The Silver Marches
- Thread starter IronWolf
- Start date
Selvarin
Explorer
The Silver Marches is the first regional accessory to be published for the Forgotten Realms since the FRCS came out. It may also be the last to use this particular format, but I'm getting ahead of myself.
Silver Marches is a 160-page softcover book, written by Ed greenwood and Jason Carl. The pages are high-quality as found in the FRCS hardcover, the cover art by Vance Kovacs is distinctive, and the interior art throughout the book is wonderfully done and fits with the content--this isn't always the case, sometimes an illustrator's work can be a detriment to the overall style. Doesn't sound like a big deal until you find out from marketers that the presentation (artwork, etc.) can make or break a sale before prospective buyers have a chance to delve deep into the contents. Overall, the presentation is decent.
This book is broken down into 8 chapters (barring the Introduction). The first, titled "The Lay of the Land," provides greater depth to the geography and monstrous threats of the area than found in the FRCS. Here you'll find notable bits on the Morueme clan of blue dragons, the orcish stronghold known as Dark Arrow Keep, and the Silverwood, just to name a few. It runs for 32 pages, and those fearing that they'll drown in a sea of too-much-info need not worry. The details on each area or personality are concise, they provide good ideas of what to expect in certain areas, as well as adventure ideas. You won't feel hemmed in by what's written, if anything one should get some good ideas from the material.
The second chapter, "Exploring the Wild," deals with flora and fauna, encounter tables, wyrms of the north (the names of whom you'll remember from the articles that Ed Greenwood used to write for Dragon magazine), and even weather tables. I don't recall something like this except, perhaps, in the old World of Greyhawk boxed set, and I consider it to be helpful. It has details on floods and fog, DC's when using skills in harsh weather, and so on. For those more interested in the encounter tables, they're lifted from the Forgotten Realms Dungeon Master's Screen accessory but have been updated to include new monster from Chapter 7. if you don't have the FR DM screen, it isn't necessary due to the pertinent tables' inclusion.
Chapters 3 and 4, "Cities of the Silver Marches" and "People of the Silver Marches," run for 43 pages and gives the reader a good overview of the confederation and its people without overwhelming you. Again, I find it worthwhile because the write-ups for various settlements make them more than just a place to kick up your muddy boots. Places like Everlund and Nesme, or (my favorite) Sundabar--now that's one gritty city, and the map in the back only reinforces the image. Brief histories are included, details on the various armies and human (and non-human) people are also provided, so if you're into wargaming that's another possibility to consider. In addition, stat blocks for characters like Helm Dwarf-friend and king Harbromm (leaders of Sundabar and Citadel Adbar, respectively) are sprinkled here and there for good measure. It's interesting to note that Bruenor Battlehammer and Wulfgar have been included but their histories are just a little behind the times (Bruenor's still listed as having lost an eye, with no mention of getting it healed--even the artwork depicts him as one-eyed). Also, Catti-Brie and Regis are missing. i don't think it's necessary to include the two, but fans of the Companions of the Hall may well be miffed by this little oversight.
Chapter 5, "Politics and power," deals with the articles of confederation, the league members, and how the council of the confederation works together (or argues, as the case may be). The main threats and enemies of the Silver Marches are also given space here, so nothing is left out (People of the Black blood, adherents of bane and Shar, the Daemonfey, and so on). Chapter 6, "Heroes of the North," is where it's at if you're looking for prestige classes to try out: The Giant-killer, Hordebreaker, Knight-errant of Silverymoon, Orc Scout, Peerless archer, and the Wild scout. Personally, I'm most drawn to the Peerless archer. It has a lot to offer, and seems to have been better designed than, say, the Arcane archer found in the DMG. Chapter 7, "Monsters of Faerun," is self-explanatory. It's okay, although more monsters aren't really necessary. Stats for giant ravens, rock wyrms, and snowcloaks are provided.
