Iron Kingdoms players handbook opinons

[Omega_Lord]

Okay so recently I saw the iron kingdoms players handbook in my FLGS (I think it was the Iron kingdom PHB, it was the one that was $40 and just came out). Love the art and some of the rules innovations intruige me however 40 bucks is a LOT for me to spend right now and I was wondering wether it would be worth my while to pick up. So anyone who has bought/reviewed it feel free to give thier opinions.

P.S. I love steampunk and, if well done, I could most definitely find a way to use this book. The fantasy flight games steamcraft book was alright but didnt really titilate me that much. Dragonmech was interesting and had elements I liked but it didnt inspire me.

 

[Banshee16]

Okay so recently I saw the iron kingdoms players handbook in my FLGS (I think it was the Iron kingdom PHB, it was the one that was $40 and just came out). Love the art and some of the rules innovations intruige me however 40 bucks is a LOT for me to spend right now and I was wondering wether it would be worth my while to pick up. So anyone who has bought/reviewed it feel free to give thier opinions.

P.S. I love steampunk and, if well done, I could most definitely find a way to use this book. The fantasy flight games steamcraft book was alright but didnt really titilate me that much. Dragonmech was interesting and had elements I liked but it didnt inspire me.

At the moment, I don't have time for a full review, but I can say that I bought the book, and loved it. They claim it's not steampunk, but in many ways it is. Very detailed setting. Lots of cool stuff going for it. Awesome book. The nice thing about it is the amount of detail they're putting into it. I can't wait for the world book...

It's gritty, and lower fantasy. Magic is more "eldritch" in feel in some ways....it's more about messing with secrets that man wasn't supposed to touch. As a result, there are effects to using much magic.....summoning spells risk bringing a demon along for the ride (they're called infernals). The gods don't like people messing with fate etc. and as a result, both healing and resurrection type magics are very hard to use...if your LG cleric tries to heal the CN fighter, he might kill the fighter by accident.

Tonnes of flavour text, adventure hooks throughout the character guide....I'm only about halfway through it at the moment, so can't give a complete review, but this is one of the best campaign guides I've ever seen....easily on the level of the FRCG, for instance.

Banshee

 

[Dwarven Godfather]

You want Steampunk, I recommend!!!

You want Steampunk, I highly Recommend OGL Steampunk over Iron Kingdoms for several reasons and that is, as being a Press Ganger for Warmachine the concept was the Warcaster with Warjacks and the gunpowder idea which was the whole concept behind Iron Kingdoms.
Now with OGL Steampunk, it covers more than just the warcaster and warjack and you could create other things with this book and gives you more stuff on how to create them from Automaton to structures and heavy artillery.
Kiln Publication is writing a campign world for Steampunk and looks to be pretty cool as well as some of my ideas might make that setting book/world as well. This system covers more than magical things being augmented and could use actual steam technology, in Iron kingdoms this is done by magic users and only magic-users for the technology. I figure your money would be more worth it purchasing OGL Steampunk by Mongoose Publishing over Privateer Press Iron Kingdoms.

 

[zero skill LPB]

I got a copy of the Iron Kingdoms Character guide over the weekend. It's a great book and I look forward to playing. I was only quasi-interested in Iron Kingdoms before buying the Character Guide; I will without question be buying the World Guide when it comes out.

The mechanics, the art (!), the setting: it's all top quality. Well worth the money.

 

[johnnype]

The IKCG is a great book set in a truly original setting. That said, it's fairly focused and not exactly a generic setting. Like Banshee said it has it's own set of rules the most significant (for me at least) being how healing is affected (not easy to heal at all) and how difficult it is to make magic items (very difficult). Other differences include no Gnomes, no halflings, only two types of elves, one type of dwarf, 2 new races and a handful of new core and prestige classes.

Great book. A Must buy in my opinion.

 

[cignus_pfaccari]

...being how healing is affected (not easy to heal at all) and how difficult it is to make magic items (very difficult).

I'm not particularly fond of either of these. There are probably better ways of making healing less common, and I don't like the modular magic items at all. "Okay, I'll glue on a Flaming module and have my +1 flaming longsword! Yee-ha!"

Were I to run it, those two would go, quickly.

Otherwise, it's very nice. Very flavorful, and it does a very good job of establishing mood.

Brad

 

[Banshee16]

I'm not particularly fond of either of these. There are probably better ways of making healing less common, and I don't like the modular magic items at all. "Okay, I'll glue on a Flaming module and have my +1 flaming longsword! Yee-ha!"

Were I to run it, those two would go, quickly.

Otherwise, it's very nice. Very flavorful, and it does a very good job of establishing mood.

Brad

But that's not all there is to it...it's not about adding a "flaming module" to the sword....there's the whole thing with plugging on accumulators and other pieces to get the effect you want. Kind of like in Arcanum.

I had looked through OGL Steampunk, and found it seriously lacking...but maybe that's partly because I've also got Sorcery & Steam from FFG, and a lot of the info is similar.

I'm surprised that they don't detail trains in the CG....but maybe they'll be in the world guide.

The one thing I find frustrating about using different sources is the vast differences between the ways things are handled by different companies at times. Like how AEG with Swashbuckling Adventures will give a ship 2000hp, but that same ship gets 150hp with some other books by other companies.

Overall, if you're looking for a setting, I think Iron Kingdoms is the way to go. If you're looking for Steampunk rules to bring into another campaign, then maybe OGL Steampunk is the way to go.

Banshee

 

[zero skill LPB]

I'm not particularly fond of either of these. There are probably better ways of making healing less common, and I don't like the modular magic items at all. "Okay, I'll glue on a Flaming module and have my +1 flaming longsword! Yee-ha!"

Were I to run it, those two would go, quickly.

Otherwise, it's very nice. Very flavorful, and it does a very good job of establishing mood.

Brad

Comes down to taste, I guess! I'm completely on the other side of it.

I dig the rare heals and even more rare resurrections. I dig component-based magic in the context of this world setting.

And today I read up on the mage hunter prestige class; I'm way diggin' elves that hunt down human practitioners of magick!

 

[Keeper of Secrets]

I think it is one of the most brilliant products that I have seen for D&D. It is well thought out, professionally done and is a rich and interesting world. 40 bucks is a very small price to pay for something that is so great. I am even willing to forgive them that it took 2 1/2 years to put it out.

 

[afstanton]

Really cool book there. Having a bit of trouble wrapping my head around the convolutions of mechanikal items, but I read it late at night.

I think that ogrun and trollkin should have an ECL, and maybe they do and I just missed it, but at first glance they seem significantly more powerful than other PC races.

It's got a great look and feel to it. It's thick, solid. One of the pages in mine has a slight divot from a production error, and some of the pages are slightly warped, but I can live with it. Neat trick how some of the cover is glossy but most is flat color.

My wife thinks that the gun mage looks really cool. I'm not sure I'll be running a game in the IK world, but I'll be pulling some chunks into my own.