Customer Reviews

Darksword Adventures: The Complete Guide to Venturing in the Enchanted Realm of Thimhallan (A Bantam Spectra Book)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Darksword Adventures was originally written as a role-playing game supplement based on the Darksword trilogy. As a result, I very nearly bypassed it, since I am not interested in the gaming aspect of Darksword. After thumbing through the book, I decided to buy it and I do not regret it.

Although there is a lot of gaming info in the book, it is easy to skip. Included with the gaming information is a lot of history and explanation of magic in the Darksword world. Anyone who enjoyed reading the trilogy should find this information helpful and interesting.

This book is not essential, but if you are thinking about re-reading the trilogy someday, reading Darksword Adventures first may help to fill in some holes and improve the experience.

What's the deal with using rock, paper, scissors to resolve conflicts? That really threw me. The background material was excellent, but the actual game mechanics seemed awkward. But I never actually got enough people together who wanted to play, so I don't know first hand how well they work (or don't work.)

This book is a must-have for anyone who is a fan of the Darksword Trilogy. It really gives a great deal of insight into the workings of Thimhallan and its magic.
The game itself is a bit cumbersome to play but still a lot of fun. I, for one, would love to see an updated version. Perhaps in hardback. If you actually play the game, the book itself gets worn out after a few sessions.

But I found this addition to the trilogy an excellent companion, adding history and explaing a few things about Simkin. If you are going to read the trilogy, you definitely need to read this book, too.

I now own the whole Darksword series and I am defenitley not dissapointed. Go get 'em!

Nice history. Teaches you more about Thimhallan. Just read the Trilogy

Well,well. I'm some sort of a RPgamer myself and have specialized in weird/uncommon RPG'S. When I learnt there wuz some Dkswd Adv. Rulebook, I couldn't help myself, I HAD to get it. And I loved it. Everything in the background which appealed to all Dkswd Trilogy readers is detailed here. Very detailed, I should say. Definitely a must have for those wishing to understand the mysteries which were only lightly rushed in the novels. I DID playtest it, for those of you who're interested in playability. Well my players hadn't read the novels, but they all thought the background wuz HUGE!!! Excellent! Captivating, and all. But they also all agreed about one thing: The game mechanics, though inventive, really need a serious rewriting. For one thing, players wanting to indulge in powergaming won't be restrained a single time. The skill system in terribly limitative, something like a D&D first ed. Opportunities for defining character psychology really lack: This is Thimhallan, damnit, not a b----y dungeon! Those details explain why I won't give five stars to that book. Sorry. But the rest is definitely cool. I mean it: Check it out! It's worth the bucks, even for non-gamer types. If you're a gamer, you know what you gotta do: Buy it and make up your own rules!!!

This Book is a key resorce for any one who has read this book. It's fun to read about what Simkin "REALY" is! It is has wonderful insights on developing your own RPG mechanics or ideas to incorporate into your own game.