Chapter 8, "Adventures in the North," is 36 pages long and details three short adventures. I'm a little ambivilent about this, the adventures are okay and make use of the local well enough but the first two don't seem to have adventure levels listed (nothing saying flat-out, "This is for 4 PC's of X-level"). I find that irksome but mistakes and omissions can happen. Lastly, in addition to the fine illustrations of settlements found in the book itself, a fold-out map is included. It isn't glued-in, you just have to carefully separate it from the paper strip it's attached to. The fold-up map is comprised half of an overland view of the Silver Marches, whereas the lower portion shows maps of Sundabar, Silverymoon, Everlund, Citadel Adbar (nice crossview), Citadel Felbarr, and a smaller map showing the Adbarrim and distribution of Underdark settlements. Very well done, and I appreciate the effort.
Overall, I give this a 4 out of 5. I could've given it a straight 5 but there were a few minor errors in the book. Also, I'm ambivilent about the ratio of background material to game material (PrCs) and adventure matterial. It's good enough for me, it's a mix, but considering WotC is using the sales of Silver marches as a test of whether to keep producing FR books with some history or dump the background material in favor of game-pertinent material like more PrC's, monsters, spells, and...*shakes head*...This is a great book, it isn't all background material so it should satisfy Forgotten Realms fans who both want some utility and some history. Let's hope they stay the course, I can't see how they can go further in the other direction without losing the essence of the Realms.
Silver Marches is a 160-page softcover book, written by Ed greenwood and Jason Carl. The pages are high-quality as found in the FRCS hardcover, the cover art by Vance Kovacs is distinctive, and the interior art throughout the book is wonderfully done and fits with the content--this isn't always the case, sometimes an illustrator's work can be a detriment to the overall style. Doesn't sound like a big deal until you find out from marketers that the presentation (artwork, etc.) can make or break a sale before prospective buyers have a chance to delve deep into the contents. Overall, the presentation is decent.
This book is broken down into 8 chapters (barring the Introduction). The first, titled "The Lay of the Land," provides greater depth to the geography and monstrous threats of the area than found in the FRCS. Here you'll find notable bits on the Morueme clan of blue dragons, the orcish stronghold known as Dark Arrow Keep, and the Silverwood, just to name a few. It runs for 32 pages, and those fearing that they'll drown in a sea of too-much-info need not worry. The details on each area or personality are concise, they provide good ideas of what to expect in certain areas, as well as adventure ideas. You won't feel hemmed in by what's written, if anything one should get some good ideas from the material.
The second chapter, "Exploring the Wild," deals with flora and fauna, encounter tables, wyrms of the north (the names of whom you'll remember from the articles that Ed Greenwood used to write for Dragon magazine), and even weather tables. I don't recall something like this except, perhaps, in the old World of Greyhawk boxed set, and I consider it to be helpful. It has details on floods and fog, DC's when using skills in harsh weather, and so on. For those more interested in the encounter tables, they're lifted from the Forgotten Realms Dungeon Master's Screen accessory but have been updated to include new monster from Chapter 7. if you don't have the FR DM screen, it isn't necessary due to the pertinent tables' inclusion.
Chapters 3 and 4, "Cities of the Silver Marches" and "People of the Silver Marches," run for 43 pages and gives the reader a good overview of the confederation and its people without overwhelming you. Again, I find it worthwhile because the write-ups for various settlements make them more than just a place to kick up your muddy boots. Places like Everlund and Nesme, or (my favorite) Sundabar--now that's one gritty city, and the map in the back only reinforces the image. Brief histories are included, details on the various armies and human (and non-human) people are also provided, so if you're into wargaming that's another possibility to consider. In addition, stat blocks for characters like Helm Dwarf-friend and king Harbromm (leaders of Sundabar and Citadel Adbar, respectively) are sprinkled here and there for good measure. It's interesting to note that Bruenor Battlehammer and Wulfgar have been included but their histories are just a little behind the times (Bruenor's still listed as having lost an eye, with no mention of getting it healed--even the artwork depicts him as one-eyed). Also, Catti-Brie and Regis are missing. i don't think it's necessary to include the two, but fans of the Companions of the Hall may well be miffed by this little oversight.
