As far as a source for inspiration for RPG settings and play styles go, Newhon has always been my baby. Back when my friend Calen has the 1st Edition AD&D books, it was the chapter on Newhon Myths in the Deities and Demigods that sparked my main interest. Boy how I loved the feel and flavor of that dark and murky world. Salt Marshes, City of Thieves, Rat Worshippers, SHARK WORSHIPPERS, undead gods, seven eyed wizards and so forth gave the setting such a thrilling sense of something different then the Elf, Dwarf, Halfling, Human characters stuck as magic users, fighters, thieves and clerics. There was a definitive feeling of depth and unique adventure. It was a world where your characters could live side by side with Fafhrd, Gray Mouser, Sheelba and others and not feel overshadowed in the story. Its not like in Middle Earth settings where despite what you do, you will never be as cool or important as Aragorn or Frodo or in the various Stormbringer/Elric games where you will never ever even be in as much as even closely close to as cool as Elric and his buddies. No, you could be characters similar or even drastically different then Fafhrd and his roguish friend and still feel a part of the setting.
Earlier versions of Lankhmar game settings for AD&D never captured the same feel IMHO. They got bogged down with the class and level systems of AD&D. Gray Mouser was cool cause he was a 10th level fighter, 15th level thief, 3rd level magic user and 6th level assassin and so forth. In order for my character to ever do that Id have to play for 20 years, on character, twice a week. No, I could never be even close to that cool with a brand new character or even a slightly experienced one. But finally, Newhon is accessable for players and GMs. By using the Mongoose RuneQuest OGL characters can be similar to Fafhrd and Gray Mouser without years of playing just to reach the flavour you wish. Or you could create something completely new and different and not be pegged into the stereotype adventuring party (like in so many Star Wars Campaign, each with a smuggler/pilot/rogue, an abassador/noble/drama queen, a jedi, and a wookie/gamorian/large alien copilot). The lack of a true class or level system allows for incredible flexibility in creating characters. It is relaxing and relieving to have such options.
The book itself only adds to the rules presented in MRQ, so you still need at least the main book to play, but the city guide, world guide and bestiary provide so much great flavour detailing the setting very well and open enough for room for GM creation, future supplements and adventures or just left blank in a fog of a "who knows what is really beyond those mountains" vibe.
However, the book lacks art. I mean it has art, but not good art. The art is substandard compared to earlier Newhon books and it is sad. The cover is blah and bland, lacks depth or emotion. The interior page design is not horribly done, but the art chosen gives more of a vibe of the bikers from Every Which Way But Loose stuck in the setting from the Gor novels (and that is not a good thing). Earlier works on Newhon by TSR hired good artists, this book would have been a easy 5 stars if they would have even included art from the stock art companies so common these days, such as Octivariate.
However I still suggest this book for anyone look for a setting (for MRQ or other systems) or for anyone who wants to put together their own world book for their own setting, as this is a good example.
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他の国からのトップレビュー
Christopher S. Barnhart
Other then the art A+
2008年8月21日にアメリカ合衆国でレビュー済みAmazonで購入
