Excellent for a "novice mapper" who is not skilled a drawing, use of GIMP etc. to create a nice visual-reminder/cue type pictoral map just doing some cut and paste, image flipping, overlapping etc.

It would be great if there were more in the series with more RPG map elements such as ruins, stone henge circles and such.

I agree with others. This is a fairly generic and stat-free product but by no means bland. It can add depth to a setting/campaign, its generic nature allowing it to be fit into different sorts, and be used in a number of different ways.

This is a great short product. In one sense it's just what you can read on lots of boards - a report of play. Except it's a report of playing in Tekumel that is entertaining and will likely inspire a GM as (per its description) it's about some "background, life around you" intensive sessions.

It's also hilarious at times. For though this is Tekumel, the high art of RPGs, these are also clearly "gamers", and very creative ones.

I only don't give a 5 because it's the only one and you so want to learn more of these character's lives and fates!

The product gives a large number of new creatures to add to a campaign and presents many interesting features and powers for them. As another review notes the "Seeds" for using monsters are also useful. The "quick template" guides for making human NPC's into dwarfs etc are also handy.

It has two flaws: significant internal duplication of content and "a step backward" on guidance previous products have about monster actions.

Regarding duplication, monsters are presented one in a "mostly narrative" section and once in a "mostly stats" section. So you have to flip back and forth to see both. Doing this you will see duplication of the text on special non-action card features and abilities such as Night Vision, Swarm features etc. (e.g., you will read twice what each of those means). Leaving aside the "divided content" approach, adding the duplication up across every creature, this amounts to considerable space being dedicated to repeating content rather than giving something new/additional.

Monster actions, up until now monsters have been published in formats where you see a group of 4 or so, which may share a very basic action and then each have specific ones. The Guide adds more possibilities so you can vary creatures (not every Gor Beastman is the same etc.). However what it doesn't do is give any advice on staring points and how many core actions each creature has. Monster actions are listed completely sepearately. There are lots and lots (great!) and they have traits indicating which monsters they go with - so you must review them and determine which ones to give a monster from scratch. There is no "basic starting point allocation of what actions a Vampire gets" that lets you quickly "run with it". This could have been provided as a quick index of actions, using the space instead allocated to duplicating the existing content.

So in all, worth the $15.00 but you will have to work harder to make use of the content than I think you should have to work.

I give this one star because the pdf is not in a format that allows cutting and pasting or which otherwise recognizes normal text - e.g., when open in pdf if you do a word search trying to find other instances of an NPC's name, it does not recognize the text.

As a pdf version of boxed set booklet contents, it is (as noted on product page) not all you need to play. It's useful to have the printed content electronically accessible but to me if you can't search it by word or cut and paste to edit into your own notes, the value of the electronic version is drastically reduced.

I have contacted rpgnow and they say they are trying to work with FFG over this issue. Until matter is corrected, I believe it's fair other prospective purchasers are forewarned.

The actual boxed set of the adventure is great, good cards and materials, an adventure that uses social side of things. I think it takes a good deal of GM thought to get the most from it and tailor the "lead in" to their group, but if you're willing to do that it will be fun.

It's also got good material on the town of Ubersreik to continue expanding that "nook" of the Empire. If the problem with pdf is correct I will upgrade rating to 4 stars.