The Inside Scoop on Gaming

A few years back, Wizards of the Coast published an innovative yet short-lived line of books that provided an indepth look at various monsters, called Monstrous Arcana supplements. Despite the fact that many of us are tired of having cardboard cutout enemies and becoming increasingly bored with slaying monster driven only by an insatiable appetite for adventurers, WotC chose to discard the idea.

Thankfully, Mongoose Publishing, a new d20 publishing company out of England, saw the value in just such a line. Entitled Slayers Guides, these 32-page books are designed to make the enemy more realistic and therefore more interesting. If they also happen to make them more intelligent and deadly, so much the better.............

The first offering, of a scheduled seven to be released before Christmas, is the Slayers Guide to Hobgoblins. Graced with a solid cover painting, it visually jumps to life inside due to the brilliance of Chris Quillams artwork, notably a sketch of a hobgoblin physiology including musculature and skeletal make-up. My first impression was a professional, well laid-out book.

Thankfully, the source material inside was presented just as competently, in a smooth prose that amde the book a breezy, yet interesting read. Not once did I feel like I was reading from the textbook from Anthropology 101 course. Author Matthew Sprange sets the tone wth a one page short story before ploughing into the text, in which a hapless adventuring party (your gaming group in an upcoming session after you purchase this book, perhaps...)finding themselves in over their heads against mere hobgoblins.

The initial chapter covers the biological aspects of the hobgoblin race, including it's origins, diet, lifecycle, physical characteristics and variants, and psychology. While only 4 pages in length, we learn alot. Most importantly, we begin to understand the driving force behind the hobgoblins incessant warfare with other humanoids. They are poor and disinterested farmers, yet a female might give birth twice a year, bearing 2-3 young each time. The result is a consuming population crisis which leads the warfare to either conquer land or goods, or to cull the tribe. While hobgoblins are merciless by nature, this rationale adds alot of dimension to the race.

Next, we discuss habitat. We learn that while hobgoblins are very adaptable, they have preferred climates and terrains in which to live (as do all creatures). This kind of detail, if used consistently be a dm and appreciated by a group of players, can add real dimension and a level of realism to a game world. The chapter also includes a very useful guideline to how a tribe typically subjugates a new realm, which allows a gm to set up a long term campaign centered around a hobgoblin invasion in which the characters have to stop the various machinations of their enemy.

The bulk of the book inevitably details hobgoblin society. This includes challenges to tribal authority, division of wealth, technology and industry, war. mercenary warbands, and religion. The only short change is in the dealing with religion, probably because there has been some level of detail on the matter in previous D D supplements, but this means you'll have to locate some out of print books to fill in the blanks.

Nevertheless, in general this chapter paints a detailed picture of hobgoblin life. I was struck with how seemlessly Matthew Sprange drew all the elements together; there were no glaring inconsistencies that would mar the treatment. Hobgoblins are a martial race (a fact we already established), and their society is based entirely around this notion. They view labor as beneath them, and so do not take to agriculture or industry. Attempts to force his warriors into such endeavers will only lead to unrest and challenges to his authority. Thus a chieftain must turn to war to secure the requirements of his tribe, and it is therefore in his best interest to develop an efficient war machine. In a nutshell, this is why hobgoblins are the most disciplined and militarily advanced of the goblinoid races.

This leads us to the next section, a look at the hobgoblin way of war. We see how they employ scouts, cavalry, archers, and infantry, as well as tactics employed in ambushes, raids, and open battle. No mention is made of artillery and siege equiptment, which seems like something of an oversight.

There is also a chapter that details hobgoblins as pc's (which includes naming conventions, character generation rules, roleplaying tips, and so forth); 6 adventure ideas of a paragraph each, all of which are barebones but which are usable and highlight elements discussed in the text; stats for various "classes" of hobgoblins, from youths to chieftains; 2 unique spells that adepts might cast upon tribal banners to aid their warriors in battle; and a complete hobgoblin lair.

The last is of particular interest. Graven Hill Border Fort was recently captured by the Black Drake tribe, and is used as a staging point for raids into the neighboring human lands. An excellent map/illustration of the fort has been included, as well as a complete tribal history and "order of battle", and stats for 3 important npc's. While I would have liked the characters to have been fleshed out a bit, it only slightly diminishes an very good setting. The Black Drake tribe and their new home will make an excellent addition to any game world, whether the hobgoblins are adversaries or kin, and could become the focus of an entire campaign if used correctly.

The Slayers Guide to Hobgoblins is an impressive inaugural release from a fledgling d20 publisher, with very sound production quality and very strong rpg development. At $7.99, it's good value, and there is certainly more than enough original and often inspiring ideas here to consider it a very solid investment. I came away from reading it with a new perspective on hobgoblins, my imagination sparked. In my mind, I now see hobgoblins as Scottish Border Reivers, driven to violence by a disdain for sedentary life and a craving for the excitement and glory of the raid. Any book that makes me think about the subject has done something right. If you play D D, and let's face it, who doesn't, you'll want to take a look at this book.

