After doing much much more than simply flipping through this book at the shelf of a stor, I have to say I am overjoyed with this book.
From the writing, to teh art, to the rules, down to even the presentation of the material - this revitilizes a beloved game system while fixing issues and moving it forward.
Reading it rekindled the sense of wonder and magic that I haven't had since playing D&D back in high school nearly 15 years ago.
This guy is one of my favorite Dwarf Minis. of all time. The detail is outstanding. The armor and the weapons look so sturdy and Dwarf-like. The detail that you can't see is his back-pack, which contains a sleeping roll, and other "adventuring" like gear. I believe there is a mug. Absolutley perfect for a Dwarf adventurer. Look at the way he's holding his hands - either the axe or the sword can be easily snipped off and a shield glued in it's place.
A really gorgeous miniature.
I've got this guy and he looks really good in hand. The shading is more pronounced and the detail is nice for a plastic. Even crouched he looms over humanoid miniatures. His bulk and his weaponry make him an eye-catching oponent on the table. He would also make a nice character mini with a quick brown wash and some touch-ups.
If the Lord of the Rings soundtrack and the Conan the Barbarian Soundtrack got together and made passionate love during the midst of climactic battle - then gave birth to a baby on the 1st full moon of the Year of Imotep, atop a ruined tower whilst undead wolves circled hungrily below, sent by their dark master to destroy the babe prophesized to destroy him and then that baby grew up to kill an Ogre on his 16th birthday then travel the world for years gathering the weapons of legacy before returning as a man at the head of a vast army to conquer a corrupt kingdom and avenge his father's death - then this CD would be that man (plus dragons).
It's the kind of CD where every other song is punctuated by thundering, booming drums while a choir urgently sings in some foreign language that, roughly translated, means: "I'm coming to cut your head off with my sword now - probably in slow motion too."
It's the kind of CD that makes you start saying things like: verily, prithee my liege, and Huzzah!
Sure there are a couple of tracks - like track 5- Treasure of the Four Crowns - that come dangerously close to crossing into Spinal Tap - Stonehenge territory. But verily they do sound like something a bard would actually sing in a D&D setting. In any case, there are more than enough powerful songs on here from the soul stirring Track 6 - Highland Storm, the exotic sounding Track 9 - the mystic keep, the darkly ominous tracks 10 and 11 Stygian Depths and Legion of Darkness, and the Heroic track 20 and 21 Blood of the Dragon and Eternal Champions.
With this CD in the player you're just a crank of the volume knob away from dark rumbling mood music or thundering battle anthems. It's great fun and it's great fantasy - hand me my D20! Huzzah!
Total Length: 1hr 6 minutes
Total tracks: 21 + 2 hidden songs
Average track length: 3 minutes.
