Unearthed Arcana
Encyclopedia
Unearthed Arcana is the title shared by two hardback books published for different editions
of the Dungeons & Dragons
fantasy
role-playing game
. Both were designed as supplements to the core rulebooks, containing material that expanded upon other rules.
The original Unearthed Arcana was written primarily by Gary Gygax
, and published by game publisher TSR
in 1985 for use with the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons first edition rules. The book consisted mostly of material previously published in magazines, and included new races, classes
, and other material to expand the rules in the Dungeon Masters Guide and Players Handbook. The book was infamous for its considerable number of errors, and was received negatively by the gaming press whose criticisms targeted the over-powered races and classes, among other items. Gygax intended to use the book's content for a planned second edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons; however, much of the book's content was not reused in the second edition, which went into development shortly after Gygax's departure from TSR.
A second book using the Unearthed Arcana title was produced by Wizards of the Coast
for Dungeons & Dragons third edition in 2004. The designers did not reproduce material from the original book, but instead attempted to emulate its purpose by providing variant rules and options to change the game itself. A reviewer for RPGnet noted that while this book was filled with ideas and suggestions, he found little that he actually wanted to use.
with design and editing contributions by Jeff Grubb
and Kim Mohan
, respectively, and then published by TSR
in 1985. Gygax reportedly produced the book to raise money as TSR was deeply in debt at the time. He announced in the March 1985 issue of Dragon
magazine that Unearthed Arcana would be released in the summer of that year. He proposed the book as "an interim volume to expand the Dungeon Masters Guide and Players Handbook", as the information was spread out in several places and difficult to keep track of. Unearthed Arcana was to include material written by Gygax and previously published in Dragon, and later updated and revised for the book. The book would also contain previously unpublished material, some of it written by other contributors to Dragon. According to British writer Paul Cockburn, some of the material in Unearthed Arcana had been previously published in Imagine
magazine.
The original Unearthed Arcana contains errors in its text, which readers discovered and reported to Dragon magazine. Even some positive reviews of the book pointed out the considerable number of mistakes. Dragon editor Kim Mohan
, with ideas from Gygax, Frank Mentzer
, and Jeff Grubb, addressed the many errors found in the book. In the November 1985 issue of Dragon magazine, Mohan printed four pages of rules corrections as well as new supplementary material intended to be inserted into the book, and some explanations and justifications for items which were not actually errors, and compiled a two-page list of type corrections meant to be pasted into further revisions of Unearthed Arcana. Dragon also devoted the entirety of its "Sage Advice" column in the January 1986 issue to answering readers' questions about Unearthed Arcana, as a follow-up to Mohan's prior column. However, the errata were not incorporated into later printings of the manual.
(or "DM", the game organizer). The book provided new races
, classes
, and other expansion material. The book gives details on using "subraces" of the standard races, such as dark elves
(drow), and deep gnomes
(svirfneblin
), for use as player character
s and non-player character
s.
Unearthed Arcana includes the barbarian
(found in Dragon #63), cavalier
(found in Dragon #72), and thief-acrobat
(found in Dragon #69) character classes
, and also includes expansions and revisions of the druid
and ranger
classes. The book presents a large addition to the range of character races, including the drow and svirfneblin. The book includes new weapons, and revised information on character level maximums for non-human player characters. Unearthed Arcana details the weapon specialization rules, in which a fighter
or ranger "can adopt a weapon as a special arm, and receive bonuses in its use". The book also describes the comeliness attribute, and contains new spells. The DM's section covers suggestions for handling player characters, social class and rank tables, many new magic items
, weaponless combat rules, and nonhuman deities.
, and the original Players Handbook into the new edition's Players Handbook. Gygax used the book to explore some ideas he had for the new edition, such as changing the mechanics for hit dice (the measurement of a character's "health
" in the game), and altering the game's mechanics to allow the game system to work other genres, and to allow characters to have skills that compliment the character classes. Shortly after announcing his intentions for second edition, Gygax was removed as TSR's President and Chairman of the Board. In 1986 he resigned all positions with TSR, leaving the shape and direction of the Dungeons & Dragons game to other designers.
The designers of second edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons removed material from the original Players Handbook in the new edition, as well as much of the new material that had appeared in Unearthed Arcana, which they considered to be "unbalanced". The book had five printings after the release of AD&D 2nd edition with the last printing published two years after the new edition was released.
