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Eisen is probably the nation of 7th Sea's Theah which most needed a sourcebook. I had no idea what to do with the country in my campaign or why anyone would want to create an Eisen PC. I still have no desire to play an Eisen PC, but I have a much better idea of how to GM adventures in and NPCs from Eisen.

The first chapter describes the history of this war-torn country and the lands of the seven Eisenfursten. Kevin Wilson does a good job of making the description interesting. He also shows the effect the land has on its inhabitants, something I do not like as much on the game mechanics level.

All Eisen PCs have a disadvantage based on where in the country they come from, and some of these are severe. For example, Sieger Heroes must take a Hubris, and only get 5 points for doing so. In return, they get one of three advantages, but the player must roll, rather than choose one. She might not break even, in terms of points gained and lost on the roll, and she will never come out ahead. The Montaigne book had a specific penalty and bonus for each noble family, but the penalties seemed less severe and more balanced to my mind. Also, one does not have to play a noble, whereas in Eisen, the bonus and penalty of an area affects everyone. This is something that bothers me as a player, rather than as a GM, for it makes the idea of playing an Eisen PC less appealing.

The description of the land is followed by the descriptions of the Iron Barons themselves, along with their advisors and a couple of other NPCs. This material is followed by new skills, backgrounds, advantages, equipment, and swordsman schools, as well as optional rules for mass combat. The mass combat rules are welcome and long overdue. I turned Josh loose on the swordsman schools, and he liked the Drexel school that taught not only the use of overly long swords, but also intimidation, allowing one to ensure one's Henchmen and Brutes are less afraid of monsters than of their own leader. Josh liked the existence of the Gelingen monster hunting school, but thought it should teach a few combat abilities other than Dirty Fighting and Exploit Weakness (Monster). He also noted that only one school out of six listed actually taught swordsmanship, something we both find regrettable, although it has occurred in previous nation books, and it is mitigated by the Academy advantage, which comes free with some of these schools and lets one pick up martial skills cheaply. I also think that the Exploit Weakness (School) knack should be learnable by those not of the school in question. It's probably more realistic, and it's certainly more in genre. But, I digress.

As in previous nation books, one can use cards as an aid in character creation. Josh noted that the possibilities for incidents in the character's past were more interesting to him than the ones in the Avalon book. However, they are also too specific. For example, gaining the Spy skill means one has spied on a woman for a one-eyed man. He turned up murdered; she vanished. I wonder how many Eisen PCs in campaigns around the world have spied for the one-eyed man. A little vagueness would have been better.

The final chapter of the Eisen book contains guidelines for players of Eisen PCs, as well as secrets about the nation and her leaders for the GM. The book is rounded out by vignettes, character templates and maps of the main city and the keep of Erich Sieger, one of the Eisenfurst, though, as usual, there is no index and no map of the country as a whole.

The art, as is usual for AEG products, is well done and fits the setting. There is no bimbo art, and both men and women in Eisen clearly have more important things to do than pose. You won't mistake a picture of an Eisen for one of an Avalonian or a Castillian. The art emphasizes the mood of the dark folk tales that are more appropriate to Eisen than tke more glorious stories about the glamorous Avalon.

In general, I don't like the way information is being doled out in sparing pieces in 7th Sea products. However, despite references to secrets that will be revealed in future nation sourcebooks, the Eisen book is very good about revealing the secrets of the country's mysteries. Readers learn the location of dracheneisen mines and of the pieces of the Imperator's armament. The latter was divided among the Eisenfursten, and if anyone wanted to attempt uniting the realm, collecting all of the pieces would be a good start. Should your intrepid PCs wish to do that, you have the tools for a fine campaign here, although some of the information should not be in the players' section.

The GM's section contains not only information about the NPCs' secrets, such as why one of the Eisenfursten is mad, but also explains the mysterious goings on in all seven parts of Eisen, including who robbed the treasury of Wische, what happened to the swordbelt that was given to the first Wische Eisenfurst, and what the truth behind the madness of Eisenfurst Hainzl is. In this, Eisen reminded me of the Dragon sourcebook of L5R, which broke with industry tradition by actually revealing the secrets it promised to reveal. We learn some, though not enough, about the suicide of the last Imperator. While I am annoyed that the rest will have to wait until the Vendel book (which I think will be the last nation book), I have to admit I am enjoying some of the cross references. We finally learn the fate of a certain statue first mentioned in the Montaigne book. There is no material on the old Eisen sorcery; that is in the Rilasciare book. However, the secrets of dracheneisen are explained, and players can have PCs who can forge weapons and armor out of it-- or destroy such items as well.

