Roleplaying Books

Make them go out with a bang! This extensive adventure is for high level characters. The DM may use this adventure to end his current campaign by literally allowing the current campaign world to be destoryed during an epic battle. This adventure is extensive in detail and interesting. It's one of the better high level adventures I have seen in the older TSR D&D line.

This is one of the best d&d adventures I have ever read! It is great if you have a long, developed campaign that you wish to bring to a glorious end. This story reads like a movie, filled with secondary plot hooks and opportunities to insert earlier campaign elements flawlessly (these old nemeses that lie about)... It is very atmospheric and emotionally engaging, if you are into world-shaking events.

Although I seldom play d&d now, having switched to white wolf systems, I had this book recommended to me with the highest praise, so I bought it. It is one of my most prized posessions now too, and I am only looking for a chance to go back to a new fantasy trip into the end times.

Warning, spoilers beneath:

I've recently gotten back into AD&D, and picked up this module because of the unique premise. End the world and make your players responsible for it! The problem with the module however is that the players have very little hint of what's coming. Yes, I understand that this is what makes the module such a shock and great RP experience, but as written the reason the apocalypse comes about is unknown to anybody but a select few. To me, this means that the players won't have a sudden realization of a prophecy coming true, or realizing what an old myth really means. Instead, they're tricked into destroying the world and have absolutely no way to realize what happened until the final revelation (yes, they do get hints as to what's happening, but not why until then). I feel it would be much more effective to start a campaign with the idea that the world could be ended with this adventure, and then give hints through mythology or prophecy that slowly lead up to it.

That said, this is one of the better written AD&D adventures I've run across. There's little in the way of dungeon crawls, and a lot in the way of role playing, epic confrontations and last minute attempts at redemption while a world collapses (the final battle kind of reminded me of the beginning of "Superman" when Krypton exploded.. only with an epic fight going on in an attempt to stop it. The encounters are truly fiendish and dark, with hints on how to make them even darker. Again however, this might be too jarring for players who've played a campaign up to this point in a more usual style. Also, some of the challenges the players face have very little way to know what the correct choice is, and if they choose wrong they have no chance to even attempt to save the world.

I find the concept of this adventure quite intriguing, and many of the ideas can be used, but I feel it will work better if this endpoint is considered a possibility in a campaign that's just beginning, rather than saying "Well, nothing left to do with these characters, time to end the world with a bang."

I am a DM for me and my friend's D&D 3E campaign, and when I used this book I saw a total difference in my players. It was a lot of fun first of all, to be able to make up so many lies to my players and actually have them believe me! The thing that REALLY got them, was that they destroyed the world. When I told them this, they started saying things like "Oh well, atleast the rest of the world is safe. This poor place doesn't matter" Than I told them they actually destroyed... the world!

They were wide-eyed and started freaking out, it was funny. Before they were too impatient to solve a small puzzle with fire, but after we finished this whole adventure, they discovered the importance of puzzles and adventure. The book is a little overpriced, but it would be well worth it if money is no object.

Considering this is a TSR product this adventure is not too bad. But it does suffer from the TSR curse that it just does not create a realistic adventure at all.

First what is good about this product: Well, it is different which is a welcome relief after myriad products which have similar themes just different names. There is some thought behind it and that shows.

What is bad about it: This may take a little while. First, it is inconsistent. In the test areas, where it is extremely important to have a uniformity of mind, one of the tests is failed if the characters get distracted from their goal. But a later test requires them to do just that to investigate a problem! Makes no sense. Second, it is linear, as most TSR products are and there is little chance to roleplay. Third, the adventure just makes no sense. The GM will strain credulity to have players who demand a small modicum of reality and rationality in their campaigns buy all of this. A little too much is explained by magic. Oh well.

Still, this is one of the best TSR products I have seen for a very long time. Most of them are trash in my opinion as they appeal to novice gamers or those who powergame and forget it is about roleplaying. This one makes a valiant attempt to try something different.

Don't be mislead by the size of this monster. This book puts ALOT of detail into each chapter so it appears much bigger and longer than it actually is.

