This article originally appeared in d20 Weekly
Sanctuary
Published by Auran Games
Written by Keith Done
Art by Jason Robson
110-page b&w softcover with color plates, CD; $19.95
Auran, a new d20 System adventure publisher out of Australia, continues to demonstrate that they are a company to be pay attention to, with their third and latest release, Sanctuary. This gothic adventure, easily adaptable to any campaign setting, is designed for 4th and 5th levels.
Sanctuary is a quality production. Actually, Auran elevates the bar by which adventures will be measured with this classy product, and is quite clearly a work of passion. The cover is striking in its simplicity, the binding is sturdy, and the interior illustrations are all fabulous. Artist Jason Robson particularly excels with character portraits -- his work brings the NPCs instantly to life with all the depth and nuances of real people.
The editing is nearly flawless, the text is extremely dense thanks to the small-yet-legible font, and the layout is very creative. Art seamlessly blends with the text, rather than standing apart in enclosed boxes; 14 gorgeous color plates, depicting nicely rendered maps and three-dimensional room images, set the product apart from competitors. Most players love handouts, and yet few published adventures go to the effort to include them. Thankfully, Auran recognizes their value and sees fit to add some very worthwhile black-and-white props. They're well done and relevant to the game, and add an interactive element, thereby increasing the players' . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: March 19, 2003
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