Slayers
Guide to Hobgoblins
A d20 Supplement
for the 3rd Edition Dungeons and Dragons game
Written by Matthew Sprange
Illustrations/design
by Anne Stokes, Chris Quilliams, Nathan Webb and Ulrik Witchass
Additional text by Teresa Capsey, Mack Brewer, Garrick Peterson
ISBN 1-903980-00-3
RRP £5.00
Mongoose Publishing
MGP0001
'This book
might just save your life' - so says the byline. Well, it will
certainly encourage Games Masters to use monsters with intelligence
and cunning, so it actually might just kill you!!!
The Slayers
Guides are a new d20 sourcebook series from UK newcomers Mongoose
Publishing. Rather than publish yet another d20 adventure, they
have decided to produce source books that flesh out the basic
game. Starting with the age old foe of many an adventuring party,
the Hobgoblin, they intend to give GMs everywhere a new slant
on standard 'monsters'.
The first
offering is 32 pages of history, society, tactics, adventure hooks
and above all, atmosphere. Well illustrated throughout (better
than many official products) and well written, you may end up
reading this book cover to cover in one sitting! It reminds me
of the older Middle Earth supplements from ICE, with its depth
and interest.
Looking deeper,
the book provides a good rationale for the Hobgoblins existence,
describing their ecology, habitat, preferences and culture to
a level that is interesting and insightful without being too deep
and meaningful. After reading about their tactics, technology
and command structure, the GM will be able to use these creatures
effectively in large and small scale encounters that will keep
the party on their toes. Interesting ideas about tribal 'politics'
give a good insight into the Hobgoblin 'nation' and its culture,
providing great seeds for single adventures and campaign interaction
too.
So, why do
we need this book? Well, some of us GMs don't need it. We can
come up with loads of ideas for our npc and monster encounters
which are atmospheric and don't just portray foes as experience
point generators. But most of us either haven't got the time or
simply haven't got the inclination to go into such detail. Thats
where this book wins. It provides ideas to round out games that
may otherwise become tarnished. It makes players think twice before
launching an attack on simple 'monsters'. It makes it MORE FUN
to roleplay.
There has
to be a downside doesn't there?..... Well, apart from the disappointing
colour reproduction of the really great cover art, not really.
At £5.00 (or there abouts) its a really good buy. It is
a first product for this company, and they will undoubtedly see
lots of things they can improve in small ways, but really, they
don't need to change a lot.
We like this!
8.5/10
Andy Warner
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