Is the book Sharn: City of Towers high quality? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Is the book Sharn: City of Towers high quality? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
PrinceAzar
05-31-05, 11:55 AM I'm looking for a second book to collect my Eberrowned collection, since I love the idea of the city that stretches higher and higher, is it a worthy purchase? :)
The White Sorcerer
05-31-05, 12:12 PM Most definately. It even has stuff that might be useful even if your party never steps into Sharn, like holy days and laws and such.
DarkWarriorKarg
05-31-05, 12:24 PM Yup.
ieattrollsforbreakfast
05-31-05, 12:25 PM I second the above. Its an excellent read teeming with adventure hooks. The art, although a little sparse, is of high quality and the writing is excellent. Get it. Get it now!
PrinceAzar
05-31-05, 12:39 PM I can't! I'm in my shorts and a shirt! :eek: But I called to place an order in at Barnes, thanks guys! :plotting:
talion09
05-31-05, 12:43 PM If you already own the ECS, and its a choice between Sharn or Races of Ebberron for your second "Eberron" book, then I'd definitely reccommend Sharn.

However, I have to say that if you have no intention of playing in/visiting Sharn in your campaign, you might want to wait and see if either of the new Khorvaire books (Explorer's Handbook or 5 Nations) has more of what you want.

But if you want to visit/play in Sharn, buy the book, because it is excellent. It fleshes out the city, explaining its social, legal and criminal aspects, and sheds some light on the rest of Breland/surrounding regions as well.
magicmarker13
05-31-05, 11:10 PM it's the most in depth book i've ever seen wotc produce, the best roleplaying resource i've ever purchased, finally beating out freedom city for mutants and masterminds. sooooooo gooooood
Edymnion
05-31-05, 11:14 PM There are two books in the Eberron line, the ECS and Sharn: CoT.
There are three books focusing on Eberron material, the ECS, CoT, and RoE.

In order of quality:
1st: Eberron Campaign Setting
2nd: City of Towers
3rd: ...
4th: Races of Eberron

So yes, by all means, get CoT. And see if you can get a first printing so you can get the killer soundtrack CD that came with it! :D
anarco_rata
05-31-05, 11:46 PM yhea, that cd would do wonders to your massive music collection ^^
I also recomend CoT, Sharn is a great place to start a campaign, and a hell of a place to live (ask my changeling). BUT if you are a little short of mony, you might regret buying CoT when five nations is finally avaible (for you guys, here in venezuela it woud be at least another year)
Falrion
06-01-05, 07:44 AM Yup... we down here in south america, have to wait a lot to see them translated...Damned DeVir bums, they just are too slow to do the job... I´ve ended up buying 2 FR books in english... (couldn´t wait....)

I´m waiting to see CoT my self, but I heard from a friend who lives in USA that it´s one of the best place-especific manuals out there made by WoTC...
shemov
06-01-05, 09:57 AM yes! do not ask just buy it! :invasion:
Edymnion
06-01-05, 01:43 PM I´m waiting to see CoT my self, but I heard from a friend who lives in USA that it´s one of the best place-especific manuals out there made by WoTC...It is, its practically an entire campaign setting in it's own right.
PoeticJustice
06-02-05, 02:40 AM It is, its practically an entire campaign setting in it's own right.

Seconded. A Sharn-based campaign is not only plausible, but almost necessary once you've read the thing.
If you're a player, or are trying to convince a group to give Eberron a shot, I still think Races of Eberron is your best bet, but if you're a DM and are looking for a information on NPCs, districts, shops, laws, and a couple of pretty cool prestige classes, Sharn is the clear choice.
Save-vs-DM
06-02-05, 02:45 AM Excellent book, can't say too many good things about it, really. It is nigh indespensible if you run any sort of sharn game. (I use it reguarly for my CSI: Sharn game).

Cheers,
Save vs DM
Amaril
06-03-05, 05:11 PM And see if you can get a first printing so you can get the killer soundtrack CD that came with it! :D
I just ordered my copy of Sharn: City of Towers from Amazon.com earlier this week. Should I expect it to be a first printing with the CD or have they already started running second printings without the CD?

Edit: Nevermind, I just got it today and it came with the CD. :) (That was fast!)
anarco_rata
06-04-05, 01:20 AM Yup... we down here in south america, have to wait a lot to see them translated...Damned DeVir bums
WHAAAATT??
you actually get books translated in your country? i have to buy books for guys who go to USA and buy'em so they can re-sell in here...or ask my family in spain to get me some books...of course, i asked for "players handbook 3.5" and "some dragonlance novels" and they got me vampire:the masquerade (not that bad, but NOT what i wanted!) and three "asterix and obelic" comics, wich i still can't figure out how THE HELL they mix those up.
still, falrion, i don't know about you, but i prefer my books in english...some thhgs are better left...un-translated (for instances, they should've never translate "changelings" to "replicantes")
BTW, where are you from? im guessing...argentina?
Nhoj509
06-05-05, 09:42 PM It's worth it for a GM, and a big time spoiler for Players. There are dozens of new organizations to run your players up against, and lots of setting, who and what is where in Sharn.