It's not that bad but it's kind of simple but it is fun if you like a real straightforward kind of story. It's also got alot of great source information about Antarctica in the back.

It's not a bad buy but it is pretty over priced for what it is. I felt jipped out of what I spent. I'd reccomend this book if you found it for cheap but don't waste money that you could spend on something better.

This monster of a module is the penultimate CoC adventure. In every way it is what a module ought to be: Elegent (despite its bulk!), open-ended, and chock full of action and mystery to keep the players interested. I cannot recommend this book enough. Chaosium really outdid themselves!

This colossal volume combines both an epic adventure, based on Lovecraft's "At the Mountains of Madness" and a complete Antarctica sourcebook. The level of detail is extraordinary. Special investigator sheets are included, with stats specific to an Antarctic investigator.

Oh Boy! Make sure you are prepared before you embark on this adventure. "Beyond the Mountains of Madness" is an incredible investment in time and energy. The book assumes that the keeper has read and is familiar with both "At the Mountains of Madness" as well as Poe's "Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket." (As far as preparation goes, this is a joy. They are both great books, and should be read anyways.) It took our group about 5 months to complete, and we skipped several optional sections. The adventure takes place in several chapters, including preparing for the trip, the ocean trip to Antarctica, on Antarctica, and then the trip home.

The book is a challenge for both keepers and players. If done well, this will be one of your best adventures ever.

It is hard not to use an adjective that has not been used here. This is an incredibly good module, and its size and scope is breathtaking. The size and depth of playability beggers belief- weighing well in at over 400 pages, this module will take a group of players about a year of solid gaming to complete.

The plot is based on the H P Lovecraft story o fthe sma ename and plunges the players into an Antartoc expedition, and a search for the last vanished expedition. Amply filled with source material, there is enough for a keeper to pick up and run with, or material to fill out. We spent 2 long sessions merely investigating the kidknapping in the second chapter.

The remarkable thing is you can actually read this and be entertained- its that good. If you have one and have played it, for goodness sakes sell it- this is a treasure.

The materials provided are excellent, and really add a depth to play that you will be hard pressed to replicate elsewhere.

Grade: A+++

And that's the essence of my "review." More of a recomendation really. This massive tome is - if not THE best, certainly one of the best game supplements ever. However, you don't have to play CoC to enjoy it. "At the Mountains of Madness" is one of Lovecrafts best tales and this gaming supplement provides a wonderful "what if" scenario that extends and explores the ramifications of that short novel. If you are any sort of a fan of Lovecraft you will find plenty to enjoy here, gamer or no.

Physical Appearance and Layout-

* Blood of Heroes Special Edition is a large softback with a beautiful if generic cover. The artwork throughout ranges from passable to awful. The layout is tolerable, if somewhat counter-intuitive. The sections are not always laid out as i would have, but, oh well.

System-

* As the (latest?) version of the old Mayfair Exponential Roleplaying Game System (MEGS), it is a very comprehensive game, capable of handling more powers and situations than any of the previous versions of MEGS that I have read (1st and 2nd Editions). That said, it is 'Old Skool', and clunky; very time-intensive with its choosing powers and ratings, then looking up the 'level'-costs for each, and because this is a self-contained book, there are no easy reference pages, which means one must either photocopy those charts, or constantly turn back to the pertinent pages. This makes for a frustrating character/villain/gadget experience, and frankly, limits its usefulness to me.

* I'm not going to explain how the MEGS system works, as any Google-search of Mayfair DC Heroes RPG will turn up a number of useful pages that do a much better job than I feel I can fairly do within this review, and which is beyond the scope of this product's domain.

* Does Blood of Heroes Special Edition do a better job than previous editions? Perhaps. From what I gather, it has built upon Mayfair's 3rd Edition, and continued to streamline it, though as noted above, the single book design is not a plus as far as I am concerned.

* I'm not certain that this system is especially germane to the contemporary RPG experience when there are other systems available with a more current mindset regarding sleekness of character and game mechanics design available, but it certainly appears as playable as any of the previous editions once the AP charts are in hand.

Overall Evaluation-

* If one is a MEGS fan, and a completeist for possessing the 'newest' version of a given system/game, then BoH:SE is a must.