Chapter 5, "Politics and power," deals with the articles of confederation, the league members, and how the council of the confederation works together (or argues, as the case may be). The main threats and enemies of the Silver Marches are also given space here, so nothing is left out (People of the Black blood, adherents of bane and Shar, the Daemonfey, and so on). Chapter 6, "Heroes of the North," is where it's at if you're looking for prestige classes to try out: The Giant-killer, Hordebreaker, Knight-errant of Silverymoon, Orc Scout, Peerless archer, and the Wild scout. Personally, I'm most drawn to the Peerless archer. It has a lot to offer, and seems to have been better designed than, say, the Arcane archer found in the DMG. Chapter 7, "Monsters of Faerun," is self-explanatory. It's okay, although more monsters aren't really necessary. Stats for giant ravens, rock wyrms, and snowcloaks are provided.
Chapter 8, "Adventures in the North," is 36 pages long and details three short adventures. I'm a little ambivilent about this, the adventures are okay and make use of the local well enough but the first two don't seem to have adventure levels listed (nothing saying flat-out, "This is for 4 PC's of X-level"). I find that irksome but mistakes and omissions can happen. Lastly, in addition to the fine illustrations of settlements found in the book itself, a fold-out map is included. It isn't glued-in, you just have to carefully separate it from the paper strip it's attached to. The fold-up map is comprised half of an overland view of the Silver Marches, whereas the lower portion shows maps of Sundabar, Silverymoon, Everlund, Citadel Adbar (nice crossview), Citadel Felbarr, and a smaller map showing the Adbarrim and distribution of Underdark settlements. Very well done, and I appreciate the effort.
Overall, I give this a 4 out of 5. I could've given it a straight 5 but there were a few minor errors in the book. Also, I'm ambivilent about the ratio of background material to game material (PrCs) and adventure matterial. It's good enough for me, it's a mix, but considering WotC is using the sales of Silver marches as a test of whether to keep producing FR books with some history or dump the background material in favor of game-pertinent material like more PrC's, monsters, spells, and...*shakes head*...This is a great book, it isn't all background material so it should satisfy Forgotten Realms fans who both want some utility and some history. Let's hope they stay the course, I can't see how they can go further in the other direction without losing the essence of the Realms.
Khur
Sympathy for the Devil
Silver Marches shines through as the first regional sourcebook for the 3rd Edition Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (FRCS). Revealed are the icy lands of the North and all the dangers that await those bold enough to venture there. Ed Greenwood and Jason Carl breathe life into the Silver Marches for Forgotten Realms (FR) players and provide a trove of ideas for anyone else.
Impeccably written, designed, and presented, the book meets WotC's high standards. The layout is pleasing with minimal typographic errors, and the art is dynamic--few images are lacking. Cartography is executed wonderfully in the same style as other FR products. Unfortunately, the overland map has some computer-generated imagery that looks pasted on. The fact that the maps are all on one pullout poster is very useful when reading the reference material.
The environs of this treacherous land are described in detail, from general to explicit. For some sections I needed the map to aid visualization, but I found seeds of wide-ranging plots in all of the material. Further, the more specific information added up to dozens of villages, potential adventure sites, and useful locales before I was through the first third of the volume. Coupled with an overview of the Underdark of the region, sure to be expanded upon in the upcoming City of the Spider Queen, there's more than enough content to whet my campaigning appetite.
While some of the inclusions seem arbitrary or ill researched, I found the weather and environmental sections very appealing and utilitarian. Dangers described covered forest fires, bogs and quicksand, altitude, and more. Most of this information is useful to anyone who wants such realism in his or her game. The weather charts are highly detailed and very handy for a DM, such as myself, who likes to use atmosphere to help suspend player disbelief. Adding such environmental challenges make "getting there" half the fun.
The flora and fauna presented are very good too. Rules for herb gathering in the wild were a welcome sight, although I was disappointed that only a few plants with herbal uses were listed. I also thought that the addition of deer and elk statistics were great, though I always wondered why these creatures didn't appear in the Monster Manual. Four new monsters grace these leaves and I was particularly impressed with the giant raven. Further, the encounter charts in Silver Marches are great compared to similar products in the FR line-even if I think some creatures (an Ibrandlin for example) shouldn't appear as random encounters. Why the Dread Warrior is on these charts at all is a big mystery, considering Monsters of Faerun suggests they are all but unique to Thay.
