Ragnarock for the Scarred Lands

[scourger]

3 of 38

A short version of a post in another thread: 3 adventures out of 38 products is a formula for failure.

 

[Nightfall]

Turns out, Nightfall was the only guy playing in SL. Who knew!?

I'm just teasing you, Nightfall.


Look on the bright side - Bluffside is making a comeback!

Thanks Klugie. And yes I'll probably get another Bluffside book some time down the road if it ever comes out.

T-Billy,

As Trick said, there wasn't a Vesh book (and also the Ranger book did some details about the Vigils that I believe went a little beyond Secrets and Societies.) Also no Durrover, Darakenee or Albadia book either.

Psion is also correct, Calastia was a DULL read. But I felt it was made up for by the fact a) it had some novel pr-classes mechanics issues aside. b) deeper look at the country of Calastia, even with out a map of Geledee's Grove.

Voad,

...Well at least you enjoyed other books from the Scarred Lands right? But come on, for 3e it was a novel start. I will agree though that the production team fubarred parts of it a great deal. Also the thing about the Necromancers living with the citizens, while they might live apart from them, they STILL had to rule and deal with the daily needs of a city. In any event I accept your critque of Hollowfaust (HOLLOW folks. H-O-L-L-O-W faust) with a modicrum of salt.

Scrounger, see my comments in that "thread"

 

[ruemere]

I'll have to go against the current on Hallowfaust.

It's Hollowfaust. With an Oh after H.

It had problems with mechanics and flavor text such as a prestige class requiring speak with dead then saying things like "only a few rogues enter this class".

It had editing problems such as a whole column of text displaced, a feat thrown in a dozen pages out of context after the guy who developed and teaches it, etc.

Reading it straight through it had narrative problems, continually referring to new concepts, groups, and people that had not yet been introduced.

Dead right. However, in order to appreciate the book you need to look beyond these.

And flavor wise the intense amount of time the necromancers put into running everything down to multi-necromancer panels for every legal dispute involving more than 100 gp and their mastery of efficient enlightened governmental rulership seemed completely contrary to a bunch of necromancers whose whole goal was to live apart from people and study in seclusion.

Ah, but this concept is the reason for Hollowfaust originality. Original founders of Hollowfaust were forced, by external circumstances, to adapt (form a city state, build a whole city atop ruins of Sumara) and, in the process, created a quasi-academical society which rules over the city.

In other words, you get a bunch of scientists trying to create a sort of utopia.

It had a lot of neat aspects and seems a fun place to adventure, but it had a number of problems that lessened my enjoyment of the product.

I had seen neutral necromancers using only animated dead for the good of society before in the 2e setting Jakandor so even the stereotype defying aspects of the setting were not that huge a deal for me.

It appears you have missed the differences:
- Hollowfaust necromancers are government officials, just like paladins are police task force and administration in Mithril (in other words, both cities require much more society-oriented effort on the side of typical adventuring classes),
- The necromancers form an academical, not a secular arcane guild organization, i.e. they are scientists, not hedge mages, and they are well organized, too,
- The necromancers uphold the laws, support unique cultural aspects (festival of the dead, Mourner Guild, final forfeiture) and take an active role in enforcing the laws.
- The necromancers actively oppose intelligent undead (with a few exceptions).

Regards,
Ruemere

 

[Jürgen Hubert]

OK, I went on a spending spree yesterday, and bought Hornsaw, Calastia, Wilderness Encounters, Creature Companion Revised, and Wilderness Encounters.

Now I only need the time to read them all...

(sigh)