I own a number of products by Rite, and until now I have never been disappointed by the quality of their products. So this book was a sad surprise. I bought it on the basis of Endzeitgeist's 5-star review, and he is ALSO a reviewer who has never let me down, until now.
My gripe with this book is: I expected to get alchemy items - things mixed together with an alchemy set. Instead, the book contains nearly nothing but technological gadgets with just a hint of alchemy smeared onto them. :-(
Examples:
The Alchemical Fire Projector is a fantasy flamethrower. We already have alchemy fire, and this item is nothing more than a mechanical gadget to spit said substance.
The Crossbow Auto-Loader is also a mechanical device - the only thing alchemical about it is its 'alchemically-treated springs'.
Griptread Boots is another mechanical item that allows you to walk on slippery surfaces. Nothing about alchemy in the item description - except that the +2 bonus on Acrobatics is an "alchemical bonus".
The Manytool Rod is probably the one I dislike the most - a mechanical Swiss army knife. The only thing alchemical about it is - again - that some metal components have been 'alchemically treated'.
There are a few really cool genuine alchemy items in the book that I really loved; like the Arcane Atomizer and the Liquid Gold Condenser, but they are few and far between.
It is probably clear from the above text that I feel sorely cheated by the title of this product. Had it been "30 Gadgets" - no problem. But these items have so much emphasis on the mechanical aspects and so little on the alchemy side that I feel I must warn potential buyers.
If you are looking for fun gadgets for your game and don't really care about how they are constructed, this is a great product. But if you are a GM looking for alchemy items or a player looking for items your PC can create with alchemy skill - look elsewhere. :-(
