UZ review?
- Thread starter Tal
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sidkfjjteidlkkf
Mongoose
cannot give you one, as I just ordered it myself. I am really looking forward to it though. I love having trolls as nemesis...
CharlieMonster
Mongoose
Has anyone had there Uz book yet as I am still waiting for mine?
sidkfjjteidlkkf
Mongoose
Mine shipped Tuesday from FRPGames. WIll give a run down when I get it.
Trolls: A Guide to the Uz
This is the equivalent to Trollpack for RQ2/3 or the heroQuest Uz supplement and covers similar ground.
It is written from the point of view of an EWF scholar, so it is biased and may contain inaccuracies. I am not particularly impressed with this approach as I prefer my sources to be neutral.
It is split into four chapters - The Uz, Troll Communities, Playing the Uz and Uz Religion.
Then Uz covers the main subspecies of trolls, the Uzuz, Uzko, Enlo, Uzdo, Romal but not Ice Trolls, Jungle Trolls or Sea Trolls. It covers the UzUz in some detail, also calling them Ancients, Mistress Trolls and Matriarch Trolls, which might be a bit confusing for someone who has never encountered trolls before. Dark Trolls (Uzko), Trollkin (Enlo), Great Trolls (Uzdo) and Cave Trolls (Romal) are covered in some detail. Gloranthan trolls have Darksense now, not Darksight, which is better. Other topics covered here are Troll Diet, Uz Culture (containing Troll Names, Slavery, Language), The Mindset of the Uz (containing Battle and Family & Community) and Uz History (containing The Age of Sun Death, The True darkness, First AgeThe Deceiver and Curent Imperial Age). Some of these are a bit potted, with a couple of paragraphs and some are very detailed. Uz Slavery takes up 3 and a half pages, for instance. Some of the side-bars are quite difficult to read, having a small scrunched-up font, which makes a lot of the detail harder to access. If you want to know what kinds of trollkin there are or how trolls fight then this is where you will find it. Uz History is a bit sketchy, nowhere as detailed as in the original Book of Uz, but that information is freely available on the interenet so it's not such a bad omission.
Troll Communities covers Dagori Inkarth (including The Indigo Tribe, First tribe, Black banner Tribe, Sundered Eye Tribe, Starmetal Eaters and a mapped description of the Opal Seer Cavern near Skyfall Lake), The Shadow Plateau (including Culture and Camp of the Crooked Spear) and Snow Trolls and Jungle Trolls (including potted descriptions, no stats, Frozen North, Pamaltela and The Gathering at Spearpoint). The three troll settlements described are interesting as they cover three different types of trolls. Theer are no maps of troll areas, which is a shame as it would have been nice to see what Second Age Dagori Inkarth or Shadow Plateau looked like. The other main areas of troll settlement are not even mentioned, let alone covered.
Playing the Uz has rules for playing different types of trolls. Uz Characteristics contains stats, backgrounds and equipment for Trollkin, Dark Trolls, Ancient Race Trolls and Great Trolls. It describes Darksense, Trollhide and Tusks. There is a useful section on Runes that gives extra rules on attuning runes. There are a few omissions, I would say that Argan Argar cultists could attune Fire and Heat runes as could slave Lodril cultists. Roleplaying the Uz contains sections on why you would want to play Uz, citing reasons of Acting, Behaviour, Religion, Coin, Redemption, Salvation, Blood Glory, Secrets, Knowledge and Freedom. These are interesting, but I'm not sure how much they add to Uz in Glorantha.
Uz Religion covers the main TYroll Gods and a section on HeroQuesting against the trolls from a Jrusteli viewpoint. The Gods described are Argan Argar, Kyger Litor, Xiola Umbar and Zorak Zoran, although their cults are not given here as they are in Cults of Glorantha 2, Gods/Cults detailed are The Black Sun, Gorakiki, Himile, Subere and Xentha. Some minor troll gods are briefly describied in single paragraphs, these are Arkat, Orani Mor (Aranea), Zong, Bostaking, Gadblad, Hombobobom, Jakaboom, Vaneekara, Dehore, Jeset, Kropa, Krolar and Karrg, although no spells are given for these deities, which is a shame as they have spells in other versions of RQ.
