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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Messageboard Golem" data-source="post: 2010164" data-attributes="member: 18387">By Brad Mix, Staff Reviewer d20 Magazine RackSizing Up the TargetThis review is for Beyond the Walls, the second installment of the Foul Locales series by Mystic Eye Games. Written by Bret Boyd, Charles Plemons III, and John White this is a book of small adventures that can be placed into almost any campaign setting. It is 128 pages and retails for $19.99.First BloodBeyond the Walls is the follow up to Urban Blight, which detailed adventures inside the city. This books steps past the walls and into the great wide open. 13 different short adventures are included. A couple of these adventures are good and the rest are average. If the group has a tendency to wander and not stay on the beaten path then these will come in handy as they can be placed into any setting. Adventure hooks are offered as a separate means to get the party involved in the events. The encounter levels range from 2 to 14. The maps included are generally good. No color is used in the book at all so shades of gray are used to show contrast. Dead Bards Run is an interesting little encounter. The area is guarded by animated weapons. The interesting part of this chapter is the inclusion of Spell Songs from Monte Cook and used with permission from Malhavoc Press. This could be a great way to introduce spell songs to the party and want them to learn more. Critical HitsAm’Elvat is the first adventure of the book and probably the best written and original. This is an annual fair that the Elves hold during the autumnal equinox. Recently non-elves have been allowed to participate and this has turned it into a fair like atmosphere. The week long celebration is growing in popularity each year. A long time ago a demon was imprisoned on this spot. During the equinox the magic power holding the demon weakens. The elves decided that the more people there would discourage anyone trying to free the demon. 13 pages on NPC’s allow for all kinds of interaction and the week long timeframe sets up some pressure for adventures to finish any mission. Critical MissesBoared is a small (3 page) event more than an adventure. An orc has been afflicted with lycanthropy. Adventure hooks offer a couple of different reasons for the characters to go hunt down this wereboar orc. The beginning information has symbols that tell you each type of terrain and experience level that is recommended. With as much space as the chapter heading has, it would have been nice just to spell it out instead of making us flip to the back to get the symbol information. Most of the locations are listed as a forest region. With the book promising outdoor adventure it would have been nice to see a wider array of locales; such as tundra, steppes, jungle, desert, or even underwater would have been nice. Coup de GraceThese types of mini adventure books are good to have around. They are great for a quick adventure when the party does something unexpected or if the whole group cannot attend the play session. This allows the other players to keep playing and shouldn’t interfere with the rest of the campaign the GM has set up.To see the graded evaluation of this product and to leave comments that the reviewer will respond to, go to The Critic's Corner at <a href="http://www.d20zines.com/html/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=index&catid=&topic=3" target="_blank">www.d20zines.com.</a></blockquote>

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