Hail Adventurers! I'm in a bit of a financial crisis (Aren't we all? ^.^;). I found myself running two (correlating) games of Dungeons & Dragons, where one team is in the northern hemisphere, fighting through the bitter cold of Taldune mountains, and the other team (old-school soldiers ^.^) trying to survive in the jungle continent of Marrash! So, my problem is this:
If I only had enough money to purchase only ONE of these books for now, which one should I go for? (Keep in mind that the books are "Frostburn", and "The Serpent Kingdom {FR}".)
Thank you for your help, and whatever sage advice you may bring me! B(*)B
Hey Drake,
Not sure how much help I can be on this one since I have yet to sample The Serpent Kingdom Source Book. I did however purchase Frostburn, and can tell you a little about it.
Its not that I didn't like it, it was of the same quality as other sourcesbooks in the same series (i.e. Sandstorm etc..), its just that I didn't find too much new and useful information for MY CAMPAIGN.
Maybe i'm a little jaded, or expect too much, I don't know...but I get the feeling that most of the info in these sourcebooks is flavor rather than substance. Sure you get a few new prestige classes some new races too (which I thought were dissapointing) and some new feats...but for the most part is was terrain info and game mechanics about weather and adveturing in such environments that struck me as the most informative stuff in the book. Again depending on what you are looking to get out of it, it may be just what you need...or dissapointing. I'll let other comment on this too and see if its just me.
Hope that in some way helps.
Be safe all.
Thank you for your input on Frostburn. Let me just say that even if it was only good for explaining terrain mechanics and winter style, it would still be helpful in my campaigns, seeing as how Taldune is in he "frozen ring" {our Arctic Circle}.
For the most part, I need the books MOSTLY FOR the terrain mechanics, the specifics on races who live in said area, and equipment on how to cope. If I were to play a winter session for just one season a year, I could understand, but the Mountains of Taldune, and the Jungle Continent of Marrash are forever going to be there (even after the apocolypse has come in Season II of my campaign(s)).
Thanks again, and I hope to hear more! ^.^
I would dig around the WotC site and look for the location-themed articles. They're interesting and might be a good spark.
I do own both books, and I would probably pick Frostburn over The Serpent Kingdoms. SK doesn't have a whole lot of terrain-specific material, although it is very interesting, especially if you're interested in yuan-ti. I'd get Frostburn, IMHO.
If I only had enough money to purchase only ONE of these books for now, which one should I go for?
Hail to Drake_Range!
If I were you, I would buy a couple of shares of Activision (ATVI) and sell it after xmas. Then with the profits you can buy them both!
ps. don't forget to delta-hedge. That is like a 3rd level spell.
correction: it is a 2nd level spell in the Magic Traders Guild. (In my world(s) anyways.)
cheers!!
I have to agree that the sourcebooks are more flavor than substance....not worth the $ for the most part. Go to Borders and read it while having coffee or something...or save your money and buy Shackled City.