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The Book of Regency is The Prince of the Dungeons and Dragons game, with the possible exception of Machievelli's essay on ruling a principality.

The Book of Regency translates the Prince effectively into the Gameworld of Birthright. It isn't a work on political idealism, it is infact, a manual for the player of a Regent on how politics work in Cerilia.

I was surprised that while I was comtemplating a Book of Intrigue for Birthright, lo and behold I found this book on the Wizards Website. I immediately downloaded it and printed it out in hopes of using it for a Birthright game. I wasn't disappointed in the Wizards of the Coast beating me to working out a Book of intrigue. Why reinvent the wheel?

Okay, so what does the Book of Regency have in it?

New rules, but mostly good advice. In the beginning of the book, the writer breaks down how government works for each culture and/or race found in Cerilia. For example, the Anuireans like feudalism while the enemy Elves like a more powerful Monarchy.

The book also takes the trouble as to reorganize how Birthright's blood abilities are rolled for. The new system is clean and reorganized by Deity and what they would Bestow. Instead of the confusing system of determining your Blood abilities in the Rulebook, all you have to do is determine blood strength and your derivation, and use the tables in the BoR to determine your blood abilities.

Amazingly, it also encourages the player to act out their bloodlines. Something good Roleplayers of birthright already do. For instance, a Wizard regent with the Blood of Anduiras would show forth much courage or use an Army to supplement his powerful Magic. On the other side of the Coin, a fighter regent with the blood of Rournil would recognize the power of wizards and would try to implement them in his strategies.

Also, the book gives a discourse on the Awnsheghlien (awn-SHEY-lin), how you can become one, and how the Blood of Azrai, the former God of Pride, affects it. With the blood of Azrai running in your player regent, he has a greater disposition to do evil than most. But don't fret, only scions of Azrai can become Awnsheghlien. Also, it talks about the opposite of the Awnshegh, the Ershegh, and how a character might become one.

Going on, you find a better description of how the Domain actions work, and how the player can better use them in ruling his realm. All of the Domain Actions in the main rulebook is discussed, including some found in the Books of Magecraft and Priestcraft respectively, both for Birthright. Also included are new Domain Actions that the player regent can make for his realm.

One new domain is the Progress action. This will allow your regent to make a little progress: by developing new social, technological, and economical advances. The action also includes an example of how one does uses the Progress action.

Going further, we enter the arena of Kingdom alignment, and how the Ruler's personal ethical and moral beliefs, along with his profession, affects the governing of the kingdom. Now D&D is famous for alignment, and the Alignment system really only works on the Kingdom government level. All nine alignments from Lawful Good to Chaotic Evil are discussed. The Book of Regency then says that the hardest government for a player regent to manage is a Lawful Good kingdom (remember The Prince?) and the easiest is a Lawful Evil kingdom.

This is because the BoR goes into how a particular regent governs a particular nation based on his alignment: a Lawful Good nation is hard to govern because the Ruler thinks of the Greater Good and uses Law and Order to bring Justice and Mercy to all, while the Lawful Evil regent manages his realm according to what he thinks best for his people, and naturally thinks that his self interests are what's best.

After a discourse on Kingdom alignment, a Regent's profession comes into play. The book goes into the strengths and weaknesses of each: for instance the Wizard regent is weak politically (he gains no regency from Law holdings) but he can become a powerful ruler in his own right through his use of magic. On the other hand, a Priest regent does gain some regency from her temple holdings, but when she mixes religion with the affairs of the State, she can become VERY SCARY.

From there, we enter the anatomy of the Law Holding, and how each level of Law is rated. For instance, a level 0 law means that the regent is starting a presence of his law in the region, while a Level 6 Law means that there is an extensive bureaucracy in the holding.

However, the most valuable part of the book is the Advice you get from guest NPC regents ranging from Lord Gavin Tael of Ghore to Marlae Roesone of Roesone. Each gives the player advice on how to manage his or her realm.

Then the writer goes into the strengths and weaknesses of each of their ruling styles. For instance, Gavin Tael of Ghore likes to use strength and ridgid law, which would be his downfall. Again, remember The Prince?

The next to final section introduces you to three new kits. The Warrior King, the Merchant Prince, and one other that I have forgotten at the moment. Of the three, the Merchant Prince seems a lot more fun to play. The last section is mostly for DMs, though.

How can I use this Book of Regency in my non-Birthright Campaign?

to be honest, I don't know. But, if you are a Birthright player and/or fan, I highly recommend this book to you. However, if you are running a different game and a different campaign, and you can't find The Prince on the web (unlikely that you won't find it), the Book of Regency does provide some points on being a low and dirty ruler, or a ruler who is forced to do what he/she has to do to maintain peace and prosperity in his/her realm.

Oh, and the Book of Regency can be found on http://www.wizards.com/dnd/. Just follow the link that celebrates Birthright's 5th Anniversary.

