Blight Elves RPG Review
Posted on June 25, 2008 by Flames
Introduction
The Blight Elves are a race of elves native to Simarra in the Blood Throne setting. These are basically dark elves dialed up to eleven with the themes becoming those of torture, despair and cruelty, equally dialed up to eleven. This is presented for True20 rules and it will be interesting to see how d20 variants like True20 and Mutants and Masterminds fair in the face of 4th Edition D&D.
Overview
This is a comprehensive guide to the Blight Elves with career path choices, powers, background, history, society, a complete and whole in depth look at the whole race allowing them to be fitted into campaigns with enough weight behind them to make sense – if the Games Master sees fit to use it all. This is all pretty much standard stuff for racial guidebooks in any game and there’s nothing particularly innovative, though nothing innovative is needed.
Artwork
The artwork is of a good standard throughout, clear black and white line work that works very well with the material, though some of it borders on caricature. The big downside for me was the sidebar, this big thick piece of art blocks off both the left and right hand side of the book with a pregnant blight elf on either side standing before a twisted tree. This eats page space and is the same image throughout detracting from the overall feel of the book. The layout itself is competent and uncomplicated and easy to read.
Writing
The writing is good throughout though it does have a tendency to use extra affirmations of the dark and evil quality of the blight elves when it isn’t needed and a little more subtlety would make for an easier read. The rules are presented clearly and concisely and there are no complaints there. If anything the writing is only let down by its subject matter, the blight elves, for all their darkness and evil, do come off a little campy, scenery chewing, opera-cloak wearing evil, even though they needn’t be played out that way.
Rules
There are background feats, extra vices, special weapons (appropriate to the racial background), character paths and their special abilities and lores, new feats, new powers and new equipment – much of it specific to particular power blocs from amongst the blight elves. It’s all decent, well written and doesn’t appear to be too unbalancing and it all thematically fits the different power groups without issue.
Upsides
* Well written.
* Complete & comprehensive.
* Well presented.
Downsides
* Expensive for forty pages.
* Who needs more elves? Seriously.
* Campy.
Score
Style: 3
Substance: 5
Overall: 4
Review by James ‘Grim’ Desborough
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