5 comments about Coruscant and the Core Worlds (Star Wars Roleplaying Game).

1. One of the most memorable things about Star Wars is in just how unique the worlds are, and that is definitely the case here. The worlds in this book have one thing in common: they are Core planets. Other than that, they are as different from each other as Hoth is from Tatooine.

   This wonderfully illustrated hardcover book details no less than 29 Core worlds. Coruscant gets the most space at nearly 30 pages, and most of the other worlds, including Alderaan and Corellia, get three to five pages each. In general, each world has brief sections on its description, history, people, and important locations. Changes from the time of the Old Republic up to the New Jedi Order are also discussed.

   At the end of each planet's profile there is a "GM-only" section for each world with adventure hooks and a selection of important NPCs. There are also several new species, six new feats, about a dozen items of new equipment, over a dozen new vehicles and starships, four new droids, and more new creatures than you can shake a stick at (my favorite was the fearsome Coromon Headhunter). Sadly, there is only one new Prestige Class, the five-level Seyugi Dervish.

   While I really would have preferred to see a greater selection of PrCs, the book's other qualities largely make up for this deficiency. I should emphasize that while each planet receives a generous amount of information, it is by no means a complete description. The focus of the book seems to be on providing GM's and players with ideas for their own campaigns and characters, rather than on being an exhaustive resource.

   As a GM I found the plot hooks and NPC sections to be the most useful. And boy, there are a lot of NPCs, over a hundred of them in fact. Even better is the fact that the plot hooks and NPCs are often connected to each other, which makes for easy adventure creation.

   My main complaint regarding this otherwise excellent book is that some of the maps are a bit lacking. Specifically, many of them don't have a scale, which makes it difficult to tell if the map of this or that location covers hundreds of meters or dozens of kilometers. The maps are also far too small for tabletop use, but a trip to the copy shop should solve that problem.

   As others have pointed out, a GM would probably get the most use out of this book, especially in a Core-based campaign. Of course, a player could still find this book to be a valuable tool for fleshing out the background of a favorite character. Even so, there is so much variety, information, and so many ideas in this book that I'd recommend it to anyone. Overall I'm giving Coruscant and the Core Worlds a very strong 4 out of 5.

   And besides, what campaign could possibly be complete without the main characters visiting Coruscant at least once?




2. Prior to the release of this sourcebook, there were only three decent sources for information on Star Wars worlds. The first was the Star Wars Encyclopedia, which is filled with so much other stuff that unless you know the names of these worlds already, it's unlikely you'll find them. The second is the Guide to the Star Wars Universe, which additionally has no illustrations and little enough description. The third, and the one I used, is the Essential Guide to Planets and Moons, which provides some useful background info but was obviously not written with the RPG in mind (in fact, it predates it by several years). It's therefore a great relief to see that purpose-written hardcovers are being released that detail parts of the galaxy.

   The Core Worlds include many of the worlds mentioned in the movies and expanded universe- Corellia, Ralltiir, Duro, Alderaan, Chandrila, Kuat, and other notables. The systems are listed in alphabetical order save for Coruscant, which is first, and each section has the following parts: General stats (general trivia regarding the system), Description (basic description useful for introduction), History (summary of notable events in all SW periods), People (species and how they behave), Locations (some notable spots and cities, with at least one map).

   Additionally, there is a 'For the GM' section with adventure hooks, NPC heroes and villains from various eras that can easily be adapted to any of them, and various stat blocks for said NPCs, creatures, and unique vehicles and starships. There is only one new prestige class- the Seyugi Dervish (an unarmed fighter) but this book isn't really meant to detail those in the first place. Several new feats and species are added, most of which are obviously meant for NPC locals (the Brachiation feat, for example, lets you swing through trees at your speed).