, Jesse Decker
, David Noonan
, and Rich Redman, and published in 2004 by Wizards of the Coast
, for use with the Dungeons & Dragons third edition rules. The designers aimed the book at experienced players and DMs looking for something new, encouraging them to customize the game's rules. The designers did not want the third edition book to be like the original Unearthed Arcana mechanically, because according to Andy Collins: "Every book on the market looks like the original Unearthed Arcana. New classes, new spells, new magic items - that's the default "recipe" for a d20 product these days. We saw no need to do that with this book." Where the original Unearthed Arcana had simply expanded the rules and options of the core game, this 224-page supplement was aimed at providing an extensive list of variant rules and options to change the standard game itself. The volume of options added was intentionally excessive; according to the designers, a Dungeon Master who reads the book must be prepared to "Drink from the fire hose" and to think before using options that may radically imbalance the game.
Paul Cockburn reviewed the original Unearthed Arcana in issue 73 of White Dwarf
magazine (January 1986), rating it 4 out of 10 overall. He summed up the book's contents by calling them "A rules extension package of reprints, most of which add very little of interest or value to anybody's game." Cockburn predicted that the book would be a huge commercial success due to the seemingly never-filled appetite some people have for new material. However, he felt that as a rules companion book it would not be used universally by gaming tournaments or by other publishers, or even players moving from one group to another, and that the book would wind up causing problems and confusion for gamers. Cockburn criticized the weapons specialization rules and the new character generating method, called the barbarian class "a farce" after losing their prohibition from magic, and considered the extended number of character races "virtually ridiculous", as it added several over-powerful races to the list. Cockburn noted that the bulk of the book was taken up by the new spells; while he felt these spells were OK, he said they "add nothing very scintillating to the game". Cockburn compared the cavalier class to the paladin
, calling the cavalier "everything the paladin should have been in the first place", and felt that when compared to the thief
class the acrobat "offers possibilities that should have been attached to the thief from the beginning".
Following Cockburn's review, UA was subjected to further criticism by Allan Miles in two articles published in the magazine. In White Dwarf 85 (January 1987), "More Than Skin Deep", a general discussion of the subject of PC race in AD&D, touched upon the subject in the context of Unearthed Arcana. "Arcana or Errata?" in White Dwarf 89 (May 1987) covered the volume specifically, opening with the observation that the material published in the book was now "definitely affecting the way the game is played," despite the fact that the bulk of its reception had been negative. Miles began by mentioning the aspects of the book that he considered predominantly unproblematic, such as the addition of new spells, magic items, weapons, and the introduction of minimum starting values for hit points. He then went on to discuss the areas he considered disruptive of game balance at length, including the new methods for character generation, malleable limits to demi-human class levels and characteristics themselves, the rules regarding the new Comeliness attribute, aspects of the Cavalier and Barbarian classes, changes to Thief alignment
requirements, and the results of UA's version of weapon specialization.
William B. Haddon's review of the third edition Unearthed Arcana on RPGnet lauded the book's content while criticizing the interest level of the content as "very flat". He found the power level unbalanced for each of the new sub-systems introduced, and found little in the suggested rules that he wanted to use. He did note that the book was "jam packed" with pages of variants, ideas and suggestions, and found that the "Behind the Curtain" explanations from the designers gave him insight into their thought process behind the book's contents. Haddon called the book's art "terrible," explaining that "It looks cartoony and has little of the flavor or strength found in the art of so many other WotC products."
Editions of Dungeons & Dragons
Several different editions of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game have been produced since 1974. The current publisher of Dungeons & Dragons , Wizards of the Coast, produces new materials only for the most current edition of the game...
of the Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
. Both were designed as supplements to the core rulebooks, containing material that expanded upon other rules.
The original Unearthed Arcana was written primarily by Gary Gygax
Gary Gygax
Ernest Gary Gygax was an American writer and game designer best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons with Dave Arneson. Gygax is generally acknowledged as the father of role-playing games....
, and published by game publisher TSR
TSR, Inc.
Blume and Gygax, the remaining owners, incorporated a new company called TSR Hobbies, Inc., with Blume and his father, Melvin Blume, owning the larger share. The former assets of the partnership were transferred to TSR Hobbies, Inc....
in 1985 for use with the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons first edition rules. The book consisted mostly of material previously published in magazines, and included new races, classes
Character class (Dungeons & Dragons)
A character class is a fundamental part of the identity and nature of characters in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. A character's capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses are largely defined by his or her chosen class; choosing a class is one of the first steps a player takes in order to...
