Pyramid Pick
The Deep (for d20 System)
Published by Mystic Eye Games
Written by Susannah Redelfs
Illustrated by Matt Bober, Marcio Fiorito, Hunter Frederick McFalls, Jeremy McHugh, Tamara Pressman, & Roel Wielinga
256-page b&w hardcover; $39.99
"The deep is no lair. It turns out to be the planet's main address."
-- William J. Broad, The Universe Below, as quoted in The DeepThe Deep is a trove of information for a niche audience: gamers who want to take their adventurers underwater. While there are several d20 System books that cover ocean-going possibilities, most of them do so with an eye toward landlubbers getting their feet wet. Sailors, pirates, and merchants get plenty of coverage in these other books. The Deep comes right out on page 3 and clarifies its position: the ocean's surface is not part of its milieu. It recommends Living Imagination's Broadsides!, Fantasy Flight's Seafarer's Handbook, and Mongoose's Seas of Blood for players and GMs who want that information. Mongoose's upcoming The Book of the Sea will attempt to cover action both on and under the waves, but until then The Deep plumbs this frontier alone.
Physically, The Deep is a 256-page hardcover that makes excellent use of the space allotted. No vast expanses of dead white anywhere, tight tables and illustrations, and overall great layout. Word- for-word, customers will get their money's worth.
The book starts with a short table of contents and ends with a bibliography, glossary, index, . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: August 20, 2004
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