush site of totally different creatures, and the group thought it cool each time. The geode caverns of the gnoll tribes could be used for any wilderness encounter, and etc.
   
   The various encounter suggestions are excellent as well, as they occasionally provide ideas and adventure seeds. As I also play in the Realms and Eberron, suggestions for how monsters tie in to both places works on multiple levels, or can give people ideas on how monsters can fit into their own worlds.
   
   As for the monsters themselves, I have to say I like 'em! I haven't had a chance to use a lot of them, because I have over a dozen monster books, and there's only so much death you can throw at your players in a single session. However, there were some excellent constructs, fey, and plants, always favorites of mine, in addition to some nasty oozes, elementals, and aberrations. I don't often use demons, devils, and various outsiders that often, so I can only say they look suitibly evil/good/neutral.
   
   The reason this book gets three stars instead of higher, is that there are less monsters for the buck, even though what is there is perhaps more useful. Also, switching the format for the stat blocks makes me sad, as I have to constantly search for the information I used to be able to find in a snap. Yes, perhaps I will eventually get used to the new format, but right now it just drives me up the wall.



2. Although it has some interesting critters, I found the inclusion of so many NPCs a waste of space. NPCs like those presented here should be doled out on the web. The book should be all about new monsters, not modifications of existing monsters. It's not the worst book I've seen from Wizards of the Coast, but it's definately one of the worst.



3. Of the additional MM supplements, this one is by far my favorite. As a DM who enjoys immersing my players into the eternal struggle between the evils of the dragon goddess Tiamat and those of the Good Dragon King Bahamut, the spawn of Tiamat are a frequently encountered enemy in my adventures. For those who are used to the format of previous editions, the monster statistics block had a slight change, but not to worry! Everything you need to know is still there. It took me some getting used to, but I think most DMs will find it convenient. Take advantage of the myriad creatures within, but be warned, there may be more monsters than your adventurers can cleave.



4. I've been a DM for about 15 years, and can see why many think that this book was not on par with previous editions. on the positive, for new dm's, or those without large amounts of time to plan can appreciate the monsters with class levels in the base 4 archtypes. i will admit, there have been plenty of times that i've had to do a shoddy mismatch of humanoid and class levels in a pinch. having it pre-planned gives a little more spark. weigh that against new monsters, its like apples and oranges. with the monsters in the other manuals, add to those from other publishers, it isn't going to kill the creature catalog to loose a few pages to the class levels, maps, and organizations within the book. Nit-pick for me was having the templates within the manual and not at the end of the book (my anal-retentiveness for remembering what books have what templates) Over all, liked the clockworks (more smaller ones needed, that's the jules vernian fascination in me tho), for me, the time saving beats the pages lost. Will i ever use half the monsters, no, but thats the same with most of the other books, i go theme based, over hit list any day of the game.
   
   my 2 copper



5. I purchased this book thinking I'd get a modest addition to the variety of monsters available to throw at my parties, perhaps spark some ideas.
   
   I was woefully disappointed when I received it. Dozens upon dozens of write-ups of leveled-up and templated creatures (Drow, etc.) from the Monster Manual and elsewhere.
   
   The new (?) creatures included were simply bizarre, and not in the good way. More the "Huh, that's.. strange... I can't ever imagine using that" sort of way.
   
   My suggestion - go to used bookstore, pick it up, peruse it. If you find a group of monsters that you are *already using* (or about to use) fleshed out nicely, go for it. Otherwise... well, up to you.

5 comments about Fane of the Forgotten Gods: Dungeon Tiles (D&D Accessory).

1. I was really looking forward to ripping open my two sets of Fane of the Forgotten Gods D&D Dungeon Tile sets. The Dire Tomb sets really re-invigorated my love for Dungeon Tiles after the disappointing Underdark set. Every time I built a dungeon using Dire Tombs I was able to use just about every single piece in the set. I built some multi-floor ziggurat-style dungeons that were large and expansive and a lot of fun.
   
   After opening up one of my two sets of Forgotten Gods, throwing them out on a table, and spending about an hour of trying to build a decent dungeon out of them, I have to say I am disappointed with Fane of the Forgotten Gods.
   
   First, there aren't nearly enough big room pieces. A good set, like Dire Tombs, included three double-sided 8x8 pieces. A good dungeon needs some nice big rooms. Instead, with Forgotten Gods, we only get two and two sides of them aren't rooms but overland buildings. One of them is a stable. A stable! What Forgotten God came from a stable?
   
   Because only two of the five sheets included large rooms, there is an abundance of smaller flavor pieces. I always have a hard time with the flavor pieces. I really don't want single square pieces. I much prefer larger 2x4 pieces with alters or 2x2 flaming cauldron pieces. There are a few nice 4x4 pieces in Forgotten Gods including some sort of sphere of soul catching. There's also some good statue pieces. Overall, however, there are way too many small pieces.
   
   Another complaint I have is the abundance of odd-shaped pieces. There are four corner pieces and a whole bunch of 45 degree aligned pieces. These are extremely difficult to place within a room or line up to any of the other hallways.
   
