I've been immersing myself in the Eberron handbooks, and recently started a campaign, and I found the information of this particular one useful as a DM - and sure appreciated how the book was organized.

The fact this book has a solid index - over and above an index at all - and had alphabetical entries makes it a much better reference than most of the other Eberron (and 3.5) books combined. The first chapter is rubbish, but its only like eight pages. I'd rather have had repeats of PC races and classes than the roleplaying 101 presented here.

The encyclopedia kept my interest. My player's didn't get jazzed up about the material offered here, but it mostly expanded on information in the 'Eberron Campaign Setting' rather than regurgitating. I don't bother with many of the other general handbooks outside of Eberron, but the 'Player's Guide' makes a good argument for some of them. Players who've invested in books of their own will appreciate learning how they can incorporate them into a new setting instead of being discouraged.

If you're interested in the world you should check this one out, but don't expect it to let you skimp on learning the mechanics. ( )

A handbook for playing Dungeons and Dragons in the new (well, compared to the original setting) world of Eberron. It's interesting and has guidance and options for player characters, as well as useful things like what their characters may know about particular things. I felt the name soup was a bit overwhelming despite having read the campaign guide recently, which is a common issue with books like this: continents, cities, kings, species, they all blend together. However, I still thought it was a decent example of the genre, and it had some good stuff in there. Apart from anything else, it's a good example of making something novel from old components. ( )