Thomas Percy
First Post
It looks marvelous; like encyclopedia, full color, small font, 700 pages, hard covers plus maps and CD-rom.
But it weights 6 Ibs.
I. Introduction
Monte, like a good teacher, explains that it's important to DM to understand "how" Ptolus works and even more importatnt is to be able as the DM to answer "why" somethings happened. It's a promise of making logical puzzle and giving to the DMs (and maybe even players!) a key to understanding. You know... it may be cool for some of us to slay 20th Halaster clone in the ambush on the sublevel E of level 89th of Undermountains, but it may be cool for some of us to know "why" this Halaster attacked the PCs in Waterdeep beside he's mad.
Why? Why Monte is trying to make Ptolus understandable and logical? Becuse the city is an extrapolation from a D&D premise - and D&D is Monte's game, so he created a setting full compatible with D&D. At least he promises to do this, because this is only introduction.
II. Player's Handbook
Everyone interested can download this part of Ptolus as a free pdf.
We find in this chapter bascic facts about the city, population, where it is, how it looks like...
...by the way. I'm enchanted by the graphics of this book. There is no a single page without a picture, but most of them is incrusted with 3-5 pictures. Some of them are very small, so I wonder one day we will see art gallery at montecook.com full of big pictures. I'm a lucky guy. I don't like comic, manga and WotC complete seris drawnings. I love classical fantasy art, realistic, colorful, like in the WotC PHBII or ToM - and I have thousands of such pictures in Ptolus. Besides my little known The Forge Studios, there are such titans of fantasy art as Jason Engle, Todd Lockwood (with Komarck, Lofgren, Lyon, Phillippi). Last but not least there are about one hundred plans of Ed Bourelle. I was in love in his maps until some years and this guy is better artist from one book 'till another.
... but Ptolus. So, there are short information about rulers of the city, its enemies and inhabitants.
Next. The description of city's districts. This is first time I glorify Monte. The city is original, but not weird, so its flexible and I can use it in my campset BIRTHRIGHT. The districts are placed very smart on the cliff circles around The Spire, with a river and sea nearby. When you read this, you can see there is historical, logical, and topographical sense of districts borders. Besides, imho all districts are cool.
Noble houses. Monte gives every house some distinctive traits. It's good as a flavour and mnemotechnic trick, but I think it will be better to remind a reader that an aristocrat is no a person who makes money on trade, but someone who has fief and/or court work. And if someone has a fief, he has a money. Money -> army. Army -> political power. Political power -> more fiefs, money, soldiers.
Organizations. They have a feel of Planescape factions... not a surprise, Monte writed some of Planescape materials last century. I love some of them, particularry Bros of Redemption, Dreaming Apothecary or Viridian Lords, which are mines of adventure ideas and even new prestige classes to create for the DM. I'm confused by Delver's Guild. I know it's a fantasy D&D city full of adventures, and IT'S possible to make money on them only, but I don't belive there are 8000 adventurers in the city with population 70.000. Such things are good in computer online games, when the only real person are PCs, but in my and my player's own campaign, my players are heroes, not 4 of 8000 heroes in the block. Besides, if there are 8000 adventurers and every of them has even the starting money (gp) from DMG all economy, all balance of power will differ from this decribed in PHB.
World. A few words about falling (in very interesting and adventure "hooking" way) empire around Ptolus. A few words about a church. We have a mono and politeism in the city at once, because folk is free to worship all good gods, but one of the faiths (Christian like) is state religion and is most worshiped.
Races. I'm curious what's this litorian. Half man, half lion. A guy you don't want to kiss or make angry. Until you are masochist.
Character background. There is very useful table to make a PC with the occupation of the character before he become an adventurer, most likely classes, smart benefits (as contacts or craft skill bonuses) and home district. I like this table.
At the end there are a few words about magic which is common in the city... it means that every commoner saw a mage, not that every commoner is a mage. Ptolus is a city compatible with the rules of generating towns from DMG.
This is the end of part 1 my progressing review. Sorry for my bad English. I don't promise to write next parts, bacause I'm doing it for fun, and I'll stop when I become bored.
