Worst 3.5 publishers?

[Psion]

Hmmm...i ended up buying Portal & Planes instead of Sorcery & Steam a couple weeks ago and regretted it. It was pretty lackluster. How was S&S aside from those mechanic problems?

I really like Portals & Planes. Much better than Sorcery & Steam, really.

I'm not the poster you were replying to but my take is that while much of what is there seems good (and I really dig the first concept chapter), it seems like the wrong mix of stuff to run a steampunk game. Generally, my biggest problem is an apparent disconnect between the classes and the rest of the material. For example, the steamtech class (forget the name) gets a bunch of little abilities to tweak out normal items, but gets no real abilities that let them practically build the steamtech later in the book (which are built by normal crafting rules, but have price tags more like magic items, which makes them an ill fit to the crafting rules. Some class abilities could have reconciled this disconnect, but do not. As it is, you sort of have to handwave the existence of steamtech in the game, because the rules don't seem to make it like there would be much steamtech in the game.)

 

[PJ Mason]

I'm not the poster you were replying to but my take is that while much of what is there seems good (and I really dig the first concept chapter), it seems like the wrong mix of stuff to run a steampunk game. Generally, my biggest problem is an apparent disconnect between the classes and the rest of the material. For example, the steamtech class (forget the name) gets a bunch of little abilities to tweak out normal items, but gets no real abilities that let them practically build the steamtech later in the book (which are built by normal crafting rules, but have price tags more like magic items, which makes them an ill fit to the crafting rules. Some class abilities could have reconciled this disconnect, but do not. As it is, you sort of have to handwave the existence of steamtech in the game, because the rules don't seem to make it like there would be much steamtech in the game.)

Hmmm..that would burn my britches too.
"Hey, here is this new fangled steamtech class for you. Huh? Well...no you don't have to have this class to make steam tech stuff. Why are you laughing?"

sigh. Whoever it was a couple pages ago that said following companies was unwise and that you should follow specific writers was dead on. From no on, if i haven't heard of the writer and liked his stuff...no dice. Unless the book gets a lot of accolades. I generally trust WOTC, their older class books and the like weren't super great, but their stuff lately seems pretty darn good. Its mostly mechanics and unlike others, i like that. If i want flavor i'll go to Monte Cook (although the Diamand Throne setting book was a surprise snoozer!!??), Atlas and Sword & Sorcery, where they are great at it.