Well, I managed to download this supplement even before the announcement went up on E. N. World that Steam & Steel was available. This is not a playtest review, but that status will change later today.
At first and cursory examination it looks good. Easy to read, with quality illustrations. The cover, though simple, is direct and to the point, though lacking any illustration beyond a large metallic gear. Each of the chapters is bookmarked. And the fonts are well chosen, both for the flavor of the material and for legibility. There are one or two odd text flows around illustrations, but these are not serious enough to cause a problem while reading this book.
Taking a deeper look I am impressed with the number of options available, and in fact several variations not covered in detail by the main text are instead highlighted in boxes and side bars.
Notes as to the likely reaction of some of the more common races of fantasy gaming is also placed in boxes rather than in the main text. Though I am intending to use this product in a game without most of these creatures I found their conclusions to be within the bounds of reason.
A sample setting is given a brief glimpse, as is a technological deity. A list of styles and descriptions on how to implement those styles is also a boon, covering steampunk to epic worlds torn by massive armies and huge thundering machines. A very brief mention of the Victorian period is also in this section, mostly advising that the reader take advantage of the vast amounts of information available on this period. To a person using this book as a source of ideas for a new campaign this section might prove a useful springboard.
And then to the meat. A new craft skill (steamworks) is added and most tasks involving the technology are accomplished with this skill. Several feats are also provided, as are a number of prestige classes. running the gamut from users of the new technology to the creators of these wondrous contraptions. And a good selection of new spells to compliment or combat steam creations adds some teeth to the spellcasters in a world darkened by coal smoke. The book draws no conclusion on how spellcasters react to the new technologies, instead settling on covering several of the possibilities and letting the D.M. choose for himself. This is the stance that the author takes throughout this book, letting the reader make his choices, and leaving room for new material of the D.M.’s own creation.
There are enough options to allow a D.M. to flavor his game as he sees fit, picking and choosing from a wide variety of alternatives, Don't want the good guys to have the technology? How about limiting the fuel choices to necromantic engines. Want the tech to be in the hands of arcane spellcasters? There are a number of choices to allow just that. Want technology and magic to go together poorly if at all? The rules can cover it. I would say that most people will not use every feat, spell, or device in the book, so there is unlikely to be a cookie cutter steampunk world as a result of this book. Is every base covered? No, as a matter of fact I added several new vehicle options within minutes of sitting down to read it.
As for the contraptions themselves several modes of powering the engines are given, running from conventional coal burners coal to magic to the consumption of souls. And a variety of materials and their effects upon an engine or device constructed from them helps add flavor and variation to the machines. Sample machines follow, from golem like constructs to vehicles, and from armor and weapons to prosthetics. Tools and equipment also get a fair treatment, including the printing press, . Unlike the other rules that I have seen for steam tech in D20 there are rules for maintenance, These are accompanied by the rules for what happens when things go *SPROING!* Equipment is accompanied by the price and the number of ranks needed in Craft (steamworks) to manufacture it.
The crunch begins with the choices of engine. Enough choices are given that I doubt that many people will use every option. Coal burning, alchemical, arcane, energy trapping (including solar), divine, and necromantic sources are covered. Some of the more exotic choices are crystal powered, elemental, and human sacrifice. (Great choice if only the bad guys in your campaign have access to the technology.) Even blood may be used as a power source; some are powered by dragon’s blood, while others are simply vampiric. This is likely to be the place where a D.M. will begin shaping the mood of his game.
The chapters on steamwork equipment cover useful tools, gadgets, and gear, with a few alchemical mixtures and poisons thrown in for the spice. This is likely the section that I will be looking over the hardest, not every piece of equipment fits every setting. Some are just a little too over the top for my tastes, but other (possibly even most) people will like the wide selection.
Weapons follow, again with a wider choice than I am likely to use, but with the number of weapons to choose from this is not a problem. And again, my choices may well be more stringent than most. And several augmentations, both mundane and magical, are given for anyone who feels the need to upgrade the tools of the warrior’s trade. Black powder weapons are described, and again the author added sidebars containing variant rules for added lethality or for breach loading weapons. Alchemical weapons also exist, including the flamethrower. (This last has its own malfunction table, you don’t want to be holding a flame thrower when it goes *POP!*)
Armor is next, and I expect that this will be the section that my players will turn to first. Several basic choices of armor are given, starting with light armor, and ending with super-heavy armor. This is followed by augmentations and improvements. Armored plates, integral weapons and shields, and sealed environments for those who fancy a deep water dive are included in this section.
Buildings and large equipment is explained in the next chapter, as is equipment designed to be used with them. Factories, mining equipment, dockyard cranes, printing presses and security measures are described. A good solid section that is likely to prove more useful to the D.M. than to his players.
And like its counterpart cyberpunk - steampunk is accompanied by prosthetics. The marvels in this section are a mix of the aesthetic, the useful, and on to the brutal. A glance is given as to why, in a world with healing magic, prosthetics might be needed. This is perhaps the least convincing area of the book, and requires twiddling with the availability of healing magics. However not using the devices would be a darned shame, the rationale may be problematic, but the flavor is right on. Since I use a critical=hit location system it will be easy enough to integrate into my game. (Essentially when a PC gets a critical he may opt to forgo the extra damage, instead trying to disable a location. Alternately if a critical deals enough damage to kill a character instantly then the character may opt to lose a limb instead.)
The book has two chapters on the ‘Beasts of Steel’. The first deals with constructs while the second covers vehicles. The constructs are pretty generic and can be entered into most games without any problem. Flavor can be added by the selection of power source. I would have welcomed a list of augmentations for these creatures, and if I can find both the time and the inspiration I may add a few, most likely treated in a fashion similar to templates, with a CR modifier for the enhancements.
While I may have desired upgrades for the creatures in the first Beasts of Steel section the very first thing in the second section is exactly that, they start the chapter on vehicles with some of the more common augmentations. The vehicles cover a great deal of ground (and fly over the ground, and even dig under the ground...), zeppelins, ‘copters, submersibles, ships, tunnelers, and steam trains are well covered, with a sample for each general vehicle. And for those who wonder - getting struck by a steam train hurts! The train automatically attempts a bullrush, though if it fails the engine is derailed. However few rules are given otherwise for vehicular combat and manslaughter. I am adding a few rules to cover this, and I will review the chase rules in Spycraft to see what I can scavenge from them. To keep things simple I will be treating vehicles as exotic weapons in the event that the PCs decide to ram another vehicle or run down a creature. (If someone wants to get Exotic Weapon (steam wagon) they can do so, but they had better explain it!)
All in all I am quite pleased with this product, and will be enjoy using it this coming Saturday. I am sitting down and choosing the options I want for this campaign immediately upon finishing this review. I intend to take shameless advantage of the ability to copy and paste to create a small ‘player’s cheatsheet’ outlining the choices I have made from the material. The number of choices given is truly impressive.
The presentation is good, the content is excellent, as is the value for money. I am giving Steam & Steel a strong 5 out of 5
