Ghostwalk, a campaign setting you really must have in your collection!

I played D&D 3rd Edition [as 3rd, 3.5, and Pathfinder] for over a decade, so I’ve got a good amount of experience with the product under my belt. That said; I’ve probably got half a dozen supplements for those games that stick in my mind as ‘must haves’, one of which is the June 2003 release of Ghostwalk.

Produced by Wizards of the Coast, this 223 page campaign setting was written by Monte Cook and Sean K Reynolds. As gaming goes, it is tough to get better than these two designers, so you should know right away just how fantastic this product is.

In fact, it was so good I cannibalized a good portion of it for my homebrew, because hey, ghost characters are pretty damn cool. I mean think of it, we’ve all had characters die that we loved, so how outstanding would it be to have them come back!? It might not happen all the time, but there are a number of great story seeds that can enhance any ongoing campaign, as it certainly did a half dozen times in my own world.

If anyone out there is playing 3.0 or the like, I highly, and mean highly, recommend getting this book. You won’t be disappointed.

Ok, now down to the art.

With a cover by Brom, who is perfect for it, this book starts off with a bang. Brom’s work here is inspiring, epic, and a bit creepy, which he does with such flair that it always amazes me.

Inside, Art Director Dawn Murin uses a bevy of talented artists to bring the setting to life. I won’t name them all here, but a few notables are Tom Baxa, David Martin, and Vinod Rams, all of whom I’ve had the pleasure of working with over the years. Each makes a strong contribution, and my only irritation is that David Martin was only used for spot item illustrations even though he could have absolutely ‘killed’ with this subject matter [especially since he’d helped define the Chill setting for Pacesetter]

Other than the above three, the other notable artist would be Wayne Reynolds. It is funny, but if anyone could knock Wayne off a cover to the interior it would be Brom, yet Wayne goes all in [as he always does] and provides both horror and adventure in every single image he illustrates, and there are several.

All art [save a few items] is done in full color and the artists involved all translate well to the glossy page.

Together, along with the writers, this is an A+ product.

Artistic Rating: 4.5 [out of 5]