Neo
Mongoose
Okay.. latest books have come rolling in (Cheers Alex and Nick <g>)
So first new review..
CONAN: TITO's TRADING POST
This is a 96 page hardback, written by the very talented Vincent Darlage, indeed its nice that this relatively thin book gets a hardbound approach as many companies would have put out such a tome as a perfect bound..so kudos to mongoose on that front as I for one love the hardbacks. The Cover depicts a very seedy if somewhat chubby looking merchant "Tito" of the books title, showing his best selection of weapons and is proudly showing yhe viewer a fine steel blade.. indeed looking at it you can almost hear him saying "go ahead..feel the weight..I assure you no finer made weapon will you find anywhere for a thousand miles...a bargain at only.. how much did you say you had"? [/u]
The pages are laid out in the usual two column format, usual fonts for the conan sourcebooks Indeed the pages have the typical stylised borders and parchment appearance however unlike every book I have personally seen so far for the Conan line via playtesting (which is some but by no means all) this one is black and white and not colour.
The book is broken down into the following chapters
Introduction
Clothing and Equipment
Hyborian Age Weapons
Armour and Shields
War Machines
Unusual Items
Herbs and Poisons
Alchemical Items
Merchant and Craft Guilds
Hirelings and Slaves
Non Player Characters
License
Here follows a brief idea of what can e found in each chapter, first up is the Good and Services chapter. This chapter contains all manner of clothing from belts, cloaks, mqke up, loin cloths, tunics, turbans, animal skins and much much more all in all some 82 clothing items alone! Also in this chapter standard adventuring gear, backpacks, sewing needles, chalk, chain, spades, whetstones and so forth a fairly general selection of standard "handy" items. Next come the Siege tools selection, builders kits, hand bores, sappers kits, through to Standards can be found among those. Then come the Containers and Carriers that include everything from waterskins, barrels, iron pots through to sacks and pouches. Then the Illumination selection for those needing to see in the shadowy places, braziers, lamps, torches and the likes are among these items. Next the Class Tools and Skill Kits, essentially those items that are of most use for those with a craft or profession, everything from a bloodletting kit for a physician to thieves tools for your less lawful individuals. The next part of this chapter I liked personally it covers Comforts and Games here you will find not only a selection of toys and pastimes, but also the rules to play some of them. You'd think by now the book must be more than 96 pages..but there is still more in this chapter believe it or not! Property[/u[ is covered next and includes the costs of houses from a lowly hovel up to a Kings Castle...for those heroes who have managed to not spend all thier loot on beer and women and save enough to buy them (wierdos ) Then you'll find a brief mention of Spells for Hire for those who want to enlist the magical favours of those wierd, tainted and foreign scholars and priests who are willing to sell such services...though you can bet your life it will take more than money to get such services. Then there is Food and Lodging covering the costs of meals and drink from the specifics (chees, bread, wine etc..) to the generic (meals per day, banquet (per person) and so forth. Then Vehicles covers the Carts, Carracks, Wagons and Galleys commonly found for sale, which perhaps expectedly is folllowed by Mounts and Related Equipment to details the costs of horses, dogs, camels, warhorses and thier tack. Following on from this is a brief selection of Shemite Goods tito sells like a Coffee kit or nomads tent. The following section of this chapter is fairly interesting covering Buying Goods in Bulk essentially this is for those budding traders out there, it lists goods available by regions and thier prices, goods are listed as common, uncommon and Exotic, and this p[retty much completes the content of the first chapter alone!
The next chapter Hyborian Age Weapons here many weapons both simple, martial and exotic, which are in turn again sub divided into light melee, one handed melee, two handed melee, and ranged weapons in categories. Here everything from a Falme Knife through to an Arbalest or Flamberge can be found detailed. Discussion on the Strength application for bows can be found in this cahpter also as can Primitive Weapons that are found among some of the more primitive tribes of the world, simple bronze weapons and simple hatchets. Then a selection of Akbitanan Weapons is presented covering Poinards and Arning Swords, Sabres and Tulwars of akbitanan production who are experts in weaponsmithing. this is followed up by some selected Improvised Weapons always handy for the obligatory bar brawl and the damage for cups, flagons, vases and chairs can be found here. This is is followed up by the final sub section of this chapter Silver Weapons always useful for those with money to spare or a supernatural horror to confront.
