Secrets of the Alubelok Coast treads a fine line between source material for the Kingdoms of Kalamar setting and game mecahnics that can be used in any d20 fantasy game.
The back of the book details not only the background of the location, but also the mechanics included. New spells, feats, magic items, alchemical items, monsters, equipment, weapons, musical instruments, and variant class features. That's pretty good news for someone just interested in crunch, but what about those Kalamar players wanting more details about the land itself?
The good news is that I found many places here where I could easily use Kenzer's other recent release, Salt and Sea Dogs. This is because there are islands in the region, and Sobeteta, a large city, is also a port city. Utility is key here in that it takes recent ideas and allows you to expand upon them. While the book doesn't demand you use Salt and Sea Dogs, it does provide a new ship, the Sobetetan Wave Crush, a template for other ships.
For those who aren't interested in pirates though, the material here is stand alone. There is background information on the Alubelok coast in general, including the importance of rice. See, it's one of the staples of the diet and enabled the people to survive and it's so important, that there are little sayings about it. This lends atmosphere to the game that the GM can easily tag into role playing. There are details about the different factions on Rokalel Island, Bosinela Island, and Remeter Island. Places of interest are listed with information to add into your campaign like the Black Wound, a dangerous hole in the earth where creatures rise forth to challenge those about.
Deep gnomes in Dakelvail who are members of the Kalamaran Empire, strive to keep the dangers of the Black Wound under control even as they strive to insure that in serving, they do not become slaves. These little locations, like Ropidu and Tovido, are great for those GMs who want to flesh out their locations but I want more like maps, more stat blocks, and other goodies for each area. By including details about population, Government, Economy, Military, Major Templates, Mages & Sages, and other important bits, it allows the GM to quickly see what he needs at a glance. In many ways, it reminds me of Forgotten Realms Adventures, the old hardcover from TSR that updated the Realms to 2nd edition.
Those looking for that meat I was talking about, will enjoy the material on Sobeteta, the City on the Rock. It includes a good section of information that ranges from general background, population breakdown, government, including a history of the city's banner, economy, military, temples, important dates, and other useful information. In some cases, this is more geared towards showcasing the strengths of the Kalamar setting where things aren't cookie cutter like with individuals like Resemer the Unholy, a sorcerer who once slew dwarves by the dozens in his war efforts but now kills those who dare raise their arms against the stout folk. The differences in the guards ranging form the guild levies, to the harbor watch to the imperial troops. Not a whole unit but different organizations with their own motivations.
These little twists and turns help the GM see how he can customize his own Kalamar. One excellent example of this is the Cult of G'Tiru. Now with settings like the Scarred Lands and Kalamar with a fairly definitive religion, it's not like the Forgotten Realms of Greyhawk where you can pretty much toss in whatever god you want. With the example of G'Tiru, we see that without disrupting the tapestry of Kalamar religion, it is possible to add unique entities to the mythology without damage. This creature is a mythic Kraken whose followers are nihilist and seek the doom of all. The background information keeps it nebulous as to what the creature really is but sets good groundwork for other inclusions.
Those who want to make their character part of something bigger will enjoy the organizations presented here. These include names, what the guild is often known as, their motto, emblem and background information. Some include new feats while others provide customized skills and abilities for core classes. Suggested feat progressions are included for those who want to be standard members. For example, the Knights of the Breaking Wave often go Power Attack, Cleave, Two-Weapon Fighting, Two-Weapon Defense and Improved Two-Weapon Fighting. Useful to know as the GM because it makes feat selection a lot more simple. Example members at different levels would've made this section great for the GM with little time.
In terms of new stuff, the book provides options for players and GMs. For example, players now have a list of new familiars with benefits included. Unfortunately, no other details are provided in this section. For example, what's a Red Halbred or a Tern? While it's great that they put a footnote for the Harlqeuin Snake as a tiny viper, I'd like more descriptions on these creatures with the entry. Can't blame Kenzer though as they're pretty much following the example set by the PHB.
The new spells would've been nice to see in abbreviated format with class and level breakdowns, but due to the small number and limited pages, that probably wouldn't be the best use of space. Some of these are great for investigation purposes like Death Deduction and Intuit Destination, while others are good old combat spells like Korasela's Spectral Shrike Armor, a ward of ghostly force armor that provides a bonus to AC while being sharp.
Now for me personally, the Appendix A was my favorite section. You see, it updates many old creatures from official D&D products and one of them is the Froghemoth. This old friend first showed up in my world in the Monster Manual II for 1st edition Advanced Dungeons and Dragons and slew many a player under my direction. Having it back in the new game is great, even if the creature does seem a little weaker. Still, between it and the other aquatic/swamp theme creatures, I feel I can overlook that issue. After all, it's not everyday you get to use Reef Giants, Bullywugs of Alubelok or the old Grippli? About the only thing missing here is illustrations for all of the characters and stats for the NPC Bullywugs.
And those familiars I mentioned with no information earlier? They're under the new animals section. Yes, now you can see the blind medusa fish in all of it's glories or the curmudgeon, a marmoset, as well as the red halberd, a hornbill, and the herne, a ibis like bird. These things are all good to have and add details to the setting that can't come through monstrous encounters.
The front interior cover is a map of Sobeteta. It's a great map with lots of points of interest marked out on it. The interior rear cover handles the whole Alubelok Coast in black and white, perfect for those who don't have the Atlas. The interior use of white space is usually good with interior and bottom margins being tight and outer and upper page margins providing breathing space. About my only complaint in space use is the chapter headings which use the dragon and lion taking up a good fifth of the page. Chapter indications are listed at the outer top of the page within the scrollwork. Internal art is consistent with other Kenzer products which in my opinion, are always solid. My only issue with the art is what is illustrated. While it's nice to have background pictures, more pictures of the things within the book, like the Haerthach or badger tooth, or the baral, a wooden weapon weighted with a lead core, or even the half-cloak, would be great
The new monsters and other crunchy bits can be used in almost any setting. Secrets of the Alubelok Coast is a great sourcebook for a GM of the setting and a good resource for those looking to add an exotic far away coast to their non-Kalamar campaigns with a fleshed out city and several islands.
