I can't say I know the author, though I have met him and read his work before. Mr. Laws is a fellow Alarums & Excursions (see review in archive) alumnus. The first professional work of his I knew of was GURPS Fantasy 2, and since then he has been prolific, writing for other peoples games as well as developing his own (Rune, Pantheon, Feng Shui, etc). His work is easy to read, well organized and full of adventure. Though I've read way more than I've played, I guess I'm a fan all the same.
Physically the book meets and exceeds the Warhammer quality standard. The only error I could find was in a map that left two identification key letters off, but the items were self evident from their pictures and descriptions. The art was dark fantasy at its best; you could feel the dirt and smell the stench just from looking at them. The only difficulty in the format would've been using the player handouts which, although they are boxed, are worked right into the text and not easily removed or copied. Aside from the adventure, new character types, spells, creatures and magic items round out the package.
Heart of Chaos completes a campaign started by Games Workshop, and re-released by Hogshead, though it can be played separately or as a part of another campaign. The story centers on crystals with elemental powers, discovered by the PCs. In this final installment, after the crystals join into one, the players find that their purpose is diabolical and their treasures are really a curse. As anyone with Warhammer experience would guess, there is plenty of opportunity for misery, disfigurement, death and suffering as the adventurers try to undo the events that have set the end of their world into motion. This is a tall order for any group of adventurers; there is little room for error but plenty of room to add new PCs or entire new adventuring parties when others fail to make it.
Mr. Laws goes to great lengths to explain how to run the adventure, and on the differences between linear and non-linear scenarios. He does a great job of portraying the hopelessness associated with Warhammer's environment but at the end provides two of three endings with way more hope and positives than is the case in most Olde World adventures. Up until those endings, the encounters are full of bizarre and macabre beings and situations. It's difficult to believe that such a world could maintain itself but that doesn't seem to bother its inhabitants or the fans who game in it. Law and Chaos forces are given equal opportunity to go over the top and appear ridiculous and radical beyond reason.
As they struggle to complete their quest the players are distracted by, a dismal village of hopeless dreamers, and adoring chaos beastmen. Fanatical knights of the Empire and a dwarven society whose ancient purpose is to stop the crystals from being used pursue them. They are forced to become members of a disgusting cult of fanatic fatalists and to take advantage of the only really good people they come across by dashing their lives' work to bits. Add some self absorbed ghosts, a two-headed tag-along, a carnivorous zombie baby halfling and demonic minions, then you have the complete range of encounters detailed in this epic adventures final installment.
It would be unfair to give away any details of the situations in this adventure. In the end, I have to admit, I couldn't wait to read what was next and how it would all finish. Let's just say players will find their characters and their sanity tested continuously as even their potential allies work to kill them. If you like dark fantasy, if you're looking for a real challenge for your PCs, or if you're looking to kill off some annoying characters, this adventure is for you.
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