The third chapter of the book Armours and Shield provides a plethora of armours for sale categorised into Light, Medium and Heavy selections but also the addition of a Helmet category, which is nice. among the light armours are Horse hide jerkins, and quilted jerkins as well as others, from the medium category breastplates, brigandine coats and scale corselets are presented, and from the heavy category many mail plus ??? combinations and plate armour as well as others can be found. Discussion on layering armour and armour qualities is also found in this chapter as well as the time for putting on and removing armour. Next here can be found the Shields there arent many but those there are are sensible. The final section of this chapter covers Horse Bardings, essentially any horse can have any armour available to a man it simply costs more due to the size and specialty of its design.
The fourth (no not the Forth... thats SST ) chapter War MAchines is a must have shopping lists for those Warmongers out there hell bent on conquest.. yes you in the back there... :shock: Here the statistics and details of a selection of war machines can be found from a Stygian War Chariot and the like with rules on chariot movement and combat through to a section on more standard machines of war like Ballistae, Cauldrons, Ladders and Rams.
The Fifth chapter of this book Unusual Items is pretty much what it says on the tin a selection of not strictly magical but certainly odd or difficult to come by items that dont sit well in any other category like Animal Mummies, Black Candles of Set, Canopic Jars and Coffin Sarcophagi to name but a few. Some fo these can be found in the Stygia sourcebook so we didn't really see the need to repeat them here but here they can be found all the same, this chapter isnt particularly long but makes for an interesting read all the same.
That brings us next to the sixth chapter Herbs and Poisons fairly self explanatory in content this chapter details some 27 herbs thier type (weed, fruit, mushroom etc..), thier availability DC for those trying to find them and thier Features DC and effect for those who are trying to get the benefits from these herbs with thier Craft (herbalism) skill. Indeed some of these herbs can be downright useful from the Acacia that can be fund on the decidious trees of the same name that can be used to cure some damage to your hit points through to the likes of Mandrakes root that when harvested only under the light of a full moon can provide a batch which if prepared properly can boost the imbibers intellect for a time and provide resistance to magical attacks. It is not easy to harvest these nor is it east to bring out thier properties but for those diehard herbalists who take the effort they will be rewarded with benefits that can make thier lives easier and more importantly save thier and thier companions very lives. Next are detailed the Herbal Preparations of a more specific type and thier effects like the Black Draught, Opium Narcinthe and Love Potions to name but a few. It should also be noted that Lotus of all varieties and its effects are detailed in this chapter toobe it blossom, juice, powder or wine of all manner of colours and effects. Perhaps somewhat expectedly discussion on the addictive qualities of Lotus and other opiates and herbs can be foudn here too. This is followed be Natural Poisons thier use, effects, manner of delivery, danger of use, difficulty to produce or cost to purchase, indeed some 24 natural poisons are included the likes of Digitalis, Hemlock, Stonefish and Wolfsbane as well as many more.
Then we have our seventh chapter Alchemical Items here ytou will find discussion and costs for the process and requirements of outfitting an Alchemists laboratory, Archeronian Demon fire and its effects, Grave Dust, Guardian Orbs, Blue Devils Flame, Hellfire Puffballs and many other wondrous and hellish alchemical concoctions, thier cost and difficulty to produce.
In the eighth chapter Crafting Items you will fidn new and recapped rules for crafting for those who wish to produce thier own goods or gather thier own ingredients. Also here are rules for Complex crafting that require multiple skill check successes in order to produce various items. It makes for an interesting read and is nice and simple to use.
The ninth chapter Merchants and Craft Guilds discusses how guilds work, thier ranks, and benefits and although none are specifically detailed the intent is more to provide you the information and tools necessary to create your own. It is not a particularly long chapter but again the information is simple, useful and sensible.
