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A worthy ERB effort

4/5

I loved this book. It took my favorite human ethnicity, the Kellids, added my favorite setting, the Darklands, focused on my favorite aspect of that setting, Deep Tolgoth, and worked it all into a fantastic whole.

I've read some negative reviews about the characters lacking depth and being able to hear the dice rolling. I agree, which is why this isn't a 5 star review. However, overwhelming those complaints is a fantastic peek at the world that isn't covered by simply reading a campaign setting rulebook on the subject.

I liked that there was an older protagonist in this novel as well. It is unusual, and a refreshing change.

I would have liked to see more witty banter and, if this was going to be a true ERB novel, the protagonist has to find romance, preferably with someone who despises them from the beginning of the story.

Lady Ssa, which is Ass backwards, was one of the best characterizations of the serpent people I've seen. She felt very Smallville Brainiac to me.

"Lying to you would be like lying to a mollusk. There's no point."

There's a lot of PF fiction to get to these days, and I'm glad to see it start showing up in my local bookstore. RLB deserves a round of applause for this one.


Orks - Power without gods

5/5

And the bard said, 'We are no longer at war.'
'I am glad to hear it,' the governor told him.
The bard and his retinue turned to leave, but paused at the door. He looked back at the governor and growled, 'Don’t give us cause to
change our minds.'

I am not going to discuss mechanics in my review. My review does not reflect the usefulness, balance or quality of the mechanical material within this product at all. (It also does not reflect the glitches in the pdf that another reviewer wrote of, which this reviewer noted as well) Rather, I will be discussing the flavor within Children of Pain (and have written a very similar review for Humans - the Reign of Men). Children of Pain is very solid fantasy material, but it is especially noteworthy as bringing a powerful and viable atheism into a setting and genre where pantheism is almost the accepted norm. I'm no atheist, in fact, I am quite proud of my Jewish faith, but the quality and seamless integration of that concept is something all fans of fantasy should be able to appreciate as adding a very untapped dimension to the body of work in our hobby.

Atheism almost always gets the short stick in fantasy. Even in a pantheistic setting, there are those who for all intents and purposes, are monotheistic in their worship, and they are just as rewarded as pantheists for their single minded devotion. Atheism is almost always portrayed as a fool's choice in a world where divine power manifests, and has terrible consequences. In Forgotten Realms, they languish eternally in the realm of death rather than going to a final reward. In TSR's Guide to Hell (one of my favorite books), they are consumed by Asmodeus, the King of Hell. There have been some interesting portrayals (the Athar come to mind), but by and large, they are ignored.

Wicked Fantasy changes that, and in different and exciting ways. Here, orks actively went up and slaughtered their gods, to free themselves from their intended role as mindless agents of chaotic evil warfare. Murdering gods preceding atheism has been done before, the Vashar in the Book of Vile Darkness is one example. However, the subject matter was treated more reasonably here, if not outright nobly. Instead of something so evil that it mindlessly consumed its creator, we have here a people who longed to throw off the chains of 'fates' that had been set for them without any say in the matter. You could draw parallels between the American Revolution and the orks, or more closely, with the growing atheist intellectual movement across the globe. You can almost hear Alice in Chains singing "deny your Maker" when you read of the orks and their liberation. Reading about the orks is reading about a proactive and powerful people who reject divine servitude as a way of life. There is something very empowering about this setting. I would compare it to Paizo's own empowering of gay pro/antagonists within Golarion's setting. In both, this empowerment doesn't come at the expense of the majority, but still stands out because of the dearth of previous exposure to the concept.

Within Children of Pain, we have orks in all their vicious glory, but they have a very distinct theme, that separates them from orcs in Golarion, Warcraft, Dungeons and Dragons or Middle Earth. In fact, you can almost feel the Middle Earth/Golarion orc representing their previous god-shackled state, and the Wicked Fantasy ork coming down off that mountain where they murdered the gods, like Moses returning to the Israelites with the Ten Commandments.

Whenever I read new fantasy material, I look to see how many new ideas it sparks within my own imagination. If I want to immediately incorporate it wholesale into my own campaign, it is a winner. Wicked Fantasy stands in a fairly lonely company with Green Ronin's Freeport and Frog God Games' setting in that regard. When I read through it, back as a series of articles in Kobold Quarterly, it struck me as something that despite not fitting into my setting (modified Golarion/Oerth), it was going to be fit into my setting. It was that interesting, that unique and that compelling.

If you are looking for a fresh brand new look at orks, or if you like keeping your finger on the pulse of the fantasy genre, pick up Chldren of Pain. You won't be sorry you did. (Hey, who knows, you might even like those mechanics!)


Reign of Men - A powerful new look at humans and atheism in fantasy

5/5

"And this is the Reign of Men. We are free. And so shall we always be."

I am not going to discuss mechanics in my review. My review does not reflect the usefulness, balance or quality of the mechanical material within this product at all. Rather, I will be discussing the flavor within the Reign of Men (and writing a very similar review for Orks - Children of Pain). Reign of Men is very solid fantasy material, but it is especially noteworthy as bringing a powerful and viable atheism into a setting and genre where pantheism is almost the accepted norm. I'm no atheist, in fact, I am quite proud of my Jewish faith, but the quality and seamless integration of that concept is something all fans of fantasy should be able to appreciate as adding a very untapped dimension to the body of work in our hobby.

Atheism almost always gets the short stick in fantasy. Even in a pantheistic setting, there are those who for all intents and purposes, are monotheistic in their worship, and they are just as rewarded as pantheists for their single minded devotion. Atheism is almost always portrayed as a fool's choice in a world where divine power manifests, and has terrible consequences. In Forgotten Realms, they languish eternally in the realm of death rather than going to a final reward. In TSR's Guide to Hell (one of my favorite books), they are consumed by Asmodeus, the King of Hell. There have been some interesting portrayals (the Athar come to mind), but by and large, they are ignored.

Wicked Fantasy changes that, and in different and exciting ways. Here, humans put their faith in a collective destiny of greatness for all Human-kind. It isn't a bunch of blind ignorants refusing to believe in clerical magic, it is proactive and powerful people who reject divine servitude as a way of life. There is something very empowering about this setting. I would compare it to Paizo's own empowering of gay pro/antagonists within Golarion's setting. In both, this empowerment doesn't come at the expense of the majority, but still stands out because of the dearth of previous exposure to the concept.

Within Reign of Men, we have enlightened philosophies, a fallen society that was once great based on its adherence to high minded ideals, a society that is torn between the hard path back to greatness and the easy path of drudgery and decay.

The primary model drawn off of for the society is clearly the enlightened Greek city-states, but this isn't a clumsy renamed "Greece for Pathfinder", or even a well done kitchen sink homage, like Golarion's Osirion. Instead, the ideas and themes are present, but within a brand new and original package.

Whenever I read new fantasy material, I look to see how many new ideas it sparks within my own imagination. If I want to immediately incorporate it wholesale into my own campaign, it is a winner. Wicked Fantasy stands in a fairly lonely company with Green Ronin's Freeport and Frog God Games' setting in that regard. When I read through it, back as a series of articles in Kobold Quarterly, it struck me as something that despite not fitting into my setting (modified Golarion/Oerth), it was going to be fit into my setting. It was that interesting, that unique and that compelling.

If you are looking for a fresh brand new look at humans, or if you like keeping your finger on the pulse of the fantasy genre, pick up Reign of Men. You won't be sorry you did.