5 comments about Children of the Plains (Dragonlance Barbarians, Vol. 1).

1. I found this novel interesting to say the least, it's set back before the Gray-Gem (no dwarf's or kender) and we get the see the human's of Ansalon rise out of the mud and start becoming a nation of people in the first book of the Barbarian's Trilogy. The main characters seemed three dimensional, each having their own flaws and strengths, which was good to say the least. I found the character Amero to be the most interesting, and find myself wondering what's going to happen to him in the second part.

   Overall this novel was a good clean read, and I liked it. Fight scenes were good, just enough description, so I'm happy I bought it. One thing I didn't like though was the villains. They were very underdeveloped and seemed shallow in this first volume, but I'm sure that Paul Thompson and Tonya Cook will fill out their characters in the next novel.

   Final Thought: Buy it, it's good DL, and you won't be disappointed.




2. This book is fairly good, and has some great characters and an interesting plot (although not very surprising). There aren't no real problems with the book few grammatical mistakes , and it is fairly interesting. Yet I didn't give it 5 stars, why?.Well for it quickly becomes a story about one of the main character bonding with one of the Dragons , the problem with that is that back then , the Dragons of krynn were in close-knit groups and chromatic and metallic weren't dishing it out. Then there is the elven-human war, were a group of humans led by one of the main characters and armed with flint weapons manage to hold off the elven forces of Silvanesti for 10 years , that's ok, but then they lose their entire hold of the land in one battle because the elves somehow manage to take them out with a suprise attack using cavalry. Also I find it hard to believe that in 10 years the humans who are mainly aboriginal could create a village ,tame horses , and create a reliable weight and pulley system. Oh well , if you don't mind these oversights, you should read it .



3. i really liked the story, but parts of it conflicted with an earlier book, The Kagonesti. according to The Kagonesti, at 3811 PC, the elves had steel axe-heads, plate mail, swords, daggers, and arrow-heads. and the humans were allied with the elves to defeat the dragons. and balif was leading an expedition east to expand the elven territories. if anyone would lead a western expansion, it would seem to be quithas, who is absent in this book. also, according to The Dragons, the humans also had steel. the only race that used bronze was the ogres. this dragon duranix's existence also conflicts with The Dragons. overall, a good story, but it conflicts with the back story too much. 3 stars for the story.



4. This a really great book and deserves more than five stars! It keeps you wanting for more. Be sure to read the next two books (Brother of the Dragon and Sister of the Sword)! A great beginning and a suprise ending that you would never expect!



5. If you are familliar with any barbarians from Dragonlance it would most likely be Goldmoon and Riverwind from the Chronicles Trilogy. It is admitted that their characters were essential for the progression of that storyline but I felt them as dull and rigid and ultimately overshadowed by the other characters in the story. I felt that those type of characters could not hold a whole novel down on their own, let alone an entire trilogy. It would be fair to say that I was not terribly excited about beginning this series.
   With that said, I was hooked from the first page on. And no, I am not exaggerating. While being introduced to the characters, we are also introduced to an immediate threat to all of their survival. Each character was very identifiable and very human. Then later in the first chapter an even more capable threat emerges on the scene and before you know it are very concerned about these characters and how they will escape this harrowing situation. From then on the story is very fast paced, able to jump back and forth between two and sometimes more storylines. Some of the story is predictable but then other areas remain pleasant little mysteries and perhaps you'll find a twist or two that will make you lay down the book for a moment and whisper "Oh my gosh." Some of the main characters are fleshed out a little better than others, but I keep in mind that this is a trilogy and what we need to know is given to us. This book is a great read and would suggest it to any lover of fantasy even if this was the first Dragonlance book they would read. It stands alone and also fits well within the world of Krynn.

3 comments about DragonMech (Dragonmech).

1. DragonMech was an impulse buy from a bookstore shelf for me. I picked it up for $35, but since then I have reconsidered that to be a very cheap price. After all, it's a book about mechs!
   
   I found that, in addition to impressive core and prestige classes and mech rules, this book also boasts a complicated, exciting world setting. The history of Highpoint and the locations inside it were very well explained, but there were enough places where the DM could simply wing it and use their own imagination. I found the world setting well-integrated into other areas of the book, but many of the concepts could be taken seperately and used to enhance an existing campaign.
   
