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I just bought it a couple weeks ago: I had bought an adventure for the setting over the summer, and liked it, and I know that, for a couple of years, Nyame was part of the "Arcanis" campaign world, the same as Green Ronin's city of Freeport.
All the races and classes have different names (instead of playing a dwarf rogue, you'd play a utuchekulu nanala) carrying different stereotypes. Most people assume the spirit world is part of life, and welcome the n'angas and their connection to their orisha patrons, but the sei are distrusted and even hunted for their godless and destructive powers.
The book is laid out similarly to the World of Darkness rulesbooks, with --I think-- some of the same artists.
The book includes a new arcane magic system, a new pantheon, new poisons and diseases, new magic items, new monsters, and a description of a dozen new nations with plot hooks.
More details as I go through the work.
Where were you people six years ago when this came out!? This was one of the best d20 alternate settings out there, and Africa is far too under-represented in fantasy gaming. It's some good stuff.
I don't know. I've tried to keep my eyes and ears open about good D20 product, some I've only discovered late in the game, but some I've had to put off buying for budget reasons. Nyambe is one I've always been intrigued about, but wasn't sure if I'd get a chance to use in a game. That often restricts my gaming purchases.
Where were you people six years ago when this came out!? This was one of the best d20 alternate settings out there, and Africa is far too under-represented in fantasy gaming. It's some good stuff.
Unfortunately here in Australia a lot of FLGS don't carry 3PP, you have to order then in. In order to do that however, you have to know about them.
There was a really good article in an issue of Dragon (like 10 years ago - 2e) that described an African setting. It was one of my favourite articles and I used some of the weapons on a Chultan Character I made.
This caught my eye when I saw it opn clearance and it (and the other two products) was too good to pass up.
Just one question: Is it 3e or 3.5? At six years I am guessing 3e (not that it matters, mine shipped last week so I am looking forward to them next week).
EDIT: OK how waaaaay off was I! This is the Issue of Dragon I was talking about, Issue 189 from January 1993.
Makes me feel old now.
Zonemind
(Pathfinder Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Roleplaying Game, Campaign Setting, Companion, Modules, GameMastery Cards Subscriber)
Just one question: Is it 3e or 3.5?
It's 3e, but the system update is not terribly relevant to the setting. Nyambe is a "total conversion", with new classes, equipment, and so forth.
Anybody play this? Just wondering if it was any good. It certainly sounds interesting.
I did, and it was. I ran a short campaign in the setting when it first came out. It went quite well, and had several "quotable" moments that lasted down the years.
I've had the book for a few years now and I think its really cool and I've used a number of concepts from it. That said, its got some rules in it that while they work great in the context of the setting do not work well outside a Nyambe campaign. The most hazardous being the Defense rule (as most of Nyambe is too hot/primitive) to wear armor. Also I thought some of the PC races could have been stronger as they're essentially Africanized versions of standard races.
I might add that I noticed Erik used some of the critters in his last AP mod. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that they look pretty balanced and I've also had fun with a few of them (though admittedly, I haven't tried them all out)
Dark_Mistress
(Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Adventure Path, Campaign Setting, Companion, Modules Subscriber)
It is a very interesting book. I have read it, but not really had a chance to use it yet. I am waiting till a game a run ends up there. I tend to run more of a sand box type world. In that I dump the characters in the world, drop story hooks all over and then let them go where they want. So far they have not went to a place where I could use this, mores the pity.
Have had this book for some years now, its very good and very sad that it only got one or two supp. In Short African Adv. does for Africa what OA does for Asia. However their are some clear issues I've had with it.
1. Defense rule works great in setting, but a normal GM will say no to this out right. For me as long as the class is not using Armor, I'm okay with it, and if the player wants armor he had better have the feats for it. Still other GM's I know have used extra feats instead of the defense boost.
2. Races, instead of a new kind of Dwarf with a African name, I'd would have wanted something from African lore as a race. On the other hand they do give many human races in the book that I like.
3. The class flavor is fantastic, but really the classes are just slight variants to the core ones, A fighter by any other name. However the devil really is in the details one has to look closely. Still the classes in this game feel like kits.
With all that where does this product shine? Oh thats easy setting setting setting! Put simple you can run a whole game in Africa, have it exist as part of your world maybe even add lost world elements to it. but on its own setting and feel this book is fantastic. The African take on magic items and slots was far more interisting then most magic item backgrounds, and cosmology of spirts was really good.
With the above exception about Defense rules I'd say it fit nicely into most worlds, including Pathfinder, and I think their was online support for it, but I'm not sure if the sight is down or not.
In any case its an old standby in my libary, I've even used some of the monsters in a few Conan games, again it lends intself to other settings. AT 10 its a no brainer, heck I'm thinking of backing up my copy.
TTFN DRe
I intend to mine this for ideas. A playing in my Eberron campaign is playing an escaped human slave from Xendrik, and his concept was to have his character be as close to a voodoo priest type as possible. So far we've been using sorcerer, but hopefully this book will have something that fits the flavor better.
Nyambe is a great product, I got this last year, I like it a lot.
$4.99 is a STEAL!
I'll be using it for lots of Mwangi interaction in my Golarion.
Yeah I have all 3 products from Atlas for Nyambe and they are great. I always liked the African type setting for a fantasy game and had used some of the dark continent stuff from the older dragon magazines when I added it to Greyhawk.