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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Razuur" data-source="post: 1051373" data-attributes="member: 1997">Okay, here is my 2 cents (and likely then some)Let me make this initial caveat, that I am not a Monte fanatic or a Monte hater.  Just some RPG consumer who has liked some things that he has put out, and not others.Next, let me say that after listening to Monte's comments on these boards for the last few years and after seeing most of his products, one can say the following as fact:  Monte loves DnD.  He loves 3E.  He acknowledges that it has its problems, but he loves it.  He likes playing the DnD genre as well (and DnD fantasy is a genre).  And after three years he has created an alternate players guide for DnD.  Note that this offers alternatives, and is not necessarily geared as a replacement (despite being able to stand on it's own).  Is it compatible?  Sure is.  Is it for everybody's campaign.  Probably not, but then that was not the claim.Lets look at the issues above in a little detail to see what I mean:Classes:DnD is a game that has classes that are truly archetypes: fighter, cleric, wizard, etc.  It even has some non archetypical classes Bard, Monk, Ranger (with spells), sorcerer that are really specialized versions of an archetypical class.  UA offers this.  The classes in it are specialized alternatives.  Are they balanced?   I have never really cared about that issue, but some do, and I believe the answer is yes.  Are they neat and unique?  You bet!  Do they have a place in you game?  I would say that if you are the type of person whose setting who allows a wilderness fighter who can cast magics (the Ranger) then nothing in UA really wouldn't fit.  If you play a more realistic game setting like something more medieval europe where rangers are just wilderness warriors, then probably not.  But that is not the point.  Monte has given you a book of DnD alternatives - in the DnD genre.  I could see these classes being used in FR, Kalamar, Greyhawk, etc.  Dragonlance maybe.   Midnight may be pushing it. But that is the point isn't it?  One needs to decide if it is ones cup of tea or not, not knock it for not being compatible ( which is a vague complaint, because what about it isn't compatible - and compatable with what?)  This issue at hand is whether it fits your style.Races:Well obviously this represents a Monte's DnD.  The races included may not be your cup of tea.  Thats not a compatability issue, its a taste issue.  The races are fine, and will be very useful depending on your world... if they are your cup of tea.Magick:It is a great alternative to the DnD magic.  Is it compatible?  Can it work in your game?  Why not?"  Why can't a world have several types of magic that work different?  It doesn't have to be an either/or situation.  Whether alone or with trad vancian magic, this is a nice alternate magic method.Compatibility in General:I have never rreally understood this complaint.  If I am reading a supplement and I find something that would be neat in my world, then it takes very little effort to make the adjustments to get it to fit.  Compatibility is not taste or flavor, and I think people get distracted by this.  If this did fit my world, I would have no trouble dropping stuff in, as it is designed very well.Art:C'mon folks.   This is pretty subjective.  I have seen art that is better and worse.  This too is a "cup of tea" issueOverall:Monte's stuff tends to be a little too much DnD genre for me.  No surprise obviously since he is one of the authors of the 3rd edition.  But his stuff has always been top notch, design wise.  It has always been a question of "Does his stuff fit me?" rather than is this high quality.  My only complaint is that many of his products have been a litle brief in my opinion.  However, UA is an unqualified success in my opinion.  He really let loose with this, and while all of it is not useful to me, some of it is.  And what is, is really good.  A lot of neat things are in here.And the best part for me, is not the magick or the classes, but the attitude.  The attitude is that lets put the control back in the hands of the GM/DM, which is kind of contrary to 3.5, IMHO.  It doesn't force minatures down your throat, which is ironic, because if I remember correctly Monte uses minatures.  He has sense enough to know that there are those out there who do NOT use minatures.  He states that many items should be adjudicated by the GM/DM - as they should be.  There doesn't need to be a rule for *EVERYTHING*.   I was pretty grateful for the presence of this philosphy.The only thing that may be missing from this whole book is a conversion to standard DnD.  I heard that it is coming in a later product, but I think its inclusion in the UA "core" book might have silenced many of the criticisms this book is getting.Bottom Line:This is not a replacement for the PHB.  This is a book of alternatives to the PHB which present a certain flavor that may or may not suit your tastes.  It is also a guide and starting point for a new campaign designed by Monte and supported by other affiliated companies.  I would say, check it out and see if it meshes with your style.  There is som much stuff in here, that I would be surprised if something in there didn't fit you right - whether it be new classes, races, truenames, magic etc. And if the whole package doesn't suit you, maybe just check out the PDFs coming out of the broke down sections.  While I may not be using all of UA, it is obvious that this is a well made product - and the best product I have seen from Monte.Razuur</blockquote>

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