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101 Collection
Publisher: Ronin Arts
by Gregory H. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/26/2005 00:00:00

I found the spellbooks set to be the best of the 3 in this bundle. They were imaginative and descriptive... and in many ways far more useful to a treasure hunter than many more typical artifacts. Many also open new paths to other adventures through either their content or origins.

The mundane treasures were also excellent, for those of us who like to keep the level of magic in our campaigns from overflowing, and for those who are sticklers for things like encumberence and space (really... a dragon horde looks impressive, but how are you going to take all those coins anyplace? That shining silver dress on the other hand could be stuffed in the bottom of a bag, and might fetch a nice price in town...)

The spell components were an interesting approach, but it seems that they would best serve a DM who is not only very comfortable with their grasp of the system details, but also judicious about their availability. I can see where in the wrong setting or world, they could be very overbalancing.

Finally, in reference to a previous review, the revisions appear to have fixed the spelling errors that he said were rampant at the time he purchased it. They did not, however, alter the Table of Contents from the regular file to the print file, despite the inherent page reduction. So be aware on the print version that the Table is no longer applicable. <br><br><b>LIKED</b>: There were a lot of good ideas, and (especially with the books) some nice detail and development. The bundle as a whole was a good money saver over the individual books. If you're planning to get any 2 of these 3 items, you may as well get the collection.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: It seemed that the author was under some sort of time or space constraint. I understand that the theme of the series is "101," but in many cases, especially with the Mundane Items, I would have liked to see a good deal more story or background on some of the items... even if it meant having less of them to choose from. It did sometimes feel as if a few less interesting items were thrown in just to hit the 101 mark.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
101 Collection
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Notebook Essentials: Scrying Stones
Publisher: Throwing Dice Games
by Gregory H. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/25/2005 00:00:00

This product basically addresses a singular rough spot in game mechanics through the introduction of a new item type. The author obviously knows the system exceedingly well, and the item does the job in an intriguing fashion. It was pretty much what you would expect from a "notebook" type publication: a bump came up during a gaming session, and someone jotted down some thoughts and a possible solution.<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: It did what it set out to do, and was pretty much exactly as advertised.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Just that the subject is fairly acute. If you haven't had any trouble with the usage of scrying spells in your game (or if they aren't really used at all), this product is going to be of very limited use.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
Notebook Essentials: Scrying Stones
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Dragon's Hoard: Lost Treasures
Publisher: Big Finger Games
by Gregory H. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/21/2005 00:00:00

I won't bore you all by repeating previous reviews, but I would like to add this:

The author apparently reads their reviews and acts upon them. The revised edition includes the lair map, minions, further statistics, etc... all things that were on the wish list of previous reviewers who had bought the original product. The only thing still lacking is any sort of real background or personality for the dragon himself. <br><br><b>LIKED</b>: The items are wonderfully imaginative and detailed. The encounter is self sufficient, and much of the GM busywork is either done, or streamlined in advance.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Just that the dragon didn't have as much personality as his stash, or even his new minions. <br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Dragon's Hoard: Lost Treasures
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Athenaeum Arcane: Cursed Items
Publisher: Ronin Arts
by Gregory H. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/21/2005 00:00:00

This product did a decent job of presenting some new items with very compelling background stories. I really would have loved to see the concept and nature of cursed items addressed in greater detail though... there was a brief introduction that seemed to beg for pages full of extrapolation that never came. <br><br><b>LIKED</b>: The items are compelling, and even the ones that may not fit your world can be the source of some nice ideas.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: I was hoping for more than just a catalogue of items, but there wasn't a lot else to be gleaned from it. Also, as seems to be typical with this publisher, there were a horrendous number of uncorrected spelling and gramatical errors.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Disappointing<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
Athenaeum Arcane: Cursed Items
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Athenaeum Arcane: Esoteric Libraries
Publisher: Ronin Arts
by Gregory H. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/21/2005 00:00:00

This is a fairly nice little 'niche' addition to a GM's collection. The libraries listed are sufficiently diverse, so that one can be found for most any setting. They are given a good deal of character for the limited amount of space.

The books and themselves, while not badly done, weren't as interesting as the actual libraries.

On a side note, this company seems to print some good products, but they have a maddening neglect for proofreading. <br><br><b>LIKED</b>: It appealed to my bookish nature, and the libraries (although not terribly historically chronicled) have a lot of personality to them.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: It felt a little rushed. Maybe they were just trying to keep the page count down, but it seemed like most of the things in the book could have been expanded upon.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
Athenaeum Arcane: Esoteric Libraries
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Six Planar Gates
Publisher: Ronin Arts
by Gregory H. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/19/2005 00:00:00

This is a very nice small-scale edition to a GM's library. The handful of portals discussed here are not something I would develop a whole campaign around or anything of that sort, but they are great flavor material for a gaming world. I'm glad people take the time to publish these little tidbits... this is a good example of the kinds of small-scale additions that can really help flesh out a GM's game and give it some character. <br><br><b>LIKED</b>: The content was well developed with out being overbearing. It didn't offer so many details as to remove itself from easy use, but it did offer enough history to allow the customer to have plenty to work with. Also, it's quite affordable.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Really the only thing I disliked was the introduction. The author lamented the poor sales of one of his previous products at some length during the intro, which put me in a pretty negative mindset right off the bat. Fortunately the content was good, so I was able to forget about it.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Six Planar Gates
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Nocturne v1.0b(EABA)
Publisher: BTRC
by Gregory H. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/19/2005 00:00:00

I rather liked it's approach to the subject, and I must admit it was far more substantial than I expected it to be.<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: It's full of good ideas. This book is a nice place to find a wealth of inspirations for developing dream magic into your gaming world if you are inclined to do so.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: There was a certain disconnected feel to the whole thing... like it was missing transitions or was still under construction. It seemed like it left a lot of vague loose ends floating about. But then, I guess dreams are like that...<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
Nocturne v1.0b(EABA)
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Lions Den Press: Secrets of the Planes -- Planar Factions
Publisher: Purple Duck Games
by Gregory H. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/17/2005 00:00:00

I was very pleasantly surprised by this product. I was expecting some good ideas that I would have to develop on, but what I got were quite a few very well fleshed-out organizations. Will I use every one of them in my game world? No. But a lot of them will fit right in, and the depth with which they are covered allows it to happen fairly easily. This product was well worth what I paid for it.

Kudos to the author for being elaborate and imaginative, without going overboard in the kinds of details that could have limited the books flexibility. On an individual note, I particularly am fond of The Poison Tide and The Twice Born.

Overall, I have to say this was a quality product.<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: I especially liked the adaptability. The abundent depth and detail is mostly related to the history, structure, and nature of the organizations rather than a lot of statistical details. The numbers and game mechanics, while provided, can be set aside for those of us using other gaming systems and the sheer storytelling content is still worth every penny.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: A couple of the groups were a bit obscure for use in most campaign settings, although they still make for a fun read, and could apply to certain games. One or two, such as The Eternal Flame, were also just new variants on old ideas from either fantasy (c.f. Robert Jordan's 'White Cloaks') or reality (c.f. the Spanish Inquisition).<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Lions Den Press: Secrets of the Planes -- Planar Factions
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