Argos & Zingara

[The King]

I received today this book (and have now all of them ).

Browsing through I like the subjects and the maps of the cities which are very good. If Mongoose keeps on this trend, this wil be great for future books.

I have 2 critics however:
- 96 pages for 2 kingdoms is too few because these nations are ripe with adventures opportunities and I am sure Vincent had more detailed descriptions and background information.
- The is no maps of either kingdoms which is very very odd. A map of each kingdom on each inner cover wouldn't have hurt.

I don't know why it is thus but if there were some high coveted awards for the rpg industry, Mongoose would loose any chance because of that.

Please Mongoose give us back 200 pages regional books (with one or 2 adventures).

 

[caldan]

I was thinking of getting this book, but I wont bother now I think I have enough info in Messantia and Road of Kings. I really believe it would add to the book if they a included a scenario as in ATR. And the map issue is a continuing frustration :roll:
What happens to all the stuff that is left out of these books? I know S&P gets a small amount but what about the rest.

 

[Valaryc]

No maps ?!?!?!

i liked the maps in the Aquilonia book for example...what is this map problem with mongoose ?!?!?!?!?!?

just 96 pages and not even one map ?????

seems this is no "value for money".....for me a "no buy"

 

[Dpetroc]

I have both Argos/Zingara and Shem. Yes, both are mapless. It seems particularly frustrating with Shem. Both books have merit without the maps and I'm happy I have them.

Mongoose really has done great disservice to Conan fans by cutting out so much of Vincent's work and reducing the number of area and city maps.

Calls to release the material in S&P seem to go unheeded...

 

[The King]

No maps ?!?!?!

i liked the maps in the Aquilonia book for example...what is this map problem with mongoose ?!?!?!?!?!?

just 96 pages and not even one map ?????

seems this is no "value for money".....for me a "no buy"

In fact there are city maps (Kordava, Tortage and some others) which are excellent.

It is short but crowded with good stuff.

 

[The King]

Calls to release the material in S&P seem to go unheeded...

Perhaps we should ask for a new Sons of Cimmeria programe with the online release of unpublished or edited-out material.

 

[Damien]

I just got the book two days ago (man, I love FRP Games, I got the book from them before my echeck had even cleared!).

Yeah, it is a little short and cramped. My only complaint is the same as above - the lack of regional maps. This was a glaring ommission, in my opinion. One other thing that annoyed me is the repeated text. Way too often I finished a section, only to move on to the next section and see an entire paragraph that I'd already read. If I recall correctly, one particular paragraph appears in its entirety three times in the book. If you're going to say the same thing more than once, at least use different words so my brain doesn't explode.

However, I loved the book. I've loved every Conan book I've bought thus far (which, sadly, is still not all of them - but congrats King, mucho awesome). The information was detailed and useful, with the typical perfect blend of fluff and crunch (I always prefer more of the former).

Is it just me, or did the illustrations in this one also seem more sparce than in earlier Conan supplements? It doesn't bother me, because I prefer text with a few nice pictures rather than taking out text to fit in pictures. But it was something I noticed.


I do want to give huge props to Vincent for one thing that impressed me beyond measure:

His explanation of Feudalism-Manorialism. Vincent's ability to first UNDERSTAND the complexities of the system, and then condense them into something that is generalized while remaining accurate, as well as easy to read, and easy to understand, is actually fairly amazing.

As a student of the subject for over a decade, I fully understand how complicated even a perfunctory reading of the subject really is. And I've spoken with history professors that were unable to condense and simplify the idea as well as Vincent did. Kudos to him for that, as it makes a complicated system of government a lot more accessible to gamers, and therefore more likely to become part of the story.

 

[Padre]

A map-pack supplement would fix so many problems...

 

[FailedSpotCheck]

I second that. More maps, better maps. We need a Hyborian version of Mapquest. :lol:

 

[The King]

A map-pack supplement would fix so many problems...

something like an atlas wouldn't be bad

 

[Valaryc]

Yeah, it is a little short and cramped. My only complaint is the same as above - the lack of regional maps.

One other thing that annoyed me is the repeated text. Way too often I finished a section, only to move on to the next section and see an entire paragraph that I'd already read. If I recall correctly, one particular paragraph appears in its entirety three times in the book.

oh my god...thats definitely a "no buy" for me. few pages..no regional maps (in a REGION book ??? COME ON !!!!!) and page fillers that are a slap in your face ? please mongoose....don't fall on the corruption of easy money brought by lambs that like your product line !!!!!!!

 

[Dpetroc]

I was puzzled a bit by the repeated text. Until I had to look up an entry and realized the entries were encapsulated so that you didin't have to hunt and peck for information you need.

I think the lack of regional maps is distressing -- but not a deal buster for me. The information is very useful when crafting a game in Shem or Argos/Zingara.

 

[Axerules]

I was thinking of getting this book, but I wont bother now I think I have enough info in Messantia and Road of Kings. I really believe it would add to the book if they a included a scenario as in ATR. And the map issue is a continuing frustration :roll:
What happens to all the stuff that is left out of these books? I know S&P gets a small amount but what about the rest.

Like I said it in another thread, I think that if Mongoose needs to edit things out, they should cut out the reprints and not the new material. I can accept a 160 or 200 pages well-written sourcebook with 15 or 20 pages of reprints, but in a 96 pages sourcebook it's too much. And those who, like me, do own Messantia, Pirate Isles and the Hyboria F's will find in this one a lot of text they have already paid for. And with all the flaws in the maps in Road of Kings (no scales, maps different from the written text,...), country maps should definitively be included in the regional books.

 

[The King]

What is curious is that Mongoose edited out a lot of thing (because Vincent had submitted a 160-pages project) but at least they could have edited out unnecessary repetitions in the text. Moreover many parts from the section on the god can be found again in Faith & Fervor.

 

[VincentDarlage]

What is curious is that Mongoose edited out a lot of thing (because Vincent had submitted a 160-pages project) but at least they could have edited out unnecessary repetitions in the text. Moreover many parts from the section on the god can be found again in Faith & Fervor.

Well, I wrote Argos & Zingara before I assembled Faith and Fervour. Technically, it was new when I wrote Argos/Zingara - the books are not published in the order I write them (for example, Shem was written before Stygia and not published until after Argos/Zingara was published).