The Inside Scoop on Gaming

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Disclaimer I: I have seen in reviews that the content had "spoiler" ascribed to it. I feel that if you are reading a review, you invite that upon yourself. If you don't want "spoilers," why would you read a review of a product you do not own? I will not use the phrase of "Contains Spoilers" in my reviews, if you want a non-biased review that doesn't reveal content-look elsewhere.

Disclaimer II: The majority of this review is opinion; your actual enjoyment of this product should vary accordingly.

"... His comments and advice on the sahuagin, or the ponaturi in his language, form the text of this tome, a work that may disappoint the academics who seek to know, but not those adventurers who seek to understand..." (From the Introduction, p.2 )

WARNING SHOT:

I got paid to write this. $9.95, plus shipping, in fact. (At least it's nice to think that.)
It's English, not American, but that's not the major thing to focus on now really.
What does this "Guide" actually give the reader to add to their campaigns?

If you truly want to read a "gauging" review, check out Alan Kohler's vision on the book. It seems that he read the book forwards, so in the realm that I be somewhat a pariah of reviewing, I started, sectionally, from the end. I thought that doing so would be a test of a well constructed work, dear god, was I wrong. Doing so flags everything that is wrong with a work.

AT FIRST GLANCE

This "Guide" features the much love-hated sahuagin. As such we would hope to have our expectations of the little one-sided MM description shattered, after all there is only so much that a game designer can fit into a formulaic description block. I had hoped that it would shatter my expectations, but than that what I want from such a work that is focused on one race (which these "Guides" claim to do).

Starting in the back with all the NPC stats and village outline, I thought that these sahuagin needed more of a violent naming system, He-That-Would-Be-Called-Our-Leader-Til-His-Ass-Is-Beaten seems to be a very weak line to argue from in the naming structure of a violent race. (No, that is a made up name folks, but very close to what this book presents. I would think if you're going to write using "Indian/Werewolf" style names, you should go for the gusto--such as "Bloodtide-Rendering-In-Claws" or some such.)

It seems, in reversing the way you read this book that the writer used to many "short-cuts" to make you think that the book had more than it does. I also am not to keen on the treatment of female roles in this work, to pigeonhole a fantasy race in such a manner is limiting to the enjoyment of the book.

(In this case, females equal breeders and priestesses, and that's it. Hmm, that sounds a bit trite even for me to except. No role breaking stuff is in here for that, just very basic information that makes me think the book was written in a stock manner.

If it sounds feminist, so what. Give me character to work with, show me what would happen if these sahuagin really did have an undersea culture that a book entitled "Slayer's Guide to the Sahuagin" would hint at in the opening pages.

How does a race with such savage cruelty, explicitly talked at length in the book, have such a keen eye for art as talked about on page 9? Why would these creatures even care about gardens?

If religion is so cornerstone of their culture, why than do all these priestesses defer to the king? "Behind-the-fin" power structuring isn't cutting it here. If these creatures [I should say caricatures] were as blood-thirsty and ruthless as they seemingly are, than why are the females cut away from defining their roles in the same manner as their male counterparts?)

CONTENT VS. FORM

I hope that this "Guide" is exceptional in the treatment of the above. Other than a few points of semantics over the physiological make-up of these creatures, the description of how a sahuagin works is an okay section. It details how these beasts operate in the ocean, and why they are physically repulsed by sunlight.

Another good section, mostly, is the information about using combat tactics with the sahuagin. It covers the basics, and gives a referee some insight on how to design an assault from the depths with a cadre of these monsters.

Though I couldn't stand the "flavor text," I could see its value to younger referees and see how they could use it to add to their campaigns.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, this work was not as great as I think it could have been. Fantasy creatures should be given more than, say, 32 pages to make a difference in presenting them beyond the MM description.

The book felt shallow (okay, sue me for a pun) and rushed, the information that was useful had to stand out against poor writing. (Yes, I call it poor to use trite ways of talking about females; I also call it poor to be inconsistent throughout a lengthy work.)

PERSONALITY

I guess if you're truly fond of this series, my little review is not going to shift your opinion. I'm not trying to. I'm trying to call your attention to the failing of this one work. The personality that shines from this work seems like an oil-slick: lots of color, lots of movement, but nothing with depth, nothing with true substance, flashy and just plainly vacant in places.

I hope that Mongoose uses this book as one they point to as a marker of how low they'll go with a fast produced work. As a consumer, I wouldn't want too many of these styled products out there, nor do I want to see them on my shelf.