   There were many rules and variants that I liked. There were several new skills, but quite a few were simply new categories for old types of skills. I'm glad that they were designed that way, because it made importing them into other campaigns much easier. There were only a few new feats, but the small number helped to cut down a disadvantage that many sourcebooks have: an overproliferation of worthless abilities. The new spells definitely seemed interesting, though unlike many things in this book they are extremely setting-specific. Less than six were easily integratable into other settings.
   
   Equipment was very much a part of this book. There were rules for modifying current weapons, a plethora of new devices to be used, and even modifications to the new equipment to keep it interesting. The mech rules seemed unnecessarily complicated in places, but I suspect that was partly because of the sheer volume of information they had to get across. Considering how the rules could have turned out, I'm pleased that they were this simple.
   
   All in all, an excellant book. There are more supplements for this setting coming out soon, and I, personally, will have to buy every one.



2. Steampunk is a subject rather near and dear to my heart, especially when combined with fantasy. Mecha is also something I find my interest drawn to from time to time. I was excited when this book initially came out about 2 years ago. While I don't have every book that has ever been produced for the setting I do have most of the precious little that has been produced.
   
   Something about apocalyptic type setting always seems to draw it own crowd. In Dragonmech you are playing in the beginning stages of an armageddon type story. You and your fellow players have an oppurtunity to save your world from devestation, if not outright anihilation. Chicken little eventually got ridiculed for his proclimations that the sky was falling but in Dragonmech, that is a fairly good assessment of what is happening as a rogue moon is crashing into the setting's primary world. Inhabitants of said moon are jumping from their dying world onto the world of the PCs and are basically going t try and take it over. Sounds like the plot for a new video game doesn't it?
   
   What would a new setting be without new core classes, alterations to existing classes and new prestige classes? Not much according to the current climate of setting makers. But fortunately the new and altered classes at least on the surface make sense. You need people to pilot the mechs and people to make them. They made variants of rangers and rogue that are rather interesting. With rangers they kept the changes to a minimum and refrained from the all too tempting maxim of stripping that class of what precious few spells they get already. But they also give their variant rangers some new spells! Yay! The new rogue is more a saboteur than an assassin which, if you consider the setting, is a little more sensible.
   
   Everything revolves the mechs themselves. But considering the title of the campaign setting, not doing so would be rather disappointing. Practially 2 whole chapters are devoted to mechs: making them, fighting with them as well as categories of mechs for various races. They range from the bizarre to the almost normal. They even managed to shoe horn in a little critter selection which goes along nicely with the rest of the book as more than a few of the monsters cover the invaders.
   
   Dragonmech is a great title to pick up. Whether it's run the actual setting or steal bits and pieces for another setting it is versatile enough to work as a toolbox. Much of the setting reminds me of various anime I have watched and on one level I suppose that's intentional. For all those mecha fans out there, this setting could be a dream come true. Pick up a copy and give it a test drive.



3. I love collecting RPG`s, they are pure imagination and brain candy. Most of the fantasy genre follow familiar patterns and they all start looking the same after a while. Dragonmech managed to take a familiar concept and really turn it on its head.
   
   I just recently got it, and I was very impressed. I was not a big collector of the D&D line of books, but this campaign setting was really new and original, certainly an imprssive feat considering most fantasy games from Warhammer to WOW follow a pretty similar pattern to what Tolkeen wrote about.
   
   The idea of Mechs being the center of the story really shakes up the power structure. Each one is a power in their own right and can dramatically change the landscape. You could own one or try to fight one. You can conquer a kingdom with one or use one to offer sanctuary to fleeing refugees. The whole story has a very nomadic feel to is as there are very few fixed settlements, everyone must make due with mechs.
   
   Mind you, the basic D&D structure is there so you can still be a warrior or mage or whatever, but how powerful is your magic compared to a guy who has a walking battleship (with the equivalent firepower installed), and how much can your warrior do to the hull of a mech besides scrach some paint job. The wimpy gnome pilot becomes a champion (or tyrant) with his ability to destroy a city.
   
