I must say, the concept encapsulated by this book is not new, in that it is a compilation of settings that are ready-to-use by any GM scrabbling for something new to feed their hungry players, or readily adaptable by another, better prepared GM. However, they do pull the job off rather well, tying (almost) everything to the central theme of dark locations in urban environs. Indeed, some of these scenes are meaty enough that they can be readily expanded from a light lunch into a several course feast. That this is the first in an intended series of five leaves me happily looking forward to the rest of the books.
Briefly: this d20-fantasy book describes 19 locations, that provide a diverse array of challenges for players of all stripes. Befitting the title, the settings range from slightly shady to outright gruesome, without a Good Fairy in sight. Rule use is solid, artwork is strong, text is clear, page layout is simple with a fairly clean format. The frequent inclusion of often well-detailed NPC motivations is a welcome addition.
Substance:
Admittedly, this is the first of these I’ve actually bought, rather than just perused, but I will happily use some of these locations in my own game. As there are 13 authors for the 19 locations, there are some notable differences in style and completion between them. There are 17 significant locations, and two miniature ‘Foul Encounters’. Of the 17, each includes a brief description to set the scene and its history, a map with key (though some maps aren’t numbered to match the key), in-depth NPC listings, and most of the settings offer adventure hooks to get the PC’s involved, and often bits to keep the PC’s coming back, whether to the same site or to the same NPC’s. The two mini-settings are essentially one-trick ponies, in that once the PC’s recognize the threat, they either deal with it or avoid it.
Now, looking at these for use in my homebrew, I can readily see myself using 4 or 5 without modification, and another 5 to 7 with some work. That’s a great start for a product like this. The rest of them either just don’t fit my world or work in elements that I’m not including in my game. The settings sometimes come with a fair bit of back-story, and obviously have been pulled from the contributor’s own world, yet these are presented broadly enough that the situation and the motivations will work even if I alter significant elements of the story.
The settings are categorized by what sort of activities they encompass (i.e. entertainment, teaching, residence), in what part of town they might be found (poor, wealthy, middle-class, etc.), and what Encounter Level they are suitable for. The placement information is useful for quick reference, and although most of the encounters can be scaled one way or the other, most of these are designed for fairly well powered characters (there’s a significant weighting towards levels 9-12). A broader range of encounter levels offered off the bat would extend the utility of this book for GM’s who are going to use it on the fly.
I do have one gripe with the substance, in that 4 settings use vampires as the NPC or threat. Yes, I recognize that vampires and dense cities go together like the stereotypical fat cop and donut shops, but with the variety of other templates that are out there (half-fiends and half-dragons, to name but two), a fifth of the book devoted to vampires comes across as a little unimaginative. In comparison, the very mature-themed scenario (Forgotten Pains) utilizing a half-dragon NPC is quite refreshing and imaginative. An extension gripe: by rules definition, vampires are Chaotic Evil; so why do two of them have long-term plans that would make the most lawful of devils proud? A half-fiend would do just as well, or even better, and fit more neatly into the back-story.
A strength of the book (in the eyes of this GM who tends to like a 50-50 balance between roll- and role-playing) is that not all of the settings require combat, or even hard words. Some of these are merely a place for a character to pick up an item that is far from ordinary, to learn strange secrets, or to let the GM send their players off on a wild goose-chase. That each of these can be configured to end in bloody confrontation is also a strength, as it shows the flexibility and imagination of the designers, and gives me, as a GM, a lot more room to work with. Also, having played in a number of fantasy systems, I can easily see that several of these settings being taken as whole cloth and plunked into a non-d20 system (some settings are almost perfect for WFRP, for example) with some work to convert the stats and spells. That I can use this book straight up or with a twist is an added bonus I don’t often see.
Rule use is clean and solid. The NPC’s are all wholly plausible (alright, I didn’t add up all the skill points to check) and balanced for their EL rating, and monsters are by the book. The material that is Open Game Content is also clean, I don’t see any glaring flaws or imbalances. Some of the trap mechanics and spell interpretations I find a little suspect, but not in a glaring way.
Visual Style:
The artwork is mostly solid throughout, starting with one of the best ‘Look Tough’ covers I’ve seen in some time. Depicting two experienced-looking characters against a sun setting over a crowded warren, it sets the mood very well, with the peripheral details adding to the sensation of an older and densely populated city. Lovely work.
Additionally, each setting (save the two tiny ones) has their NPC's and combat threats illustrated, and some have further ‘background’ illustrations, as well. I found I prefer the pen-and-ink artists inside, over the painters, as the starker black and white drawings maintain the mood more effectively.
The layout is simple two-column, though illustrations and the occasional ‘sidebar’ can break this up if they are too wide. Sometimes, though, these inserts cause a weird break in the format, leaving a sentence break in an awkward place, so that you spend a moment or two looking for the next line. Minor problem, all in all, but it might irk some. Following the current trend, the outside edge of each page has a ‘textured’ border, in this case what looks to be weathered wood planking.
A text gripe I have is that a few of the pieces are exceedingly rough—a spell check and a grammar check would clean some up nicely, while one or two lack bits and pieces (Skill ranks without skills listed) that are annoying, especially when compared to the other pieces.
On the whole, I’m glad I bought this book, and look forward to throwing several of its settings at my players. I hope this review (yes, my first) has made some folks decide to get it, I think it's certainly worth the cash (especially at less than a buck per setting!).
Thanks for reading,
Brian
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