* I would rather see a new boxed edition produced by another company, and without the awful artwork based on Pulsar Games' in-house campaign, much of which are very dated in their characterisation (stat and background) beside their awful visual depiction.

* For the price, I would say that unless one is already a fan of MEGS, or must have an all-in-one RPG (travel with concern of flattened boxes, or loss of fiddly bits, etc.), this could easily be forgotten to the dusts of time. HOWEVER, if one has an interest in comparing Powers and Advantages, etc. this is a very straightforward RPG, and reasonably articulately readable set of rules. It is, in my opinion, a better alternative to the WestEnd Games DC Universe D6-based RPG that came out a few years ago, though, if mated with that system, I believe the synthesis (homebrew rules) would be better than either alone.

* If my gaming crew are interested the next time I GM, I may put the idea forward to play this game, but I wouldn't expect them to jump for joy.

System-integrity Rating:
[*][*][*][*][-]

Usefulness:
[*][*][*][-][-]

Presentation:
[*][*][-][-][-]

Overall:
[*][*][*][-][-]

Pulsar has done a fantastic job of retooling, compiling, tweaking, and adding to the MEGS system. It is still MEGS, so if you didn't like it before, you probably won't now, either. (Not unless one of the new tweaks solved a problem that has kept you away from MEGS previously, anyway.) However, if you want the latest, best, most comprehensive version of a tried-and-true superhero game system, BoH:SE is a good choice. And who knows? You might even end up being a big fan of the setting, which would just be gravy.

An excellent set of rules for creating action packed, larger-than-life adventures. Though designed to recreate comic book superhero stories, the game works just fine for fantasy, science fiction, pulp, modern day action/adventure, and any other setting which calls for heroic characters and over-the-top thrills.

It paints in broad strokes, and doesn't bog down in trivia, but the system is deep enough to handle players who want more detailed characters and settings.

I can't recommend it highly enough.

This game rocks! It is my favorite after I lost every DC heroes product I had about 10 years ago to a buddy who in turn lost the game when I wanted it back.
This game is 3rd edition redone I would say 4th edition DC, just without the DC stuff but you can easily add it if you like. Personally I like playing it without the DC universe anyhow, the system is so great, you can create any universe you like with it.

Get it NOW!

The Blood of Hereos Special Edition is a superhero role-playing game, and is in effect a revamp of the DC Heroes 3rd Edition rules-set, with the authors own (non-DC) universe added as a setting since they did not have a license for the DC Universe material.

The setting material is of fair but passable quality, but in this reviewer's opinion the real gem in this book is the updated and expanded rules: the rules system, based on the "MEGS" (Mayfair Expontential Gaming System) system used in the earlier DC Heroes role-playing games, has been expanded and improved upon, with many new powers added, many powers altered to make them more balanced, and features better explanations of most powers that help one better understand the intended use of each power. The game adds several useful new combat maneuvers, a good set of "genre" rules to customize your campaign theme, and related items that enhance the game. Once you get used to the system, combat can be processed very fast; much faster than with, say, the Hero System/Champions rules. The rules do an excellent job of re-creating the 'cinematic' style of the 4-color comics.

The setting, as mentioned above, is of the authors own unique universe. While it has some interesting aspects and may appeal to some players, the universe setting is not of the same quality as the rules, and simply does not compare well against the DC or Marvel universes. Still, the gamemaster and players can make use of parts of this universe, and some of the NPCs listed can be worked into their campaign with minor changes.

I would highly recommend this game to anyone who wants to run or play a superhero genre game.

i rented this book at the libriairy. i diddint know how much info i would find though!but anyway if need or want ifo on db,dbz,or dbzgt you need to get this book!

Hi, my name is Greg and I am 14 years old. I read this book and I really liked it! I have seen every episode of DragonBallZ that has been realesed in English. I thought I was the biggest DBZ fan on the planet. I bet there are alot of other big fans like me out there, too. I really loved this book. These guys are very funny and informative. I read this book 10 times. I recommend it to everyone who likes DragonBall Z.

