I'm still not sure how you pronounce Bede, though.

Ecclesiastical History of the English People by Bede

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I love primary sources. Books written by the people who were much closer to the events they describe than we are are fascinating not only for their content but for the snapshot they provide of the time when they were written.

Such is the case with the Ecclesiastical History. Written in the mid-8th century by Bede, a remarkably well-educated monk, the book is primarily a history of the Roman Church in England. But to provide context, Bede also explores the political history of Britain, starting with the first invasion of the island by the Romans under Gaius Julius Caesar and continuing to describe the various kingdoms of the Britons, English, and the influence of the Picts and Irish.

This translation is remarkably readable, mainly because Bede himself wrote in a very clear, straightforward style. The descriptions of how various kingdoms accepted the Christian faith, with some backsliding into paganism are detailed, with the foundation of monasteries and churches given careful attention. The creation of the first English bishops and the rule of which bishop would be able to elevate new bishops is an interesting political tale, as both the Kingdom of Kent and the Northumbrian states wanted that power.

Included in the text are numerous letters sent by various early popes, letters written by important bishops of the time, and at the end of the book, after the text of the Ecclesiastical History, two letters, one written by Bede and one describing his final days and death.

One thing that inspired me was the numerous mentions of miraculous healings reported. Bede was a man of his time and faith, so he takes these reports at face value. As a long-time player of role-playing games, seeing descriptions of "real" healing potions in use, as well as miracles attributed to the tombs of saintly clerics or the site where a very Christian king was killed fighting the Mercians, inspires me to add some detail to this old standard of most games.

All in all, a very good book, and it added immeasurably to my knowledge of British history. Highly recommended.



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Now i want to play a Bladesinger.

Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything by Wizards of the Coast

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Depth, not breadth seems to be how Wizards of the Coast is approaching their D&D5e books, and I heartily approve. Tasha's Cauldron is in the same spirit as Xanathar's Guide to Everything, giving new options and advice for players and Dungeon Masters alike.

The first chapter is filled with new options for characters. New specialties, optional rules, and the official debut of the Artificer class. While I find some of the options to be a bit overpowered, some like the Bladesinger for wizards and the Rune Knight path for fighters to be very interesting. As with anything, groups need to decide what they want to use. The one real disappointment for me in this chapter was the Fathomless patron for warlocks. It could be better labeled as the Hentail patron. Tentacles everywhere!

Chapter 2 is all about patrons, Those institutions of powerful individuals who might sponsor an adventuring party. This is a very good chapter, filled with all sorts of great campaign hooks. The party could be hired by a mysterious agent of an arcane society and sent to retrieve objects, or by a scheming noble to carry out missions to weaken his enemies. The chapter is a little table-happy, but still excellent.

It would be a D&D book without magic stuff, and that's what Chapter 3 is all about. We get a good number of new spells; a long list of new magic items, including magic tattoos, and a nice little essay about customizing spells. This bit reminded me of Ars Magica's spell signature. In short, it encourages players running arcane spellcasters to add a signature to their spells. A Hexblade Warlock might have "ravens" as his signature. His Eldritch Blast would be a stream of spectral ravens shooting out at the target. It's a good idea.

Finally, Chapter 4 is the Dungeon Master's toolkit. It starts with a great section on how to run "Session Zero," the first meeting of players and GM. How to build a party, defining hard and soft limits for actions in the game, things like that. Really good advice. Following this is a short section on sidekicks, where we finally get NPC advancement blocks. A very good section on how to parley and bribe monsters is followed by sections on supernatural regions, magical phenomena, and natural hazards, all of which will make any game better.

Finally, there is a short section of puzzles, including several excellent examples of puzzles to use in games with handouts.

Tasha's Cauldron should be on every Dungeon Master's shelf.





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Not all Kickstarters are worth it.

The Ultimate Guide to Alchemy, Crafting, and Enchanting by Andrew Geerstein, Chris Haskins, JVC Parry, Megan Roy

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I'm sorry I backed this on Kickstarter.

It's supposed to be a D&D5e book, but there is almost no integration with the D&D rules. OK, I'm a Crafter. The section on being a crafter has no connection to the game rules. Is there a minimum STR to be a blacksmith? DEX for a jeweler? Do I get experience points for the various "quests" in each specialty?

There is a text box that links experience level with the various ranks in each of these specializations, but that's it. Can a fighter take up enchanting as a side gig? Are these character classes? It's very frustrating.

But let's move on. We do get a long list of tables of materials for the various recipes, which is odd because they include both a DC to find and a random number. I'm not sure what this means, as it isn't clearly explained. If I need water, do I roll to see what kind of water source I have access to, and then roll to see if I can collect it? Madness.

The actual recipes aren't that bad and give some adventure possibilities. But there's nothing there about experimentation. If I'm an alchemist, I'm going to be blowing up my lab in pursuit of some new breakthrough. If I'm an enchanter, I'm going to try making something new. All the recipes are for existing items.

Finally, there's a list of new magic items, which is moderately useful. But all in all this book was water of my money. I should add that as part of the Kickstarter reward I received four Magic Item Compendium decks with details of most of the items found in this book and the Dungeon Master's Guide. I like using cards like this, as they are an easy reference for the players using the magic doohickeys. But in several cases, the item description runs off the end of the card and is continued on the little booklet that comes with each deck. That really lowers the utility of the cards in play.

So this was a swing and a miss. I cannot recommend it.



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