The Inside Scoop on Gaming

note: the review originally appeared on the Games Unplugged website

The first supplement from Living Room Games for FASA’s abandoned game Earthdawn is an adventure that is bundled with a CD-ROM containing the basic rulebook in html format and a character generator. I was originally skeptical about their decision to publish an adventure before making a version of the basic book available to the public, but then I realized just how perfect this format is for people just getting into the game. Not only do you get a quality adventure for your money, but you also get the rules and computer utilities, all for less than the basic volume of almost any other game.

The adventure itself is reasonably simple, it’s not a particularly ambitious plotline. The characters are hired to find and rescue a missing aristocrat who, it turns out, was betrayed from within. What makes the adventure so good, however, is the detailed characters and motivations behind driving that story as well as the attention devoted to GM advice and suggestions. The adventure is broken down into a string of scenes, each of which could be easily run in an evening, and all of them have extensive character write-ups and notes on how to emphasis the mood and tone of that scene. More attention is devoted to the detail of one little scene than a lot of other published adventures get for their entire length. Everyone from thugs to central cultists are given depth and motivations, allowing an enterprising GM to easily extend this simple romp through the mysterious city of Parlainth into an intricate and involved short campaign.

The only problems with the book are layout and production issues. There is, unfortunately, a surprising amount of white space, and while the art and writing quality belie a smaller press production, the simple layout and the blocks of empty space detract from its overall quality. Additionally, the stock of paper used seems a bit below standard, and a group of pages in the middle of the book seem to have been printed and bound differently from the rest of the book, making appear even rougher. The CD-ROM contains the rulebook in html format, but unfortunately the digital format was not taken advantage of, and despite the extensively referenced table of contents, it is a somewhat unwieldy document to use, not lending itself to browsing like a physical volume.

Living Room Games has showed itself more than capable of handling the Earthdawn license with skill and talent. They constructed a superb manuscript and wedded it with an impressive array of artwork to produce one of the most solid and reliable published adventures I have read. With it’s simple plot and copious amount of advice it is easy to run for those new to the hobby. That same simple plots and advice combined with the detail of the characters allows for those more familiar with role playing to customize and modify the adventure with ease. If Living Room Games can maintain this level of quality in their future releases, then Earthdawn will definitely return as one of the best fantasy role playing games available today.

Path of Deception
Path of Deception Capsule Review by Derek Guder on 19/04/01 Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 4 (Meaty) The first supplement for the resurrected game line Earthdawn, the adventure also comes packaged with the entire basic rulebook on CD-ROM. Despite a few printing errors, Path of Deception is an excellent book, providing an interesting story with concrete and useful GM advice – ideal for those new to the game. Product: Path of Deception Author: Joe Chan, Damon Earley, Gary McBride, Bert Sanders and Mike Williams Category: RPG Company/Publisher: Living Room Games Line: Earthdawn Cost: $14.00 Page count: 113 pages and a CD-ROM with the complete Earthdawn rulebook on it. Year published: 2000 ISBN: 1-55560-450-1 SKU: LRGED - 100 Capsule Review by Derek Guder on 19/04/01 Genre tags: Fantasy Horror Conspiracy	note: the review originally appeared on the Games Unplugged website The first supplement from Living Room Games for FASA’s abandoned game Earthdawn is an adventure that is bundled with a CD-ROM containing the basic rulebook in html format and a character generator. I was originally skeptical about their decision to publish an adventure before making a version of the basic book available to the public, but then I realized just how perfect this format is for people just getting into the game. Not only do you get a quality adventure for your money, but you also get the rules and computer utilities, all for less than the basic volume of almost any other game. The adventure itself is reasonably simple, it’s not a particularly ambitious plotline. The characters are hired to find and rescue a missing aristocrat who, it turns out, was betrayed from within. What makes the adventure so good, however, is the detailed characters and motivations behind driving that story as well as the attention devoted to GM advice and suggestions. The adventure is broken down into a string of scenes, each of which could be easily run in an evening, and all of them have extensive character write-ups and notes on how to emphasis the mood and tone of that scene. More attention is devoted to the detail of one little scene than a lot of other published adventures get for their entire length. Everyone from thugs to central cultists are given depth and motivations, allowing an enterprising GM to easily extend this simple romp through the mysterious city of Parlainth into an intricate and involved short campaign. The only problems with the book are layout and production issues. There is, unfortunately, a surprising amount of white space, and while the art and writing quality belie a smaller press production, the simple layout and the blocks of empty space detract from its overall quality. Additionally, the stock of paper used seems a bit below standard, and a group of pages in the middle of the book seem to have been printed and bound differently from the rest of the book, making appear even rougher. The CD-ROM contains the rulebook in html format, but unfortunately the digital format was not taken advantage of, and despite the extensively referenced table of contents, it is a somewhat unwieldy document to use, not lending itself to browsing like a physical volume. Living Room Games has showed itself more than capable of handling the Earthdawn license with skill and talent. They constructed a superb manuscript and wedded it with an impressive array of artwork to produce one of the most solid and reliable published adventures I have read. With it’s simple plot and copious amount of advice it is easy to run for those new to the hobby. That same simple plots and advice combined with the detail of the characters allows for those more familiar with role playing to customize and modify the adventure with ease. If Living Room Games can maintain this level of quality in their future releases, then Earthdawn will definitely return as one of the best fantasy role playing games available today.

Path of Deception