, and other material to expand the rules in the Dungeon Masters Guide and Players Handbook. The book was infamous for its considerable number of errors, and was received negatively by the gaming press whose criticisms targeted the over-powered races and classes, among other items. Gygax intended to use the book's content for a planned second edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons; however, much of the book's content was not reused in the second edition, which went into development shortly after Gygax's departure from TSR.
A second book using the Unearthed Arcana title was produced by Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
for Dungeons & Dragons third edition in 2004. The designers did not reproduce material from the original book, but instead attempted to emulate its purpose by providing variant rules and options to change the game itself. A reviewer for RPGnet noted that while this book was filled with ideas and suggestions, he found little that he actually wanted to use.
Development history
The original Unearthed Arcana was written by Gary GygaxGary Gygax
Ernest Gary Gygax was an American writer and game designer best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons with Dave Arneson. Gygax is generally acknowledged as the father of role-playing games....
with design and editing contributions by Jeff Grubb
Jeff Grubb
Jeff Grubb is an author and game designer. He has worked on a number of computer and role-playing games and has written a number of successful novels, short stories and comics...
and Kim Mohan
Kim Mohan
Kim Mohan is an American author and editor.-Biography:Kim Mohan was born in Chicago, Illinois, and moved to Williams Bay, Wisconsin when he was five. He became an avid science-fiction and fantasy reader and occasional wargamer, and graduated third in his high school class...
, respectively, and then published by TSR
TSR, Inc.
Blume and Gygax, the remaining owners, incorporated a new company called TSR Hobbies, Inc., with Blume and his father, Melvin Blume, owning the larger share. The former assets of the partnership were transferred to TSR Hobbies, Inc....
in 1985. Gygax reportedly produced the book to raise money as TSR was deeply in debt at the time. He announced in the March 1985 issue of Dragon
Dragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
magazine that Unearthed Arcana would be released in the summer of that year. He proposed the book as "an interim volume to expand the Dungeon Masters Guide and Players Handbook", as the information was spread out in several places and difficult to keep track of. Unearthed Arcana was to include material written by Gygax and previously published in Dragon, and later updated and revised for the book. The book would also contain previously unpublished material, some of it written by other contributors to Dragon. According to British writer Paul Cockburn, some of the material in Unearthed Arcana had been previously published in Imagine
Imagine (AD&D magazine)
Imagine Magazine was a monthly magazine dedicated to the first edition Advanced Dungeons and Dragons and Dungeons and Dragons role playing game systems published by TSR UK Limited.-History:Imagine was published between April 1983 and October 1985...
magazine.
The original Unearthed Arcana contains errors in its text, which readers discovered and reported to Dragon magazine. Even some positive reviews of the book pointed out the considerable number of mistakes. Dragon editor Kim Mohan
Kim Mohan
Kim Mohan is an American author and editor.-Biography:Kim Mohan was born in Chicago, Illinois, and moved to Williams Bay, Wisconsin when he was five. He became an avid science-fiction and fantasy reader and occasional wargamer, and graduated third in his high school class...
, with ideas from Gygax, Frank Mentzer
Frank Mentzer
Jacob Franklin "Frank" Mentzer III , is an American fantasy author and game designer best known for his work on early materials for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. He was a performing folk musician from 1968 to 1975, and played one concert at the White House during the...
, and Jeff Grubb, addressed the many errors found in the book. In the November 1985 issue of Dragon magazine, Mohan printed four pages of rules corrections as well as new supplementary material intended to be inserted into the book, and some explanations and justifications for items which were not actually errors, and compiled a two-page list of type corrections meant to be pasted into further revisions of Unearthed Arcana. Dragon also devoted the entirety of its "Sage Advice" column in the January 1986 issue to answering readers' questions about Unearthed Arcana, as a follow-up to Mohan's prior column. However, the errata were not incorporated into later printings of the manual.
Contents
The 128-page Unearthed Arcana was written for use with the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons first edition rules and was divided into two sections: one for players and one for the Dungeon MasterDungeon Master
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, the Dungeon Master is the game organizer and participant in charge of creating the details and challenges of a given adventure, while maintaining a realistic continuity of events...
(or "DM", the game organizer). The book provided new races
Character class (Dungeons & Dragons)
A character class is a fundamental part of the identity and nature of characters in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. A character's capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses are largely defined by his or her chosen class; choosing a class is one of the first steps a player takes in order to...
, classes
Character class (Dungeons & Dragons)
A character class is a fundamental part of the identity and nature of characters in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. A character's capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses are largely defined by his or her chosen class; choosing a class is one of the first steps a player takes in order to...
