Keeps and Towers is a great little supplement for Dungeons and Dragons (and arguably other systems with similar monetary systems) that gives some very simple rules for building keeps, castles, towers, inns, shops, etc. For such a small book, it does a great job of providing general enough rules for constructing a pretty wide array of buildings. This is a huge help if you have the kind of players who wish to build their own keep as a base of operations--something not covered by the standard rules.

The book introduces some new, but very basic mechanics for construction in D&D. This includes, constructed spaces, which is used to determine size and a cost component, labor units--the cost of having the place built, and purposing--which determines the use of the space and costs associated wiht how it is used. The construction process includes determining the space, the material that it's constructed from (wood being cheaper than stone), and associated defenses, which are listed for an additional cost. Based on the construction units, you then add the labor costs, which may be mitigated by the casting of spells and other factors. Finally, apply a flat fee for the purpose of the room. For example if you are building a 20x20 stone blacksmith shop, you would pay for the 20x20 space made of stone (2000 gold pieces), 60 gp in labor, and then 250 gp to outfit the space with a forge, anvil, and other blacksmithing tools. This is all simple enough, but note that the book provides more detail than I can provide here.

As well, the book provides some nice examples with a breakdown of construction costs. The only issues that I've had with it is that the book only gives vague hints as to when to provide discounts to construction costs due to access to materials and some higher-level spells, and there could be clearer guidelines for such things. However, the dungeon master can easily make a ruling on material cost discounts in most cases depending on the situation in their own game. Veteran gamers who have used past Dungeons and Dragons supplements for building strongholds will find the book useful, though certainly much simpler than previous rule sets.

Overall, this is a great book for those looking for rules for building consruction in 5th edition D&D, which is something that has been lacking from the game's rules. Some players, typically in long campaigns wish to set up a base of operations, and this book is a great help for those who wish to do so. For the simplicity of the rules and ease of use this is a great book for any dungeon master who needs construction rules for their game.

Read the full review at Geeksagogo.com!