A review copy of “Eberronicon: A Pocket Guide to the World” was provided by the publisher. Find more DMs Guild Reviews on my website and YouTube channel.
Support my work by using affiliate links for shopping and pledging via Patreon.
Designed by: Laura Hirsbrunner, with Will Brolley, Patrick Dunning, Joseph Meehan, Jarrod Taylor (Across Eberron)
Despite previously reviewing an Eberron DMs Guild adventure (Sharn: The Missing Schema) and the Roll20 conversion of last year’s big 5e Eberron campaign book (Eberron: Rising from the Last War), I still have only a vague sense of what Eberron is, and what the differences are between it and the vastly more popular and more heavily explored Forgotten Realms.
Eberronicon: A Pocket Guide to the World, distills 15 years of history and lore into an incredibly easy to read reference guide, providing a the perfect jumping-on point for newcomers or an easy reminder for veterans.
A reference guide lives and dies by its organization and layout. The goal is to present surface-level information on a variety of topics, including locations, history, factions, culture, and politics, while maintaining an easy-to-read format.
I’m happy to report that Eberronicon excels at the pocket guide format. Within a handful of pages I learned what makes Eberron distinct (magic-powered technology), what themes I can expect (powerful guild houses, pulp action heroes, war-torn lands) and the roles of gods and dragons (notably absent or incredibly rare).
The 50-page book is divided into four chapters that cover Eberron’s races, locations, factions, and faiths, with a ridiculously detailed Table of Contents for every single sub-entry, such as the Demon Wastes, the Church of the Silver Flame, and each of the 12 Dragonmarked Houses.
Though the chapter on races doesn’t include any mechanics or rules, the lore and information should be useful to players and dungeon masters seeking a quick overview of a race’s history in Eberron, as well as their current situation, all within the span of a few paragraphs.
The drow of Eberron, for example, aren’t evil spider-worshiping dominatrixes as in the Forgotten Realms. These drow are former slaves of ancient giants, transformed into assassins to quash any elvish rebellions. Modern drow have split into three sub-factions: the jungle-dwelling Vulkoori, fire-worshiping Sulatar, and subterranean Umbragen.
Chapter two covers the exotic locations of Eberron. It mostly focuses on the main continent of Khorvaire, a kingdom with a hugely diverse population decimated by war, including the dinosaur-riding halflings of the Talenta Plains, the gnomish secret police of Zilargo, and the shattered remains of the nation of Cyre, now known as the Mournland.
The chapters on factions and faiths help flush out the culture and religions of Eberron, including the Dragonmarked Houses, the warforged-supremacist Lord of Blades, and the 12 gods and goddesses of the Sovereign Host.
Under each brief entry is a helpful footnote with an abbreviation for a previously published sourcebook. If you want to learn more about the drow, for example, you’ll need to seek out the Secrets of Xen’drik 3e sourcebook.
Appendix B lists all the sourcebooks, including helpful hyperlinks to the DMs Guild where applicable. The Further Reading appendix also includes links to Eberron novels, adventures (both new and old), and original Eberron creator Keith Baker’s blog and podcast, creating a wonderful one-stop-shopping experience for immersing yourself in this fascinating high-magic world.
Pros:
- An effective, concise summary of 15 years of Eberron lore and information.
- Well-organized, beautiful layout.
- Annotated footnotes for further reading into the 3e, 4e, and 5e sourcebooks, novels, and adventures.
Cons:
- None!
The Verdict: Eberronicon: A Pocket Guide to the World‘s lovely layout, easy reading, and wealth of information make it the must-have supplement for Eberron players and dungeon masters alike.
A review copy of “Eberronicon: A Pocket Guide to the World” was provided by the publisher. Find more DMs Guild Reviews on my website and YouTube channel.
Support my work by using affiliate links for shopping and pledging via Patreon.
RogueWatson 