, and other expansion material. The book gives details on using "subraces" of the standard races, such as dark elves
Elf (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, elves are a fictional humanoid race that is one of the primary races available for play as player characters. Elves are renowned for their grace and mastery of magic and weapons such as the sword and bow...
(drow), and deep gnomes
Gnome (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, gnomes are one of the core races available for play as player characters. Some speculate that they are closely related to dwarves; however, gnomes are more tolerant of other races and of magic, and are skilled with illusions...
(svirfneblin
Svirfneblin
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, svirfneblin , or deep gnomes, are a sub-race of gnome.-Publication history:The svirfneblin first appears in first edition in the adventure modules D2 Shrine of the Kuo-Toa , and D3 Vault of the Drow , and then in the original Fiend Folio...
), for use as player character
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
s and non-player character
Non-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
s.
Unearthed Arcana includes the barbarian
Barbarian (Dungeons & Dragons)
The barbarian is a playable character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Creative origins:The barbarian is based on Robert E...
(found in Dragon #63), cavalier
Cavalier (Dungeons & Dragons)
The cavalier is a playable character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, and the related Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.-Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition :...
(found in Dragon #72), and thief-acrobat
Thief-acrobat
The thief-acrobat is a playable character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition :...
(found in Dragon #69) character classes
Character class (Dungeons & Dragons)
A character class is a fundamental part of the identity and nature of characters in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. A character's capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses are largely defined by his or her chosen class; choosing a class is one of the first steps a player takes in order to...
, and also includes expansions and revisions of the druid
Druid (Dungeons & Dragons)
The druid is a playable character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Druids wield nature-themed magic. Prior to 4th edition, they gain divine magic from being at one with nature, or from one of several patron gods of the wild, while in 4th edition, they gain primal magic...
and ranger
Ranger (Dungeons & Dragons)
The ranger is one of the standard playable character class in most editions of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. They are protectors of nature, skilled woodsmen, and often live reclusive lives as hermits....
classes. The book presents a large addition to the range of character races, including the drow and svirfneblin. The book includes new weapons, and revised information on character level maximums for non-human player characters. Unearthed Arcana details the weapon specialization rules, in which a fighter
Fighter (Dungeons & Dragons)
The fighter is one of the standard playable character classes in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. A fighter is a versatile, weapons-oriented warrior who fights using skill, strategy and tactics....
or ranger "can adopt a weapon as a special arm, and receive bonuses in its use". The book also describes the comeliness attribute, and contains new spells. The DM's section covers suggestions for handling player characters, social class and rank tables, many new magic items
Magic item (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, a magic item is any object that has magical powers inherent in it. These may act on their own or be the tools of the character in whose hands they fall into. Magic items have been prevalent in the game in every edition and setting, from the...
, weaponless combat rules, and nonhuman deities.
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition
By 1985 Gygax was planning a second edition for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D) rules, and intended beginning work on this in 1986. He intended to incorporate material from Unearthed Arcana, Oriental AdventuresOriental Adventures
Oriental Adventures is the title shared by two hardback rulebooks published for different versions of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game...
, and the original Players Handbook into the new edition's Players Handbook. Gygax used the book to explore some ideas he had for the new edition, such as changing the mechanics for hit dice (the measurement of a character's "health
Health (gaming)
Health is a game mechanic used in role-playing, computer and video games to give value to characters, enemies, NPCs, and related objects. This value can either be numerical, semi-numerical as in hit/health points, or arbitrary as in a life bar....
" in the game), and altering the game's mechanics to allow the game system to work other genres, and to allow characters to have skills that compliment the character classes. Shortly after announcing his intentions for second edition, Gygax was removed as TSR's President and Chairman of the Board. In 1986 he resigned all positions with TSR, leaving the shape and direction of the Dungeons & Dragons game to other designers.
The designers of second edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons removed material from the original Players Handbook in the new edition, as well as much of the new material that had appeared in Unearthed Arcana, which they considered to be "unbalanced". The book had five printings after the release of AD&D 2nd edition with the last printing published two years after the new edition was released.
Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition
The second book to use the name Unearthed Arcana was written by Andy CollinsAndy Collins (game designer)
Andy Collins is a game designer whose writing credits include numerous books for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Early life and education:Andy Collins grew up in Olympia, Washington...
, Jesse Decker
Jesse Decker
-Biography:Decker began playing Dungeons & Dragons in 1983 during recess at his elementary school. During the summer of 1996, he began doing "temp work" for Wizards of the Coast, before returning to finish college that fall. After finishing college, he returned to Wizards of the Coast, where he...
