The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Shattered Coast is a 128-page sourcebook for the Hell on Earth setting. It covers the area of the Great Maze, circa 2094. The Posse section is a collection of various Librarian interviews concerning the Maze. There is a good bit more posse and background info in here than was included in Iron Oasis. While there is a brief section on the Librarians here, the real dirt on them is in No Man's Land, as those not initiated into the order know very little about it. Next is a large section on Lynchburg, the only surviving city in the Maze. The town is well-fleshed out and well-thought out. However, the map of Lynchburg appears to have been cut off somewhat... The rest of the posse information covers all the major locals in the Maze: Turtle Isle, Movie Town, Purgatory, and Lost Angels (yes, people live there). Also included is information on the major pirate groups operating, natural hazards, and unnatural hazards (eg, abominations). Overall, the Maze is well-fleshed out, an! d much more a viable campaign base.

Moving on to No Man's Land, we find all the player's dirt on the Librarians and rules for ship-to-ship combat. The Librarians' section, though short, contains all a player would need to know. It also contains one of my beefs with the book. Arcane powers for Librarians? Arcane Background: Librarian? The powers are Templar-level in terms of power, but I really think that the atmosphere was hurt by including them. They really do seem a bit silly, especially Bibliopathy, which allows your Librarian to channel and gain the skills of literary characters. Yeah, I know, Marshal's caveat, and they won't go in my game, but still! The water combat rules use the same basic system as the land and air combat. Thankfully, PEG has chosen to not reprint the movement system a third time. There are statistics included for the most common watercraft of the Maze.

Spoilers for the Marshal's section past here. Players, git- you'll ruin the fun.

Marshal's section contains the lowdown on the major players of the Maze. The full deal on the Croakers is here, as well as the stats for the monsters and natural dangers mentioned in the Posse section. It turns out the posse section misleads the players a bit more than normal. A good deal of the things the players "learned" in their section are misleading or plain red herrings. As a Marshal, I like this. It adds depth to the local through their own local legends and myths, plus keeps the players on their toes. Oh, yes: the Librarians do indeed have a secret agenda, but it's not what you think... And, yes, there's an index, by god!

Overall, I was extremely please with this book. I hope that PEG continues to put out sourcebooks of this caliber. Thomas Mayfield

Shattered Coast
Item type: game Review by: Thomas Mayfield Product Name: Shattered Coast Author: John Hopler Company/Publisher: Pinnacle Entertainment Group, Inc. Line: Hell on Earth SKU: 6016 Cost: $20.00 Page count: 128 ISBN: 1-889546-83-6 Ratings: Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 5 (Excellent!) Review type: Capsule Review Genre tags: Horror,Post-apocalypse	Shattered Coast is a 128-page sourcebook for the Hell on Earth setting. It covers the area of the Great Maze, circa 2094. The Posse section is a collection of various Librarian interviews concerning the Maze. There is a good bit more posse and background info in here than was included in Iron Oasis. While there is a brief section on the Librarians here, the real dirt on them is in No Man's Land, as those not initiated into the order know very little about it. Next is a large section on Lynchburg, the only surviving city in the Maze. The town is well-fleshed out and well-thought out. However, the map of Lynchburg appears to have been cut off somewhat... The rest of the posse information covers all the major locals in the Maze: Turtle Isle, Movie Town, Purgatory, and Lost Angels (yes, people live there). Also included is information on the major pirate groups operating, natural hazards, and unnatural hazards (eg, abominations). Overall, the Maze is well-fleshed out, an! d much more a viable campaign base. Moving on to No Man's Land, we find all the player's dirt on the Librarians and rules for ship-to-ship combat. The Librarians' section, though short, contains all a player would need to know. It also contains one of my beefs with the book. Arcane powers for Librarians? Arcane Background: Librarian? The powers are Templar-level in terms of power, but I really think that the atmosphere was hurt by including them. They really do seem a bit silly, especially Bibliopathy, which allows your Librarian to channel and gain the skills of literary characters. Yeah, I know, Marshal's caveat, and they won't go in my game, but still! The water combat rules use the same basic system as the land and air combat. Thankfully, PEG has chosen to not reprint the movement system a third time. There are statistics included for the most common watercraft of the Maze. Spoilers for the Marshal's section past here. Players, git- you'll ruin the fun. Marshal's section contains the lowdown on the major players of the Maze. The full deal on the Croakers is here, as well as the stats for the monsters and natural dangers mentioned in the Posse section. It turns out the posse section misleads the players a bit more than normal. A good deal of the things the players "learned" in their section are misleading or plain red herrings. As a Marshal, I like this. It adds depth to the local through their own local legends and myths, plus keeps the players on their toes. Oh, yes: the Librarians do indeed have a secret agenda, but it's not what you think... And, yes, there's an index, by god! Overall, I was extremely please with this book. I hope that PEG continues to put out sourcebooks of this caliber. Thomas Mayfield