Disclaimer II: The majority of this review is opinion; your actual enjoyment of this product should vary accordingly.

Cry Havoc is an event book that follows in the d20 system footprints of Requiem for a God and When the Sky Falls (all published by Malhavoc Press). An event book basically focuses on a campaign-changing event and tries to present various angles on using it to its best effect. Cry Havoc spends about ten pages discussing the event of war before launching into a break down of the mass combat system that this book seems more geared to be about. I guess I would have liked more space given to the event of war, rather than the mechanics of unit and army combat (two chapters in the mass combat system).

Cry Havoc spends most of its time on unit combat, the basis of the mass combat system. Unit combat happens when two or more forces meet each other on the field of battle. A unit consists of one to ten creatures, of either mixed or "homogenous" make-up. A mixed unit is a unit of different creatures; a homogenous one consists of the same creature. (A unit of ten ogres and a unit of 3 goblins, 3 wargs, and 4 conscripted kobold sorcerers are examples of both homogenous and mixed units.)

Regardless of the actual make-up of the unit, combat takes place over a one-minute "battle round," in which a unit may perform up to two standard actions (like move than attack, attack than move, double move, move and cast a spell, etc.; not counting any commands given by unit commanders to do otherwise, like spellcasting over three actions). Once these units meet, attacks (as attacks of opportunity rarely exist on the battlefield) are dealt with in initiative order (as determined by a commander-in-chiefs command check).

To make unit combat better than rolling massive amounts of dice for each creature in a unit, a unit has an attack bonus that it adds to its attack roll. (Melee attack bonuses are based on the average base attack bonus added to the average strength modifier added to the creature's size modifier added with the weapon's damage modifier and any additional miscellaneous modifiers. Ranged attack bonuses use dexterity instead of strength and add a range modifier to the calculations.) The unit then uses a large chart to determine the number of strikes against its enemy, and then does a number of damage factors worth of damage based on their blow. (Damage factors are the hit points of unit combat, five hit points equal one damage factor [Cry Havoc has the creature's hit points divided by five to get the total number of damage factors (one minimum) that a creature may take.]) While units are in melee contact, the units may try to just hit each other until one or another unit is destroyed. If a unit breaks melee contact, an attack of opportunity may take place.

Cry Havoc takes its time detailing the mechanics of the unit combat system, making an attempt to cover most the bases that could come about during a combat round. (Covering free actions, entanglement, actions of a unit without orders, trying to take command of a unit that a hero-commander [mainly the player's character] has trained with, and more.) Not included in the unit combat chapter are battlefield magics-it gets a chapter to its own, and Cry Havoc spends most of that space detailing the changes to the spell to match unit combat. The combat round spell basically acts like a regular round spell, except is casted by a unit of like-spell equipped spellslingers. Spells that take longer than a minute to cast may still be casted, it just takes an action of the following battle round.

After spending time covering unit combat-the core of the mass combat system-Cry Havoc turns to army combat. Army combat is not meant for on the fly use in a campaign, unless you have plenty of time to appoint players to the tasks of calculating the army stats of one army or another. An army's statistics are determined by taking the defensive power ([armor class + all saving throw bonuses totaled + hit points]/three, rounding down) and multiplying the offensive power ([base attack bonus + Str mod(or Dex mod or whichever spellcasting key ability-the highest value)+average weapon damage(or highest level spell available-whichever is highest)]/two, rounding down) to equal the creature power which one creature adds to the army it's in. After doing this for all creatures in the army, the total army power and total army defense numbers can be calculated. Using the power change (differences in power values) in the two armies that are at war, the length the conflict can be determined. Using a difference resolution system, the battles between armies can be dealt with.

After all the new systems are lodged in your head, and the mere thought of calculations make you weary, Cry Havoc returns to the d20 system stand-by of prestige classes for your campaigns. Three of them, in fact: a death dealer, knight commander, and shieldmate. Death dealers are vicious foe, capable of rendering enemies quickly with its death blow (think coup-de-grace while both characters can do something about it) ability. Knight Commanders are warriors geared for the Cry Havoc battlefield, getting benefits to command checks and battlefield orders. Shieldmates are the best defenders on a battlefield.

Cry Havoc offers a lot, but provides it in a dull package. The writing is bereft of the tone that has the other events books coming to the gaming table. Cry Havoc is mostly text and charts, little to do with diagrams and illustrations, making it a packed book. While sometimes that's a good thing, in Cry Havoc, it leaves little for the eye to rest on and makes the work feel longer than it is.

Overall, Cry Havoc provides mass combat for those desiring one and kind of deals with the logistics of war (but not much on the event of war). Several referees may wish to think twice before dropping the system into their campaigns, as it'll bog down the action until the system is better learned by those at the table. The army combat system is a good tool for between games to help supply some action points for the player characters to work with (like a key battle at S'al Rh'imn F'aln where decisive action will turn away the dark army, etc.). Cry Havoc offers the form of war in the d20 system, but not its spirit.