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<blockquote data-quote="Messageboard Golem" data-source="post: 2010002" data-attributes="member: 18387"><p>I had so hoped I would be able to give this product a Five like I gave the Starfarer'sHandbook. The promise of Dragonstar was - and to some extent still is - immense. Nevertheless, this book is not all I hoped it would be, but it is still a damn good read and a necessary and worthwhile purchase if you are into Dragonstar.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: red"><strong> The Stuff </strong></span></p><p></p><p>This book is nowhere near as filled with the now legendary "crunchy bits" as it's companion volume the Starfarer's Handbook. It does provide a good deal of solid mechanics though:</p><p></p><p><span style="color: blue"><strong>NPCS:</strong></span> A fair deal of generic NPC-stats to drop right into you campaign - most well-illustrated.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: blue"><strong>Magical Items:</strong></span> A very solid list of items and special qualities that all seemed perfectly suited for Dragonstar.A much longer list of Spellware and more equipment would have been nice, though. I couldn't shake the feeling that they were saving up too much for Imperial Supply at times. That being said - I loved the concept</p><p>of Divine Spellware.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: blue"><strong>Monsters: </strong></span> A good selection of monsters including the Asterwrath (hungry asteroid), Space and Star Dragons, Radiation Elementals and the Space Kraken. Nothing terrible exciting but all monsters struck me as being very utilitarian to a Dragonstar campaign.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: blue"><strong> New Rules</strong></span>: I found a lot of good stuff in the Running Dragonstar chapter.Finally rules for Common Cold, Influenza and Retrovirus <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin :D" data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" />. The chapter coverspretty much all issues surrounding old rules in the new context of space and hi-tech society. The gravity and radiation rules are simply and it's hard not to love a chapter with a sub-chapter called Explosive Decompression (that and the Security Systems are downright nasty - I always wanted a Chainsaw Pit at my entrance).</p><p></p><p><span style="color: blue"><strong> World-Building </strong></span>: Like other reviewers I will confess that I would have liked a more detailed world-building system. The one presented in this book has its merits, though, it's quick and easy to learn and the </p><p>different characteristics are well-decribed.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: red"><strong> The Fluff </strong></span></p><p></p><p>This may sound contradictory - but the fluff of this book is its meat and bones. Like the Starfarer's Guide I enjoyed reading every last bit it. It's well-written, engaging and interesting. Dragonstar manages to stay true to the special</p><p>feeling that it has inspired in its fans since the beginning. </p><p></p><p>Don't get me wrong, though, I would have liked FRCS and Lords of Darkness style write-ups of the Houses, Domains, and other organisations of the Dragonstar galaxy but that is a lot to ask.</p><p></p><p>It was nice to finally get the detailed history of the Empire and the descriptive text in the opening chapters is literally dripping with adventure hooks. There's a lot of space to work with her (no pun intended) and in my campaign I'll use this</p><p>freedom shape this galaxy to my own tastes. </p><p></p><p>The chapter detailing the Primogen System (which I at first found redundant) has grown on me. I find the setting fairly unusual and an interesting starting point for a campaign starting on a backwater planet (in a galaxy far, far away - you know!). The chapter on the Outlands Station left me unimpressed but it is useful for anyone looking to incorporate space </p><p>stations into their campaign (say - you want a DS9 or Babylon 5 style campaign - which should be cool in the Dragonstar setting).</p><p></p><p>The politics of the Houses and other factions in the empire provide a very interesting starting point for adventures involving politics, stealth, subterfuge and the like. To me, the Dragonstar presented in this book is a much more dynamic and viable adventure setting than it's closest equivalent: Star Wars. A few of the names were a bit too sought for my tastes (Black Hole Syndicate anyone?) while others are just elegant (the Dragon Houses noticeably - House Osorus, House Deserene - very, very fitting). </p><p></p><p><span style="color: red"><strong> Overall </strong></span></p><p></p><p>All in all this is a must-have product for all Dragonstar DM's out there. Others interested in Space-Fantasy should also find a lot to love in this book. It would have profitted from being much bigger and delving into deeper detail at times but this does not detract significantly from it's overall rating as a good - if not excellent - product.