Post originally by screenmonkey at 2003-07-27 13:27:25
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Just how much d20 material is in here and how much is just world material? Speaking from the perspective of someone who enjoyed the original KoK setting (boxed set), but who wouldn't touch d20 with a 20' pole, is it worthwhile to pick up just for the setting info?
Post originally by Dimitrios at 2003-07-27 14:14:09
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I'd say definitely yes. Although everything from the old boxed set is in the book, there's a goodly amount of extra setting material. Also the maps, which were already awesome, have been iimproved. You might have noticed that on the old maps it was nearly impossible to find most of the cities without a magnifying glass - that's no longer a problem.
As for D20 specific material, there's almost none - they put all that stuff in seperate books (the player's guide, etc.). A lot of people complain about that but I think it's a good thing (and I don't even dislike D20).
Post originally by Wes Johnson at 2003-07-27 15:07:48
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I would say there is minimal D20 material in the book. As Dimitrios says it is in the other books (which I have not yet picked up). Being an officially licenced d20 product it has surprisingly little to do with d20.
That said I was not expecting a bunch of d20 specific material for the book. But things like the gods not having the d20 domains attached to them is a glaring problem.
The setting is okay, not spectacualar. It is over-ambitious and basically suffers from some very pedestrian world building. Though I will say the biggest problem is that it lacks any coheciveness to the various regions or world in general. There are some good bits that might make a good backgroup for a campaign, but the world is unwieldy.
In the prior edition that was okay. The bar was not set so high as it is today. It is a somewhat amatuerish effort with professional presentation.
Post originally by Wes Johnson at 2003-07-27 15:13:28
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There is a lot meatier stuff than the last edition, I agree.
The maps were lame. Sorry. But that is just my take. I think political boundaries and major roads would have been a good addition. It is basically eye candy otherwise, pretty but lacking any substance.
The only complaint I had was the god's domains were not included. I am not sure if they could have inundated the book with d20 specific stuff. But there probably could have been more, that is the best example I can think of.
I do not mind more books for Kalamar, it is a decent enough setting. I think for what is kind of the intro book into the setting ti could have had better writing and some more d20 stuff to really get its hooks in.
Post originally by KC at 2003-07-28 04:44:18
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I have KoK. I liked it quite a bit. I also thought: "Seems kinda like Greyhawk in some ways. In fact, given the areas I would want to set a campaign in, why the heck wouldn't I used Greyhawk?" The best answer is, of course, because KoK is well-supported and Greyhawk has been sadly left unattended.
The maps are quite good. I have heard so many people complain about the lack of political boundaries. I don't recall being confused, since the boundaries were discussed in the text and were mostly natural (and/or contested).
The gods not having their domains seems like a really minor quibble. This is the kind of mistake made in almost any game product you pick up. Unlike 20 years ago, the miracle of the internet makes it easy to fix. I remember when you had to pick up Dragon to get errata fixes and then you had to hope they fixed errata, or didn't make mistakes in Dragon!
Post originally by Rob C at 2003-07-28 09:54:16
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Apart from the website, I think you'll find a lot of the information you're looking for in the Kalamar Player's Guide. KPG is really the book that does the setting-to-d20 tie-up, while KoK itself is nearly system-independent.
Maps, and in general geographical information beyond cities, very general terrain types and random encounter tables, are a pet peeve of mine as well. Quick now: if you walk into the woods around Geanavue, what kind of forest is that? Can you hunt deer there? Find an oak tree? Belladonna?
What is strong about the setting is the history and the current politics. Also, there's quite a range of possible campaign types, depending on where you set the campaign and how you decide to fill in the blanks.
Of course, that does mean that you have to fill in the blanks, which may or may not be what you were looking for.
Finally, to really get all the info, you need several books; this may be an obstacle for some.
Post originally by arcady at 2003-07-28 14:25:10
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Those godly domains are also in the Player's Guide (page 31) for those willing to come here an read this review but not willing to go to kenzerco.com and download them.
As for 'feels like Greyhawk'...
Not in my book. Kalamar is much more thought out, and has much more logic to it's design, so as I see it the cultures in Kalamar come alive, but the ones in Greyhawk are just a backdrop for the trip to the next dungeon. The tone is different too. Kalamar is driven by culture and political ties. Greyhawk still has a lot of alignment and divine strife driving it's conflicts.
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