Pyramid Review
Siege on Tolkeen: Chapter Five, Shadows of Evil
Published by Palladium Books
Written by Kevin Siembieda
112 b & w pages; $12.95
The fifth installment of the Siege on Tolkeen takes a step back. Instead of more monsters, magic items, and techno-wizardry devices, the book surveys the land and the damages done to both sides so far.
There are no chapters in the book, but thanks to the contents page, and the quick find page, things can be found fairly quickly. Starting off with a brief update on the Tolkeen forces and their triumph from book three, the Sorcerer's Revenge, the reader discovers that many of the Tolkeen volunteer forces have slowly started to disband. The two main reasons are that they think the war is over, and they are tired of the evils committed by Tolkeen in its defense.
The majority of the book has locations, NPCs, and tables to add into the Siege On Tolkeen campaign. This ranges from wastelands such as The Barrens, earthly fortresses crafted by Earth Warlocks, to Skelebot Graveyards where scavengers, active Skelebots, and other terror wait. The most detailed area, Mad Town, is mapped and has over fifty locations for characters to explore. One of the more interesting groups of bandits or freebooters is the White Knights. Organized by Lady White, a fallen Cyber Knight, this group has some morals and honor, but serves the Tolkeen forces out of hatred for the Coalition.
The most useful parts are the updated maps that show . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: March 9, 2001
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