The Sorrows of Young Efric (Lyonesse RPG)

As I mentioned recently, I’ve started playing in a Lyonesse campaign. I’m quite excited about this, as Jack Vance’s Lyonesse trilogy is among my all-time favourites. Also, I'm a bit burnt out from running two campaigns. While I enjoy being a GM, I prefer to focus on one campaign at a time (my "Against the Court of Urdor" campaign is still going strong), and it’s a pleasant change of pace to alternate between playing and gamemastering. 

In case anyone is interested in what a Lyonesse player character looks like – perhaps to get a sense of the rules and setting – allow me to introduce my character: Efric ‘the Rational’.

I’ll begin with his brief backstory, generated in part by using the wonderful Lyonesse “Background Events” table. I tried to construct something suitably “Vancian” in flavour…

The Tale of Efric (so far):

Efric was born during an eclipse – along with his younger sister and brother – some eighteen years ago within the walled town of Sardilla in the realm of Caduz. It was an ominous sign. All the rats within his father’s tavern turned white that night.

The first twelve years of the triplets’ lives were uneventful. Efric and his brother learned how to play the lute and performed on occasion in the tavern. His sister loved to sing to their music. During those days the three “children of the eclipse” loved each other’s company.

But one day the legendary mage Tamurello chanced upon the trio whilst visiting the town. He sensed great magical potential within them and offered to take them on as his apprentices. Efric’s parents refused, and with a gracious smile the great mage departed.

A few months later, Efric’s parents died in a freak accident involve a runaway flaming cart filled with screaming cats. Whispers spoke of the involvement of the “Black Adder,” the mysterious spymaster of Caduz. Others suggested that magic was involved. In any case, Efric’s grandfather was overwhelmed by his new childcare duties. When Tamurello suspiciously reappeared in the town a month later, Efric’s grandfather was guiltily relieved to agree to let the mage take his three grandchildren as apprentices.

For six years Efric and his siblings studied at Tamurello’s manor Faroli in the Kingdom of Pomperol, at the edge of the Forest of Tantrevelles. The most talented of the triplets, Efric’s sister and brother eventually allied against him. Encouraged by Tamurello for his amusement (or so Efric suspected), his siblings became increasingly antagonistic towards him. Finally, unable to tolerate the miserable situation any further, Efric fled Faroli for Lyonesse Town.

Efric took his brother’s lute, a gift from Tamurello, when he fled. The lute was crafted by the famous Fairy Luthier, Fendair, and is greatly prized by all who know and understand the artistry of the lute and its music. Given his brother’s paltry skill at playing the instrument, Efric deemed it just that he should “liberate” it. 

The pale young mage now tries to earn a living playing melancholy tunes on his faerie lute at the Sad Cathay. His favourite song is “How Soon is Now?”, which should be unsurprising given his bleak demeanor and chonomantic skills. 

EFRIC “the Rational”

Homeland: Caduz.

Career: Magician

Age: 18

Social Class: Freeman (Affluence: 64).

Culture: Hybras.

Fashion Statement: “I wear black on the outside, because black is how I feel on the inside.”

Background Event: Magically gifted (trained by a mage).

Strength: 9.

Constitution: 7.

Size: 12.

Dexterity: 12.

Intelligence: 17.

Power: 15

Charisma: 15.

Action Points: 3

Damage Modifier: 0.

Experience Modifier: +1.

Healing Rate: 2

Initiative Modifier: 15.

Movement Rate: 6.

Luck Points: 3.

Magic Points: 15.

Passions:

Hate Brother and sister: 70.

Find one true love: 60.

Defend the honour of Caduz against Lyonesse condescension: 50.

Compulsion: Bathing (60).

After using Sandestin magic, Efric must take a proper bath that same day – failure to do so results in him being weary (unless he rolls over 60). This is because his Sandestin insists on cleanliness.

Standard Skills

Athletics: 21.

Boating: 16.

Common Tongue (Hybraic): 100.

Conceal: 32.

Customs: 74.

Dance: 27.

Eloquence: 35.

Endurance: 29.

First Aid: 29.

Folk Lore: 40.

Influence: 65.

Insight: 65.

Perception: 62.

Ride: 27.

Singe: 30.

Stealth: 30.

Swim: 16.

Unarmed: 21

Willpower: 70.

Professional Skills

Courtesy: 37

Lore (History of the Elder Isles): 40.

