Pathfinder Campaign Setting: "Ships of the Inner Sea" [RPG]

Though I've been running and playing Pathfinder for years, I've still never managed to do much in the area of pirates or naval combat.  I read Ships of the Inner Sea more "just because" than because I was actively planning on using it anytime soon.  Nonetheless, I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would.  It's a great full of interesting NPCs and adventure ideas.  Someday, I'll get around to some naval adventure, and when I do, I'll definitely pull this one out.

Ships of the Inner Sea is a 64-page, full-colour, softcover.  The front cover features the Iconic Skald fighting a "fjord linnorm"--it's okay in my opinion, but nothing memorable.   After some important front matter, the book then provides detailed coverage of seven different ships--including full deck plans, an overview of crew, custom NPCs, a full stat block for naval combat, a discussion of tactics, some new magic items, and some adventure hook ideas on why the PCs might encounter the ship..  Here's what's inside:

* Introduction (2 pages): This section provides a brief overview of the seven ships that are covered, noting that all of them have been built in accordance with the ship-to-ship combat rules in the Skull and Shackles AP--I always appreciate coordination like that.  There's also a little pointer to some other resources GMs could use if running nautical adventures--it's incomplete, but it's a start.

* Sailing the Inner Sea (4 pages): Written by Chris A. Jackson (a Pathfinder Tales author who has extensive real-life sailing knowledge), this is an excellent primer on nautical terms, different types of ships one might encounter in the Inner Sea, trade routes, and dangerous regions.  There's a useful full-page map showing the trade routes and trade winds, which would be useful for GMs who really want to add detail and "realism" to their games.

* Burnt Saffron (8 pages): The first ship we get detailed is the Burnt Saffron, an Okeno slave galley.  It has a really cool backstory, and is definitely a ship to fear!  It'd be perfect for a random encounter, but there are also some good adventure hooks if the GM wants to use it in a more involved storyline.  The ship also has a (supernaturally?) mysterious aura around it--for example, freed slaves often try to return to it, and it's been reliably reported sunk on numerous occasions!

* Cetaceal (8 pages):  Our second ship is the complete opposite: the Cetaceal is an Andoren slave-raider operated by the Gray Corsairs.  It's a hit-and-run skirmisher that can be easily disguised so it can dock at hostile ports, and is commanded by a Paladin.  It'd be a good ship to make a "timely" rescue if the PCs ever find themselves over their heads in a naval battle (or taken prisoner).

* Hu-Hazhong (8 pages): The Hu-Hazhong is a merchant ship from Tian Xia.  It has a fantastic backstory, with some beautifully-written NPCs and accompanying flavour.  It's the sort of ship PCs could book passage on for some excellent role-playing opportunities. It's also the sort of ship the PCs could rescue from pirates (or attack themselves, if they're being pirates!).

* Impervious (8 pages): Impervious is a classic Chelish man-o'-war, the sort of ship that shows up to make it clear that the Empire is not to be trifled with!  Packed with Hellknights and a captain who's a level 16 magus, this is the sort of ship that PCs should run away from unless they're also nearing the end of their adventuring careers.  There's an adventure hook involving the blockade of Pezzack, which could be of interest to GMs running a certain adventure path.

* Kraken's Spite (8 pages): I could see a whole campaign modelled on the premise of the Kraken's Spite.  This Ulfen longship is crewed by former raiders who have decided to turn to exploring the Inner Sea.  Along with the great backstory, I have to recognise the opening flavour-quote--it's the kind of dialogue every player wishes they could improvise during an encounter.

* Mark of Yunnarius (8 pages):  Ghost ships are a staple of the fantasy genre, and the Mark of Yunnairus is likely the most fearsome that Pathfinder PCs will ever encounter.  Full of banshees, baykoks, and drauger, this ghost ship haunts the Eye of Abendego.  It features a classic backstory of treachery, love , and mortal.  With a CR18 Captain, this may unfortunately be too high-level for anything other than an end-of-campaign big bad.

* Ravishing Ruby (8 pages): A more traditional pirate ship, the Ravishing Ruby has a bit of a twist in that the captain is obsessed with retrieving a lost bauble that she thinks holds a treasure map to immortality.  It'd be fine as a random encounter, but could certainly be woven into a larger storyline.

Overall, Ships of the Inner Sea is an impressive, well-written, and detailed book.  For GMs interested in this corner of Pathfinder gaming, it's definitely one to seek out.