   Perhaps the best thing about this book are the illustrations, which are numerous, original, and inspiring. Just getting a glimpse of the Core Worlds is often enough to describe them and plan a few nasty surprises for your players, and the sourcebook does a fine job of providing visual cues. The corresponding information is thorough but not long-winded, and ideal for getting your adventure going with minimal fuss. Coruscant and the Core Worlds really sets the standard for ease of use and value. I am looking forward to seeing similar ones that will describe the other parts of the Star Wars galaxy.




3. I for one can't imagine playing the Star Wars universe without it. I just reciently started playing using the core book and I have to say that world design is the tough part foe me. I don;t lack imagination but I like to have a little consistance from game to game and be able to create a sense of "reality". You know, plot continuity from the movies and all that. Without this book that would be an impossibility for me. I am not a die hard star wars fanatic so I really don't have the info on the entire universe memorized, and even though I don't know tons of facts, I find that usually my players can sense when we're just winging it. Making stuff up and it really doesn't make much fun. This books has what you're looking for. It has all the core worlds and info on each, carefully detailed and well written in a professional way. Weith plenty of NPC and plots tossed in. Just buy it. You won't go wrong.



4. Each Planet listed in this book has details on length of day, length of year, species, population, size, climate, terrain, & much more. Each one also has a picture of the planet accompanying it.
   
   There's also a map of the core worlds along with key location / site maps on nearly every listed planet(very cool).
   
   Coruscant has a huge 29-page entry to it. It also has the GM character Dexter Jettster, info on the Jedi Temple, and many more spots on this planet. Great for many, many adventures.
   Alderaan & Corellia get around 7-pages.
   
   There's also a few new species, many new creatures, and a lot of GM characters to throw at Players.
   
   Some starships are also in here, inlcuding : TIE/Ad Defender prototype & E-Wing.
   
   My only complaint is, there AREN'T more of these Planet books out there for this RPG. WotC could have done a series of Secrets of... books for each system (or something like that.)
   
   Otherwise, there ARE a lot of things in this book that will make players believe that their characters are in STAR WARS.
   
   So, yes, buy the book! Support this space fantasy RPG!



5. I'm not a big fan of the WotC SWRPG -- it's simply too complicated mechanics-wise for my tastes -- but this book is an excellent supplement and could be used obviously by its intended audience or by the old d6 WEG crowd with very little modification. It goes into substantive detail on a number of worlds and is well worth the price, especially for what Amazon charges.

No comments about Warhammer RPG: Game Master's Toolkit.

5 comments about Unknown Armies (2nd Edition).

1. This game is well worth it, and that's putting it mildly.

   The game's mechanics are simple whether you play street, global, or cosmic, and the fact that you're not limited by JUST what's in the book as far at character types makes it take your creativity to a whole new level; the only limits here are those of your imagination, and what your GM will allow. Over all, the game strikes me as a combo of Mage; the Ascension, Call of Cthulu, with a healthy dose Jung,(the man, not the game:) thrown in.

   The trick here is that the simple game mechanics may not work for game players who come from "traditional" statistic laden systems that simply require a dice roll to solve most problems; players must think originally, creativly, and the game indulges you to go places that some folks may fear to tread, so it may not be for everyone. It'll be a grand and enjoyable challenge for both GM's as well as players.

   Myself, I like it a lot, as it challenges more than just a few traditional ideas about life, the universe and everything; be prepared to be changed by this game, if ye dare!!!




2. It isn't often that I can read an role-playing game cover to cover and find that the game is playable and it reads well. Unknown Armies, UA, is a fantastic game with ten gaming ideas for every paragraph.

   The system is a simple percentile system but the system is elegant, letting the player characters flip numbers under certain role-playing situations. It plays dramatic and fast.

   The combat chapter begins with ways to avoid a fight. Then it launches into the way combat works. Beautiful.

   Magick is brutal and extracts a price.

   The world is fun and has a captivating cosmology while still allowing the DM and the players to make some choices about how the world really works and the headlines of the paper are fine adventure fodder.

   I cannot stress enough how well written and fun this game is. I have both played and run it. Please pick it up and find out for yourself.

