JeffB
Legend
Personal AU Reviews (JeffB and Kitsune here)
I’m here to make a formal retraction of my dismissal/opinions regarding Arcana Unearthed.
Previously while interested in some of the variants (Spell system in particular, and I’m always up for a good campaign setting), some things I had read in Monte’s Design Diaries, totally turned me off to the book. Mainly the races bugged me to no end. Also, while I respect Monte’s talent immensely, I have never quite cared for his high magic approach in his “Might” books and other D20 products, and AU looked to be more of the same. I just didn’t think it meshed well w/ my “classic” (read “old fart”) D&D approach. When I play D&D I like the classic “D&D-isms”; that’s why I play D&D. If I want a different style of fantasy or different setting, I simply pick the best tool for the job and buy the different game system. And I’ve made my opinions clear here on these boards and a handful of others regarding AU when discussed (politely though, I feel)
When I saw a while back that my favorite D20 publisher (Necromancer Games) was getting on board to produce some AU material, there was some backlash from me at first, but knowing that the Necro crew and I are usually “on the same page”, and that I trust their judgment, I decided to tell my FLGS to hold a copy for me when it was available to look at and then I would make a final decision. Well, the books came in yesterday and after reading a few pages here and there in the store, I decided to plunk down my hard earned cash and take the book home. Believe it or not, it was the spell names and descriptions that got me to drag out my wallet while glancing through it in the store. It reminded me of something, but I couldn’t place a finger on it. Out went the green w/ Uncle Sam’s part included, and off home I went.
So last night I had a few hours of free time, and cracked the book (literally, the binding is making some awful cracking sounds, I hope this isn’t another bad binding job from WW/S&SS) Right off the bat, I still can say, the races don’t do a whole lot for me. While the descriptions are interesting reading, canine-people, feline people, and Dragon and/or Reptile people just drive me nuts. I do like the “racial levels” concept though.
But as I read further, I started to get that familiar feeling again. A presence I have not felt since…
No it wasn’t the feeling that the AU advertising has been talking about (i.e. it’s like the wonderment of looking at the D&D game for the first time, again or some-such), No, this was a feeling of “the atmosphere of the game, and the implied setting reminds me of something else”…
And I finally figured it out: EARTHDAWN!
AU has a very similar “feel” to ED in the way magic is described, implemented, and how it permeates the setting & rules: The ceremonies, for example. ED characters also have daily rituals and ceremonies tied to their vocation that they perform. While the magic is powerful and common in AU (as it is in Earthdawn) it is also beautifully woven in to the game system so that it’s not obtrusive or out of place (just like ED). This type of high magic setting does not bother me in the least as it’s “believable”. Although I’m a big fan of the Forgotten Realms, I often have a problem with the high magic level in that setting because it feels very artificial and tacked on at times. AU & Earthdawn do not suffer from this malady whatsoever, IMHO.
Now please don’t mistake these comments as “AU is ripping off ED!”, I'm not saying that. It’s simply that both have taken what I believe is the right approach to incorporating powerful & common magic themes into a FRPG: weaving it seamlessly into not only the setting but also the rules... to make it, well, believable. It’s been given flavor and purpose other than as a game mechanic, unlike D&D’s stagnant (at times) approach…"ho hum…another +1 sword, Now where’s my Magic Missle scroll” ?..”Oh here ya go, borrow mine, I insist”. Published D&D material often makes Magic feel like it’s just a tool like a fighter’s sword or a thief’s lockpicks: mundane and boring.
As I read through the Class chapter, I was totally hooked. The flavor text and even the mechanics (class abilities, e.g.) were sparking off plot ideas & adventure hooks left and right in my brain. I only skimmed over the skills section, but the Feats section again was stirring up my imagination constantly. There were a lot of interesting ideas throughout this chapter, and usually feats absolutely bore me to tears.
The combat chapter won me over too. It is short & sweet. It provides everything you will need without it reading like some sort of technical manual or the rulebook for Squad Leader. Too bad the 3.0 books could not have been so clear and streamlined (though 3.5 has improved upon this immensely as well).
I stopped reading there as it was getting late. But instantly found myself thinking “Ok, I can plug in X, Y, & Z from AU…use 1, 2, & 3 from 3.5 and…” etc. A whole new campaign setting w/ plot hooks and background story was forming itself in my mind seemingly without effort, and darn-it, it was keeping me from falling asleep because I kept seeing mental images of these places, people, and things. (I assure you I am not on any prescription or non-prescription narcotics, I don't even partake in alcohol anymore!)
That was a VERY cool feeling, and I cannot remember being so inspired by a RPG product in a few years.
Now all that being said, I don’t think the book is perfect so I will offer some (hopefully) constructive criticism as to where I had “problems”; The book’s physical properties. Although the font is small, it still seems like there is a lot of “white space” in the book. Sam Wood’s 3.5 art showed his improvement w/ age (Like the new Balor, e.g.), but his pieces in AU reminded me of his early un-refined days w/ TSR (like his work in the “The Scarlet Brotherhood”). None of the art was horrible by any means though. The binding has me worried too. I guess I just wish this had been a full-blown WOTC style or S&SS EverQuest-style full-color book. I know financially a Full-Color Hardcover was/is probably not possible for Malhavoc/S&SS, but I can’t help but feel that the excellent gaming material in the book deserves better presentation.
I’ll pull most if not all of the AU races (replacing w/ stock D&D races), but the next campaign I start up will definitely be built around AU and I can’t wait to get my hands on the other AU materials coming out from not only Malhavoc, but also Necro, MEG, and FDP. I just hope we see an AU DMG and AU MM sometime in the near future.
