[Pierce Inverarity]

I don't want to preempt the reviewer, but I can briefly answer some of y'all's questions--

Monsters: SM is not a very monster-centric game (the Bestiary is all of 16 pages long), but what beasts there are were well chosen and illustrated. By far the most important ones as PC adversaries are the Oni--demons whom the people defeated in the past and who are now threatening to return to the lands in strength.

Oni are powerful, and looks-wise they range from your typical D&D demon through beautiful women to monsters with child-like porcelain faces who can shapechange into crying babies.

So, Oni are scary. But there are also "monsters" who are simply weird and fun to interact with--Fu Dogs (smart canines with dragon blood), sentient boulders, and Tanuki ("mischievous little creatures that look like a humanoid version of a badger crossed with a raccoon").

Basically, what's true for SM in general is true for the monster section: it's short, over the top, and brimming with adventure ideas.

For magic and system you'll have to look at an Iron Gauntlets review--I own IG but haven't looked at it closely.

I can say this: IG magic is somewhat free-form, and SM ports this over and occasionally adds to it. "Port over" literally means that SM spends all of two pages talking about its own version of the IG system... in other words, there's hardly any setting-specific, "victoriental" adjustment to IG's fantasy magic... no examples for spells. Hrm.

But there are some add-ons... there's elements-based "Gui" magic, which is essentially a kind of Chi power available to Oni-fighting monks (Nikobo). So, Gui magic doesn't consist of spells but of modifier bonuses.

Then there is the magic available to those adorable zodiac creatures, and it's a lot more interesting. Depending on your creature (Rat, Monkey, Dragon, Goat, etc.), you get combat bonuses, shapechanging powers, create food and water, summon a Paragon version of your zodiac animal or even the animal god itself. (When summoned, the Monkey god will create a diversion among your enemies, but in recompense you must play a prank on your companions... or else the god will play a prank on you.)

So, SM magic definitely has its moments.

One more thing: there's no, repeat no, martial arts in SM... I know, I know... But Rick Hershey is working on it and said he will publish it either on the PIG website or in a future SM book.

And just to be clear--I love Steampunk Musha, and the rating is ok by me.