Say what you like about an inaccessable rules set and the social stigma attached to being seen buying D&D books in public, but I maintain that the thing that keeps a lot of otherwise amiable people out of RPGs is sticker-shock. You want how much for 200 pages of rules? Does this book, perchance, cure cancer? No? Sorry, then, I think I'll be putting my kids through college.
(Really, really, really trying to make this an actual review as opposed to a lot of bouncing off of the walls and squealing "Lookit what I got!")
Title: A Game of Thrones
Publisher: White Wolf's 'Sword and Sorcery' line
System: Modified d20
Price: $49.95
The "Game of Thrones" RPG, however, is pretty much in-line with its asking price. First off: the book is weighty. See it on the shelf, maybe you're a George R.R. Martin fan and want to have look at how this has been handled? Danger, danger! This book is 500 pages of dense text. You will hurt yourself if you are not prepared.
Second: the book is beautiful. The first three-quarters are illustrated with full-color scenes painted out of the novel, not to mention original artwork for each of the nine basic character classes and the five prestige classes. (Yes, my friends, the Kingsguard wants YOU!) The last quarter of the book is devoted to detailed biographies of the main characters from the novel, complete with character portraits (and damn them to hell for making Viserys Targaryen as hot as he should be; I feel dirty now). The minor characters get lesser write-ups, but still get their own trading-card portraits.
Third: the gaming system does not suck and stays true to the setting. Praise the lord, Westros was not PC-ified! While the book does give some suggestions on how to hedge things if you want to create a Brienne or a Dacey Mormont, it makes it pretty clear that the character will not be a bright and shining Mary Sue, but considered something of a freak. Also, the book-specific classes come with their full complement of restrictions and duties - there will be no one joining the Night's Watch for fun.
More than that, the classes are balanced and the d20 system itself has been mildly tweaked to make combat more realistic... or as realistic as it's going to get when the ultimate reality is that's it's friends sitting around a table rolling dice in place of Valyrian steel. For example, a high Strength stat now simply means that when you hit someone, it hurts a lot, not that it's impossible to miss them. The same with Dexterity and ranged weapons. Armor is no longer functions as an addition to AC, but rather as a means of damage reduction. And if you get swatted hard enough, you fall over -- it doesn't take a special manuever. Also, lucky hits like criticals have been toned down to reasonable levels. Of course, on the side of realism, the rate at which characters gain hit points has been lowered considerably, so folks who go charging into melee for fun are likely to have a short career. Even better, Diplomacy and Bluff are considerably more important in this setting than they would be in most d20 systems. It's just generally well-done and shows that thought has been put into making the game into a decent adaptation of Westros.
Fourth: Don't even game? That's fine. If you're a fan of the "Song of Ice and Fire" series, this book doubles as a fantastic reference guide. Every house mentioned in the books is represented, along with allegences, the house coat of arms, motto, and general history. There's a guide to the lands and their customs, the afore-mentioned character bios, and even the surnames assigned to the bastard-born of each land.
In other words: if you're at all a fan of the books, you're going to enjoy this. Go. Go out and buy it now.
or Register