paizo.com - Zobeck Gazetteer: Imperial Gazetteer (4E) PDF

Wolfgang Baur (Contributor; Publisher, Kobold Quarterly), Sat, Dec 5, 2009, 10:06 AM

Now available in print right here at the Paizo store, with art throughout by the talented Hugo Solis.

MerrikCale, Sun, Dec 6, 2009, 09:57 AM

anyone have any thoughts on this setting? It seems interesting but I have not seen anything on it

Therabyd (Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber), Sun, Dec 6, 2009, 10:20 PM

MerrikCale wrote:

anyone have any thoughts on this setting? It seems interesting but I have not seen anything on it

I'm a big fan of the setting. It's got a much more Eastern/Northern European feel than most settings, and the titular city of Zobeck has a strong steampunk component. It also feels a lot more social and political than a lot of other settings - every location has several groups competing for power and influence, but in a much more nuanced way than just good vs. evil. All the factions might be neutral - or good, for that matter - but they're still at each other's throats. This depth and nuance extends to the gods as well, who are written as "demanding" certain behavior from their worshippers. That got me thinking about the whole deity-worshiper relationship in a new way.

The Imperial Gazetteer focuses on just one small part of the world of Zobeck - a human kingdom ruled by the undead and the Empire of the Ghouls which lives below the surface. This is really my favorite part of Zobeck, because it really looks seriously at what having a kingdom ruled by monstrosities would be like, taken to its logical conclusion. Or what an empire could accomplish if its soldiers needed no sleep, rest, or air, but wanted nothing more than to suck the marrow from their enemies' bones. I certainly wouldn't want to live there, but I loved reading about it. Plus Baba Yaga makes a great appearance.

More generally, Zobeck is the default setting of most of the Open Design projects, and it's mentioned regularly in Kobold Quarterly magazine. There are three other Zobeck supplements and one adventure available. The (OGL) Zobeck Gazetteer covers the iconic city of the setting, and the (Ennie-award-winning OGL) Tales of Zobeck is an anthology of short adventures set in that city. Dwarves of the Ironcrags (OGL) and the Iron Gazetteer (4e) take a look at the dwarven society who inhabits a mountain range not far from Zobeck.

Anyway, I'd highly recommend Zobeck in general, and this has been my favorite supplement for it.

(Full disclosure: I contributed some to the Dwarves of the Ironcrags Gazetteer and Halls of the Mountain King, its accompanying adventure arc. So I've got some vested interest in the setting. I didn't have anything to do with the Imperial Gazetteer itself.)

varianor (Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber), Mon, Dec 7, 2009, 08:38 AM

Severe bias warning: I edited Empire of the Ghouls. I wrote "The Knave of Parts" in Tales of Zobeck, which anthology won an ENnie.

In addition to what was mentioned right above, the plus side of Zobeck is that it is a "mid-size" fantasy city. It's not a small city, and it's not Ptolus-sized. It's nice and easy to manuever through. It has a Kobold Ghetto (something that I think is a great staging point for adventures.) There's a lot of neat flavor twists in it that make it very usable, and there's a growing body of adventures for it. (What's not mentioned is that some of the early books like Castle Shadowcrag for this are collector's items. They are out there though.)

The one thing Zobeck does not have is a lot of "high-level" adventure components, NPCs and elements. Some might consider this a necessary element. For myself, I prefer to end a game by 12th to 14th (if you're playing 3.5 or Pathfinder) or head out to the planes at that point, so it's a fine fit.

Hugo Solis (Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber), Mon, Jan 11, 2010, 04:45 PM

Inside you'll find some creatures like this Vampire, Ghoul Necromancer and the fearsome Cave Dragon.

A must-have for undead lovers and haters! (in the good way of love and hate)