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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ryan Henry" data-source="post: 2718003" data-attributes="member: 31994">The Wilderlands of High Fantasy Boxed SetSword and Sorcery/Necromancer Games/Judges Guild$69.99 USDisclaimer 1: I have written a module for Necromancer Games, but I had no part in the development or production of this product, The Wilderlands of High Fantasy Boxed Set. These are my own opinions as a gamer and not as an agent of Necromancer Games.Disclaimer 2: This review is partly based on playing experience using this product; however, I have not used all of it (perhaps I can write that review in 2015).Why I'm Reviewing This ProductThis item is a shrink wrapped boxed set, so it's difficult for curious gamers to get a feel for what this product is about, what it contains, and the quality of material. I'm attempting to give readers a look inside the box. (There is substantial preview information available on the Wilderlands Boxed Set forum at <a href="http://www.necromancergames.com" target="_blank">www.necromancergames.com</a> as well as a sample chapter of Lenap available for download at this link  <a href="http://p096.ezboard.com/fnecromancergamesfrm42.showMessage?topicID=73.topic" target="_blank">http://p096.ezboard.com/fnecromancergamesfrm42.showMessage?topicID=73.topic</a>)My Experience With Campaign SettingsThe first campaign setting boxed set I purchased was the Ravenloft Campaign setting in 2nd edition. I used that for a time until my group got tired of playing in Ravenloft, so then I purchased some Forgotten Realms boxed sets, including Waterdeep: City of Splendors and the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (both 2nd edition). A tidal wave of other products came out for the FRCS, and I felt overwhelmed both mentally and financially to keep up with all the new information presented in monstrous compendiums, ecology manuals, regional sourcebooks, and ficticious travelouges. Finally I abandoned all purchased campaign settings and developed a fairly generic homebrewed world to place my adventures. The Wilderlands of High Fantasy Boxed Set (WoHFBS) is the first campaign setting I've purchased since 3rd edition's release.My History With the WilderlandsNormally, I wouldn't provide this type of information in a review, but based on the nature of this product, I thought this might be helpful. I started playing AD&D 2nd edition in 1990, long after the heyday of the Wilderlands. Even so, I knew little of such third party products, my exposure being limited to the scant selection of TSR products at my local bookstore. Thus this was not a nostalgiac purchase for me, and this review is not going to be viewed through the rose-tinted glasses of a nostalgiac gamer. I did, however, own several 3.x products published by Sword and Sorcery/Judges Guild (The Players Guide to the Wilderlands, The Caverns of Thracia, and the City State of the Invincible Overlord), and I was curious to see how everything fit together.Physical PresentationWoHFBS is presented in a heavy black box, made of seemingly sterner stuff than the TSR boxed sets of the 2nd edition era. The cover art depicting a flail-wielding barbarian is by famous fantasy artist Frank Frazetta and is duplicated on the two books within. The contents of the boxed set include 9 double sided black and white poster maps, each detailing an area of the campaign setting. The two books detail in chapters the environs and inhabitants of each map. (A more detailed description of the maps and books follow.)The MapsEach of the 18 maps are divided into 5-mile hexagons, which are numbered. These numbers correspond to paragraphs in map books. Many of these numbered hexagons contain no information, allowing the DM (or Judge) to detail as necessary. The maps are black and white. This can lead to some confusion as the seas and other bodies of water look about the same as forests. There is also a missing dynamic - it's just not as breathtaking as it could be. The double-sided printing can pose problems for DMs who want to link up the various map areas. You'll have to flip the map over to continue.  However, the maps are more than functional: they can also be inspiring. The BooksWilderlands Map Book One: Elphand Lands to TarantisThis 216 page, softcover, black and white book is densely packed with text and has a few illustrations. Discerning readers may be off-put by large amounts of unused white space at the end of some chapters, but I think this layout is preferable to other options (including starting a new chapter mid-page or filling it with unnecessary clip art). IntroductionThis chapter introduces the WoHFBS product and the Wilderlands Setting. It provides a small overworld map that shows how the various poster maps link up. It discusses the hexagon mapping system. As wilderness travel is such a vital part to the campaign setting, it expands the rules for overland and sea travel. The book gives suggestions about creating random encounter charts and provides a large chart for generating random ruins, which seem to dot the landscape of this campaign setting. There are brief mentions of the Power Centers of the Wilderlands, which provide some small detail about larger towns and powerful wizards and martial groups. Following that are a few paragraphs about climate and weather; this isn't as detailed as an ecology manual, but it should suffice. It then describes two new substances: carbelium and magicum. These have various uses including weaponsmithing and storehouses of magical energy (respectively) and contain some interesting drawbacks. The Introduction closes with a lengthy Judges History that details the history of the setting dating from a very strange and science fiction inspired Pre-History up to more modern times, though the details of modern events are listed only in a separate product, The Player's Guide to the Wilderlands. At