For a small village, Heavenring boasts a remarkably substantial gaol, with five cells fitted out to accommodate a total of eleven convicts. The building also houses space for a tribunal to sit and a residence for the chief law enforcement officer, who for Heavenring is the county sheriff, a dwarf called Mardags.

Built in an L shape, Mardags' residence consists of two rooms: a living area with basic cooking facilities (an open fire with a cauldron), a dining table and some more comfortable seating and a large bedroom which incorporates an en-suite bathroom (far better facilites, as one would imagine, than the convicts receive!).

The space allocated for trials has a couple of rows of seats for spectators, tables for prosecuting and defending lawyers and for a clerk, and an imposing chair for the presiding judge. It does not appear that trial by jury is practised here. A caged-off corner leads back to the gaol wing, presumably the accused stands there during the hearing.

There are a couple of offices, probably for law enforcement officers' use, and a room for the turnkeys with a couple of beds. Then on to the cell block proper. Here a row of spartan cells have a barred door to a corridor on one side and a barred opening out onto a yard ominously labelled 'Hard Labour Area'. What convicts are required to do is unclear, probably breaking rocks into smaller rocks or similar mindless and exhausting tasks. The convicts' sanitary needs are met by a row of latrine huts and some 'washing pools' - no indoor bathrooms for them!

As usual 0one Games display considerable technical mastery of PDF functions, using layers to allow you to pick the grid you want (square, hex or none), and whether you want furniture or doors to appear. As you can print tiles separately, you can change the settings for each one - so if you do not want your prisoners to have even basic comforts, you can remove what little furniture there is in the cells! Do not turn the doors off for the cell block, though...

Knowing the average adventurer's attitude towards the law, you might have need of a town gaol, so this is a useful set of tiles to have tucked away, whether or not you are using Heavenring Village as a whole. After all you can put it anywhere, as needed.

Whatever their players may feel about it in real life, adventurers always seem to enjoy going shopping! Heavenring seems to boast what is almost a mini-market with plenty of produce and household goods on sale, and the storekeeper's house is also included in this tile-set. If you are using Heavenring 'as is' the storekeeper is a halfling by the name of Vimbas, who is rumoured to be a wizard on the side.

The shop itself consists of two rooms, one being used for sales and one for storage. The sales area has a vast display of everything from fruit and vegetables to frying pans, basic tools, clothing and even teddy bears, the store is full of barrels, cart wheels and cupboards. Anyone setting up house or looking for basic supplies ought to be able to find what they are after here.

The house is also quite substantial. It has a large porch for those warm summer evenings, a living area and kitchen, two bedrooms each with their own facilities and an office for the storekeeper to do his bookkeeping (or study spells if the rumours are to be believed). One bedroom is a double, clearly the master bedroom, and the other a single - probably for the storekeeper's child.

The usual features of the 0one Games 'Rule the Dungeon' are present, letting you customise the plans to some extent - changing the grid (square, hex or none), displaying furniture and doors and the like. Everything is clearly drawn, although you can waste too much time trying to identify items in the shop (remind yourself it isn't supposed to be an exact representation). It's a nice addition to the collection, but the real use of plans at this scale is to have a fight and who fights at the market? So, perhaps of limited use...

A smith is a welcome addition to any settlement, and judging from the wares on display, this smith is also an asset to the adventuring community. There are two buildings in this product: the smithy itself and a separate small residence for the smith (unlike most of the village he doesn't have his living quarters in his place of business). In Heavenring Village the smith is a half-orc by the name of Ruck, who apparently has bad manners that mask a helpful and honest nature... but of course you can use this forge anywhere, with a smith of your choosing.

The forge building has three rooms: the forge itself, a storage area and a shop where visitors can browse an array of armour and weapons laid out on a long bench. The storage area is also spacious and contains assorted raw materials. The forge itself looks well-equipped with a big furnace, two anvils and racks of tools.

The smith's residence is quite substantial too, with an open porch with a table and chairs for sitting out, perhaps on a warm evening after the day's work is done. Inside, there is a big sitting/dining room, a kitchen, a master bedroom with a double bed (the presence of a vanity suggests that the smith has a partner... or, of course, is a lady) and a second bedroom with three beds for children or guests. Each bedroom has an ensuite bathroom. Of course, this makes for a nice home for anyone, not necessarily the smith!

