The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Good and Bad and Silly:

I must first admit that this review is biased (though not grossly) toward the positive. I have enjoyed everything that I have read that was written by David Hargrave. My bias may be nostalgia at work or it could be that I received this book for free.

The Arduin Grimoires come in that nostalgia-inducing size: the digest. This size was so popular with RPGs in the late 1970s - OD&D, Traveler, etc. The Grimoires were printed when I started as a role-player, in the early 1980s. My early xD&D games usually incorporated *something* from this series because several friends were great fans of the works. These books contained ideas, traps, spells and monsters that were uncommon to most xD&D games and were unknown to most role-players. Nostalgia for us older role-players is a powerful thing indeed, and can lead to bias. But ... I also got this book for free.

I like getting things for free and so can be biased because Dragon Tree Press has a current policy that if you install a link to their site www.DragonTree.com on your website, they will send you a free book each full month the link is up. I've had a link to their site since last December. This is the first product that I received from them and I plan to review each one of the books that they sent (and looking at my desk there are still at least eight that are in the queue). So, please consider these factors when reading this review.

The review:

I am dividing my review into three sections to simplify the process. Good covers what I believe are good parts - these are things that I would use in my game, either in part or whole, because they are good ideas (this also includes good textural things). Bad covers (obviously) what is bad - those parts that I would never use (and bad textural things). Silly covers the stuff that is just plain silly - and hard to place in the other two categories. Silly things are sometimes important to games but too much silliness ruins the game - I guess it's like garlic, too much = bad, just right = good. Silly things on the whole is a 'caveat.'

Good:

Besides the nostalgia factor (which I have already covered), the best things about this book is that it is so old that few people you game with would be familiar with anything presented here. It is very probable that most of your friends do not or have not seen this book. In fact, very few of my RPGing friends know about the Arduin Grimoires and those that do have not seen one in recent years (unless I showed them). This factor allows the (smart) GM to steal lots of good ideas from this book and spring them on the players. Some of the sections with good ideas are: Player Adaptability; Ecology of Monster Creation; Dungeons, Caverns, and other Holes in the Ground; Potent Potions, Lotions and Other Amazing Alchemical Concoctions from Arduin; Ruses, Traps and other Dirty Tricks; Holidays and Festivals in Arduin. You should be able to glean ideas from these sections.

Bad:

My three chief complaints are silly name, rants, and italics and exclamation points! Silly names are just plain annoying. This book is filled with them. Silly named potions, monsters, beverages, holidays, etc. Let me ask you: when faced with a drink, which would you choose: Captain Morgan's or Spiga's Egg Frappe? Too many fantasy supplements/books/movies come up with unbelievable or just plain hokey names ad nauseam. How the hell do you pronounce some of them? I have an easier time with the Brothers Karamozov or even the Bible. They have better names than some books I've read. Good names: Bronwyn, Greenleaf, Kull, Conan, Legolas, Frodo, Gandalf, Chicken Little, Erasmus, Krull, Tanis, Laurana. Bad names: Drizzt, Alalalalald, Qwrtzlfe. Here's a clue: Take a normal name and shorten/deform it. Better yet, pick up a book on children's names and their meanings and you have more believable names.

Second, rants. He rants a lot. And I mean a lot. He rants about defense of the gaming community, which is just sing(rant)ing to the choir. He rants about Dirty Dorg. He rants about this and that, rant, rant, rant! Now, I love a good rant and often do rant, but sometimes its just too much. I'm more interested in the gaming stuff than the rants, and I don't like getting yelled at. It reminds me too much of my Dad's lectures. So, when reading this book, if you don't want rants, skim or ignoring those sections and you shouldn't have a problem.

Finally, there is his use of the italics and exclamation points! Too much! Way too much! Way, way, way too much! Any shift of text off the normal is to be used sparingly - emphasis is more emphatic when used rarely. Texts of bold, italic, and underline, as well as exclamation points!!!!!!!!, "quotes", and ALL CAPITALS detract from what you are trying to say. If you are writing anything, remember this!

Silly:

The best silly part of this book is Dirty Dorg's Multiversal Eatery and Grog Emporium for the Discriminating Trencherman. It's got everything the rich and affluent adventurer could want (and afford). Try the Roast wyvern, the warg tongues (steamed in a genuine coffin), and the orc-eye soup! Each meal (21 listed!) costs between 7,400 and 10,000,000 gold sovereigns, so only the richest will be dining here. And the best part is one of the last three menu items: the Hell Feast. It's listed as the "Personage of your choice caught and cooked (or not) to your specifications!" And for a measly price of 1,500,000 gold sovereigns. Is that not value? If this menu interests you, I'd copy the menu down without prices and let the PCs enter a restaurant, sit down, order their meals, eat and then scramble for the cash to cover their bill (plus 15% gratuity!) In fact, I just might try that dirty trick (*evil chuckling*)!

