BLACK POWDER GODS: BEHIND ENEMY LINES is an unusual d20 product in that it?s both a packaged adventure for characters of 5th- to 10th-level and a functional campaign resource document. Even more unusual: it largely succeeds on both counts, despite a few hiccups.

BEHIND ENEMY LINES isn?t the first d20 product to build a fantasy world on the back of an adventure, or a series thereof. Green Ronin?s DEATH IN FREEPORT, the original third-party d20 adventure, did it. And the WITCHFIRE TRILOGY from Privateer Press also accomplished the task with style. BEHIND ENEMY LINES isn?t quite as slick as Privateer?s effort, nor as quirky as Green Ronin?s, but it?s no generic spells ?n? swords hokum, either.

The world of BLACK POWDER GODS has no name, but it is a fantasy realm caught in the midst of a bloody war. According to the engaging history that opens BEHIND ENEMY LINES, a dwarven conspiracy surrounding the creation of black powder has resulted in a worldwide conflict. Unlike most epic fantasy wars, however, this one is fought with rifles, pistols and cannon of the black powder variety, an element that gives the entire setting a markedly atypical tone. The dwarven nation has defended its as a matter of divine revelation, and now that another nation has begun to compete with its own black powder, the resultant conflict has been couched in terms of a holy war, with all the bloody carnage that implies.

BEHIND ENEMY LINES? storyline is suitably massive for such an expansive backdrop. Heroic characters become involved in a daring mission to rescue a scholar with a key to unraveling the religious conspiracy concerning the black powder and, as a result, bring a neutral country into the war. To do this, the heroes will have to cross hundreds of miles of territory, passing even into the heart of the war itself, and success is not guaranteed. It?s thrilling stuff that will test the mettle of the most hardened adventurer, with an excellent mix of stealth, combat, and roleplaying elements.

All is not perfect with BEHIND ENEMY LINES. The product lacks editorial polish. There are several errors of the ?page XX? sort, and some nonstandard (though not crippling) grammar use. Authorial voice is an issue from time to time, becoming somewhat too conversational for the grim mood the adventure seeks to invoke. The adventure can also be brutally difficult in places, though this could be offset by generating heroes at the higher end of the suggested level scale. The authors also make disappointingly limited use of OGL material. Beyond a brief section on black powder weapons, and a few NPCs, there?s little here. With other d20 products like CONSTRUCT MECHANUS opening large chunks of their contents under the OGL, this seems skimpy.

Taken as a whole, however, BEHIND ENEMY LINES is a top-notch product. From its gorgeous Brom cover to its inventive premise, it delivers a complete experience on a broad canvas and sets the stage for many an exciting follow-up. Let?s hope it doesn?t take too long for that to happen.