In the tenth chapter Hirelings and Slaves the answer to all those "So how much does a 5th level Argosian Slave girl with a high Charisma" type questions will finally be answered as details for various slave types and thier respective costs based on thier class levels can be found. indeed it isnt just based on levels which is nice thier attributes (no the others ones..her eyes are up here ) also affect thier price as they should. also here the costs of various hirelings from soldiers, specialists and craftment of varying ability can be found as well as details regarding hireling loyalty. Ever wondered just how far they will go for you for the paltry 3sp per day you pay your officer would go? now you will know for sure. Also details and when and how to advance your hirelings is discussed, which I felt was a nice addition.
Which brings us finally to the eleventh chapter Non Player Characters This is one of those really handy chapters (which would make a great download..nudge, nudge, wink, wink Mongeese ) It details and provides statistics not only for the downright sinister looking Master Tito, Licensed Master Shipman of Argos himself, but also the statistics for a whole bunch of craftsmen and Merchants from the varying regions like Cimmerian Craftsmen, Shemite Swordsmiths, Argossean Merchants, Stygian Merchants and morec.. these are broken down into the quality and ranks provided in the Merchants and Crafts Guild chapter. These are all handy to use straight from the book when you need a generic merchant handy during play.
PRO'S
Okay so what are the pro's of the book, well it isnt huge but it does nevertheless contain and absolute mass of information all of which is useful to players and GM's alike. This is definitely one of those books that will find a lot of use from session to session at a table and gives players more options on what to spend thier loot on besides beer and women (once again..wierdo's ). The information onf crafting and merchant guilds, bulk buying and slaves and hirelings along with the expanded craftign rules in particular i found useful (and not only for Conan for those of you out there wondering if there is anythign that may be useful for other games). Also the addition fo the generic craftsmen and merchants stats was a nice touch and will no doubt prove useful to any GM caught on the sly and needing some details on a random merchant the PC's approach.
CON's As I say this book is largely all good though a few things stood out, namely the black and whiteness.. this is the only book i've seen for conan that isnt in colour inside (though there are no doubt others), but I must admit to a slight "awwww" when I opened the book as I was looking forward to the nice colour interiors I've seen up until now. Also the art inside is fairly spare, and what there is is pretty hit and miss. Of most annoyance was the few pictures in the weapons section etc.. that were supposed to illustrate a selection of weapons from those presented in the chapter, they were like pencil sketches and not very detailed. A decent line up illustration of the weapons and armours included would have been nice. Also the Merchants and Crafting Guilds section although short and useful in nature, I cant help but feel a few sample guilds provided would have been of use. And if my Chariots and War Machines can be detailed and rules for thier use provided then why is thier not statistical info (hp etc..) for my horses, wagons, galleys etc..? it may well be foudn in other books to some degree but for a book of this sort it would have been of more use re-presented here, also a little more selection on the properties front like how much does land itself cost? or what about a shop or tavern? or a farm? or tower? or warehouse? a dock? the list goes on. Other things like settlement info, populations, availability of goods, fluctuation of prices do to mass trade or circumstance (like war, famine etc..) would have been nice to be discussed, how much wealth and the max priced goods settlements can provide or purchase would also have been pertinent and handy for such a book. Also the NPC's section statistics for a selection of regional merchants and craftmen was nice but a selection of regional hirelings (soldiers, officers, specialists, slaves) would have been massively of use at the game table. However these ommission although useful do not mean the book as it stands is useless, indeed they would mostly only have added to what is already a good book.
OVERALL
Overall this is a nice book a little on the thin side and not quite as visually pleasing as other book I've seen in the Conan line.. It is as I have noted above a useful book that by its very nature will mean it will find plenty of use and useability at the table during sessions.
Indeed perhaps its only unforgiveable aspect is that it is the first conan product I have seen with a boob count of zero... I could have cried its not natural I tell ya!
Visability 5 out of 5 certainly not ugly but the art is sparse and hit and miss and its black and white, still it has the nice borders, parchment effect and a great cover so not all bad.
Content 8 out of 10 as noted above this book has a LOT in it for such a small book, but could have covered more so I took a point off from that. And I never give a book more than 9 for this anyway as there is always room for improvement whatever the book
Structure 9 out of 10 some things are difficult to find and although small and index would have helped but most things are relatively quick to find once your in the right chapter.
Overall 8 out of 10 a very nice, very handy book that is an asset to GMs and players alike, expect to have this book thumbed through regularly..fortunately its sturdy enough to take the constant punsihment Another good book from Vincent, kudos man.
