Parlainth: The Forgotten City
Campaign Set
Earthdawn
FASA
Corporation
Boxed Set - [sterling]16.99
FASA have moved into boxed sets in a big way now, with Parlainth being the
second set for the Earthdawn game. The box contains a 148 page softback book, a
poster map, a bunch of page size handouts, and some cards for new monsters and
magical treasures. To deal with the confetti: the map looks cool but has a low
usability factor, and the handouts are produced to a very unimaginative format
(you can buy them from a 'lore store'), comprising some scrawled maps and
various tales and legends. If you know the Earthdawn game then the cards are
the usual stuff. Okayish, but a little disappointing really.
The book is actually two books in one, and for the life of me I can't see why
they weren't done in two separate volumes. Well, actually, I can; FASA were
being cheapskates with this (sorry guys, but this is the truth of it). Book one
gives the history of the ruined Theran empire city of Parlainth, a chunky
section on the town of Haven that has grown up (relatively) nearby an is
designed as a base for adventures setting off for the ruins and a big bunch of
adventure scripts for the ruins. This is toped off with details on the magic
items and critters on the cards. Haven is the key location, of course, and this
is well rendered with particularly good stuff on the NPCs who live there and
their interrelations. The text allows the GM to set up Haven as a base easily,
but the more you read about it carefully the more interest value and depth
you'll get out of it. Good stuff, you don't have to learn very much about the
Theran empire here, but then you'll have to wait for the forthcoming
Vivane/Skypoint box on that count.
Book two details the ruins themselves. The overall storylines are in book one;
this book gives the locations. The city is chopped up into above and below
ground sectors, each with some distinguishing characteristic or theme, one
sector per chapter, though it doesn't come across as being as contrived as this
description might suggest. Traps, encounters, creatures and treasures are
detailed and are always well thought out, logical and well written. Sometimes
they are ingenious; the obvious things (Undead) are here, but with a really
nice twist which, - no, let the players find that out for themselves. Good
variety of themes and encounters. The opposition is fairly tough, and I would
personally not let first circle characters play here; rewards for adventurers
are correspondingly good. The GM can scale the level of the opposition up and
down to suit different strengths of adventuring parties without much
difficulty, however. Overall, Parlainth reminds me strongly of the best of the
old TSR dungeon/ruin settings; indeed Parlainth is, really, a big old fashioned
dungeon, and a pretty good one too, I hasten to add.
Parlainth is altogether superior to its predecessor, Barsaive. Whereas the
early box was turgid waffle, Parlainth is logical, detailed and has a high ease
of use factor (save for the map). If this makes it sound dry and boring, it
isn't. The adventure themes that can be overlaid from book one into the
settings of book two allow plenty of scope for GM development, while also
having plenty of detail and description and interest value.
Overall: The quality of writing here is high and the setting is well rendered.
For Earthdawn characters wanting a dungeon bash, this is where to go (and,
despite all the hype about role playing, for good or ill dungeon adventures are
still easily the best selling RPG supplements).
The artwork is, as always with FASA, superior (the box cover is lovely, best
taken in close up). A quality piece of work. Problems? The map, and the Scrooge
inspired one book format. Finally, however, the price tag is really not
justifiable. By comparison, Shadowrun sourcebooks which run to 20-30 pages
longer cost about [sterling]12.00, and the handouts and maps don't make up for
the extra cost. Mind you, with West End shovelling out boxes pushing thirty
quid(!) maybe this is the kind of inflation we have to expect, especially with
a game still establishing itself, but the value for money is poor compared with
many other FASA products. Parlainth is definitely a superior piece of work, but
if you want to get into Earthdawn you won't find it cheap. [yen]
Review by Carl Sargent
Product supplied by FASA Corporation
