The Last War is what defines Eberron. The campaign setting has a lot going for it, but the century-long conflict that divided the human kingdom of Galifar is the intended backdrop for 90% of the action. 'The Forge of War' gives an in-depth look at the events of the war and gives plenty of adventure ideas and twists on an Eberron campaign. I liked the emphasis on setting adventures in Khorvaire's 'past' rather than always starting a few years after the war's end.

The book is structured so that the bulk of it is a detailed overview of what happened during the war, the main battles, the shifting alliances, and the conceit is that this section of 'The Forge of War' is taken, with scholarly commentary, from a standard text on the history of the war. For the most part, it worked. It tended to get a little dry and monotonous, a little more color would have been appreciated.

My biggest complaint with the Eberron manuals is that its clear that the Campaign Setting and "core" supplements like 'Five Nations' were deliberately kept brief so there would be enough content to make up yet another hardback manual. This isn't unique to Eberron, of course, but since this is the only setting I've explored this thoroughly it s frustrating. 'The Forge of War' doesn't contain any blow-by-blow adventure for immediate game use, it has very few new items or monsters or prestige classes. It is an excellent source of background information on the setting and that is it.

I liked it, but others might be disappointed. ( )