This product is, to put it simply, incredible. Just from a content perspective, this book is chock full of lore and mechanics, rivalling the amount I would expect to find in an official wotc publication. The flavour itself is incredible, it perfectly captures the feel of the material that obviously inspired it while still having it's own distinct tones. The tidbits of Forgotten Realms lore found within weave a narrative that left me wanting to learn more about the world it is set in, and even more so, it made me want to play in it. Next up we have the mechanics. After quite a bit of playing with this supplement, I've come the conclusion that this is one of the mst balanced homebrew supplements I've ever had the pleasure to use. None of the classes or lacing styles really outshine each other, all of them provide a unique style of play with equal drawbacks and boons. I especially love how Earth Lacers are encouraged to use the environment around them. Suddenly the scenery matters as more than a descriptor for the imagination, the stone walls of the tavern might provide an easy escape route, the broken branch of a tree might be a convenient place to grapple onto using your metal cables, or the surrounding stones on a battlefield might become easy cover in the event of an attack. Suddenly obstacles like stone walls or metal bars (in the case of a Metal Lacer) become opportunities to turn the tide of the game to your advantage, and you are rarely truely without a weapon. All in all, this is a well balanced, well designed supplement that I look forward to using in many more games to come.
|