So, being on a long holyday in mountainside with three small children, during their blessed long naps, I read the two books in series.
I was struck by them (positively).
They contain loads of useful informations on Pavis/Prax, tons of
insightful suggestions on the EWF, hundreds of surprisingly fitting
scenario hooks. My respect for the editor and his helpers surged up.
The long Grey Company Campaign is simply beautiful (even if a bit too long for my taste, but you can always cut when you have more material than you need while the opposite is not possible). The hero bands are very useful to arrange encounters/helpers/adversaries all over Prax, the Greatlands or even Dragon Pass and Kethaela.
There are invaluable pearls, like the military/intelligence informations about Lunarized Prax, the notes on Mostali, on Dragonewts, on Praxian Heortlings (a very mysterious bunch of outcasts until now) and humorous hints (such as the Newtling Trading Society). There are occult geomantic (or should I say Gloranthomantic?) and massonic sects and loads of infos on assassin organizations. There are even almost complete (!) references to published material about Prax in other fanzines, canon sources or web sites.
In short, there is room for a dozen campaigns, allowance for finally extending your twenty year old RQ2/3 campaign (with stats available!!) or input to start a new one engaging a lovely mix between the old approach (RQ era) and the new one (HW/HQ age).
A few observations: the stats for some guys seem too high, in my opinion: the number of masteries and double-double-wibbles is maybe too generous, but you can easily adapt them to your taste. In the Lhankor Mhy Library description there is surprisingly no mention to well known NPCs (maybe trademarked by lost authors?) like Floriat Fedora or Kollen Siff or Senna or Lucien the Diviner. A serious question about heortlings rests unanswered (do they form tribes and clans in Prax or simply live according to anonymous stead/family groups, easy prey to any nomad or Lunar magic-using villain?).
The prize is not too high, considered the sheer number of pages (more than 100 each book), illos, stats and small font used to better fill any single page with Gloranthan Lore.
Buy it, read it, use it!
Ciao,
Gian
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