The Canting Crew is a hard-bound, 180-page guidebook to the criminal underclass. The bulk of the information contained in this work is aimed to be generic while simultaneously detailing (in moderately broad strokes) a sort of criminal conspiracy known as "The Canting Crew". That is to say "The Canting Crew" conspiracy matches the sum-total of the generalizations and specifics that describe the criminal underclass in this work, and as such, practically each line of text serves both ends. In addition to general information, 18 pages of this work (Book III) are d20 specific (including 6 new classes and 14 new spells), and another 16 pages (Book IV) are for the Lejendary Adventure RPG (13 new orders and a new ability).
Book I details "The Canting Crew" and their influence on society. Specifically, it details the Crew's role in various aspects of the city of Ludnum. However, much as "The Canting Crew" is archetypical of criminal organizations, Ludnum is an archetypical fantasy city (at least with regards to pseudo-medieval Europe-style settings). Thus the reader is equipped with a fairly detailed city without sacrificing generality. The details of Ludnum chiefly include architecture, political divisions, policing, arms laws, commerce, and interactions with "The Canting Crew". A breakdown of the four Brotherhoods of "The Canting Crew" along with their respective descriptions are also included in Book I, as well as an afterward on magic.
Book II is perhaps the most remarkable part of this product as it provides in-depth detail of the slang, or "cant" adopted by the criminal underclass. Special attention is given to the names of/for food & drink, money & gems, weapons & armor, and aspects of "The Canting Crew" organization itself. A complete English-to-Cant Dictionary is included, as well as a Cant-to-English dictionary, and is then rounded off with categorized selections of "Conversational Canting" (which makes learning the cant much easier for the reader). Finally, Book II is supplemented with a listing of fully illustrated hand-signs/body language as well as 5 pages of pictograms.
The new d20 classes presented in Book III are: Bravo/Henchman, Changeling, Counterfeit, Pacer (City Ranger), Trademaster, and Vanguard. The Bravo/Henchman is an elite yet shady combat-oriented class that combines some of the strengths of Fighters, Rogues, and Monks. Theirs is a near-endless repertoire of means with which to subdue their enemies via force. The Changeling may perhaps prove to be one of the more popular character classes among players who enjoy the role of sneaky, underhanded sorts. As the name of the class implies, Changelings use Alteration magic to enhance to enhance their thieving abilities--particularly disguise.
The Counterfeiter class deals in more than just forged documents and funny money. Reproduction of various objects--both magical and mundane, are within their capabilities, but also they are able to move into or out of practically any social strata by creating false identities. Pacers (or City Rangers) are street-wise incarnate. They are masters of urban lore as well as rough and rugged warriors with a touch of magic to round out their abilities. Trademasters are knowledgeable in trade, geography, and trade-goods ranging from food to slaves. They are warriors, leaders, and diplomats as well as raiders and smugglers steeped in wilderness travel both on land and sea. Vanguards are the ultimate in spies, infultrators, scouts, and movement coordinators. Their magic-augmented detection abilities allow them to lend support on thieving missions.
Without going into details, the new spells for The Canting Crew are: Daemon Eyes (Sor/Wiz 0), Echoing Footsteps (Sor/Wiz 0), Age Object (Sor/Wiz 1), Crooked Vision (Sor/Wiz 1), Phantom Portal (Sor/Wiz 1), Duplicate (Sor/Wiz 1), Vision Distortion (Sor/Wiz 1), Spindly Urchin (Sor/Wiz 2), Telling Footprints (Sor/Wiz 2), Transparent Barrier (Sor/Wiz 2), Runes of Holding (Sor/Wiz 3), Veil of Deception (Sor/Wiz 3), Web Trap (Sor/Wiz 3), and Mist of Nazaar (Sor/Wiz 4). Book III is rounded out with a set of guidelines for determining class and level of various Canting Crew NPCs.
Offered up in Book IV are 13 new orders for the Lejendary Adventure game: Alchemist, Assassin, Beggar, Bravo, Friar, Guard, Holy Warrior, Inquisitor, Mariner (Pirate), Merchant, Scholar, Scout, and Warrior-Monk. Some of these may be familiar to subscribers of Lejends Magazine. The very names of most of these new orders are very telling as to their roles in society and so need to further description in this review. A new ability, Swashbuckling, is included in Book IV, and is featured in the new Bravo order.
The product is rounded out by four apendixes: Appendix A is a list of guilds and orders that are commonly found in and around cities. While no descriptions are given, over 80 such organizations are listed in the single page of this appendix. This, then, can serve as a checklist for a GM designing a city. Appendix B consists of a 3-page list of possible names for Inns and Taverns. Well over 300 names are listed--more than enough for a GM on the spot to pluck out a new name for each Tavern. Appendix C is a relatively short supply list consisting of categories of items such as Alchemy, Animals, Containers, Medicine, Special Items, Special Services, and a miscellaneous heading. Appendix D, Crimes and Punishments, is perhaps most useful of all given the total lack of such a treatment in all save a few RPG products on the market. Four pages are dedicated to this topic, albeit with a somewhat large font size.
Overall, the fonts are fairly consistent and not overly sized as a few individuals have claimed. There are a few instances of inconsistent font usage in Book IV, and an occasional case of plain type that looked like it ought to be bold. A combination of larger-font label-type words with smaller-font descriptions can be a tad hard on the eyes in some places, and there is one instance of text running right into a picture, but all told, the remaining 97% of the pages are actually a pleasure to behold. The artwork overall is par for the course with "slightly better" being more frequent than "slightly worse", but in all cases very befitting the overall style of the text.
A glossy fold out poster/map is included and easily removed. One side presents a bird's eye view of Ludnum while the reverse side is an extraordinarily detailed overview of Ludnum (by this, I mean detailed enough to differentiate each building from those adjacent to it). Although a tad pixelated in a few places, the overall image is very sharp indeed.
Perhaps the most difficult aspect to accept about this product is the price tag. Initially it would seem that price per page is rather high, but given it is a hard-cover book with a fold-out map, this reviewer considers the price to be at the high-end of moderate, but the content makes the product very much worthwhile. The information provided appears to have been well researched and the cant very authentic--a similar treatment in an academic text would certainly cost at least as much.
As a final note, a small taste of cant:
I stam flash.
-I speak cant.
Bother the fanger a mo while I shoole in the back.
-Distract the guardsman for a minute while I duck in the back.
Drag the rattler and speak with the provender.
-Follow the coach and rob the passengers.
I need to plant from the catch-club.
-I need to hide from the law.
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