[HOE] Shattered Coast Review [long]

[Thomas Mayfield <dragonboyblue@mindspring.com>]

Alright, here is my long-promised review of Shattered Coast.  Obviously,
this is all IMnsHO, and these are my thoughts and comments alone.  Please
feel free to comment back.

Shattered Coast is a 128-page sourcebook for the Hell on Earth setting.  It
covers the area of the Great Maze, circa 2094.  The Posse section is a
collection of various Librarian interviews concerning the Maze.  There is a
good bit more posse and background info in here than was inculded in Iron
Oasis.  While there is a brief section on the Librarians here, the real
dirt on them is in No Man's Land, as those not initiated into the order
know very little about it.  Next is a large section on Lynchburg, the only
surviving city in the Maze.  The town is well-fleshed out and well-thought
out.  However, the map of Lynchburg appears to have been cut off
somewhat...  The rest of the posse information covers all the major locals
in the Maze: Turtle Isle, Movie Town, Purgatory, and Lost Angels (yes,
people live there).  Also included is information on the major pirate
groups operating, natural hazards, and unnatural hazards (eg, abominations).

Moving on to No Man's Land, we find all the player's dirt on the Librarians
and rules for ship-to-ship combat.  The Librarians' section, though short,
contains all a player would need to know.  It also contains one of my beefs
with the book.  Arcane powers for Librarians?  Arcane Background:
Librarian?   The powers are Templar-level in terms of power, but I really
think that the atmosphere was hurt by including them.  They really do seem
a bit silly, especially Bibliopathy, which allows your Librarian to channel
and gain the skills of literary characters.  Yeah, I know Marshal's caveat,
and they won't go in my game, but still!  The water combat rules use the
same basic system as the land and air combat.  Thankfully, PEG has chosen
to not reprint the movement system a third time.  There are statistics
included for the most common watercraft of the Maze.

Spoilers for the Marshal's section- players, git.








The Marshal's section contains the lowdown on the major players of the
Maze.  The full deal on the Croakers is here, as well as the stats for the
monsters and natural dangers mentioned in the Posse section.  It turns out
the posse section misleads the players a bit more than normal.  A good deal
of the things the players "learned" in their section are misleading or
plain red herrings.  As a Marshal, I like this.  It adds depth to the local
through their own local legends and myths, plus keeps the players on their
toes.  Oh, yes: the Librarians do indeed have a secret agenda, but it's not
what you think...

Overall, I was extremely please with this book.  I hope that PEG continues
to put out sourcebooks of this caliber.  Comments and bio-feedback are
welcome!

-Evil Marshal Mayfield


---------------------------
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