I was well pleased with the exposition on the lifestyle, politics, and settlements of the new league of the North. From Silverymoon, the areas greatest city, to Newfort, a tiny village of ex-Zhentarim settlers, all of the presented areas were fittingly described. Moreover, I found a mind-boggling amount of ideas in each section for potential use as adventures or local color. The authors took the care to present military rosters for the major settlements, which I will definitely use when war with the orcish armies of King Obould Many-Arrows breaks out in my campaign. Yet, I was sorely disappointed by the information on the Uthgardt barbarian tribes--it didn't get at the meat of their culture at all.
The NPCs of the Silver Marches, be they potential friend or foe, are impressive. I really enjoyed the fact that many of these characters are mentioned in the FRCS, but are expanded here. Turlang, the great treant of the High Forest was my favorite, though I must admit taking a liking to the female orc adept, Lorog, Obould's chief adviser. Those familiar with The Dark Elf Trilogy will enjoy the statistics of King Bruenor Battlehammer and Wulfgar, though these characters may seem underpowered to those who read their adventures. And, though they are mentioned in passing in Silver Marches, I recommend a trip to the Wizards website to get statistics for the Great Wyrms of the North (and other goodies).
Six new prestige classes are available to PCs in the North. While the Knight Errant of Silverymoon had a lot of flavor, I felt that many players might ignore this class due to its abilities being less favorable than advancing in a core class such as fighter, ranger, or paladin. On the other hand, the orc scout had me grinning evilly to myself and thinking of the possibility of an orc campaign with Obould's Dark Arrow Keep as the starting point. Like the orc scout, many of the classes presented can add nice texture to even non-Realms campaigns, especially if restricted to certain races. A dwarven giantkiller readily springs to mind. I did feel that the authors missed an opportunity to do the Uthgardt more justice by not adding any prestige classes, unique feats, or even spells for them.
I must say that this book is well worth your gaming dollar even before considering the fact that it has four adventures included. While most of them need a bit of development, the rest of the book provides more than enough raw material for that. Further, the sites and their inhabitants are all fascinating. One of the settings provides a climax for a story seed that appears in the FRCS description of the Moonwood--quite wonderful. "Dead Orc Pass" is the most out-of-the-ordinary, orc-inhabited locale I've seen in a long time. The fourth module of the lot is touted as a mini-campaign and it is. There's nothing like gold fever, marauding monsters, and some foes that are all too human to create a string of great gaming sessions.
Silver Marches, strangely enough, could be as useful for those playing other campaigns as those actually playing in the Realms. The book is so detailed and rich that many ideas and settings can be lifted from its pages to just about anywhere. The lack of an index does make the product less useful as a reference. Still, I recommend Silver Marches to anyone who plays d20 fantasy. It's a finely polished piece of work.
This review was originally written for Gaming Frontiers on 09/25/02.
Impeccably written, designed, and presented, the book meets WotC's high standards. The layout is pleasing with minimal typographic errors, and the art is dynamic--few images are lacking. Cartography is executed wonderfully in the same style as other FR products. Unfortunately, the overland map has some computer-generated imagery that looks pasted on. The fact that the maps are all on one pullout poster is very useful when reading the reference material.
The environs of this treacherous land are described in detail, from general to explicit. For some sections I needed the map to aid visualization, but I found seeds of wide-ranging plots in all of the material. Further, the more specific information added up to dozens of villages, potential adventure sites, and useful locales before I was through the first third of the volume. Coupled with an overview of the Underdark of the region, sure to be expanded upon in the upcoming City of the Spider Queen, there's more than enough content to whet my campaigning appetite.
While some of the inclusions seem arbitrary or ill researched, I found the weather and environmental sections very appealing and utilitarian. Dangers described covered forest fires, bogs and quicksand, altitude, and more. Most of this information is useful to anyone who wants such realism in his or her game. The weather charts are highly detailed and very handy for a DM, such as myself, who likes to use atmosphere to help suspend player disbelief. Adding such environmental challenges make "getting there" half the fun.
The flora and fauna presented are very good too. Rules for herb gathering in the wild were a welcome sight, although I was disappointed that only a few plants with herbal uses were listed. I also thought that the addition of deer and elk statistics were great, though I always wondered why these creatures didn't appear in the Monster Manual. Four new monsters grace these leaves and I was particularly impressed with the giant raven. Further, the encounter charts in Silver Marches are great compared to similar products in the FR line-even if I think some creatures (an Ibrandlin for example) shouldn't appear as random encounters. Why the Dread Warrior is on these charts at all is a big mystery, considering Monsters of Faerun suggests they are all but unique to Thay.
