textfiles/rpg/rating05.txt

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                   Rating Results for Planescape
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          Compiled by: brooks@odie.ee.wits.ac.za (Goth)

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                          Points Ratings
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In order for a product to appear on the points rating table, it must
have at least five votes. Products are listed in points order, from
highest to lowest.

     /-------------------------------------------------------\
     |                        - Key -                        |
     |                                                       |
     |  Score = the product's average rating                 |
     |  Low = the lowest rating anyone gave this product     |
     |  High = the highest rating anyone gave this product   |
     |  Voters = the number of people who rated the product  |
     \-------------------------------------------------------/

Product                                     Score  Low  High  Voters
-------                                     -----  ---  ----  ------
Planescape Campaign Setting                  8.4    5    10     37
Planes of Chaos Campaign Expansion           8.2    7    10     17
Planes of Law Campaign Expansion             8.2    7    10      9
Well of Worlds                               8.0    5    10     17
The Deva Spark                               7.8    5    10     12
Fires of Dis                                 7.7    5    10      7
Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix     7.4    5    10     18
The Eternal Boundary                         6.5    4    10     13
In the Abyss                                 6.4    2    10     13

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                             Comments
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This next bit is a selection of comments people have sent in. I've
removed some remarks which were very similar, especially for products
which provoked large quantities of comment and I've done some minor
editing for grammar and spelling. Other than that, this is how they
were sent in.

General Comments
----------------
Planescape is one of the best settings I've seen in a while. The art
was good, the ideas were good, I really didn't see one bad facet
about the setting. Except I want to run a medieval setting which it
doesn't support.

Planescape has been a welcome return to quality at TSR, and I like
the innovativeness of the setting.

While I don't have the Planescape stuff, what I've seen is quite
good, and I really like the style. It would definitely be tops on my
list of new settings to buy if I had tons of money.

I hope that TSR isn't going to milk Planescape by having a boxed set
for every group of planes. Planes of Chaos was a good set, though. :)

The Planescape concept is one of the most imaginative role-playing
settings that I have experienced, and certainly the most imaginative
setting produced by TSR (equal possibly to Ravenloft but much more
expansive in scope). I cannot say enough about how mind-blowingly
vast and interesting the Planescape campaign is to learn about. The
manuals are easy to read (fun in fact), the factions are great to
think about and play, and the whole place is down-right overwhelming!

Planescape is the best setting TSR has ever released. What I've seen
of the supplements have only reinforced that opinion even though I
may soon go bankrupt.

The descending marks for the sets are probably as it wears a bit
thin; I think the marks will creep up again with the Sigil Book, as
Sigil is, for me the best part of Planescape... The *possibility* of
being able to get anywhere :)

The Planescape setting is the first setting in a LONG time that TSR
has put out that does not have so many holes in it. The boxed sets
are very thorough, and the adventures contain not only the adventure
but a great deal of extra information to be used in future scenarios
(case in point: The Eternal Boundary; the entire mortuary is mapped
out and the Factol of the Dustmen is revealed). I personally have
stopped buying other game worlds because of the holes that they have.
One last point: the artwork in Planescape is some of the best artwork
I have seen published by TSR.

As you can tell from the marks, I love Planescape.

Simply the best setting I've seen from TSR; though some of the
adventures in Well of Worlds, and In the Abyss suffer from promising
more than they can deliver.

Overall I think that the setting really sets off my imagination, so
I like it a lot.  I was somewhat disappointed with the MC, because so
much of the material I had seen elsewhere. It also seems that there
is a tremendous amount of art reuse, though generally not inside a
single project.

I LOVE Planescape and HATE TSR. I refuse to buy TSR products new so
therefore I've had trouble finding planescape material that I can buy
(used). So far I think the setting is better than the adventures, but
then again I like coming up with my own plots.

In general, I like Planescape, however, I would have liked more info
in the Campaign setting book rather than expansions for various
"clusters" of planes (e.g., chaos, law). I don't plan on/can't afford
to be buying every supplement that comes out -- and, as you know,
DARK SUN is my prefered campaign setting, so I'll just do without
when it comes to Planescape.

