5 comments about *OP Litany of the Tribes 2 (GF,F, GW) (Litany Series , Vol 2).

1. This book features the Fianna, Get of Fenris, and Glass Walkers. Included are new facts, gifts, rites, fetishes, and just about everything you could want to know about them. Learn where the tribes came from and never worry about losing one book..all three are finally together!



2. This book contains the Tribebooks of the Black Furies, Bone Gnawers, and Children of Gaia. Contents are pretty standard--Camps, Fetishes, New Gifts, and tribe histories make any Werewolf flow better. If you play any of these tribes this book is a must... if you don't, it is still a good buy.



3. Once again White Wolf reprints information from previous books without giving credit to the orginal authors like they should. For instance, each tribe book was written by different individuals. They don't care to mention this here, but then they were only guns-for-hire freelance writers that don't get any royalites anyway. I hope that everyone that enjoys these books understand that the people that orginally wrote the stuff really cared about what they were writing, because they surely aren't getting the credit they deserve for the work that they did for a good game system that they helped to nurture.



4. This book is just like the one they publised last. There is no more than about a page of new source material.



5. Litany of the Tribes is a compilation of the now out of print Tribebooks Silverfang, Stargazers, Uktena, and Wendigo. The Tribebooks are helpful for building better thought out and fleshed out characters for your Werewolf games. I particulary found this one useful as I tend to play a Silverfang or a Wendigo more often than other tribes.

4 comments about Maximum Black.

1. Every illustration seemed to jump out and strangle you. Every image is beautiful, scary, erotic and exotic. The techniques used by the artist are great, with wonderful exactness and precision, but somehow out of control at the same time. The reading is quite interesting as well. Especially interesting are the sketches.



2. This is a fascinating work,definitely worth placing a special order for. How can beings so threatening be so beautiful? Bradstreet combines, in all his work, a sense of both easy grace and very real menace. The tattoos adorning his characters are as integral a part of them as the pelt markings of a leopard or tiger are to those animals: they are patterns of both power and beauty. Now,if we can ever get to see Red Sky Diary...!



3. I have followed Timothy Bradstreet's artistic progression since his collaboration with Tim Truman on Dragon Chiang. He has a style and an intrepretation of his subjects that is unrivaled and unequaled by the popular artists that glut the market today. Maximum Black shows the progression and graphic expressionism of his world. This is a world that everyone should be able to become immersed in, to lose your soul only to have it renewed and hopefully expanded. Discover Mr. Bradstreet and experience Maximum Black you will not be disappointed.



4. I have met Tim Bradstreet, and he like his work are simply amazing. His book, Maximum Black issimply outstanding. His use of the basic black and white create touching, erotic, and images that strike awe in the viewer. Overall, his book is only a piece of what mastery the man has over the pencil, pen, and ink!

5 comments about *OP Children of the Night (Vampire, the Masquerade).

1. I found the information in this book very useful, however I don't think that it was necessary to give this much detail on some major powers in the world of the Vampires and taking that power from the individual Storytellers.



2. This is a wonderful gallery of important storyteller run characters, with full stats and background histories that give a good feel for the characters' personality and outlook. There are exquisite portraits of each character by artist Christopher Shy (which earned this book another whole star from me.)

   The book still does maintain mystery about powerful figures like Caine (of course) or the Regent of the Sabbat (no more information about her or her predecessor either, apparently) but they have some really well detailed Sabbat cardinals as well as the current crop of Camarilla justicars and their archons. Some of these are characters who have been mentioned in past source books but never detailed. (The Gangrel Xaviar, for example, or Cardinal Strathcona.) There is also an independents section with examples of the Inconnu monitors for various cities. They assume that you can fiddle with these as needed and provide a basic formula for calculating the typical level of abilities for ancient vampires so that storytellers can make their own.

   My main nit to pick with this book is the fact that the selection of the characters listed seems arbitrary. Some are favorites culled existing source books and fleshed out or updated here. Others seem to have been made up just for this book, perhaps because there are future plans for them in or because they would seem to make interesting story hooks or because they are examples of a bloodline or character type. There seems to be a disproportionate number of Assamites- even a Methusalah whose stats are supposed to be mere suggestions of what it can do. (I guess they have plans....) Omissions are curious, too. Theo Bell is here, for example, (he's an archon) but Jan Pieterzoon is not. There are Setites but not Hesha. Or how about this- three of the four figures on the cover are Anatole, Lucita and Beckett. Their stats are NOT GIVEN in the book (? ) but those for Lucita's friend Fatima are given (she's an Assamite, right?) And these are just examples.