Style: 3 (Average)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

The Book of Regency
Author: Ed Stark and Carrie Bebris Category: game Company/Publisher: Wizards of the Coast Line: Dungeons and Dragons Cost: IT'S FREE! Page count: 172 ISBN: Web Product SKU: Web Product Capsule Review by Elton Robb on 05/04/00. Genre tags: Fantasy Historical Conspiracy	The Book of Regency is The Prince of the Dungeons and Dragons game, with the possible exception of Machievelli's essay on ruling a principality. The Book of Regency translates the Prince effectively into the Gameworld of Birthright. It isn't a work on political idealism, it is infact, a manual for the player of a Regent on how politics work in Cerilia. I was surprised that while I was comtemplating a Book of Intrigue for Birthright, lo and behold I found this book on the Wizards Website. I immediately downloaded it and printed it out in hopes of using it for a Birthright game. I wasn't disappointed in the Wizards of the Coast beating me to working out a Book of intrigue. Why reinvent the wheel? Okay, so what does the Book of Regency have in it? New rules, but mostly good advice. In the beginning of the book, the writer breaks down how government works for each culture and/or race found in Cerilia. For example, the Anuireans like feudalism while the enemy Elves like a more powerful Monarchy. The book also takes the trouble as to reorganize how Birthright's blood abilities are rolled for. The new system is clean and reorganized by Deity and what they would Bestow. Instead of the confusing system of determining your Blood abilities in the Rulebook, all you have to do is determine blood strength and your derivation, and use the tables in the BoR to determine your blood abilities. Amazingly, it also encourages the player to act out their bloodlines. Something good Roleplayers of birthright already do. For instance, a Wizard regent with the Blood of Anduiras would show forth much courage or use an Army to supplement his powerful Magic. On the other side of the Coin, a fighter regent with the blood of Rournil would recognize the power of wizards and would try to implement them in his strategies. Also, the book gives a discourse on the Awnsheghlien (awn-SHEY-lin), how you can become one, and how the Blood of Azrai, the former God of Pride, affects it. With the blood of Azrai running in your player regent, he has a greater disposition to do evil than most. But don't fret, only scions of Azrai can become Awnsheghlien. Also, it talks about the opposite of the Awnshegh, the Ershegh, and how a character might become one. Going on, you find a better description of how the Domain actions work, and how the player can better use them in ruling his realm. All of the Domain Actions in the main rulebook is discussed, including some found in the Books of Magecraft and Priestcraft respectively, both for Birthright. Also included are new Domain Actions that the player regent can make for his realm. One new domain is the Progress action. This will allow your regent to make a little progress: by developing new social, technological, and economical advances. The action also includes an example of how one does uses the Progress action. Going further, we enter the arena of Kingdom alignment, and how the Ruler's personal ethical and moral beliefs, along with his profession, affects the governing of the kingdom. Now D&D is famous for alignment, and the Alignment system really only works on the Kingdom government level. All nine alignments from Lawful Good to Chaotic Evil are discussed. The Book of Regency then says that the hardest government for a player regent to manage is a Lawful Good kingdom (remember The Prince?) and the easiest is a Lawful Evil kingdom. This is because the BoR goes into how a particular regent governs a particular nation based on his alignment: a Lawful Good nation is hard to govern because the Ruler thinks of the Greater Good and uses Law and Order to bring Justice and Mercy to all, while the Lawful Evil regent manages his realm according to what he thinks best for his people, and naturally thinks that his self interests are what's best. After a discourse on Kingdom alignment, a Regent's profession comes into play. The book goes into the strengths and weaknesses of each: for instance the Wizard regent is weak politically (he gains no regency from Law holdings) but he can become a powerful ruler in his own right through his use of magic. On the other hand, a Priest regent does gain some regency from her temple holdings, but when she mixes religion with the affairs of the State, she can become VERY SCARY. From there, we enter the anatomy of the Law Holding, and how each level of Law is rated. For instance, a level 0 law means that the regent is starting a presence of his law in the region, while a Level 6 Law means that there is an extensive bureaucracy in the holding. However, the most valuable part of the book is the Advice you get from guest NPC regents ranging from Lord Gavin Tael of Ghore to Marlae Roesone of Roesone. Each gives the player advice on how to manage his or her realm. Then the writer goes into the strengths and weaknesses of each of their ruling styles. For instance, Gavin Tael of Ghore likes to use strength and ridgid law, which would be his downfall. Again, remember The Prince? The next to final section introduces you to three new kits. The Warrior King, the Merchant Prince, and one other that I have forgotten at the moment. Of the three, the Merchant Prince seems a lot more fun to play. The last section is mostly for DMs, though. How can I use this Book of Regency in my non-Birthright Campaign? to be honest, I don't know. But, if you are a Birthright player and/or fan, I highly recommend this book to you. However, if you are running a different game and a different campaign, and you can't find The Prince on the web (unlikely that you won't find it), the Book of Regency does provide some points on being a low and dirty ruler, or a ruler who is forced to do what he/she has to do to maintain peace and prosperity in his/her realm. Oh, and the Book of Regency can be found on http://www.wizards.com/dnd/. Just follow the link that celebrates Birthright's 5th Anniversary. Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)