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This is, essentially, a monster manual. It is not in any way shape or form a general sourcebook for the first family of comics. Now we've got that out of the way, we can talk...

The good stuff

When you're talking Fantastic Four, you're talking one step down from the prime movers of the Marvel universe; these are the guys who are on first name terms with Galactus, right? So what we have here are, in essence, not just the FF's supporting cast, but the top end of the power spectrum. Adam Warlock, the Celestials, Ego the Living Planet, Silver Surfer, etc.

This seems to be a part of the de facto separation of the MArvel universe into rough power levels, ranging in order of source books from Marvel Team-Up (streets of manhattan), to X-Men (From threats to Morlocks up to Magneto), to Avengers (national / world level threats), to Fantastic Four (world to cosmic level).

And, entre nous, there is evidence in the Guide to Marvel Earth for a fifth roster book, based on Strange Tales.

But, back to the point. The whole gang of cosmic guys is on show here, and they're all shown with the best artwork Marvel could rustle up for each one. If, in recent years, any character has been depicted in a painted cover or graphic novel, those pictures are used.

The detail on most characters is best described as "sufficient," reaching "decent" levels on such luminaries as Dr Doom and Galactus. Especially fun (and useful) are the box outs, such as the Doom entrys' "How to be the baddest of the bad," or the hints on playing cosmic level characters like Silver Surfer or Adam Warlock, "The Weight of Worlds." How could you not love an article that ends "What's the point of being the Silver Surfer if you're not going to whine about your past?"

The bad

Okay, the two problems I have with this book are probably personal hang-ups I have rather than problems.

Firstly, as stated in the intro to this, this is not the Fantastic Four Source book, but a roster book. You get no details here of Mr Fantastic's equipment, Four Freedoms Plaza, Pier 4, or even a halfway decent history of the FF.

For the first few items on my peeve list, you're directed to Guide to Marvel Earth. In other words, another $16 for a few pages that could have fit into this book easily, by removing, say, the pages on the brood repeated from the X-Men roster.

"But", reply WotC, "This is a roster book, not a sourcebook". Feh.

The second peeve is tied up with the last point on my previous list, and the whole attitiude of the Marvel Saga game. There's just a little too little detail on most of the guys here, and it's assumed that all players of M-SHAG will be Marvel anoraks, with enough back copies of every title ever published to fill in the gaps not covered by game stats.

"But" reply WotC, "That's a bit rich, wanting a $19 book to give you game stats and a full, coherent, run down of over 25% of the Marvel Multiverse? Anyway, I thought you bought this game because you LIKE marvel comics."

My point (and do I have one?)

As I said at the start, this is a Monster Manual, and a good looking one at that, with plenty to ease the marvel fan into using the characters from the high-octane end of the marvel universe in their games.

Will I be using it in my games? Yes, heavily. But I'll also be leaning quite a bit on the old FF supplement for the "classic" MSH...

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 3 (Average)

Fantastic Four Roster Book
Author: Richard Dakan & Jack Emmert Category: game Company/Publisher: WotC / TSR Line: Marvel Super Heroes Adventure Game Cost: $18.95 ISBN: 0-7869-1320-7 SKU: 11320 Capsule Review by Pete Darby on 11/20/99. Genre tags: Fantasy Science_fiction Modern_day Space Comedy Superhero Diceless	This is, essentially, a monster manual. It is not in any way shape or form a general sourcebook for the first family of comics. Now we've got that out of the way, we can talk... The good stuff When you're talking Fantastic Four, you're talking one step down from the prime movers of the Marvel universe; these are the guys who are on first name terms with Galactus, right? So what we have here are, in essence, not just the FF's supporting cast, but the top end of the power spectrum. Adam Warlock, the Celestials, Ego the Living Planet, Silver Surfer, etc. This seems to be a part of the de facto separation of the MArvel universe into rough power levels, ranging in order of source books from Marvel Team-Up (streets of manhattan), to X-Men (From threats to Morlocks up to Magneto), to Avengers (national / world level threats), to Fantastic Four (world to cosmic level). And, entre nous, there is evidence in the Guide to Marvel Earth for a fifth roster book, based on Strange Tales. But, back to the point. The whole gang of cosmic guys is on show here, and they're all shown with the best artwork Marvel could rustle up for each one. If, in recent years, any character has been depicted in a painted cover or graphic novel, those pictures are used. The detail on most characters is best described as "sufficient," reaching "decent" levels on such luminaries as Dr Doom and Galactus. Especially fun (and useful) are the box outs, such as the Doom entrys' "How to be the baddest of the bad," or the hints on playing cosmic level characters like Silver Surfer or Adam Warlock, "The Weight of Worlds." How could you not love an article that ends "What's the point of being the Silver Surfer if you're not going to whine about your past?" The bad Okay, the two problems I have with this book are probably personal hang-ups I have rather than problems. Firstly, as stated in the intro to this, this is not the Fantastic Four Source book, but a roster book. You get no details here of Mr Fantastic's equipment, Four Freedoms Plaza, Pier 4, or even a halfway decent history of the FF. For the first few items on my peeve list, you're directed to Guide to Marvel Earth. In other words, another $16 for a few pages that could have fit into this book easily, by removing, say, the pages on the brood repeated from the X-Men roster. "But", reply WotC, "This is a roster book, not a sourcebook". Feh. The second peeve is tied up with the last point on my previous list, and the whole attitiude of the Marvel Saga game. There's just a little too little detail on most of the guys here, and it's assumed that all players of M-SHAG will be Marvel anoraks, with enough back copies of every title ever published to fill in the gaps not covered by game stats. "But" reply WotC, "That's a bit rich, wanting a $19 book to give you game stats and a full, coherent, run down of over 25% of the Marvel Multiverse? Anyway, I thought you bought this game because you LIKE marvel comics." My point (and do I have one?) As I said at the start, this is a Monster Manual, and a good looking one at that, with plenty to ease the marvel fan into using the characters from the high-octane end of the marvel universe in their games. Will I be using it in my games? Yes, heavily. But I'll also be leaning quite a bit on the old FF supplement for the "classic" MSH... Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 3 (Average)

Fantastic Four Roster Book

The good stuff

The bad

My point (and do I have one?)