Avalon is the first in a well-crafted series of books for the 7th Seas role-playing game detailing the nations of the campaign world, Theah. One of the things that struck me about this book from the first few pages was the attention to detail that is present in the book.
Avalon tells a very well laid out story of one of the principle nations in Theah. The formula of the layout sets the pace for the nation books that have followed. The nations of 7th Seas are based on the principle nations of Europe during the same period in Earth history, the middle 1600's.
Avalon, not surprisingly, is based on England, with the island of Inish of course representing Ireland and the Highland Marches representing Scotland. It is broken down into a section of fiction, to introduce the reader to a bit of the world of Avalon, followed by the histories, government and societal breakdowns of the three nations that make up this island kingdom. The writers have gone to great length to incorporate the most mythical and captivating elements of English history, like a duplicate of Elizabeth I and the Knights of the Round Table in order to provide a sense of mysticism to the setting.
There is strong attention paid to potential plot hooks for adventurers. Unlike similar sourcebooks with other games, this book makes a point to note in the beginning and with each plot hook how adaptable and useful this information is to develop a campaign setting, as well as telling a great story. Having read more than my fair share of gaming sourcebooks in the past, I can attest to this being a fairly rare combination. A small section is also devoted to the Sidhe, the supernatural inhabitants of the Isles. They are the mysterious wardens of Avalon and the deus ex machina for any stumped GM.
The second chapter of the book is devoted to personalities of the Avalon Isles. This section goes into a fair amount of detail about the key figures of the land, including descriptions of where they can be most often be encountered, their known conflicts, and whatever quirky or odd behaviors they have which might stand out. These figures have additional information in the GM's section at the end of the book detailing their game statistics as well particularly important secrets that are not for players' prying eyes.
The third chapter is the obligatory rules section, without which no good sourcebook would sell. In the case of Avalon, it contains a section on "Destiny Cards". This interesting little innovation uses a Tarot card deck to determine a bit about the character's background and their fate, be it the past, present, and future. It's a nice way to provide a bit more flavor to the character especially in regards to the Isles. The fates presented all orient themselves towards something to do with Avalon or the Sidhe. There are, of course, rules for the Sidhe as well to go with their earlier description. New equipment, advantages, sword schools, magic items, and an introduction to the magic of the Isles, called Glamour.
Every nation has a magical background in this setting. It is subtle, but very pervasive. The Isles refer to it as Glamour. The Sidhe use it to mold reality, it has infused itself into the very rock of the Isles, and it manipulates and defines the lives of everyone who lives under its influence. Rules are included for new knacks using Glamour, expanding on rules in the basic Player's Guide. The magic items that are included, like most in the world of Theah are unique almost legendary items, further noting that this is not a world of 1 swords, but more one of classic fantasy. This leaves magic with more of the aura of mystery that it should have, and less of a feeling of just another chapter in the rules.
The book finishes out with rules to play Sidhe characters, with the aforementioned "secret" information and statistics for major NPC's in Avalon. A small section on monsters and their nature is also included, to further increase the scope of the campaign setting as well as to explain to the GM a bit more about how to use these monsters, again as more of a special element in a campaign. A map of the capitol of Avalon, Carleon, the 7th Seas version of Camelot, closes the book, marking notable sites referenced throughout the work.
Overall, Avalon set a tough standard for future Nations of Theah books. It is well written, thorough, a font of useful adventure ideas and new rules, and a great read.
Go to forum!
(Due to spamming, old forum discussions are no linked.)