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Glimpse of the Abyss

Glimpse of the Abyss: Enemies and Allies from the Underworld and Beyond is a 96-page softback. It is regrettably the last supplement planned for the fine Feng Shui game line by Atlas Games.

Style

Glimpse of the Abyss has good production values (color cover, B&W interior) with good editing and layout. They adhere to the "ass kicking cool" writing style of the Feng Shui line well. The one issue, and it's a big one when dealing with a monster book, is a lack of art. I would say that it's expected to have an illustration per monster in any monster book. In Abyss, the vast majority do not - the new character templates do, but other than that there's only a couple art pieces. The book has a strong index - they sprinkle new crunch throughout the book, so they have a summarized guide to them, which is thoughtful.

Substance

This book is a great addition to the Feng Shui line. I've always been a sucker for the "fight weird supernatural things" in my HK/anime type action. I've been known to repurpose critters from White Wolf's Kindred of the East to that end. Heck, I even considered buying a Sailor Moon monster book to use (I got better).

The book contains 43 monster entries. Most have both an unnamed "mook" stat writeup and an elite "named character" writeup, and some monsters come in multiple varieties. There are also three new templates that are usable as PCs or named GMCs.

New Templates

• The Elemental, an elemental spirit in human form. They come in the 5 Taoist elemental varieties: fire, water, metal, wood, and earth.
• The Demon Martial Artist, which is exactly what it sounds like. This archtype mixes martial arts with creature powers.
• The Thumper, a "hip-hop street warrior" from the future with a sound system cyborged into their body.

The monsters are an interesting mix - traditional ones like hungry ghosts, foo dogs, and vampires; weird alternate future ones like the holo-monkeys or floating heads with built in guns; and several more plot hook than monster. A number of the monsters are more subtle than you might expect; demons like lots of subterfuge and deception.

The book starts by declaring its three main goals, or "dead birds" (as in birds killed with one stone). It hits two out of three of them. The first goal is to provide a bunch of enemies for use in Feng Shui. It totally does that. The second goal is that most entries have some new "crunch" - schticks, powers, equipment, etc - to use in your game. It totally does that. The third goal is that Glimpse of the Abyss is supposed to be a guidebook to the Underworld, by example. It misses that mark by a good bit.

Here's the problem, or it may not be a problem depending on your needs. A very large percentage of the monsters herein are not from the Underworld!

This probably bears some explanation for those not deep into the Feng Shui cosmology. Feng Shui uses the conceit of four different time periods, or "junctures", brought together so that you can mix and match kung fu dudes, ninjas, maverick cops, and cyborgs all in one game. The junctures are 69 AD, 1850 AD, present day, and and a dystopian 2056 run by - commies that use a mix of technology and magic, is the best way to put it. These junctures are connected by the Netherworld, an odd "plane" that joins them, full of weird stuff and refugees from critical time shifts. The Underworld is different - it's Hell. Or "the Hells". The Chinese version, with multiple hells. If you've watched the classic HK-tribute movie Big Trouble in Little China, and heard them go on about the "hell of being cut to pieces" and the "hell of upside down sinners" you get the idea. If you haven't seen it, you should, and if you like it you will like Feng Shui. (If you don't like it, you're retarded. Is that harsh? Sorry. But it's true.)

Anyway, so after that detour - a large percentage of the monsters in the book are from 2056, some from the Netherworld, some native to the "real world" (like vampires) - and only some from the Underworld.

You may care, or not. If you are looking for monsters to use in all different circumstances, you're golden. If you're expecting a strong focus on the Underworld, you're not - I only mention this because they come out and claim it as one of their three goals for the book.

This is mitigated somewhat by the end of the book, a nine-page adventure scenario in which the PCs go to the Underworld. This at least contains a quick rundown of the Underworld basics - Yama Kings, 18 chambers divided into 10 courts (e.g. the Lake of Blood and Terrible Bee Torture). The scenario itself ends weakly, though, with the PCs falling into the hands of the Yama Kings, with only 'suggested' paths out but TPK likely. What is this, Call of Cthulhu?

Summary

Glimpse of the Abyss is a great, usable monster book for Feng Shui, which needed a monster book. The only drawbacks are the lack of art and the misalignment with their stated goal of focus on the Underworld. It's a strong buy for any Feng Shui player!