DriveThruRPG.com
Browse Categories
$ to $















Back
pixel_trans.gif
The Gates of Troy $3.59
Average Rating:4.3 / 5
Ratings Reviews Total
1 6
0 3
1 2
0 0
0 0
The Gates of Troy
Click to view
You must be logged in to rate this
pixel_trans.gif
The Gates of Troy
Publisher: SteamPower Publishing
by Chris G. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 04/29/2007 00:00:00

The RPG Industry is filled with books that are in a sense reinventing the wheel. That is they take a subject that has been done a dozen times and attempt to put a fresh angel or new idea to it. Many times it turns out to be just another book on an overdone topic. Rarely does one see an RPG book that covers something original. And as Gates of Troy shows it is easy to find something original by looking toward the myths and history of the many peoples of Earth.

Gates of Troy is not a book of historical fact. The author states this almost immediately, but Troy is a subject of myth and legend that is quite famous even in the modern age. Of course with the movie Troy having been released not to long ago that should help in getting the story back into the general knowledge pool of the people.

Gates of Troy is a PDF released by Steam Power Publishing and written by Andrew Kenrick. The pdf comes in a zip file a little less then two megs and the PDF itself is a bit over two megs. It only has forty five pages and It reads as if it could have been longer. The PDF is in color, although most of the colors are browns and tans. There is a pale yellow border with Greek writing on it. It covers one side of the page and with no border on the other side makes it appear there is a lot of white space in the book. The layout is easy to read but the border is a bit distracting. The art is plentiful and looks mostly like clipart of Greek gods and pictures. The PDF is well bookmarked.

The supplement centers on the city of Troy and using it for a fantasy campaign. It is set in the Bronze Age and has some advice on how to simulate that. It would have been beneficial to the reader there was more discussion on what advancements the Bronze Age had and what it did not. It is obvious that some research was done for this book, I would have liked to seen more of that research though make it into the book. A bibliography would have been appreciated as well.

While the topic of Troy does a good job of separating it from the other multitudes of d20 books, I just was left with the need for more. The book I feel does not give enough details to properly run a campaign using the City of Troy. The city is well described and most of the book is devoted to it. Most of the major players in Troy are explained and stated out.

Gates of Troy does a nice job to introduce people to the city of Troy and provide a nice basic framework to run a campaign using the city and its events. I feel that a more detailed approach would have been very beneficial.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
pixel_trans.gif
The Gates of Troy
Publisher: SteamPower Publishing
by Sean H. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 10/26/2006 00:00:00

Ancient Lore: The Gates of Troy, Book I: the Heroic Bronze Age by Steam Power Publishing is the first in a series bringing the heroic age of Greece to the D20 system. It is a 48-page document (46 after taking away the cover and OGL) with limited art, mostly clip art, and a clean layout. It also has an index, which are rare in PDFs but very nice to see.

This covers the heroic bronze age, the age of the Hellenic heroes who fought before Troy and who traveled the seas with Odysseus. The product begins with the changes needed to the standard D&D rules to adapt it to this quasi-historical period.

The bulk of the product is about Troy, its history, government, tribes (along with new feats suitable to characters from these areas), geography and NPCs. There is a lovely map of Troy which is described in some detail, very nice work here. There are notes on how things in the city change when the siege begins. Importantly, there are ideas on how to use the city of Troy as a centerpiece of a campaign, including suggestions on how to adapt it to other places and times.

The major Trojan characters of the epic (Helen, Paris, Aeneas and so on) are provided with stats (and an appendix stats them out for OGL Ancients). A variant cleric class, the priest, is included for D&D, as is additional information for the OGL Ancients rules.

Ancient Lore: The Gates of Troy is a solid resource for someone wishing to use these legends as a backdrop to a campaign or as a campaign itself. It is very focused however and will be of much more limited use to those who wish to play in other eras.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
pixel_trans.gif
The Gates of Troy
Publisher: SteamPower Publishing
by I. P. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 10/18/2005 00:00:00

?The Gates of Troy? is a sourcebook specific to detailing the history and presenting the setting of Troy on the eve and during the Trojan War. It includes information on the occupants of the city generally, and focuses on the key players as set out in Homer?s ?Iliad?. Dungeon masters interested in running this setting, or simply seeking a resource to provide the basis for their own similar setting, will find this product useful.

I have divided the review according to the major sections of this product in order to provide some idea as to the underlying structure.

Playing in the Heroic Bronze Age This section sets the scene for the time period. It discusses character races, classes, skills, feats, equipment, magic, and monsters / mythical creatures. The suggestions range from what classes are appropriate for the setting to what adjustments should be made to core skills to maintain the correct flavor of the setting.

A History of Troy This section begins with the founding of the city and proceeds to provide an overview which proceeds right up to the commencement of the Trojan War. Those familiar with the story will recognize, among others, the names of King Priam, Paris, and Helen. It also includes sample stat blocks for both a Trojan Guard and Trojan Warrior.

The Trojans This section attempts to familiarize the reader with the flavor which should set using this setting apart. It provides sample Trojan names and discusses government, the military, religion, and trade. Included in the discussion is a stat block for one of the noted council members.

The Geography of the Troad The area surrounding the city is presented in seven different sections in sufficient detail to allow a dungeon master to map out a countryside that will bear some resemblance to the accepted legendary setting. If your players want to cross the Plains of Troy or walk along the banks of the River Scamander, this section provides the material you will need to set the scene.