I now have a better idea of how each of the seven areas of Eisen work, although I would have liked some material on how the Eisenfursten communicate with each other. I also like the complexity of Eisen. It is not a land of black and white morality. One paradox that Josh appreciated is that, although there is no word for "surrender" in Eisen, the country's last Imperator did surrender to foreign armies. (Josh's quip: There is no word for "surrender" in Eisen, but he surrendered in Montaigne.") It is a land whose people never give up, but also a land of wandering madmen who seem to have done just that. It is also a land which reeks of poverty and the devastation of war, a land of fearsome beasts and fearsome men--in short, a land full of possibilities for adventure.

Apart, then, from my general problems with how information is being divided, Eisen works for me as a GM. As a player, however, I find that it fails for me. I still have absolutely no desire to create an Eisen PC.

This is a matter of personal taste. Indeed, I know at least one person who would have a ball playing an Eisen, although she is not one of the players in my campaign. Josh, who is one of the players, said that he could get into playing an Eisen, and pointed out one character from a series we both like. (Two words: Miles Vorkosigan.)

Nevertheless, there is a greater challenge here, and I think it no coincidence that, of the eight PCs my players created, not one was an Eisen. Eisen PCs do not strike me as having what I consider nifty stuff. Dracheneisen bores me, and it is so circumventable that I do not consider it much of an advantage, though I may change my mind if Dracheneisen-wearing NPCs prove to be tough foes. I can get enthusiastic about Castillian culture, but not Eisen culture, so it is clearly not just the magic. Again, this is a matter of taste. Josh pointed out that one cool thing an Eisen PC can have is honor. At the same time, he admitted there is no equivalent to the Avalonian druids and sidhe, or to the Montaignian puzzle swords and intrigue systems.

Eisen is still part of the game world, however, and, sooner or later, the PCs will travel there again. This time, I will have a better idea of what they will see and how their lives will become yet more complicated.

If you're GMing 7th Sea, I recommend buying Eisen. You not only get a description of the country; you also get the expanded mass battle rules. If you're a player, look through it in the store first. If it makes you want to play an Eisen, buy it, and drop me an email telling me why.