I was well pleased with the exposition on the lifestyle, politics, and settlements of the new league of the North. From Silverymoon, the areas greatest city, to Newfort, a tiny village of ex-Zhentarim settlers, all of the presented areas were fittingly described. Moreover, I found a mind-boggling amount of ideas in each section for potential use as adventures or local color. The authors took the care to present military rosters for the major settlements, which I will definitely use when war with the orcish armies of King Obould Many-Arrows breaks out in my campaign. Yet, I was sorely disappointed by the information on the Uthgardt barbarian tribes--it didn't get at the meat of their culture at all.
The NPCs of the Silver Marches, be they potential friend or foe, are impressive. I really enjoyed the fact that many of these characters are mentioned in the FRCS, but are expanded here. Turlang, the great treant of the High Forest was my favorite, though I must admit taking a liking to the female orc adept, Lorog, Obould's chief adviser. Those familiar with The Dark Elf Trilogy will enjoy the statistics of King Bruenor Battlehammer and Wulfgar, though these characters may seem underpowered to those who read their adventures. And, though they are mentioned in passing in Silver Marches, I recommend a trip to the Wizards website to get statistics for the Great Wyrms of the North (and other goodies).
Six new prestige classes are available to PCs in the North. While the Knight Errant of Silverymoon had a lot of flavor, I felt that many players might ignore this class due to its abilities being less favorable than advancing in a core class such as fighter, ranger, or paladin. On the other hand, the orc scout had me grinning evilly to myself and thinking of the possibility of an orc campaign with Obould's Dark Arrow Keep as the starting point. Like the orc scout, many of the classes presented can add nice texture to even non-Realms campaigns, especially if restricted to certain races. A dwarven giantkiller readily springs to mind. I did feel that the authors missed an opportunity to do the Uthgardt more justice by not adding any prestige classes, unique feats, or even spells for them.
I must say that this book is well worth your gaming dollar even before considering the fact that it has four adventures included. While most of them need a bit of development, the rest of the book provides more than enough raw material for that. Further, the sites and their inhabitants are all fascinating. One of the settings provides a climax for a story seed that appears in the FRCS description of the Moonwood--quite wonderful. "Dead Orc Pass" is the most out-of-the-ordinary, orc-inhabited locale I've seen in a long time. The fourth module of the lot is touted as a mini-campaign and it is. There's nothing like gold fever, marauding monsters, and some foes that are all too human to create a string of great gaming sessions.
Silver Marches, strangely enough, could be as useful for those playing other campaigns as those actually playing in the Realms. The book is so detailed and rich that many ideas and settings can be lifted from its pages to just about anywhere. The lack of an index does make the product less useful as a reference. Still, I recommend Silver Marches to anyone who plays d20 fantasy. It's a finely polished piece of work.
This review was originally written for Gaming Frontiers on 09/25/02.
Messageboard Golem
First Post
By Glenn Dean, Staff Reviewer d20 Magazine Rack
Sizing Up the Target
Silver Marches is a DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® FORGOTTEN REALMS® accessory written by Ed Greenwood (creator of the Forgotten Realms) and Jason Carl, published by Wizards of the Coast. This full-color softcover regional sourcebook has a cover painting depicting an orc assault, and includes a full-color 20 x 30 inch poster map of the region and its major cities. The 160-page product retails for $27.95.
First Blood
Silver Marches is the first of the regional sourcebooks designed as an expansion for the 3rd Edition Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting. It is devoted to coverage of the northwestern part of Faerun, in the area north of Waterdeep, south of the Spine of the World, and west of the Great Desert. Portions of this material previously appeared in The Savage Frontier and The North boxed sets of the 1st and 2d Edition D&D game; the material has been revised, consolidated, and updated to 3rd edition rules, and there is one very significant political change – the consolidation of much of the North as a confederation, now known as the Silver Marches under the leadership of Alustriel of Silverymoon.
Approximately two-thirds of the book is dedicated to providing the background to the region, with detailed descriptions of the geography, people, cities, and politics of the Silver Marches.