   The works of Tim Powers are where many of the metaphysical ideas of the game come from. Check out his novels if the game appeals to you.




3. If you're a roleplayer, and you're tired of the same-old stuff, give this a look. The first edition of Unknown Armies was good, but the 2nd edition is much improved--the elegant rules are somewhat simplified and easier to grasp now (and thereby more elegant). The book is organized more logically, and the writers provide much better information on how to run a campaign, giving this book a lot more direction.

   It's a very setting-specific game: It seems that the world we know is full of secrets, and when you start to learn of some of them, everything changes for you. That in itself isn't original, but the details often are. The "feel" of the game is that choices have consequences.

   The rules focus properly on role-playing over rolling dice. Character generation is fast and simple, with only 4 characteristics, and no definitive skill list (players can make up their own skills, subject to GM approval). Combat requires only two rolls per round: initiative and a single attack/damage roll--whether you hit and how much damage you do is resolved in the same roll. There are three different and fascinating systems of magic, all easy to use, believable within the context, and highly flexible. The "sanity" rules are an improvement over the already-good Call of Cthulhu rules.

   A comparison to Call of Cthulhu is apt--both Tynes and Stolze have written quite a lot of Call of Cthulhu material in the past, and it seems almost a cliche now that so many people who read this book immediately start to think of how to incorporate Call of Cthulhu into it. But while there are many correspondances, at their hearts, Unknown Armies and Call of Cthulhu are opposites, and merging them is a difficult (but worthy) task. CoC is about a nihilistic spiral into madness and death; Unkown Armies is about desire, hope, and what you'll do to get them--and the consequences of your actions. As dark as it can be, Unknown Armies is set in a human-centered world; CoC is set in an alien-centered world, in which human hopes are utterly irrelevant. Both are wonderful games.




4. Unknown Armies is the game that brought me back as a RPG enthuisiast. When the first edition of this game came along I had grown tired of the overly popular games such as Dungeons and Dragons and all the World of Darkness games. I read an online review of Unknown Armies and its intrigued me so much that I got the game. I read it over and instantly was drawn in. Unknown Armies seemlessly blends its setting and its system. Its truly a character driven game where the beliefs (obsessions and passions) of the characters can affect the outcome of the game and the success of dice roles. The modified percentile system that the game uses works great and stays in the background, not intruding the roleplaying and plot development. Tynes and Stolze created a unique cosmology that sets UA a head above the rest of the modern occult, horror, and conspiracy games that are out there. The 2nd Edition of the game corrects a couple of bumps in the system such as spending experience points. More importantly the 2nd Edition sets the framework for very exciting and interesting UA campaigns. This is the best modern setting RPG out there and I am serious in saying that it has the potential for being the best paper-and-pencil RPG. I hate to use the words "instant classic", since that is such an oxymoron, but this definitely will be a classic of RPGs.



5. This is one of the most fun RPGs I've had the pleasure of GM'ing. It's dark, fun, sometimes humorous, and overall a blast to play.

No comments about Classic Battletech: Technical Readout: Project Phoenix (FPR35032) (Battletech).

3 comments about The Battle for Azeroth: Adventure, Alliance, and Addiction in the World of Warcraft (Smart Pop series).

1. Think of this book as more of a collection of random blog posts related around World of Warcraft. There was no real cohesion among the authors. I did really enjoy some of the early chapters, but the end of the book felt like a publisher looking for filler. This information could have been a single series on a website blog somewhere.



2. This book is very humorous & very serious look at "The World of Warcraft", packed with short articles & essays about nearly every facet of the king of all MMORPG's. Entertaining & informative, I'm happy I took a chance on this book.
   As most players of WoW know, this game can really be addicting! If you want to give up other vices, say smoking, you can by playing WoW, you won't have time for a cigarette, or you can loose weight! You won't have time to fix a proper meal!
   The contributors to this book address all of this, and other such subjects as the unique economy of "Azeroth", hacking, cheating, & even where our history & legends have been adapted into WoW.
   This is a fun book for any WoW player. Enjoy!



