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Cultures of Khaora is a compact 7"x10" perfect bound softcover book that details the more than 68 cultures of Khaora (the main continent on the world of Khaas) and brings the previously PDF-only Arduin Eternal master index into print. Additionally, there is also included an index for Cultures of Khaora and a small selection of profession-specific character sheets, which will aid in quick character generation.
Note that Cultures of Khaora is not currently available for purchase as a standalone product via the Emperor's Choice website, but ships for free with orders of Arduin Eternal (i.e. it is now included in the original purchase price of Arduin Eternal). Those individuals who purchased Arduin Eternal before the culture book was released are, for a limited time, generously being provided a free copy of Cultures of Khaora by the publisher. That said, if you can't wait, you can download the entirety of the book (less the cover) for free in PDF format at the Emperor's Choice website (scroll down to the bottom of the linked page).
The Physical Book
Cosmetically, Cultures of Khaora runs very lean in terms of artwork, instead choosing a more utiliarian approach to the subject matter. That said, the cover art (depicting a lizardman in a swamp) looks nice, the interior cultural map of Khaora does its job well, and the few pieces of interior artwork are of the quality that Arduin fans have come to expect from Emperor's Choice.
In terms of construction, the book seems to hold up very well. I live in a high altitude, low humidity, region of the country that tends to be murder on perfect bound books, yet Cultures of Khaora has not suffered from failure of the binding or the cover lamination, both problems that commonly plague other perfect bound books in my collection. Two thumbs up for durability!
The Cultures
Detailed within the pages of Cultures of Khaora are 69 cultures natve to the titular continent upon the world of Khaas. Each culture is described in terms of Background (including standardized skill bonuses), Cultural Influences (per Arduin Eternal), Dress and Decoration, Outlook, Society, Religion and Power, and Prejudices and Fears. Despite most of the individual entries being short, the author manages to pack a lot of good, gameable, information into them.
Astute readers will notice that some of the cultures previously outlined in the Arduin Eternal core book are also present here. While this is somewhat redundant, for the sake of completeness, I think it makes sense to gather all of the cultures of Khaora in one place. No doubt that some will take issue with this, but given that Cultures of Khaora is a free supplement, I do not feel that there is much room to complain.
This section of the book ends with a simple black and white cultural map of Khaora that shows the reader exactly how the described cultures fit into the geographic landscape of the setting. While this map is by no means a work of art, it gets the job done well enough.
The Indices
The two indices (i.e., the Cultures of Khaora index and the Arduin Eternal master index) are... well... indices. Both indices are excruciatingly thorough, almost comically so in places (e.g., every single instance of the term “crit” that appears in Arduin Eternal is noted). If there is a topic or term present in either work, rest assured that it has been catalogued in the appropriate index.
Everything Else
Character sheets. In the middle of Cultures of Khaora, dividing the sections of the book detailing cultures and the indices, are several profession-specific character sheets intended to aid character creation. They aren't much too look at but, like much of the book, are a very useful tool to have at one's disposal when playing the game.
Conclusions
Cultures of Khaora is a tool kit for those of us already playing Arduin Eternal. The cultural information that it contains aids character creation and immersion in the setting, while the Arduin Eternal master index makes referencing that book in play much easier. For a free supplement, it's absolutely superb and it should be noted that I've only given it a Style rating of 2 for the lack of artwork.