   Anyways, top marks for originality and creativity. If you want a traditional fantasy setting, maybe you might like some other setting, but for something really `out there`, give this a try.

5 comments about CHARACTER RECORD SHEETS (Advanced Dungeons and Dragons 2nd Edition Accessory).

1. These sheets are very handy for recording basically anything about the player characters in your game. Blanks are included for all aspects of the characters, and there is plenty of room for any miscelaneous information.

   Although there are many other equally good ( and, furthermore, free) character record sheets on the nets, buy this if you like company-sanctioned materials or just want a bit more reliability.




2. A MUST have! This book contains almost everything you need to play. Sure, you can get character sheets, but you can make your own sheets, and this book helps. If there is only one book you want to have for AD&D this is it. Definatley a must have to play.



3. Ever since I started playing AD&D I have found the character sheets to be too small, restrictive, and limited to the rules of the book. If you need any kind of flexibility then the best idea is to get some free character sheets and then to design your own. Don't waste your money on this stuff unless you really have no intention of branching off the Basic AD&D rules



4. Ever since I started playing AD&D I have found the character sheets to be too small, restrictive, and limited to the rules of the book. If you need any kind of flexibility then the best idea is to get some free character sheets and then to design your own. Don't waste your money on this stuff unless you really have no intention of branching off the Basic AD&D rules



5. Overall I like them, The fact that you can photocopy them legally is a plus. The sheets themselves are pretty good. They come with space for pretty much anything you could want to record. So what's wrong with them? They're incredibly hard to remove from the book without ripping somthing, I've managd to do this a few times, but it's still a pain in the neck. It would be nice if they had detachable pages.

5 comments about Faiths & Avatars (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Forgotten Realms, Campaign Expansion/9516).

1. One of the best accessories for the Forgotten Realms setting. If you have clerics as PC or NPC in your campaign, you shouldn't wait any more to get this one. Has every god of the FR with lot or informations about pantheon, church and above all the specialist priests for all gods. Don't wait! You are missing something really incredible! Hope you enjoy it as much as me and my players did!



2. In my humble opinion, this should be bought if you are planning to play a campaign in the Forgotten Realms setting. This book has it all. It explains the history of religion in the realms, it explains the expectations of the clerics in each religion. The granted powers of the clerics are very powerful, but can be adjusted for any campaign. It explains the allies and foes of each religion, the restrictions, the minimum requirements, and day to day duties. It would take me more than a 1000 words to give the book the justice it deserves.



3. Definitely an excellent guide to every major religion in the Realms. There do happen to be a few missing, but it's neither here nor there when you take in all of the information for use in your Forgotten Realms campaign. From specialty priests and their specifics to god-specific spells, you've got enough information to answer any strange question your players throw at you, or at least enough information to squeek your way out of it. This is a must-have item for anybody who uses religion as a role-playing tool in their campaign.



4. This book and its second sequel, Demihuman Deities, should be on every player's shelf. Powers & Pantheons (the book directly following this) was a big let down.

   F&A is still a very worthwhile buy, even if you've converted to 3rd. Most of the material is story based (rather than mechanics based.) It's worth it for information on Moander, Bhaal, and some other deities who `died.' Some of the deities were shortchanged in the newer FR hardcover. F&A has complete write-ups and pictures for these gods as well.




5. Faiths and Avatars, Powers and Pantheons, and Demihuman Deities make up for one of the BEST Forgotten Realms accessories (they are in trilogy form) ever made. The Trilogy sheds light on exactly what the title says: Gods-and there sure is lots of them! The books, which are very well written and very well presented, also focus on other areas such as each church's distinct culture, tradition, and history. As a result, they will win you over for sure!
   
   Eric Boyd does a FANTASTIC job of presenting the different pantheons, ranging from background history, to rank descriptions, to their respective magic, thus allowing for the creation of important people and characters, to adventure hooks and encounter tables, to magical items and artifacts, to new spells and treasures. This accessory has it all and more!
   Each god has his own supplementary text information, clerics' and worshippers' alignments, Specialty Priest class and their alignments, church symbols, specific spells, special abilities, dress garb, even information relating to actual temples.
   