The first chapter, “The Lay of the Land”, focuses on geography, detailing each of the major geographic regions and features within the Silver Marches. These include the major forested areas (Arn Forest, Cold Wood, Druarwood, Moonwood), the different mountain ranges (Nether Mountains, Rauvin Mountains, Ice Mountains), as well as the major border areas (Evermoors, High Forest, Spine of the World, Great Desert). Major features of the Underdark below the Silver Marches also receive coverage. Each geographic section receives a description, details on major geographic features within the region, and where appropriate descriptions and statistics for the various towns, villages, and hamlets. Major non-player characters have statistics presented as sidebars.
Chapter Two, “Exploring the Wilds”, describes the major flora and fauna found in this part of Faerun, along with very complete wilderness encounter tables for all types of terrain, as well as almost five pages on information on weather and the effects of local weather and terrain on adventuring. The Silver Marches is a rough frontier region; this chapter captures that feel quite well.
Chapter Three, “Cities of the Silver Marches”, provides details on the major cities of the region. Each of the cities detailed – Silverymoon, Sundabar, Citadel Felbarr, Citadel Adbar, Deadsnows, Everlund, Mthral Hall, Quaervarr, and Newfort – has basic population statistics, a history, descriptions of important sites, details useful for adventurers visiting (such as noted taverns and major inns), as well as adventure hooks and statistics for a couple of the notable NPCs that may be encountered there. Realms fans will recognize most of these characters –Bruenor Battlehammer and King Harbromm, for example. Maps for the largest cities are included on the poster map.
The fourth chapter, “People of the Silver Marches” provides an excellent overview of life on the frontier. Topics of law, trade, defense, the status of adventurers, and the organization of military organizations are all discussed in this chapter. The various tribes of Uthgardt Barbarians also get a five-page treatment, including game statistics for the barbarian Wulfgar from the Forgotten Realms novels.
“Politics and Power”, chapter five, provides some recent history (since 1367 DR) and describes the founding of the confederation of the Silver Marches, along with the political machinations that really govern the realm – a section ripe for mining for adventures based on political maneuvering and intrigue. The major threats to the Silver Marches get a cursory treatment in this chapter – non-human raiders, worshippers of Malar, the Arcane Brotherhood, and the orcs of King Obould Many-Arrows are some of the topics. While not providing a great deal of detail on each group, this section does serve to provide a number of good plot hooks for continuing adventures in the region.
The remaining sections of the book provide game mechanics appropriate to the region and some ready-to-run adventures. “Heroes of the North” provides six prestige classes for the region. The Giant Killer and Hordebreaker are specialized fighting classes, each with their own style, while the Knight-Errant of Silverymoon provides a type of frontier knight in the service of the confederation. The Orc Scout and Wild Scout are two great wilderness prestige classes with nice flavor and appropriate abilities, but the Peerless Archer is about the most overpowered prestige class I’ve seen – ranged sneak attacks, a ranged power attack, enchanted arrows, the ability to threaten an area with a bow, and the ability to ignore cover and concealment being his major abilities.
Another chapter presents a number of frontier animals along with four monsters, of which the Snowcloak is the most unique and bizarre entry – a weird two headed, magic wielding flying beast out of a snow-blinded nightmare.
The book concludes with a number of adventures. “Black Fury” is a short encounter with a were-creature hold appropriate for 6th level characters; “Dead Orc Pass” provides a short mountain adventure for 5th level characters; and “Telkoun’s Tower” provides a broken-down wizards tower for 7th level characters to explore. The last adventure, “Blood and Gold”, is really a mini campaign set around the town of Deadsnows, and links a series of small adventures appropriate for a party of 5th level or higher characters.
Silver Marches has a detailed table of contents, but lacks an index. It is nicely illustrated; the page work is similar to the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting, with some very nicely done color artwork every couple of pages – in keeping with the other books in the series, this is a very nice looking product.
Critical Hits
Silver Marches does a great job of capturing the flavor of a wild, barely controlled region ready for exploration by a party of intrepid frontiersmen. There is a tremendous amount of background material here for a wide range of adventures – political, wilderness exploration, traditional dungeon delving, from the mundane to the fantastic.
I particularly like the range of geographic and wilderness information – the “Exploring the Wild” chapter is useful material for almost any outdoor campaign in a temperate or cooler region. And though this area has been visited before in previous products, the new political boundaries add some fresh features to a landscape ready for classic adventuring.
