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Eberron Player’s Guide

Having recently acquired a copy of the Eberron Player's Guide, I've set about to see what I can incorporate into my Home Game.  Going through the book, there is a lot of interesting things to take in.  One thing that was quite noticeable (and somewhat of a disappointment) was the book's overall size.  Weighing in at 160 pages, the EPG is one of the thinner 4th Edition books released.  The book's layout and content though makes up for the lack of girth.0

The book looks quite interesting as far as content, especially as the majority of the book deals with information that is completely relevant to the Players and their Characters.  The book does a very good job of incorporating the newer 4th Edition components in to the original 3rd Edition setting. I was quite pleased with the incorporation of the previous story elements from Eberron and how they were adapted in to the 4th Edition.

Some of the more enjoyable points of interest is the inclusion of the the 4th Edition Races.  The EPG lays out information for the inclusion of the races from both the Player's Handbook 2 (PHB2), the Forgotten Realms Player's Guide (FRPG) and the  Dragon articles.  The setting history relies heavily on the goblinoid races, so the major focus from the EPG is on the monsterous races published in the Dragon magazine.

The book is broken down in to 5 sections, including the following:

1. 1. Life in Eberron
   2. Races
   3. Classes
   4. Character Options
   5. World of Eberron

Reading through the book a couple of things jump out that I would have liked to see included:

1. Action Points: I actually enjoyed the "pulp" feel to the original Action Points system set out in the original Eberron setting.  I may be tempted to re-purposing the Deadlands Poker Chips system for use in my home game.  If not that system, I would like to add some dimension to the existing Action Point system in 4th Edition.
2. Classes, Feats & Dragonmarks: All in all, I was pleased to read through this section of the book.  The artificer adds some real dimension to any party and could make a very useful set of NPCs in most games.
3. Magewrights: With the disappearance of the 3.x edition's NPC classes, the DM is left to his own devices for creating "lower powered" stand-ins.  This is entirely possible with wrapping in the Artificer using the rules presented in the 4th edition DMG.
4. Magic Items: Quite pleased with the mix that is presented, and really keen on putting in to play the alchemy system.  My players don't seem too keen on it yet, but if I give them some perks, I think they will really enjoy it overall.
5. Artifacts: Again, artifacts are noticably absent from the book.  Not sure what to think about this, as Eberron has always been a very "low-powered" magic item setting.  Now, before you jump off the deep end on that comment, let me dig through it in some detail.  Eberron has lots of magic, but most of that magic is the equivalent of glorified cantrips.  Yes, there are airships, elemental carts and galleons and Sivis Message Stations, but these are mundane in their application.  The world sets the hero's up squarely (and much more so in the 4th edition) as heroes to save the world.  I would have liked to see the presentation of some of the more "world-shaping" items in Eberron.  Oh well, I'll make my own!
6. Backgrounds and Setting Info: The book acts as a sort of skeleton to give you the shape and form of Eberron without tying things too much to a particular location or historical incident.  The book presents itself in a sort of "sandbox/toolbox" method.  Information in the book can be quickly adapted or extrapolated in to generic or home-brew campaign settings without much effort.

Overall, I think the book is decent.  I'd give it between 3 and 4 stars out of a possible 5.  I'll have to come back in and weigh-in on the 1/2 star after putting things through the paces with my players.