Empires of the Sands

Did You Know?

• Editing was by Karen S. Martin, and cartography by Dave S. LaForce.
• Empires of the Sands was Haring's first big project at TSR.
• After publication, Haring answered readers' questions in Dragon No. 138 (October 1988).

Contents

This removable-cover booklet begins with a one-page introduction that identifies its subject as three nations in Faerûn’s southwest, collectively called the Empires of the Sands: Amn (pages 3–20), Tethyr (pages 21–47), and Calimshan (pages 48–62). These countries sit along the southern coast of the Sea of Swords, a warm region with broad stretches of dry, harsh terrain. Each nation has its own chapter, starting with a general overview that lists the races found there, then covering languages, social customs, local monsters, history, government and politics, religions, geography and climate, trade, cities and points of interest, and notable non-player characters.

Most cities get only a column of text, with some entries limited to what the city is famous for, its exports, population, government, and location. The booklet’s center holds one blank character sheet, seven completed sheets for the Company of Eight from Tethyr, and reduced area maps. Page 64 contains an index. Two fold-out color poster maps show the three countries at a scale of 30 miles per inch, aligning with the edges of the Forgotten Realms Campaign Set maps.

The country was once fragmented, with cities uniting only for mutual defense while otherwise competing over trade routes. During a trade war, the Council of Six—its membership drawn from Amn’s most powerful trade houses—emerged to lead a unified nation. The council encourages free enterprise, and generating profit takes priority over all else. Adventuring groups and magic-users are actively discouraged unless they obtain proper licenses from the government.

Reception

Jim Bambra reviewed Empires of the Sands in Dragon magazine issue 140 (December 1988). He remarked that the title is odd because none of the three countries is formally an empire, and only Calimshan has a desert worth mentioning, though the lands are very arid. Bambra considered the product to be three source packs in one, with each country described in its own section, and noted that the booklet maintains the same high production standard as Waterdeep and the North and Moonshae, though like FR2 Moonshae the inside of the folder cover was left blank.

He found the writing informative, readable, and easy to reference during play, though lacking the flavor of FR2 Moonshae. Bambra criticized the lack of detail for locations, especially cities, because the supplement covers such a large area; he stated that information on each city could have been presented in a table to make it more accessible and free space for other aspects. He commented that much of the content in the center of the booklet looks like filler, possibly indicating the project was not quite large enough for its page count.

Bambra concluded that Empires of the Sands has a wider focus than Waterdeep and the North and Moonshae yet still conveys the atmosphere of each country in a satisfying manner, but dungeon masters must put in a fair amount of work to bring the countries to life. He noted that with three countries to choose from, developing only one for campaign play is sufficient, and suggested Tethyr as an ideal setting for power-hungry adventurers, Calimshan for magical research, and Amn as unhealthy for most adventuring groups.