Got my copy in the mail today!
A few observations from my first brief read-through follow. Note that I've only skimmed the text of the books, so I may have to reconsider my findings later.
1. Boxed sets are nice! Opening this box brings back memories of the Greyhawk "From the Ashes" boxed set (actually, the two boxes have kinda the same dark red color). The box itself is sturdy cardboard.
2. Production values are high. I haven't seen any particularly glaring typos yet. However, only the first book is in color, the other two are black-and-white. I don't mind the adventure book (book 3) being b&w, but I'd prefer the second book (NPCs, feats and monsters) to be in color, as well.
3. The cover painting is nice and evocative.
4. There are a dozen full-color NPC cards, with a picture on the front and stats on the back; as well as perhaps 50-60 (full-color) counters to use along with mini "battlemats" (tavern rooms, temples, etc.). Nice!
5. The city map is a huge poster, quite nice but skimpy on details (only 6 locations are named on the map, excepting the city gates)...
6. There are a lot of pre-made NPCs in books 1 & 2, just like Across Thunder River had for Picts, only this time it's thieves, slavers, assassins, merchants, prostitutes, etc. I like this a lot, as I save a ton of work preparing adventures.
7. I didn't like the paintings of the NPCs in Book 1. They're done in a special style that just looks weird. Give us more art by Quilliams!
8. I had high hopes for the adventure in Book 3, hoping it would be a mini-campaign that could last for several adventures. Turns out it is a rather short adventure that I envision will only last for a few sessions. The plot also seems pretty linear (based on my brief reading of the adventure summary). This was a bit of a disappointment. That said, the DM should be able to make plenty of his own adventures in Shadizar with the info in Books 1 and 2.
9. The Bestiary contains quite a bland collection of creatures. Nothing really memorable, IMHO.
10. There are a lot of new feats. With each book in the Conan RPG line adding 20-30 feats, things are perhaps getting a bit complicated to keep track of for the poor DM... but options are always nice.
In sum, although I have a few gripes, the goodies (Book 1 & 2, the NPCs, the counters, and the maps) make this a good product for city-based campaigns.
More later... back to reading...
- thulsa