So first new review..
CONAN: TITO's TRADING POST
This is a 96 page hardback, written by the very talented Vincent Darlage, indeed its nice that this relatively thin book gets a hardbound approach as many companies would have put out such a tome as a perfect bound..so kudos to mongoose on that front as I for one love the hardbacks. The Cover depicts a very seedy if somewhat chubby looking merchant "Tito" of the books title, showing his best selection of weapons and is proudly showing yhe viewer a fine steel blade.. indeed looking at it you can almost hear him saying "go ahead..feel the weight..I assure you no finer made weapon will you find anywhere for a thousand miles...a bargain at only.. how much did you say you had"? [/u]
The pages are laid out in the usual two column format, usual fonts for the conan sourcebooks Indeed the pages have the typical stylised borders and parchment appearance however unlike every book I have personally seen so far for the Conan line via playtesting (which is some but by no means all) this one is black and white and not colour.
The book is broken down into the following chapters
Introduction
Clothing and Equipment
Hyborian Age Weapons
Armour and Shields
War Machines
Unusual Items
Herbs and Poisons
Alchemical Items
Merchant and Craft Guilds
Hirelings and Slaves
Non Player Characters
License
Here follows a brief idea of what can e found in each chapter, first up is the Good and Services chapter. This chapter contains all manner of clothing from belts, cloaks, mqke up, loin cloths, tunics, turbans, animal skins and much much more all in all some 82 clothing items alone! Also in this chapter standard adventuring gear, backpacks, sewing needles, chalk, chain, spades, whetstones and so forth a fairly general selection of standard "handy" items. Next come the Siege tools selection, builders kits, hand bores, sappers kits, through to Standards can be found among those. Then come the Containers and Carriers that include everything from waterskins, barrels, iron pots through to sacks and pouches. Then the Illumination selection for those needing to see in the shadowy places, braziers, lamps, torches and the likes are among these items. Next the Class Tools and Skill Kits, essentially those items that are of most use for those with a craft or profession, everything from a bloodletting kit for a physician to thieves tools for your less lawful individuals. The next part of this chapter I liked personally it covers Comforts and Games here you will find not only a selection of toys and pastimes, but also the rules to play some of them. You'd think by now the book must be more than 96 pages..but there is still more in this chapter believe it or not! Property[/u[ is covered next and includes the costs of houses from a lowly hovel up to a Kings Castle...for those heroes who have managed to not spend all thier loot on beer and women and save enough to buy them (wierdos ) Then you'll find a brief mention of Spells for Hire for those who want to enlist the magical favours of those wierd, tainted and foreign scholars and priests who are willing to sell such services...though you can bet your life it will take more than money to get such services. Then there is Food and Lodging covering the costs of meals and drink from the specifics (chees, bread, wine etc..) to the generic (meals per day, banquet (per person) and so forth. Then Vehicles covers the Carts, Carracks, Wagons and Galleys commonly found for sale, which perhaps expectedly is folllowed by Mounts and Related Equipment to details the costs of horses, dogs, camels, warhorses and thier tack. Following on from this is a brief selection of Shemite Goods tito sells like a Coffee kit or nomads tent. The following section of this chapter is fairly interesting covering Buying Goods in Bulk essentially this is for those budding traders out there, it lists goods available by regions and thier prices, goods are listed as common, uncommon and Exotic, and this p[retty much completes the content of the first chapter alone!
The next chapter Hyborian Age Weapons here many weapons both simple, martial and exotic, which are in turn again sub divided into light melee, one handed melee, two handed melee, and ranged weapons in categories. Here everything from a Falme Knife through to an Arbalest or Flamberge can be found detailed. Discussion on the Strength application for bows can be found in this cahpter also as can Primitive Weapons that are found among some of the more primitive tribes of the world, simple bronze weapons and simple hatchets. Then a selection of Akbitanan Weapons is presented covering Poinards and Arning Swords, Sabres and Tulwars of akbitanan production who are experts in weaponsmithing. this is followed up by some selected Improvised Weapons always handy for the obligatory bar brawl and the damage for cups, flagons, vases and chairs can be found here. This is is followed up by the final sub section of this chapter Silver Weapons always useful for those with money to spare or a supernatural horror to confront.
