Fury in the Wastelands: The Orcs of Tellene
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Messageboard Golem
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By Steven Creech, Exec. Chairman d20 Magazine Rack
Sizing Up the Target
Fury in the Wastelands: The Orcs of Tellene is a 160-page sourcebook for the Kingdoms of Kalamar setting. It is written by Paul “Wiggy” Wade-Williams and illustrated by a large number of artists. It is published by Kenzer & Co. and carries a retail price of $23.99.
First Blood
Orcs in Tellene are much more than your typical run-of-the mill orcs. For starters, there are five distinct species: Common, Black, Gray, Brown and White. On Tellene, orcs are called Ukak rather than just plain orcs (which is reminiscent of Tolkien’s Urak Hai orc).
The social structure of Ukak is divided into a sort of caste system of those who fight, those who pray, those that rule, thaose that work, those that serve and those that breed. Despite their chaotic evil nature, they do form a functional government and follow the established hierarchy set forth by it.
Chapter four delves into orc culture like no other book has before. Topics such as life cycle, habitat, recreation, diet, clothing, medicine and healthcare, race relations, trade, and language are all covered. Several topics are further brokendown and even contain new game mechanics and rules suited for orcs.
Orc warfare is the subject of chapter five. Orcish armor and weapons are detailed, including the vicious orc double axe. Tactics and strategy covers such matters as sieges, ambushes, pitched battles, defending lairs and even naval units.
Chapters eight and nine focus on orc tribes in Tellene and the NPCs that make them up. This part is filled with great flavor and should generate quite a few campaign ideas. There are also new mechanics such as feats and a couple of prestige classes.
Making and playing an orc is the subject of chapter ten. This represents optional rules that require GM approval before use. Role-playing orcs require a certain degree of callousness and viciousness that isn’t typically seen on the part of players. There is also another factor to consider, orc cowardice. An orc will retreat without hesitation if the odds are against him. This makes playing an orc character an interesting challenge to say the least.
Critical Hits
The best thing about this book is that it is a complete and well-rounded treatise on orcs. It represents everything that The Slayer’s Guide to Orcs (Mongoose) should have been. It treats orcs as a viable character race and illustrates why they are so formidable.
While new game mechanics and rules are present throughout the book, they are collected into Appendix B for easy reference. In addition to new prestige classes, skills, feats, equipment, spells and magic items, there are also monster write-ups for each sub-race of orc.
Critical Misses
As with all Kenzer products, the D&D brand is licensed from Wizards of the Coast and does not fall under the auspices of the Open Gaming License. This is unfortunate as there are some good rules that would be perfect for inclusion into other works as open content.
Coup de Grace
The Orcs of Tellene is a Kalamar book that is quite useable with any other fantasy setting. There are solid new rules options and great flavor that captures the essence of orc life. For a book that is dedicated to a single race, this one shines where so many others fail. I certainly enjoyed it.
To see the graded evaluation of this product and to leave comments, go to The Critic's Corner at www.d20zines.com.
Sizing Up the Target
Fury in the Wastelands: The Orcs of Tellene is a 160-page sourcebook for the Kingdoms of Kalamar setting. It is written by Paul “Wiggy” Wade-Williams and illustrated by a large number of artists. It is published by Kenzer & Co. and carries a retail price of $23.99.
First Blood
Orcs in Tellene are much more than your typical run-of-the mill orcs. For starters, there are five distinct species: Common, Black, Gray, Brown and White. On Tellene, orcs are called Ukak rather than just plain orcs (which is reminiscent of Tolkien’s Urak Hai orc).
The social structure of Ukak is divided into a sort of caste system of those who fight, those who pray, those that rule, thaose that work, those that serve and those that breed. Despite their chaotic evil nature, they do form a functional government and follow the established hierarchy set forth by it.
Chapter four delves into orc culture like no other book has before. Topics such as life cycle, habitat, recreation, diet, clothing, medicine and healthcare, race relations, trade, and language are all covered. Several topics are further brokendown and even contain new game mechanics and rules suited for orcs.
Orc warfare is the subject of chapter five. Orcish armor and weapons are detailed, including the vicious orc double axe. Tactics and strategy covers such matters as sieges, ambushes, pitched battles, defending lairs and even naval units.
Chapters eight and nine focus on orc tribes in Tellene and the NPCs that make them up. This part is filled with great flavor and should generate quite a few campaign ideas. There are also new mechanics such as feats and a couple of prestige classes.
Making and playing an orc is the subject of chapter ten. This represents optional rules that require GM approval before use. Role-playing orcs require a certain degree of callousness and viciousness that isn’t typically seen on the part of players. There is also another factor to consider, orc cowardice. An orc will retreat without hesitation if the odds are against him. This makes playing an orc character an interesting challenge to say the least.
Critical Hits
The best thing about this book is that it is a complete and well-rounded treatise on orcs. It represents everything that The Slayer’s Guide to Orcs (Mongoose) should have been. It treats orcs as a viable character race and illustrates why they are so formidable.
While new game mechanics and rules are present throughout the book, they are collected into Appendix B for easy reference. In addition to new prestige classes, skills, feats, equipment, spells and magic items, there are also monster write-ups for each sub-race of orc.
Critical Misses
As with all Kenzer products, the D&D brand is licensed from Wizards of the Coast and does not fall under the auspices of the Open Gaming License. This is unfortunate as there are some good rules that would be perfect for inclusion into other works as open content.
Coup de Grace
The Orcs of Tellene is a Kalamar book that is quite useable with any other fantasy setting. There are solid new rules options and great flavor that captures the essence of orc life. For a book that is dedicated to a single race, this one shines where so many others fail. I certainly enjoyed it.
To see the graded evaluation of this product and to leave comments, go to The Critic's Corner at www.d20zines.com.
Messageboard Golem
First Post
Uruk-hai, with a "U." Decent review, otherwise.
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