My opinion of "Ethnic Fantasy D&D Settings" is, for the most part, very similar to Ed Greenwood's - I don't normally like them, because they tend to push for a Historical/Low Fantasy approach to D&D that doesn't really mesh with what I want out of D&D. Arkadia, however, was a very pleasant surprise, because it doesn't do that at all - in fact, it completely rejects the "TSR manual" for a setting of its ilk and instead works very hard to keep that Heroic Fantasy feel whilst still remaining true to the Greco-Romans myths and legends that inspired it. In fact, I can't overstate how impressed I am with the way it manages to blend D&D basic elements into Classical Mythology depictions, taking iconic D&D races but making them feel like they belong in this world clearly based on Greco-Roman myths. It's interesting to compare it to Odyssey of the Dragonlords, although I find both have their strengths and weaknesses. The one thing most bothers me about this book is the feeling that it's far too short, especially for its price tag; it feels like it could have had so much more to say about its world, but instead it almost artificially constrains itself, sharing with us the bare minimum of what it has to offer. It's still a good book, but it plays too conservatively with itself, and I just wish it had been longer.
Rating: [4 of 5 Stars!] |