So, overall impressions are that it is not as detailed as Trollpack, has no maps of troll areas, skips on the history and culture and does not cover the troll deities in any detail. However, as an independent supplement, it stands on it own merits. For RQM players and GMs it gives a good, well-rounded background for playing trolls. Combined with the Players Guide to Glorantha and Cults of Glorantha 2 it has most of what you would need to play trolls. Hopefully the other cults and settings will come out in future supplements.
Physically, it is a sturdy book, the one I had didn't have problems with the bindings, but didn't lay flat which was a little bit inconvenient. I had to crack the spine a bit when opening it, which I don't like doing, but it didn't split. The front cover is pretty enough, having some trolls, and there were a lot of illustrations of troll inside, all of which looked like classic Gloranthan trolls.
So, if you want to play/GM trolls in Mongoose's RQ, then buy this. If you have Trollpack and wondered if it is worth buying this as well, then I'd have a serious think about what you want from a supplement. It doesn't really contain anything over and above Trollpack and you don't really need both, unless you want to use RQM's new Backgrounds and character generation.
This is the equivalent to Trollpack for RQ2/3 or the heroQuest Uz supplement and covers similar ground.
It is written from the point of view of an EWF scholar, so it is biased and may contain inaccuracies. I am not particularly impressed with this approach as I prefer my sources to be neutral.
It is split into four chapters - The Uz, Troll Communities, Playing the Uz and Uz Religion.
Then Uz covers the main subspecies of trolls, the Uzuz, Uzko, Enlo, Uzdo, Romal but not Ice Trolls, Jungle Trolls or Sea Trolls. It covers the UzUz in some detail, also calling them Ancients, Mistress Trolls and Matriarch Trolls, which might be a bit confusing for someone who has never encountered trolls before. Dark Trolls (Uzko), Trollkin (Enlo), Great Trolls (Uzdo) and Cave Trolls (Romal) are covered in some detail. Gloranthan trolls have Darksense now, not Darksight, which is better. Other topics covered here are Troll Diet, Uz Culture (containing Troll Names, Slavery, Language), The Mindset of the Uz (containing Battle and Family & Community) and Uz History (containing The Age of Sun Death, The True darkness, First AgeThe Deceiver and Curent Imperial Age). Some of these are a bit potted, with a couple of paragraphs and some are very detailed. Uz Slavery takes up 3 and a half pages, for instance. Some of the side-bars are quite difficult to read, having a small scrunched-up font, which makes a lot of the detail harder to access. If you want to know what kinds of trollkin there are or how trolls fight then this is where you will find it. Uz History is a bit sketchy, nowhere as detailed as in the original Book of Uz, but that information is freely available on the interenet so it's not such a bad omission.
Troll Communities covers Dagori Inkarth (including The Indigo Tribe, First tribe, Black banner Tribe, Sundered Eye Tribe, Starmetal Eaters and a mapped description of the Opal Seer Cavern near Skyfall Lake), The Shadow Plateau (including Culture and Camp of the Crooked Spear) and Snow Trolls and Jungle Trolls (including potted descriptions, no stats, Frozen North, Pamaltela and The Gathering at Spearpoint). The three troll settlements described are interesting as they cover three different types of trolls. Theer are no maps of troll areas, which is a shame as it would have been nice to see what Second Age Dagori Inkarth or Shadow Plateau looked like. The other main areas of troll settlement are not even mentioned, let alone covered.
Playing the Uz has rules for playing different types of trolls. Uz Characteristics contains stats, backgrounds and equipment for Trollkin, Dark Trolls, Ancient Race Trolls and Great Trolls. It describes Darksense, Trollhide and Tusks. There is a useful section on Runes that gives extra rules on attuning runes. There are a few omissions, I would say that Argan Argar cultists could attune Fire and Heat runes as could slave Lodril cultists. Roleplaying the Uz contains sections on why you would want to play Uz, citing reasons of Acting, Behaviour, Religion, Coin, Redemption, Salvation, Blood Glory, Secrets, Knowledge and Freedom. These are interesting, but I'm not sure how much they add to Uz in Glorantha.
Uz Religion covers the main TYroll Gods and a section on HeroQuesting against the trolls from a Jrusteli viewpoint. The Gods described are Argan Argar, Kyger Litor, Xiola Umbar and Zorak Zoran, although their cults are not given here as they are in Cults of Glorantha 2, Gods/Cults detailed are The Black Sun, Gorakiki, Himile, Subere and Xentha. Some minor troll gods are briefly describied in single paragraphs, these are Arkat, Orani Mor (Aranea), Zong, Bostaking, Gadblad, Hombobobom, Jakaboom, Vaneekara, Dehore, Jeset, Kropa, Krolar and Karrg, although no spells are given for these deities, which is a shame as they have spells in other versions of RQ.