I love the organizations, the criminal gangs, the dark truth about some of the Dragonmarked houses in Sharn, and so on.

The organization of the geography part is a bit confusing. The text and maps often don't go together (the map for the text on page X is found 20 pages later...). Part of the problem is the 3D nature of Sharn, but still, they could have done much better. And finding where a criminal gang's HQ is from the organizations section in the geography section is a matter of brute force searching.

Now that I think about it, some X,Y,Z coordinates might not have had a Sharn flavor, but would help the poor DM trying to find things. Gnomish coordinates perhaps?

What it does NOT have is an index. Without an index, where can I find if WotVB's Myriad tower is in the book or not?

Despite the flaws, well worth it.
Edymnion
06-05-05, 10:51 PM Yeah, City of Towers is, wonderfully enough, a *DM's* book!
Not much use for players, but damn if you can't find something to put in your game in every single page if you're a DM.

I mean, it even answers wierd little questions like "How much does an upscale hooker in the redlight district cost for the night compared to a cheap one?" I mean, how can you NOT be giddy about a book that gives you that kind of detail?
drasticale
06-05-05, 11:11 PM Yeah, City of Towers is, wonderfully enough, a *DM's* book!
Not much use for players, but damn if you can't find something to put in your game in every single page if you're a DM.

I mean, it even answers wierd little questions like "How much does an upscale hooker in the redlight district cost for the night compared to a cheap one?" I mean, how can you NOT be giddy about a book that gives you that kind of detail?

Ding!

Right on the nose... and if you are a player like me; you appreciate it because of the ideas it gives you. I first truly used it to figure out where my Dragonmarked PC wanted to rent his first home; and where I wanted to rent a home that my PC could lay low in.
Save-vs-DM
06-06-05, 03:05 AM Kind of off topic, but wouldn't a 3d computer "map" of Sharn just rock? Something kind of intereactive? I wonder if this is even feasible?

Cheers,
Save vs DM
anarco_rata
06-06-05, 11:46 PM Kind of off topic, but wouldn't a 3d computer "map" of Sharn just rock? Something kind of intereactive? I wonder if this is even feasible?

Cheers,
Save vs DM
It would be a really long and difficult project, but who knows?
maybe the guys in charge of d&donline would build a woundrous Sharn, but i think that would be too much work for a small party of programmers
Finally Azar, did you get the book?

