A well done explanation of the Pathfinder Beginner Box.  Thanks to Xanthstar for bringing this valuable tool to our attention!

The newest hardcover source book for the Pathfinder RPG is on the shelves. The Advanced Race Guide by Paizo Publishing, LLC is 250 + pages detailing every race you could possibly want to play, and some you never would have thought of.

In my reading I found the book is very well organized. The introduction sets the tone well, explaining why the RPG races are different and important. It then goes on to set up what to expect throughout the book. While some of this may seem intuitive, it provides a nice reference for those who need a little more guidance.

This book contains a lot of useful content on each race. The base races are represented first, expanding on the content you find in the Core Rulebook, fleshing out them out quite nicely. It includes new traits, favored classes, racial archetypes, racial equipment, feats, spells and magical items. Some of this could be seen as mere fluff, slight variations to a known theme just to add page count. For example: Tweaking an existing class to fit a race’s specific history, giving it a new name and calling it an archetype. Then again, who said fluff is all bad, as it fills the imagination as much as it does pages. Sure you could do much of the same yourself, tweaking your character to fit a specific mold, but now you don’t have to. The guide provides a good base for you to jump off of, allowing more time to tailor your character to your likes. Not to mention that the race specific equipment, spells and such allows for more personality to each character. On a personal note, My favorite Archetype is the Half-Orc Redeemer.  It is a paladin variant where the torn half breed fights his brutal nature and realizes that one can be good in spite of their inner demons. This shows that being a paladin doesn’t always have to involve acting like a goody two-shoes.

The featured and uncommon race sections are organized the same way as the base races, with a solid introduction leading into a deluge of racial information. This provides continuity and aids in the navigation of the new material. While there is much information to absorb, the material can add a lot of flavor and depth to any campaign.

The final section is a race builder. It provides a template for turning many monsters in the Bestiary into a balanced, playable race. It also provides a template for converting some common beasts such as lizardfolk and gnolls into character races (though why it did not just add some of these to chapter three is a mystery). This is immediately followed by an appendix of sorts detailing how each race in the first three chapters would be built using the race builder.

I found this book to be informative, packed with information, and well written. And as with all Paizo material, the artwork is supreme. The only question you should ask when considering purchasing it is how much information do you want? If you are happy playing your base races, then this book is not for you, all you need is in the Core Rulebook.. But if you ever wanted to play a Centaur, a Drow, a Tiefling, or any other non core race, then this book is a necessity.

Ratings:

Organization: Consistent and intuitively organized…………………5 of 5

Content/Usability:  maybe a little too much information?…………4 of 5

Readability:  easy to digest…………………………………………..5 of 5

Aesthetics: as always, great art and background…………………5 of 5

Overall…………………………………………………………………..5 of 5

      I would like to introduce myself. My name is Mason Froberg, and I am one of the owners of Dungeon’s End, a game store in Duluth, MN. We have been open for 7 months now and it has been amazing to get to know the great people in this city, and to learn about all the awesome games that are available. Before the store was open I had no idea how many different games and accessories that were out there, and I am sure that there is a lot more to learn. It is our intent at Dungeon’s End to keep learning about all the games and what our customers want. So feel free to drop in and let us know what you would like to see!

     There have been many exciting developments in the short time we have been open. We have continually expanded our product line and filled up our events list. We have gone from 4 person Magic tournaments to 24-34 person tournaments. We have added World of Warcraft:TCG games, Warmachine and Hordes events, as well as Monsterpocalypse, and Warhammer/Warhammer 40K Tournaments as well. We have also over tripled our gaming space by adding our event center, giving us over 2300 square feet of space dedicated to gaming, the most ever seen in a store in Northern Minnesota. Best of all, the space is free to use during business hours!

     And we aren’t done yet! Some of the things we are looking into are hosting Warmachine/Hordes Tournaments, and we will be soon renting out late night access to our event center. It certainly is an exciting time.

     I am going to use this space to keep the local gaming community updated about our events and upcoming releases, as well as using it to network with the local and not so local gaming communities to continue to develop the area’s gaming community. So check back in here often for updates.

     If you would like to leave suggestions for products or events or for any other reason you can contact us in the following ways. Connect to our website at www.dungeonsend.com and leave suggestions on our forums, email us at dungeonsend@gmail.com, leave comments here or drop by the store and talk to us in person. We are also on Facebook and Twitter! Thanks And Happy Gaming!