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

The Lost Grimoire: Arduin Grimoire IV
Author: David A. Hargrave Category: game Company/Publisher: Dragon Tree Press Line: Arduin Grimoires Cost: $ 11.95 Page count: 152 ISBN: 0-940918-10-2 SKU: 82-006 Capsule Review by Matt A. Borselli on 09/13/99. Genre tags: Fantasy Generic	Good and Bad and Silly: I must first admit that this review is biased (though not grossly) toward the positive. I have enjoyed everything that I have read that was written by David Hargrave. My bias may be nostalgia at work or it could be that I received this book for free. The Arduin Grimoires come in that nostalgia-inducing size: the digest. This size was so popular with RPGs in the late 1970s - OD&D, Traveler, etc. The Grimoires were printed when I started as a role-player, in the early 1980s. My early xD&D games usually incorporated something from this series because several friends were great fans of the works. These books contained ideas, traps, spells and monsters that were uncommon to most xD&D games and were unknown to most role-players. Nostalgia for us older role-players is a powerful thing indeed, and can lead to bias. But ... I also got this book for free. I like getting things for free and so can be biased because Dragon Tree Press has a current policy that if you install a link to their site www.DragonTree.com on your website, they will send you a free book each full month the link is up. I've had a link to their site since last December. This is the first product that I received from them and I plan to review each one of the books that they sent (and looking at my desk there are still at least eight that are in the queue). So, please consider these factors when reading this review. The review: I am dividing my review into three sections to simplify the process. Good covers what I believe are good parts - these are things that I would use in my game, either in part or whole, because they are good ideas (this also includes good textural things). Bad covers (obviously) what is bad - those parts that I would never use (and bad textural things). Silly covers the stuff that is just plain silly - and hard to place in the other two categories. Silly things are sometimes important to games but too much silliness ruins the game - I guess it's like garlic, too much = bad, just right = good. Silly things on the whole is a 'caveat.' Good: Besides the nostalgia factor (which I have already covered), the best things about this book is that it is so old that few people you game with would be familiar with anything presented here. It is very probable that most of your friends do not or have not seen this book. In fact, very few of my RPGing friends know about the Arduin Grimoires and those that do have not seen one in recent years (unless I showed them). This factor allows the (smart) GM to steal lots of good ideas from this book and spring them on the players. Some of the sections with good ideas are: Player Adaptability; Ecology of Monster Creation; Dungeons, Caverns, and other Holes in the Ground; Potent Potions, Lotions and Other Amazing Alchemical Concoctions from Arduin; Ruses, Traps and other Dirty Tricks; Holidays and Festivals in Arduin. You should be able to glean ideas from these sections. Bad: My three chief complaints are silly name, rants, and italics and exclamation points! Silly names are just plain annoying. This book is filled with them. Silly named potions, monsters, beverages, holidays, etc. Let me ask you: when faced with a drink, which would you choose: Captain Morgan's or Spiga's Egg Frappe? Too many fantasy supplements/books/movies come up with unbelievable or just plain hokey names ad nauseam. How the hell do you pronounce some of them? I have an easier time with the Brothers Karamozov or even the Bible. They have better names than some books I've read. Good names: Bronwyn, Greenleaf, Kull, Conan, Legolas, Frodo, Gandalf, Chicken Little, Erasmus, Krull, Tanis, Laurana. Bad names: Drizzt, Alalalalald, Qwrtzlfe. Here's a clue: Take a normal name and shorten/deform it. Better yet, pick up a book on children's names and their meanings and you have more believable names. Second, rants. He rants a lot. And I mean a lot. He rants about defense of the gaming community, which is just sing(rant)ing to the choir. He rants about Dirty Dorg. He rants about this and that, rant, rant, rant! Now, I love a good rant and often do rant, but sometimes its just too much. I'm more interested in the gaming stuff than the rants, and I don't like getting yelled at. It reminds me too much of my Dad's lectures. So, when reading this book, if you don't want rants, skim or ignoring those sections and you shouldn't have a problem. Finally, there is his use of the italics and exclamation points! Too much! Way too much! Way, way, way too much! Any shift of text off the normal is to be used sparingly - emphasis is more emphatic when used rarely. Texts of bold, italic, and underline, as well as exclamation points!!!!!!!!, "quotes", and ALL CAPITALS detract from what you are trying to say. If you are writing anything, remember this! Silly: The best silly part of this book is Dirty Dorg's Multiversal Eatery and Grog Emporium for the Discriminating Trencherman. It's got everything the rich and affluent adventurer could want (and afford). Try the Roast wyvern, the warg tongues (steamed in a genuine coffin), and the orc-eye soup! Each meal (21 listed!) costs between 7,400 and 10,000,000 gold sovereigns, so only the richest will be dining here. And the best part is one of the last three menu items: the Hell Feast. It's listed as the "Personage of your choice caught and cooked (or not) to your specifications!" And for a measly price of 1,500,000 gold sovereigns. Is that not value? If this menu interests you, I'd copy the menu down without prices and let the PCs enter a restaurant, sit down, order their meals, eat and then scramble for the cash to cover their bill (plus 15% gratuity!) In fact, I just might try that dirty trick (evil chuckling)! Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 4 (Meaty)

The Lost Grimoire: Arduin Grimoire IV