Review that appeared on Realms-L
Here is a capsule review I found on Realms-L...
I think I'll pick this one up.
Solarc
----
From: Todd Antill
Subject: [FR] Reviews: Forgotten Realms DM Screen
To:
REALMS-L@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM
Well I picked up them up and so far I'm impressed. I'll give you a run down
of the screen real quick.
First of all the outside cover art is gorgeous. It is done in the same style
as Magic of Faerun and is nothing short of breathtaking.
The first panel is of Drizzt and Guenwhyvar standing in front of what must be the Spine of the Word and looking at what appears to be a Portal.
The next two panels are one big scene of a Beholder Mage with its undead
allies taking on a formidable looking group of adventurers. The Beholder
Mage looks spectacular. He is shooting some really neat looking magic out of
his stalks... much to the detriment of the party I mentioned above. There
also appears to be a Drow City in the background.
The next panel looks like it *might* be Artemis Entreri holding Charon's
Claw to some poor man's throat. He is also standing in front of a shimmering
portal.
The interior sports the same parchment look that all the FRCS, Magic of Faerun, and Lords of Darkness have had. It works well, but I do like alternating background colors in my tables... it just makes them easier to read. For the most part the screen is the same. I'll list the contents by panel.
Panel 1:
Weapons Charts. These include items from the FRCS as well. Very useful, IMO.
Panel 2:
Fundamental Actions in Combat, Attack Roll Modifiers, Partial Actions,
Cover, and Concealment.
Panel 3:
Misc. Actions , Armor, and the Rolls of Years from 1360 - 1380.
Panel 4:
Size and AC of Objects, Terrain and Overland Movement (Realms Chart from the FRCS), Substance Hardness and Hit Points, Common Weapon and Shield Hardness and Hit Points, Turning Undead, The Calendar of Harptos (including Common Names and Annual Holidays), DCs to Break or Burst Items, Object Hardness and
Hitpoints, Light Sources.
The Encounter Booklet inside looks to be really useful for generating
overland encounters.
There are charts for Dungeon Levels 1-20. I don't ever populate dungeons
this way... but I guess some people might find it useful.
Wilderness Encounter Charts:
Northern Hills
Temperate Hills
Southern Hills
Northern Low Mountains
Temperate Low Mountains
Southern Low Mountains
Northern High Mountains
Temperate High Mountains
Southern High Mountains
Northern Clear
Temperate Clear
Southern Clear
Northern Grasslands
Temperate Grasslands
Southern Grasslands
Northern Forest
Temperate Forest
Southern Forest/Jungle
Northern Marsh
Temperate Marsh
Southern Marsh
Temperate Swamp
Southern Swamp
Northern Moor
Temperate Moor
Northern Barren/Badlands
Southern Barren/Badlands
Glacier
Northern Sandy/Rocky Desert
Temperate Sandy/Rocky Desert
Southern Sandy/Rocky Desert
Northern River/Lake
Temperate River/Lake
Southern River/Lake
Northern Ocean
Temperate Ocean
Southern Ocean
Underdark
There are also sections on Groups, and NPC Generation
All in all.... I'd say it is worth the Money.
Todd
-------