, David Noonan
David Noonan (game designer)
David Noonan is an author of several products and articles for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game from Wizards of the Coast.-Role-playing games:...
, and Rich Redman, and published in 2004 by Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
, for use with the Dungeons & Dragons third edition rules. The designers aimed the book at experienced players and DMs looking for something new, encouraging them to customize the game's rules. The designers did not want the third edition book to be like the original Unearthed Arcana mechanically, because according to Andy Collins: "Every book on the market looks like the original Unearthed Arcana. New classes, new spells, new magic items - that's the default "recipe" for a d20 product these days. We saw no need to do that with this book." Where the original Unearthed Arcana had simply expanded the rules and options of the core game, this 224-page supplement was aimed at providing an extensive list of variant rules and options to change the standard game itself. The volume of options added was intentionally excessive; according to the designers, a Dungeon Master who reads the book must be prepared to "Drink from the fire hose" and to think before using options that may radically imbalance the game.
Reception
Reaction to Unearthed Arcana was often critical. According to Lawrence Schick, in his 1991 book Heroic Worlds, "Many players regard the new character classes introduced in this volume as overly powerful and out of line with those in the Player's Handbook."Paul Cockburn reviewed the original Unearthed Arcana in issue 73 of White Dwarf
White Dwarf (magazine)
White Dwarf is a magazine published by British games manufacturer Games Workshop. Initially covering a wide variety of fantasy and science-fiction role-playing and board games, particularly the role playing games Dungeons & Dragons, RuneQuest and Traveller...
magazine (January 1986), rating it 4 out of 10 overall. He summed up the book's contents by calling them "A rules extension package of reprints, most of which add very little of interest or value to anybody's game." Cockburn predicted that the book would be a huge commercial success due to the seemingly never-filled appetite some people have for new material. However, he felt that as a rules companion book it would not be used universally by gaming tournaments or by other publishers, or even players moving from one group to another, and that the book would wind up causing problems and confusion for gamers. Cockburn criticized the weapons specialization rules and the new character generating method, called the barbarian class "a farce" after losing their prohibition from magic, and considered the extended number of character races "virtually ridiculous", as it added several over-powerful races to the list. Cockburn noted that the bulk of the book was taken up by the new spells; while he felt these spells were OK, he said they "add nothing very scintillating to the game". Cockburn compared the cavalier class to the paladin
Paladin (Dungeons & Dragons)
The paladin is one of the standard playable character classes in most editions of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. The paladin is a holy knight, crusading in the name of good and order, and is a divine spellcaster...
, calling the cavalier "everything the paladin should have been in the first place", and felt that when compared to the thief
Rogue (Dungeons & Dragons)
The rogue or thief is one of the standard playable character class in most editions of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. A rogue is a versatile character, capable of sneaky combat and nimble tricks...
class the acrobat "offers possibilities that should have been attached to the thief from the beginning".
Following Cockburn's review, UA was subjected to further criticism by Allan Miles in two articles published in the magazine. In White Dwarf 85 (January 1987), "More Than Skin Deep", a general discussion of the subject of PC race in AD&D, touched upon the subject in the context of Unearthed Arcana. "Arcana or Errata?" in White Dwarf 89 (May 1987) covered the volume specifically, opening with the observation that the material published in the book was now "definitely affecting the way the game is played," despite the fact that the bulk of its reception had been negative. Miles began by mentioning the aspects of the book that he considered predominantly unproblematic, such as the addition of new spells, magic items, weapons, and the introduction of minimum starting values for hit points. He then went on to discuss the areas he considered disruptive of game balance at length, including the new methods for character generation, malleable limits to demi-human class levels and characteristics themselves, the rules regarding the new Comeliness attribute, aspects of the Cavalier and Barbarian classes, changes to Thief alignment
Alignment (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, alignment is a categorization of the ethical and moral perspective of people, creatures and societies....
requirements, and the results of UA's version of weapon specialization.
William B. Haddon's review of the third edition Unearthed Arcana on RPGnet lauded the book's content while criticizing the interest level of the content as "very flat". He found the power level unbalanced for each of the new sub-systems introduced, and found little in the suggested rules that he wanted to use. He did note that the book was "jam packed" with pages of variants, ideas and suggestions, and found that the "Behind the Curtain" explanations from the designers gave him insight into their thought process behind the book's contents. Haddon called the book's art "terrible," explaining that "It looks cartoony and has little of the flavor or strength found in the art of so many other WotC products."