I love the book by Danny and Lois Gresh. I can see these guys are just as fanatical as myself about Dragonball. I have read their book over 30 times and I am still laughing! All of my friends bought this book, too. I am 11, and I really like the part about the role playing games these guys make up. This is a very funny book, and I learned a lot from it.

This book is great!If your a new dbz fan and love it so far but dont know much or want to know more.Then buy this book.It gives you funny jokes,some quizzes,how to play the role-playing-game and more.i reccomend this book to any dragon ball z fan.

I just want to start by saying that this book was the best books that I have ever read. I loved every sentence and every word of it. I got it for my birthday, and I read it all the way through without putting it down even once. Except for when I had to go to sleep, or when I was in the shower. I have read this book all the way through now about five times, and a few times, I've read my favorite parts over and over again. This book it is very useful if you want more information on a certain subject about DragonBall, or if you want to know about episodes you haven't seen yet. I liked the chapter about action figures a lot, also the chapter about the role playing games. They were very fun to read. These authors are geniuses. I would like to write a DragonBall book, too.

A highly polished open and freely available download able cross-genre role playing game rule set from the early 1990s. Well worth a look. "

A terrific introduction to the fine art of role play

FUDGE Expanded edition is an excellent introduction to the Fudge roleplaying game. The book provides the the tools to design a wide variety of games and gives a number of examples of how the system could be used in different genres. A couple of things to bear in mind for anyone thinking of buying this book. First, the book is primarily a game design engine, that is a tool to help design a roleplaying game, rather than a game itself. The expanded edition does include an introductory fantasy game. Second, the FUDGE system is abstract and descriptive by nature. That is to say, abilities are generally described in abstract terms, by the seven level FUDGE scale (Terrible to Superb) not by specific measures (i.e., how many pounds can you lift, how far can you jump in feet, etc.)Likewise, skills and attributes are unconnected. The system simply describes the character, it does not attempt to model how (for example) fast reflexes might improve sword skill. This does have the advantage that there is far less temptation to model a character to a system, unlike GURPS (again for example) where anyone wanting a character with a high weapon skill has to have a high DX.
I haven't had the chance to try the sample game (Fantasy FUDGE) but it looks like a good introduction. It has a couple of flaws for an introductory game. It does not explain what options are in use for the combat system, and the magic system could use more detailed explanations and examples. Given that this is supposed to be an introductory game, it's a concern. But overall, a very good product.

Fudge is for people who want to build their own game worlds. The rules are simple, elegant and amazingly flexible. You could run a campaign based on any movie you have ever seen or book you have read. If you are the type of game master that changes/makes rules no matter what system you are in, here is a system that encourages you.

Note that you can look up the reviews on amazon.com for the non-expanded version and they apply to this book also. The main criticism you see for the non-expanded book is that it is best for experienced GMs only. The expanded version trys to make the game more friendly by adding a pre-customized fantasy setting with an adventure. I think this goes a long way toward making the game better for those new to RPGs.

A great system.

Fudge is a system for roleplaying games that focuses more on roles than rules or rolls. One of the author's goals was to produce a system where neither player or Game Master would have to refer to a rulebook during play. Another goal was to produce a system that encouraged people to "just fudge it" in a freeform manner. A third goal was to produce a system that could be used in any sort of setting from fantasy, to science-fiction, to supers. In all three cases I think Mr. O'Sullivan has succeeded!

The original edition was occasionally critizied because it did not include a specific setting or sample game. It didn't really need one, because it could quickly be adapted to work in the setting of your choice, but that was an oft heard objection. Fudge Expanded Edition answers that objection by adding a pretty complete fantasy setting with a short introductory game that allows players to jump right in and start playing with no customization needed.

All in all, I think Fudge Expanded Edition is an excellent buy for experienced roleplayers that want to move to a simpler, more rules-light, system. Highly recommended!

Very nice book on Capablanca . Fred's reviews are quite enjoyable . Play through Capablanca's games and increase your chess level and way of thinking about chess . For the price , this book is a bargain . Buy this book please !