Forgotten Realms fans in particular will find the information in Silver Marches to be interesting and useful (though be prepared for a few changes and inconsistencies from previous material).
Critical Misses
Gamers looking to mine this product for game mechanics for other settings will be a bit disappointed. There aren’t any new feats, spells, or magic items; of the six prestige classes one is questionable at best. The background material is heavily tied to the setting and occupies a majority of the book, and while the adventures are useful (“Blood and Gold” is actually a great little mini-campaign), they aren’t by themselves worth the price of admission.
Now, I personally like the ratio of background flavor to game mechanics in this product – this is clearly a work where the background came first, and then mechanics were built as appropriate, rather than the other way around – but gamers who do not use this setting will not find the ratio of material to their advantage. For them, while the background material will be interesting reading, they may not find the content quite worth the cost.
Coup de Grace
As a Forgotten Realms® product, none of the material in Silver Marches is open content, and the limited mechanics, some of which are potentially unbalanced, mar the d20 compliance score slightly. The material has been treated at least twice before, so while the updates are original, the base material is not. Players and GMs using the Forgotten Realms setting will get their money’s worth out of this product; other gamers may wish to consider carefully before picking this up at full price. It’s a nicely constructed, beautifully presented gaming sourcebook, but he content balance may not be right for everyone.
To see the graded evaluation of this product and to leave comments that the reviewer will respond to, go to The Critic's Corner at www.d20zines.com.
Sizing Up the Target
Silver Marches is a DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® FORGOTTEN REALMS® accessory written by Ed Greenwood (creator of the Forgotten Realms) and Jason Carl, published by Wizards of the Coast. This full-color softcover regional sourcebook has a cover painting depicting an orc assault, and includes a full-color 20 x 30 inch poster map of the region and its major cities. The 160-page product retails for $27.95.
First Blood
Silver Marches is the first of the regional sourcebooks designed as an expansion for the 3rd Edition Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting. It is devoted to coverage of the northwestern part of Faerun, in the area north of Waterdeep, south of the Spine of the World, and west of the Great Desert. Portions of this material previously appeared in The Savage Frontier and The North boxed sets of the 1st and 2d Edition D&D game; the material has been revised, consolidated, and updated to 3rd edition rules, and there is one very significant political change – the consolidation of much of the North as a confederation, now known as the Silver Marches under the leadership of Alustriel of Silverymoon.
Approximately two-thirds of the book is dedicated to providing the background to the region, with detailed descriptions of the geography, people, cities, and politics of the Silver Marches.
The first chapter, “The Lay of the Land”, focuses on geography, detailing each of the major geographic regions and features within the Silver Marches. These include the major forested areas (Arn Forest, Cold Wood, Druarwood, Moonwood), the different mountain ranges (Nether Mountains, Rauvin Mountains, Ice Mountains), as well as the major border areas (Evermoors, High Forest, Spine of the World, Great Desert). Major features of the Underdark below the Silver Marches also receive coverage. Each geographic section receives a description, details on major geographic features within the region, and where appropriate descriptions and statistics for the various towns, villages, and hamlets. Major non-player characters have statistics presented as sidebars.
Chapter Two, “Exploring the Wilds”, describes the major flora and fauna found in this part of Faerun, along with very complete wilderness encounter tables for all types of terrain, as well as almost five pages on information on weather and the effects of local weather and terrain on adventuring. The Silver Marches is a rough frontier region; this chapter captures that feel quite well.
Chapter Three, “Cities of the Silver Marches”, provides details on the major cities of the region. Each of the cities detailed – Silverymoon, Sundabar, Citadel Felbarr, Citadel Adbar, Deadsnows, Everlund, Mthral Hall, Quaervarr, and Newfort – has basic population statistics, a history, descriptions of important sites, details useful for adventurers visiting (such as noted taverns and major inns), as well as adventure hooks and statistics for a couple of the notable NPCs that may be encountered there. Realms fans will recognize most of these characters –Bruenor Battlehammer and King Harbromm, for example. Maps for the largest cities are included on the poster map.
