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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Simon Collins" data-source="post: 2010148" data-attributes="member: 9860">This is not a playtest review.Airships is an accessory detailing flying ships from Bastion Press.Airships is a 96-page colour softcover product costing $24.95. There are a few chunks of white space here and there, but generally layout is tight, easy to read, and different types of information clearly defined. The art is poor to good, but all of it better than the front cover, the middle third of which shows three flying ships surrounded by flying creatures with Freddie Krueger-like digits, half-feather-half-bat wings, a skeletal draconic head, and a bottom half resembling a furry albino kangaroo. Writing style is good, as is editing, with only a few minor errors.Airship ConstructionThis chapter covers building your own airship including hull, engines, rigging, piloting and navigational components, weapons, optional extras, and some advice on mapping out the ship for gameplay. There is also a table showing manoeuvrability and armour class in relation to size and tonnage, along with advice on airship tonnage (using a 10ft cube) and purchasing an airship that has already been built. Most notably, different building materials are discussed (including crystalline, bone, and gemstone) and different types of engine power (including arcane, elemental, and vampiric forces) in relationship to airship construction.Roles Of Airship CrewsLooks at different authority levels in a standard airship crew, as well as what each type of crewmember actually does. It also includes details of their standard pay, and working hours. There is also advice for calculating the number of crewmembers required for the airship, linked in with the details given in Chapter 1.Aerial MovementBegins by looking at movement scales and rates, and basic aerial manoeuvres such as ascending and descending, turning, and acceleration. It then moves on to more extreme manoeuvres such as plummeting descent, and pushed acceleration, as well as mishaps in the sky (including crashing and fires). A useful table shows speed versus movement per round, minute, and day. All these areas have solid game rules attached to them to keep things in balance.Airship CombatThis chapter runs through the sequence of events in airship combat in a similar progression as standard combat with surprise, attack rolls, damage, AC, hull points (instead of hit points), as well as information on speed and manoeuvring during combat. The rules diverge somewhat from standard combat for ramming (which includes a diagram showing various ramming angles related to damage from ramming) and boarding (which require a succession of skill checks with rules for possible immobilisation of the enemy airship). There is also discussion of winged creatures and their relationship with the preceding ruleset, and advice for ways to track airship combat, including using a d20 on a representative counter to show the relative altitudes of airships in combat. The chapter ends with some more specific rules for crewmembers in combat, such as attacking from the rigging, and the drop attack (from a height).Overland Travel By AirDiscusses different methods of navigation (including geographical, celestial, and maps). The chapter goes on to look at hazards of airship travel, such as getting lost, weather, and thermals (with accompanying game rules). The chapter ends with a look at the influence of terrain on airship travel, with discussion on the dangers of mountains, sandstorms, and crash landing in the sea (unless the airship has been also designed to float).Aerial EquipmentExplains the uses of various equipment found on airships, notably airman wings made of spider webbing that can be used to glide between ships.Aerial TradeThis chapter gives a fairly complex look at trading using airships - the aspects that make for good and bad trading routes, the influence of salesmanship on the price of goods, and a number of factors influencing the trade in a whole variety of goods (from alcohol to weapons). Two useful tables are included in the chapter for those who wish to ply the trading routes of the skies. The first looks at purchasing power of the populace in standard communities and amount of surplus goods produced that could be bought by traders. The second looks at different product categories in terms of unit sizes and costs, a DC for buying and selling for a profit, and availability on a monthly basis. There is a brief discussion of piracy in relation to trading.Aerial CharactersThis discusses some of the profession and craft skills surrounding airship travel, and gives eight new feats related to the subject such as aerial balance, engine savant (get the most out of your engine), and rigging combat.Prestige ClassesFour 10-level PrCs designed with airships in mind:* Airship Saboteur - explodes airship engines secretively using covert skills and powers.* Ship Mage - forges magical bond with the airship to improve performance.* Ship Theurge - forges magical bond with airship to provide repair and protection.* Sky Slayer - expert at fighting in the air, either aboard an airship or using airman wings.Magic In The AirIncludes five or so pages discussing existing spells and the way they can be used in airship travel and combat. Also has eight new spells, including becalm, engine jolt (brief improvement in engine performance), and storm prow (provides additional lightning attack when ramming). Also has three magic items including incense of navigation.Sample AirshipsFive sample airships with various drawings on the left hand page and a stat sheet on the right with a critical hit table. There are more avaialble on the Bastion website. These are nicely done.The book ends with an airman's lexicon and a photocopiable Airships Record Sheet for showing Airship stats and diagram.ConclusionThis book really lives or dies on whether you're interested in introducing airships into your campaign. If you are, this seems like a detailed and solid resource, and will be particularly pertinent if you're running the Oathbound campaign setting, which features airships as a standard part of the setting. It would also be pretty useful if you were running a d20 conversion of Earthdawn (perish the thought!). On the whole, well written material backed up with game rules for airship travel, trade and combat. Definitely fits the cliche - 'don't judge a book by its cover'.</blockquote>

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