Post originally by Dan Davenport at 2004-06-25 06:25:36
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Despite your disclaimer regarding your enthusiasm going in -- which I appreciate, BTW -- the end result is an informative and balanced review. Nicely done.
I do have to say that I'm not as big a fan of fluff as you seem to be, largely due to personal time contraints -- I'd rather have less general setting information in lieu of more hard stats to back up the information provided. That's neither a criticism of the product nor of your review -- just an observation that one gamer's perk is another gamer's flaw, as always.
Post originally by unterhund at 2004-06-25 07:21:24
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A very nice review. Thank you.
But is the layout and artistic style really reminiscent of d20 Modern? I find that book to be . . . less than optimal in those departments. Let's just say the appearance is not to my taste. If Eberron has the same sort of look, I'd likely find it hard to read regardless of text size.
Post originally by JohnnyONeal at 2004-06-25 09:21:31
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What Buzz said. Also, you'll recognize some of the artists from D20 Modern. The actual format of the book is much like other D&D products.
Some people might be annoyed by some of the layout choices -- like putting the setting's timeline toward the end of the book rather than early, or the fact that the "crunch" comes in early chapters before you've learned the context for it -- but as I said, it's not really a book that bears reading cover-to-cover.
Post originally by JohnnyONeal at 2004-06-25 09:35:43
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I have one more criticism that I neglected to include in my review (though I did reflect it in my score of "4" for design).
While this book features some great art, and most responses I've seen to the art have been positive, I feel the art director elected to include too many different artists in the project. When creating a new world, expecially one that's culturally diverse, having a smaller set of artists helps to show how different aesthetics differ. Tony DiTerlizzi's Planescape work is a great example of how consistent art can define a setting's look. In the Eberron CSB, when two images have very different styles, it's sometimes unclear if it's because of the artists or because of the cultures. It would be nice to have more information on what humans of the different nations look and dress like, or even major details like the fact that the barbarians of Seren are primarily dark-skinned.
I say this partly because I was spoiled by the concept art, which *was* done by just a few people. If you're planning on running a game in Eberron, I recommend checking out the concept sketches I've collected at http://www.coveworld.net/eberron/gallery.html
Post originally by johnnype at 2004-06-25 12:23:29
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I agree that fewer artists might have served the setting better. Although overall the artwork is nice I must admit that there are a few pieces that just don't do anything for me:
Argonth - The Mobile Fortress (page 149) is horrible.
I'm not that fond of Steve Prescott's work. His view of the Warforged does not inspire me although I must admit that his Warforged Creation Forge is stunning.
Post originally by Tim Gray at 2004-06-25 14:25:49
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Why do all the links (eg downloads, web enhancements) specifically listed under the heading of Eberron on those pages take you to pages about D&D generally with no Eberron material? Cos Wizards needs a new webmaster, presumably. If the specific pages aren't there yet, don't give links!
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