The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Well, I reviewed the first product in this game line, so now I'll review the second!

The Referee Guide for the World of Barador is a dream come true for any game master, if only for the fact that almost a quarter of it is dedicated to giving novice GMs advice that isn't specific to any game system. This isn't advice on how to use and abuse the rules system for the game, but advice on crafting your game and keeping yourself and the players happy. For that alone, I found it worth twice what I paid for it.

And as for the actual game system itself, this book isn't lacking in providing aid for the referee, either. The book re-presents the game rules from the Player Guide, but expanded with new content to such an extent that the chapter is literally doubled in size. The information has also been somewhat reorganized to provide a more useful presentation to the referee. This is a major bonus for those who hate flipping through multiple books.

The rules also have a major bonus in them; How to use the game's rules in order to simulate the exact way all those computer RPGs determine combat results and the like. This game line started out touting itself as the first game published for the fantasy anime genre, but now it is also the first game system published to deal with fantasy anime computer RPGs as well. I'll be writing up my own source material for the Final Fantasy world once I've got the rules all down pat. Between this and all the paper systems it works with, I may never need to buy another RPG system again!

Next, an enhancement was added to expand the primer chapter describing the default game world in the Player Guide. This new chapter goes in-depth about the culture and society of the nation of Barador, around which the politics of the world seem to revolve. You get notes on guilds, gladiatorial events, and the legal system, as well as weather charts and notes on travelling the countryside. Much of this chapter in and of itself is fairly generic, allowing it to easily be transplanted into just about any game you want.

Beyond this are the usual GM aid materials; monsters, treasures, magic items and the like. The book is crammed full in this aspect, though I am a bit disappointed there isn't much in the way of illustrations for the beasties they present to us. I just love the new take on the classic 'magical tomes' concept that started with AD&D. A lot of the material I've seen presented so far in both the core books of the series have been presented with a great deal of logic and common sense behind concepts and designs.

Last is the chapter entitled 'fun sheets'. At first glance, I thought they were rip-offs of the scribe sheets put out by the Armory. While obviously so inspired, these fun sheets do the same task more tastefully and commemotartively, but also go well beyond the scope of those scribe sheets, with royal decrees, contracts, blank wanted posters, immitation bank notes for the game world, and more. In all, there's like 20 different certificates, awards, commendations, and the like which you GMs can use in your game. Some are designed as fun reminders for the players, some are designed as props to enhance game play, and most importantly, some are designed as player control mechanisms you can introduce into the game if need be. Here again, in the same book, is another chapter that as a stand alone product, would have been well worth the price of the entire book!

Once again, they've produced a book with great anime-inspired fantasy artwork and stick to the clean, neat, easy to read 'palladiumesque' layout design of their first book. I hope they stick with this clean, get-down-to-business format rather than letting glamour get to their heads. After all, quality can come in the form of words, rather than artwork, and that is the quality these books have delivered to me in spades.

Even if fantasy anime isn't your thing, if you're a new GM, or if you're looking for some decent enhancements for your own game, this book is definitely well worth the extra low cost in this PDF format, especially if you're only after a chapter or two of it.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

World of Barador Referee Guide PDF
Author: Dana Jorgensen Category: game Company/Publisher: Alternate Realities Publications Cost: $12.00 Page count: 232 Capsule Review by David Sinclair on 11/08/98. Genre tags: Fantasy Anime	Well, I reviewed the first product in this game line, so now I'll review the second! The Referee Guide for the World of Barador is a dream come true for any game master, if only for the fact that almost a quarter of it is dedicated to giving novice GMs advice that isn't specific to any game system. This isn't advice on how to use and abuse the rules system for the game, but advice on crafting your game and keeping yourself and the players happy. For that alone, I found it worth twice what I paid for it. And as for the actual game system itself, this book isn't lacking in providing aid for the referee, either. The book re-presents the game rules from the Player Guide, but expanded with new content to such an extent that the chapter is literally doubled in size. The information has also been somewhat reorganized to provide a more useful presentation to the referee. This is a major bonus for those who hate flipping through multiple books. The rules also have a major bonus in them; How to use the game's rules in order to simulate the exact way all those computer RPGs determine combat results and the like. This game line started out touting itself as the first game published for the fantasy anime genre, but now it is also the first game system published to deal with fantasy anime computer RPGs as well. I'll be writing up my own source material for the Final Fantasy world once I've got the rules all down pat. Between this and all the paper systems it works with, I may never need to buy another RPG system again! Next, an enhancement was added to expand the primer chapter describing the default game world in the Player Guide. This new chapter goes in-depth about the culture and society of the nation of Barador, around which the politics of the world seem to revolve. You get notes on guilds, gladiatorial events, and the legal system, as well as weather charts and notes on travelling the countryside. Much of this chapter in and of itself is fairly generic, allowing it to easily be transplanted into just about any game you want. Beyond this are the usual GM aid materials; monsters, treasures, magic items and the like. The book is crammed full in this aspect, though I am a bit disappointed there isn't much in the way of illustrations for the beasties they present to us. I just love the new take on the classic 'magical tomes' concept that started with AD&D. A lot of the material I've seen presented so far in both the core books of the series have been presented with a great deal of logic and common sense behind concepts and designs. Last is the chapter entitled 'fun sheets'. At first glance, I thought they were rip-offs of the scribe sheets put out by the Armory. While obviously so inspired, these fun sheets do the same task more tastefully and commemotartively, but also go well beyond the scope of those scribe sheets, with royal decrees, contracts, blank wanted posters, immitation bank notes for the game world, and more. In all, there's like 20 different certificates, awards, commendations, and the like which you GMs can use in your game. Some are designed as fun reminders for the players, some are designed as props to enhance game play, and most importantly, some are designed as player control mechanisms you can introduce into the game if need be. Here again, in the same book, is another chapter that as a stand alone product, would have been well worth the price of the entire book! Once again, they've produced a book with great anime-inspired fantasy artwork and stick to the clean, neat, easy to read 'palladiumesque' layout design of their first book. I hope they stick with this clean, get-down-to-business format rather than letting glamour get to their heads. After all, quality can come in the form of words, rather than artwork, and that is the quality these books have delivered to me in spades. Even if fantasy anime isn't your thing, if you're a new GM, or if you're looking for some decent enhancements for your own game, this book is definitely well worth the extra low cost in this PDF format, especially if you're only after a chapter or two of it. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

World of Barador Referee Guide PDF