Hawkwood Fiefs (HF) is the first in a new line of supplements for Fading Suns (FS), a line called "Imperial Survey". It is a small volume, written semi-in-character by one of the setting's Questing Knights (Baron Geoffrey Hawkwoon in this case) as a report to the Emperor detailing the various fiefs of a given power. As is usual for Holistic Designs' products, HF has crisp layout and art, and the slim format belies the unusually meaty contents.
The bulk of the book is occupied by descriptions of the Gwynneth, Leminkainen, Ravenna and Delphi systems. Each of these systems receives a full chapter of detailed prose description following a heading template of History, Solar System and People & Places. The writing is competent and helps to evoke the setting quite a bit. Supplementing the prose is a single side-bar for each system which contains vital information in a nice, tabular format as well as a planetary map. Other sidebars are provided as needed with game statistics for creatures described in the prose. Rounding out the set is a single chapter for "Other Holdings" which describes other places where Hawkwood has holdings or influence. Additionally the inside back cover provides a gimmicky, but cute display of orbital paths of major bodies in each system (including the jump gates).
Ordinarily I would give this book higher rating both in style and in substance than I gave. There are a couple of things which bothered me about it sufficiently to warrant a couple of points off.
- On the style front, there is very little to criticize. The book has crisp layout and tasteful art which enhances the experience of reading it instead of interfering with the process. It is missing an index, however (and a book this small should be easy to index!) and the supplied planetary maps don't have a scale on them. That last item is particularly bizarre given that the maps show the latitudes for the various temperature zones on the planet. This means that I may not know how far apart Londynium and Llanfyrth are on Gwynneth, but I do know that I'll be travelling in the "Midlatitude" zone for any journeys between them.
- On the substance front, it is very tempting to make cute, anachronistic jokes in your text, but this tempation is something to avoid. Having a continent named "Paltrow" on a planet named "Gwynneth" is just silly. It actively detracts from the reading.
Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)
