<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: Nice expansion but ignores tradition
Review: A very well written book with a lot of good ideas. Unfortunately you'll be hard put to design a character based on your favorite literature or movie barbarian. There's a frustrating limitation on metal weapons, and the kits are original, but don't model some of the classic (or cliche) barbarian characters. A notable exception is the Barbarian Shaman, an original an interesting sub-class. A book with plenty of good ideas, best used a sourcebook for your own designs.
Rating: 
Summary: Not quite the UA version, but nice to see nonetheless.
Review: Although not quite what you'd expect if you are familiar with the UA barbarian, the 2nd edition barbarian still fills in a void that the fighter's "barbarian kit" just never could fill. Its quite an investment for what many would argue is just a specialized fighter kit, though, so if you're not terribly interested in barbarians (or unfamiliar with the UA barbarian), you might prefer to pass on this book.For those of us who missed "real" barbarians, though, this is very welcome. A few things may seem silly, but always remember that the great thing about AD&D is "house rules" being a recognized force. Just because the book says something, the DM is always free to modify it to better suit his/her tastes. The ultimate establisher of rules is the DM and his/her playing group. The rest is just a baseline to work from.
Rating:
Summary: Not quite the UA version, but nice to see nonetheless.
Review: Although not quite what you'd expect if you are familiar with the UA barbarian, the 2nd edition barbarian still fills in a void that the fighter's "barbarian kit" just never could fill. Its quite an investment for what many would argue is just a specialized fighter kit, though, so if you're not terribly interested in barbarians (or unfamiliar with the UA barbarian), you might prefer to pass on this book. For those of us who missed "real" barbarians, though, this is very welcome. A few things may seem silly, but always remember that the great thing about AD&D is "house rules" being a recognized force. Just because the book says something, the DM is always free to modify it to better suit his/her tastes. The ultimate establisher of rules is the DM and his/her playing group. The rest is just a baseline to work from.
Rating:
Summary: Frustratingly close to classic status
Review: The original Unearthed Arcana Barbarian was my absolute favorite class to play. Even the prototype, from Dragon issue 63 was great, even though THAT Barbarian couldn't use ANY magic EVER! However, this book powers down the Barbarian to the point that it starts to look lackluster. Some of the kits are great, and some of the new rules are too, but I longed to see game balance chucked aside for once just so an alley-cleaner of a character class could take the stage. Robert Howard's Conan will just NEVER see the light of day in official AD&D, alas.
<< 1 >>
| 
