The Inside Scoop on Gaming

With the second printing of the 7th Sea Players Guide, AEG decided they would print 7th Sea Compendium, including the changes they had made in the second printing, plus some additional aspects of the world of 7th Sea. This would be given out free to those who had the first printing of the Players or Game Master's Guide.

Its stated purpose is twofold. The compendium lists out the changes between the first printing of the Players Guide and the current system. It would allow AEG to tweak the rules without alienating the people who bought the first edition. It is also meant to serve as an introduction to the game for new players. Unfortunately, the first goal interferes with the second.

After a short introduction, the Compendium starts out with the rule changes which have occurred in the 7th Sea system, and a list of the background text which has changed between the first and second printing of the Players Guide. The rule changes are useful, and none of them change the balance of the game drastically. For owners of the second printing of the 7th Sea Players Guide, it is useful to determine which is the official rule; when the Players Guide fails to change wound penalty rules throughout the book, you can check the Compendium and see what the rule was supposed to be changed to.

It then enters into a brief discussion of Theah and a quick history covering the highs and lows of nations struggling with each other, the Crescent Empire and the Vaticine Church. It describes the current level of scientific and technical knowledge in Theah. There is a small section on Pirates and the two secret societies which were (presumably) not in the first printing of the Players Guide. They finish with a section on the Inquisition.

This is the portion of the Compendium which might be used to introduce new players to the world of 7th Sea. Unfortunately, most of what is included in this section is included because it is a change from what is in the first printing, rather than what is the most intriguing part of the setting. For instance, Sophia's Daughters is included as a Secret Society, while The Knightly Order of the Rose and Cross is not. Thus, it gives a slightly skewed view of what Theah is like compared to other sources.

Having given an overview of the 7th Sea world, the Compendium then presents its most anticipated feature, it gives rules for building ships. The rules explain how to obtain ships with starting Hero points, and how to build them with cash. This includes pages on "Mods" and "Flaws", special advantages or disadvantages built into a ship to spice them up.

Then, in what is easily the longest section of the Compendium, there is a section on the Syrneth. It starts out with some fiction, where the Explorer Society publishes letters explaining their progress searching for artifacts from the past and learning what they can from them. It then enters a GM section where it explains who the Syrneth really are, what distinctions you should make between the different kinds of Syrneth and what sort of artifact they each specialize in. It includes a list of a few artifacts form each type of Symeth and tables for generating random artifacts of each type.

I must confess that when I saw the artifact generator tables, I thought "Gamma World, only with less details!" On closer examination, I would say that this is not quite correct. If following the guidelines given, artifacts are rare, almost all have some serious negative consequence to their use, and are much more difficult to understand and use properly.

Finally, the Compendium ends with a glossary of sailor terms and with a set of tables and charts. The charts include most of what you need for character creation, as well as including one Laerdon Runes table. Which Knacks go with which Skills is not given however, so don't think that you can use this by itself to build a character.

In summary, if you want to get the new rules changes for 7th Sea, or if you want the rules for building ships, or more info on the Syrenth and their artifacts, this book is well worth the time that you will need to track it down and get a copy. If you are looking for a collection of the most important rules, or a way to introduce your players to the world of 7th Sea, this is not what you are looking for.

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

7th Sea Compendium
Author: Jennifer Wick, John Wick, Ken Wilson, and Rob Vaux Category: game Company/Publisher: Alderac Entertainment Games Line: 7th Sea Cost: Free! (sort of) Page count: 64 pages Capsule Review by Dwight Marsh on 06/15/00. Genre tags: Fantasy Conspiracy	With the second printing of the 7th Sea Players Guide, AEG decided they would print 7th Sea Compendium, including the changes they had made in the second printing, plus some additional aspects of the world of 7th Sea. This would be given out free to those who had the first printing of the Players or Game Master's Guide. Its stated purpose is twofold. The compendium lists out the changes between the first printing of the Players Guide and the current system. It would allow AEG to tweak the rules without alienating the people who bought the first edition. It is also meant to serve as an introduction to the game for new players. Unfortunately, the first goal interferes with the second. After a short introduction, the Compendium starts out with the rule changes which have occurred in the 7th Sea system, and a list of the background text which has changed between the first and second printing of the Players Guide. The rule changes are useful, and none of them change the balance of the game drastically. For owners of the second printing of the 7th Sea Players Guide, it is useful to determine which is the official rule; when the Players Guide fails to change wound penalty rules throughout the book, you can check the Compendium and see what the rule was supposed to be changed to. It then enters into a brief discussion of Theah and a quick history covering the highs and lows of nations struggling with each other, the Crescent Empire and the Vaticine Church. It describes the current level of scientific and technical knowledge in Theah. There is a small section on Pirates and the two secret societies which were (presumably) not in the first printing of the Players Guide. They finish with a section on the Inquisition. This is the portion of the Compendium which might be used to introduce new players to the world of 7th Sea. Unfortunately, most of what is included in this section is included because it is a change from what is in the first printing, rather than what is the most intriguing part of the setting. For instance, Sophia's Daughters is included as a Secret Society, while The Knightly Order of the Rose and Cross is not. Thus, it gives a slightly skewed view of what Theah is like compared to other sources. Having given an overview of the 7th Sea world, the Compendium then presents its most anticipated feature, it gives rules for building ships. The rules explain how to obtain ships with starting Hero points, and how to build them with cash. This includes pages on "Mods" and "Flaws", special advantages or disadvantages built into a ship to spice them up. Then, in what is easily the longest section of the Compendium, there is a section on the Syrneth. It starts out with some fiction, where the Explorer Society publishes letters explaining their progress searching for artifacts from the past and learning what they can from them. It then enters a GM section where it explains who the Syrneth really are, what distinctions you should make between the different kinds of Syrneth and what sort of artifact they each specialize in. It includes a list of a few artifacts form each type of Symeth and tables for generating random artifacts of each type. I must confess that when I saw the artifact generator tables, I thought "Gamma World, only with less details!" On closer examination, I would say that this is not quite correct. If following the guidelines given, artifacts are rare, almost all have some serious negative consequence to their use, and are much more difficult to understand and use properly. Finally, the Compendium ends with a glossary of sailor terms and with a set of tables and charts. The charts include most of what you need for character creation, as well as including one Laerdon Runes table. Which Knacks go with which Skills is not given however, so don't think that you can use this by itself to build a character. In summary, if you want to get the new rules changes for 7th Sea, or if you want the rules for building ships, or more info on the Syrenth and their artifacts, this book is well worth the time that you will need to track it down and get a copy. If you are looking for a collection of the most important rules, or a way to introduce your players to the world of 7th Sea, this is not what you are looking for. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 3 (Average)