Al-Qadim: Golden Voyages, a fine send out to Sinbad

I’ve written a bit on Al-Qadim once before here on AotG, but I have to say the more I look at the rather substantial collection I have, the more I wish I’d actually played it.

Today I’m going to take a look at Golden Voyages. Written by David ‘Zeb’ Cook in 1992, this campaign line mixes it up with TSR’s other settings of the time, Dark Sun and Planescape. I’m certainly reminded of Dark Sun as I look at it. A small boxed set, the contents include six detailed booklets, a series of maps by Dave Sutherland III, a few lose pages and a 2nd Edition monster page.

There is a great deal of Sinbad reflection here, and if you are looking for some truly fantastic voyages I can point you no further.

As for what draws me in, the art is still very strong. Although thin in the content of black and white illustrations, it still does well enough to make me want to keep turning the pages.

With a cover done by Jeff Easley, the final remaining member of the 2nd generation TSR pit, he brings his A game to this product. The image is outstanding, with great composition and his oils really sing with a song of the sea.

Inside, artist Karl Waller does nearly a dozen black and whites that help set a hard angle for the setting. They are a bit hollow, or one dimensional, but they still take on the subject matter and I’ll accept that.

Overall, the product is solid, and I hope others will take a chance on this supplement.

Artistic Rating: 3 [out of 5]