</p><p></p><p>-Zarrock</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Messageboard Golem, post: 2010002, member: 18387"] I had so hoped I would be able to give this product a Five like I gave the Starfarer'sHandbook. The promise of Dragonstar was - and to some extent still is - immense. Nevertheless, this book is not all I hoped it would be, but it is still a damn good read and a necessary and worthwhile purchase if you are into Dragonstar. [color=red][b] The Stuff [/b][/color] This book is nowhere near as filled with the now legendary "crunchy bits" as it's companion volume the Starfarer's Handbook. It does provide a good deal of solid mechanics though: [color=blue][b]NPCS:[/b][/color] A fair deal of generic NPC-stats to drop right into you campaign - most well-illustrated. [color=blue][b]Magical Items:[/b][/color] A very solid list of items and special qualities that all seemed perfectly suited for Dragonstar.A much longer list of Spellware and more equipment would have been nice, though. I couldn't shake the feeling that they were saving up too much for Imperial Supply at times. That being said - I loved the concept of Divine Spellware. [color=blue][b]Monsters: [/b][/color] A good selection of monsters including the Asterwrath (hungry asteroid), Space and Star Dragons, Radiation Elementals and the Space Kraken. Nothing terrible exciting but all monsters struck me as being very utilitarian to a Dragonstar campaign. [color=blue][b] New Rules[/b][/color]: I found a lot of good stuff in the Running Dragonstar chapter.Finally rules for Common Cold, Influenza and Retrovirus :D. The chapter coverspretty much all issues surrounding old rules in the new context of space and hi-tech society. The gravity and radiation rules are simply and it's hard not to love a chapter with a sub-chapter called Explosive Decompression (that and the Security Systems are downright nasty - I always wanted a Chainsaw Pit at my entrance). [color=blue][b] World-Building [/b][/color]: Like other reviewers I will confess that I would have liked a more detailed world-building system. The one presented in this book has its merits, though, it's quick and easy to learn and the different characteristics are well-decribed. [color=red][b] The Fluff [/b][/color] This may sound contradictory - but the fluff of this book is its meat and bones. Like the Starfarer's Guide I enjoyed reading every last bit it. It's well-written, engaging and interesting. Dragonstar manages to stay true to the special feeling that it has inspired in its fans since the beginning. Don't get me wrong, though, I would have liked FRCS and Lords of Darkness style write-ups of the Houses, Domains, and other organisations of the Dragonstar galaxy but that is a lot to ask. It was nice to finally get the detailed history of the Empire and the descriptive text in the opening chapters is literally dripping with adventure hooks. There's a lot of space to work with her (no pun intended) and in my campaign I'll use this freedom shape this galaxy to my own tastes. The chapter detailing the Primogen System (which I at first found redundant) has grown on me. I find the setting fairly unusual and an interesting starting point for a campaign starting on a backwater planet (in a galaxy far, far away - you know!). The chapter on the Outlands Station left me unimpressed but it is useful for anyone looking to incorporate space stations into their campaign (say - you want a DS9 or Babylon 5 style campaign - which should be cool in the Dragonstar setting). The politics of the Houses and other factions in the empire provide a very interesting starting point for adventures involving politics, stealth, subterfuge and the like. To me, the Dragonstar presented in this book is a much more dynamic and viable adventure setting than it's closest equivalent: Star Wars. A few of the names were a bit too sought for my tastes (Black Hole Syndicate anyone?) while others are just elegant (the Dragon Houses noticeably - House Osorus, House Deserene - very, very fitting). [color=red][b] Overall [/b][/color] All in all this is a must-have product for all Dragonstar DM's out there. Others interested in Space-Fantasy should also find a lot to love in this book. It would have profitted from being much bigger and delving into deeper detail at times but this does not detract significantly from it's overall rating as a good - if not excellent - product. -Zarrock [/QUOTE]
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