Cities of Fantasy: Skraag : City of Orcs Paperback – April 2, 2002

"Skraag" by Wil Upchurch, published and distributed by Mongoose Publishing.ISBN = 1-903980-15-1. MGP # 5001.Quick Look-see:01) Introduction02) City History03) Government04) Ecology05) Daily Life06) Commerce07) Religion08) Defences09) City Tour10) Movers and Shakers11) Skraag in your Campaign12) OGLPart 01 - Introduction. The intro includes a one page short story, and a short intro to the book.Part 02 - History. A look at the former inhabitants of Skraag, how they were driven out, rebuilding Skraag, what happened after the first rebuilding, and the present day.Part 03 - Government. The current leaders of Skraag, their opposition, a new Prestige Class, and penalties for various crimes.Part 04 - Ecology. Food and water supplies, and shelter.Part 05 - Daily Life. One new Feat, and a two page summary of daily life.Part 06 - Commerce. A one page summary of Skraag commerce.Part 07 - Skraag Religion. Including one church, one cult, two new Prestige Classes, one new creature, one new spell, and the former High Shaman of Skraag.Part 08 - Defences. The Orc Horde, and factions within it, four Skraag siege weapons, four new spells, and the Skraag guard forces.Part 09 - Tour of the City. 12 major city attractions, two new creatures, and a generic map of Skraag.Part 10 - Movers and Shakers. Nine major NPC's, a look at the opposition forces, a few other NPC's, and another new Prestige Class.Part 11 - Skraag in Your Campaign. Campaign and scenario ideas, including a couple example scenarios.Part 12 - OGL. The usual Open Gaming Licence,This is the first in a fairly short series from Mongoose called "Cities of Fantasy". Life is short and not very precious in Skraag. This 64 page book is nowhere near big enough to squeeze in what probably needed to be there. I felt that all of the sections could have been fleshed out a little better. They really needed a better map of Skraag (look at what passes for a map on page 45). Putting Skraag in your campaign may require a little bit more tweaking. However, there are some really good ideas on how a Orc city would operate without tearing each other limb from limb. GM's should at least look at this book if possible, Players don't really need it. Only three stars this time - I =might= have given it four if it had a much better map of Skraag.

The summary:Skraag is a rotting dump of a "city" buillt atop a much older dwarvern setlement and inhabited by 25,000 orcs, hobgoblins, and goblins. Several decades ago, the Orc hordes decimated the dwaven inhabitants and now rule the city. One cunning Orc chief governs the city and serves as the "mayor". Another clever Orc chief commands the standing garrison that protects the city. There is some tension between the two orc chiefs. Life is hard for the average inhabitant and many are slaves. Some dwaves who are descendents of the founders of the city now fight a guerilla war in the caverns beneath the city against its brutish occupants. That's it.One would expect that a book detailing a fantasy city of a non-human race would be the proverbial "clean sheet of paper" for the designer to exercise some creativity. Alas for Skraag, this is not the case. The major NPCs are uninspiring and there does not seem to be any interesting features to the city itself. The treatment of orcs does not go into very much detail other than conforming to the "brutish occupants" image.The hallmark of a good RPG supplement is that it should generate lots of inspiration and excitement that would make the players and Gamemaster want to dive into it at once. There should be intersting ideas, unique characters, plot hooks and intriguing mini-storylines. Sadly none are evident here.

This supplement was bad because it didn’t include enough maps. Only two terrible maps for a whole city. Do t waste your money.