   I know the Dungeon Tile designers want to make these sets flexible but that flexibility comes at a high cost of usability. I'd much rather have a set with six to eight room pieces (four double sided rooms) and a smaller amount of flavor pieces. Dire Tombs really had the perfect mix of large rooms, good hallways, and nice usable smaller flavor pieces.
   
   I really can't get over that stable. I think I have a stable just like it with the overland dungeon tile set from a while back. Why not have a circular room or some other oddly shaped rooms?
   
   I hope future sets take the approach taken with Dire Tombs and less like Forgotten Gods and the Underdark sets. It shouldn't take a mix of multiple sets to make a good six-room dungeon.
   
   I really like the D&D Dungeon Tile sets now that I figured out the best way to use them. However, sets like Forgotten Gods are disappointing. I hope the designers go back to sets like Dire Tombs and avoid the abundance of smaller pieces over larger room pieces.
   
   Though disappointed with Fane of the Forgotten Gods, I look forward to the next release.



2. I have collected all of the Dungeon Tile sets that Wizards has put out. They are a great aid to the game since they help the DM lay out the adventure better and they greatly aid the players in getting true perspective on the areas. I have given these sets 5 stars in the past but have to give this one a 4. The reason is that after several sets they really should be trying for something different. With 4th Edition D & D at the printer, a wider variety of tiles would help round out the game before the big release in June. Aside from a few triangular rooms and odd shaped hallways, there is really nothing new here. Still very much worth the price but they should really endeavor to vary their products.



3. This was my first set of Dungeon Tiles, and will not be my last. The tiles themselves are very sturdy, so they should last a long time. Since the battle grid is pre-printed on each one, they are ready to play out of the pack. Using these tiles takes about the same amount of time as drawing a dungeon outline on a dry erase board, but they look much better. Plus, no messy erasing! Just pick up the tiles as the players move on, and reuse them for new rooms. The art on the tiles is cool, matching up with the theme of the set.
   
   For gamers that do not play D&D, these tiles are still useful for any game that uses a 1" grid.



4. Another useful tool in the DM's toolbox. These tiles are nice to have to populate your vanilla dungeon. That said, we've already had crypts and corridors. My next wish is to have more variety of outdoor tiles.



5. I'm happy with this product, though it's not quite as good as some of Wizards' other Dungeon Tiles releases. As always, the tiles themselves are sturdy and attractive, and I very much enjoyed the new temple-themed tiles in this set. "Fane of the Forgotten Gods" provides more 45-degree angle pieces than any previous set, so if you're trying to build odd-shaped rooms and corridors, "Fane" may give you just what you want. On the other hand, you will probably find it difficult to build an entire dungeon out of just "Fane" pieces, so you should consider this an add-on product rather than a stand-alone set of tiles.

No comments about Exalted Books of Sorcery 5: The Roll of Glorious Divinity II (Exalted).

5 comments about The World of Darkness.

1. This book, was a through, compelling and fun intorduction to the World of Darkness role-playing game. I found the instructions easy to follow and their simplicity was only amplified by the written examples of when you would use such rules during game play. A+++



2. All the details you need to begin a quest or improve on your current chronicle. Highly recommended.



3. Ok so it's not a fantasy setting but a horror setting. With a little twiking, it can be that or anything.
   I played the world of darkness setting from the beginning so when the new one (this one) came out I spent over two years before I would look at it let alone buy it. BIG mistake! This is one of the most eleqante systems out there. What makes this truly amazing is that even my 70 year old mother can learn this game in under a couple of hours and yet the game does not suffer from being too simple (ie "4th edition D&D). Perhaps what makes this game stand above D&D is that YOU make the character you want. There is no rolling of the dice to determine your scores. You want a 5 strength? then do it.



4. I don't want to come off all old school, but all these guys have done is D&D-ify what was a great system. The original WOD was about storytelling, not about having a rule for every situation. These guys have completely lost the beauty of the original game in a forest of rules. At one point they present hardness rules to explain why a drill bit can penetrate a safe. OMG! Do we need a rule for this, do I need a specific set of numbers for the drill and for the safe. How about we just roll to see if it works, set a difficulty and go. The explosion of d20 moneymaking by creating 'new' rules makes everyone think that that's what we want in roleplaying, but in fact most people I know just want a simple system to highlight the action and drama, and some great ideas to get you going. This book has a plethora of rules and no real original ideas. I won't be buying anything else in the series for sure. Try Burning Wheel if you want some ideas, its still rules heavy, but at least it's not just a poor ripoff of something that was great. Anyone got those old White Wolf rulebooks, keep them, or sell them on Amazon, they are RPG gold.



5. Why the title you may ask? I'm a little bit accostumed to the great quality of White Wolf's products. I ordered this with the Vampire the Requiem rule-book, and they arrived 3 days past schedule and with some little scratches on them. Amazon has to take better care of the stuff they ship.

No comments about Arcane Power: A 4th Edition D&D Supplement.