The third chapter of the book Armours and Shield provides a plethora of armours for sale categorised into Light, Medium and Heavy selections but also the addition of a Helmet category, which is nice. among the light armours are Horse hide jerkins, and quilted jerkins as well as others, from the medium category breastplates, brigandine coats and scale corselets are presented, and from the heavy category many mail plus ??? combinations and plate armour as well as others can be found. Discussion on layering armour and armour qualities is also found in this chapter as well as the time for putting on and removing armour. Next here can be found the Shields there arent many but those there are are sensible. The final section of this chapter covers Horse Bardings, essentially any horse can have any armour available to a man it simply costs more due to the size and specialty of its design.
The fourth (no not the Forth... thats SST ) chapter War MAchines is a must have shopping lists for those Warmongers out there hell bent on conquest.. yes you in the back there... :shock: Here the statistics and details of a selection of war machines can be found from a Stygian War Chariot and the like with rules on chariot movement and combat through to a section on more standard machines of war like Ballistae, Cauldrons, Ladders and Rams.
The Fifth chapter of this book Unusual Items is pretty much what it says on the tin a selection of not strictly magical but certainly odd or difficult to come by items that dont sit well in any other category like Animal Mummies, Black Candles of Set, Canopic Jars and Coffin Sarcophagi to name but a few. Some fo these can be found in the Stygia sourcebook so we didn't really see the need to repeat them here but here they can be found all the same, this chapter isnt particularly long but makes for an interesting read all the same.
That brings us next to the sixth chapter Herbs and Poisons fairly self explanatory in content this chapter details some 27 herbs thier type (weed, fruit, mushroom etc..), thier availability DC for those trying to find them and thier Features DC and effect for those who are trying to get the benefits from these herbs with thier Craft (herbalism) skill. Indeed some of these herbs can be downright useful from the Acacia that can be fund on the decidious trees of the same name that can be used to cure some damage to your hit points through to the likes of Mandrakes root that when harvested only under the light of a full moon can provide a batch which if prepared properly can boost the imbibers intellect for a time and provide resistance to magical attacks. It is not easy to harvest these nor is it east to bring out thier properties but for those diehard herbalists who take the effort they will be rewarded with benefits that can make thier lives easier and more importantly save thier and thier companions very lives. Next are detailed the Herbal Preparations of a more specific type and thier effects like the Black Draught, Opium Narcinthe and Love Potions to name but a few. It should also be noted that Lotus of all varieties and its effects are detailed in this chapter toobe it blossom, juice, powder or wine of all manner of colours and effects. Perhaps somewhat expectedly discussion on the addictive qualities of Lotus and other opiates and herbs can be foudn here too. This is followed be Natural Poisons thier use, effects, manner of delivery, danger of use, difficulty to produce or cost to purchase, indeed some 24 natural poisons are included the likes of Digitalis, Hemlock, Stonefish and Wolfsbane as well as many more.
Then we have our seventh chapter Alchemical Items here ytou will find discussion and costs for the process and requirements of outfitting an Alchemists laboratory, Archeronian Demon fire and its effects, Grave Dust, Guardian Orbs, Blue Devils Flame, Hellfire Puffballs and many other wondrous and hellish alchemical concoctions, thier cost and difficulty to produce.
In the eighth chapter Crafting Items you will fidn new and recapped rules for crafting for those who wish to produce thier own goods or gather thier own ingredients. Also here are rules for Complex crafting that require multiple skill check successes in order to produce various items. It makes for an interesting read and is nice and simple to use.
The ninth chapter Merchants and Craft Guilds discusses how guilds work, thier ranks, and benefits and although none are specifically detailed the intent is more to provide you the information and tools necessary to create your own. It is not a particularly long chapter but again the information is simple, useful and sensible.
In the tenth chapter Hirelings and Slaves the answer to all those "So how much does a 5th level Argosian Slave girl with a high Charisma" type questions will finally be answered as details for various slave types and thier respective costs based on thier class levels can be found. indeed it isnt just based on levels which is nice thier attributes (no the others ones..her eyes are up here ) also affect thier price as they should. also here the costs of various hirelings from soldiers, specialists and craftment of varying ability can be found as well as details regarding hireling loyalty. Ever wondered just how far they will go for you for the paltry 3sp per day you pay your officer would go? now you will know for sure. Also details and when and how to advance your hirelings is discussed, which I felt was a nice addition.
