From: tgt33358@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Deus Imperator)
Subject: Re: AD&D2: Al-Qadim F*cked Up Everywhere? (NOT!)  
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Distribution: usa
Date: Thu, 16 Apr 1992 19:26:54 GMT

In article <1992Apr15.234051.14064@mcs.kent.edu> dulm@Chaos.mcs.kent.edu (Darrell Ulm) writes:
>In article <1992Apr15.105020.54502@cc.usu.edu> sl7sg@cc.usu.edu writes:
>>In article <1992Apr15.004851.22985@wam.umd.edu>, huesmann@wam.umd.edu (Joseph Edward Huesmann) writes:
>>> 
>>> Hi. A friend of mine and I recently bought TSR's Al-Qadim "Arabian
>>> Nights"-type sourcebook for AD&D2. The pages were f*cked up. By
>>> 
>>> Also, I've noticed that both the "Pirates of the Fallen Stars"
>>> sourcebook and "Al-Qadim" had screwy bindings: The spines of the
>>> books are skewed, or twisted. Is TSR trying to save printing costs
>>> and maximize profits even more?
>>
>>	Why do you even question such a thing... Of course they are!  That and
>>they don't give a shit for their product quality.  As long as the naive gamer
>>continues to purchase cheep shit from T$R they will continue to produce the
>>defacation of the gaming industry.
>>
 have purchased Al-Quadim, and as a lover of the Arabian Nights tales,
find it an excellent product, well rounded in almost every way.  It 
vividly brings to life the world where a genie is at the beck and call of
a hero, without the hero asking for "infinite wishes" for his first wish.
My binding is sound, and the pages are beautifully presented.  Amongst the
good stuff to be had are 

	Shar'irs:  Summoners (Finally!) who specialize in djinn summoning
		and trapping.  At first level, they gain a minor djinn
		as a familiar, who gets them the spells they require,
		with no need for spell books.  Each spell to be garnered
		is assigned a percentile "chance to find."  The catch,
		preventing this from becoming TOO powerful, is that it 
		takes an INCREDIBLE amount of time, even at high levels
		to get the given spell.  The class balances nicely.

	Hakima:  One of my favorite kits, it is the wise woman of lore,
		assistent to the sultan, who can perceive the truths hidden
		in all things.

	Barbars:  So much more than the "clip and shave" man that he has 
		become today, the barbar is a thief who plies his trade in
		the bazaar, performing acrobatic feats while acting as 
		a dentist and a doctor (bloodletting).  He is the ultimate
		performer, the only thief earning resect in the application
		of his trade.

	Holy Warrior:  The best example I can think of is Hakim in "Robin
		Hood," one who fights in honor of his god, while being 
		wise in the ways of peace.  He fights only as a last 
		resort, but will die before surrender.

Other aspects are great new spells, rules for invoking "Fate," the one who 
rules the land, and perhaps the most attractive of all:  no predjudices.
In the Land of Fate, the northerners are considered dogs for finding fault 
in mere physical apperances.  
	Overall, an excellent product.
>
>		Do I hear a BOYCOTT?  I am willing to start...havent
>		bought any crappy D&D products (not even Dragon)
>		for about 5 years...Give your money to the best
>		games...Reward playtesting and design...Dont fall
>		for TSR's crap (by the way I know 2nd hand that
>		they pay frelance designers absolute crap, steel
>		game designs from people who submit. That is
>		why everything is from the IN HOUSE people cook,
>		Weiss and Hickman...UG!
	Weis and Hickman?  What the HELL are you talking about?  Both have
	been away from TSR for years, and have only recently come back.
	The DeathGate Cycle is modern fantasy at its best!  Forget not that
	Hickman gave us Ravenloft I and II, as well as Deserts of Desolation.
	I am currently going through it, and am VERY impressed.  One of the
	main reasons I so enjoy Al-Quadim is that I am a great fan of the
	Rose of the Prophet series, and I find Al-Quadim effectively captures
	the flavor of the books. 
>		White Wolf is looking good, so is HERO/ICE and    
>		SJG (well ok sometimes with his stuff)...
>
	I'll agree that White Wolf puts out an excellent product (can't wait
	for Werewolf!  Check out the ad for it in the back of Milwaukee By
	Night.  Yum!) but you are limiting yourself greatly by ignoring 
	the excellent source materials they are coming out with.  I trolled
	by the SJG shelf yesterday, and saw all the crap availiable for GURPS.
	Does a GURPS player need all that stuff stuff to play one genre?
	Hell no!  Same thing with TSR.  It's merely giving its players options.
	I find it commendable.


-- 
Thanatos, DeathUrge, Master of a Bunch of Stuff tgt33358@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu
"Why would you think a priest any more moral than the rest of us?  Heavens
 sake's child, why do you think they're called 'Father?'"
					-The Company of Wolves