by Stephen Kenson
Published by FASA Games
118 Pages
$18.00

If you are familiar with the Wilderness Survival Guide or Dungeoneer's Survival Guide put out by TSR a few years back, you should understand why I approached the Earthdawn Survival Guide with some trepidation. The TSR guides were loaded with useless information that did little besides slow play.

There's nothing wrong with a few new rules, but if you turn a simple two day trek from one village to another into a glacial orgy of die-rolling and chart-comparing, there's something deeply wrong.

I feared that Earthdawn would suffer a similar fate; the system is already a bit advanced, and frankly needs a rules addenda like I need a kick in the head from a rabid mule. Earthdawn is a phenomenal game, and to have it go the way of AD&D would be a tragedy.

Fortunately, the Earthdawn Survival Guide is a marvelous book. It adds very little in the way of mechanics, choosing instead to focus on adding depth to the gameworld itself. In this regard, the book truly shines.

At 118 pages, the Guide is on the slim side for an Earthdawn supplement. No game mechanics appear before page 90. Up to that point, the book reads like a travel guide to Earthdawn's world of Barsaive. It is ostensibly written by a multitude of travelers who have discussed their seperate adventures with scholars of the great library of Throal (who in turn have compiled these accounts for the education of the would-be adventurer).

The book progresses through chapters on several different areas of Barsaive, with tips and information on different terrain types and how to survive in them. An ork explorer discusses his experiences in mountains, jungles, forests, and ruins. A dwarf engineer lectures on underground exploration. A retired ship captain shares anecdotes on mining pure elemental fire from the ocean of molten lava called Death's Sea.

A section dealing with disease (some not for the squeamish) goes hand-in-hand with a piece on herbalism, which presents a long list of plants and their medicinal (or in some case poisonous) properties.

The attention to detail in all of these sections is impressive. More impressive is the fact that they convey a huge amount of infommation without bogging down in dull text or useless details. The book is refreshing to read, which always makes the details easy to absorb. The opening chapter, in particular, is quite entertaining.

It comes from the "legendary troubadour Hamlin Risingsong," delivering his account of why he left home and the problems he encountered as an amateur traveler. Engrossing and sometimes humorous, Risingsong's account mentions, among other things, the drawbacks of packing fresh food, dealing with paranoid villagers, what not to do in the company of inebriated orks, and how to handle the situation when you realize that the cave you've opted to spend the night in is the entrance to a forgotten Kaer. Those interested in adding flavor and detail to the travelling sections of their campaigns will have no shortage of material here.

The other chapters, however, are just as strong. Each one deals beautifully with its subject matter, presenting useful details in an engaging and informative light. Each has its own tone, yet the book never seems fragmented or disjointed. All the parts work together well, and considering that they're trying to cover the bits and pieces of a whole world, that's quite a feat.

Actual game mechanics, as mentioned, do not appear until the last quarter of the book. They're kept thankfully simple and correspond with the text's earlier sections. Rules appear for travel time and navigation, health and healing, modifying die rolls for tasks performed in hostile terrain (like anywhere in the vicinity of Death's Sea), and others.

While they do add a certain complexity to an already advanced game, there's nothing here that unduly slows down the pace, or that experienced players can't easily make use of.

Earthdawn is a beautiful game and the Earthdawn Survival Guide is a fantastic book. If the stale dungeon charts of TSR have left a bad taste in your mouth, take a look at this product. It's proof that the FASA people are at the top of their form.

More Reviews:

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Earthdawn Survival Guide

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