Pyramid Review
Creatures of Freeport (for the d20 System)
Published by Green Ronin Publishing
Written by Graeme Davis & Keith Baker
Illustrated by Toren "Macbin" Atkinson, Kent Burles, Mario Fiorito, Chris Keefe, Jonathon Kirtz, & Britt Martin
96-page black & white perfect bound book; $19.95
Monster tomes for the d20 System fall into three types. The first is the generic, containing a wide selection of beasts, creatures, and monsters suitable for use in any Dungeons & Dragons game. The second concentrates upon a particular type of creature carrying its theme across all its entries. The third again provides a range of creatures, but just for one world or setting. The Monster Manual is an example of the first, Legions of Hell is an example of the second, and Monsternomicon - Volume I: Denizens of the Iron Kingdoms an example of the third. As is Creatures of Freeport, a collection detailing a variety of species native to Freeport: City of Adventure, Green Ronin's setting that combines fantasy, piracy, and adventure flavored with a dash of Lovecraftian horror.
Within its pages, Creatures of Freeport details just 16 species, plus another seven animals and 11 types, all of various sizes. In truth this does not seem like an awful lot, but what Freeport sourcebooks generally in quantity they make up for in quality. Plus these limited numbers make sense; the Freeport: City of Adventure setting is an area limited in size, consisting of just the city itself, and jungles spread across the island . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: July 23, 2004
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