Okay, to be fair, I went to the game store and actually sat down and read Bluffside.
The content (or "meat" if you prefer) of the book seems pretty decent for the most part (definitely 90% usable), but still nothing special or "amazing" by any stretch. It just didn't ignite my imagination. However, the adventure hooks, "regulars" and owner sections for each establishment are a very nice touch that other city books could (should) learn from. Definite kudos on that; THG has made a big step forward in the evolution of city settings in this regard!
I never said I "hated" Bluffside, and it's not a bad book from a content perspective. It gives a lot of detail for the money. It should be fine for many gamers. It just doesn't work for me on several levels (layout/design and creative differences of opinion as to what constitutes a good city setting).
My issues with the layout still stand, and the maps (interior and pull-out) are poor--next to useless, IMO, as the buildings are so tiny as to be almost impossible to pick out (the brown coloring doesn't help the clarity either). One would need a massive blow-up of the map to get the kind of street/building detail seen in Geanavue, Lankhmar or even most FR cities. The map makes or breaks a city or adventure for me, and so I must pass on Bluffside. Other contributing factors in giving Blufffside a pass are:
1) The city is too strange for me, from its background to its bizarre "six cities in one" configuration. I prefer more traditional medieval designs that can easily be "dropped in" to existing campaign worlds.
2) The new races are unnecessary, unwelcome and confusing. Why do we need them? There are too many races in the PHB to choose from, let alone various FR optional PC races.
3) The NPC section is all jammed together on a background that is too heavily tinted (dark) gray, making photocopying a pain, and finding information a bit harder in dimly lit gaming rooms.
4) Silly things like naming a gray ooze "Carl" and having people worship it as a "god" drive me nuts. I read "Carl's Temple" and while the rationale for it is not quite as stupid as it originally sounded, it's still really dumb and undermines the integrity of the entire setting. Things like this rack up massive negative points in my mind, much like a Dragon ruling the Universe in FFG's Dragonstar. FR racks up similar negative points for Elminster and every other guy being 20th level+. Geanavue racks up negative points for having an endless stream of patently stupid names and for thousands of gnomes and dwarves manning the city walls.
Note: The sidebar on the left bottom corner of p. 134 is extremely difficult to read due to it being printed in white letters on a picture background.
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I also looked at Freeport: City of Adventure today. I didn't buy it. It looks nice (cover art kinda stinks though the interior art makes up for it), and has potential, but doesn't deliver the same level of detail as Bluffside, Geanavue, Lankhmar or Freiburg. The map is nice but not nearly as useful or easy to read as Geanavue's. The setting was ok, but borrowed elements from the Cthulhu Mythos (Father Yig and the Serpent People) were uninspired and unnecessary. The cannibal cult was very cool, however, as was the Fountain of Fortune. The interior building maps were clean and perfectly presented just the way I like, but I wish there were more of them. Freeport was decent, and I considered buying it, but decided I didn't need it. Stormhaven from Mongoose might be better for my purposes (and $15 cheaper!).
I bought FFG's awesome Spells & Spellcraft HC instead of Freeport or Bluffside. Now there's a book full of crunchy bits!
I'm looking forward to Windhaven from Affinity. That seems like it's going to be the city setting to beat based on the website preview.