   So go figure. But don't worry. You'll find lots of uses for what's here.




3. This is an excellent resource, but, as stated in the book itself, if your players characters are powerful veterans, these archtypes don't have a chance against a PC with a Shotgun and Level 7 Celerity, but if you're players are mature, which they should be if they've played long enough to achieve Level 7 Anything, its wonderful to roleplay politics within the World of Darkness and this book helps a lot with the key NPC's.



4. This book contains detailed backgrounds and portraits of some of the most powerful cainites around. While some of the vampires such as caine and the regent along with the inner council aren't here (for obvious reasons) it is still very uselful for playing politics and when your players start killing everything they see just have a justicar roll on in and whoop his arse. If they can take the justicar then just spruce him up a bit so he can "compete". The information in this book is not meant for players and they should probably not read it if you plan on incorporating any of these power forces into a chronicle.



5. The way that Vampire: The Masquerade works gives a storyteller a lot of freedom to create. But sometimes it is good to have the help of a few pre-created characters too, especially lower gen ones. A very helpful section of this book gives guidelines for designing low-gen characters which I wished I'd had sooner. The book is divided into three sections: Sabbat, Camarilla, and Independent important/powerful figures. But it could really use an index so you can find clans or roles more easily. I'm intergrating into our game this summer in fact.

4 comments about TIE Fighter: The Official Strategy Guide.

1. i, being a veteran of x-wing the game, think that this is an excelent guite to tie fighter. the game is better than x-wing because there are more ships and more shooting. the guide is the best cause i cheated with it



2. I bought this book after I had already beaten the game. I only bought it because I am a Star Wars collecter, I wouldn't normally have bought a game guide. I was reading through it, and to my surprise it was written basically in the form of a first person novel. I really enjoyed the fresh perspective of a civilian worker (Maarek Stele) on a Star Destroyer, and this book is well worth reading.



3. An excellent guide to an excellent game. Very detailed analysis of the mission strategy, craft data, weapons, tactics, aso. that may kill you (could have been a bit less though). An innovative idea that makes this book a bedside novel one is the short story that links each after action report (for each mission) to a plot with a lot of characters of acceptable depth, but narration and plot wise this short story lacks (as expected so this is not really a flaw). The problem here, again, is the damn colour. Please we need some, we are not colour blind. All pages in black and white is a bore to the eye for a STAR WARS epic game. It's the same mistake PRIMA did with other strategy guides of superb graphic space combat simulations (see my other reviews). All and all a very good book that guides only for the basic game (up to Campaign Seven), needs its supplyment (Balance of Power guide), offers bedside excitement and bores you to death with black and white pages (I'm not racist but...)



4. "We have seen the end of bad gaming, we will soon see the end of the rebellion." This game is a high strategy game with enough firepower to destroy a computer! Using digital sound and lighting, a 2-D and 3-D effect blend, and amazing controlled colors and handling, this has become one of the hottest games around.

1 comments about Ultimate NPCs d20 Supplement.

1. If you want detailed NPCs on the fly this is the book for you. Period. It is easy to browse and find what you want. Though I would NOT say this is necessary for the DM, it IS cool and can be a good idea spark for an important NPC.
   I give this product 4 of 5 stars and was satisfied with the seller.
   What I write here is of course, my opinion. Your opinion may differ.
   
   Bob

2 comments about Tasslehoffs Map Pouch Legends (Dragonlance).

1. Beyond the excellent graphical job made by Sean MacDonald, every map has the "feeling" of being for a Dragonlance fan (novels and roleplaying games). The annoted map of Ansalon from Tasslehoff wins the day with the hand-writings from the kender an his toughts about the locations!



2. This pack is a great buy. Made specially for the RPG campaings, it has many usefull maps for DM's, and even some hand-outs for the players. Many people may complain about the size of most of the maps (Standard A4 size) but I like it better than the big folded maps, because the larger ones tend to thorn apart after a few uses.
   
   This is a nice buy for those hardcore (and even causal) readers of the novels, because sometimes you may fell a little lost in the vastitude of the world of Krynn, and the Tas Maps Pouch is a nice tool, for understand a bit more about dragonlance.
   
   I just felt that more maps could have a more "Tas touch", or even give the fell that they were hand drawn.
   