0one Games display their customary mastery of PDF technology using layers to allow some measure of control over what you see - square grid, hex grid or no grid at all, or the presence/absence of furniture and doors, or even how heavy a 'fill' there is on the walls. A usful addition to your floorplan collection although... who wants to start a brawl in a forge? The smith might get annoyed and he has loads of stuff with which to spoil your whole day!

Whether your party has business with the lord of the manor or perhaps one of them has aspirations to become a lord of the manor, this quite substantial residence may come in handy. In Heavenring, if you are using the entire village, the current lord is indeed a retired adventurer. His house is well-defended (and not just by his old suits of armour standing around!) yet open and welcoming to visitors.

The entrance is imposing, with a driveway through wooded parkland ending in a semi-circular flight of steps up to the front door. Two statues of armoured figures flank the doorway, and there is a guardpost to either side with arrow slits providing opportunity to fire at unwanted visitors. Inside, there's a hallway to either side and straight ahead the entrance to the main hall.

The manor is centred around a large hall that is described as combining dining room and parlour. There are a couple of conversation groups around a pair of fireplaces, a large round table, an organ at one side and a massive formal dining table at the end of the hall. This stands on a small dais and is flanked by the aforementioned suits of armour. Another table nearby with some stools around it appears to serve as the lord's office.

Opening off the main hall, there's a large kitchen on one side with a storeroom off it, and the lord's private quarters - a spacious bedroom and private bath - on the other side. It would appear that the lord has a wife, as there are TWO bathtubs and matching washbasins... and two privies! Guest provision is far less impressive, although there are several bunk rooms (labelled as barracks or servants' quarters) there are only two further privies tucked away in side rooms at the rear of the building. Each has a washbasin, but no more tubs.

As usual, 0one Games demonstrate their technical mastery of PDFs with their 'Rule the Dungeon' button that uses layers to enable you to have a choice of grid (square, hex or none) and whether or not you wish to see furniture, doors, and so on. If the need arises you can print individual areas, or the whole thing, of course changing the settings as you please each time.

If you ever have need of a single-floor manor house, this is a well-presented and solid option.

Hopefully you won't have much need for this pleasant graveyard set in a garden. I'd hate to think of undead trampling around... this set of tiles provides details of three crypts and a grave with a statue on it, as well as the cemetery office and mortuary, and the guardian's residence. If you are using Heavenring Village, this is the only proper cemetary for miles around, so people bring their dead here.

The 'office block' contains a spacious office and a small mortuary where bodies awaiting burial may be stored. There's also a larger storage area for coffins and other materials, and a single chamber for the caretaker, which looks quite cosy... at least the neighbours tend to be quiet!

The graveyard itself is laid out neatly, with tombs in neat rows and plenty of space for more. The crypts seem quite substantial, as are the gates to the cemetery, which is walled. All in all, a nice place to lay your dearly departed to rest.

The usual technical effects are available including choice of grid (square, hex or none) and whether or not you want furniture (this empties the crypts of their tombs as well as removing the tombs from the graveyard...), but if you need a cemetery, well this is a nice one. I did run an adventure a couple of years ago that started with the party being invited to a funeral and receiving a bequest, so it is not always the loss of a party member that can bring your game here.

Lucky Heavenring Village (or wherever you choose to site this), they have a temple with resident priest who teaches school for the local youngsters as well. This mapset comprises two buildings: the actual temple and a combined priest's house and school. Both come with excellent detail that make it easy to find uses for them in your game.

The temple is a large airy building with plenty of space for worshippers in a conventional layout with rows of seats facing a raised altar area. Mostly circular, this is stated to be a dome with an overhead skylight to illuminate the worship area. There's a small vestry for the priest, whilst to one side in the worship area there is an organ and on the other side some shrines. The deity is left unspecified, so you can pick one from your campaign world who appreciates this style of worship.

The other building is nearly as large, with the biggest room given over to a conventionally-laid out classroom with rows of desks facing the teacher's table which is on a semi-circular dais. There is an entryway/waiting room and a bedroom for a servant or assistant as well in the school part of the building which is separate from the priest's quarters in the rest of it. The premises also boast a fenced garden which the pupils can use during recess.

The priest's residence looks comfortable, wrapped around the schoolhouse with several doors to the exterior. It consists of a foyer, library, shrine, dining room, bedroom and bathroom (complete with tub and water closet). The dining room boasts a conversation group round the fireplace and a desk as well as the dining table... but where the poor priest prepares and cooks his food is anyone's guess, there are no kitchen facilities!

