Timothy B. Brown

"Green Races" by Timothy Brown.
Printed and Distributed by Fast Forward Entertainment.
ISBN-10: 1-9719598-1-1 -- 224 Pages.

Readers, this is my very favorite Fast Forward book! It allows players to do domething unique...

Instead of the usual Humans, Dwarves, Elves, and etc., this allows players to use what would normally be considered NPCs - Goblins, Kobolds, Orcs, Trolls, and many more! Yes, you, too, can now be a monster!

Along with the fifteen new player character races, there is a Prestige Class associated with each one. Rise through the ranks of one of the Green Races, possibly even becoming warlord of an entire race!

I don't know a single player I 've ever met who hasn't at least thought of the idea of using a monster as a player character - and this book lets them do that. =Years= before the idea of allowing all intelligent races to be all alignments surfaced recently! Although this race is not included her, one of my favorite PC's used a 'converted' mind flayer as a OC. She felt that it was her ultimate goal to bring her new religion to the rest of the Mind Flayers.

As an example, the 'new' race in the center of the book is the underused Hobgoblin. Quite a lot here to admire, as their backgrounds, normal regions inhabited, their culture and cultural advancement, a typical tribe called "The Hundred", The 'Buffalo Rider' Prestige class, The class's skills, a typical Hobgoblin Lair, and other information.

The new trend in D&D is towards eliminating the 'requirement' that all of a single entire race needs to be a single alignment was used here first by FFE in about 1972! So this book may have even more usefulness today!

At the back is the usual OGL and four advertisements.

This book was the capstone of the Fast Forward books if my limited opinion matters. What's even better, with a little bit of homework, it could be used with almost any edition of D&D or Pathfinder. It really does deliver what it promises.

It's too bad that Fast Forward Games disappeared from the market, as many of these books also included online material which does not seem to be available anymore. However, these Fast Forward Entertainment books rarely disappoint me.

I will go one step further - if you decide to buy only one Fast Forward book, IMHO, it =needs= to be this one. One of my very highest recommendations!… (mer)