The book starts with a time line that details major events. Each nation receives a half page entry including state block and 2 trait options.

3 wizard and 3 fighter archetypes are included. Could be flavorful to incorporate your characters regional culture into a build.

Over views of religion and races are 1 paragraph per entry. Ok as a very basic primer, but the Gazetteer provides more details on nations, races, religion, and classes. The Inner Sea World Guide trumps both in terms of campaign content.

This book is not without merit. It is a fine guide for GMs to hand to a new player as it will not over load them with details. Those seeking large amounts of details should look to the Gazetteer and the Inner Sea World Guide.

Content is normal Paizo quality. I love the game world in general. Artwork is high quality.

It's hard not to echo what previous reviewers have stated, but maybe it's important for the publishers to get the general feeling of the praises and gripes about their products.

The book does a great job of introducing people to the Inner Sea. I have had some difficulty adventuring in the area and reading the fiction and not having a map in front of me to help me figure out, "Where the heck are we, anyway?" :) Further reading in the book also helps understand both of the aforementioned as the nations are detailed well-enough.

The lack of artwork was, like a previous poster said, kinda' glaring. For a $10.99 product I know we can't expect Rembrandt, but to use the inside back cover to repeat the front cover artwork is a little weak. How about a picture of the Starstone Cathedral or something equally as epic?

Still, I recommend the book to anyone who adventures in The Inner Sea. Very helpful.

The one major issue I see with this is the fact that there is almost no artwork here. There are only three pieces of art in this book. One is the cover, which looks great, the next is inside the front cover, it is a nice map of all the nations. The third piece is inside the back cover, it is the same exact art work that is on the cover. That was very disappointing to see. There are four other small pieces of art, maybe a quarter of a page in size. Other than that, this seems like a good product to introduce new players to the world. Not to heavy on info, but enough for players to base there character from some of the city states described.

I would of maybe liked to see less info on the politics of each of the city states described and maybe more on the the ecology or types of adventures you could have here, like the physical aspects of the state.

I took one star for the lack of art work and to much politics in the descriptions. If it were priced more than 10.99 it would get less stars.

I own both the Gazetteer and the original CS. Up until now I've used the Gaz as a player's guide, but this release, being intended as such, serves as an admirable replacement. Some setting details are (thankfully) held back. The new map (printed inside the front cover) is bright and easy to read; my favorite yet.

Speaking of maps: Unlike the Gaz, there is no fold-out map. While I get that it probably had to be left out at this price, it is still missed. One thing they should have included was the the holy symbols of the gods -- seems a strange omission.

Hopefully Paizo will discount the PDF of this product. A $5 price would make it a really easy sell for new Society gamers. (****-)

This book was badly needed for some time already. So far, the only solid intro book for Golarion was the Gazzetter, which was a slight bit too long for wooing new people. Here comes the Inner Sea Prmier, written by industry veteran Colin McComb.

The most important question is: does it do the job ? Can it be used to introduce new players to the PF campaign setting ?

The book starts with a full page map of the Inner Sea region. This is the first Golarion map with clearly visible country/region boundaries and capitals marked, which is a great plus. On a flip side, it's a bit too brightly colored.

Coming up next is a short timeline. Excellent move, as the CS timeline is kinda intimidating. This one details the major events without getting sidetracked by Tian Xia emperors discovering the use of a teapot.

Then comes the bulk of the book - short descriptions of countries/areas, each has half a page. Apart from crucial facts and background, each region has two traits for players. This is a great move, as it helps flesh out a PC from given area from the get go. There is also a short mention of Bad Places, such as Darklands or the Worldwound.

The next chapter gives us three archtypes for melee classes. Archetypes are something that I absolutely adore, as they are the 2e kits done right. Kudos for giving us that instead of PrCs.

The following chapter details the major and minor gods of the setting. After this comes the magic chapter, with three variant Wizards. Finally, the races and ethnicities of Golarion are briefly described.

How do I feel about this book ? I think it's a great introduction to Golarion, enhanced by Colin's excellent writing and evocative map, icons and artwork. It's great for what it's supposed to do.

My only minor complaints are lack of new archetypes for divine/skill classes and no section on The Great Beyond. However, those are minor issues and don't knock a star off my final score.