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

Eisen
Author: Kevin Wilson Category: game Company/Publisher: Alderac Entertainment Group Line: 7th Sea Cost: $19.95 Page count: 128 ISBN: 1-887953-06-X Playtest Review by Lisa Padol on 06/14/00. Genre tags: Fantasy	Eisen is probably the nation of 7th Sea's Theah which most needed a sourcebook. I had no idea what to do with the country in my campaign or why anyone would want to create an Eisen PC. I still have no desire to play an Eisen PC, but I have a much better idea of how to GM adventures in and NPCs from Eisen. The first chapter describes the history of this war-torn country and the lands of the seven Eisenfursten. Kevin Wilson does a good job of making the description interesting. He also shows the effect the land has on its inhabitants, something I do not like as much on the game mechanics level. All Eisen PCs have a disadvantage based on where in the country they come from, and some of these are severe. For example, Sieger Heroes must take a Hubris, and only get 5 points for doing so. In return, they get one of three advantages, but the player must roll, rather than choose one. She might not break even, in terms of points gained and lost on the roll, and she will never come out ahead. The Montaigne book had a specific penalty and bonus for each noble family, but the penalties seemed less severe and more balanced to my mind. Also, one does not have to play a noble, whereas in Eisen, the bonus and penalty of an area affects everyone. This is something that bothers me as a player, rather than as a GM, for it makes the idea of playing an Eisen PC less appealing. The description of the land is followed by the descriptions of the Iron Barons themselves, along with their advisors and a couple of other NPCs. This material is followed by new skills, backgrounds, advantages, equipment, and swordsman schools, as well as optional rules for mass combat. The mass combat rules are welcome and long overdue. I turned Josh loose on the swordsman schools, and he liked the Drexel school that taught not only the use of overly long swords, but also intimidation, allowing one to ensure one's Henchmen and Brutes are less afraid of monsters than of their own leader. Josh liked the existence of the Gelingen monster hunting school, but thought it should teach a few combat abilities other than Dirty Fighting and Exploit Weakness (Monster). He also noted that only one school out of six listed actually taught swordsmanship, something we both find regrettable, although it has occurred in previous nation books, and it is mitigated by the Academy advantage, which comes free with some of these schools and lets one pick up martial skills cheaply. I also think that the Exploit Weakness (School) knack should be learnable by those not of the school in question. It's probably more realistic, and it's certainly more in genre. But, I digress. As in previous nation books, one can use cards as an aid in character creation. Josh noted that the possibilities for incidents in the character's past were more interesting to him than the ones in the Avalon book. However, they are also too specific. For example, gaining the Spy skill means one has spied on a woman for a one-eyed man. He turned up murdered; she vanished. I wonder how many Eisen PCs in campaigns around the world have spied for the one-eyed man. A little vagueness would have been better. The final chapter of the Eisen book contains guidelines for players of Eisen PCs, as well as secrets about the nation and her leaders for the GM. The book is rounded out by vignettes, character templates and maps of the main city and the keep of Erich Sieger, one of the Eisenfurst, though, as usual, there is no index and no map of the country as a whole. The art, as is usual for AEG products, is well done and fits the setting. There is no bimbo art, and both men and women in Eisen clearly have more important things to do than pose. You won't mistake a picture of an Eisen for one of an Avalonian or a Castillian. The art emphasizes the mood of the dark folk tales that are more appropriate to Eisen than tke more glorious stories about the glamorous Avalon. In general, I don't like the way information is being doled out in sparing pieces in 7th Sea products. However, despite references to secrets that will be revealed in future nation sourcebooks, the Eisen book is very good about revealing the secrets of the country's mysteries. Readers learn the location of dracheneisen mines and of the pieces of the Imperator's armament. The latter was divided among the Eisenfursten, and if anyone wanted to attempt uniting the realm, collecting all of the pieces would be a good start. Should your intrepid PCs wish to do that, you have the tools for a fine campaign here, although some of the information should not be in the players' section. The GM's section contains not only information about the NPCs' secrets, such as why one of the Eisenfursten is mad, but also explains the mysterious goings on in all seven parts of Eisen, including who robbed the treasury of Wische, what happened to the swordbelt that was given to the first Wische Eisenfurst, and what the truth behind the madness of Eisenfurst Hainzl is. In this, Eisen reminded me of the Dragon sourcebook of L5R, which broke with industry tradition by actually revealing the secrets it promised to reveal. We learn some, though not enough, about the suicide of the last Imperator. While I am annoyed that the rest will have to wait until the Vendel book (which I think will be the last nation book), I have to admit I am enjoying some of the cross references. We finally learn the fate of a certain statue first mentioned in the Montaigne book. There is no material on the old Eisen sorcery; that is in the Rilasciare book. However, the secrets of dracheneisen are explained, and players can have PCs who can forge weapons and armor out of it-- or destroy such items as well. I now have a better idea of how each of the seven areas of Eisen work, although I would have liked some material on how the Eisenfursten communicate with each other. I also like the complexity of Eisen. It is not a land of black and white morality. One paradox that Josh appreciated is that, although there is no word for "surrender" in Eisen, the country's last Imperator did surrender to foreign armies. (Josh's quip: There is no word for "surrender" in Eisen, but he surrendered in Montaigne.") It is a land whose people never give up, but also a land of wandering madmen who seem to have done just that. It is also a land which reeks of poverty and the devastation of war, a land of fearsome beasts and fearsome men--in short, a land full of possibilities for adventure. Apart, then, from my general problems with how information is being divided, Eisen works for me as a GM. As a player, however, I find that it fails for me. I still have absolutely no desire to create an Eisen PC. This is a matter of personal taste. Indeed, I know at least one person who would have a ball playing an Eisen, although she is not one of the players in my campaign. Josh, who is one of the players, said that he could get into playing an Eisen, and pointed out one character from a series we both like. (Two words: Miles Vorkosigan.) Nevertheless, there is a greater challenge here, and I think it no coincidence that, of the eight PCs my players created, not one was an Eisen. Eisen PCs do not strike me as having what I consider nifty stuff. Dracheneisen bores me, and it is so circumventable that I do not consider it much of an advantage, though I may change my mind if Dracheneisen-wearing NPCs prove to be tough foes. I can get enthusiastic about Castillian culture, but not Eisen culture, so it is clearly not just the magic. Again, this is a matter of taste. Josh pointed out that one cool thing an Eisen PC can have is honor. At the same time, he admitted there is no equivalent to the Avalonian druids and sidhe, or to the Montaignian puzzle swords and intrigue systems. Eisen is still part of the game world, however, and, sooner or later, the PCs will travel there again. This time, I will have a better idea of what they will see and how their lives will become yet more complicated. If you're GMing 7th Sea, I recommend buying Eisen. You not only get a description of the country; you also get the expanded mass battle rules. If you're a player, look through it in the store first. If it makes you want to play an Eisen, buy it, and drop me an email telling me why. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 4 (Meaty)