The usual technical wizardry displayed by 0one Games makes the PDF easy to use and somewhat customisable - you can choose a square grid, hex grid or no grid at all, and display furniature and doors or not as you please - making this a useful addition to your collection if you need a place of worship or a schoolhouse.

The Mayor (spelled 'major' throughout, a rare spelling mistake) of Heavenring village is a dwarf by the name of Musdus Marub and with typical dwarven efficiency the Town Hall includes his house. Should he be voted out, it's not clear if he'll pass his residence on to the new Mayor or not (there could even be an adventure in that...), it may be the offical residence rather than Musdus's own home. The front part of the building contains the official chambers, chiefly a large hall surrounded by offices, and the Mayor's house occupies the rear. The tile-set also includes the village well which stands in front of the Town Hall.

The main hall is a large room with a dais facing the door, on which there is a long table with chairs behind it facing out into the room. The rest of the hall is filled with rows of chairs facing the dais, with a carpeted aisle down the middle. It will make an excellent setting for anything from the bestowal of public rewards to a trial... both possible events in your campaign. There is also a flight of steps leading up to the entrance, making it quite an imposing place for a village! For times of trouble, there are two small guardposts, one to each side of the steps. Each has space for the guard to live as well as look out for trouble.

As well as the main hall there is a meeting room with a large round table, an office for the Mayor (with a door through to his residence), and a couple of rooms for records and archives. All of these chambers have direct access to the outside, you do not need to tramp through the main hall to reach them although they do also open into it.

The Mayor's residence is nicely-appointed with a foyer, dining room, bedroom, bathroom (complete with tub!), kitchen and another room that's designated as for a servant, but could of course be used for the Mayor's children should he have any.

As to be expected, 0one Games display their usual mastery of PDF technology, making it very easy to use and even customise to some extent (choice of hex, square or no grid, and whether or not you want furniture and doors to show). Whether you are using Heavenring Village as a whole or just need a Town Hall (or indeed a guild hall, it could work as that too), this is a nice set of floorplans.

Given the natural affinity of adventuring parties for inns (and the tendency for brawls to break out necessitating a change of hostelry!), you can never have too many inn floorplans in your collection. This one is a straightforward village inn, designed as part of the Heavenring Village set), with ample stabling and several nice rooms for those who wish to stay the night as well as a large common room/bar, kitchens and even indoor toilets! Accommodation ranges from multiple occupancy, with stragicially-placed cupboards to give a modicum of privacy, to a spacious suite with its own bathroom. The owner's apartment also features. Detail is excellent, down to an array of bottles on the backbar and a keyboard instrument for budding bards in the corner of the bar which also boasts tables set up for dining and gambling.

The usual technological abilities of 0one Games shine through with their 'Rule the Dungeon' system that allows you to decide precisely what is printed on your floortiles - choice of hex grid, square grid or none at all, presence/absence of doors and furniture and so on.

In a nice design feature, all the residential rooms open to the outside - those in a hurry or wishing to avoid attention do not need to resort to climbing out of windows if they do not care to go through the common room. Indeed it looks a pleasant place to stay... and menu suggestions include giant black potatoes stuffed with cheese and onions, slices of salmon grilled with spices, and the renowned Heavenring caviar with toasted bread and fresh butter. The caviar is harvested from local salmon caught in the river that surrounds the village. Sounds like a nice place for a pub lunch!

The book opens with some Setting Assumptions which paint broad brushstrokes of background - a mediaeval/fantasy world in which a great empire has declined and fallen leaving a 'Dark Age' behind, with warring races destroying a lengthy time of peace and prosperity. Set against this backdrop, the adventure is designed as a possible campaign-starter, taking a party from 1st to 3rd level, or something that can be woven into your own plots or used stand-alone if preferred. The Adventure Background follows. Taking place in the settlement of Blackhorse, close to the city of Calhaven which has fallen to bandits, it involves a search for the innkeeper's son who has vanished.

The first part of the adventure introduces Blackhorse, before the action moves to Calhaven and the discovery that bandits are the least of the city's woes. Whilst the structure of the adventure is sound, you'll have to do quite a bit of work to flesh it all out - for a start, maps of Blackhorse, Calhaven and the surrounding area would come in useful; and it is not clear how a beginning character is to find enough to do to be third level by the end... perhaps using Blackhorse as a base for running a few other adventures before the party even goes to Calhaven (or at least, before they start hunting for the missing boy) might give them the necessary experience to deal with the Big Bad Guy at the climax of the adventure.