   Having said all that - 4 stars

5 comments about The Complete Book of Necromancers (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, 2nd Edition, Dungeon Master Guide Rules Supplement/2151).

1. Author Steve Kurtz went out of his way to find fictional examples of the various types of Necromantic Kits, and since most of them are from such stellar writers as Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker, H.P. Lovecraft, and Clark Ashton Smith, this book -- or at least the kit descriptions -- is an excellent introduction to the literary genre of the Necromancer. The one glaring ommision was the failure to mention Robert Louis Stevenson's "The Body Snatcher," about the 19th Century "Resurrection Men" who stole (and sometimes CREATED) corpses for medical students; also missing were such creepy types as Burke & Hare, and Dr. Knox. ("Down the close and up the stair/But and been with Burke and Hare/Burke's the butcher, Hare's the thief/Knox the man that buys the beef!") And let's not forget Sweeney Todd and those delicious meat pies Mrs. Lovett made!



2. This is definatly a great supplement, but that is all it is... a supplement. This book is not the be all end all campaign creator. I find this book, enjoyable to read (I admire the necromancer class) and a very excellent addition to building mysterious and dangerous necromancer NPC's (this book includes an suggested necromancer dragon!).

   With this book you can make an NPC to scare your players away, and show them just how powerful the dark arts really can be. The warned, this book is mainly for the DM for creating NPC's. It is not meant to be used as a Player "Class" option. However, I would possible let a player create one of these unique necromancer kits in the right setting.

   A must have for magic user freaks, and a DM looking to add a twist to their adventure.




3. This book adds depth to the most durable nemsis NPC your PCs could face. Evil spellcasters have long been a favorite and this book presents many new and powerful options. When used in conjunction with other books (e.g., V.R.'s Guide to the Lich, etc.) the value of this book becomes even more apparent. However, other books aren't necessary to get a wonderful experience out of this work. I definitely recommend it to any DM wishing to use priests and wizards who use the dark arts.



4. THIS IS A BOOK THAT CAN VERY QUICKLY BRING BACK SOME BALANCE TO A CAMPAIGN THAT MAYBE THE CHARACTERS ARE A LITTLE TO STRONG. THE DARK ARTS ARE POWERFUL INDEED, AND WITH THE HELP OF AN EVIL POWER (GODS, DEMONS, POWERFUL UNDEAD ECT...) NPC'S CAN GIVE YOUR PARTY REAL FITS, THIS IS ALL DRAWN OUT AND VERY EASY TO ACCESS IN THIS HANDY LITTLE BOOK. UNDEAD ARE COMMON TO AN ADVENTURING PARTY AND HAVING SOMEONE OR SOMETHING IN CONTROL OF THEM ADDS A LITTLE FLAVOR IN THE GAME. AS PC'S THIS BOOK THIS ALSO COMES IN HANDY IF YOU WANT TO PLAY A CHARACTER THAT HATES UNDEAD. ON A FINAL NOTE, THERE ARE SOME HANDY SPELLS AND POWERS (NEAT EXTA BONUSES AND PENALTIES) THAT AD A REAL TWIST TO A CAMPAIGN.



5. Not only odes this Suppliment provide a possible source of balance for the campaign and a number of interesting advetures. It is also a great sourse for odd Ravenloft Dark Powers. Futher the new spells and Kits allow Necromancers with a touch more character then the traditional raise dead/take over world Necromancers. As a DM I love this book! It is one of the finest supliments that I have read. As a player this is a great book as well, though it is for DM's, it can allow a player to make an in depth character that if used wisely can be one of the funnest and even "Goodest" charcters he'she has played. Very Well Done!

5 comments about Seafarer's Handbook: Sourcebook of Ships, Oceans, and the Beasts Therein (Legends & Lairs, d20 System).

1. A great resources if you want to add a splash of water to your campaing or want to sail away from the adventure your DM wants to plunge you in.

   Published under the open gaming license, this book fits in great with the WOTC rules for D20 3rd edition D&D. Giving you a couple of new races, that I would never use for a PC, but that can be very cool NPC's, both supporting and opposing the players.
   The new feats and skills fit in great with the thema of the book.

   The best part for me personaly is the chapter about ship construction and the chapter with the already designed ships. There is also a chapter concerned with moving and fighting ship based. The fighting part is realy detailed and nice, but I am afraid I will nearly never use it. That could just be personal, if you want to have ships fight, the rules do make sense and seem very balanced.

