Five Fingers: Port of Deceit -- how is it?

Kunimatyu · Jun 26, 2007

I've seen Privateer Press's book Five Fingers: Port of Deceit in my FLGS, but I've never seen any reviews of it -- how is it?

Master of the Game · Jun 26, 2007

Absolutely amazing. It single-handedly sold me on the other Iron Kingdoms books.

Definitely one of the best books I've read this year.

I do have a review of it on my blog, but honestly it's not particularly informative. If I have some time later I'll try and get it out and answer questions or whatnot if you have any.

Whizbang Dustyboots · Jun 26, 2007

How portable is it, MotG?

Crothian · Jun 26, 2007

In a line of impressive books (Iron Kingdoms) it is clearly one of the best. It is one of the best RPG books I have read this year.

MrFilthyIke · Jun 26, 2007

That's odd to hear, Five Fingers didn't interest me at all. And I love the Player's and World books. I could look back at it. What was the big sell to you all?

Kunimatyu · Jun 26, 2007

Wow, that's high praise. What makes it so good?

(I'm particularly interested in how it compares to, say, Freeport, and how adaptable it is to a pirate game, whether set in Immoren or a more real-world location)

Master of the Game · Jun 26, 2007

Whizbang Dustyboots said:
How portable is it, MotG?

I'd say surprisingly so, considering how different the Iron Kingdoms are from other worlds.

It is somewhat married to the history, and more importantly the races, of the world, but the 'jacks and such don't play a huge role. It is first and foremost a pirate city, with excellent rules for forming your own band and rising in power.

The IK tropes are important, but I think they could be removed without hurting the setting at all.

Master of the Game · Jun 26, 2007

MrFilthyIke said:
That's odd to hear, Five Fingers didn't interest me at all. And I love the Player's and World books. I could look back at it. What was the big sell to you all?

For me it was the presentation. It gave me everything I needed to run the city as a real, living setting, without taking 700 pages to do it.

If you were a fan of the IK first, and then moved into the city I could see where it might rub you the wrong way. It's basically its own setting. Sure, the IK world is well-represented, but the focus here is different. The wars that are so important to the setting (especially the minis game) are less of an issue here, since the kingdom itself is neutral.

Kunimatyu said:
Wow, that's high praise. What makes it so good?

(I'm particularly interested in how it compares to, say, Freeport, and how adaptable it is to a pirate game, whether set in Immoren or a more real-world location)

It has everything, plot hooks, interesting background and characters, and rules for starting your own group and raising in rank through the city's underground. I'd say the book would be completely worth it for those rules and the mob stuff alone for any pirate game, even if you set it elsewhere.

MrFilthyIke · Jun 26, 2007

Master of the Game said:
If you were a fan of the IK first, and then moved into the city I could see where it might rub you the wrong way. It's basically its own setting. Sure, the IK world is well-represented, but the focus here is different. The wars that are so important to the setting (especially the minis game) are less of an issue here, since the kingdom itself is neutral.

Here's the irony, I think the minis game ruined the setting.

I just did not like the way it was presented, and I normally like Bauer's stuff.