Super great... i just wish books like this were easyer to find, hard to get books on old guns like these for RPG's I just wish they ha more guns. they seem to pick and choose and ignored some good ones like not a single german gun... i know the 98 is in a million rpgs now but there are other mousers such as the 1891 mouser which used a differnt system and bullet. and no 1881 naggant, well i am not saying thats a dissapointment but this book is saposed to be early military arms but it seems to be only italy swiss us and uk when really thats just a very select few. now i am happy with the product but i was shocked at the lack of other wepons that could or should have made it in this book cause come on, unless you going to make a 2nd book cant say early military firearms and skip ones you dont wanna do unless you call the book "Some Early Militry Firearms"

for the most part the book is 100% worth getting just remember that if there is smething that is lacking makeing you want them to make a nother book.

This is an interesting if brief look at a virtually unknown vehicle -- one of a handful of half-tracks designed and produced after WWII. The photos are the best part, as they offer modelers a chance to actually build the vehicle, while a sufficiently wide range of RPG data is included to keep everyone happy. In all a very good buy.

The first volume in what became a series weighs in at 110 pages. This includes cover, credits and table of contents pages (3), a brief intro (1), a description of the formatting used for the weapons (1), using the data in Cyberthriller (3), using the data in D20 Modern (2), using the data in Fudge (2), using the data in Action (2), a BIG and Highly Detailed section discussing cartridges (21) and a weapon misfire table which can be incorporated in your games (1). That's the first 36 pages.

The rest are used to describe 15 handguns, 10 SMGs, 6 Rifles and 2 MGs. 67 or so pages. And not a common weapon in the lot!

The last 5 pages were legal notices for the OGL and a few ads for other products. <br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: The data blocks present the basics in a well-organized manner, and the supporting text was detailed. The photos were b&w and clear. <br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: The weapons included are all ... odd. I don't mean odd as in sci-fi futuristic, I just mean there isn't a standard production weapon that a major power uses today in the mix. You might think that Volume 1 would include, say, the AK47 or AK-74. Nope. How about the FN FAL? Nope. Any one of a number of standard issue weapons used by the US or Great Britain? Nope. I would have thought the first volume or two would be chock full of the standards, and it would be later volumes where they start detailing weapons that nobody uses. I will rate the quality as acceptable, but I'm very disappointed. <br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Disappointed<br>

The second volume in the series weighs in at 113 pages. The layout is exactly like the first volume, withy the first third of the work containing a cover, credits and table of contents pages (3), a brief intro (1), a description of the formatting used for the weapons (1), using the data in Cyberthriller (3), using the data in D20 Modern (2), using the data in Fudge (2), using the data in Action (2), a BIG and Highly Detailed section discussing cartridges (21) and a weapon misfire table which can be incorporated in your games (1). That's the first 36 pages.

The last 4 pages were legal notices for the OGL and a few ads for other products.

The rest of the 63 pages are used to describe 23 weapons (volume 1 contained 33). The weapons are organized somewhat differently this time: 8 concealable, 3 experimental, 9 rifle, 2 SMGs, and 3 WWII. Many of these weapons are quite odd (a keychain gun? a cigarette gun? both highly compact CIA weapons). There are a few more mainstream weapons in this volume, including the main assault rifles of the French and the Germans. But the rest vary from experimental to seldom seen or rarely used.

I'm okay with rare weapons being listed, these volumes are aimed at gamers. Still, I would think that the bulk of the weapons described would be weapons a groupd of adventurers/soldiers are likely to come up against in the real world. <br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: The data blocks present the basics in a well-organized manner, and the supporting text was detailed. The photos were b&w and clear.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: The weapons included are mostly oddball. They can make for interesting reading, but I was hoping common, mainstream, current issue military weapons would be covered, and so far (between the 56 weapons described in the first and second volumes) only a very few quality. I bought Vol 1 & 2 along with the Special Edition all at once. If there had been a detailed review like this one, letting me know the weapon choices were way out there, I would never have picked up these first two volumes. I will rate the quality as acceptable, but I'm disappointed. <br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Disappointed<br>

The third volume in the series weighs in at 109 pages. The contents are a little different than past volumes. This one has a cover, credits and table of contents pages (3), and a brief intro (1). But they included a page of anti-aircraft rules to incorporate into your games (1), and another two pages on anti-tank rules (2). This is followed by a page of discussion of anti-tank weapons in general (2). This is followed by a number of pages describing Iraqi biological and chemical weapons. That's the first 13 pages.