I, personally, hate long reviews of books, so I'm going to make this short and sweet! Capablanca was one of the greatest players of all time. Mr. Reinfeld (the author) adds stunning history behind the games and tells the reader what to expect of certain games in the intro of each chapter. The only bad mark that I can give this book is that the annotations seem a little brief at times; however, this book will teach you so much about the game of chess that one bad mark should never prevent a serious player from getting this classic!

Simply put, you CANNOT go wrong buying this book! Many of my students find Capa's game to be the BEST for instruction! (Capa is in practically everybody's list of the "Ten Best Players Who Ever Lived!" His games are timeless!)

Positional players will profit from the clarity of the models and the way chess is played in this book. Tactical players will profit from a look at a completely different way of playing chess. (Capa was also an EXCELLENT tactician!) I have recommended this book to dozens of people ... NOT ONE PERSON WHO PLAYED THROUGH MOST OF THE GAMES ... had ANYTHING negative to say about this book! Practically every kind of middle-game position is seen; MANY DIFFERENT openings are played. The notes are VERY clear and insightful. The average player will not feel over-burdened by tons of really unnecessary variations. (The only knock on this book is that it is in descriptive notation.)

For people not familiar with Jose Capablanca, he is generally considered to have been more talented than Bobby Fischer, but didn't posses Bobby's CRAZY work ethic.
Many people do not realize to what extremes bobby pushed himself to be the best.. he had NO contact with the opposite sex, no social life really, all he did was study the game.. Capablanca is referred by fischer himself as the glamour boy of the game.. He Socialized with kings and Queens. He had a small part in one of the first ever black and white films. And generally loved and respected around the world. Which for a chess player is incredible! Capablanca never studied, so his games usually have simple, or safe openings. But like Fischer says. "Capablanca played brilliantly in the middlegame".

The sophistication of his games are not quite appreciated by the beginner. When Capablanca saw, or got an advantage he would just sqeeze it to the very end. Some players do not realize that when you complicate things you can accidentaly give your opponent a way back into the game. As an example just think of GMs going against computers. There is no way they will complicate things because they know they will loose!

Each of his games are a GREAT lesson to anyone who wants to get better. Even his games as a 12 year old phenom going against the Cuban champion are VERY good so donot pass them up!

About the book. Reinfeld doesn't seem to be too fond of Capa. I know he idalized the less perfect play of Alekhine (he was more exciting, and more beatable)

The reason being that he seems to make up excuses for many his opponents. Some being incredibly ridiculous.. My favorite being an excuse he gives alekhine "He got a bad case of capa fright!" ooohhh scarry... O.K Alekhine was going against the "Babe Ruth" of chess. But what kind of man makes up excuses like that in this game? You need Ice in your veins to be succesful (Which I am sure Alekhine being one of the greats had!)

Another thing. He over criticisez his opponents mistakes. I think Lasker once said. "without mistakes we have drawn games". Reinfeld was a solid player in his day, and he should know better! He says little ridiculous stuff like that, and really its not all that bad. Its just stuff thats not necessary! He highlights that dum stuff in some games, and when he reaches some of the greatest games of all time... He doesnt do them any justice whatsoever!!! NONE.

That is why its only 3 stars.

That and the book is not in algebraic, like Irving Chernevs Capa book.
And the other more expensive one that I cannot seem to remember its name.

This book is still worth checking out.

Lets get to the point. This book its tremendously good! looking at Capablanca's games are like eating a Kings meal, just delicious!!!!!! So if you want to learn, improve, have fun and enjoy life like a King of chess then buy this book and read it. If you dont like it then switch to another game, i promise you will love it, keep it and reccomend it to your friends. Enjoy.

The only thing that "saves" this game from five stars is the fact that the rules themselves are severely broken.

The setting is rich, interesting, fun, original, and well-crafted. The book itself is more fun to read than any I own, with the exception of Nobilis. The prose is clear, concise, and even artistic in the story passages. The system is easy enough to grasp that the game can be run as a one-off or a mini-campaign.

However, the rules suffer the same problems as the previous GURPS edition: skills are far too compressed. Every task attempted seems either way too easy or ridiculously hard. GMs will have a very difficult time designing reasonable challenges for any group, and character creation is very vulnerable to min/maxing. Some of the races (particularly Shedites and Kyriotates) are almost impossible to adjudicate without making them either worthless cripples or unstoppably powerful.