The Slayers Guide to Hobgoblins
The Slayers Guide to Hobgoblins Playtest Review by Andrew Hind on 21/05/01 Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 4 (Meaty) A guide to hobgoblins as enemies or pc's. The moral: Hobgoblin's are NASTY and they aren't stupid! A solid sourcebook at a great price. Product: The Slayers Guide to Hobgoblins Author: Matthew Sprange Category: RPG Company/Publisher: Mongoose Publishing Line: d20 Slayers Guides Cost: $7.99 Page count: 32 Year published: 2001 ISBN: 1-903980-00-3 SKU: MGP 0001 Comp copy?: no Playtest Review by Andrew Hind on 21/05/01 Genre tags: Fantasy	A few years back, Wizards of the Coast published an innovative yet short-lived line of books that provided an indepth look at various monsters, called Monstrous Arcana supplements. Despite the fact that many of us are tired of having cardboard cutout enemies and becoming increasingly bored with slaying monster driven only by an insatiable appetite for adventurers, WotC chose to discard the idea. Thankfully, Mongoose Publishing, a new d20 publishing company out of England, saw the value in just such a line. Entitled Slayers Guides, these 32-page books are designed to make the enemy more realistic and therefore more interesting. If they also happen to make them more intelligent and deadly, so much the better............. The first offering, of a scheduled seven to be released before Christmas, is the Slayers Guide to Hobgoblins. Graced with a solid cover painting, it visually jumps to life inside due to the brilliance of Chris Quillams artwork, notably a sketch of a hobgoblin physiology including musculature and skeletal make-up. My first impression was a professional, well laid-out book. Thankfully, the source material inside was presented just as competently, in a smooth prose that amde the book a breezy, yet interesting read. Not once did I feel like I was reading from the textbook from Anthropology 101 course. Author Matthew Sprange sets the tone wth a one page short story before ploughing into the text, in which a hapless adventuring party (your gaming group in an upcoming session after you purchase this book, perhaps...)finding themselves in over their heads against mere hobgoblins. The initial chapter covers the biological aspects of the hobgoblin race, including it's origins, diet, lifecycle, physical characteristics and variants, and psychology. While only 4 pages in length, we learn alot. Most importantly, we begin to understand the driving force behind the hobgoblins incessant warfare with other humanoids. They are poor and disinterested farmers, yet a female might give birth twice a year, bearing 2-3 young each time. The result is a consuming population crisis which leads the warfare to either conquer land or goods, or to cull the tribe. While hobgoblins are merciless by nature, this rationale adds alot of dimension to the race. Next, we discuss habitat. We learn that while hobgoblins are very adaptable, they have preferred climates and terrains in which to live (as do all creatures). This kind of detail, if used consistently be a dm and appreciated by a group of players, can add real dimension and a level of realism to a game world. The chapter also includes a very useful guideline to how a tribe typically subjugates a new realm, which allows a gm to set up a long term campaign centered around a hobgoblin invasion in which the characters have to stop the various machinations of their enemy. The bulk of the book inevitably details hobgoblin society. This includes challenges to tribal authority, division of wealth, technology and industry, war. mercenary warbands, and religion. The only short change is in the dealing with religion, probably because there has been some level of detail on the matter in previous D D supplements, but this means you'll have to locate some out of print books to fill in the blanks. Nevertheless, in general this chapter paints a detailed picture of hobgoblin life. I was struck with how seemlessly Matthew Sprange drew all the elements together; there were no glaring inconsistencies that would mar the treatment. Hobgoblins are a martial race (a fact we already established), and their society is based entirely around this notion. They view labor as beneath them, and so do not take to agriculture or industry. Attempts to force his warriors into such endeavers will only lead to unrest and challenges to his authority. Thus a chieftain must turn to war to secure the requirements of his tribe, and it is therefore in his best interest to develop an efficient war machine. In a nutshell, this is why hobgoblins are the most disciplined and militarily advanced of the goblinoid races. This leads us to the next section, a look at the hobgoblin way of war. We see how they employ scouts, cavalry, archers, and infantry, as well as tactics employed in ambushes, raids, and open battle. No mention is made of artillery and siege equiptment, which seems like something of an oversight. There is also a chapter that details hobgoblins as pc's (which includes naming conventions, character generation rules, roleplaying tips, and so forth); 6 adventure ideas of a paragraph each, all of which are barebones but which are usable and highlight elements discussed in the text; stats for various "classes" of hobgoblins, from youths to chieftains; 2 unique spells that adepts might cast upon tribal banners to aid their warriors in battle; and a complete hobgoblin lair. The last is of particular interest. Graven Hill Border Fort was recently captured by the Black Drake tribe, and is used as a staging point for raids into the neighboring human lands. An excellent map/illustration of the fort has been included, as well as a complete tribal history and "order of battle", and stats for 3 important npc's. While I would have liked the characters to have been fleshed out a bit, it only slightly diminishes an very good setting. The Black Drake tribe and their new home will make an excellent addition to any game world, whether the hobgoblins are adversaries or kin, and could become the focus of an entire campaign if used correctly. The Slayers Guide to Hobgoblins is an impressive inaugural release from a fledgling d20 publisher, with very sound production quality and very strong rpg development. At $7.99, it's good value, and there is certainly more than enough original and often inspiring ideas here to consider it a very solid investment. I came away from reading it with a new perspective on hobgoblins, my imagination sparked. In my mind, I now see hobgoblins as Scottish Border Reivers, driven to violence by a disdain for sedentary life and a craving for the excitement and glory of the raid. Any book that makes me think about the subject has done something right. If you play D D, and let's face it, who doesn't, you'll want to take a look at this book.