Overview
There are a lot of d20 setting supplements on the market for the 3rd Edition of Dungeons & Dragons. So many in fact that the average DM is faced with a perplexing array of choices. Most supplements are of the sort that will cause the DM to think, "This has some interesting ideas in it. I might be able to incorporate some of them into my current campaign, or a future campaign." Some supplements will cause the DM to think, "This is great. I want to use this for my next campaign." A rare few cause the DM to think, " Oh my God! I've got to find a way to use this in my current campaign, right now."
For me, Sword and Sorcery's "Shelzar: City of Sins" definitely falls into that last category. As I was reading through it, I kept thinking, "I've got to get my players into this city. They are going to freak. This will be so much fun to play in. They will love it."
Even if you don't use Sword and Sorcery's Scarred Lands setting, Shelzar is one of those rare city supplements that you have to find a spot for in your current campaign. Place it in an area just off the edge of your campaign map; teleport the party to the other side of the planet; have them discover an interdimensional gate. But find a way to get them to Shelzar, and fast!
Having said that, I must caution you that Shelzar will not be appropriate for all groups. It is a very mature-themed product. If it was a movie, it would easily have an R rating, and possibly an NC-17. Shelzar is probably the ultimate fantasy city of decadence, debauchery, and indulgence. It's like Las Vegas, Chicago and Berlin of the Roaring 20s, New Orleans during Mardi Gras, Rio de Janeiro during Carnival, Cancun during Spring Break, and Bangkok all rolled into one -- a big street orgy of drugs, carnal pleasure, and every imaginable pleasure and perversion.
Despite it's subject matter, however, "Shelzar: City of Sins" is presented in a very non-sensationalistic manner. It deals with mature themes in a matter-of-fact, non-offensive, non-exploitive fashion. It gets its point across without graphic descriptions, titillating illustrations, or in-your-face attitude. This is how mature-themed D&D products should be done.
The product is very well written, and has a very clean layout. The typeface is large enough to be read easily, yet not too big so it just eats up space. The copy could have used one more edit for spelling and content, but this is not a major problem. There are some extra words in sentences here and there, and other spots where a word or two were left out, but this does not prevent the reader from understanding what was intended. The interior art, all of which is in black and white, is done well and really reflects the setting's Middle Eastern atmosphere.
While overall I love this product, there are two things, which keep me from giving it five stars. First, the maps of the city. There are only two, and they aren't very big, each barely half a page. One map shows the various districts of the city. These are rendered in shades of gray, so if you use a copier to blow them up, the details become lost. The other map has numbered key locations, which correspond to text descriptions in Chapter Three: The City. Except some of the locations on the map don't match up with the right district in the text descriptions. For example, the description for the shop of Karshi the Tailor is included with locations found in The Souk. But the map clearly shows his shop is not in The Souk, but in The Maze, and closer to The Pezwahri than The Souk. It's very disappointing that this product doesn’t have a large pull–out map which can be spread on the table during play so the characters can keep up with where they are and where they want to go. At least a bigger, full–page map that the DM could copy and use without having to enlarge it. Other city supplements include these types of maps, and I think not having one in this product is criminal. Maybe it was done to keep the cost down, or maybe Sword and Sorcery felt there wasn't room to fit in a bigger map. I think there is some material that could have been cut out in favor of a larger map, and the product would have been better.
The other complaint is the absence of details on the Shelzari eroticist prestige class. There are some key NPCs described in Chapter Four: People of Shelzar which have levels in this prestige class. But the class is found in "Players Guide to Wizards, Bards and Sorcerers," a product that hasn't even been released yet. The text advises DMs to ignore those PrC levels if the other product is not available, but why rob the characters of that which makes them unique to the setting? There is another prestige class, the Shelzari knife–fighter, which is detailed in the product. This PrC helps give the setting some of its special feel. The eroticist PrC would have done this as well. Again, there was some material which could have been left out in favor of the eroticist PrC, and the product would have been better.
Product details
Chapter One: The City of Sins gives a wonderful overview of Shelzar and the surrounding area in the Scarred Lands setting. This is a great introduction to the city, and gives you the first look at why this product is so unique and so captivating. Gives a quick overview of the city districts, finances, life in the city, its social divisions, the culture and entertainment, the religions, the government, trade items, factions within the city, even crimes and their punishments.
Chapter Two: The History of Shelzar. While this section is very well written, do you really need 26 pages recounting the history of the city and the region to be able to run adventures in it? Yes, there is a lot of good background material here to explain the mindset of the residents of Shelzar as well as other factions in the region, but it is a bit too much of a good thing. Some of this chapter could have easily been cut to include a larger map of the city, the Shelzar eroticist prestige class, and other things that would have a more immediate impact on the players' gaming experience.
Chapter Three: The City presents a more in–depth examination of the city’s 11 districts as well as key locations and NPCs in those districts. There is some great stuff here. Each district is further broken down into Brothels and Gambling Houses; Temples and Shrines; Inns, Taverns and Restaurants; Civic and Governmental; Merchants, Equipment, and Services; Homes and Dwellings; and Places of Note. Not all districts have locations that fit into all of these subcategories. One thing I really like about the location descriptions is that they don't just give information about places and people; many of them provide useful insights about the city's culture, society, and history. This will help the DM present the proper feel to the city and its residents as well as properly role-play any encounters the PCs have.
Chapter Four: People of Shelzar. Descriptions of important NPCs as well as information on the Shelzar knife–fighter prestige class. This chapter also details some new magic items and a minor artifact. More good, usable stuff is found here. Curiously, at the start of the chapter the NPC stat blocks are boxed separately from the descriptions. Near the end of the chapter, they change to a smaller, different typeface that follows the description. Then it reverts to the original format for the final NPC. I'm guessing this was done for space reasons, but it looks funny.
Chapter Five: Adventures in Shelzar details 15 adventure ideas and six more plot hooks. Like the entire book, this chapter is very well written. What I really like about the adventure ideas is that while they are familiar, they are all given interesting twists that reflect the style of the setting and make them seem fresh. The adventures all feature bits of intrigue indicative of Shelzar, which will require role–playing by the PCs in order to succeed. But there also are plenty of opportunities for combat.