I recommend this system very highly, but I suggest that the best way to run it is as a short interlude to a different campaign, or as a one-off, with pre-generated characters. In fact, the most exciting long-term campaign I know of in this system is actually a series of one-offs in which each session new characters that the players met in passing last week are the centerpieces of this week's playing.

In Nomine is easily in my top 3 of RPGs. The main problem with it is finding people who are CAPABLE of playing it. I've tried to run two In Nomine cammpaigns for my gaming friends and both have been disasters. Partly its my lack of skills as GM, but it is also players who lack any trace of subtlety. People want to play Malakim ( very warlike angels for you non-players ) and charge after every demon they see. I've tried to slap them down after they do this, as the demon's friends take revenge, but it becomes a cycle of B.S. that wrecks the campaign. I would love to find a group that I could play with, but my current group of frineds, who I enjoy gaming with, are not set up to play In Nomine. I figure it's their loss. Give the system a try, but be warned, it's not hack-and-slash.

I'm an In Nomine player from some small time ago, and I was looking at the reviews and found some stuff on Angels being non-offensive and Demons being more... Y'know. Well, in In Nomine you being an angel doesn't mean you have to pray 10 hours a day and only do good stuff. The great thing about this game is its flexibility, and also the amount of creativity and imagination it requires from both player and GM. If your an In Nomine player, you've got to get it. Quick.

The game is good vs. evil - nothing new there! But the wrapping is definately different. A whole universe of angels and demons and more or less potenent (more less than more) mortals contesting in their, sometimes pathetic fashion, to gain the upper hand in a game beyond their comprehension - that is unless they are celestials (angels/demons). They, on the other hand know what is at stake and must therefore follow stringent rules of engagement while conducting a fierce battle for (or is it because of) all humnity. Being so stringent these rules make is nescecary for all celestials to be very inventive in order to succeed in the missions appointed to them. Both the master they serve and their own nature have certain rules of conduct that must be followed at all times. This matrix of celestial conduct and the need to make it work without stepping on anybodys toes is what is so fascinating about In Nomine. Believe me you must really have your wits with you to play this game...but is is worth it!!!

This is the first RPG I have found that allows you to role-play the lives of archetypes of good and evil. You are able to transcend humanity to see the world through the eyes of a Celestial being. Now dont get me wrong, this is NOT Steve Jackson being religious. This isnt really a religous RPG. Wuite the contrary. It shys away from the dark goth that is so popular today and boils the characters down to their essence. But even then there are so many ways to take this. I am deeply religious and honestly I dont like to play demons, but I am also not offended by their protrayl in this excellent universe.

The only problem with the RPG is that the combat mechanics suck! I get the impression that they tried to make it as simple as something like White Wolf or even GURPS and over did it, a lot. It puts too much emphasis on certain traits and totally ignores other (in my opinion) relevant ones for the sake of trying to keep things simple. There is a point of diminishing returns guys, less isnt always more... It is so simplistic that you WILL want to redo it yourself. There are some changes in this addition, but not enough.

Bottom line In Nomine is my favorite game after playing for 19 years... at least after I reworked the system.

umm.. I like it. it will make dwiggit happy.

I STARTED PLAYING THE GAMES 3 WEEKS AGO I GOT THE BOOK 1 WEEK AGO IT MADE PLAYING THE GAME A LOT MORE FUN AND I KNEW WHAT I WAS DOING.

I loved this book, it's the perfect reference for any gamer. It is very complete but still stays concise. You can find the answer to almost any question in a matter of seconds. It is easy to carry over and insures the fluidity of the game.

This book is great for those Children of The night who are bored of "sit-down" role-playing. With this book you get everything you need, from merits and flaws to info on bloodlines! This book is set up well for new and old players alike who want to get into LARPing (live-action role-playing) I give it two thumbs up!

It should be noted that there is a revised edition of this book (September 1999, by Jason Carl). There seem to be some fairly significant changes, so if you are looking for a manual to explain the rules of an existing LARP, find out which edition they are using before you make your purchase.

