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Message: <blockquote data-quote="MongooseMatt" data-source="post: 1845786" data-attributes="member: 16996">Hi guys,Oh, people have been waiting for this one!  Wait no longer, for Across the Thunder River is due out in the shops this week!Another stunning cover from Chris Quilliams sets the scene for this book - brave adventurers matched against the Picts, a dreadful foe for anyone.The book kicks off with a look at the Westermarck and the surrounding wilderness, and details the frontier provinces.  This chapter covers the area in great detail, from the main characters located here to the tiniest hamlet.  There are adventure hooks scattered everywhere, which will serve to fire up any GM looking to bring his players to this part of the Hyborean world.  Complete (and full colour!) maps are also given for many of the settlements, such as Scandaga and Fort Thandara.Life on the Aquilonian Frontier looks at what drives people in this wild region.  Inclement weather and insects encourage disease in the area and the chapter looks at how people actually live here, how they live off the land and the culture that lies behind all of this.  There are rules for the traps they use, their bartering skills and what military life is like here.Salt of the Earth - a look at the characters of the wilderness.  This chapter details a wide range of sample characters the players are likely to encounter, from Chief Factors and Forest Runners to Drummers in the Dark and Settlers.  There are also a few well known faces here - Zogar Sag, for example, and Galoric.  Tacked onto the end of this are the Ligureans, the White Druids of Pictland.The Picts chapter takes a serious look at the savages themselves, from their tribal organisation and traditions to the way their wage warfare and how this influences the rest of their culture.  There are guidelines on how to roleplay the PIcts properly, as well as a full list of Pictish names that will lend any newly created scenario an air of authenticity.The next chapter, Tribes of the Pictland investigates each tribe in turn, from those that use the Alligator totem to the Wolf, with sample characters given for each.  There is also a section on creating your own Pictish tribe, and a step by step guide as we take you through the process of doing this.  We created the Mongoose Picts. . .Tricks and Tools takes a look at the deeper secrets of the Picts, from new Craft and Perform skills, and feats to new weapons favoured by the Picts.Next up is Savage Magic, detailing the ghastly sorceries of the Picts.  New spells abound, such as Dance of the Skull, Call of Damballah, Crimson Portents and Bag of Demons (!).The Picts are not the only things to worry about when travelling through this wilderness, of course, something the Bestiary chapter illustrates admirably.  As well as the usual alligators, great bears and dire boars, players will also have to contend with Otah the Lizard God, the Servant in the Swamp and various breeds of aberration.A small number of prestige classes are given next, to emphasise the cultural differences between the Picts and the outside world.  These include the Dancing Savage, Drummer in the Dark, Forest Runner, Hunt Master and Paramount Chief.  The next chapter looks at Gamesmastering adventures in the frontierland and includes advice on how to set the scene, how characters should be used and how a GM can make this area feel very different to other locations among the Hyborian Kingdoms.    There are also more adventure hooks here than you can shake a dead Pict at!Finally, the book wraps up with Defending the West, a complete campaign set in this area, which will test the mettle of the best players, and a complete Index.Across Thunder River is priced at $34.95 and is available this week from all good games stores and book shops.</blockquote>

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