   The only reason I did not rate this a 5 star book is the fact that it is in black&white. Besides that, the artwork is good quality and so is the binding of the book.




2. Calling it realistic may be a stretch since I'm no expert on wooden ships, but I would say that it's more realistic than any of the 3rd edition competitors I've seen.
   This is mostly a book for lovers of "crunchy bits". It has lots of good rules for expanding your characters into aquatic adventures and a lot of rules for building your own ships. I think it may be the best D&D sailing supplement either, even knocking out the venerable Of Ships and the Sea.
   If you've ever thought you'd like to try a Pirates or Treasure Island campaign, then this is the book for you. The only moderate disappointment is the lack of color illustrations, but the artwork is mostly very good and none of it is bad.



3. I just recently bought and read this book with the aim of adding some watery adventures to my (typically) land-based adventures.

   I was not disappointed. I'm only 2/3 way through this book at this time, but felt compelled to write a review because I just WANT TO RUN A WATERY CAMPAIGN now! :)

   The book details three underwater races and provides ideas on how their cultures interact with each other and the land-based races. There are prestige classes, spells, etc. as with other supplements, and I found these ones a nice fit with the context of the book -- especially the Reef Warrior for added mystique. There's also the ships (as detailed in other reviews) and a few rockin' adventure ideas/hooks.

   I highly recommend this book. It beats many of the WOTC-published books I've purchased in terms of value & aid to my campaign.




4. This is truly an outstanding supplement for those planning on running adventures on the high seas. As I went through this book, I kept asking myself "Why isn't this in Stormwrack?" For those that aren't aware, "Stormwrack" is the official D&D supplement covering adventures in Aquatic environments.
   
   Don't get me wrong, the material in Stormwrack is good. I'd give it 4 stars as well. However, there is a TON of great stuff in here that Stormwrack doesn't mention. For example, how are skills affected underwater? There are some really good adjustments DM's should consider to certain skills when used underwater...most notably things like Listen, Spot, and so on.
   
   There are also some good and reasonable feats for use in aquatic environments, some nifty spells, and really tons of other material that I would very nearly deem "essential" for those running campaigns aboard ships or under the waves. Again, it makes one wonder why Wizards of the Coast didn't have some sort of similar material in Stormwrack.
   
   I should also add that the book is good quality, and that the art and so on are good quality as well. This isn't a cheap supplement of low quality, like some OGL stuff tends to occasionally be. This won't fall apart on you. I will mention however, that when I ordered it anyway, Amazon had it on 6-8 week backorder, so make sure you check availability before buying it here. If it's not available here, I'm sure you can find it elsewhere on the net.
   
   I highly recommend this product in addition to Stormwrack, for those who are planning to play or run games where the Sea is a primary setting location.



5. Seafarer's Handbook: Sourcebook of Ships, Oceans, and the Beasts Therein is a great book on pirates! A must for all pirate buffs!

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.

2 comments about Diablo II: To Hell & Back (Dungeons & Dragons Accessory).

1. As an avid Diablo 2 fan I have anxiously awaited this new release in the Diablo storyline modules. The description of the product as covering the entire Diablo 2 game from Act One to Act Four merely wetted my appetite for more. Imagine my dissappointment to find a product containing poor guidelines for encounter levels, recycled artwork, pages of filler (repeated monster descriptions from Diablo 2: Diablerie,) and typos so obvious you would think that this was rushed into production and not seen by a proofreader. Any adventure whose pricetag is 50% higher than the price of the core books should be stunning in content and form, presented without errors, and be clear in the descriptions of game mechanics. I have only the highest praise for all the changes made to the new edition of the rules. The sliding exp scale, rewritten character classes, and the smoother combat all add to the enjoyment I and my players experience in our weekly sessions. The first Diablo adventure had us playing 8 hour marathon sessions each night for almost 2 weeks. Perhaps my expectations were too high for this product, but it is disappointing in falling short of the standards I have seen in other books recently. I am sure that any inconsistancies in the rules contained in the product will be brought up in a forum either on the web site or in Dragon Magazine, however nothing can take away from the flow of a session as greatly as a player stating "... but I read online that ..."



2. This book was poorly made, not worth your money. i don't know [who] wrote this but he really needs to go back to english classes. The book was not put in order. They just took the diablo II computer game and put it in a book without worrying about the rules of 3rd D&D.

   Do yourself a favor...Don't buy this book!