Even if there is no map? Need a random encounter? Need instant stats for that random encounter? Need to know why there was a random encounter? ISBN View Corrections Link Image. Product Code: LotFP No items found.
No images found. No videos found. No threads found. No posts found. Title Hot Recent. Sort: Pg. Relationship: Periodical Articles Podcast Episodes. Interview with Zak Smith. No lists found. RPG Item Rank:. The end result is that the book is a chore to navigate and its contents are hard to digest. In a larger supplement, this sort of material would be welcome.
But if one only has 64 pages to provide the tools necessary to run urban adventure on the fly, the inclusion of this material is a mistake.
The space is needed for other, more essential matters. The particular locations included are creative. The inclusion of a medusa with a manor is consistent with the dark, weird fairy-tale sensibility of the book. Opinions will vary on whether this sensibility is an asset or a liability.
It has limited appeal for me. That should suffice to give one a feel for how bizarre the setting can be and how out of step it is with most old-school campaigns. Some of the material in the book is difficult to describe as anything more than filler. Inclusion of the player commentaries section is baffling given the space limitations.
Consider these two comments:. But of what conceivable use is this information to other referees? The question answers itself. Other material, if not filler, is still of no use to time-pressed referees and will not be of interest to players.
Most of the superstitions fall into this category. Except fishcakes, which will taste like rye. The last half of the book is devoted to mechanics and tables that are supposed to assist a referee to run urban adventures off the cuff. The tables likely are the most readily usable by other referees. The net result is that the tables—which span 17 pages—are of limited use to others.
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Copy Link Tweet This. Zak Sabbath. Original electronic Scanned image These products were created by scanning an original printed edition. Layout adheres to a very buy one-column or two-column standard, with a ton of information on every single page. The layout is obviously made for the A5-booklet 6'' by 9'' size, though I'd strongly suggest not printing out multiple pages on one sheet of paper here - the sheer information density means that the font becomes too small if you try that here.
The pdf-version comes fully bookmarked with nested bookmarks. The book is incredibly aesthetically pleasing if you enjoy Zak Sabbath's style of art, with layout using black frames on the pages - so yeah, this is not the most printer-friendly of books. And while the pdf does an admirable job at maintaining the raw functionality of the physical dead-tree hardcover, the sheer switching of sheets of paper takes a bit away from the immediate functionality when comparing the printed version or screen-version with the physical hardcover.
The hardcover is the preferred version - with nice binding, sleeves and even the covers having a function If you can afford it, go for print. Zak Sabbath's Vornheim is a piece of art that captured my interest to a higher extent that many, many books of ten times their page-count and more. As a GM-aid, this provides some phenomenally-innovative tools of the trade that even veteran GMs may not necessarily know yet - I learned more from this book's tricks than from any comparable GM-book, which is a feat in and of itself, considering the experience I have.
While the quick-and-dirty attack-charts or any chart really, may not be for everyone, I'd be seriously surprised if any GM went into this book without some seriously cool new tool of the trade. The city Vornheim itself represents one of the most evocative settlements I have read in a long time: Beyond the truly fantastic setting, its unconventional premises and unfettered, raw collection of absolutely inspired tidbits, the influences of contemporary weird fiction and the writings of Borges are readily apparent on every page.
The city manages to evoke a sense of wonder only all too rarely still found among the settings out there - it is phenomenal and I would not have minded a page tome on the city; it's brevity is almost painful, it's excellence achingly pronounced, particularly if you've found yourself bored with standard settlements and most so-called "fantastic" cities and customs. The 3 modules contained herein all have different, interesting angles and while I explicitly remained brief in their descriptions, they similarly They are interesting, evocative, inspired Oh so brief.
You're probably seeing where this is going. Vornheim is, in all components of its content, whether as a GM-aid, as a sourcebook or regarding the modules included, a truly phenomenal offering; each component shines brightly like a cruel Northern star - but at the same time, while the components are interconnected, I could not help but feel like it was buckling under its own ambition - the book is so jam-packed, it strains at the seams and universally leaves the reader inspired and wiser, yes - but also wanting more.
You will not finish reading this book and feel saturated. When I came to the end of the setting-section, I was disappointed I did not get more; the same held true for all other sections. This book represents a perfect kit to create a glorious city, a sprawling moloch.
It perfectly depicts one of the most unique, fantastic cities I've read Do I believe that this, at double the page count, would have been even better? Heck yes. Do I want a full-blown, massive sourcebook on Vornheim, perhaps a whole mega-campaign or AP set in it? OH YES. Yes, please. But the thing is - the book does not try to be just a city sourcebook; just some modules, just some game-aids - while the amalgamation of these components may put a strain on the reader, they also force the GM's hand.
Vornheim says: "This is what you can do with the book. Want more? Then strain your creativity, use your own brain. It strips away the pretensions, the excuses we make time and again and tells us to make its contents our own, make this grey maze our grey maze.
Sure, we may crave just consumption - but this does not try to be simply consumed - it forces you to create, by virtue of its own brilliance. All the accolades heaped upon this book are justified. While the pdf loses a bit of the impact of its physicality in the electronic version, I still consider this to be one truly amazing, unique book that should grace the shelves of any self-respecting GM.
It is a brilliant exercise in inspiration, a rallying call to flex one's own creative muscles - it is, in short, an intoxicating vision. Get this. And yes, this receives the EZG-Essential-tag. This belongs into the library of any advanced GM.
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