Review - Weird Fantasy Grindhouse Edition Boxed Set (LotFP) - Part The First

Yes, this will be multi part - it has to be - there's too much for my normal "Mini-Review".  ;)

In any case, this part will be about the presentation.

I've had the PDFs of the WF GH Edition for a while now as they were included with my preorder (awesome way to do business James - print and free PDF as a package deal gives instant gratification as well as the joy of a package to open later).  I wanted to wait until I had the hard copies in my hand before I started any kind of review... so lets start.

The box art for the GH Edition is the same as was used in the Deluxe Edition, which is fine - its the art I think of when I imagine the Weird Fantasy RPG.  Why fix what isn't broken.

It includes 3 books:  Rules & Magic, Referee and Tutorial.  Also included are some character sheets and a set of RPG dice.  Oh, and a sheet with the OGL (I wondered where that was... heh)

Rules and Magic is what it says it is, the rules of the game.  Cover art is very striking.

My issue isn't with the art, its with the use of the art when its the used as "Header Art", or whatever you want to call it.  Basically, repetitive art that takes up about 20% of a page for no other reason then it's there.  I like my rulebook pages to be as uncluttered as possible.  That's why I HATE books that have artwork or other designs behind the written pages or around the edges.  James isn't guilty of neither of those (Kudo's to James).  I just find header art to be a waste of space and paper.  Pet peeve of mine.  Feel free to ignore it ;)

The cover to the Tutorial is less shocking then i think it was intended to be.  Still good tho'.

The cover to the Referee book is Mullen.  "Nuff said!

The books are bound, not stapled.  My books have some very thin glue residue on the top edges of the pages. No big deal, but if it was thicker, you'd have to be careful the first time flipping thru so as to not risk damaging the pages.  Stapled books tend to not have the lifespan of bound books (the paper breaks around the staples and then the pages fall out) but they do allow for laying flat on a table, which you can't do with this edition.  Then again, this edition should put up with a lot more abuse at the gaming table.

The character sheets are top notch.  I can see why James has questioned his need for a GM screen - these sheets cover 90% of what you need (spells need to be listed separately by the player).

The included dice are small but useable by most.  My fiancée would never be able to use them, but then she couldn't read the dice included in the T&T 7.x Boxed Set Editions either.  Box size determines the size of what will actually fit in said box.

As for the PDF versions, they are perfect replicas of the print versions.  Well done James.  If I had a complaint about the Deluxe Edition of Weird Fantasy, it's that the PDFs seem like an after thought.  This time around, they are a selling point.

End Part the First.