An Endzeitgeist.com review

This freshman offering by Pyromaniac Press clocks in at 18 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page SRD, 1 page back cover/KS-advertisement, leaving us with 14 pages, so let's take a look!

We begin this player's guide with a brief introduction of the fully statted eternal city of Anduria, which is btw. also featured in the rather neat map of the lands surrounding its monolithic, titanic walls. Anduria...ringed by 100 feet high walls of unknown, strange stone featuring enigmatic bas-reliefs of strange robed figures (stunningly rendered in the prequel-module, btw.!), a patchwork of the old and new, with its canals and even single building sporting different architectural styles, certainly is a metropolis that can be called fantastic in the best of ways and the players reading this guide will get to know at least the basics about the diverse wards within these colossal walls.

Since adventurers are prone to seek out taverns for employ, trouble and ale, 10 particular taverns are spotlighted in aptly-written, concise prose and the reader of this pdf will also be filled in on the government and the guild-driven power-structure within the city...and obviously, as a consequence, also be able to familiarize oneself with the guilds, both great and small - the respective write-ups sport names, primary services rendered, the guild master, membership requirements and benefits and thus a massive array of potential roleplaying opportunities.

Both daily life in the massive city and its culture is well represented, including the relatively humane punitive measures employed within the city for law-breakers - and yes, this section also mentions common strategies to weasel out of a law-based predicament.

Local "pests", psychic motes and transportation within the city's confines is covered as well and a brief note on surrounding areas is also featured here. The second section features thankfully spoiler-free advice for making characters that actually will be useful in the campaign, including suggestions for bloodlines, etc. Anduria, being a tolerant city, does not extend this tolerance to the divine, thus, such characters may require to hide their calling (If you want to know why, that's explained in the plot of the AP in more detail...) and new skill uses to this effect as well as ones that let you navigate the city's red tape are provided.

The pdf ends with a couple of per se pretty solid traits, though I do have some complaints here: There is no such thing as "Arcane" or "Divine" traits - the proper types would be "Faith" and "Magic". Additionally, the bonuses granted in one of the traits lack the trait-type - though the other traits get it right. Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are pretty good, particularly for a freshman offering - the rules-language, where present, is pretty concise and the prose is well-crafted. There are sometimes minor glitches that make single lines a bit wobbly-looking in the rendition, but this remains the exception. Layout adheres to a nice 2-column two-color standard. The pdf comes sans bookmarks, which is okay at this brief length. The map and one piece of artwork is nice (and believe me - the Prequel's art is NEAT!). One peculiarity that annoyed me is the non-standard formatting of skills: It's not "Profession: Lawyer", it's "Profession (Lawyer)" -cosmetic, I know, but still...

This player's guide does a great job - for one, it does not spoil anything; it also does make you excited about the massive metropolis and its unique social structure and options and is a nice hint at the things to come. As a freshman offering, this is pretty impressive...and it's free. Granted, the file is massive (118 MBs), but in my book, being pay what you want does offset the minor hiccups that can be found here. So please, take a look, download and read this and check out the Kickstarter if you like what you're seeing! My final verdict will clock in at 4.5 stars, rounded up for the purpose of this platform.

Endzeitgeist out.

Reading over this player's guide, I was able to get a real sense of the city and everything it had to offer. The descriptions of the city itself were evocative enough to allow me to visualize them clearly, and the detail on the settlement itself was enough to let me know everything I needed if I wanted to run a game in a city like this.

It has a strong metropolitan feel to it, and while I might be somewhat singular in this, I actually really enjoyed the elaborations on the legal system and proceedings that helped flesh out the area, making it feel more like a living city than a lot of other ones, really beyond what I would have expected for a player's guide.

While I did find the player options a bit sparse, everything else was top notch, giving me a sense that a lot of things could happen in this city. Really, any complaints I have could simply be addressed in this getting a more detailed release later to expand upon the current material, as this is a solid base if you even wanted to consider using this city in regular games.

The Introduction, coupled with a map of the city of Anduria, sets the scene for the What Lies Beyond Reason adventure path. The book is made up of two parts, one about the city and one about creating characters suitable for the adventures to be played out there. Whilst the campaign can be played on any campaign world, it's recommended that this fascinating city is used - there's likely to be a suitable location for it on whatever world you want to use.

The City section describes Anduria in considerable detail (whilst promising more in a forthcoming Campaign Guide. It's the level of information that a well-informed visitor ought to be able to glean, with history and legends as well as an outline of the different parts of the city. It's a bustling place, home to many races, with a busy marketplace and many established commercial concerns. Adventurers been notoriously thirsty, a listing of ten of the best-known taverns in town is likely to be well-used. There are many active guilds, who hold the power via a city council. These are interesting in that they go beyond the traditional 'trade association' view of a guild, different guilds being responsible for running various aspects of city management - such as providing public works, ambassadors, healing, civil defence and so on - yet many grant admission based more on ability to pay a fee than any skill or achievement related to the guild's area of interest.

Further information covers daily life, prevalent attitudes (such as the viewing of all overt religious belief with disfavour), law and order and even the local 'pest problem' of tiny balls of energy that swarm around like elemental insects. All combine to paint a picture of an intriging and well-developed city that would make an interesting destination for a visit.

Section 2: Adventurers helps players create suitable characters, bearing in mind the What Lies Beyond Reason is essentially an urban campaign. Classes which favour interaction are likely to be more successful, with fighting men equally welcome (although those who like to ride will find limited opportunities in the crowded streets!). Those of a more wild background - barbarians or classes suited to wilderness life - may stand out a little, but are welcomed provided they can adapt to city life. Clerics will have to watch their step in a city that is intolerant of religion. On the other hand, there's no racial intolerance, so characters of any race will be made welcome. So will most forms of companions, familiars, eidolons, and the like - the city prides itself on being cosmopolitan. Whilst interaction skills such as Bluff, Diplomacy or Sense Motive will come in handy, the Adventure Path will provide ample opportunity for those with martial skills and those aimed at activities such as infiltration to shine in their turn. There are some notes on new uses for old skills appropriate to the city, and (should you care to use them) some campaign traits.

A nice balance of 'fluff' and 'crunch' sets the scene without giving much away, providing an intriging setting that sounds like it would be entertaining to visit, never mind the adventures that are in the works. Can't wait for more!