Sharn: City of Towers (Eberron: Supplements)

Rating:
Summary: Great Book - Index available
Review: I would agree with the other reviewers in that this book is an excellent buy but for it not having an index. Luckily, the author of the book, Keith Baker, has been putting together a detailed index on his website.

You can download it for free here:
http://www.bossythecow.com/sharnindex.htm

The NPC, Locations, Services, and Organizations sections have been put together with the rest, I believe, coming soon.

Rating:
Summary: Missing index ruins a good book
Review: The content of this book is 5 stars, like the Eberron campaign setting itself. I've already started using the four criminal organizations, we've had a trip to the Silver Flame temple in Fallen, and I hope to contrast that with the corrupt but rich Silver Flame church in the Sovereign Towers. The Cogs and Sewers are next. There is more information than I will ever need on the many districts of the city, but it all helps to reinforce the whole feel of the Eberron setting.

Unfortunately, unless you have a photographic memory you're going to have trouble bringing it all together since there's no index. Even reading cover to cover there are a number of forward references with no quick way to look them up. Wondering who the Blackened Book is? Can't remember who The Lady of the Plague is when she's mentioned under The Children of Winter entry? Where does the secret head of the assassins live? Don't count on quickly finding something in the middle of play. Combined with a small number of typos and mistakes a good editor should have caught, I have to give this book two to three stars.

This is the second time I've been disappointed by WotC's choice to not include an index in a reference book. I know Keith Baker is putting together an index on his personal web site, but WotC should have included one from the beginning. If I hadn't already been so taken by the Eberron setting I would have passed up this book in protest.

Rating:
Summary: Gateway to Adventure
Review: The first supplement for Eberron is a book of a major metropolis on the main continent. This is the suggested focal point of most adventures in Eberron. And what a focal point! This place is really well imagined from depths to the heights. Plenty to see and do in this place. Although parts of this is not for the kiddies so becareful of this. Brothels are mentioned, frequently, not to suggest this be the main focus of your stay here but those that have an itch to scratch have their choices. Although this is usually quickly mentioned and then the book moves along. At least one D20 modern critter is featured in the roach thrall although they shoved this buggy in the somewhat limited monster section. Sharn is apparently built on an area of Khorvaire that enhances levitation and flight magic so the sky is the limit is more ways than one. A history is given and a good sketch on how things are done is detailed as well. Beyond Eberron you'd have to figure out how make certain things work for it to be useful, but for the first actual supplement for the new setting of Eberron, this book is very good.