3. This is a collection of essays on WoW. I found the first 7 essays very informative and enjoyable. The last 5 essays seemed to be more complaints of people who live with WoW players and not so interesting accounts of addictive behavior.
   
   Part 2 of the book gives background and historical examples for each of the classes available to WoW players. This was very interesting provides insight into the way the classes were designed by Blizzard.

5 comments about White Plume Mountain (Greyhawk Novels: Greyhawk Classics).

1. Paul Kidd's Greyhawk trilogy is simply the best trilogy of books I have ever read. I know, you're probably thinking, "What about Lord of the Rings? Or Chronicles of Narnia? Or Harry Potter? Or even the Bible?!?" Sorry, bub, Paul Kidd tops the list. Even though the characters and story are set in a far-off storybook land, I feel I can relate to the characters somehow. I love the feistiness of Escalla, the grumpiness (yet warm heart) of the Justicar, the fuzziness of Cinders, the drunk wisdom of Polk, the innocent shyness of Enid, and the courage of Henry. I love all of the characters and I was eager to turn every page and see what adventure lay ahead for the weary travelers. ....I always thought these books would make an incredible TV mini-series or even feature film (can you see Bruce Willis as the Justicar? I can). I can read these three books over and over; I never get tired of them. ...I am looking forward to Paul Kidd writing more about the Justicar and Escalla's adventures together (unless Wizards has the rights to these characters and won't let him...which would be quite a shame!)



2. Great book. It was one of the funniest books I have read. To mix fantasy, action, and wit is very hard to do. Paul Kidd cuts to the point and does not take up a lot of time building some fantasy world with a lot of un-needed info. The story is about the charters and they are as personal as they are funny. This is a great start to a great trilogy.



3. Paul Kidd delivers a dead-on hit for those of us who played D&D! The voice his gives his character is pure joy, fun, and intelligent.



4. I checked this book out from my local library.
   
   This is an average novel with a couple of bright points. The book hews well to the D&D universe, with a few innaccuracies that are pretty annoying. The characters are steretypes, as noted by other reviewers--the Justicar and Escalla are an odd couple, and neither are very attractive as people.
   The combat cleaves to the D&D system, yet feels organic. The spells and magic are also accurate to the game.
   
   For some reason, the churches of Bleredd and Geshtai are shown to be in violent conflict with one another...for no apparent reason. Both are True Neutral deities, although their portfolios consist of Smithing/Mining and taking care of water sources, respectively, there is no reason for them to engage in violent conflict. Their clergy being presented as proud and haughty is another matter entirely.
   
   Secondly, the characters besides the Justicar and Escalla are described as having to leave large amounts of gear behind on the trail. This is a ridiculous situation in a world with several inexpensive space-saving magic items that would be provided to them for this important mission, that could hold as much supplies as they could possibly need for the expedition. These items are the most utilitarian and It is not a believable part of the story, it simply showcases the "superiority" of the main characters.
   However, inside the Mountain, the Justicar and Escalla's lack of supplies is shown to be a minor detriment.
   
   Also, there is a flaw in how the Justicar is able to tell what has happened to the main villain that makes no sense given the identity of the villain.
   
   The sentient hell hound pelt Cinders is the most unique character in the book, and his exclamations are very entertaining. The idea of the Borg-like Overman was interesting and I would like to have seen more of it.
   
   Overall, the book fits well with the D&D universe, with a couple of major exceptions. It will be entertaining to most people but will irk those who know something about the game.



5. I enjoyed this novel because it succesfully immersed me in the DD atmosphere. No high literature here, but a lot of fun. I am a roleplayerand and think that Paul kidd managed to carry me right inside a D&D adventure. The characters are well portrayed and they grow up during the adventure. You end up loving them particularly the fairy. Thanks Mr Kidd!