The last 4 pages are legal notices for the OGL and a few ads for other products.

That leaves 92 pages to cover in detail 28 weapons. This volume if focused on the weapons of the war in Iraq. Weapons of Australia, Great Britain, Iraq and United States are covered. Here at last you will find the AK-47 and AK-74 assault rifles, RPK machine gun, RPG-7V anti-tank, even the Al-Quds assault rifle (Iraqi variant of the AKM). Here you will also find the M16A2, M3 Carl Gustav, M-72 LAW, M-203 Grenade Launcher, M-249 SAW, etc. Not to mention the Enfield SA-80 used by the British, and the FIM-92 Stinger.

For those who think this volume has no place in RPG gaming, think again. Most (if not all) of the weapons are standard issue infantry weapons. Just the sort of weapons any party of modern day adventurers or mercs or elite unit teams would use and run up against. From hostage rescues to penetrating the top secret weapons facility to stop the evil scientist from perfecting his weapons of mass destruction, these are the weapons you will want to use!<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: The data blocks present the basics in a well-organized manner, and the supporting text was detailed. The photos were b&w and clear. But WAY more important, all of the weapons included in this volume are mainstream, current issue and well known. This special edition/revised makes up for the disappointing contents of the first two volumes. <br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Not one thing! I can only hope that the folks at Alternate Realities decide to take their Big Bang series into focused small arms weapon supplements exactly like this one. I would love to see Small Arms specials on any of the following: NATO, Warsaw Pact, South American, Middle East, Central/South Africa, etc. That would be fantastic, if they were handled like this volume.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

While its an inexpensive product, its hard to recommend this item or consider it a good buy. Despite the hype about the numbers, it covers exactly eight rifles: the Hotchkiss Rifle (used only by the US Navy during a brief period), the Jarmann, the Krag-Jorgensen,the Kropatschek (a Lebel upgrade, used in Portugal), the Lebel (a widely used rifle), the Lee-Metford (again, an important weapon it its day), the Remington-Keene, and the Vetterli.

To achive its claim of the number of rifles protrayed, the company listed every possible varient and test version of each rifle, includeing weapons which were not issued, issued in tiny numbers, or whose only difference was a minor change in sights.

It ignores the Mauser family completely, and the Mannlichers, while half the rifles covered were (while important developmentally) commercial failures and were very rare.

It is hard to imagine the campaign this volume could possibly support.

EDIT: The publisher's reply is, ironically, disproven by their own product, which openly admits that several of the described models were commercial failures, and notes several models which were never actually issued to the troops.

<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: Production values were OK<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: The description provided to potential buyers is inaccurate, to put it politely.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Poor<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Ripped Off<br><BR>[THIS REVIEW WAS EDITED]<BR>

I love the big bang books. Good info, etc. I just wish that it had spycraft 2.0 stats! <br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: No Spycraft 2.0<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

I love the big bang books. Good info, etc. I just wish that it had spycraft stats! <br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: No spycraft<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

I love the big bang books. Good info, etc. I just wish that it had spycraft stats! <br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: No spycraft<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

I love the big bang books. Good info, etc. I just wish that it had spycraft stats! <br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: No spycraft<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

I love the big bang books. Good info, etc. I just wish that it had spycraft stats! <br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: No spycraft<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

I love the big bang books. Good info, etc. I just wish that it had spycraft stats! <br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: No spycraft<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

Junk. A random selection of weapons without any regard for period, presenting opinions as fact, and using photos instead of line drawings which might at least have been useful as player handouts.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: Nothing.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Poor<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Ripped Off<br>

Well researched and written. Flexiable over a wide range of game systems.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: Technical data on the weapons and performance.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Odd weapon selection in some instances.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

This is a very good little add on that allow magic to be learned in d20 Modern at an earlier level.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: It is a good addition to the other base classes<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: It is only useful if you want Magic FX<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>