This wonderful new fantasy world from Ed Greenwood contains everything the player needs to create a character who will fit right in to the mystical setting. It starts with a short story to set the scene, the continues with a comprehensive guide to the setting including gazetteer, maps, magic, religion, astrology, calendar, currency and history. The artwork is superb too.

I would have preferred this sneak-peak of the Castlemourn setting to have been free... But I won't begrudge Ed ?2 and change just this once.

Castlemourn (by this intro) is a persepctive along of the lines of 'what would happen if I blew the forgotten realms up?' in which the big fantasy world fell down and went boom after... Er, after some kind of creatures (annoyingly no hint as to what is given) destroyed it.

Castlemourn is a confined ocastal region, however that works, and self-contained (which I like) though big enough to play in too.

I may grab the campaign setting cash allowing, though I want to see if it truly offers anything above and beyond the existing campaign settings currently available before splashing out.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Disappointed<br>

An RPG Resource Review

After an introduction in which Ed Greenwood paints an overview of Castlemourn which already makes me want to play there, there is a short story from his pen. This paints a picture of a world of small communities, united in distrust against outsiders. A world of traders, and travellers, and threats. A place where adventure and mystery and danger go hand in hand.

Scene set, we move on to the actual Guide. Unlike many published settings, where it is assumed that you are a local (and so players have to assimilate knowledge that their characters grew up with, or not understand everything that they should) it is possible to arrive via an 'estemel' from some other fantasy world... and so both player and character can enjoy exploring a new setting. But even if you are a local born and bred, there is not as much to learn as you might imagine. Some 360 years ago there was a massive cataclysm, so massive that nobody can even recall what form it took, that shattered the very land. Many people would like to find out what occurred, if only to ensure that it doesn't happen again, and this questing is at the heart of adventure here. This fractured land has a multitude of political/power groupings, which do not always get along - another source of adventure for the bold and for those fond of intrigue.

The Guide is a mix of gazetteer and highly-ideosyncratic commentary from one Master Tyheros, and it paints a picture of a land filled with contrasts, many small (but not in their own eyes) warlords and merchants vying for profit and control, with ancient mysteries and ruins to explore, and wild areas where terrible monsters hold sway. The map shows a land bounded by impenetrable mountain ranges and the sea, a vast bay scattered with islands - each of course with its own settlements and communities. Trade and piracy both flourish on the waters. Hidden amidst this are delights such as a city ruled by four courtesans and a gentle people whose reaction to invasion is to submit and undertake to serve their new masters, reacting with puzzlement as things just... go wrong.

Religion revolves around the worship of seven deities, acknowledged to a greater or lesser extent by everyone but often more as powerful beings to appease rather than noble gods worthy of emulation and honour. Worship is bound up with a well-developed astrology, and divine magic is far more common than arcane. This was not always so, before the Fall arcane magic was commonplace and nearly everyone could cast the odd cantrip at the least - leading some to speculate that the cataclysm itself was caused by magic gone wrong, and to regard its use with fear. Yet its secrets are sought after eagerly, and discovery of a new spell or artefact could make you very rich (or very dead).

The Guide winds up with a description of the estemels (stone archways which at certain times serve as portals to other worlds), the calendar, local currencies and a history of Castlemourn; before switching to game mechanics to describe how to create a character native to these lands. The standard D&D races (except half-orcs) are available, with minor differences that make them unique, and there are 2 new races to choose from: the golaunt and the thaele. Likewise, the familiar core character classes may be played, or you may choose to be a buccaneer, and there are some new prestige classes to aim for.

Designed both as an introduction to Castlemourn and as a teaser for the full Castlemourn Campaign Setting, this work certainly makes me want to find out more about these lands.

Players Guide to Castlemourn

Astrology and religion are given a nice overview here. I like the inclusion of Nighlanters which are just constellations. Being born under a certain one can have an impact on a character. I think more on that will be presented in the full setting book. There are seven gods in the pantheon and they are helpful. It seems the world needs them a little more now so from reading the book I guess there are more clerics and religious classes here. The arcan castes though are much rarer as they are mistrusted. Many seem to believe they caused whatever happened.

Character creation is going to be about the same. All the races of the Player?s Handbook are in this setting except the half orc. The abilities of the races have changed some. Dwarves have a thing with thinking everything as an illusion. It does not go into detail on why that is just that they are affected by illusions easier but can also ignore something as if it was an illusion even if it is not. And if one thinks that is weird then get this: elves glow. It is a bit different and gives them a nasty penalty to hide checks. Half elves glow too just not as much. Gnomes have some Great Focus on a Great Task. The book does not go into what that is at all, but there is a little mention of it. There are tweo new races in the book for the setting: Godaunt and Thaele. The Goluant take the place of the half orc. They are a well done mechanically version of them. They descend from the Fell beasts, the evil monsters. They are looked down on by other races for their heritage. The Thaele it seems are a playable vampire like race. I?m guessing here because very little is mentioned about them other then they are mysterious. They have other abilities named but not defined like Accursed Aura, Blood Thirst, Seasickness, and Silver Allergy.

Classes are the same with new ones that the reader is told about. The new base class the Buccaneer and the prestige classes the Dusked, the Faithless One, the Rhyesword, Servant of the Seven, Truesword Knight, and the Waymaster are all mentioned but not defined. The first three levels of the Waymaaster are presented and it looks to be a fun merchant crossed with a swashbuckler type prestige class.

The Player?s Guide to Castlemourn is really an appetizer until one gets the actual setting book. It will serve as a nice overview of the campaign setting and give just enough information for some to decide if they like the setting. There is no need to go out and buy the campaign setting first if one feels they might not like it. I am now really looking forward to the actual setting. This has really hit me the right way and made me want to see a lot more.
<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: Nice easy to read over view of the new setting. It is very creative.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: The fiction could have been better. <br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>