The Five Shires greatly expands on Halfling characters in Mystara. Normal D&D Halflings are a lot like hobbits from Tolkien's Middle Earth. Hobbits live in The Shire. (Not to be confused with The Five Shires)
BECMI Halflings are both a race and a class. Halflings are similar to thieves but have more hp (d6 instead of d4 per level) Halflings also have really good saving throws. Halflings have a favorable experience table. Halflings are level-limited to 8th level.
The player's booklet gives players an overview of life in the Five Shires. It provides new rules for a defensive special ability used only in the Five Shires to help others. It has a point system that rewards good deeds. Doing good deeds is necessary to advance in Five Shires society and government. It also expands on the story-telling rules from Gaz. 2 and provides rules for Halfling Masters who have druid spells starting at 8th level.
The DM's booklet details the history, geography, military, diplomacy, sacred relic, key NPCs, Halfling pirates, more about the geography, running adventures in the Five Shires, several adventure ideas, and new monsters.
The Five Shires greatly expands on the sacred relic rules for Halflings from the Companion Rules. The sacred Halfling relic is the "blackflame".
Ed Greenwood does a good job of making Halflings more interesting. The outline that he sketches of the Five Shires gives DMs looking to run a campaign in said location a lot to work with. Greenwood also does a good job of meshing the location with classic D&D plotlines and story ideas. He describes several interesting villages and works possible adventure ideas into the description. There are also several outlines of adventures for characters of various levels.
Places like Tolkien's Shire are a staple of many campaign settings. Those looking to create his or her own "shire" will find lots of inspiration and ideas in The Five Shires. Highly recommended for Halfling themed campaigns. 4 out of 5 stars.
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