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What Sets Spelljammer Apart
Beth Rimmels wrote an intensive evaluate of the brand new Spelljammer product ($44.93 together with tax, free transport, from Amazon; record $69.99). This is my perspective on what’s modified.
What units fantasy adventures in outer house other than different settings? First it’s the ships themselves and ship to ship fight, and second it’s a new set of monsters designed for “space”, such because the Neogi and the photo voltaic dragons. The third guide of the set is the monster handbook for the setting, and it really works superb. The ships are a considerable a part of the primary guide that describes how Spelljammer works (although its title is Astral Adventurer’s Guide). The different guide is an journey path.
Same Setting, New Edition
There’s been some dialogue recently that Wizards of the Coast might have adopted a technique of issuing new D&D settings however counting on the DM’s Guild for third-party assist thereafter. Spelljammer exhibits indicators of this. Moreover, it is just 192 pages regardless of being three pasteboard hardcover books; a lot of that’s occupied by paintings. Artwork doesn’t do a lot for a GM, actually not when the ensuing product is simply too brief to adequately describe itself.
Perhaps due to the restricted house accessible, the brand new Spelljammer doesn’t dive very deeply into most subjects. Instead of enormously enhancing the setting they’ve merely given it a short new paint job. The method feels a bit just like the method to board video games, by which most board video games are performed as much as 3 times at most, as a result of gamers have so many different video games to select from. I’m wondering if this has additionally turn into the norm for role-playing recreation publishers, with the expectation that almost all prospects gained’t be enjoying within the setting for various periods.
Sinking Ships
To me, the principle curiosity of Spelljammer is the ships and ship fight. (Then once more, I’ve all the time been a fan of the Naval points of historical past, together with once I wrote my dissertation.). Unfortunately, there’s a substantial lack of element in how ship fight works. There is not any maneuverability score; so far as I can inform any ship can cease or activate a dime, transfer sideways or backwards at full pace. In the journey, ships all the time initially seem fairly shut to at least one one other to restrict alternatives for maneuver. The ship determines the tactical pace, not the extent of the helmsman (now known as the spelljammer).
The ship diagrams look very very like the outdated ones, not a nasty factor. Helms are low cost. There is not any spell penalty for helming a ship (within the outdated system, the caster misplaced all of their spells). Level of helmsman does not matter for tactical pace or a lot of anything.
Ship tonnage is now not specified, simply hit factors (250-450 typically). That helps keep away from a number of the weird inconsistencies in dimension between ship diagrams and the official dimension of ships within the outdated guidelines. Ship diagrams are very harking back to the outdated, might even be the identical in a couple of instances, and it’s principally the identical ships as within the authentic. There are nonetheless odd allocations of sq. footage, reminiscent of a captain’s cabin a lot bigger than the complete crew quarters for 21 crew. Some diagrams present a location for the helm (an vital level in boarding), some don’t.
The customary seems to be only one spelljammer (helmsman) on a ship! The ship can transfer 24/7, however helmsman, who should focus as for a spell, just isn’t going to final greater than half a day. Why no second or third helmsman?
This model feels as if it treats the ships as mere transportation, a means of getting from one place to a different. I’m undecided that’s a good evaluation however that’s the way it feels to me, the sport just isn’t ship oriented although the ships are the distinctive characteristic of adventures in outer house.
Other Changes
The whole second guide is a type of journey path that takes characters from fifth to ninth degree. Unfortunately, the target is, but once more, to save lots of a world. My impression is that the creators felt that gamers would solely play Spelljammer a couple of instances, so that they included a giant “save the world” journey sequence so that folks could possibly be accomplished with the setting once they completed the sequence. I might as an alternative have most well-liked some unconnected adventures for lower-level characters who might then stay up for greater issues.
It just isn’t all one-sided disappointment. One change that is sensible: as an alternative of “the phlogiston” connecting star methods collectively, the Astral Sea is the connection. Githyanki are current! As if thoughts flayers and beholders weren’t dangerous sufficient.
It’s a disgrace, as a result of Spelljammer is chock stuffed with concepts … and stuffed with inconsistencies. The new version was a possibility to streamline the setting by taking one of the best of what got here earlier than. Instead, we obtained some tantalizing ideas and never sufficient content material to do them justice.
Your Turn: Did you create or borrow guidelines from different methods to play in your Spelljammer marketing campaign?
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