   For other FR references/adventures, I STRONGLY recommend: the Old Empires accessory on Chessenta, Mulhorand, and Unther, Dreams of Red Wizards on Thay, Dwarves Deep, Draconomicon, the Jungles of Chult and Moonsea accessories, the Shadowdale, Tantras, and Waterdeep adventures, the Ruins of Myth Drannor (Elven pantheon) and the Ruins of Zhentil Keep Box Sets for Bane vs Cyric material (they are Second Edition AD&D, out of print and it will take a bit of searching, but it's well worth it). For updated editions of events in the Realms, see the Third Edition Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting, which even though is quite expensive, is still very useful to all FR fans.
   
   Moreover, for those interested in the gods, the Forgotten Realms novels to read are: The Avatar Trilogy- Shadowdale, Tantras, and Waterdeep, the Prince of Lies, and Crucible: the Trial of Cyric the Mad. In addition, the Ring of Winter is relevant to the Chultan pantheon and specifically to Ubtao, as it is the only novel set in the Jungles of Chult.
   
   Faiths and Avatars, Powers and Pantheons, and Demihuman Deities along with the Forgotten Realms Adventures accessory, and the three Forgotten Realms Campaign Settings (one for each edition) are a "must!" They all compliment each other.
   Whether you are playing in the Forgotten Realms or in the Planes, this trilogy of books will be of tremendous help in collecting all the information you'll ever need.

No comments about Mansions of Madness (Call of Cthulhu Horror Roleplaying, 1920s Era).

5 comments about Cthulhu Dark Ages (Call of Cthulhu Horror Roleplaying, Chaosium #2398).

1. Cthulhu Dark Ages is a stand-alone RPG, and a "prequel" to Call of Cthulhu set around the turn of the first millennium, in the 10th century A.D. I could stop this review right there and you'd pretty much have it, but I should mention that Stephane Gesbert, the author, shows a pretty solid grasp on the grubby physicality of the era that comes out in the text. (The historical material is okay, but necessarily pretty superficial.) This is Cthulhu without shotguns, or libraries, or any of the other crutches that can vitiate the horrors of the Mythos. It's just flickering torchlight and the cold wind from the North -- and it works really quite well. I didn't begin enraptured with it, but the more I read the better I liked the material. Every so often, Gesbert throws you a curve ball, with some surprise identifier of medieval monsters with Mythos creations that evokes Delta Green in its vertiginous cleverness (star-spawn as dragons), or a well-thought adaptation of the basic rules set for medieval assumptions (the disease table goes a long way to reinforce the difference a millennium makes to us mayfly humans). A lengthy scenario completes the book; intriguingly there are no d20 Call of Cthulhu stats given.
   



2. The Dark Ages and the Dark Gods of the Cthulhu Mythos: what could be more pleasingly horrific?

   Want to know how dark the "Dark Ages" could really have been, from the Lovcraftian perspective? Your wish is granted!

   Curious about what happens when midieval role-play gets mixed with cosmic horror? Then this is for you!

   "Cthulhu Dark Ages" opens up a new doorway on the world of "Call of Cthulhu" role-playing, providing a venue for players and Keepers who want to explore a time when the amenities of the post-Industrial Revolution world do not exist even in the wildest of dreams . . . but horrible things still lurk in the dark places of the world, and just out of sight in the corner of one's perception! This truly is a new world for CoC players, where things are VERY different from the way they're used to having them! No firearms, explosives and electric lights to fall back on here, folks!

   This book is the perfect cross-over for CoC Keepers and players who want to take their Lovecraftian horror RPG into the realm of either a historic or fantasy midieval setting. It will tie in neatly with any number of popular fantasy or Middle Ages RPGs out there (I won't name them; you already know what they are if you're into them). And it's a great addition to it's own parent Call of Cthulhu system, too, of course!

   This is an essential addition to any die-hard CoC player's or Keeper's collection. I can't recommend it enough!




3. Though a bit thin on background. Considering, however, that this is a more historical game than some other sword and sorcery style systems, it is easy to get background on the times and people from your local library. The adaptations of the Basic Role Playing System found in the standard Call of Cthulhu rules are interesting and logical. The idea of dark horror in these dark ages is interesting (like the game Vampire: The Dark Ages).
   
