TORG Eternity: The Living Land by Ross Watson

TORG Eternity: The Living Land Reviews

• 
  Michel Siskoid Albert

  The Living Land sourcebook was the first Cosm book released for Torg Eternity, and though there are some stylistic discrepancies with the rest of the line (the way Minor Laws are introduced, for example), it's still one of my favorite ones. I mean, I've always loved the Living Land, even before they peppered it with Wonders and Lost Lands. Who doesn't love dinosaurs? Lizard men? Cryptids!? In original Torg, it was a deadly jungle that nobody wanted to go to (or so I'm told). Now it does hold more attraction, I think. The sourcebook saves a lot of space - relative to others - by not having a huge amount of new abilities and gear to grind through (only Miracles work here and even Tech is extremely limited), so it uses the extra pages mostly on how to set varied adventures there. I'm not sure I really need random tables to kitbash adventures, in principle, but I did come up with several ideas reading the lists and descriptions, so no complaints. Where the book fails a little bit is that there's too much repetition. Concepts explained in the Core Rules are re-stated too often, which is okay, but information from within the book is copy-pasted from one chapter to the next for those GMs who don't read the whole thing. If it wasn't the same verbiage, I might let it pass, but it usually is. Tighter editing would have allowed a little more information on the edeinos, which I think is a little lacking. One major omission for me is the idea that individuals evolve and adapt so as to explain adding some of the biological perks mid-game. I guess it'll have to remain head canon...
• 
  Bracicot

  Adds lots of details to the Living Land setting, including information about how the invasion affects objects, people, and landscape; what the Delphi Council are up to; factions within the cosm; wildlife and other threats; and lost worlds, which are very cool.
  
  I could wish for a more detailed index, and maybe a glossary.
  
  It’s very focused on the players fighting in the Possibility Wars, which is no real surprise; but I’d like more support for smaller, more personal stories. Your Uncle got stuck in the mist, so you and your friends have to go rescue him, etc.
  
  Looks like tons of fun.