Hammerfast

Hammerfast touts itself as an intrigue-laden adventure location rife with mystery and peril--and it delivers what it promises.

Former necropolis and presently inhabited by both the living and the dead, the dwarven outpost of Hammerfast is a novel concept. Ghosts coexist peacefully with the living, either minding their own business or occasionally forming symbiotic relationships.

This game supplement details Hammerfast's unconventional ruling structure, rich history, and thriving underworld. Four holidays specific to the outpost are included, which add a unique roleplaying flair.

The author includes a brief gazetteer of nearby places of interest and adventure sites that mix fresh ideas with classic elements familiar to older editions of D&D.

A diverse cast of characters, and rivalries amongst the power groups, maintains a degree of political tension that is sure to keep the setting from going stale.

The supplement describes a tavern, The Foundation Stone, with particular detail to its potential as an encounter location, complete with rules for fighting on the stairs, throwing chairs, and swinging from the chandelier--rules that seem to encourage bar fights. Tavern games and their rules are also detailed, offering a glimpse at recreational activities other than drinking.

The author provides a bounty of adventure ideas that involve Hammerfest and its surroundings, as well as the framework for an entire campaign that runs from levels 1 through 10. The framework is as barebones as it gets--a one-paragraph quest idea per level--so a DM wishing to use this campaign needs to build the encounters himself.

Concerning is the fact that the outpost is almost designed to screw adventurers out of their money. Between taxes, overpricing, shoddy merchandise, and shady characters, Hammerfast doesn't strike me as a place an adventuring party would want to call home--yet the objective of this supplement is to make Hammerfast a party's base of operations.

Adherents to traditional medieval fantasy settings--myself included--may be disappointed to see the historically out-of-place concepts that permeate the outpost, such as gambling chips, banking, classrooms, and brown brick structures.

Conspicuously absent is the population of the outpost. After scouring the book twice, I couldn't find any numerical figures on the number of inhabitants, or racial demographics.

Overall, the inked artwork, although realized by skilled artists, does not live up to the quality we've come to expect from Wizards of the Cost products. Further, the hex grid map of Hammerfast's surroundings is functional but aesthetically disappointing, reminiscent of adventure supplements from the 1980s. The town map lives up to WotC standards, and a perspective drawing of the outpost is an inspired addition that I wish were included with every town map.

Closing Thoughts

Hammerfast succeeds in delivering a setting with a rich culture, political conflict, and plenty of opportunity for adventure. There's enough going on in and around Hammerfast to keep players occupied for an entire campaign, but said players may feel the need to find a cozier town to call home because Hammerfast is almost too thrilling.