   The only negative I found was the idea of point expenditure for character creation. Instead of rolling random dice you have a number of points to seperate between all attributes. One of the intriguing things about CoC is the range of characters that the random rolling method creates. However, this is a minor point, considering you can always just use the standard dice method if you prefer. The point method appears to be an attempt to achieve game balance, which is kind of funny considering your average Cthulhu entity can eat your face off even if you are armed with a machine gun.



4. I second most of the other reviews. It's a great stand alone game (you really don't need anything else to get informed and going). I'd add though, that they try to "fantasy" it up a bit, given that it's set in the past. They add some fantasyish magic, and a few other unrelated fantasy creatures that many might consider as taking away from the general theme of the game. It's all usable at the player's/game master's discretion, of course, so it's all good.
   
   None of the former would cause me to give it a poor review however, but the historical overview and related tidbits on these erroneously called "dark ages" do. It is so full of factual errors, outright contradictions, and false cliche and bias that it could make someone incensed with anger. Of course, it's not all error, but if one doesn't know anything about the era, well, take it all with a grain of salt.
   How much of that is done intentionally in order to promote a "dark" and "depressing" setting for the game, who knows?
   Anyway, the history lesson is only a portion of the book, and information on that abounds elsewhere.



5. Cthulhu Mythos in the Dark Ages just plain makes sense. For nittier-grittier sword and sorcery, this system is probably better than any of the d20 systems. This is also a much more streamlined system which allows you to focus on story and role playing rather than mechanics and dice chucking.
   
   While I like it, too much of it is given over to rules, not setting, etc. I would have liked to see this more as a supplement to the core Call of Cthulhu game than as a stand alone product. That said, its a good alternative for people who only are PCs, never a keeper. Keepers should have both this and the Call of Cthulhu "big book".

3 comments about Exalted BoS 2 White and Black Treatises (Books of Sorcery).

1. So...we are treated to yet another book upon sorcery (with Savant and Sorcerer behind us,the Book of Three Circles behind that,and the Book of Bone and Ebony,and countless other spells and the like mentioned in other books) which as always stated sorcery is one of the most useful and powerful tools that any exalt can make use of.
   
   But why does it seem that it always repeats itself,I mean seriously...within this new volume all of the spells from pervious editions seem to have been repeated...we are treated to yet again a discourse on what it means to be a sorcerer,and while it does add in some new and interesting features (like absorption charms...which is what kept me from giving it a lower rating) all of the old repeating yet again is...I don't know...disappointing to say the least about a subject that is "suppose" to be near limitless.
   
   One could say that they are doing this to simply educate those who have never played Exalted,but lets face it...if your picking up this book then chances are very high that you know exactly what Exalted is,and it has been around long enough now that I think we can safely assume that people who are picking up this book already play the game and know all about it. They also likely have the other books before hand and especially those who are interested in playing sorcerers in Exalted know all of this.
   
   The book again is not a total lost...but the future of Exalted stands upon a precipice as I see it...it must move forward not only story-wise,mechanically wise,but also what is provided as new content and abilities must also move forward. The future of the books of sorcery I think should focus less upon what was...and move forward to what could be...new designs,new spells,and new objects of power should be the focus...not rehashing the old stuff that the majority of the people who pick up new Exalted books already know and have.



2. Please forgive my spelling mistakes cause my english is not my native language. ;)
   
   White and Black Treatsie is a good book lets be honest.
   Its not THE book, but it is a nice compendium of old spells and stuff.
   It has new fiction, new ideas of how to measure sorcery in a game and how it can be learned, from where, who started this and most important gives hints that sorcery is NOT something natural to Creation. Cause there is no Celestial Incarnae in charge of the Sorcery portfolio. Interesting.
   
   Although the book has a plethora of many many spells and ideas of new ones it is somehow repetitive and the feeling that sorcery is something MIGHTY is lost.
   
   In a game-level view, sorcery is supposed to be something powerful that could destroy minds, enslave gods, create new materials, raise war machines from essence itself, erode any spell or charm, and in short: do anything possible in the willworker mind, yet many spells are weak, simple, monotone and powerless in comparison to high-level Siderial Martial Art Charms.
   
