I read Threats: Echoes of the Typhonians a couple of days ago straight after finishing the booklet about the Dwimmerlaik. The information in the Dwimmerlaik source book made me quite excited to see what was in this little booklet. It is not what I expected but it is a great read none the less.
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| Great art on the cover and in the book |
Of the source books that I have read for this game so far this is the one that has the greatest amount of rule information in it. The book looks at a new race that has an interesting concept that surrounds them that requires a fairly thorough investigation of the rules implications. Due to this there is much more rule discussion to this source book than is covered in others.
The creatures detailed in this booklet are known as the Usari and are an interesting construct for the game. They are a race that have an irresistible urge to combine with one another. That is right, when they come across one another they merge into another unique individual. Much more powerful than the previous one.
The Usari are scattered across the multiverse and are found in nearly every world and even through the Grand Stair. There are distinct stages of development and power of Usari in the game and they are detailed pretty clearly in the rules. The book is called “Echoes of the Typhonians” though so why do they discuss Usari so much?
Could it be that the Usari are in fact a Typhonian whose spirit was ripped asunder and once all of the pieces are placed together does one of the God-like Typhonian’s come back to reality and threaten the Stair’s residents again?
Again, the quality of writing is brilliant. The book was an easy read and I am excited to try some of the content in my own games. The concept of the Usari is a really novel idea that offers a lot to the narrative of the game. There are even suggestions of how a player may take on the role of an Usari if the group are accepting of it.
The 21 page booklet by Cam Banks is again another quality offering to the Lords of Gossamer and Shadow dice-less role playing game. The richness of these little source books that are coming at regular intervals has really expanded the original canon of the game into an interesting system with a good deal of depth. Each new booklet offers up something that is new, interesting and fitting the setting that is presented in the main book. It is hard to believe that this game is less than a year old.
Again this book is another five out of five effort. I love the content and the rules that look at the Usari. They will add some great stories to the worlds that my Stair walkers come across. Who knows, they may even find out if they are actually parts of a Typhonian or a completely different threat all together.