Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Comparing the Ultimate Alien Anthology to the original Alien Anthology is much like comparing a Cadillac to a LeCar. Where the original book evoked yawns with its bland artwork, uninspired layout, and strange, bipolar mix of artistic renderings and photos, the Ultimate book is eye-catching, tasteful, and most importantly, chock full of content.
Starting from the outside, this attractive book gets a BIG mark in the plus column because it's hardcover. Softcover books may be cheaper, but they get damaged too easily. And of course, like most of the recent Star Wars books, it's full-color throughout.
The book begins with a thoughtfully designed table of contents that breaks all of the topic areas into alphabetical lists. As one reads on, it becomes evident that most of the races from the Alien Anthology and the Revised Core Rulebook make a return- a few, most notably the Yuuzhan Vong, have been tweaked- and there are many new races as well. Every single race has a labeled picture, so there will be no doubt what a Chev looks like, or if the picture you're looking at is actually a Chevin. As always, the race profiles and descriptions are informative yet concise.
If this book was simply a list of races it would still be a good product, but it's the extras that really push it over the top. There are literally dozens of items of new gear (look for the Gamorrean Battle Plate!), sixteen new feats, and six new prestige classes: Aerobat, Beastwarden, Bodyguard, Changeling, Mystic Agent, and Telepath. The Big Game Hunter and Findsman are also back in revised form, for a total of eight prestige classes.
The Prestige Classes aren't truly race-specific. For example, you no longer have to be a Gand to be a Findsman (although it certainly helps)- and while an Aerobat is usually a flying character like a Geonosian, it could also work for a character wearing a jump pack. This open-ended approach is a nice touch.
Ironically, the Ultimate Alien Anthology fails to deliver in the one area that the original Alien Anthology shined: non-sentient creatures and animals. Other than a small sidebar for the Beastwarden, there is not a single creature to be found. However, I wouldn't call this a liability because it seems to be a deliberate decision on the part of the authors to keep the book focused on its topic, rather than a careless omission. Hopefully, we'll see a "Creature Anthology" at some point in the future. If you can't wait that long, then you may still find the original Alien Anthology to be useful for that purpose, but in every other way the Ultimate book is clearly superior.
In short, it's my opinion that the Ultimate Alien Anthology is everything that the original book should have been. It's a standout performer with all the style, flair, and depth of information that has been a feature of the last several Star Wars roleplaying books. Whether you are a brand new player or the most discerning GM, I'd recommend it as a solid investment for anyone playing the game.
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Ultimate Alien Anthology (Star Wars Roleplaying Game)
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