There are quite a few illustrations and a single floorplan - the Imperial Centre, which houses more than one wonder. Monster and NPC stat blocks and information is all at the end, along with random encounter tables for various stages of the adventure. The text, however, makes it plain who is where and what they are doing when the party encounters them and, of course, how they'll respond to the party's likely actions.

Overall, it's a promising start from a new publisher, and has considerable potential for futher development. It just feels a little more like an adventure outline than a full-blown adventure, fine if you enjoy adding flesh to the bones either before you run the game or on the fly... but the bones are sound, which make for a good beginning.

This adventure is set in an amazing city called Parsantium. Although there's sufficient material within its pages for you to run it, for best effect go and grab a copy of Parsantium: City at the Crossroads - if you like intricate cities you won't regret it.

The first section, Running the Adventure, explains the background to the adventure which involves an ancient evil reaching forth once more and provides a brief introduction to Parsantium and an adventure summary. There's a detailed run-down of the ancient evil in question, and some hooks to help get the party involved in the adventure. There's a major festival soon, and quite understandibly folks would like it to be free of ancient evils.

Then the adventure proper begins, for once not in a tavern... it just leads to one later on. Not straightaway, however, the action begins with someone running amok on the docks. As events unfold, the party discovers that this is but the latest incident in a series of bewildering brawls that have involved people not normally known for being violent. Neatly, if the party isn't moved to investigate on its own, they'll be asked to find out what is going on and put a stop to it. Along the way there's an exciting and cinematic chase across a floating village and plenty of interesting people to talk to before they get to that tavern, and there are also opportunities for research as well as for action.

The tavern itself is well-described and there's a neat way in which some characters might pick up on there being something wrong even before they start delving below through the tavern cellar to the terrors that lurk in the sewars beneath. Never mind any ancient evils, the smells and sights of the sewars are bad enough - enjoy the atmospheric descriptions as the party explores...

The finale is suitably climactic, and there are notes to help you deal with the party's success or failure as appropriate. Overall it makes a stirring adventure which gives the party a chance to make a name for themselves at least in this corner of town. It's full of neat tricks to build up atmosphere and add to the realism of the town as well as to provide a suitably creepy feel that grows along with the body count!

The Knights of the Rose and Cross are one of several secret societies in Théah, societies that cross international borders and pursue their own agendas. The Introduction takes pains to comment that the information about the Knights given here are but one view of the society, and it is up to the GM to determine what is the actual truth in his game. This is what might be discovered by diligent investigation by individuals or the party, but it is unlikely that outsiders, or even regular members, will be able to find out all their secrets. To the casual observer, the Knights appear to be a mere gentlemen's social club, but of course there is much more for the discerning eye to discover...

Chapter 1: The Order makes a start, beginning with a section called The Public Face. The Knights do not hide away after all, and this section covers what most Théans know about them. This information should be available to any character who is interested enough to search it out. The society first came to light in 1613 with the publication of a pamphlet that explained the organisation as being a secret band of gentlemen dedicated to three Vows: to bring justice to the unjust, to protect those who cannot protect themselves, and to serve those who wore the sacred seal of the Order. The origins of this pamphlet, and the several that followed it, were unexplained, moreover it said that those who followed the Rose and Cross were invisible. passing unknown through society. The Vaticine Church was not impressed and went to great lengths in their unsuccessful attempts to track down whoever was behind it all. A few high-profile rescues of individuals from danger followed and then one day over one hundred highly-placed men put on badges bearing the rose and cross symbol... and by 1617 the Order was recognised by the Hierophant. Speculation continues, as they are still very secretive: you might know where one of their Chapter Houses is, but unless you are a member you may not enter. Like any such group, it's attracted those who want to publicise their secrets, and the work of one such investigator is presented here. Make of it what you please.

The next section is The Private Agenda, which comes with a warning that it ought not to be read by those whose characters are not members of the Order. It is far more ancient than the first public appearances of 1613, and here is a run-through of its origins and history. The Knights were both warriors and scholars. Students of history will note that the early history of the Knights of the Rose and Cross is similar to that of the real-world Knights Templars, woven through the history of Théah to make it appropriate to this setting, and of course continuing into more modern times, the Knights still being active in 1668. The actual nature and structure of the Order is discussed, along with details of life as a Knight. Ranks, secret codes, legends and more are covered, and this is followed by an entire section on the Order's resources. This includes a listing of chapter houses throughout Théah.

