Geron Raveneye said:
I have paged through a lot of the products, and was able to read Hollowfaust..and I really like the whole athmosphere. I am tempted to start a SL campaign...all I wonder is what books I have to purchase to have the material neccessary to bring players and myself into this campaign setting?
I think that Voadam has broken down the categories quite nicely, but I might place a different emphasis on what you will need to play in the setting.
ESSENTIAL:
Perhaps the heart of a Scarred Lands campaign is found in three books:
Relics and Rituals,
Creature Collection Revised (supposed to see release this month), and
Scarred Lands Campaign Setting: Ghelspad.
The first two are key to expressing the feel and uniqueness of the Scarred Lands through the game mechanics: i.e., spells, prestige classes, magic items, and rituals for R&R; all the monsters and creatures for CCRev. The third book gives you pretty much all the information you could ever need for Ghelspad as a setting -- history, cultural features, adventure hooks, the deities, and some prestige classes that complement nicely those found in R&R.
You could pretty much run an entire Scarred Lands campaign just on these three books alone, perhaps later adding
Relics and Rituals II and
Creature Collection II simply to give yourself more setting-specific options for spells, magic items, prestige classes, and monsters.
(NOTE: I believe, from what I've seen posted by Nightfall, that CCRev will have all the Scarred Lands race information, too, which somewhat precludes the need for getting the
Scarred Lands DM Screen & Companion, though the screen is a great product. I did not edit that section of CCRev, so I cannot say for sure.
)
GOOD TO HAVE, IF DESIRED:
In this category, I would put books offering a lot of general information that help you add depth to the setting.
The Divine and the Defeated is the first that comes to mind: an extensive look at each of the Scarred Lands' major and minor gods, as well as the Titans; game mechanics related to the deities (some of which are also found in
SLCS: Ghelspad); and some prestige classes. This is a very good book, actually, just not maybe strictly essential.
Next, you might consider books such as
The Wise and the Wicked,
Secrets and Societies, and perhaps
Wilderness & Wasteland: Scarred Lands Encounters. The first one gives you a slew of significant NPCs found in the Scarred Lands, many of them major players in current events. The second book details several organizations found in the Scarred Lands such as the Courtesans of Idra, the Horsemen of Vangal, and the Vigils of Vesh; it's really quite a good book and maybe just after
The Divine and the Defeated with regard to (secondary) importance.
Wilderness & Wasteland works through many different types of terrain (i.e., badlands, forest, mountains, and so forth) and discusses what can be found there in terms of vegetation and creatures, but it also gives lots of tips on how to use the terrain as an encounter unto itself. Moreover, you get a bunch of wilderness encounter tables created specifically for areas of the Scarred Lands.
Other future books in this category will likely be the class books coming out in 2003.
IT'S UP TO YOU:
At this stage, you're looking at the setting supplements that focus upon very specific areas of the Scarred Lands, such as Hollowfaust. Really, what your DM might want from these books depends completely upon where your campaign will be set. I believe that the Hornsaw book is due out soon and that a Shelzar book is in editing right now, but you've already got books on Burok Torn (dwarves), Mithril (a city run by paladins), Calastia (the hegemonic human kingdom), and
Vigil Watch: Warrens of the Ratmen (for which there's a recent review available on RPG.net).
Finally, the
Scarred Lands Gazetteer: Termana is out, in case your DM might want to set some adventures on another continent of Scarn.
There ya go. I hope that helps out a little!
Take care,
Mike
