I have mixed feelings about this supplement. On the one hand, this volume contains a great deal of useful information about the Tapani sector that is the setting for West End's excellent "Lords of the Expanse" boxed set. Players beginning a campaign in this intriguing part of the Star Wars universe will find the Guide invaluable. Information is included on the history of the sector, its noble houses, aliens, and customs. In addition, there is a nice section toward the end that goes through the process of creating a believable Tapani character step by step. This section is similar to West End's previously published "Heroes and Rogues" supplement. Rounding out the book is a collection of 30 character templates.
As excellent as this information is, it comes at a price. Most of the first two-thirds of the supplement is reproduced verbatim from the "Lords of the Expanse" boxed set. Referees who own that set would, therefore, have little reason to own the Guide. Since the Guide is geared toward players, this wouldn't normally be a problem. After all, the Guide is a nice way for new players to gain access to the background their Tapani characters would necessarily know without having to buy the boxed set themselves (and thereby know things about the sector that their character would not).
The last third of the book, however, contains the new templates and character information that most referees would want to have access to. So, they will have to buy this book or photocopy the information from their players' copies. This is unacceptable to me. The templates should have been included in the boxed set. Since some of those included are reproduced from the set, I see no good reason why West End could not have done this.
Admittedly, the Guide is inexpensive. This does not make up for the fact that West End made an error in deciding what to include in the Guide. Player's guides are excellent ideas, especially when introducing a new setting with its own unique logic. I like this Player's Guide. It contains a lot of very useful information. I simply wish that West End had made it a more seamless companion to their "Lords of the Expanse" boxed set.
Style: 3 (Average)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)
