Customer Reviews

Lock & Load: Iron Kingdoms Character Primer

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

 

 

This resource makes a great addition to the rest of the Privateer Press books, discussing the different races, national politics, and alternative rules for this highly innovative world. The pictures are well done, as well, which (for me) is one of the reasons I buy these books! You can't go wrong with this one!

Before I begin, I should warn everyone that Lock and Load is becoming harder and harder to find. The people in charge at Privateer Press have also stated on their official message boards that once the current run of L&L sells out, then no more copies will be printed. So... if you are either a player or a DM in an Iron Kingdoms campaign, or even if you're just interested in the setting, get it while you can.

Now for the actual review.

From my perspective, Lock and Load seems to be, at least in part, a stand-in product designed to tide fans over until the long-awaited and long-delayed Iron Kingdoms Campaign Guides are eventually released. However, this is by no means a bad thing. As usual, Privateer Press have outdone the competition by releasing a superior product. Matt Wilson's stunning and drool-worthy cover art truly sets the tone for the Iron Kingdoms setting. This is a fantasy setting, but it's one powered by steam furnaces that belch smoke into the sky, where the characters wear chunky armor and big belt buckles, where everyone who can afford the 8-gp-per-charge cost carries a gun as well as a sword, and where steamjacks and the mighty Warjacks make golems look like wimps.

Lock and Load is narrated by Gavyn Kyle, professional spy, but it is organized in a fairly traditional format. After the introduction we come to the book's main topic, the Races of Western Immoren. Here are backgrounds and descriptions of no less than 12 regional human subcultures, including advantages and optional ability adjustments for each. The other major playable races also receive full attention: The Dwarves of Rhul, the Elves of Ios, Half-Elves, the Nyss, Goblins (Gobbers and Boggers), Ogrun, and Trollkin. Note that in the Iron Kingdoms, half-elves are virtually unknown, while Halflings and Gnomes don't exist at all (the latter two being replaced by the Gobbers).

Next up is a brief section on how the basic D&D character classes are modified for the IK setting. These changes are minor, and usually take the form of an extra class skill or a slightly modified class ability.

Third is a chapter on Religion. The beliefs of humanity, the dwarves, elves, gobbers, ogrun, and trollkin are all discussed.

Following this is a brief section on Equipment. There are examples of firearms, weapons, grenades, armor, and several items of miscellaneous gear. There is also an interesting explanation of how the unique firearms of the Iron Kingdoms actually function.

Finally there is an appendix detailing the languages of Immoren followed by a set of high-quality character sheets ready for copying. Throughout the book are sidebars and tables detailing anything from abbreviations, monetary units, slang, aging affects, and ranks of religious officials.

My favorite part of the book, however, was the full-color, 17" by 22" map. This alone would make Lock and Load a worthy purchase, and a DM would be at a loss not to make use of it. I had mine laminated so that my group's DM could use erasable markers on it.

As an entry point for the Iron Kingdoms setting, Lock and Load succeeds in covering all the basics and even goes beyond that to provide a great deal of background information and oddball tidbits (like the section on slang) that really help to add some flavor. Players have all the information they need to create a memorable character, and DMs have a lot of new background material that up to the release of this book had been sorely needed. I'd also like to note that the interior artwork is quite good, definitely above the standard of most D20 products.

However, I felt that a more detailed explanation of how to create the more powerful Ogrun and Trollkin characters was badly needed. Only a few examples of weapons and firearms were provided, and the list of equipment, while useful, was entirely too short. The most obvious omission, however, was the lack of any Prestige Classes at all. Apparently the authors were saving these for the Campaign Guide.

Despite these minor faults, overall I have found Lock and Load to be an invaluable resource. I would recommend it to any player or GM in an Iron Kingdoms campaign, and due to its modest price there really isn't any reason not to consider having your own copy. When the Campaign Guides are finally released some of the information in Lock and Load will probably be superceded, but even then it will still be completely capable of standing on its own. It's a fun and useful book that won't disappoint.

Lock and Load uses the D&D 3.0 rules, but very few changes to 3.5 are needed. There is also an errata at the Privateer Press website.

This book includes info on the Iron Kingdoms, the races (including game info), changes to the base classes, and takes a look at some of the firearms, grenades, and mechanical stuff you'll find in the IK.

Note that no info is included on the new classes (arcane mechanik, et. al.) or prestige classes (warcaster and such).

Given that the Character's Guide is out of print and ridiculously high in cost, anyone looking for a personal copy of info needed to roll up a character should consider this book.

The included map of Immoren is a plus.

Privateer Press has created an epic campaign setting which fuses low-magic (yet still present), industrial technology, and techno-magic war machines akin to unmanned battle-suits. The campaign setting spans two 400+ page hardcover books and exceeds most expectations. It also exceeds the average person's amount of available reading time. Enter Lock & Load. Initially, L&L was released to whet players' appetites for the pending release of the larger tomes. Now, however, L&L fits in nicely as a sort of Iron Kingdom's player's guide. Players new to the setting will feel much less intimidating leafing through L&L before jumping into the other books. Most of the essential information players will need to know can be found in a stripped-down yet still-informative manner. Lock & Load includes information on races, character classes, religion, and gear along with a deeply thorough three page (front and back) character sheet. In addition, this book comes with a beautiful full-color poster map of the setting featuring boundaries, cities, transportation routes, and industrial output. It looks great in a poster frame, too. Be advised, this information is selective and only represents a tiny fraction of what can be found in the two main volumes. However, I highly recommend starting off with Lock and Load before becoming inundated with the information found in the Character Guide and World Guide. Hopefully Privateer Press will see this entry level value as an asset and begin printing new copies along with a strong ad campaign, Lock & Load is worth it.