The next chapter is Hero, which contains details of many prominent Knights and other notables connected with the Order. Each comes with background details, stat block and role-playing notes, and there are sketches of most of them too. This is followed by Chapter 3: Drama, which provides apposite new rules material. There's a swordsman school available only to Knights, new advantages and even the game mechanics for establishing a chapter house. Other rules cover the extreme athleticism of the Knights, leaping roof to roof is commonplace - it would seem they enjoy parkour! Here are the rules for epic aerial, or at least rooftop, antics. The chapter finishes with notes on some unusual artefacts in the Order's possession.

Finally, Chapter 4: Knight contains material for Players and for Game Masters. The Player section peeks behind the scenes of the design process that went into the Order of the Rose and Cross, as well as a look at alchemical symbolism and chivalry as it is known in Théah. The GM section includes a brief scenario and other plot ideas, a complete chapter house, and a few secrets only briefly touched upon in the rest of the book. In essence, there's a complete quickstart campaign for those who want to run games in which the Order features large, indeed is central to the party.

There's a lot here to take in. It would be easy to dismiss it as derivative, but it is a lot more than that. Those who would adventure at sea have the Brotherhood of the Coast as a framework, the Order supplies similar structure for those who would swash their buckle on land. Knights don't need to search out adventures, they come to them almost automatically - and if there's any paucity of opportunity, a quick word with the Order's hierarchy will soon suggest something worth getting involved with. Indeed it can make a complete campaign with the party all members, perhaps working their way up through the ranks. Well worth including in your game as epic background, even if your players do not wish to become Knights, and if they do... it is the stuff of which 7th Sea adventures are made!

This resource supplies Aslan-specific information to supplement and enhance material in the core High Guard book. The Introduction comments that technologically Alsan ships are pretty much like those used by humans (unsurprising given similar size and physiological requirements), but there are of course differences based on culture. In keeping with Aslan traditions, pilots are usually male (and in nominal command) whilst astrogators and engineers are usually female. Control systems also display a gender divide: those used by males are simplistic and show only basic and important information, those for females are complex, often bewilderingly so. Ships are highly decorated, even military ones, and all carry a Shrine to Heroes when crew members can meditate and draw inner strength. A common way of passing the time in space is the telling of stories, a communal event attended by passengers and off-duty crew alike.

After this overview, the remainder of the book contains extensive details of a number of different Aslan vessels. Each comes with full statistics, some background notes, isometric plans and sketches of the exterior (colourful, of course, it is the Aslan way).

Giving some insights into Aslan life in the black, this book presents some fifteen novel vessels, each quite ideosyncratic and definitely Aslan in style to enhance your spaceways. Of particular use if you have Aslan in the party or are venturing into the Hierate, the Aslan get everywhere so one of these colourful vessels may show up wherever the party might happen to be. Hopefully they are in a friendly mood...

The idea behind this work is that, whilst the thought of running an encounter (or even an entire scenario) at a masquerade ball might well appeal, especially in a campaign where things like courtly intrigue figure large, the amount of creative input necessary to set it all up might deter you from actually staging one in your game. So here are some resources to make that ball not only happen but come to life!

Jumping straight in, the first d100 table provides an array of mundane masks you can use as you describe the scene. The second table has a similar list, only these are magical masks that sctually do something - tendrils wiggle, maybe they emit smoke or perfume - or are otherwise exotic... I quite like the thought of an illusion that shows the wearer decapitated with the (masked, of course) head tucked under one arm! It's not all masks, the next two tables cover male and female costumes. If even mixing and matching this lot proves too taxing, try the next table which provides thumbnail 'Folks of Interest' for the party to encounter. Maybe Ogden Darrak (N male human expert 2, who is wearing draped, white robes and has his skin is painted white, to resemble the statues of a lost civilization. He answers every question with an appropriate quote from that era's literature) will enliven your evening. Or perhaps an off-duty assassin who is getting annoyed because everybody is avoiding him, or a member of a secret cult in the full regalia of that cult... not to mention the fellow dressed as a farmer who insists he's only here to deliver turnips...

The final table provides some twenty Hooks, Complications and Opportunities. No matter what you have planned as part of your plot, it's worth throwing in a few of these. Some involve the party directly (and may distract them from whatever they came to the party to do), others can be mere background - of course, the party can get involved if they want - any could lead to an entire new adventure or strand in your overall story.

Combine this with one of the fantasy food and drink products out there, and you have everything you need to stage a masquerade ball that your party (and their players) will be talking about for a good while to come. A very useful resource.