Which brings us finally to the eleventh chapter Non Player Characters This is one of those really handy chapters (which would make a great download..nudge, nudge, wink, wink Mongeese ) It details and provides statistics not only for the downright sinister looking Master Tito, Licensed Master Shipman of Argos himself, but also the statistics for a whole bunch of craftsmen and Merchants from the varying regions like Cimmerian Craftsmen, Shemite Swordsmiths, Argossean Merchants, Stygian Merchants and morec.. these are broken down into the quality and ranks provided in the Merchants and Crafts Guild chapter. These are all handy to use straight from the book when you need a generic merchant handy during play.
PRO'S
Okay so what are the pro's of the book, well it isnt huge but it does nevertheless contain and absolute mass of information all of which is useful to players and GM's alike. This is definitely one of those books that will find a lot of use from session to session at a table and gives players more options on what to spend thier loot on besides beer and women (once again..wierdo's ). The information onf crafting and merchant guilds, bulk buying and slaves and hirelings along with the expanded craftign rules in particular i found useful (and not only for Conan for those of you out there wondering if there is anythign that may be useful for other games). Also the addition fo the generic craftsmen and merchants stats was a nice touch and will no doubt prove useful to any GM caught on the sly and needing some details on a random merchant the PC's approach.
CON's As I say this book is largely all good though a few things stood out, namely the black and whiteness.. this is the only book i've seen for conan that isnt in colour inside (though there are no doubt others), but I must admit to a slight "awwww" when I opened the book as I was looking forward to the nice colour interiors I've seen up until now. Also the art inside is fairly spare, and what there is is pretty hit and miss. Of most annoyance was the few pictures in the weapons section etc.. that were supposed to illustrate a selection of weapons from those presented in the chapter, they were like pencil sketches and not very detailed. A decent line up illustration of the weapons and armours included would have been nice. Also the Merchants and Crafting Guilds section although short and useful in nature, I cant help but feel a few sample guilds provided would have been of use. And if my Chariots and War Machines can be detailed and rules for thier use provided then why is thier not statistical info (hp etc..) for my horses, wagons, galleys etc..? it may well be foudn in other books to some degree but for a book of this sort it would have been of more use re-presented here, also a little more selection on the properties front like how much does land itself cost? or what about a shop or tavern? or a farm? or tower? or warehouse? a dock? the list goes on. Other things like settlement info, populations, availability of goods, fluctuation of prices do to mass trade or circumstance (like war, famine etc..) would have been nice to be discussed, how much wealth and the max priced goods settlements can provide or purchase would also have been pertinent and handy for such a book. Also the NPC's section statistics for a selection of regional merchants and craftmen was nice but a selection of regional hirelings (soldiers, officers, specialists, slaves) would have been massively of use at the game table. However these ommission although useful do not mean the book as it stands is useless, indeed they would mostly only have added to what is already a good book.
OVERALL
Overall this is a nice book a little on the thin side and not quite as visually pleasing as other book I've seen in the Conan line.. It is as I have noted above a useful book that by its very nature will mean it will find plenty of use and useability at the table during sessions.
Indeed perhaps its only unforgiveable aspect is that it is the first conan product I have seen with a boob count of zero... I could have cried its not natural I tell ya!
Visability 5 out of 5 certainly not ugly but the art is sparse and hit and miss and its black and white, still it has the nice borders, parchment effect and a great cover so not all bad.
Content 8 out of 10 as noted above this book has a LOT in it for such a small book, but could have covered more so I took a point off from that. And I never give a book more than 9 for this anyway as there is always room for improvement whatever the book
Structure 9 out of 10 some things are difficult to find and although small and index would have helped but most things are relatively quick to find once your in the right chapter.
Overall 8 out of 10 a very nice, very handy book that is an asset to GMs and players alike, expect to have this book thumbed through regularly..fortunately its sturdy enough to take the constant punsihment Another good book from Vincent, kudos man.