The Scarred Lands are the D20 setting published by Sword and Sorcery Studios (a subsidiary of White Wolf). While previously, S&S products were generic D&D supplements, with Scarred Lands references, this one was designed to be completely-campaign specific.
Chapter 1: History of the Scarred Lands (2 pages)
This chapter is a general overview of the central conceit of the campaign, namely a war between the titans and their children the gods. In the end, the gods triumphed and the titans were banished (or dismembered, imprisoned, etc.). Mortal races were divided between those who followed the gods (the divine races) and those who followed the titans (so-called titanspawn). Generally, pc races are considered divine races (except for ½ orcs), but some humans did support the titans, etc. It’s worth noting that this war took place only a 150 years ago, so it’s possible some of the players’ characters would have been alive to see it.
The tone is epic and mythical, but what is printed here is a repeat of what is available on the Sword and Sorcery web page and other books.
Rating: 3
Chapter 2:History of Ghelspad (3 pages)
This chapter covers the last 150 years AV (After Victory). The various nations of the world struggled against the surviving titanspawn as well as serious climatic and ecological challenges.
Of course, not all is well. Cannibalistic druids and sorcerous serpent men seek to restore the titans to supremacy. More dangerous, one human nation, Calistia, seeks to forge a great empire and is busy conquering its neighbors.
Two problems mar this section. One is a lack of information about what occurred before and during the great Divine War. Second, a timeline would have been useful.
Rating: 2.5
Chapter 3: Nations and City States (15 pages)
This chapter covers the approximately 30 nations and city-states that dot the continent. Nations tend to be on the edges of the continent, as the interior is simply too dangerous for large-scale settlements. Some nations are bland, others quite interesting. For example, there are two rival cities of necromancers, separated by only 150 miles. The city of Mithril (the city of Paladins), has a giant Mithril golem protecting the city,
Information is given on religion, chief cities, rulers, allies and enemies. Something I find frustrating, the population breakdown is given by percentage, but not by total numbers. It’s fine to know that 4% of the population is dwarven, but how many is that (500, 1000?). It’s even more frustrating not to know the population of cities as it makes them hard to compare.
Also frustrating is the lack of information on trade. What does each nation produce? Who are their major trading partners, etc. Politics is well covered though, as nations attempt to avoid being assimilated by Calistia.
Rating: 2.5
Chapter 4: Topography of Gelspad (9 pages)
This chapter is one of the best, as it describes the various geographical regions of Ghelspad. You really get the feel for the ecological damage done during the divine war. Some areas really jump out and beg to be explored by characters (such as the Canyon of Souls). Another highpoint is the Wall of Bones, a100 mile long wall, of well, bones.
The one problem with the area is a general lack of climatic information – how hot does it get, how cold, etc.
Rating: 4
Chapter 5: Organizations (7 pages)
The mandatory lists of secret and not so secret societies. Ghelspad has its fair share, none being completely silly. Rival wizard factions, the obligatory assassin’s guild, mercenary armies, merchant houses, goody-goody ranger factions, etc. Some are more interesting than others, such as the Courtesans – a network of political women who function in a highly patriarchal society, and the Horsemen of Vangal, an ambivalent lot of undead horseman who ride about raising hell.
Surprisingly, the Penumbral Lords mentioned in the Rituals and Relics book are not here.
Rating: 3
Chapter 6: Cosmos and Cosmology (7 pages)
This chapter describes the gods, titans, calendar, moons, and details about the plains. There are 8 major gods and 1 titan who defected that cover the alignment spectrum. (The alignments are not provided, but it’s pretty easy to figure out). Although fairly generic in terms of their domains, the gods come alive with description of their fights against the titans. The gods feel very similar to the Greek deities, and a DM with some background there could provide all sorts of interesting stories based on the meddling gods.
Religion plays a big role in the campaign, and clerics will be central to any party (not the least of which is the large quantities of undead roaming about). Remember, the gods physically walked the lands only 150 years ago.
Information on the titans is abbreviated over what is on the web page. However, it is still good stuff, filled with their grim defeat. It’s important to realize that the titans are not automatically evil (most would likely be chaotic neutral), nor the gods good. (In fact, the lawful good Corean, god of Paladins, was allied with the chaotic evil Vangal, god of destruction). The stories of some of the titans are particularly tragic.
Information on the planes is standard D&D fare, with a few minor, but interesting exceptions (for instance, the genie races were considered progeny of the titans. Access to such places as the City of Brass is impossible, as it has been sealed off by the gods).
Rating 3.5
Artwork:
The artwork is a mixed bunch. The map of Ghelspad itself is beautiful – rich and full of colours. The paper stock is a little flimsy, so be careful. Fortunately, a black and white copy is printed inside the book, so you don’t have to bring the fold-out with you. Inexplicitly, the map scale is printed on the full map, but not on the smaller b&w map. Also, not all the cities mentioned in the Gazetteer appear on the map (particularly, some nation’s capitals).
The art on the inside is pretty forgettable, b&w drawings. However, they are relatively few in number.
The book has a surprisingly sturdy soft-cover, with the emblems of the nations and city-states printed on the inside (much like the old Greyhawk gazetteer).
Rating: 3.5
Conclusion:
I really wanted to like this product. After looking at the solid Creatures Compedium and the excellent Rituals and Relics book, I decided to place my campaign in the Scarred Lands, despite there being very limited information about the world. I eagerly awaited the campaign book to come out. Yet, like waiting for the Phantom Menace (though not camping outside my gaming store), in the end I did like it, but was still disappointed. The final result wasn’t bad, but it certainly didn’t live up to what I was hoping for.
First of all, the book was written in the first person, something I find annoying. I would prefer a more neutral, third person tone. That being said, the first-person voice is rarely intruisive or distracting. It also allows the gazetteer to be read by players and not just DMs. There is little spoiler information (and NO metaplot) to be had. Any learned scolar of Ghelspad would know as much.
Second of all, there just wasn’t enough information in the book to do the setting justice. For some, this could be a good thing. I didn’t want an overdeveloped world like the Forgotten Realms, and I wanted the ability to customize things. Still, more could have been done. You can’t compare this book with the new Forgotten Realms hardcover, but you can compare it to the Greyhawk gazetteers (old and new). While, it lacks the polish and the content of Greyhawk, it provides, I think, something new and interesting:
Third, the editing in the book is sloppy and appears rushed. The worst problem is when things do not appear on the map. (In their defense, the fans have been virtually begging for this book to come out).
I should mention that the book stands (almost) completely independent of Sword and Sorcery’s Creatures Compendium or the Rituals and Relics book, although personally, I think you would want them to flesh out the campaign world more.
The good news about the product is the price. At only $8.95 US, I’m pretty sure it’s the cheapest campaign setting out there. While flawed, I still like this book. If you want to use the setting, it’s pretty much indispensable. There’s enough in here to provide the seeds for adventures, but the DM still has a lot of work to do on his or her own. Hopefully, future products in the line will fill in the gaps. If you aren’t using the setting, then I don’t see much of interest for you.
Style: 3
Substance: 3.5
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