Response to page count and rant
Well, to answer this question direclty, I think it's because there are publishers out there who for better or worse tend to play with font sizes and other areas to appear to have a larger book. In some cases, I agree with you that hey, if it's worth it, it's worth it regardless of how many pages per dollar it works out to be, but page length is one indicator because if I see a 200 page book, I may think that there are going to be some useful sections. If it turns out that this could've been a 120 page book then there are some serious probelms that potential buyers need to know about.
As far as the "birds-eye" view of the city, very nice but... I thought one of the main selling points of this was that it was a generic city. There are turning out to be several things I really don't like about Canting Crew.
No offense to the Trolls or Gary but that whole Legendary stuffwas for me at least, 16 wasted pages. Perhaps I'm wrong but I don't think that it's Legendary that's selling the book. It's Gary doing a D20 product. I'm really hoping that Mongoose doesn't put a chapter of Legendary stuff in their book.
I also hate the dolalr system. Completely useless and requires flipping back and forth to determine if Gary means gold, copper, pieces, pounds. Heck, it's not even used everywhere. City gate taxes are 1 copper piece. Great use the standard fantasy here don't flip to dollars. Many tables are generally useless. Tables like 1-2,1-3,1-4. Consuemr goods with no details. Trade goods with no details. I could throw together tables like this from the 2nd or 1st edition DMG.
Several maps have no grids and in the miniature heavy D&D this makes them pretty, but useless. Lots of terminology thrown around with no examples. FOr example, under city architecture, what does it mean medieval? How about Greco-Roamn? How about Gothic or modern Roman?
The whole thing on Afterward: On the Incidence of Magic was very weak. And what the hell is "mental powers"? Some effort to note psionics could have been made very easily here. It's in the gentlemen's agreement right?
I loved the Jargon of the Canting Crew but the examples in the book are way too heavy in it's use. "My bone's fogged wigglers, tib of the buttery, bushdroppings in a bag, and a sneak of whet for wash." Yeah, okay, that's not more annoying than the Cant from Planescape!
The signals were also good. Easy to understand and use. The signs and symbols were great. Easy to use and understand.
D20 Cant still looking over but I am weary of one thing from multiple publishers. Generic unfitting prestige class names. No one works for years to become a henchman. Bravo perhaps but not a bravo hencheman. And repeating both names every time the name was used was also annoying. Some of these will be perfect for NPCS like Counterfeit and Trademaster. Don't know about the way the Preferred Opponent works for the Pacer though. Observed for 3 turns and even when he has multiple opponents he only has the bonus versuss the target being studied?
The Appendixes, especially B, were great. I was pleased that C has a regular cost instead of talking about how povery level is $14,000 a year and how this job pays $4,000 a year etc...
Don't take this as a regular review (which I'll probably work on after Bluffside and What Evil Lurks) just some random thoughts.
just kidding.
