I was suprised to find this book in stock, and I usually am unable to find any books until a month or so until they already have come out (and not just RPG books... grrr, still mad I don't have VHD yet).
This is basically a DM only type of book. Â I've looked through it all pretty well, but only about 1/2 done reading it cover to cover (got to do this at least twice for every rulebook you buy IMO). Â For those who don't know what its about, its about roleplaying during a war. Â The basic emphasis is the war becomes the campaign setting (at least for as long as the war lasts), and your "missions" are the adventures.
To help the DM and players give some kind of measurable scale to how much impact the PCs have on the outcome of the war, it has this point system. Â Achieving the objectives of your missions grant varioius amount of points, which you can then compare to your preset DCs. Â In the same vain, you can also earn these other kind of reputation points which can be spent to increase your rank in the army or get awards, metals, rewards, etc.
There is also command auras, similiar to the Miniatures rules. Â They give a small, feat-type morale bonus to some various stat (AC, saves, attack, damage, etc). Â All allies within 30 feet who are of a lower command rank then yourself gets this bonus (so you never get the bonus from your own command rank... if all the PCs are the same rank in the army, then they wouldn't benefit from these at all... but if they have followers, animal companions, mounts, or troops that they are in charge of, then this can help buff them up a bit). Â It also as a morale system to figure out if a squad of soldiers will fight or flee.
There is only like 4 prestige classes, each 5 levels long. Â They are all really good, and most would be useful in a regular campaign and not just the war-oriented campaign that the book focuses on. Â There's not very many new feats either, but they are pretty cool. Â There is new Leadership feats that give you bonuses to the Leadership feat (stronger cohort, more followers, etc). Â There's also some examples of skill use important to war.
There is these strange team bonuses you can get for getting your group of PCs to work together. Â Nice, but there isn't very many to choose from. Â I think you could apply the same concept to stuff more outside a war campaign, like a team bonus for working together socially or the like... but you'd have to make those up yourself. Â Or maybe they'll make a new book for that type of campaign. Â Wouldn't be too surprising since there is already several "series" type of book lines.
Well, that's all I got to say about that for now, unless someone has a more specific question.
Okay, just looking over at the d&d website and noticed "Heroes of Horror" coming out in October. So I guess this is a new series.
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=products/dndacc/885227200