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On an (expensive) impulse I bought it, leaving me £25 poorer but filled with anticipation. I've now read it a few times, but not had the chance to run it yet. Between Dredd, Warcraft and standard D+D I think my playgroup has enough D20 going on at present, so Slaine will have to wait.
This, to me, is a shame: Slaine looks much more fun than any of the above.
New Races and Classes
There are only three races, five classes and six prestige classes.
I did not think this too many! In fact, I did not think it was enough!
Of the races: There are Humans, who are almost the same as PHB humans. There are Dwarves, who are more like PHB halflings than the Gimli-clones most of are used to. There are Warped Ones, which are berserkers pretty much unique to the game world.
Of the core character classes: Noble Warriors are basically fighters. Thieves are powered-up Rogues. Tribal Warriors are super-Barbarians. Witches are fighter-mages. Druds, perhaps, are the most interesting class as they have less raw power but are very knowledgeable and have a lot of social influence.
The lack of choice is compounded further when you consider that Dwarves really only make good Thieves, and Warped Ones are only really suited to being Tribal Warriors. The game basically railroads the majority of players into playing humans.
This to me was a weak point, but not a major one as it reflected the setting. I would perhaps have liked to see more core classes reflecting various Celtic professions and roles in the comic.
The Prestige classes fill out these shortcomings a little, but it still feels as if the menu of choices is rather small.
The Bard is well thought out. As a development of the Druid class it plays more heavily on the social influence angle than D+D does. The feel of the true Celtic Bard's place in society as a mystic and traveller comes through, contrasting nicely with the medieval troubador vibe of D+D.
The Battle-Smiter is a warrior-bodyguard. Most players will probably reject this class as so many of its feats are dedicated to protecting other characters. However for roleplaying and group-dynamic purposes it works quite well. As the players level up the Noble Warrior may become a leader of men and the Druid may become an influential manipulator: the Tribal Warrior will need a role that earns him Enech and bodyguarding his higher social status buddies can do just that.
The Charioteer is pretty dull. I cant really see why a player wold want to be the guy doing the driving when he could be the guy doing the smiting instead.
The Fool is there for Dwarves who don't want to be Thieves all their career. Why someone would choose to play a game of Celtic legend then choose to be a dwarvish fool is completely beyond me, but I guess there has to be something for everyone...
The Red Branch Warrior is there to make a psychotic Warped One even more psychotic. The appeal is obvious, for players who are into Slaine for the violence.
The War-Witch is the natural progression for a Witch who wants to be less mage and more fighter. She is a little too weird (or wyrd) for my liking but she is fairly characterful.
Definitely not D+D
The game designers seem to have put a lot of effort into making Slaine very different to the standard D+D experience. I'm a firm believer in the game system being taylored to the setting as much as possible, and the designers have done this brilliantly without breaking too far from the accessibility of the D20 system.
One key factor is Enech, which is a numerical stat that represents honour and reputation. This system is reminiscent of the Renown system in Werewolf: The Apocalypse. Glorious deeds are rewarded, generosity is recognised and paying bards to sing your praises is money well spent. This system is something I especially like about the game, as it forces players to think in the Slaine mindset and actively rewards appropriate behaviour and roleplaying.
Another interesting feature is that weapons are either made from iron or flint, and that iron weapons have a tendency to bend in battle! The idea of a warrior having to stamp his blade flat between opponents is amusing and the game system for this seems solid. At higher level fighter types are going to be bending their blades every time they land a hit, so will either have to start using more thicker more solid weapons, or start having to pull their strikes a little so that they don't keep breaking their swords. To me, the idea of a mighty warrior swapping his swords for great axes just because swords keep breaking is pure Slaine.
The new feats are also very characterful and lend a lot to the game. There is no "Improved Dullness" here; instead you get stuff like Salmon Leap, Craft Wicker Man, Celtic Wife Strike and Shield Growl. A lot of these are pretty brutal! Blood Eagle, for example, lets you increase the magical energy you get from a sacrifice by cutting the victim's back open and drawing his ribs out through his back, so they resemble bloody wings! The only caveat is that if you alrady have the 3.5 PHB you may find some of the "original" feats are less tuned versions of the new Feats in 3.5.
The best feature of all, however, is the Taunt system. Rather than being skill-based (which would give the edge to Dwarf Rogues) it is instead based on Base Attack Bonus and Charisma modifier. Rather than simply provoking an enemy to attack it makes them maddened: a state in which they are far more vulnerable. Not only does this mean that warriors need a high Charisma (which is a real system shock to D+Ders), it also means that players get actively rewarded for in-combat roleplaying. There are even a few sample taunts, such as "You couldn't lift the head off a horn of ale!" and "My long iron tongue is thirsty for your blood!"
Once I start running this I can see my players spending time making whole lists of taunts to put on the internet...
The Art
No review of a comic book based rpg is complete without mention of the artwork. The art is mostly lifted from the comic books. The black and white art tends to be from the earliest comics whilst the full colour pages are in the OTT almost-manga style of the last two years. Over the years Slaine has covered a wide range of artistic styles and comic imgaes from the interim years are notable by the absences. My own favourite Slain artwork is the ultrarealistic look of the mid nineties: this is poorly represented.
Overall though, this is a very pretty book, and the artwork does accurately reflect the dynamic style of play that I'm sure the developers were aiming for.
In summary...
The druids have spoken... your given geas is to purchase this book before the moon is out!
(Priced at six pigs, three chickens and two cumals at your nearest Dwarven bookshop)
