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It seems the further you get from the human (or shorties) lands in the Palladium world the less and less playable the world becomes. But The Baalgor Wastelands is somewhere in-between, which was probably the point. Bill Coffin continues with his strong writing, that was apparent in The Western Empire supplement, even if I did not enjoy the setting as much.

The geography section of Baalgor Wastelands was decently done and conveyed the sort of basic rules of a desert climate and how that translates into the Palladium engine. Nothing special, but handy if you have never run or played in that climate (my first and best Palladium GM was a stickler for food and other supplies so I appreciate this sort of stuff).

The People section was a little misleading in the fact that monsters were thrown in with the sundry new races that inhabit the Baalgor Wastelands. But most of the races were well done and fleshed out with a history and their place in the land. I thought the Gosai and Quorian races were particularly fun and I enjoyed the thin Ones very much too. Even if you never use this specific supplement for your Palladium campaign, there are enough goodies inside to justify buying this supplement.

The places in The Baalgor Wastelands are varied. Some are cities built from great ruins to somewhat less rocky, less dry areas to camp. Each region in the book is covered well and provide enough source material to keep a campaign going (albeit a VERY dangerous campaign). The gem in the region is The Free City of Troker. A city-state that is a haven for the down trodden, greedy, wanted or adventuresom. There is enough to do there and the characters would not even have to venture inland.

Once again the random encounter tables are well done and interesting. The author has some that are funny and some that can spinn of into pleeasant vingettes themselves. I suspect the author likes putting adventurers into odd places and situations (in an even odder land).

The Baalgor Wastelands is a setup for further supplements, namely the already released that focus on the Nimro Giants and their nation building. Their enemy are the large, brutish and ruthless Gromek. If I were an adventurer or living in the Baalgor Wastelands I would simply cheer for casualties. This whole plot and set up for Book 10 was the only thing I did not enjoy about this supplement. I thought the hooks for a player to get involved are tenuous, regardless of how well written the supplement is. However there is plenty of other stuff in this supplement, even if it is not your bag, it is not a deal breaker.

If you enjoy the Palladium world or need a good desert setting, than The Baalgor Wastelands will foot the bill. For me it had a lot I would use without having to edit or downplay many other things.

Style: 3 (Average)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

The Baalgor Wastelands (Palladium RPG Book 9)
Author: Bill Coffin Category: game Company/Publisher: Palladium Books Line: Palladium Fantasy Cost: 20.95 Page count: 216 ISBN: 1-57457-022-6 SKU: 463 Capsule Review by Wes Johnson on 08/06/99. Genre tags: Fantasy	It seems the further you get from the human (or shorties) lands in the Palladium world the less and less playable the world becomes. But The Baalgor Wastelands is somewhere in-between, which was probably the point. Bill Coffin continues with his strong writing, that was apparent in The Western Empire supplement, even if I did not enjoy the setting as much. The geography section of Baalgor Wastelands was decently done and conveyed the sort of basic rules of a desert climate and how that translates into the Palladium engine. Nothing special, but handy if you have never run or played in that climate (my first and best Palladium GM was a stickler for food and other supplies so I appreciate this sort of stuff). The People section was a little misleading in the fact that monsters were thrown in with the sundry new races that inhabit the Baalgor Wastelands. But most of the races were well done and fleshed out with a history and their place in the land. I thought the Gosai and Quorian races were particularly fun and I enjoyed the thin Ones very much too. Even if you never use this specific supplement for your Palladium campaign, there are enough goodies inside to justify buying this supplement. The places in The Baalgor Wastelands are varied. Some are cities built from great ruins to somewhat less rocky, less dry areas to camp. Each region in the book is covered well and provide enough source material to keep a campaign going (albeit a VERY dangerous campaign). The gem in the region is The Free City of Troker. A city-state that is a haven for the down trodden, greedy, wanted or adventuresom. There is enough to do there and the characters would not even have to venture inland. Once again the random encounter tables are well done and interesting. The author has some that are funny and some that can spinn of into pleeasant vingettes themselves. I suspect the author likes putting adventurers into odd places and situations (in an even odder land). The Baalgor Wastelands is a setup for further supplements, namely the already released that focus on the Nimro Giants and their nation building. Their enemy are the large, brutish and ruthless Gromek. If I were an adventurer or living in the Baalgor Wastelands I would simply cheer for casualties. This whole plot and set up for Book 10 was the only thing I did not enjoy about this supplement. I thought the hooks for a player to get involved are tenuous, regardless of how well written the supplement is. However there is plenty of other stuff in this supplement, even if it is not your bag, it is not a deal breaker. If you enjoy the Palladium world or need a good desert setting, than The Baalgor Wastelands will foot the bill. For me it had a lot I would use without having to edit or downplay many other things. Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 4 (Meaty)

The Baalgor Wastelands (Palladium RPG Book 9)