The Slayer's Guide to the Sahuagin
The Slayer's Guide to the Sahuagin Capsule Review by Alex deMorris on 01/07/02 Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 2 (Sparse) Slayer's Guide to the Sahuagin; what does it add to the MM description for these creatures? Not much... Product: The Slayer's Guide to the Sahuagin Author: Andrew Boswell Category: RPG Company/Publisher: Mongoose Publishing Line: Slayer's Guides Cost: 9.95 Page count: 32 Year published: 2002 ISBN: 1-903980-14-3 SKU: Comp copy?: yes Capsule Review by Alex deMorris on 01/07/02 Genre tags: Fantasy Other	Untitled Document Disclaimer I: I have seen in reviews that the content had "spoiler" ascribed to it. I feel that if you are reading a review, you invite that upon yourself. If you don't want "spoilers," why would you read a review of a product you do not own? I will not use the phrase of "Contains Spoilers" in my reviews, if you want a non-biased review that doesn't reveal content-look elsewhere. Disclaimer II: The majority of this review is opinion; your actual enjoyment of this product should vary accordingly. "... His comments and advice on the sahuagin, or the ponaturi in his language, form the text of this tome, a work that may disappoint the academics who seek to know, but not those adventurers who seek to understand..." (From the Introduction, p.2 ) WARNING SHOT: I got paid to write this. $9.95, plus shipping, in fact. (At least it's nice to think that.) It's English, not American, but that's not the major thing to focus on now really. What does this "Guide" actually give the reader to add to their campaigns? If you truly want to read a "gauging" review, check out Alan Kohler's vision on the book. It seems that he read the book forwards, so in the realm that I be somewhat a pariah of reviewing, I started, sectionally, from the end. I thought that doing so would be a test of a well constructed work, dear god, was I wrong. Doing so flags everything that is wrong with a work. AT FIRST GLANCE This "Guide" features the much love-hated sahuagin. As such we would hope to have our expectations of the little one-sided MM description shattered, after all there is only so much that a game designer can fit into a formulaic description block. I had hoped that it would shatter my expectations, but than that what I want from such a work that is focused on one race (which these "Guides" claim to do). Starting in the back with all the NPC stats and village outline, I thought that these sahuagin needed more of a violent naming system, He-That-Would-Be-Called-Our-Leader-Til-His-Ass-Is-Beaten seems to be a very weak line to argue from in the naming structure of a violent race. (No, that is a made up name folks, but very close to what this book presents. I would think if you're going to write using "Indian/Werewolf" style names, you should go for the gusto--such as "Bloodtide-Rendering-In-Claws" or some such.) It seems, in reversing the way you read this book that the writer used to many "short-cuts" to make you think that the book had more than it does. I also am not to keen on the treatment of female roles in this work, to pigeonhole a fantasy race in such a manner is limiting to the enjoyment of the book. (In this case, females equal breeders and priestesses, and that's it. Hmm, that sounds a bit trite even for me to except. No role breaking stuff is in here for that, just very basic information that makes me think the book was written in a stock manner. If it sounds feminist, so what. Give me character to work with, show me what would happen if these sahuagin really did have an undersea culture that a book entitled "Slayer's Guide to the Sahuagin" would hint at in the opening pages. How does a race with such savage cruelty, explicitly talked at length in the book, have such a keen eye for art as talked about on page 9? Why would these creatures even care about gardens? If religion is so cornerstone of their culture, why than do all these priestesses defer to the king? "Behind-the-fin" power structuring isn't cutting it here. If these creatures [I should say caricatures] were as blood-thirsty and ruthless as they seemingly are, than why are the females cut away from defining their roles in the same manner as their male counterparts?) CONTENT VS. FORM I hope that this "Guide" is exceptional in the treatment of the above. Other than a few points of semantics over the physiological make-up of these creatures, the description of how a sahuagin works is an okay section. It details how these beasts operate in the ocean, and why they are physically repulsed by sunlight. Another good section, mostly, is the information about using combat tactics with the sahuagin. It covers the basics, and gives a referee some insight on how to design an assault from the depths with a cadre of these monsters. Though I couldn't stand the "flavor text," I could see its value to younger referees and see how they could use it to add to their campaigns. CONCLUSIONS Overall, this work was not as great as I think it could have been. Fantasy creatures should be given more than, say, 32 pages to make a difference in presenting them beyond the MM description. The book felt shallow (okay, sue me for a pun) and rushed, the information that was useful had to stand out against poor writing. (Yes, I call it poor to use trite ways of talking about females; I also call it poor to be inconsistent throughout a lengthy work.) PERSONALITY I guess if you're truly fond of this series, my little review is not going to shift your opinion. I'm not trying to. I'm trying to call your attention to the failing of this one work. The personality that shines from this work seems like an oil-slick: lots of color, lots of movement, but nothing with depth, nothing with true substance, flashy and just plainly vacant in places. I hope that Mongoose uses this book as one they point to as a marker of how low they'll go with a fast produced work. As a consumer, I wouldn't want too many of these styled products out there, nor do I want to see them on my shelf.

The Slayer's Guide to the Sahuagin