So, overall impressions are that it is not as detailed as Trollpack, has no maps of troll areas, skips on the history and culture and does not cover the troll deities in any detail. However, as an independent supplement, it stands on it own merits. For RQM players and GMs it gives a good, well-rounded background for playing trolls. Combined with the Players Guide to Glorantha and Cults of Glorantha 2 it has most of what you would need to play trolls. Hopefully the other cults and settings will come out in future supplements.
Physically, it is a sturdy book, the one I had didn't have problems with the bindings, but didn't lay flat which was a little bit inconvenient. I had to crack the spine a bit when opening it, which I don't like doing, but it didn't split. The front cover is pretty enough, having some trolls, and there were a lot of illustrations of troll inside, all of which looked like classic Gloranthan trolls.
So, if you want to play/GM trolls in Mongoose's RQ, then buy this. If you have Trollpack and wondered if it is worth buying this as well, then I'd have a serious think about what you want from a supplement. It doesn't really contain anything over and above Trollpack and you don't really need both, unless you want to use RQM's new Backgrounds and character generation.
gamesmeister
Banded Mongoose
Excellent review Simon, thanks for the info.
I have the original, but like you I'll be picking this up for any new snippets of info, just because I can't help myself....
I have the original, but like you I'll be picking this up for any new snippets of info, just because I can't help myself....
I got mine yesterday. I had the same experience as Simon. My book cover was a little warped, and it appears that someone took a razor to the first page.
I am very pleased with the content however. I have nothing to add to Simon's review. But I think it will be very useful for both playing the Uz, and useing them as enemies.
Though now I have to buy Cults 2 for Kyger Litor, and others. But that's ok. I was planning to anyways.
I am very pleased with the content however. I have nothing to add to Simon's review. But I think it will be very useful for both playing the Uz, and useing them as enemies.
Though now I have to buy Cults 2 for Kyger Litor, and others. But that's ok. I was planning to anyways.
sidkfjjteidlkkf
Mongoose
Got mine too, with a little warped cover, but it is a good book.
There are quite a few spells in it, and character generation for trolls. A few god descriptions, and some giant insects. There is some fluff but not a lot...
There are quite a few spells in it, and character generation for trolls. A few god descriptions, and some giant insects. There is some fluff but not a lot...
duncan_disorderly
Mongoose
Rasta said:
Yeah, What sort of RQ publishers are Mongoose, not including a copy of KL at every available opportunity?
Just bought my copy yesterday.
My initial reactions:
The book IS useful, but it reads more as a manual for GMs to play Uz than for players.
Unlike Simon, I liked the way the book is written from human perspectives. The EWF written section covers psychology, warfare, etc.
The religion section is written from the POV of a God Learner.
Both POVs add to the GM's awareness of how the two empires operate and interact.
However, there's very little written from the Uz POV. What there is comes in the form of quoted interviews with individual Uz, who may or may not be representative of the general run of Uz thinking.
Bear in mind, Uz interviewees as presented in this book, are unusual individuals encountered away from the dominant Uz culture.
I would have liked to see more information on Uz culture from the Uz (and therefore the players') perspective.
OTOH, there is plenty of well written (and thought provoking) information on the net, eg http://www.wam.umd.edu/~gerakkag/rq.html
In conclusion, this book isn't Trollpak, but still worth the money.
My initial reactions:
The book IS useful, but it reads more as a manual for GMs to play Uz than for players.
Unlike Simon, I liked the way the book is written from human perspectives. The EWF written section covers psychology, warfare, etc.
The religion section is written from the POV of a God Learner.
Both POVs add to the GM's awareness of how the two empires operate and interact.
However, there's very little written from the Uz POV. What there is comes in the form of quoted interviews with individual Uz, who may or may not be representative of the general run of Uz thinking.
Bear in mind, Uz interviewees as presented in this book, are unusual individuals encountered away from the dominant Uz culture.
I would have liked to see more information on Uz culture from the Uz (and therefore the players') perspective.
OTOH, there is plenty of well written (and thought provoking) information on the net, eg http://www.wam.umd.edu/~gerakkag/rq.html
In conclusion, this book isn't Trollpak, but still worth the money.