The fourth chapter, “People of the Silver Marches” provides an excellent overview of life on the frontier. Topics of law, trade, defense, the status of adventurers, and the organization of military organizations are all discussed in this chapter. The various tribes of Uthgardt Barbarians also get a five-page treatment, including game statistics for the barbarian Wulfgar from the Forgotten Realms novels.
“Politics and Power”, chapter five, provides some recent history (since 1367 DR) and describes the founding of the confederation of the Silver Marches, along with the political machinations that really govern the realm – a section ripe for mining for adventures based on political maneuvering and intrigue. The major threats to the Silver Marches get a cursory treatment in this chapter – non-human raiders, worshippers of Malar, the Arcane Brotherhood, and the orcs of King Obould Many-Arrows are some of the topics. While not providing a great deal of detail on each group, this section does serve to provide a number of good plot hooks for continuing adventures in the region.
The remaining sections of the book provide game mechanics appropriate to the region and some ready-to-run adventures. “Heroes of the North” provides six prestige classes for the region. The Giant Killer and Hordebreaker are specialized fighting classes, each with their own style, while the Knight-Errant of Silverymoon provides a type of frontier knight in the service of the confederation. The Orc Scout and Wild Scout are two great wilderness prestige classes with nice flavor and appropriate abilities, but the Peerless Archer is about the most overpowered prestige class I’ve seen – ranged sneak attacks, a ranged power attack, enchanted arrows, the ability to threaten an area with a bow, and the ability to ignore cover and concealment being his major abilities.
Another chapter presents a number of frontier animals along with four monsters, of which the Snowcloak is the most unique and bizarre entry – a weird two headed, magic wielding flying beast out of a snow-blinded nightmare.
The book concludes with a number of adventures. “Black Fury” is a short encounter with a were-creature hold appropriate for 6th level characters; “Dead Orc Pass” provides a short mountain adventure for 5th level characters; and “Telkoun’s Tower” provides a broken-down wizards tower for 7th level characters to explore. The last adventure, “Blood and Gold”, is really a mini campaign set around the town of Deadsnows, and links a series of small adventures appropriate for a party of 5th level or higher characters.
Silver Marches has a detailed table of contents, but lacks an index. It is nicely illustrated; the page work is similar to the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting, with some very nicely done color artwork every couple of pages – in keeping with the other books in the series, this is a very nice looking product.
Critical Hits
Silver Marches does a great job of capturing the flavor of a wild, barely controlled region ready for exploration by a party of intrepid frontiersmen. There is a tremendous amount of background material here for a wide range of adventures – political, wilderness exploration, traditional dungeon delving, from the mundane to the fantastic.
I particularly like the range of geographic and wilderness information – the “Exploring the Wild” chapter is useful material for almost any outdoor campaign in a temperate or cooler region. And though this area has been visited before in previous products, the new political boundaries add some fresh features to a landscape ready for classic adventuring.
Forgotten Realms fans in particular will find the information in Silver Marches to be interesting and useful (though be prepared for a few changes and inconsistencies from previous material).
Critical Misses
Gamers looking to mine this product for game mechanics for other settings will be a bit disappointed. There aren’t any new feats, spells, or magic items; of the six prestige classes one is questionable at best. The background material is heavily tied to the setting and occupies a majority of the book, and while the adventures are useful (“Blood and Gold” is actually a great little mini-campaign), they aren’t by themselves worth the price of admission.
Now, I personally like the ratio of background flavor to game mechanics in this product – this is clearly a work where the background came first, and then mechanics were built as appropriate, rather than the other way around – but gamers who do not use this setting will not find the ratio of material to their advantage. For them, while the background material will be interesting reading, they may not find the content quite worth the cost.
Coup de Grace
As a Forgotten Realms® product, none of the material in Silver Marches is open content, and the limited mechanics, some of which are potentially unbalanced, mar the d20 compliance score slightly. The material has been treated at least twice before, so while the updates are original, the base material is not. Players and GMs using the Forgotten Realms setting will get their money’s worth out of this product; other gamers may wish to consider carefully before picking this up at full price. It’s a nicely constructed, beautifully presented gaming sourcebook, but he content balance may not be right for everyone.
To see the graded evaluation of this product and to leave comments that the reviewer will respond to, go to The Critic's Corner at www.d20zines.com.
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