It was a few years back when the first 3/3.5 Ed. copy of anything D&D-wise that was not already published in previous editions. So I asked Peryton to pick up a copy of the latest along with her 35-1,234 pounds of other books that she has shipped into the household every other day. I have spent the last four days reading through the setting.
I don't have the 3+E release around my desk to compare the two. I did talk about the settings " because I was amazed that anyone would buy them. Still I bought every paperback, I think there were eight, involved.
It's still all about "After the Last War" atmosphere, but I don't quite remember it being so full of parallels with Europe of the end of the Great War. The countries from a fallen continental empire of kingdoms can be an allegory of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire or an extrapolation of Europe after "war to end all wars" in 1919. Indeed the newly independent countries have hallmarks like cheese or discipline to define themselves from one another-- speaking of the "old world," they have thrown in newspaper clips as side boxes for the delving reader.
I find that appealing.
It's a flavor of D&D is more of the experimental factions take on a non-Gygaxian humanocentric world. We're talking Monsters! Monsters! level of PC races (that's Kindreds, to my OGs; or species, or folk, or .... ) . Apparently once the player goes goblin, there's no hobbling a half-orc into things ...(but there is). These also some dragon-kin characters, known by their tails. Somethings called a deep-kin, Teifling(sp?), known to be a witchfolk of sort. These chances to play aliens in a D&D rules matrix are added to the regular sorts everyone that is into role-playing is familiar with (elves and cousins). There is a golem race that is for the munchkin but can be a race of androids worried about what movies like Star Wars never goes into.
Technology-wise, the authors steer away from the logical conclusion of steam-punk genres of having overly realistic weapons of mass destruction complete with stupendous magics. Nope, there are trains and blimps (sky-ships) but they're powdered by summoned elemental spirits. Ideologically, necromancy comes to fore as evil before the discussion of autocracy versus growing disenfranchised populations of the less than well-read. The Character is a strong focus of this campaign book. I suspect many middling GMs for D&D can run a romantic tale style campaign and start to earn their wings at letting the drama at the game table-top flow from the Players' take on the setting before them.
From a T&T delver's point of view, there is a lot to work with, I suggest staring out with a certain scenario that will help things along.
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