Albion Armitage’s Astounding Arsenal is a Pathfinder RPG adventure for 8th to 10th level characters. The adventure sees the player characters stumble upon a magical map that leads to an extraordinary and astounding merchant shop. In essence the adventure is divided into two parts - the first a long journey filled with danger and peril while the PCs are hunted by those that also wish to acquire the map, and the second a magical journey through Albion Armitage's merchant shop where the characters will discover new weapons, armor and tools unheard of anywhere else. The product is very detailed, giving full details and even statistics blocks on even minor NPCs in the adventure, and has well-crafted background details and adventure information. The items found in the Arsenal are impressive - I particularly liked the addition of several new siege weapons, and the weapons and tools are well-designed and useful. Some good art accompanies all aspects of the adventure, particularly Larry Elmore's art.

The adventure part itself was a little disappointing, consisting mostly of weeks of pointless journey with random encounters. The excitement comes from less than a handful of special encounters that form the main part of the adventure and tie in to the storyline, but by and large it's one random encounter after the next, something which can be quite tedious. That said, between the encounters in table after table of lists there are quite a few ones that fit the story well. More could've been made of the journey itself, either by shortening it, or by making it more dynamic to give the PCs a real sense that they're hunted. The adventure also doesn't offer much advice on how the NPCs would respond to the PCs being pro-active in their actions against those that hunt them. The merchant shop and its mystical wares is far more impressive and offers several unique items, well-described and carefully designed. The product even includes some clever construct monsters that are designed well to fit the background of Albion's Astounding Arsenal. Overall, a somewhat disappointing adventure, but the merchant shop, its NPCs, wares and background details make up for the lack of adventure excitement.

I have a soft spot for hidden shops that seem to pop up and vanish without notice in various old cities across the world. In my experience these are usually book stores containing rare and powerful tomes of knowledge. Today, 4 Winds Fantasy Gaming as given us a magically appearing armory which stocks fabulous items, available to all comers for a price.

As stated in the introduction, this adventure would make for a very entertaining side quest for a group of mid-level characters, perhaps involved in a larger campaign with a more serious tone.

The product itself, all 56 pages, is very well put together. The illustrations are good, the battle maps provided are an added bonus, the text reads well and the items and enemies are enough to give an group of high-fantasy adventurers pause.

In short, I like this adventure quite a bit!

Encounter tables for the journey to the armory are thoughtfully provided, along with a host of unfriendly NPCs, an evil villain for the party to deal with and a resolution that is satisfying to all (should everyone survive)!

At $4.99 - or roughly 1/5th of what you'll spend on the snacks you'd consume with your group on a gaming night, this adventure is well worth the price.