Planescape Campaign Setting
---------------------------
The Planescape Campaign Setting is a fresh look at something many
experienced DM's have explored for years. Great artwork! :) Plenty of
room for expansion and individual expression.

Easily the best thing to come out of TSR in years. 

I love it!

The campaign setting is one of the best I've seen from TSR -- good to
look at, doesn't treat me like an idiot, etc. There are some
inconsistencies in logic (i.e. it's not the way I'D set up the
multiverse) but what do you expect from an idea purchased from one
man (Gygax) and then passed off to a committee? Planescape will be at
the center of all of my AD&D campaigns from now on.

I bought the Planescape box and looked through it. I haven't had a
chance to play it -- haven't had a chance to play much period since
Planescape started coming out. I haven't bought any of the other
Planescape stuff and don't expect to. There's something silly about
several of TSR's recent imaginings -- this applies to Spelljamming,
Council of Wyrms, and Planescape. No matter what jargon or artwork
you paste on the concept, they still feel to me to be cartoony. Not
Toon funny, cartoony = fundamentally unreal, basically disjoined from
the way life works. Fantasy is by definition unreal; magic and
dragons are found only in the imagination. But good fantasy refracts
the non-fictive life and Planescape et al doesn't do that for me.

Planes of Chaos
---------------
Planes of Chaos could have had a little more new stuff and a little
less re-hashing.

Planes of Chaos is a good supplement. Looking forward to more.

Well of Worlds
--------------
A nice supplement.

Well of Worlds was a bit less strong, but still good for ideas.

I like the format of many mini-adventures to create seeds as in Well
of Worlds.

As for the Well of Worlds: my players have had a blast going to
Baator, the Beastlands and the Abyss. Their clueless characters just
can't get over the magnitude and power of the Planes. Sure, some of
them met a conjured demon or two in their travel, but 20,000 baatezu
marching down the Great Road? (And just for walking into the wrong
room!) Love between fiends? Never! (Yes!) Total anarchy in a town
with the hideous name of Plague-Mort? And what was that delicious
meat Larissa puts in her sausages anyway? Every tale is filled with
great possible ramifications on the Planes (ramifications of the type
that should be explained in other adventures but often are not!) Lots
of fun!

Well of Worlds is useful for any DM to see how to get a grip of
planar places and people!

Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix
----------------------------------------
Nice to see the demons are back, since they were not in the 2nd
Edition Monstrous Compendium!

Good reworking of planar creatures. Yes, most is duplication from
earlier sources, but this presentation was particularly appealing.

The art alone gives this such a good rating since all of the
creatures may be found in old 1st Edition stuff.

Very little new material.

Very good, even for a non-Planescape campaign. The only partially bad
thing is that they have so much detail it seems there are few
monsters. 

With this format the MC looks very good but reduces the amount of
monsters availables and in the end the prices go high (TSR, why is it
that this doesn't surprise me ?). There are lots of planar monsters
missing (hope they will be in the second volume). Incredible art (as
in all Planescape products).

Adventures
----------
Planescape modules are a little above the usual quality of modules.

I haven't seen the first or third module [Eternal Boundary and Deva
Spark], but I'll be certain to pick them up when they do appear. I
never thought I would be "fanatical" about any TSR product until I
saw Planescape.

The Planescape adventures (Eternal Boundary and Into the Abyss) were
quite a let-down. There's SO much detail left out, stuff that the
first-time DM of the Planescape setting isn't going to be able to
just stick in. They will take a lot of prep before they can be used.
I was particularly let down by Into the Abyss -- I didn't feel like
the PCs were treated to anything special.

The Eternal Boundary wasn't a total loss, but I had to [almost]
completely restructure it before I could use it.

Into the Abyss was pretty good.

The Deva Spark was killer (almost literally).

I haven't finished with Fires of Dis yet, but it looks like it may be
even better than The Deva Spark.

Erm, well I really, and I mean REALLY enjoyed the story and plot to
Fires of Dis. Don't really think an adventure should get high marks,
'cos yer supposed to use yer own initiative, but Planescape
adventures seem to be very well written (except for the confusing In
the Abyss). Fires of Dis is an excellent and very well thought out
adventure! 

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