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''Giantcraft'' is a supplement to the 2nd edition of the ''
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Several different editions of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game have been produced since 1974. The current publisher of ''D&D'', Wizards of the Coast, produces new materials only for the most current edition of the ga ...
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fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...
role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within ...
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Contents

''Giantcraft'' is a sourcebook for the
Forgotten Realms ''Forgotten Realms'' is a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a ...
campaign setting focusing on
giants A giant is a being of human appearance, sometimes of prodigious size and strength, common in folklore. Giant(s) or The Giant(s) may also refer to: Mythology and religion *Giants (Greek mythology) *Jötunn, a Germanic term often translated as 'gi ...
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Publication history

Shannon Appelcline commented that of the changes to the Forgotten Realms publications in the early 1990s, "The biggest change was that the geographical setting books had faded away starting in the early '90s. They were replaced by a number of other lines. The "FOR" books instead looked at organization in the Realms — much like the splatbooks of White Wolf and others. They ran from ''FOR1: Draconomicon'' (1990) to ''Giantcraft'' (1995)."


Reception

Andy Butcher reviewed ''Giantcraft'' for ''Arcane'' magazine, rating it a 5 out of 10 overall. He suggests that if the players are bored by giants and no longer find them interesting, "then ''Giantcraft'' should be allowed to permeate your gameworld. It offers a refreshingly different perspective on giants." He continues, "These are not the two-dimensional, high hit-dice end-of-campaign bosses we've grown accustomed to. They are fully fleshed-out stars. And not only does the ''Giantcraft'' supplement slip seamlessly into Forgotten Realms, but also it requires only minimal tweaking to transport all the bits you want to any AD&D universe." Butcher does criticize that "''Giantcraft'' lacks cohesion and direction. Sure you're told a lot, but you're told the same lot repeatedly. Some sections are plain laughable ... while others, such as the chapter on giant-kin, are plain tedious." He credits the book that "Almost by accident, though, ''Giantcraft'' does manage though to reinvent one of ''AD&D''s less glamorous creatures with a liberal sprinkling of great ideas, anecdotal character descriptions and veiled hints". Butcher ends the review by saying "The lack of focus and repetitive nature force ''Giantcraft'' from the 'must read' list but next time you want an inspiration hit, you should find it here."


References

{{D&D Books Forgotten Realms sourcebooks Role-playing game supplements introduced in 1995