Fanboyism, Part Deux

So I got a copy of the Iron Kingdoms Character Guide: Full Metal Fantasy Volume I (herein IKCG) this weekend, after frothing at the mouth for the book for nearly a year, and I must say -- it's worth the wait. Not only do you get all the rules for adventuring in the IK, and an overview of common knowledge players would have, you also get a great (if slightly complicated) section on creating mechanika, rules for steamjacks and warjacks (of WARMACHINE fame), new skills, tons of feats, lots of new magic rules (especially divine), and more detail than you can shake a stick at.

This huge and gorgeous tome contains more detail than I ever thought necessary for a role-playing setting - calendars, gods, religious observances, and all sorts of minutae fill the books 400+ pages of loverlyness - but it all works great. Joe Martin and crew have been working on this particular book for 1-2 years and that really has paid off here in spades - while the original Witchfire Trilogy modules that formed the Iron Kingdoms setting hinted at greatness for the world, it is this book that truly displays the setting's maturity and rounds off so many of the rough edges to make Immoren a world  truly set apart from DnD.

And seeing that Privateer Press was founded by two of the industry's best artists (Matt Wilson and Brian Snoddy), the art is a knockout, which enhances the book's inspired design. It's very satisfying for me to finally see the presentation of the world that gives me two of my favorite games - Iron Kingdoms and WARMACHINE - as a mature and distinctive roleplaying setting that truly stands on its own.