But it weights 6 Ibs.
I. Introduction
Monte, like a good teacher, explains that it's important to DM to understand "how" Ptolus works and even more importatnt is to be able as the DM to answer "why" somethings happened. It's a promise of making logical puzzle and giving to the DMs (and maybe even players!) a key to understanding. You know... it may be cool for some of us to slay 20th Halaster clone in the ambush on the sublevel E of level 89th of Undermountains, but it may be cool for some of us to know "why" this Halaster attacked the PCs in Waterdeep beside he's mad.
Why? Why Monte is trying to make Ptolus understandable and logical? Becuse the city is an extrapolation from a D&D premise - and D&D is Monte's game, so he created a setting full compatible with D&D. At least he promises to do this, because this is only introduction.
II. Player's Handbook
Everyone interested can download this part of Ptolus as a free pdf.
We find in this chapter bascic facts about the city, population, where it is, how it looks like...
...by the way. I'm enchanted by the graphics of this book. There is no a single page without a picture, but most of them is incrusted with 3-5 pictures. Some of them are very small, so I wonder one day we will see art gallery at montecook.com full of big pictures. I'm a lucky guy. I don't like comic, manga and WotC complete seris drawnings. I love classical fantasy art, realistic, colorful, like in the WotC PHBII or ToM - and I have thousands of such pictures in Ptolus. Besides my little known The Forge Studios, there are such titans of fantasy art as Jason Engle, Todd Lockwood (with Komarck, Lofgren, Lyon, Phillippi). Last but not least there are about one hundred plans of Ed Bourelle. I was in love in his maps until some years and this guy is better artist from one book 'till another.
... but Ptolus. So, there are short information about rulers of the city, its enemies and inhabitants.
Next. The description of city's districts. This is first time I glorify Monte. The city is original, but not weird, so its flexible and I can use it in my campset BIRTHRIGHT. The districts are placed very smart on the cliff circles around The Spire, with a river and sea nearby. When you read this, you can see there is historical, logical, and topographical sense of districts borders. Besides, imho all districts are cool.
Noble houses. Monte gives every house some distinctive traits. It's good as a flavour and mnemotechnic trick, but I think it will be better to remind a reader that an aristocrat is no a person who makes money on trade, but someone who has fief and/or court work. And if someone has a fief, he has a money. Money -> army. Army -> political power. Political power -> more fiefs, money, soldiers.
Organizations. They have a feel of Planescape factions... not a surprise, Monte writed some of Planescape materials last century. I love some of them, particularry Bros of Redemption, Dreaming Apothecary or Viridian Lords, which are mines of adventure ideas and even new prestige classes to create for the DM. I'm confused by Delver's Guild. I know it's a fantasy D&D city full of adventures, and IT'S possible to make money on them only, but I don't belive there are 8000 adventurers in the city with population 70.000. Such things are good in computer online games, when the only real person are PCs, but in my and my player's own campaign, my players are heroes, not 4 of 8000 heroes in the block. Besides, if there are 8000 adventurers and every of them has even the starting money (gp) from DMG all economy, all balance of power will differ from this decribed in PHB.
World. A few words about falling (in very interesting and adventure "hooking" way) empire around Ptolus. A few words about a church. We have a mono and politeism in the city at once, because folk is free to worship all good gods, but one of the faiths (Christian like) is state religion and is most worshiped.
Races. I'm curious what's this litorian. Half man, half lion. A guy you don't want to kiss or make angry. Until you are masochist.
Character background. There is very useful table to make a PC with the occupation of the character before he become an adventurer, most likely classes, smart benefits (as contacts or craft skill bonuses) and home district. I like this table.
At the end there are a few words about magic which is common in the city... it means that every commoner saw a mage, not that every commoner is a mage. Ptolus is a city compatible with the rules of generating towns from DMG.
This is the end of part 1 my progressing review. Sorry for my bad English. I don't promise to write next parts, bacause I'm doing it for fun, and I'll stop when I become bored.
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Crud. Now I want the book in front of me even more now.
