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GURPS Russia is the first book in Steve Jackson Games' "Straight Line" books. These are not available in stores because the people at SJ games figured that they liked the book enough to print it, but were afraid that the audience would be to small to mass market it, so they only ran off 2,000 copies and posted advertisements all over the Net saying that you could only order these books through the Internet.

The book itself is good, but it's not worth the wait, unless you are a historian of medieval Russia. Yes, MEDIEVAL RUSSIA. Not the Imperial age, or the Soviet Union, but the times of Ivan the Terrible and Peter the Great. It covers everything from the time of the Eastern Slavic tribes (circa 600) to the death of Peter the Great (1725).

Gaming in medieval Russia is extremely fun. If you like fantasy gaming, you may want to order this book. Medieval Russia was, in some ways, a REAL fantasy world. It has evil kings, other races (Turks, Mongols, Vikings, and co.), and new professions (beekeepers). The book also details "fantasy Russia" which uses traditional Russian folk tales and legends to make a whole new fantasy realm! Either way is fun to play or GM.

The book also goes into detail on the Russian mindset, particularly their legendary hospitality and xenophobia (an interesting combination). It also details their bleak, cynical, and somewhat harsh outlook on the human condition, as well as their excellent, if somewhat dark sense of humor.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)