Awesome book Monte. Bravo! Thanx!
I’m here to make a formal retraction of my dismissal/opinions regarding Arcana Unearthed.
Previously while interested in some of the variants (Spell system in particular, and I’m always up for a good campaign setting), some things I had read in Monte’s Design Diaries, totally turned me off to the book. Mainly the races bugged me to no end. Also, while I respect Monte’s talent immensely, I have never quite cared for his high magic approach in his “Might” books and other D20 products, and AU looked to be more of the same. I just didn’t think it meshed well w/ my “classic” (read “old fart”) D&D approach. When I play D&D I like the classic “D&D-isms”; that’s why I play D&D. If I want a different style of fantasy or different setting, I simply pick the best tool for the job and buy the different game system. And I’ve made my opinions clear here on these boards and a handful of others regarding AU when discussed (politely though, I feel)
When I saw a while back that my favorite D20 publisher (Necromancer Games) was getting on board to produce some AU material, there was some backlash from me at first, but knowing that the Necro crew and I are usually “on the same page”, and that I trust their judgment, I decided to tell my FLGS to hold a copy for me when it was available to look at and then I would make a final decision. Well, the books came in yesterday and after reading a few pages here and there in the store, I decided to plunk down my hard earned cash and take the book home. Believe it or not, it was the spell names and descriptions that got me to drag out my wallet while glancing through it in the store. It reminded me of something, but I couldn’t place a finger on it. Out went the green w/ Uncle Sam’s part included, and off home I went.
So last night I had a few hours of free time, and cracked the book (literally, the binding is making some awful cracking sounds, I hope this isn’t another bad binding job from WW/S&SS) Right off the bat, I still can say, the races don’t do a whole lot for me. While the descriptions are interesting reading, canine-people, feline people, and Dragon and/or Reptile people just drive me nuts. I do like the “racial levels” concept though.
But as I read further, I started to get that familiar feeling again. A presence I have not felt since…
No it wasn’t the feeling that the AU advertising has been talking about (i.e. it’s like the wonderment of looking at the D&D game for the first time, again or some-such), No, this was a feeling of “the atmosphere of the game, and the implied setting reminds me of something else”…
And I finally figured it out: EARTHDAWN!
AU has a very similar “feel” to ED in the way magic is described, implemented, and how it permeates the setting & rules: The ceremonies, for example. ED characters also have daily rituals and ceremonies tied to their vocation that they perform. While the magic is powerful and common in AU (as it is in Earthdawn) it is also beautifully woven in to the game system so that it’s not obtrusive or out of place (just like ED). This type of high magic setting does not bother me in the least as it’s “believable”. Although I’m a big fan of the Forgotten Realms, I often have a problem with the high magic level in that setting because it feels very artificial and tacked on at times. AU & Earthdawn do not suffer from this malady whatsoever, IMHO.
Now please don’t mistake these comments as “AU is ripping off ED!”, I'm not saying that. It’s simply that both have taken what I believe is the right approach to incorporating powerful & common magic themes into a FRPG: weaving it seamlessly into not only the setting but also the rules... to make it, well, believable. It’s been given flavor and purpose other than as a game mechanic, unlike D&D’s stagnant (at times) approach…"ho hum…another +1 sword, Now where’s my Magic Missle scroll” ?..”Oh here ya go, borrow mine, I insist”. Published D&D material often makes Magic feel like it’s just a tool like a fighter’s sword or a thief’s lockpicks: mundane and boring.
As I read through the Class chapter, I was totally hooked. The flavor text and even the mechanics (class abilities, e.g.) were sparking off plot ideas & adventure hooks left and right in my brain. I only skimmed over the skills section, but the Feats section again was stirring up my imagination constantly. There were a lot of interesting ideas throughout this chapter, and usually feats absolutely bore me to tears.
The combat chapter won me over too. It is short & sweet. It provides everything you will need without it reading like some sort of technical manual or the rulebook for Squad Leader. Too bad the 3.0 books could not have been so clear and streamlined (though 3.5 has improved upon this immensely as well).
I stopped reading there as it was getting late. But instantly found myself thinking “Ok, I can plug in X, Y, & Z from AU…use 1, 2, & 3 from 3.5 and…” etc. A whole new campaign setting w/ plot hooks and background story was forming itself in my mind seemingly without effort, and darn-it, it was keeping me from falling asleep because I kept seeing mental images of these places, people, and things. (I assure you I am not on any prescription or non-prescription narcotics, I don't even partake in alcohol anymore!
)That was a VERY cool feeling, and I cannot remember being so inspired by a RPG product in a few years.
Now all that being said, I don’t think the book is perfect so I will offer some (hopefully) constructive criticism as to where I had “problems”; The book’s physical properties. Although the font is small, it still seems like there is a lot of “white space” in the book. Sam Wood’s 3.5 art showed his improvement w/ age (Like the new Balor, e.g.), but his pieces in AU reminded me of his early un-refined days w/ TSR (like his work in the “The Scarlet Brotherhood”). None of the art was horrible by any means though. The binding has me worried too. I guess I just wish this had been a full-blown WOTC style or S&SS EverQuest-style full-color book. I know financially a Full-Color Hardcover was/is probably not possible for Malhavoc/S&SS, but I can’t help but feel that the excellent gaming material in the book deserves better presentation.
I’ll pull most if not all of the AU races (replacing w/ stock D&D races), but the next campaign I start up will definitely be built around AU and I can’t wait to get my hands on the other AU materials coming out from not only Malhavoc, but also Necro, MEG, and FDP. I just hope we see an AU DMG and AU MM sometime in the near future.
Awesome book Monte. Bravo! Thanx!
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