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
PrinceAzar 05-31-05, 11:55 AM	I'm looking for a second book to collect my Eberrowned collection, since I love the idea of the city that stretches higher and higher, is it a worthy purchase? :)
The White Sorcerer 05-31-05, 12:12 PM	Most definately. It even has stuff that might be useful even if your party never steps into Sharn, like holy days and laws and such.
DarkWarriorKarg 05-31-05, 12:24 PM	Yup.
ieattrollsforbreakfast 05-31-05, 12:25 PM	I second the above. Its an excellent read teeming with adventure hooks. The art, although a little sparse, is of high quality and the writing is excellent. Get it. Get it now!
PrinceAzar 05-31-05, 12:39 PM	I can't! I'm in my shorts and a shirt! :eek: But I called to place an order in at Barnes, thanks guys! :plotting:
talion09 05-31-05, 12:43 PM	If you already own the ECS, and its a choice between Sharn or Races of Ebberron for your second "Eberron" book, then I'd definitely reccommend Sharn. However, I have to say that if you have no intention of playing in/visiting Sharn in your campaign, you might want to wait and see if either of the new Khorvaire books (Explorer's Handbook or 5 Nations) has more of what you want. But if you want to visit/play in Sharn, buy the book, because it is excellent. It fleshes out the city, explaining its social, legal and criminal aspects, and sheds some light on the rest of Breland/surrounding regions as well.
magicmarker13 05-31-05, 11:10 PM	it's the most in depth book i've ever seen wotc produce, the best roleplaying resource i've ever purchased, finally beating out freedom city for mutants and masterminds. sooooooo gooooood
Edymnion 05-31-05, 11:14 PM	There are two books in the Eberron line, the ECS and Sharn: CoT. There are three books focusing on Eberron material, the ECS, CoT, and RoE. In order of quality: 1st: Eberron Campaign Setting 2nd: City of Towers 3rd: ... 4th: Races of Eberron So yes, by all means, get CoT. And see if you can get a first printing so you can get the killer soundtrack CD that came with it! :D
anarco_rata 05-31-05, 11:46 PM	yhea, that cd would do wonders to your massive music collection ^^ I also recomend CoT, Sharn is a great place to start a campaign, and a hell of a place to live (ask my changeling). BUT if you are a little short of mony, you might regret buying CoT when five nations is finally avaible (for you guys, here in venezuela it woud be at least another year)
Falrion 06-01-05, 07:44 AM	Yup... we down here in south america, have to wait a lot to see them translated...Damned DeVir bums, they just are too slow to do the job... I´ve ended up buying 2 FR books in english... (couldn´t wait....) I´m waiting to see CoT my self, but I heard from a friend who lives in USA that it´s one of the best place-especific manuals out there made by WoTC...
shemov 06-01-05, 09:57 AM	yes! do not ask just buy it! :invasion:
Edymnion 06-01-05, 01:43 PM	I´m waiting to see CoT my self, but I heard from a friend who lives in USA that it´s one of the best place-especific manuals out there made by WoTC...It is, its practically an entire campaign setting in it's own right.
PoeticJustice 06-02-05, 02:40 AM	It is, its practically an entire campaign setting in it's own right. Seconded. A Sharn-based campaign is not only plausible, but almost necessary once you've read the thing. If you're a player, or are trying to convince a group to give Eberron a shot, I still think Races of Eberron is your best bet, but if you're a DM and are looking for a information on NPCs, districts, shops, laws, and a couple of pretty cool prestige classes, Sharn is the clear choice.
Save-vs-DM 06-02-05, 02:45 AM	Excellent book, can't say too many good things about it, really. It is nigh indespensible if you run any sort of sharn game. (I use it reguarly for my CSI: Sharn game). Cheers, Save vs DM
Amaril 06-03-05, 05:11 PM	And see if you can get a first printing so you can get the killer soundtrack CD that came with it! :D I just ordered my copy of Sharn: City of Towers from Amazon.com earlier this week. Should I expect it to be a first printing with the CD or have they already started running second printings without the CD? Edit: Nevermind, I just got it today and it came with the CD. :) (That was fast!)
anarco_rata 06-04-05, 01:20 AM	Yup... we down here in south america, have to wait a lot to see them translated...Damned DeVir bums WHAAAATT?? you actually get books translated in your country? i have to buy books for guys who go to USA and buy'em so they can re-sell in here...or ask my family in spain to get me some books...of course, i asked for "players handbook 3.5" and "some dragonlance novels" and they got me vampire:the masquerade (not that bad, but NOT what i wanted!) and three "asterix and obelic" comics, wich i still can't figure out how THE HELL they mix those up. still, falrion, i don't know about you, but i prefer my books in english...some thhgs are better left...un-translated (for instances, they should've never translate "changelings" to "replicantes") BTW, where are you from? im guessing...argentina?
Nhoj509 06-05-05, 09:42 PM	It's worth it for a GM, and a big time spoiler for Players. There are dozens of new organizations to run your players up against, and lots of setting, who and what is where in Sharn. I love the organizations, the criminal gangs, the dark truth about some of the Dragonmarked houses in Sharn, and so on. The organization of the geography part is a bit confusing. The text and maps often don't go together (the map for the text on page X is found 20 pages later...). Part of the problem is the 3D nature of Sharn, but still, they could have done much better. And finding where a criminal gang's HQ is from the organizations section in the geography section is a matter of brute force searching. Now that I think about it, some X,Y,Z coordinates might not have had a Sharn flavor, but would help the poor DM trying to find things. Gnomish coordinates perhaps? What it does NOT have is an index. Without an index, where can I find if WotVB's Myriad tower is in the book or not? Despite the flaws, well worth it.
Edymnion 06-05-05, 10:51 PM	Yeah, City of Towers is, wonderfully enough, a DM's book! Not much use for players, but damn if you can't find something to put in your game in every single page if you're a DM. I mean, it even answers wierd little questions like "How much does an upscale hooker in the redlight district cost for the night compared to a cheap one?" I mean, how can you NOT be giddy about a book that gives you that kind of detail?
drasticale 06-05-05, 11:11 PM	Yeah, City of Towers is, wonderfully enough, a DM's book! Not much use for players, but damn if you can't find something to put in your game in every single page if you're a DM. I mean, it even answers wierd little questions like "How much does an upscale hooker in the redlight district cost for the night compared to a cheap one?" I mean, how can you NOT be giddy about a book that gives you that kind of detail? Ding! Right on the nose... and if you are a player like me; you appreciate it because of the ideas it gives you. I first truly used it to figure out where my Dragonmarked PC wanted to rent his first home; and where I wanted to rent a home that my PC could lay low in.
Save-vs-DM 06-06-05, 03:05 AM	Kind of off topic, but wouldn't a 3d computer "map" of Sharn just rock? Something kind of intereactive? I wonder if this is even feasible? Cheers, Save vs DM
anarco_rata 06-06-05, 11:46 PM	Kind of off topic, but wouldn't a 3d computer "map" of Sharn just rock? Something kind of intereactive? I wonder if this is even feasible? Cheers, Save vs DM It would be a really long and difficult project, but who knows? maybe the guys in charge of d&donline would build a woundrous Sharn, but i think that would be too much work for a small party of programmers Finally Azar, did you get the book?