Diving straight in, the 'anatomy' of an encounter is explained - this refers to the logical way in which information is presented in the work, the aim being to present it in the order in which the GM will need it when actually running the game (not, of course, that the adventure will not benefit from the GM reading it through in advance and undertaking any other preparatory work they feel necessary!). This is followed by what is in essence a master class on how to read a stat block - very informative, especially for those who are less rules-focussed in their approach to games.

Next comes a brief backstory, about a pretty vile cult (even by sahuagin and skum standards) that used to worship at the adventure site and how it all ended. The adventure itself begins when the party arrives on the wet, seaweed-covered steps to the Fane itself. As an aid to getting them there, several adventure hooks are provided - one has it as pure chance when they are looking for something else or have even been shipwrecked at the right place! If they have gone there on purpose, via one of the other hooks or something else of your own, there are some rumours to hear and information to be gathers, should the party have a mind to do so. A sidebar contains notes about placing the adventure in your own campaign world, and what you'll need to have (or change in the adventure).

We then move on to the adventure proper, with the entrance to the Fane complete with dramatic description and all manner of window-dressing to make it even more interesting. Once the party gains access, the detail continues, with attempts to involve all the senses (sounds and smells are described along with descriptions of what is to be seen). There's plenty to keep the party absorbed and busy, with a good multiplicity of ways to accomplish things (like getting in - there's a list of ways in which they might get the door open in the first place). They may be in for a few surprises, and there are naturally opportunities for a fight.

The conclusion leaves plenty of options, and there are a couple of suggestions for further adventures. Just remember to keep an eye on the tide... This is a neat, well-constructed concise delve for any group that enjoys exploration.

Now I don't play card games at all, but apparently there was a collectable card game (CCG) based on the same world as the 7th Sea RPG, and this book is a 'cross-over' intended to facilitate sharing of ideas between the RPG and the CCG. The Introduction explains that much of it was intended to enable CCG players to make use of role-playing material, but that role-players may also find ideas and information to use on the table-top.

The first chapter, History, presents the storyline as used in the CCG. This involves a long and dangerous search for a mysterious island called Cabora that had long lain hidden beneath the sea, by the machinations of the mysterious Syrenth. Just about every nation and faction you can imagine got involved in this search. Plenty of swashbuckling and skirmishes, particularly at sea, ensued as all these rivals searched for a series of 'switches' that would eventually cause Cabora to arise. It all makes for an exciting and epic story and - if your party are not avid card players - could quite easily be turned into an excellent role-playing campaign. (I must confess I'm quite baffled as to how you tell such a story with a card game, though! I think it served more as background to combats between CCG players.) If you are planning such a thing, the timeline in the back of the book will be invaluable.

Then the next chapter, Factions and Places, is about turning features from the CCG into resources for your game, with detailed descriptions of the various factions used in the CCG. Each faction - and there are quite a few! - has its history, structure, tactics and notes on their crews laid out. We also hear about legendary ships and notable locations that have featured in the CCG. Plenty of scope to gather background flavour for your role-playing game here.

Chapter 3: GM's Section looks at adventures at sea and at faction-based adventures. These only work if everyone at the table belongs to the same faction, of course... unless you want a real brawl on your hands. There's also a list of all the artefacts that have turned up in the CCG complete with descriptions of their powers and abilities, a discussion of their current whereabouts, and adventure hooks that are mostly quests to retrieve the item in question. There is also all you might need to bring the horrifying legend of the Black Freighter to your table, as well as plenty of the secrets of the lost isle of Cabora itself. This includes some devilish traps which might come in handy.

Finally, Chapter 4: Rules enables you to convert personalities from the CCG into characters for the role-playing game, and to create cards for your favourite player-characters if you'd like to do that. There are some new bits and pieces for role-playing characters based on stuff in the CCG, and a swordsman school - it's the Rogers one from the Pirate Nations sourcebook - that's appropriate for characters originating from the CCG. New backgrounds, skills and items follow, along with some advanced sailing rules and ones for nautical battles. The book rounds off with two appendices, the first covering locations and a timeline for the CCG (invaluable if you want to reuse that storyline in your role-playing campaign), and the second containing full stat blocks and background information for many of the CCG's most prominent figures.

So, is this useful? It certainly is if you think that the plotline of the CCG would make a good role-playing campaign - and if your tastes lean towards derring-do on the high seas with a strong flavour of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, it probably will - provided your players are not CCG fanatics who already know it, of course. It's certainly good to see all the hard work and imagination that went into the CCG presented in a useful form for role-players.