The Inside Scoop on Gaming

7th Sea Compendium

Alderac Entertainment Group

by Jennifer Wick, John Wick, Kevin Wilson, and Rob Vaux

64 pages perfect bound

Free for anyone who owns a first printing of either the 7th Sea Player's Guide or the Game Master's Guide

Second (and third and fourth...) editions are an integral part of the RPG industry, and 7th Sea is no exception. The first edition has enough problems that, less than a year later, everyone knows a second edition is on the way, though the authors explain that it's more a second printing than a second edition. We've heard that story before, but AEG has added a wonderful new twist: Owners of the first printing of 7th Sea will not have to buy the game all over again. Instead, they can pick up a copy of the Compendium, which has the new material for both the Player's and the GM's Guide. And how much does this 64 page volume cost? Nothing. It's free.

You read that correctly. The 7th Sea Compendium is absolutely free of charge to anyone owning either or both of the core rulebooks.

Has any other company ever done such a cool thing? I would really like to know. Years ago, Stellar Games was kind enough to send me photocopies of the charts which made the differences between first and second edition NightLife clear, but this was an isolated incident in response to a written request. AEG is doing the organized, unsolicited version. I have long believed that loyal RPG customers should get free upgrades, but I never thought I would see a big company do it on such a massive scale. And a print volume too! Recognition that not everyone has easy internet access and that a bound volume is plain easier to carry around! Will wonders never cease?

All right, but what do you get for-- for free, remember? A product that irons out some, though not all, of the problems I had with first edition 7th Sea and that collects material printed elsewhere. I have mixed feelings about this. The lack of player information on Sophia's Daughters enriched my campaign, while the reprinting of much of the Explorer's Society material that appeared in the GM Screen Pack and Arrow of Heaven makes those products less worth the asking price. But on the whole, I think reprinting the material is a good thing, and I wouldn't be surprised to see a revised GM Screen Pack one of these days.

Some material is simultaneously indispensable and annoying. The timeline falls into this category. It should have been in the first printing, and I'm glad to see it now. However, I still find the amazing parallels with Earth history too cutesy. On the other hand, it is nice to see some attempt at justifying the more bizarre twists of Thean history.

And, of course, there are rule changes and clarifications. I don't like all of these. I think sorcerers are weak enough without the rule saying players of sorcerer PCs can't spend any extra points on sorcery during character creation. It is still not possible to learn a language after the start of play, since languages are Advantages, and Advantages still cannot be purchased with experience points. And I, for one, would rather lose two dice when wounded than not have any non-Drama dice be able to explode.

But there are several improvements. Finally, there are rules for joining swordsman schools after the start of play, and swordsmen get a couple of extra knacks to balance out the high cost of attending a school. It is now possible to buy up to three knacks without having to take the entire skill package. Several knacks and arcana are better defined, as is the repartee system.

The material for all gamers is in the first part of the Compendium, and players are restricted only by their honor from looking at the material for GMs only. I can live with this. Two separate books would mean high printing costs, I suspect, not to mention more page-flipping for hapless GMs. I trust my players, and I like having all of the changes in one place.

If you never liked 7th Sea, the Compendium won't change your mind. It is still the same game. However, if you like the game, but wish some of its problems were solved, check out the Compendium. And remember: It's free to anyone who owns a first printing of either of the core rulebooks. For that alone, AEG deserves praise.

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

7th Sea Compendium
Author: Jennifer Wick, John Wick, Kevin Wilson, and Rob Vaux Category: game Company/Publisher: Alderac Entertainment Games Line: 7th Sea Cost: FREE to anyone with a first printing of either the 7th Sea Players' Guide or the 7th Sea GM's Guide Page count: 64 pages, perfect bound Capsule Review by Lisa Padol on 05/10/00. Genre tags: Fantasy Historical Horror Conspiracy	7th Sea Compendium Alderac Entertainment Group by Jennifer Wick, John Wick, Kevin Wilson, and Rob Vaux 64 pages perfect bound Free for anyone who owns a first printing of either the 7th Sea Player's Guide or the Game Master's Guide Second (and third and fourth...) editions are an integral part of the RPG industry, and 7th Sea is no exception. The first edition has enough problems that, less than a year later, everyone knows a second edition is on the way, though the authors explain that it's more a second printing than a second edition. We've heard that story before, but AEG has added a wonderful new twist: Owners of the first printing of 7th Sea will not have to buy the game all over again. Instead, they can pick up a copy of the Compendium, which has the new material for both the Player's and the GM's Guide. And how much does this 64 page volume cost? Nothing. It's free. You read that correctly. The 7th Sea Compendium is absolutely free of charge to anyone owning either or both of the core rulebooks. Has any other company ever done such a cool thing? I would really like to know. Years ago, Stellar Games was kind enough to send me photocopies of the charts which made the differences between first and second edition NightLife clear, but this was an isolated incident in response to a written request. AEG is doing the organized, unsolicited version. I have long believed that loyal RPG customers should get free upgrades, but I never thought I would see a big company do it on such a massive scale. And a print volume too! Recognition that not everyone has easy internet access and that a bound volume is plain easier to carry around! Will wonders never cease? All right, but what do you get for-- for free, remember? A product that irons out some, though not all, of the problems I had with first edition 7th Sea and that collects material printed elsewhere. I have mixed feelings about this. The lack of player information on Sophia's Daughters enriched my campaign, while the reprinting of much of the Explorer's Society material that appeared in the GM Screen Pack and Arrow of Heaven makes those products less worth the asking price. But on the whole, I think reprinting the material is a good thing, and I wouldn't be surprised to see a revised GM Screen Pack one of these days. Some material is simultaneously indispensable and annoying. The timeline falls into this category. It should have been in the first printing, and I'm glad to see it now. However, I still find the amazing parallels with Earth history too cutesy. On the other hand, it is nice to see some attempt at justifying the more bizarre twists of Thean history. And, of course, there are rule changes and clarifications. I don't like all of these. I think sorcerers are weak enough without the rule saying players of sorcerer PCs can't spend any extra points on sorcery during character creation. It is still not possible to learn a language after the start of play, since languages are Advantages, and Advantages still cannot be purchased with experience points. And I, for one, would rather lose two dice when wounded than not have any non-Drama dice be able to explode. But there are several improvements. Finally, there are rules for joining swordsman schools after the start of play, and swordsmen get a couple of extra knacks to balance out the high cost of attending a school. It is now possible to buy up to three knacks without having to take the entire skill package. Several knacks and arcana are better defined, as is the repartee system. The material for all gamers is in the first part of the Compendium, and players are restricted only by their honor from looking at the material for GMs only. I can live with this. Two separate books would mean high printing costs, I suspect, not to mention more page-flipping for hapless GMs. I trust my players, and I like having all of the changes in one place. If you never liked 7th Sea, the Compendium won't change your mind. It is still the same game. However, if you like the game, but wish some of its problems were solved, check out the Compendium. And remember: It's free to anyone who owns a first printing of either of the core rulebooks. For that alone, AEG deserves praise. Style: 5 (Excellent!) Substance: 3 (Average)