   So although the power-level is somehow vague and lost between Charms, Artifacts and Sorcery. The book is a good one. You must buy it, really. Has tons of ideas, created magic, sources and great fiction plus excellent illustrations.
   
   A must have.



3. if your having a crissis ,trying to decide between buying savant and sorcery, bone and ebony, and the book of three circles.buy this book and save your money on the other crap. yeah the other books got some cool smack on it, but this book has all three of those wraped in one book (minus the other cool smack..) it give the basic bull and none of the confusing junk to boot. buy the book, you know you want it ;)
   enjoy and happy shoppen.

5 comments about Arms & Equipment Guide (AD&D 2nd Ed Rules Supplement, DMGR3).

1. I thouroughly enjoyed this book. It contains accurate, relevant,and useful data pertaining to any and all equipment, weapons, armor, and other miscelaneous things necessary in order to create an historically-accurate gaming experience. Some of the areas could have used more fleshing-out, and some cultures' implements have not been described as well as they should have been, the book is probably the best that could be done in the space alotted.



2. I was a bit suprised becose of the babble about every thing. Every armor has one entire page of text and another page for a drawing, still it adds a few weapons that I was suprised that were not in the Player's handbook, for an example Bolas and Caltrops



3. this guide doesn't even have all the weapons in the players handbook. It mentions the ability of some weapons to break other weapons but never gives rules for that, and pretty much leaves out everything about all weapons except their history. the armor pictures are pretty good though, but that just isn't enough



4. I had been searching for this book for a while, so when I finally acquired it, I was looking forward to making the re-acquaintance with this accessory. On reading the guide more thoroughly I was both impressed and disappointed. Impressed by the comprehensive history, more comprehensive barding coverage, addition of detail, and expansion of the often dubious area of spear/pikes & damage they inflict. However, once the euphoria of looking in these areas and descriptions of weapons and arms, the document disappointed as a whole. It had little that would add practical elements to adventuring, and would probably only stand one or two thorough reads, weapon summary excluded, and that alone does not make for a lasting document. A great idea, but could have been advanced further then it has been in this production.



5. Interesting, but not as useful as I'd anticipated. Good basic descriptions of different armor and weapons. Would have liked more on the wonderous items and non armor, no weapon items.

5 comments about Clanbook: Setites (Vampire: The Masquerade).

1. Those Wacky Setites! This book is one big Sob story about how all the other clans (meanies that they are) MADE them do all the evil stuff. But once you get past that and stop laughing (which took me quite a while) the book provides useful info on setite paths, rituals, merits/flaws, etc. A good book, but for me it was better to set the mood than to have practicle use. It could have told us a bit more about Set himself.



2. Well, not quite what I exptected, but good, none the less. It has a complete (well, as complete as you'll get) history of the clan, as well as plans for the future. There is some rather usefull information in the book, unlike the Lasombra book (which is full of a bunch of self-righteous lies!). Also has two cool new paths, as well. Set will take the world down with him, so all you gringo antediluvians watch your back!



3. Gods, you have got to love the Setites. The book shows how the Antideluvians have tricked all the other stupid clans into thinking poor innocent Set (those gods of darkness always get the bad raps you know..) is the bad guy. Set however, shows how much he looooves humans (in more than a yum yum smorgasborg kinda way) and that he is actually trying to prevent G'henna..or at least until his archenemy Ra burns out....that stupid sun. Once reading this clanbook, all will realize that those Setites are the true champions of justice! Go Set!



4. You have to love the Setites, mainly because they have something I feel the others don't, an honest to goodness goal. And they aren't the "evil" little things you would love to turn into a belt or anything (but they are by no means "good"). This book gave a detailed history on the clan's history, offers clan merits/flaws, and has a few stories that bring on the laughter. I felt the authors could have elaborated more on Set himself, but nevertheless, this is an excellant buy.



5. To my knowledge this is the best clanbook. I haven't seen such indepth history of a clan from any of the others, plus it has all those cool merits/flaws, and the neat templates that give you good hints as to the type of personality a setite would have. The Setites are one of the coolest clans and although they aren't "GOOD" persay they aren't the run of the mill, flat as paper background baddies either.

   It just leaves the mind to wonder how any clan could compete with the setites :) shnoogens!

No comments about Ingenious.