5 comments about The Complete Bard's Handbook (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, 2nd Edition, Player's Handbook Rules Supplement/PHBR7).

1. The complete handbook serie has to be one of the most disappointing serie to be put out by the folk at D&D. The lack of concision and the overall usefulness of those books are extremly disappointing. Let me first tell you what you won't find in the bard handbook : good illustrations, usefull charts, interesting new skills, or magic items worth mentionning. The reason for this is quite simple, there was no real reason to put out the book in the first place. All you need to know to play your bard caracter, can be found in the 2nd edition player's handbook and the few interesting novelty of this book should have been added there. I'm trying very hard to find something positive or new to mention about this book but there is nothing to find here, just 124 pages of things I already knew or would have rather ignored. If you really feel like you need to know more about how to play a bard character in your campaign, I suggest you look for historic books about bards rather then try to make sense of this one...



2. This book is probably the most useful book out of the ..... handbooks. If you were to create a Bard, which I would prefer, this book tells you about amazing kits, out of this world special abilities with magical weapons, spells, and more. I hope this would be of good use to you.



3. I recommend this book highly if you use kits. I have several of the handbooks and this one truly has the best kits of any of them. My players use to never play bards, but after getting this book we always have one in our groups.

   If you don't like kits this book proably isn't for you. However, it does have a good chapter on roleplaying bards as well as optional rules for a reputation system that is pretty interesting. There is a section on music which has a list of instruments with pictures and short descriptions. There is also a couple of new proficiencies, spells, magic items; however, I didn't find these particularly useful.




4. This book not only has great kits, it also has some very helpful charts in it concerning the off-combat role playing of the Bard. There is a table for legend lore rolls, money made playing in taverns, reputation and what kind of followers you can have. The kits are astounding and they really explore how far the rules let you go with the Bard. I am a musician in real life and playing the Bard with this book in hand makes D & D so much fun. I recommend this book to DM and player alike.



5. At the time it was first published, this book gave the bard class much to use. More so than the others in the "Complete" series, the kits are actually new character classes that just call themselves bards.

   However, this book does not translate very well into d20, although it should provide inspiration for new prestige classes.

5 comments about Demon: The Fallen.

1. Great WW... simply amazing work.



2. i love the demon story line. i love the lores and the powers that the factions but if you break the system down you have super vampires. replace faith with blood and torment with humanity and lore with disiplines and you have the kindred. this is not a bad thing. in fact i always toyed with the idea of interchanging the powers. overall not the best game WW ever made(exalted) but not the worst(wraith) excellent mixing game though i have failed to see how you can put a demon and a werewolf together. not a must have but a good buy none the less.



3. Beautifly writen demon the fallen is a great white wolf game that finaly allows non-n.p.c.'s to play as demons from the under world, this is backed up by a magnificently writen history of the demon era of humanity where demons ruled with humanity. And a full detailed accounting of Caine's fall from grace that all vampire fans have been waiting for. The only slight problem you may have with reading this book is if you are to bound to christianity and offended, probably white-wolfs greatest game next to Kindred of the East.



4. Very interesting. Requires more thought than most other RPGs. Ranks right up there with changling as far as the limits of the game is only your's (and the storyteller's) imagination.



5. DEMON:THE FALLEN is a role-playing game by White Wolf, set in the original WORLD OF DARKNESS setting. This game is about demons (obviously), but portrayed differently than in Judeo-Christian theology. Lucifer and the other fallen rebelled against God in order to love and serve humankind. There was war on Earth between the heavenly and fallen hosts resulting in great destruction and cruelty to humans, as the fallen used the humans they claimed to love as tools in their rebellion. Finally, the heavenly hosts were victorious and cast the fallen into Hell, a place of eternal isolation and nothingness. There, the fallen remained for all the aeons of earth's history.
   
   And now all hell is breaking loose.
   
