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So What's the Hoard Like, Anyway? $3.99
Average Rating:4.7 / 5
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So What's the Hoard Like, Anyway?
Publisher: Raging Swan Press
by Aaron H. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 04/09/2012 14:35:33

The following review was originally posted at Roleplayers Chronicle and can be read in its entirety at http://roleplayerschronicle.com/?p=19870.

A glistening silver chalice, delicately crafted and possessing an airy lightness, lies within a frayed hempen sack. A fist-sized blue-green stone with tiny red flecks. A scuffed and well-worn text written with manticore blood ink on fine linen paper… Masterwork Bongos? All these and more can be found among the random hoards that await within this release from Raging Swan Press.

OVERALL

While short, this is a strong edition to any GM’s resource library. In addition to providing tables for generating loot as well as descriptions for each item in the hoard, the basic rules for appraisal and magic item construction are included. Furthermore, several hoards contain items that are all thematically related, a scepter, a crown, and royal robes for example.

RATINGS

Publication Quality: 10 out of 10 The book is up to Raging Swan Press’s usual standards, which look back, artistically, to older RPG products. It is black and white, free of unnecessary ornamentation, and is quite legible. Overall, an elegant package in PDF or printed form.

Mechanics: 10 out of 10 The format of the entries is easy to use and the mechanics are organized in a consistent fashion. After the name and description of an item, it is followed up by rules for appraisal and magical item construction, as previously mentioned, verbatim, allowing quick reference during play.

Value Added: 9 out of 10 SWtHLA falls just short of a ten in Value Added because it only goes to level seven and can only be used with the intended ease for one third of the standard twenty levels. One might combine hoards to increase their level value or make other adjustments to change the values of a given hoard. I hope they release another book that contains hoards of higher levels. Additionally, all the various items can be used independent of the hoards as general descriptors.

Overall: 10 out of 10 This book rocks. While I love writing descriptions and noodling around with treasure, I certainly appreciate having someone else do the work for me. As I said, I hope they produce more of these books for higher levels, or even just books of descriptions of items. This is my second review of a Raging Swan product and I hope to have the opportunity to review many more.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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So What's the Hoard Like, Anyway?
Publisher: Raging Swan Press
by Thilo G. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 03/27/2012 02:26:26

This pdf is 21 pages long, 1 page front cover, 1 page advertisement, 2 pages of editorial, 1 page SRD and 1 page back cover, leaving 15 pages of content, so let's check this out!

There are a variety of problems with dragons and I've ranted on and on about my personal opinion about them and their use in other reviews, so I'm going to spare you the details. One problem all DMs using dragons face would be the hoard and it is here that Raging Swan's new installment seeks to address exactly this problem by providing sample hoards for you to give your PCs. But are these hoards detailed enough? Let's check it out!

On the ToC and introductory page we get information on identifying items and their worth before getting into treasure hoards. The hoards are separated by levels and multiple hoards for each level are provided. While coinages are part of most hoards, they also include items like whiskey flasks, magic items, lockets and gems. We get 12 hoards for all of the 7 levels covered by this book and while their exact values fluctuate slightly, the treasures per se rock. Better yet, the treasure run the gamut from property deeds to silver snuffboxes, garter belts and even jars of pickled eggs, making the content provided rather versatile.

Conclusion: Editing and formatting are top-notch - I didn't notice any glitches. Layout adheres to a 2-column b/w-standard. The pdf comes with full bookmarks and a printer-friendly version. This pdf does exactly what it promises and provides an impressive amount of hoards for your perusal, some even lacking the traditional coins - a claw stretched from molten stone with a star-sapphire inside is just one example of how cool the individual options can be. Indeed, many of the different hoards contain items that may well provide hooks for adventures to come. When all's said and done, I don't have any reason to complain, I was positively surprised by several of the hoards (garter-belts, baby!) and thus will settle for a definite recommendation with 5 stars and the endzeitgeist seal of approval - well done!

Endzeitgeist out.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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