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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Simon Collins" data-source="post: 2010110" data-attributes="member: 9860">Beware! This review contains major spoilers.This is not a playtest review.Foul Locales: Beyond The Walls is a sourcebook from Mystic Eye Games detailing wilderness locations designed to easily integrate into a campaign.Beyond The Walls is a 128-page mono softcover product costing $19.99. Font size and margins are average, there are a couple of chunks of white space, two pages of ads, and a blank page entitled notes (as if no-one had blank paper, and people wanted to write in their book). Art is average to good - whilst the front cover (showing two adventurers overlooking a desert tent village) is still pretty good, I didn't think it was up to the standard of other Jason Engle work I've seen recently (notably Allies & Adversaries). Maps are quite iconically detailed though some are a bit bland overall. All are scaled, but lack compass direction. The writing style is atmospheric if a little clumsy at times - e.g. "And then his mother had drug him out to this godforsaken wilderness". Editing is average, with both spelling and grammatical mistakes scattered through the text.The book comprises thirteen locations. Each location begins with a key code giving a shorthand showing EL, climate, and terrain of the location (this information is also located in the table of contents at the front of the book, but might have been better in a separate table with page references, and the keycodes exlained next to them). Each location begins with a brief description, followed by greater details keyed to a map. There are also NPCs and/or creatures, adventure ideas/plot hooks, some additional rules such as a new spell, item, or feat, and some advice for campaign integration. Sidebars detail extraneous features not covered by the main text, where appropriate.Am'Elvat (EL Any) is an elven fair in a forest location. The fair is in fact a cover for a ritual to renew the bindings on an imprisoned demon in the area, but also provides a time for trade between the elves and the world beyond the forest. Various tents and their products/services are described, none of which are particularly interesting (clothing, woodwork, drink, food, privies). The only interesting aspect is the nearby lake island on which the demonic prison is set. The various NPCs who provide the products are then listed separately with full stats, motives, and tactics - again, these tend to be fairly bland: the cook likes cooking, the bard likes performing, etc. The problem is, there are 13 pages of NPCs for this location. The adventure hooks don't just tie in with the demonic prison, and do provide some imaginative ideas for using the fair - but for something a bit more interesting in this line, check out Airweaver Games' 'The Goblin Fair'. Perhaps mixing ideas from the two could work quite well.The Bloodforge (EL 10) ties in quite strongly with Bastion Press' 'Alchemy & Herbalists'. Though enough information is provided to run it standalone, there is benefit in owning A&H. The forge is run by an orc and his humanoid helpers. The orc forges magical items from iron and blood to create mainly weapons and armour that do extra damage to certain races specified by the blood used in the creation process. The smithy, orc and workers, and the process of creation of the items are all detailed, and some adventure hooks given that take into account that the PCs may want to kill the orc and ask questions later.Boared (EL 4) describes an enchanted forest grove which, through a set of bizarrely synchronous circumstances, has become the centre of a stupid orc's wereboar 'factory', as he infects all-comers with his disease in a misguided ritual. Unlike the previous two locations, the location is more interesting than the adventure hooks.Colony Of The Afflicted (EL 8) is an island sanctuary for sufferers of a disease known as Relbenar's Curse, similar to leprosy. In times past, a code of behaviour was enforced upon sufferes exiled to the island, which has been integrated into the island residents' consciousness, allowing for some interesting roleplaying opportunities. Evil has insinuated itself within the diseased community, and several adventure hooks look at the possibilities of getting the PCs involved. The disease is also detailed.Dead Bards' Run (EL 9/14) is a mountain pass inhabited by sentient animated weapons. The situation is complicated by a drow wizard who uses the weapons as cover for his secret hideout. The sentient weapons contain the souls of bards, and use spellsongs (from Monte Cook's Eldritch Might II - again, enough information (including a variety of spells) is reproduced to run the location, but ownership of the Malhvoc product will enhance things). There is also a rumour table provided regarding the pass, along with some fairly obvious adventure hooks.Knightwatch (EL 2) is an ancient forest keep, guarded by good- and neutral-aligned undead. The straightforward plot hooks involves the PCs exploring the keep and solving the mystery of why the undead are restless. The keep is designed to be used by the PCs as a base once the mystery is solved.Larin's Point (EL 7) is a wilderness waystation stocking supplies for travellers. The waystation is actually a front for a slave trade born of an agreement between the owner of the waystation and an aboleth that lairs in the river the waystation spans. There is a sidebar with advice for scaling the location up and down, along with adventure hooks leading to the waystation or away from it into the Underdark.The Light Of Home (EL 8) is a house set in the wilderness, and disguised by illusions cast by the werewolf illusionist (presented in all 3 forms) who lives in the house along with her son. The simple plot hooks lead into a mystery regarding why the woman and her son live so far out in the wilderness...The Mournes Farm (EL 2) is an odd farmhouse and farm run by the Mournes and their odd ethereal helper. The adventure hooks include the threat of an undead scarecrow (new type of undead with full stats and writeup) and there is also a rumour table regarding the farm and its strange inhabitants. Creepy schlock horror movie stuff.Shadowgloom Ranch (EL 10) is a horse ranch that acts as a front for a bizarre breeding program devised by an arrogant psionic blue dragon. Sidebars include information on the monster trade that is going on via the ranch, a new creature - draconic horses, and some advice for running the location if you don't own the Psionics Handbook. The ranch has some weird and wonderful guardians created by the dragon.Stones Of Legend (EL 8) is a circle of standing stones with two unfortunate powers - the first is to boost a school of magic whilst later causing a retributive reaction from its opposing school; the other is that it draws dark nagas to it. Rules for creating similar stone circles with different effects are given, with maps showing the various alignments of the stones to create these effects. There is a rumour table for the stone circle and various adventure ideas related to the retributive effect and the dark nagas.Viperwood Potions (EL 14) is a shop selling potions run by wild elves. The shop is situated on the edge of a jungle, the actual jungle being fiercely protected by incursion from non-wild-elves. There is a table giving various random encounters for day and night should the PCs investigate the jungle. The jungle holds a dire secret involving breeding between wild elves and mariliths. The Half-fiend Telmaroth template is given emulating the offspring of this union. There is also a Spitter template, providing a creature variant with a poisonous bite that can spit poison like some snakes.Zander's Brigand Patrol (EL 7) is a tribe of hobgoblins apparently turned to good, since they have rid a dangerous forest of creatures that interfered with the important trade route that ran through it. All they ask in return for keeping the forest clear of threat is a toll to be paid by merchants passing through. Though the funds made from this unusual venture are being used to arm a humanoid army ready to take the nearby civilised lands, the hobgoblin leader is now torn between greed and bloodlust, since the tolls have proved so lucrative. The location provided is one of the checkpoints charging the toll, and there are various stats for members of the 'brigand patrol'. One particular adventure hook involving an enemy nation and the hobgoblins could prove a great adventure.ConclusionA mixture of hit and miss wilderness locations. Whilst none were outstanding, none were truly dreadful. The writing style and editing left something to be desired and, whilst the concept of EL, climate and terrain codes was good, the splitting of location and NPCs did not work for me. This was particularly noticeable in the first location where the large number of PCs would be hard to link with the correct tent whilst running an adventure, but was a feature of all the locations to a lesser degree. There are some interesting ideas scattered throughout the book - some good adventure hooks, interesting monsters, and unusual locations. But there is also a lot of unnecessary location information, bland NPCs, and weak plot hooks.</blockquote>

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