   In DEMON, many fallen angels have managed to escape Hell, but it continually pulls at their essence. The only way for them to remain out of hell is to merge with a mortal body. The book implies that it is only possible to take the bodies of people with weak or broken souls; the brain-dead, the incurably insane, the suicidal, and those whose spirits have been crushed by the weight of a world of darkness. In this body, the fallen are very limited in their abilities; their memories of infinity and beyond have to fit in a mortal brain, and much is lost. Their fleshly shells are fragile, and the demons must continually search for faith to sustain themselves. They do retain some of their lore, their original ability to shape the universe, and their angelic form can be called upon at times. Whether they appear angelic or demonic depends on the fallen's level of torment, or how much they have succumbed to the dark side.
   
   The book is exceedingly well written, with the first third of the book exploring the setting and abilities in narrative form - it makes for very interesting reading. I also found it interesting that some of the fallen have realized their error in rebelling against God and are in search of redemption (a position that surprised me given White Wolf's propensity for sticking a thumb in the eye of Christian belief whenever possible). I'm also surprised that people think that DEMON borrows from Judeo-Christian tradition when it is clearly Gnostic. It has a very Gnostic view of God, creation, Jesus, and humanity.
   
   Many people (including myself) have wanted White Wolf to redo DEMON for their new setting. I think that they have chosen to replace it with PROMETHEAN: THE CREATED. It is billed as a "game of stolen lives", where a dead body is resurrected as a different creature, one with a mind but no soul. This new being searches for redemption, trying to understand humanity and to eventually become human. Prometheans even have Torment as a state they fall into over their suffering and have an "apocalyptic form" where their true selves are revealed. Many of the themes of DEMON seem to have been taken over by PROMETHEAN. If that is the case, it is an interesting decision by White Wolf.

3 comments about Rifts Conversion Book 1.

1. Dozens of monsters, racial characters, and NPC's for your campaign. Small and Large powerhouses of every shape and size. It gives you alot of decisions when creating your campaign and adds an element of unexpectedness when something suddenly pops up. Provides lots of tables for random percentage role from robot hit tables to energy rifle and pistol availability on the Black Market. Also provides conversions for every major Palladium book on the market!!



2. This book is aboslutely essential to running a successful Rifts campaign. Don't let the title throw you off. Only a few chapters of the book (less than half of the overall book) actually cover conversion rules from other Palladium systems. The rest of the book is a virtual bestiary, a Monsters Manual for Rifts! The book has a huge assortment of creatures for a GM to use against his players, and the monsters vary wildly in power, from ones perfect as first-level adversaries, to adult horned dragons! Stats are included for all of them, of course. The only reason I give this book a nine instead of a ten is because it failed to provide conversion rules from any other non-Palladium RPG. But overall, I found the book extremely valuable.



3. Now in a newly revised and expanded edition, Rifts Conversion: Book One by Kevin Siembieda is a straightforward player manual for blending source materials for role-playing games based upon the Palladium Fantasy multiverse, and which includes the rules for combining aspects of game universes such as Heroes Unlimited, Ninjas & Superspies, as well as over 100 monsters, stats for over 40 optional player races from giants to wolfen, and much, much more. Rifts Conversion: Book One is an excellent and highly recommended resource for combining role-gaming campaigns and play styles under a seamless and balanced set of rules.

5 comments about Warhammer RPG: Renegade Crowns (Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay: Renegade Crowns).

1. The game designers of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay continue to amaze me with their lush detail and beautifully produced supplement books. Renegade Crowns is another gorgeous book featuring outstanding artwork. Renegade Crowns is a campaign supplement that covers the Border Princes or Borderlands as it is also referred to, giving players a richly detailed, yet open-ended region to set-up their own campaigns and adventures. Note that it is not a guide to the Border Lands themselves, but rather a way for the GM to carve out their own region. Within the first few chapters, the GM will find all the information to quickly create their own unique region in the Borderlands through the use of various random tables.
   
