Originally posted on www.throatpunchgames.com, a new idea everyday!
Product-Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Technology Guide
Producer- Paizo
Price- ~$20 here http://www.amazon.com/Pathfinder-Ca...d=1411311976&sr=8-1&keywords=technology+guide
System-Pathfinder
TL; DR- Problems with focus, but great item selection. 90%
Basics- Welcome to the world of tomorrow! The Technology guide is the extra setting book that GMs of the Iron Gods will need to handle all the new technology items and some rules presented in that adventure path. This book introduces a number of new archetypes, feats, spells, rules, and skill uses for the base classes as well as a prestige class. Then, the book moves onto introducing several technological items, weapons, armor, drugs, and generators. Finally the book adds new hazards, rules, and artifacts for the Iron Gods campaign and Numeria as a whole.
Mechanics or Crunch-This book is a combination of the Ultimate Equipment book and the People of the River. The book adds an insane amount of items all with new rules how to handle them. The rules make sense within the Pathfinder system and help distinguish technology from magic. The character options are all well done and provide some awesome Numeria flavor for any technology based campaign you could be running. 5/5
Theme or Fluff- This book does have a decent amount of story. Each item gets a short description in addition to its rules and a picture. The pictures might not be amazingly large, but there are pictures you can show to your players and help them envision the world of Numeria. The book even goes so far in depth to describe the different types of metals found in Numeria and what they look like. It's not a perfect theme book, as the primary focus of the book is to provide rules and items, not to provide story. But, what is here does have some decent story to it. 4.5/5
Execution- I love how Paizo puts their books together. Even though this is an item book, the pictures and layout really breaks up the text and makes this much less of a drag to read. The problem I have is that this book is a Pathfinders setting book. The setting books are not designed to be given to the players. However, a 1/3 of this book is player options. This book is kind of indicative of the problems I've seen with the Iron Gods roll out of as a whole. To do the Iron Gods AP justice, several new character options, items, and rules all have to be introduced. However, all the Numeria character options are spread out across at least four books, and the rules are also spread out across some of these four books, but different rules are also in other books. This is particularly a problem with this book as players are not supposed to look at this book. But, as a GM you almost have to give it out, so base class characters can have additional class options. It's not world ending problem, but the lack of focus is apparent. 4/5
Summary- Honestly, if you are going to GM the Iron Gods AP, you've most likely bought this book already. If you have no plans to ever put technology in your Pathfinder game, then this book has literally nothing to offer you. It's a good book for what it is (character options and items), but it has some problems with focus. 90%
Product-Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Technology Guide
Producer- Paizo
Price- ~$20 here http://www.amazon.com/Pathfinder-Ca...d=1411311976&sr=8-1&keywords=technology+guide
System-Pathfinder
TL; DR- Problems with focus, but great item selection. 90%
Basics- Welcome to the world of tomorrow! The Technology guide is the extra setting book that GMs of the Iron Gods will need to handle all the new technology items and some rules presented in that adventure path. This book introduces a number of new archetypes, feats, spells, rules, and skill uses for the base classes as well as a prestige class. Then, the book moves onto introducing several technological items, weapons, armor, drugs, and generators. Finally the book adds new hazards, rules, and artifacts for the Iron Gods campaign and Numeria as a whole.
Mechanics or Crunch-This book is a combination of the Ultimate Equipment book and the People of the River. The book adds an insane amount of items all with new rules how to handle them. The rules make sense within the Pathfinder system and help distinguish technology from magic. The character options are all well done and provide some awesome Numeria flavor for any technology based campaign you could be running. 5/5
Theme or Fluff- This book does have a decent amount of story. Each item gets a short description in addition to its rules and a picture. The pictures might not be amazingly large, but there are pictures you can show to your players and help them envision the world of Numeria. The book even goes so far in depth to describe the different types of metals found in Numeria and what they look like. It's not a perfect theme book, as the primary focus of the book is to provide rules and items, not to provide story. But, what is here does have some decent story to it. 4.5/5
Execution- I love how Paizo puts their books together. Even though this is an item book, the pictures and layout really breaks up the text and makes this much less of a drag to read. The problem I have is that this book is a Pathfinders setting book. The setting books are not designed to be given to the players. However, a 1/3 of this book is player options. This book is kind of indicative of the problems I've seen with the Iron Gods roll out of as a whole. To do the Iron Gods AP justice, several new character options, items, and rules all have to be introduced. However, all the Numeria character options are spread out across at least four books, and the rules are also spread out across some of these four books, but different rules are also in other books. This is particularly a problem with this book as players are not supposed to look at this book. But, as a GM you almost have to give it out, so base class characters can have additional class options. It's not world ending problem, but the lack of focus is apparent. 4/5
Summary- Honestly, if you are going to GM the Iron Gods AP, you've most likely bought this book already. If you have no plans to ever put technology in your Pathfinder game, then this book has literally nothing to offer you. It's a good book for what it is (character options and items), but it has some problems with focus. 90%
