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Chapter 1 - Advance This initial chapter introduces the reader to the Guild and the Schools. The history of the Guild, from its conception through foundation and the struggle for acceptance in Théah, are covered here. Also included are the Guild's organization, dueling laws, along with the structure, bylaws, and benefits of membership. The latter part is especially useful in delineating what should and shouldn't be done in a formal duel, and some of the things expected of Guild members. Next are a few pages on what constitutes a proper Swordsman School, how one goes about getting approved by the Guild, and the duties and benefits of being sanctioning. Not much of this would be directly of use in a swashbuckling game, but if a character does decide to pursue this goal later in the game, the way to do it is provided. After this is a study of the historical dueling methods versus modern traditions in each country, and looks at the Schools of each nation. Such details can add some color by introducing a bit of background, for example a rivalry between Schools that has been going on for years and suddenly comes to the forefront in the game. Interspersed throughout this section are several sidebars that talk about various historical personages, events, and information of note. (Little bits that can be thrown in at random for versimillitude or filler, depending upon your preferences.)
Chapter 2 - Fleche The next chapter is devoted to the NPCs: the leaders of the Guild, teachers of Schools introduced in this book, and duelists of note in Théah. These people come from all parts of the continent, and players can encounter them anywhere from in the street to a fancy party to the royal courts of Théah. As is the pattern for 7th Sea books, only the public face of the character is given; his or her secrets are presented later on in the book for GM eyes only.
Chapter 3 - Riposte This part of the book contains rules for several very different aspects of the game. It begins with some additional perquisites for Guild members, adds two new Backgrounds ---Unsanctioned: You've learned a School without their permission, and now they want your hide. And Infamous Teacher: fairly self-explanatory--- along with the Teacher Civil Skill. After this is a summary of the sanctioned Schools previously published in the Player's Guide and Nation books, including the abilities gained at the different levels of Mastery. While this is a useful reference, the lack of non-sanctioned Schools ---understandable as this is--- and this section's placement in the middle of the book does detract from its utility. Nine new Swordsman Schools mentioned in Chapter 1 are now presented, each with a brief description, the Skills and Knacks and abilities they give a practitioner. The new Schools are: Andrews - the student defends while waiting for an opportunity to strike, Durchsetzungburg - a style based on accuracy and precision, Gaulle - a defensive form that uses a sword and three-bladed dagger, Kjemper - a Vesten School of longsword and shield, Lucani - an agressive style where one uses a broadsword and a fist, Robertson - an Avalon sword-and-cloak form, Snedig - uses medical knowledge to target vital areas, Swanson - a School that relies on a swordcane and sheath, and Urosifter - where the user wields twin longswords. Oddly, new Advantages come after the Schools. While there are only a few, it seems strange to place them separate from the other character-generation material. It then proceeds to Swordsman Knacks, with a few sentences on what the move looks like followed by what you roll when you perform it. The last part of this particular section contains rules for modifying Reputation based on duels, the Initiate rank and combining Schools to become a Grandmaster. (I don't know how well the Grandmaster rules work, as our 7th Sea game never had characters advanced enough to worry about them. It does seem prohibitively expensive for all but the most long-term characters.) Advice on designing your own style and how to balance the abilities it confers when compared to other Schools is next. Most of this is simple common sense, as it basically says that giving too powerful an ability or a decent one at a low Mastery level can unbalance the game. The final segment of Riposte is all about weapons: standard weapon types, options for customizing your weapon and a study of 'unique' and unusual swords akin to the Toledo or Damascus steel blades of our world. Getting one of these special weapons can be an adventure (or more) in and of itself, as there are some very potent blades in here.
Chapter 4 - Coup de Gras This final chapter has three distinct sections. The first is about using the Swordsman's Guild in your game, and provides motivations for the players (each School has a unique "flavor" that can enhance your particpation in the fight) and Gamemasters (there are many potential story hooks from being hired for a duel to petitioning the Guild for acceptance of your School). Following this is the GM section on NPCs written up in Chapter 2, with their game statistics, secrets, and agendas for player characters to help or hinder. Lastly is a selection of templates of starting characters for those who wish to be Swordsmen. (I personally feel that players should get more points at the start, but these templates do work as a base for future modification.)
The Final Analysis: On the up side, there is a lot of useful information in here. The material about the Guild fleshes out what was mentioned in the main books with regards to duels and dueling - one of the cornerstones of swashbuckling. The Schools give more choices for characters instead of the typical "I am from this country, I must use this style," and the summary of Schools given in the book saves you from carrying around extra book(s) just for the information about them. (Although, as stated above, it could be more complete.) On the down side, I was somewhat confused by the organization of the rules chapter. Splitting the material for character generation by putting the Swordsman School summaries between seemed an odd choice. A second quibble on my part was with the nonplayer characters. Certainly, these people should be (and are) Master level Swordsmen, but it seems that some of them (and one in particular) are so "better than you'll ever be" when compared to player characters that any thought of going against one of them is likely to be a slaughter than a challenge. It's almost as if the writers just kept adding more things to the character just because it sounded good. Overall, I'd recommend Swordsman's Guild. Its usefulness for any party with one or more Swordsmen (which would be most) is very high. I'd also recommend getting it in PDF format because copies of the book are hard to find and pretty expensive on eBay.
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