I've now through the last sections of the book, only surveillance is missing but still... this book is awesome and would make a great bundle with the corebook.

The Habitat-part alone is worth reading for every player since you get a glimpse on how living in zero-g habitats is like, what dangers are posed and what to do if sh*t hits the fan hard and your section decompresses. Add to that some information about the things people do and voila. Its a good read from an in-game perspective that makes your neurons work about how you can create your own character.

Now, the cherry to me was the uplift part. Heck. They are featured on the cover in an awesome monkey-octopus cagefight (with Laserwhips!). And the narrator was a quite suave neo-dolphin and the chapter features many in-character sidebars about other uplifts too (for example, the first to actually be recognized as an uplift).

The book ends with game information, lots and lots of uplift-morphs, and a warm and fuzzy feeling, wanting more.

This is THE book to get, if you want info on exactly how having advanced sensor and computer technology will have an affect on the cultures, persons, and PCs that will have access to them.

Also, it has a extremely well-done "Uplift" section. Uplifts being the "Sentients created from animal stock" seen in EP and many other sci-fi games. Although written specifically for EP's setting, the political and corporate groups could be used in other settings, with little change.

Finally, there is a Habitat section, detailing everything from construction, how to infiltrate, and even how to "sleeve" an entire Habitat as one's body ("Morph" in EP slang).

Even if you aren't playing/buying EP specifically, this is a good book for general sci-fi info on the 'how does (x) work' for just about any 'sufficiently advanced' setting.

Buy this, now!

Panopticon covers three subjects.

Uplifts, Habitats and Surveillance/Sousveillance each subject justifies the cost of the book.

I'm going to do this book a SERIOUS injustice with a relatively short review. Considering the price tag of $15 (at least when this was written), it's a steal. The book is huge. It's detailed. It's well written.

The basis of the game is that people are basically just minds now or souls or whatever you want to think of them as. They are called Egos in the game. You can then inhabit Morphs that are bodies made in a tremendous number of shapes, sizes, and capabilities. So the game obviously deals with some very dense subject matter and has an encyclopedic overview of the terms, what the world is like, and how people get along in the universe. Most of the game centers around political conspiracies, horror elements, and investigation and exploration.

In one game, you may inhabit a sexy assassin body and the next a non-humanoid mech. You can be a space fighter if you want. To some degree then, character creation is what your mental capabilities amount to. Things like strength are determined more by what Morph you are in. That is cool because you can just switch out (if you have the cash) to whatever you need to get your job done.

There are a lot of mechanics, so I would recommend just taking it slow and trying to use the base rules to teach yourself and your group the game. The PDF is judiciously bookmarked with hotlinks embedded in the text that will take you to references directly. That is a HUGE help when navigating the book. No "check pg. 209" to slow you down there.

The game and game world are complex, so be ready to read through a couple of times. The production value is amazing though, so it's fun to work through. But be warned, this is about a rules heavy as you can get without it being a joke. It's not a bad thing, it's just not for everyone.

Absolutely a great work. This book is well written and contains excellent art work to set the tone and mood of the game. The book is well organized and easy to follow allowing for easy searching during games and the system is really solid. I can't wait to see more products for Eclipse Phase.

Eclipse Phase itself is a culmination of dozens of science and science fiction ideas, pureed in a blender and served to you as one elegant yet dystopic universe. Stories like Jack's serve to illuminate a small part of that universe and he does well at it. He doesn't approach science fiction as a scientist or an engineer but as if its just there.

As such Jack's writing in this case can be a little technical if you aren't familiar with the materials already presented in EP or other works. Still, its not absolutely central to understanding the story if you miss a term or two.

Some minor complaints: The material is obviously taken straight from the book it is going to be used in (which is fine because he is one of the writers and obviously has permission). Still it would be nice if it was ?typeset? as own story at some point. Also the very start of the story just feels off. The best line is the second. Lastly there were a few typos (buidling?).

This book really brings you some new playing experiences. You need a good round with a little education, because it really dive into matter where you have to think. "Cyberpunk" or better Tranhumanism on a grown up, depp but still fun to play way.

As for any Eclipse Phase product, I enjoyed reading through the material itself. It is a fun and interesting addition to an already fascinating setting, however I must complain on the fact that the GM session is too poor. It doesn't give much more fluff or detail than the normal description of the planets, while I would have wished that there was an official "truth" for at least some of those places.

Aside from the fact that Eclipse Phase is one of the most intelligent, best written, and most creative games published to date, their highly researched vision of the future is nothing short of astounding.

These quick start rules can get any players and gms on their feet and ready to kick some exhuman or exurgent butt.

For all those that had the first quick start rules, these are a more streamlined version. For those that never did, well, these are essential!!!

I have seen many Quickstart kits, but very, very few are as complete and handy as this one! Bear in mind that I have, so far, only read the old version and just downloaded the new one. The rules are simple, and explained in a very clear way. A must have, to hand over to the players, after editing out the adventure, of course.

I love this game! I own the full set of rules, but I am going to pass these quick-start rules to my friends. I am trying to get them to buy Eclipse Phase as well!

Reading this product reminded me of reading a hard SF novel from a writer like Alastair Reynolds or Greg Bear. it was that good. it also maintains the wonderfully intense air of mystery, wonder and paranoia that saturpates the entire Eclipse Phase universe. Get this pdf, it's worth the 10$ easily.

Ah, Eclipse Phase stuff. Small disclaimer here: I love Eclipse Phase.

I find Eclipse Phase to be increasingly versatile every time I read another supplement for it. I love the universe background. Great art, great writing, if you're a science-fiction fan you can't go wrong with Eclipse Phase.

"Gatecrashing" is an add-on to ground breaking Eclipse Phase and it lives up the usual high standard for the rest of the line. It expands the already rich setting beyond solar system and into bizarre alien worlds accessible through the mysterious Pandora Gates.

The main section has in-depth description of two score gate destinations chosen according to their relevance to Firewall for their X-risk potential. Most lead to planets that were visited by ET post-singularity civilisations that have long since gone extinct. Unlike the majority of sci-fi, in Eclipse Phase the alien planets are truly alien with only a handful earth-like planets habitable to unmodified human life. Every destination has a mystery to solve and a few story seeds for the GM.

The rest of the book deals with gatecrashing operations and possible ways for the PC's to get involved as well as a smattering of new equipment and morphs. There is a guide for creating believable custom planets that will come in handy for any GM that wishes to expand the EP universe.

In my humble opinion "Gatecrashing" is the best product so far in already high quality EP line and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in sci-fi. Solid A from me.

Excellent 'places to go, things to do' book. Plus, it does have additional morphs and modifications for one's characters, and even shows most of the new morphs.