The power of flight inspires my imagination. So when I saw this supplement, it caught my attention right away. After reading it, I will say that it didn't give me exactly what I was looking for - but it's a book I don't regret getting at all!
[layout]
Airships is a 96 page (including the final double-sided Airship Record Sheet) softcover with a glued spine. I am happy to report that the artwork, while sometimes of varying quality, is in full color throughout and pleasing to the eye.
Text is layed out in the standard double-column style, and helps the book feel deeper than you might suspect because of page count. About the only reason this book didn't earn a '4' on the Style rating was the choice of font for headings. Unfortunately, the publisher decided to go with a faux-illuminated typeset for section titles and headings. I have a problem with this; you might not.
[content]
Airships presents a nice, organic extension of the base d20 rules.
Page #1 gives us a brief introduction into the contents of the book. Here, he explains that the focus of this supplement is on magically-powered aircraft for fantasy games. There's a definite high-fantasy feel to his descriptions.
Pages #2 - 63
Mr. Witt presents a detailed (yet easy to read) analysis of Fantasy-themed Airship design and construction. There are several kinds of engines to propel your airships through the skies, each with their own advantages and drawbacks... There are also plenty of guidelines for laying out floorplans based on tonnage displacement, movement rules, combat rules, and an well thought out section on operating airships in inclement weather.
I was getting a little nervous at this point; the book read wonderfully, but how was I to integrate a group of Players into a game with these vessels of the sky? Fortunately, I found that the author was keeping character material for it's own section. There were a few references to skills that would help in specific situations (like piloting in bad weather, or boarding another flying vessel), but skill descriptions and the obligatory prestige classes were nowhere to be seen yet!
The closest thing to character data I found in this section is where he analyses the need for crew on these ships. Someone must fly them, it might as well be your characters!
Pages #64 - 69 Aerial Trade
Here, rough rules are laid out for profitting from the whole flying paradigm. I had to appreciate that Mr. Witt didn't go into as much detail; no overbearing tables of tradegoods' values or other nonsense. Deliberately, he focuses on the process of trading and allows you to fit these ideas to whatever world you want to play in. In listing the advantages of air travel, he inadvertently sheds a lot of light on how over-land trade must be enacted.
Pages # 70 - 83 Aerial Characters
Ah! The section most in demand by Players! Here are the skills unique to this supplement, a list of new Aerial Feats, and the prestige classes you can gain levels in. Prestige classes include Aerial Saboteur (just what it sounds like - a rogue-derivative adept at making things fall from the sky), Ship Mage (a wizard trained at improving airship performance), Ship Theurge (clerics who help protect the ship and crew), and Sky Slayers (a really cool aerial-combatant class who specializes in 3D combat).
In the last section, spells and magic are given the attention they need to fit into the aerial milieu. Standard spells whose effects are different or more useful in the air are gone over. New arcane spells are also listed here.
Pages # 84 - 94 Sample Airship Designs
Pages # 95 - 96 a blank Airship Record Sheet
[conclusions]
Airships was worth the money to me. It provides a smooth ruleset for aerial combat and movement to the d20 system.
I would be interested in seeing a setting using these rules. I can't imagine just dropping the airship-system into a published world. Flying the friendly skies of Greyhawk? Wanna get fried in the skies of Krynn? Pull to in the harbor at Waterdeep and see how friendly the locals are...
Bastion Press has a number of good supplements out, and some interesting downloads besides. It would be really cool if they (or someone) put together a campaign-world where a nation or three had access to airships. In the meantime, my Players will have to wait until I hammer out my own setting to use these creative, innovative rules in.
Review Summary