If you play priest, druids or shamans on a regular basis, you need this set of books. These volumes contain all of the speels from the Player's Handbook, Tome of Magic and Spells and Powers, as well as all of the differant campaign world books(Dark Sun, Planescape, Ravenloft, Birthright, etc) and from all of the Dragon magazines. 100s of spells that spanned many, many books all compiled into a nice managable collection.

If you play priests, druids or shamans on a regular basis, you need this set of books. These volumes contain all of the speels from the Player's Handbook, Tome of Magic and Spells and Powers, as well as all of the differant campaign world books(Dark Sun, Planescape, Ravenloft, Birthright, etc) and from all of the Dragon magazines. 100s of spells that spanned many, many books all compiled into a nice managable collection.

well, again TSR (wizards of the coast ) thinks only on how to make more money. so you must buy the all Compendium if you want it to worth something. instead of arraging the spell by levels, (like in the PHB) they arrange them by the a b c. now go and search the spell you want to memorize. a nasty trick by WOC (as was done in the wizard spell compendium)

Introduction

The Priest's Spell Compendium (PSC) is the fifth installment in a welcome trend: TSR/WOTC cleaning out their vaults, collating their material, and placing them in sourcebooks. The Wizard's Spell Compendium, now complete, was a valuable addition to any player or Dungeon Master's repertoire of spells. On the other hand, it was just gravy, and it suffered (like other collections) from typos, poor editing, and the general impression that someone cut and pasted the information together haphazardly.

In the case of specialty Priests, the division of spells that occurred as a result of the Second Edition rules caused some serious unbalances in the game. Some specialty Priests have spheres with few spells in them, like the Astral sphere. Because many spells can be "reversed," evil Priests have access to the Healing sphere and good Priests have access to the Necromantic sphere.

Then there's "powers" which are unique abilities bestowed upon Priests by their gods. The distinction between spells and powers is murky, as powers are not subject to the sphere categorizations. It was a convenient loophole for giving Priests spells that didn't fit with their deities profile.

With this confusing situation making a specialty Priest's life difficult, and the powers and spells largely up to the Dungeon Master's discretion, a sourcebook with more Priest spells is a welcome addition.

Content

Having a compilation of spells is useful for Druids and other specialty Priests who suffered from the sparse spheres they had to choose from. The PSC claims on page 3:
"Some description have been updated or combined with similar effects to eliminate duplication; some have been modified for better play, and a very few have been dropped entirely." It's a no-brainer: take all the out-of-print supplements, put them into a database, and hit the print button. Then, just edit the combined content. How hard could that be?

Very hard, unfortunately. The PSC, while better edited than its predecessors (and that's not saying much), is still plagued by what seems an unwillingness on the part of the editors to comb through the book line by line. Nowhere is this more obvious than on page 9:

"In the sword-and-sandal Dark Sun setting, priests are preservers or defilers, depending on whether or not their magic drains the living energy of that world." Priests are not preservers or defilers. That's a title applied to wizards in the Dark Sun setting. However, the above sentence is in the Wizard's Spell Compendium . Somebody replaced the word "Wizard" with "Priest" and pasted the introduction into the book. This did not bode well for the rest of the volume.

Organization

Some of the problems with PSC deal with the manner in which old spells were categorized into the new spheres created for Priests in the Second Edition rules. For example, why is age plant (p. 9) in the Time sphere, but not the Plant sphere? Several other spells are included in multiple spheres. The A section was a bit of a let down: the disturbingly slim Astral sphere only has a handful of spells in it, even with all the spells from other sources.

Icons accompany each spell to indicate, at a glance, what setting the spell fits best. This system is used inconsistently. Bad medicine (p. 52), a Shaman spell, is missing the savage setting icon.

There are several spells that create or summon monsters. The monster statistics are usually reproduced in the volume -- a necessity if the spells are to be of any use. Only some of the monsters' statistics appear, however: Create crypt thing (p. 154) has the created monster's statistics, but create death tyrant (p. 155) does not. If these statistics were removed intentionally to save space, it doesn't explain the large patches of blank space on pages 51 and 175.

