written by richard baker
published by tsr
96 pages
$16.95

To quote Charles Ryan: "I found that a weapon I could not visualize rarely, if ever, showed up in my games." That pretty much sums it up for most gamers. If a GM and his players cannot imagine the item that they are using , the whole party and slew of NPCs end up using the same gear, adventure in and adventure out. Unlike fantasy based games, genres occurring in the near modern or future worlds need to have their visual definitions defined for us. TSR's Arms & Equipment Guide for the Star Drive campaign under the Alternity banner attempts this feat.

The book itself is presented in an attractive format. Every page is semi-gloss, which always feels good to hold. The main body of the text is presented in a format that presents itself in the form of a futuristic catalog of the Star Drive world. So the book itself can be handed out to players as a prop, should the unusual occasion arise to spend money.

The Arms & Equipment Guide not only provides game statistics and picture upon picture of equipment, but also provides a few pages of world information about the legalities of weapon possession and the history behind it. / Another such highlight is that a few adventure hooks are provided through out the text.

Some positive notes on the book are that almost every item is accompanied by an illustration; on the down side not every single item is. No, I am not saying that I need a picture of socks and toothbrushes but some items are a little more difficult to visualize than others, especially when the descriptive text is vague. Another plus is the amazing amount of detail in selecting what entries should be provided. Everything from business suits to starships to underwear is included in the text. Now, an illustration of the underwear is not provided, but a price tag is, as is with all of the entries. The subject of availability is also covered.

I'm a sucker for an well-illustrated book about guns - The Arms & Equipment Guide is one of those books. The illustrations are well done. The artwork covering the actual weapons and body modification sections is awesome. Unfortunately, the artist names cannot be paired up with the their work. The actual entries are easy to read and the flavor-text that follows all of the game statistics is pleasant, as it provides history and attitudes surrounding the item.

The book itself is one that adds a lot to what the basic rulebooks provided, and if you enjoy Altenity or find yourself in need of new item for another sci-fi game then the Arms & Equipment Guide is a worth while purchase. At seventeen dollars, it is a bit thin and you might want to hit you local games store employee up for a discount. Just tell them that it is you birthday - if they ask for ID, run. If you enjoy this style of book , keep your eyes open for Star Wars Fantastic Technology series as well as the Millenium's End's Ultra Modern Firearms and Vehicle Sourcebook. Alternity also has a similar book on alien species.

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