Ray Vallese

This is a fantastic successor and tribute to the old Planescape boxed campaign setting. Basically, a number of the contributors to that AD&D 2nd ed campaign came up with unique planes for your characters to visit. It's highly entertaining and fun to read, and has plenty of plot seeds. It introduces a cosmology much more organic than the Great Wheel of core D&D, but the planes can be used as locations or demiplanes in the standard cosmology as well. I was inspired to blend elements of the two show more for my home brew campaign. The idea of planar conjunction is especially intriguing and can make for more adventure and uncertainty when traveling across the multiverse. The only drawback to this book is that it contains very little "crunch", and basically no options for characters. But as a DM's muse, this is a great book. show less

Aug09:

Characters: Pretty much crap. 'Silent Protagonist' does not roll over to book format. The companions were flat as shit. There was no real bad guy.
Plot: Also pretty much crap. Like playing a questionable linear CRPG, which I hear the actual game wasn't bad. I really didn't the ultimate baddy. Although it did at least end like Angel the TV show ;)
Style: At least the setting was original, although I don't credit the authors for this. At the same time, there was way too much 'They walked show more on squishy smelly stuff'. show less