The City of Troy Setting the scene within the actual city is the subject of this section. Initially, it presents background information on the city, including demographic information such as the population, size of military units, and a table for urban encounters. There is also a very well done image showing the city from an aerial view. While the drawing provides an idea of the general layout of the city, including the relationship between the major units of the city, it is not a useful map for a role playing game that relies heavily on mapping locations. This image labels the major regions of the city and a couple of key areas. Otherwise, it is impossible to navigate the city using this image. I should also note that inset on this page are two regional maps in different scales of the area surrounding Troy.

Any dungeon master hoping to run this campaign will, of necessity, have to create any desired maps. This includes city wide maps as well as more focused maps, such as for the palace. If you are looking for a setting that provides all the maps that are required, this product is not for you. Given that this product focuses on one city, more maps would be appropriate.

The Fall of Troy This section plays out the legendary scene of the fall of Troy and the Trojan horse.

Using this Book This short section presents the dungeon master with a handful of options to use the information presented. The suggestions here are mostly obvious and not presented with sufficient depth and analysis to warrant inclusion in this product.

Trojan Heroes Ten people are described and presented in this section, including stat blocks. They are the king and queen, Paris, Helen, Hector, Aeneas, Theano, Cassandra, Helenus, and Sinon. The priest class is also set out in traditional format in this section. The priest is a more studious and less martial class than the core cleric.

OGL Ancients This section presents a number of stat blocks, including the ten heroes, in OGL Ancients (Mongoose Publishing) form and includes variant rules introduced in the text of the book in the OGL Ancients format.

This product accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do admirably. The biggest fault of ?The Gates of Troy? is that a sourcebook focused on one city should set out maps for that city. The maps provided should be sufficient for a dungeon master that does not map out every step taken by a character to rely only on the provided maps in running the campaign while inside the city. Maps of the major regions of the city, such as the palace would have been a good place to start.

However, for those of you willing to do some mapmaking, add a star to my rating and you can be happily campaigning in this legendary setting.

To rousing gaming and ample rewards, I. Perez<br><br><b>LIKED</b>:

  1. Legendary setting.
  2. Presents the setting without getting overcome with historical details.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>:
  3. Lack of maps.
  4. Minor error in Table of Contents.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>


Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
pixel_trans.gif
The Gates of Troy
Publisher: SteamPower Publishing
by Andr? L. D. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 11/18/2004 00:00:00

Thank you, go ahead !

<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: Short, informative, updated...<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Only D20 stats for characters, more generi description "? la" Fudger as Catalyst Series would have been better.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
pixel_trans.gif
The Gates of Troy
Publisher: SteamPower Publishing
by Chadda S. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 09/23/2004 00:00:00

Very well researched, lots of details, and about time there was some OGL Ancients support material, especially of this quality.

If you've only seen Troy, be warned that the story hear does deviate quite a bit, since it follows the Iliad closely.

NPC stats are of the Trojans, next book will have the Greeks aparrently<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: The artwork is a mixed bag of ancient style and 19th century lithiographs, which is atmospheric but a bit lifeless.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
pixel_trans.gif
The Gates of Troy
Publisher: SteamPower Publishing
by Eric B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/03/2004 00:00:00

Very in-depth look at Troy gave me some good ideas.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
pixel_trans.gif
The Gates of Troy
Publisher: SteamPower Publishing
by Alex R. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 06/13/2004 00:00:00

Excellent product, presents the story of Troy and guidelines on running a game in ancient, mythic Greece in a very acessible fashion. Very well laid out too, and also functions as a great bluffer's guide for looking clever when you go and see the film. Plus it's cheap. :D

Norm



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
pixel_trans.gif
The Gates of Troy
Publisher: SteamPower Publishing
by Janos B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 06/10/2004 00:00:00

Excellent - high quality from the first page to the last. Invaluable bluffers guide for history-phobics like me, and thats not even counting the great game content.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
pixel_trans.gif
The Gates of Troy
Publisher: SteamPower Publishing
by Achim L. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 06/07/2004 00:00:00

Excellent layout & design and great content - TGoT aims to bring classic Troy to the d20 world and is dead on target. And the material presented should be equally useful as a detailed template for any fantasy city in a bronze-age area of your campaign world, even if you use only parts of it. Cool thing.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
pixel_trans.gif
The Gates of Troy
Publisher: SteamPower Publishing
by Stuart R. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 06/03/2004 00:00:00

Excellent book. Packed full of cool information about ancient Greece. It nicely mixes D&D magic with the setting in a non-intrusive manner.

It's also very useful indeed if you fancying setting a campaign around the Iliad, or for some juicy exploration of ancient Greece, this is definitely the book for you.

A great companion to the Troy movie.

I was very impressed :)

Stuart



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
pixel_trans.gif
The Gates of Troy
Publisher: SteamPower Publishing
by Benjamin S. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/21/2004 00:00:00

I've always loved Greek mythology so it's great to see someone offer up suggestions for playing in Bronze Age Greece. Of course, that leads to my single complaint about this book: It only details the Trojans. While it provides great info on the magnificent city itself and several key Trojan characters, it doesn't provide similar profiles for the Greeks. Not that I wanted to replay Hector versus Achilles, but it would have been nice to have stats for the Greeks as well. Still, this is a worthy effort at capturing a neglected setting. The book details how the core D&D classes fit into a Bronze Age world as well. All in all, a good package for the price. We'll see how many people flock to it after watching the movie (which has already become a love it/hate it experience).



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
pixel_trans.gif
Displaying 1 to 11 (of 11 reviews) Result Pages:  1 
pixel_trans.gif
pixel_trans.gif Back pixel_trans.gif
0 items
 Gift Certificates