the risk of giving too many spoilers, I won't get into the details of this history, but suffice it to say that if you and your group prefer a more traditional fantasy campaign setting, you'll have to do some tinkering with the Wilderlands. Using the Map BookletsThis section tells the reader how to use the entries within the books. It describes terminolgy such as different types of terrain and climtates. This section also introduces a new descriptor called tech level. This ranges from the Stone Age to a High Renaissance level of sophistication. Next it describes the races. There are a dozen varieties of human, 5 dwarves, 9 elves, 4 gnomes, and 3 halflings. It lists and briefly describes 25 other humanoid races. To use this section, you really need the Player's Guide to the Wilderlands, which presents important game rule information about these classes; otherwise, all you have is the flavor. The following section lists 6 different core classes, prestige classes, and NPC classes; game rule information, again, is in the Player's Guide to the Wilderlands.Map descriptions fill the remaining 418 pages of Book One and Book Two with the exception of two pages for the Legal Appendix. Here is a list of the titles of the chapters.Book OneChapter One: Elphand LandsChapter Two: ValonChapter Three: Valley of the AncientsChapter Four: ViridistanChapter Five: City State of the Invincible OverlordChapter Six: TarantisBook TwoChapter Seven: Desert LandsChapter Eight: Barbarian AltanisChapter Nine: Ebony CoastChapter Ten: LenapChapter Eleven: Isles of the BlestChapter Twelve: Isles of the DawnChapter Thirteen: Sea of the Five WindsChapter Fourteen: GhinorChapter Fifteen: Silver SkeinChapter Sixteen: Ament TundraChapter Seventeen: Ghinor HighlandsChapter Eighteen: Southern ReachesEach chapter describes one of the eighteen maps. It begins with an introduction of the map, with mentions of climate, centers of power and civilization, and other notable features. The Geography section describes general areas such as deserts, rivers, and mountains, providing average Encounter Levels if appropriate. Following that is a list of some of the numbered hexes. Here are some brief paragraphs describing towns and castles, animal lairs, bandit fortresses, and more. None of the information is provided in completion; it is up to the DM to flesh it out appropriately to fit his campaign. This is not a complaint, as the DM gets over 1000 such areas. For DMs with vivid imaginations and the desire to turn his group lose in the untamed wilderness, this can be a blessing.Describing each chapter in detail is beyond the scope of this review. Truly there is more here than any group can realistically play for more than a decade. If you want to sample one of these chapters, please look at the Lenap chapter by following the link above. This is a good sample of what type of information you will find in the map booklets.Running the WilderlandsMy experience focused on Map 5 and Map 8, the City State of the Invincible Overlord and Barbarian Altanis, respectively. I decided to drop my small group of 3 PCs into the heart of Adderwood, a forest located a couple days from the infamous City State of the Invincible Overlord (CSIO). Two PCs had been taken prisoner and were enroute to the CSIO to be sold as slaves when a tribe of orcs attacked the slave caravan. The 2 PCs escaped with the help of the third, who was a ranger in the Adderwood. Together they pursued their capitors into the forest. As the party moved, I tracked their southwestern progress on the map. As the story unfolded, they hit numbered hexes that included a magical tower run by clerics of an evil god and an orc town. Following the details listed in the appropriate paragraphs, my players were able to unravel a plot about a slave trade and decided to pursue it into Barbarian Altanis.This setting was good for me. I ran this with very little preparation. It gives the players complete control to carve out their own experiences based on hundreds of plot hooks. The DM just has to be adaptable to run with it.The Wilderlands FlavorAn important part of a campaign setting is finding a tone and theme that both the DM and his players will enjoy. Ravenloft, for example, is not good for those not wanting to play a horror campaign. Similarly, you wouldn't want to play Forgotten Realms if you were wanting a low magic, non standard fantasy world. The Wilderlands flavor is pretty unique to the modern gaming industry. It is not typical fantasy. Instead, it is Sword and Sorcery. It is more Robert E. Howard and Fritz Leiber than Robert Jordan and J. R. R. Tolkien. It combines elements of science fiction, technology, and horror in the tradition of old pulp stories. It is also a gritty setting, where evil controls much of the world, civilizations have crumbled (leaving lots of ruins to explore), and slavery is commonplace in many areas. The authors make it a point to tell you to make the Wilderlands your own without the fear that later sourcebooks will change your campaign. Things are truly left so vague that a DM can change or create details.SummaryThe WoHFBS contains a lot of information that DMs can use for catalysts for adventures without the specific level of detail that bogs down gameplay or restricts the creativity of gamers. The sheer size of the product provides an almost limitless array of plot hooks. While the black and white, double sided maps are not as beautiful as some other products' and can create some confusion, they are functional and should not hinder gameplay. To get full use of this product, it is highly recommended that groups purchase the Player's Guide to the Wilderlands, which details gods, new classes, and character races; this added expense may irritate some players. The non-typical flavor can turn off some gamers desiring a more traditional fantasy campaign. Ryan Henry</blockquote>

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