FASA Games, Inc.

So, I just got both the Cathay sourcebooks today and flipped through them. I am extremely impressed. For one (and this goes for most of the Red Brick vs LRG Earthdawn stuff), the art is top notch. More importantly, the material is excellent. The Scholar discipline takes a normally boring archetype and makes it badass. The Jade Liferock opens up all kinds of possibilities. You could also do a neat setup starting out Cathayan PCs there, and have them immigrate towards Barsaive over time as they increase in power. Then you have the stranger in a strange land setup (you could of course do it the other way too, this just appeals to me).

The size is weird, too small for a hardcover really, but too big for a softback. I love hardback, don't get me wrong, but the price was still a bit rough as a result (yay gift cards). Even still, I'd say these are a great investment if you want to expand your game's horizons.

Indeed the Cathay sourcebooks are excellent. The Scholar Discipline is a personal favorite that seems a bit skipped over by my current Cathayan PCs. Hardback is the way to go. You'll be using these books for a long time. Even if not running a Cathayan campaign, the creatures in the Game Master book can easily be placed in any campaign if you've gotten bored with the ones in the two core books. Especially some of the more general ones like Giant Scorpion or Snow Leopard. Then there are spells in the Player's book for Cathay for even some of Barsaive's spellcasters to use. And if running a Cathayan campaign, these books are gonna get a lot of abuse.

Glad you like them, Quicksilver. For additional inspiration, be sure to check out the novels!

galafrone also says that both cathay books are superlative.
keep them coming !!!!

I got these two books for presents too. I'm reading Kratas now, so I can't wait to finish and dive into these books. I've been meaning to read through my RB source books for ages, now I'm making it a priority.

We are working hard on getting the novels back into print and also all onto Amazon in Kindle format. No ETA at this time, but as soon as possible is "the plan".

This forum software needs a +1 button. Cathay has been a great source of good ideas. I'm still running a campaign in Barsaive right now but if things fall through there... Cathay it is.