A whole PDF about drinking? Do we need this?

No.

Do I like it?

HECK YES.

A majority of the excellent d20 products out there are ones we don't 'need'. This one is a top contender, though.

This package is sold as a zip file with three PDFs inside. The first is the covers and the other two are the contents, one screen friendly and graphic-rich, the second black and white, printer-friendly. The cover is a lovely tavern wench, well-illustrated and attractive. The interior is on a nice parchment look and the chapter header pages include stains on the paper as if from cups or mugs, reminding me of the cool coffee stains inside "Quick Shots: Alpha", E.N.Publishing's prior release.

At 60 pages all told, the key to this product seems to be detail. Where most books have touched on drinking and taverns in passing, this is a true in-depth guide to alcohol d20. This is NOT going to be a useful book to the average DM, but is an excellent aid for those running urban campaigns or ones classically centered around a bar or drinking establishment (or for one where the players own such an establishment). It micro-manages and throws in many new minor rules to increase the verisimilitude of drinking in-game. This is good if you like this sort of material, or useless embellishment if you are trying to run a classic 'epic' campaign.

Art throughout is quite good, if not amazing. Layout is a charm and VERY easy to read, and the whole book is packed with information.

Chapter 1 discusses the history of alcohol and distillation, with a distincly D&D twist, with gnome alchemists being responsable for many innovations. It then goes intot he mechanics of getting drunk, d20 style. The mechanics are very like the ones presented in Tournaments Fairs and Taverns, but with somewhat more detail, and even goes so far as to have rules for drinking beyond the point of intoxication and even extremes such as dying from vomit-induced asphyxiation (!).

Chapter 2 goes into detail on spirits themselves. This is an excellent collection of exhibition material discussing the differences between types of alcohol and spirits along with prices, the skill required to manufacture the drink in question as well as the relative strength of the drink. I was somewhat dissappointed that it didn't include long-term side-effects for drinking Absinthe (which contains a slow-build-up neurotoxin). However, if you don't have an in-depth knowledge of alcohol, there is enough here to teach you the essential differences between a Port (fortified wine), mead and sake. It covers all the essential types of alcohol (in my opinion) and includes the geographical origin of the spirit in the real world as well as what it is made from and where it would be found in a fantasy world. The mixed drinks are good fantasy fare such as Gibbering Lich (Absinthe, Rum, Rye Whiskey, Vodka, Brandy, and Gin with lemon juice, lemon peel, and mint leaves; "A rather foul and potent drink, gibbering lich is generally avoided by all but the most seasoned and daring of drinkers") and a Wild Druid, along with a few real mixes such as a Toddy and a Bloody Morning (Bloody Mary).

Chapter 3 is dedicated to Fantastic Drinks. Each of these is a strange brew that does not intoxicate as alcohol does, but instead has a variety of other effects, such as Fat Cat Tonic which grants bonuses to Move Silent, Hide and Balance checks, but which may make the imbiber more and more cat-like. This chapter, while interesting, has little appeal as most characters won't tkae a potion that MAY help them or curse them permanently based on a die roll after they consume it.

Chapter 4, The Brewery, goes into intricate detail about the process of setting up and running a brewery, buying the raw materials (or raising the ingredients), brewing and aging the brew.

Chapter 5, Inns and Taverns, Goes into the same level of detail about the varieties of Inns and Taverns, with purchasing, laying out, staffing, daily expenses and income and so on for both Inns and Taverns (with different charts for each).

Chapter 6, Drinking Buddies, goes into detail on the characteristics of drunks, from the brawler and the drunken daredevil to the rude lush and his tell-all buddy, including rules for how the character can resist his natural drunken inclinations. Then we come to classic d20 material, 19 feats for partiers, drunks and socialites. Included here are several feats appropriate to the classic image of the Drunken Kung-Fu master.

Chapter 7, Bar Staff, provides -excellent- stat-blocks and descriptions of typical barstaff as well as some specific example staff, including bartenders, serving boys and maids, bouncers, brewmasters, cooks, distillers, entertainers, innkeepers and even tavern boors. Most of these stat-blocks include examples of how to change the skill choices in different neighbourhoods and locations, and includes several stat-blocks for different levels of NPCs, all using the NPC classes. This chapter, combined with Chapter 5 about Inns and Tavers, makes this book a must have as a tool-kit for running Inns and Taverns in a campaign.

Chapter 8, Specific Beers and Wines, provides a large number of 'brand name' drinks as well as specific varieties of beer and wine such as wheat beer, rice beer, dwarven peat beer and such.

Overall I feel this product does what it sets out to do with perfection and fine detail. The only detraction is the scope of the product, which may not be to everyone's enjoyment. However, I don't feel that it's lack of usefulness in a particular game means that the score should be dropped below 4.

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