|
One of the best "idea collection" RPG books I've ever bought. Absolutely the best one devoted to food and painting a picture of a unique ecology’s foodstuffs.
I adore creative worldbuilding of all kinds, but especially that which tries to create in areas that are rarely explored.
Reading this book felt a lot like playing Morrowind, in that it painted a vivid picture of an ecosystem and society that is very much alien, and yet fascinatingly familiar in little ways that matter. People still brew booze, boil eggs, and sear steaks, but where they get them and how they do it might be very different indeed to what surface dwellers are familiar with.
In that vein, many of the foods are titled in a familiar manner, yet the description cleverly twists the concept in an unfamiliar direction. The entries for “Boiled Eggs” and “Fungus Pickle” especially caught me off guard with how much they differed from the images that their names conjured.
While there is some slight repetition in the theme of poisonous and hallucinogenic ingredients, or Fugu-esque dishes that must be cooked perfectly to avoid injury, the novel concepts far outweigh that potential issue. Even then, those themes are used creatively in most of their entries, specifically in that they create an image of underground societies that eat and cook like people. Trying new things, experimenting, arguing over the best way to prepare things, and perhaps unwisely seasoning their dishes with substances that endanger or intoxicate them for the sake of entertainment.
This can easily be used as a wonderfully humanizing imagining of the cuisine, and culture, of any species or society that lives in an underground environment, whether you use it in a fantasy, science-fiction, or even a post-apocalyptic setting.
I also just genuinely adore the writing in this piece, and having just purchased a number of titles from Azukail Games, I have high hopes for the other works as well.
Thank you guys, this was a delightfully seasoned read.
|
Log In 
