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Enchanted Trinkets Complete--a hardcover book containing over 500 magic items for your D&D games!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="JoeGKushner" data-source="post: 2011463" data-attributes="member: 1129">I bought the Conan game when it first came out. When I did, it seemed like, and still does, that the old barbarian is undergoing some type of renaissance. He has a new version of the original Robert E. Howard work out, the old Marvel comics have been updated in the color department and collected and reprinted by Dark Horse and now, a role playing game. More recently, I received a copy for judging. I figure well, since I’ve got a copy for the judging, might as well share some of my thoughts of the thing eh? This is another one of those dreaded “unofficial” reviews that I’m just tossing out to see what sticks.Physically, it’s a fantastic looking book. One thing that surprised me about the Quintessential Temptress was the art. Well, a lot of that art apparently came from this book. Some top grade material here. I was a little disappointed with the cover. I know I’m not the only person who remembers seeing the mock up cover, “The Barbarian” a Frank Frazetta cover. Not saying that Quilliams work is bad by any means but come on, Frazetta!The layout is also nice on the eyes. Almost as nice as some of the Forgotten Realms books. The full page, full color borders show various parts of the Conan milieu. About the only thing that’s annoying about the section is the bottom. See, on the left side, we have a near naked female leaning against something and on the right side, some ghouls charging forward. This cuts into the page and into the text. In some occasions, it splits a table or makes things difficult to read.Some of the sections look better than their Player’s Handbook equivalents. For example, the weapon and armor section here, much like the Everquest Player’s Handbook, is top notch. A heavy mace and Warspear look fairly vicious. One thing that I think the Player’s Handbook could learn, is using the interior covers to provide a map of the Greyhawk region. Here, the interior covers are used to provide a view of the lands of Hyperborea. It’s a nice two page fold and does a good job of being readable and nice to look at.One clever use, perhaps overdone a touch, is the use of quotes from the Conan fiction. This helps to illustrate various points or changes in the game system. The writing itself could use another pass from an editor for clarity. I’m not the master of the English language that fellow reviewer John Cooper is, but I’ve read William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White’s The Elements of Style enough to know that you should omit needless words whenever possible for clarity. Take the sentience from the Feat, Fighting-Madness; “Up to once per day, you can enter a fighting-madness” as opposed to “Once per day you can enter a fighting madness.”In terms of editing errors, at first read, I didn’t see that many. Upon a closer examination, they’re no worse than some other products I own. I think the problem, is that despite this book being printed in China, it’s $50 price tag demands close care be taken with it. Add to the fact that this is the core book, and people are going to want perfection. I know, Mongoose stepped up and claimed responsibility, but this isn’t the first book that’s had these editing issues so I’ll wait and see what their products look like over the long term.In game mechanics, the book reminds me a bit of Monte Cook’s Arcana Unearthed in that it’s fairly familiar to anyone who knows how to play D&D, but has its own take on things. For example, there are numerous new classes; barbarian, borderer, noble, nomad, pirate, scholar, soldier, and thief. As you’ll notice from the list, this is a martial game for the most part. Social skills and the lure of knowledge are for but a few of these classes. Instead it seems better to gather your swords and skills about you and prepare for adventure.Keeping with that martial theme, some elements come through. Characters in a Conan game can be much more self efficient than characters in a standard game. They gain the standard bonuses, one feat every three levels, and one stat increase every four levels. However, they also gain a stat bonus to all attributes at 6th level and then every four levels afterwards. In terms of race, this is old fantasy fiction here so we have no dwarves or elves. Instead we have human cultures and variant subcultures under them. These range from Conan’s people, the Cimmerians, to the Hyborian’s and their variants like the Gunderman and Khaurans. It’s here that these greater abilities also come through in the archetypes of each race. If you follow your race’s favored class, you gain bonus feats. This encourages you to be what you’re people are. You gain bonus feats at 1st, 5th, and 10th level. Some races have more than one favored race and those levels stack with each other.Another interesting variant is prohibited classes. There are no starting Cimmerian nobles for example. After character creation, with the GM’s approval, you can change classes into a prohibited class.Little things like this are scattered throughout the text. Take for example, your skill points from your intelligence bonus. These points can be spent on any skill. Hit dice max out at 10th level and you gain bonus hit points based on the hit die type. Very old school and keeps the characters more mortal than those in standard d20 games. How about the old silver standard instead of gold? It’s here. How about the healing benefits of strong drink? Yup, that’s right. If you have a strong drink when at 0 hit points, you actually gain a hit point.Alignment is dropped from the game system, and with good reason. Most characters in such a setting would bounce between chaotic neutral and chaotic evil according to standard alignment rules, especially as illustrated by the fiction. In place of alignment, we have honor. Honor is broken into two wide groups, barbaric and civilized and each has rules that must be followed. In exchange for following these rules, you gain bonuses to Will saving throws and Reputation.Because of the bleak nature of the setting, characters also have to worry about Corruption. When facing supernatural evil, characters may accrue corruption points. As the character gains more corruption points, they suffer more negative effects. At 1-2 you start off with nightmares or even drinking. At 10+, you’re permanently possessed by some demonic entity and begin to inflict corruption onto those around you.To help character live in this dangerous world, you have Fate Points. These are very similar to those found in the Warhammer FRPG in that when you’re supposed to die, you’re instead assumed to be dead and left for dead.Overall the changes to the d20 system look to be in keeping with the feel of the fiction. There are numerous changes, such as armor providing damage reduction, and experience points being awarded on an ad hoc basis instead of a per challenge rating basis, but overall, it looks to work in the system’s favor as opposed to against it. In many ways, I can see the engine here becoming another standard by which other low fantasy games may be judged.Another important factor for some, is how well supported a game line is. In that we have no fear as there are already several Conan supplements out and look to be numerous other supplements coming down the pipeline.Because of the numerous little touches, like the chapter, The Hyborian Age by Robert E. Howard, and the obvious respect that authors have for the source work, I’d recommend this book for anyone looking not only for a Conan game, but for a game engine that can help you emulate something like Warhammer FRPG.</blockquote>

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