This article originally appeared in d20 Weekly
Lords of the Peaks
Published by Paradigm Concepts
Written by James Maliszewski and Steve Kenson
96 page softcover; $18.99
The first book in Paradigm Concepts' Races of Legend series of sourcebooks, Lords of the Peaks takes a close took at giants and their kin. It also represents the inaugural release in a partnership between Paradigm and Green Ronin Publishing, known as OGL Interlinks, designed to provide a series of related sourcebooks that complement one another (in this case, the partner book is Green Ronin's Hammer and Helm dwarf sourcebook). We've long had a fascination with giants, from the titans of Greek myth, to medieval folklore, and even biblical tales. For gamers, the love affair began with the classic Against the Giant trilogy; as such, this sourcebook has been a long time in coming.
Each of the seven core giant varieties (hill, fire, stone, frost, storm, cloud, and celestial) is discussed in considerable detail. Among the topics explored is physical description, preferred weapons, strategy and tactics, society, relations with others, and their homes and preferred environments. A typical entry runs six pages in length.
The authors have done a great job of packing the allotted space for each type with pertinent and useful information. It seems that every point, every word, was weighed for significance. There is no filler here! What's more, the entries are truly revealing, going beyond mere game mechanics and battle tactics to provide insight into their mindset. The end result . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: December 11, 2002
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