(Note: I ordered the core rulebook at the same time, but have not received it yet, so I am hindered some what by my lack of knowledge on the actual rules.)
For those who aren't familiar with it, Dark Heresy is a tabletop role-playing game set in the dark universe of Warhammer 40,000. Creatures Anathema does for Dark Heresy what the assorted "Monstrous Manuals" did for Dungeons and Dragons, it provides Game Masters and players with the means to incorporate new creatures, villians, xenos, and all manner of other varmints into their adventures. This volume includes information on mutations, "forbidden science," death worlds, vermin, xenos (including assorted orks, tyranids, and eldar among others), and the minions of chaos.
Let me start by saying: this book is beautiful. Fantasy Flight has done an amazing job on this and the other Dark Heresy books I've had the chance to flip through.
Are you taking notes Games Workshop? This is what your codices should look like.
The layout of the book is fantastic. The artwork is spectacular. The fluff is detailed and interesting (especially the "handwritten" journal of Inquisitor Felroth Gelt scattered throughout.) And the included "Adventure Seeds," could prove exceedingly useful for GMs looking for a bit of inspiration.
My only real gripe about the book so far is that it seems that while the quality of Fantasy Flight's publication is vastly superior to Games Workshop, they could use some help with their copy-editing. Now, I haven't actually looked through the book in detail yet, so perhaps the work as a whole is not so bad. However, I am likely biased due to the fact that the very first time I opened the book (to a random page) my delicate sensibilities were assailed by the phrase:
"...these weapons is not Unreliable in the hands of an Ork."
Fortunately, that foible is minor compared to the book's strengths. The only real drawback with this and the other Dark Heresy books is the price tag. They are great books, and Fantasy Flight knows it - but they're not too hard to find at a discount (Hint: AMAZON.)
There are the occasional typos, yeah.
ReplyDeleteI think one of the biggest draws is the dark humor in the work.
IE: critical table, rending damage to the head (where 'rending' is something like a sword or other edged weapon)
'There is a spray of arterial blood. The target's head flies 2d10 feet in a random direction. THE TARGET IS DEAD.'
Because having your head fly 2-20 feet from your body is survivable...