We are pleased to offer you our review of Bard’s Gate, a beautiful volume with a city setting and adventures for D&D5e. This manual, which will take us to the region of the Lost Lands, was produced by Frog God Games; its Italian version was born thanks to Kaizoku Press, who we thank for providing us with a physical copy of the volume.
If after reading this review you would like to purchase this tome, you can find it on the Kaizoku Press website. For the price of 75 euros you will receive the physical edition; included in the price you will also have the PDF and free shipping. I would like to point out that the map alone can also be purchased on the site, at the price of 15 euros. You can find the English version on the Frog God Games store.
Bard’s Gate‘s Volume Review
Before starting the review of the actual volume, I wanted to say a few words to tell you that the quality of this product can be seen immediately, as soon as the package arrives. The manual was carefully packaged and this perfectly safeguarded its integrity; the Kaizoku Press tape is a certainty.
This impressive manual, which has 562 full-color pages, is in A4 format; together, however, we also find a beautiful A2-sized map, where one square equals 60 metres. But we’ll come back later to talk about the map, or rather, maps. In the index, you can read the titles of the various chapters, of the adventures and of the three appendices. After a preface by the game’s author, there is an introduction; here the city and history of Bard’s Gate are described, new interpretable races are introduced, languages, a city list and many other things that we will analyze better later. In the following chapters, the various locations of the city are described in detail, always accompanied by images and maps. Finally, there are eight adventures, to be played based on your character’s level. It all concludes with the three appendices: random encounters, new magical items, and prominent personalities and profiles.
Personally, I would have opted for two smaller and more manageable volumes, but I realize that the choice to make a single larger manual makes perfect sense. It’s nice to look at, and such a large manual in the library has a certain effect. It is very sturdy, the binding is durable, and the red ribbon to use as a bookmark is a lovely and useful detail.
Bard’s Gate‘s Map
The Bard’s Gate map, as previously mentioned at the beginning of this review, is really beautiful; It is in A2 format, which is four times the size of A4. It’s incredibly detailed, with all the street names, canals, and rivers, and each building has its own identifying code. It is divided into squares so that each player can understand the actual distance between one place and another (each square corresponds to 60 meters). Finally, the cardinal points of the map are indicated at the top left.
Well, this is the main map of the game. But it’s definitely not the only one; the manual is full of other maps, most of which are dedicated to the various places described. At least this way you won’t get lost in the streets of this city!
To make you understand the level of detail, we can find a map dedicated to a tent city and each building is described so that the characters can easily explore it; Furthermore, the related peculiarities are also presented, such as the dangerous drugs that are widespread in this area. Each district of the city then sees its main characteristics exposed, such as the limit of coins in circulation, the type of surveillance of the guards, the main activities and random encounters. With this care, you want to start a campaign simply to experience the city in every alley.
Almost Flawless Graphics
Now let’s move on to one of my favourite parts of any review: the aesthetics. The illustrations that can be found within the manual are well done, and the chosen drawing technique and the colouring style are perfectly spot-on for this type of product. In addition to being valuable, there are so many images that perfectly convey the sensations that can be found in those places. My favourite illustration, however, remains the one that opens the manual after the index (in my opinion even more valuable than the cover).
Personally, precisely for the reasons described above, I would have added more illustrations, not because the manual lacks them, but because they would have further embellished an already very valuable product; However, I also understand the need not to raise the cost of the volume too much and I find this solution very sensible.
The font used in the manual is easy to read and the light colour of the background makes the titles and paragraphs stand out; the font size is not huge, but this is also understandable given the already high number of pages. Italics and bold are rarely used, but in my opinion, they would have further improved the readability of the manual.
The City of the Lyre
Bard’s Gate, known as the City of Lyre, is an independent, tolerant city that has always welcomed all races. The average population reaches 90,000 units in winter, while in summer it numbers around 200,000; in this season, in fact, merchants, travellers and adventurers arrive. The population is made up of a large number of elves and half-elves, although humans dominate them. More information on the precise composition of the population can be found on page 11. Given the city’s tolerance, the inhabitants of Bard’s Gate have an alignment that generally ranges from neutral to chaotic good.
