I love sidetrek types of encounters and this book delivers. Somewhere in a more forested area of your campaign world, a Kobold with ambition is affecting trade by trapping the trails that link two small villages and a town. Of course the PCs need to help, but this lone elite kobold is one tricky character. I played a game of cat-and-mouse with this wicked guy with my players. Unlike a regular kobold encounter, the protagonist is alone. The real threats are the traps, getting lost in the forest, and a political struggle that may ultimately pit one town against the others or break favor with party. The lack of direct encounter at the beginning was maddening. All the normal tactics were thrown out the window and the PCs had to refocus their efforts in new directions.It was fun watching normally confident players question every move. The final battle was fun. The boss used his traps to divide and conquer and took a few PCs out before succumbing.

The maps were clear and very retro. I thought I wouldn't like them, but they captured a fun feel and triggered some fond memories of the maps from GURPs. I actually love them now - especially the extra cutout pieces.

To be fair, this book forces some gamemaster preparation. You need to read it in order to grab all the story elements and put those in a plot hooks. The council of Wise Axe seems too sketchy and required a bit of work, but it challenged my mind to think of a story that was NOT the standard "go and kill the bad guys" type.

Overall: Needs Prep, but provides great new thoughts for a tired campaign. I really liked it.