Phil Edgren has composed a playing aid of questionable value and passing utility to DMs in QR areas of role play. His book (same specs as Shamens above) offers the DM, MM, SM, GM, or whatever a host of 200 different treasures with which to reward adventurers.

The first hundred treasures (numbered and alphabetized for percentile random generation) have been selected from various mythological sources and cover the folklore of twenty-three nationalities and time periods. Many of you, when reading the book, will mull the specific myths which have fostared the treasures-- dragon'a teeth that will grow into armed warriors when sown in the ground, or magic thorns which grow into briar to thwart one's pursuit. Many more will be unfamiliar to the layman, but just as many are repetitive to items covered in other sources. One pleasant feature is the documentation of special properties attributed to gems.

The same comments may be attributed to the second section, which contains a wealth of SF treasures. Some have been covered in other games, some will be familiar to the reader already, yet more will be novel for the novice.

I suppose the book could be more aptly titled "The Treasury of Treasures," but it precludes the embodiment of all there is to offer. When one analyzes the audience the book is designed to reach, he will probably realize there is already an abundance of treasure available. In fact, I do not think there is one of us who has awarded every treasure, though he may have programmed them all into his campaigns. And in the big games, a similar case could be made. I must conclude that The Book of Treasure, though very well done, is of only passing interest. As with Shamans, if you can afford it and feel you have the need for superfluous reward, you will invariably purchase it. The product is excellent; the consumer will determine the need.

Prism Reviews

Introduction
Space Patrol
Dragons
The Book of Shamans
The Book of Treasure
Spacefarers Guide to Planets: Sector One