   These tables include things such as geography and landscapes, types of border princes, inhabitants and communities of the region, characters, encounters, and more. These allow the GM to get their campaign set-up very quickly yet there's so many options and choices provided that you never get the feeling that it comes off as bland and cookie-cutter. You could set-up a campaign a hundred times and never duplicate the exact region because the tables are so diverse. There are also tables for generating all types of random Border princes from Knights to bandits, to priests and merchants, all with their own unique characteristics.
   
   Chapter six covers the hazards of the Borderlands including numerous different types of monster encounter tables and notes on designing monster lairs. A fantastic example of a region called Masserschloss is included and takes the GM on a step-by-step tutorial on creating a region. I highly recommend that every GM read this tutorial as it is extremely well-written and fully explains the entire process from start to finish. This really may be the most important section in the entire book.
   
   The final few chapters deal with becoming a border prince, first by seizing power and then by holding it. This covers everything from internal court intrigue to protecting your region from external attack from rival lands. There are many adventure hooks provided throughout Renegade Crowns to get the campaign off and running.
   
   If your desire is for power, then becoming a border Prince is a great way to go!
   
   Reviewed by Tim Janson



2. The Renegade Crows: A Guide to the Border Princes hardbound supplement for Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay is one of the better supplements available for the roleplaying system - and has a great deal of information useful for any campaign or fantasy setting.
   
   That said, this is not your typical game supplement. While it does focus on a specific region - the Borderlands to the southeast of the Empire - from the begining the book sets the scene that this is a fractious, uncontrolled region, comprised of myriad smaller regions vying for power or looking to secure their niche. As such, the topography, geography and borders are largely irrelevant.
   
   Other than some cursory information about a few standards in the Border Pinces, the bulk of the book focuses on how to create your own region within the tapestry of the Border Princes overall -- using an incredibly robust, detailed step-by-step process to breath life into your very own corder of the Borderlands.
   
   The region creation system helps an enterprising GM create their own vibrant area -- geographical features, towns, villages, riverways, and scores of interesting oddities... an abandoned shrine, a mystic temple, a ruined city from a long lost age. There are rules to further elaborate on and detail each of these features... How was this region ruined? What monsters or threat lurk in the area? Who rules the area?
   
   There is an excellent walkthrough of the creation process, and a fully-developed region ready for use, but it's quite fun to grab some dice and a sheet of graph paper and start plotting your own map. As the region takes shape, ideas for adventures spring to mind. The charts and tables for creating intrigue, rulers, conflicts and the other details are incredibly useful and easily applied to other regions in the Warhammer setting.
   
   My only disappointment is that it is a relatively short book - for the price point, I would have welcomed another 10-16 pages of content detailing existing material I could immediately access rather than generate on my own. Still, a relatively minor quibble given the excellent resources contained inside this tome.



3. With a wealth of helpful charts and ideas, and extensive background for running a Border Princes game, this supplement is a must for anyone who wants to create their own Warhammer experience. New careers, insights, and game aids make this book very excellent.



4. Unlike the other books of Warhammer Fantasy rpg, this one is set more like a tool book that allow you to create randomly a whole region. To achieve this, this book contain a system to generate randomly the geography of your region. Then it provide numerous random tables to determine ancient ruins, types of menaces, regional history, individual Princes, the personality of those Princes, their relations, the communities set in the region and the hazards that can be found on your random map.
   
   Because this book is not oriented on the definition of a Warhammer specific background, in other words, because it takes the form of a tool book offering a system to create and populate randomly a whole region with geography, history, encounters and politics this book have also for advantage to be useful for other RPG setting such as D&D. The conversion needed to do so is minimal to none.



5. This book is well written and full of great ideas for running a campaign in a difficult and politically unstable area. It's not like the other regional sourcebooks because it really only gives you the nuts and bolts to create your own region. If you're looking for a setting to run a campaign in without too much work look elsewhere, if you're looking to make a region your own and create pretty much the setting you want to play then pick it up. Would have been nice to have a slightly bigger map showing this area in relation to Brettonia and the Empire etc. but that's a small point really.