Anyone remember the Dragon magazine article with six other Paladin classes, each based on a unique alignment? The Paramander's spells ended up in the Wizard's Spell Compendium, but the priest spells for the other Paladin classes are strangely excluded from this volume.

And then there's the inclusion of the coalstone's statistics without the actual spell to create it (p. 126). Why bother?

Artwork

The artwork consists of serviceable black and white pictures, mostly portraits. One evident change of WOTC's takeover of TSR is their unwillingness to recycle old artwork. This may seem like a minor quibble, but it's a sore point with a lot of TSR products. Yes, I can recognize reused artwork from the Pick A Path/Which Way Adventure books! Thankfully, the artwork always applies to a spell on the same page.

Conclusion

With the Third Edition of Dungeons and Dragons on its way, it's possible that editing this volume wasn't the top priority. Indeed, it may be that instead of providing a quality product, TSR's goal is to recycle all out-of-print material and then release them in electronic format at a much lower price.

The Priest's Spell Compendium selling point is obvious: you can't get many of these spells anywhere else. For players of specialty priests, it's a valuable addition to their library. Unfortunately, TSR just doesn't put enough effort into editing and organizing the spells to justify its high price tag for anyone else.

These books are invaluable. The spells are alphabetical rather than by effect(as with the Encyclopedia Magica) and are given effective descriptions. Two minor complaints: quest & war spells were thrown into the final volume. While I can seee the quest spells, I think the war spells should have been included in the main. The other problem is more serious and prevents 5 stars. The index catalogs spells by sphere - but only spells the authors thought should be listed; instead of using a special notation for non-standard spells, they put them in their own index! For those who like to allow all spells, regardless of setting (through creative renaming), this is something of a hindrance. Otherwise an incredible resource.

Other than the prices being rather off, they are really too cheap, this is a good book for anyone to read who wishes to do Civil War reenacting.

One thing it does not mention is that to DO reenacting you must join a group that does such things or you will not know when they happen or where they happen. You had better have a spare thousand to outfit yourself with too, if you and your spouse wish to do it together. Once that is done though, it is a heck of a lot of fun to do.

I highly recommend both the book and the hobby.

This is a great Book for any one interested in the American civil war and who wants to be a Reenactor.

Definately a must have handbook for anyone who wants to recreate the sense of the 1860s. Excellent basic information on most aspects of the reenacting hobby. With costs exceeding $1200 to take the field in correct uniform, this is money well spent!

I have reenacted for the best part of 2 decades and presented or participated in countless living history events prior to buying this book, so I was very surprised & pleased when I discovered a reference of such value for both the new recruits AND seasoned veterans. I now consider this a "Must Have" for all new members of our unit. Simple to read & understand, Valid facts, and a very good source of information. You will make it part of 'always carry' gear if you do reenact or part of your library if you don't...

I first encountered this book as I was beginning my four years as a private in the re-activated 34th Georgia, Co B from Canton, GA. At the time it was the best thing (or so I thought) that was available for the newbie. Not to say it isn't a good starting point, but it's getting a bit dated now.

The price list is WAAAAAAAAAAYYYYY off. Muskets can still be had for around $450 new (Used muskets vary in price, but also in quality), but expect to spend a bit more than is suggested for your first uniform and accoutrements. If I recall the estimate correctly in this manual, the price for an entire kit (uniform, period correct hat, musket, accoutrements, brogans, etc) was around $900. You can still outfit for that, if you are frugal, able to make your own clothing (I used to save a bundle by having women sew for me. Jean-cloth was fairly inexpensive a few years ago!), and have contacts that are willing to cut you big deals.

The rest of the book is a bit basic. On one hand the author talks of being aware of one's outfit and not looking FARBY (that is, goofy). On the other hand he embraces being farby and allowing modern conveniences in the camp, so long as the general public is not aware. This can be confusing to the newbie (it was to me).

The sections on proper drilling and manual of arms are well done and presented in a manner much easier to comprehend than HARDY'S.

I only wish the sections on cost and suttlers would be updated to include some newer vendors.

So, fresh-fish, you can do a lot worse than this book.