The climate is mild, but if you leave the city and go to the surrounding areas it varies slightly. The city’s professions are diverse, but the majority of the population is made up of artisans; these produce excellent quality goods which are also exported, further boosting trade. The laws, customs, weapons and armour of the city are described.
I don’t want to give you big spoilers about the history of the city, but I can start by telling you that on page 23 you can find a table with the chronology of the Lost Lands and Bard’s Gate; their various eras are described here in more than detail. The table ends with the current year and mysterious rumours of King Ovar’s return!
Other Characteristic Elements of the City
One thing I think is very nice about the city is the Currency. As anticipated in this review, Bard’s Gate accepts all the coins in use in the Lost Lands but also mints many of them. Let’s now look at some of these, with their relative value compared to the canonical ones of D&D5e:
- Lyre: an oval platinum coin that is worth 1 mp.
- Harp: a round coin made of gold that is worth 1 mo.
- Bard: a square silver coin that is worth 5 ma.
This detail is very apt given the nature of the settlement. Since trade is a key element, characterizing it with unique coins makes the gaming experience more immersive.
Appendices are other useful tools for the narrator. First of all we find a large number of tables and random encounters; thanks to them, every area of the city comes to life and is always unpredictable. Furthermore, there is also a very large list of PNGs, all with feature blocks and descriptions.
Mechanical Options of the Manual
As anticipated in this review, Bard’s Gate is based on the D&D5e rules. However, we find some interesting news.
First of all, there are two new playable races. The first is the city dwarves. Compared to the classic dwarves, they have adapted to life in the city and know how to exploit various aspects of it; in fact, many choose careers as merchants or artisans. The mouse-men are also present, although they have integrated less into Bard’s Gate. They have a hunched appearance, an elongated snout and a bad reputation, although it is often just a prejudice.
Finally, there are some new magical objects. There aren’t many and they are certainly not the most memorable aspect of the manual, but they are still a valid addition. We can find magic rings, musical instruments with peculiar powers and more; I was particularly struck by the Deck of Prophecies, a legendary object that can change (for better or worse) the fate of whoever draws a card; and obviously, each card has its specific description.
Bard’s Gate: the Adventures
At the bottom of the manual, before the appendices, there are adventures to transport your players to these places. There are eight of them: The Ghosts of Crommlen, A Question of Faith, Above and Below, The Mouse that Eats the Cat, The Galley Basement, The Gnoll Fortress, The Hidden Huscarlo and The Abbey of Slip-Gallows. Each of these specifies which level range it is suitable for, so as to have various hooks available to transport the characters into the chaotic city that is the protagonist of the volume; this element makes it easier to use the manual even in campaigns already started and with characters of various levels.
The tones of the adventures vary, proposing investigative, social and combat phases, as in the classic canons of this type of fantasy. Added to this is a very appreciable detail; the classes most suited to the various adventures are often specified, so as to be able to tackle them with an adequate party.
I don’t want to spoil the specific content of the adventures, but I can tell you that I tried two of them with my usual party. The last one, Slip-Gallows Abbey, I decided to try with my historical character, since it is higher than level 10. Then I played Above and Below, intrigued by the title. The plots turned out to be intriguing and there was no shortage of fun. Furthermore, playing with such a beautiful map in the centre is truly satisfying and evocative.
Final Considerations of Bard’s Gate‘s Review
Before concluding this review of Bard’s Gate, I wanted to make a few considerations. This tome is truly an excellent product, with attention to every detail, from the graphics to the descriptions of places, buildings, NPCs and everything you can think of finding in a manual of this type. The price of the manual is absolutely justified by the quality of the product: a manual full of content, ideas for playing, beautiful adventures, and crazy graphics. Kaizoku Press guarantees quality.
I recommend this manual to all players who are passionate about D&D5e, both to those who have been passionate about it for years and to new players who are approaching the most famous role-playing game in the world and need to decide where to set their adventures. Bard’s Gate is not an obvious manual, it is not a bunch of information about a place or an adventure where you defeat the monster and move on; on the contrary, it is a new setting full of thoughtful details, memorable elements and adventures ready to be played; And don’t worry, there’s no shortage of random encounters and NPCs either!
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