As an avid gamer I've had the opportunity to play the original Everquest for PC. It was a very addictive game for its time and I never really thought that I'd have that feeling of playing in a world plagued by griffin attacks and bard songs. How wrong I was! I was walking through a game hobby store and I spotted this gem in a pile of discount books and I was thrilled at the idea of playing in the world of Norrath.
The initial impression of the book is that it is roughly twice as thick as the 3rd edition D&D Player's Handbook. It contains surprisingly well-done art from a variety of artists and art styles. I really appreciate how much care they put into the layout and art. I was really afraid that they would just steal a bunch of the art from the actual game and/or use video-game photos.
The book starts with a description of the setting. I enjoyed how thorough the writers were in describing the major cities of the world. It really set off a lot of the nostalgic feelings, basically reminding me of going to places that I've wandered and explored in the MMORPG. This part of the book is very well done. I say this because it is brief enough where it isn't tedious but it also has enough depth to let yourself get sunk into the setting.
The Everquest RPG is based on 3rd Ed D&D, with some major differences. There are 14 races (Barbarian, Dark Elf, Dwarf, Erudite, Ogre, Troll...etc), and there are all the classes from the actual game. From a rules perspective, one of the major differences is that spells are based on mana rather than a limited amount of castings per day. There are a lot more casting classes in the EQ RPG (Bard, Beastlord, Cleric, Druid, Enchanter, Magician, Necromancer, Paladin, Ranger, Shadow Knight, Shaman, Wizard). Also, each casting class has their own spell list which allows for more diversity that each role a class fills.
The character classes are a lot more balanced and group/party oriented than the actual game. I think that they really invested a great deal of effort into game balance and the transition into a pen and paper RPG. As an avid power gamer, I really had a challenge finding loopholes and broken rules (despite the large array of classes and spells). Again, it just shows how much they invested into playtesting and is sheer evidence of a solid system.
Overall it is a revamped version of D&D with a change in classes and spellcasting. It is a great adaptation that lets the players play their favorite part of the Everquest game. So if you want to play a gnomish necromancer with a powerful skeleton "pet" companion, it's a definite possibility.
Reviewer's Rating:
Art/Presentation: 8.5/10
Fun/Entertainment: 9/10
Originality/Innovation: 6.5/10