Music (strings – lute): 40 (55 when using Fairy lute).

Literacy: 99.

Fairy Magic: 50 (65 when using Fairy lute).

Sandestin Coercion: 62.

Sandestin Invocation: 64.

Research: 40.

Combat Style:

Citizen Militia (mace and shield): 51.

Trait: Cautious Fighter.

Fairy Magic: 50 (65 when using Fairy lute).

“Far-flung Whisper-song” (projects the voice of the target).

“Irudo’s Immortal Bulldog” (creates an alarm in the form of an illusory dog).

“Willowisp werelight” (creates magical light).

“Shiel’s Anonalous Key” (fastens/unfastens locks and bars).

“The Four-Fold Spell” (increases movement rate).

Sandestin Coercion: 62.

Known Axiom: Chronomancy.

6 Sandestin Coercion Points.

Sandestin Invocation: 64.

“Cunctation” (stops time around caster).

“Interpellation” (grants target  +1 action point for non-attack actions during combat).

“Prorogation” (suspends aging for a number of years equal to Invocation skill).

“Restoration” (healing spell).

“Sustenation” (permits survival without food, water, air, or warmth).   

Noteworthy Equipment

Lute made by famous Fairy luthier Fendair (+15 to Music & Fairy Magic when used).

Soaps and oils for proper bathing.

Two sets of decent clothing (all black).

Mace and shield.

Scraps of armour (2 armour points – covers 4 locations).

Praise for Songs of the Dying Earth

Among my favourite works of fantasy fiction are the Dying Earth stories and the Lyonesse trilogy by Jack Vance. I’ve read the Lyonesse trilogy three times and most of the Dying Earth stories twice since I first discovered them as a teenager. While I preferred the Lyonesse trilogy when I was younger, as it was (despite its many quirks and abundant dry Vancian humour) closer to the “high fantasy” style that I adored then, I now think that I prefer many of the Dying Earth tales overall, especially the two Cugel sagas, due to the remarkable uniqueness of the setting and characters. In any case, they’re all well worth reading if you’re a fan of fantasy fiction. 

I recently finished an excellent collection of short stories written in honour of Jack Vance called Songs of the Dying Earth. It actually took me a few years to get all the way through the twenty-two stories included in the volume. This isn’t a criticism – after reading a few stories I would put aside the volume in order to read something else for a while (a new novel or whatever). That’s the nice thing about short story collections: they’re easy to dip into if you want to read a few tales and then put aside without “forgetting” anything important to continue onwards later.

The collection includes a preface from Jack Vance and stories from an impressive set of authors. I especially enjoyed the stories by Robert Silverberg (“The True Vintage of Erzuine Thale”), Jeff Vandermeer (“The Final Quest of the Wizard Sarnod”), Glen Cook (“The Good Magician”), Byron Tetrick (“The Collegeum of Mauge”), and Tanith Lee (“Evillo the Uncunning”).

But in my judgement the best one of the bunch – and the one that is a proper novella because of its length – is “The Guiding Nose of Ulfänt Banderõz” by Dan Simmons. It is a wonderfully bizarre tale that captures the flavour and “ethos” of the Dying Earth delightfully well, but without simply trying to imitate Vance’s style. It’s worth the price of the book alone. 

One thing I especially like about many of the stories in this collection, as well as Vance’s own classic Dying Earth tales, is that the protagonists often are magicians. I love mages (or wizards or sorcerers or whatever) and regret that they are only rarely the main characters in fantasy stories. 

Mythras and Against the Darkmaster news

Some quick notes on a couple of things for two of my favourite RPGS: Mythras and Against the Darkmaster.

First, Mythras. There is a new supplement for the delightful Lyonesse FRPG: Rogues, Rascals, and Rapscallions.

Here’s the announcement from the Design Mechanism:

A supplement for the Lyonesse roleplaying game – roleplaying adventure in the Elder Isles of Jack Vance.

Everyone loves a good villain, and the Elder Isles are full of them.

Rogues, Rascals, and Rapscallions is a resource to the beleaguered Games Master. It has a cornucopia of criminals, a superfluity of scoundrels, a mass of miscreants, and a surfeit of scallywags. The book is divided into five chapters, respectively covering ne'er-do-wells, cults, societies, places, and schemes, each accompanied by multiple stories that can embroil the characters in villainy, either as victims, witnesses, investigators or – heavens forfend! – perpetrators.

Packed full of scenario ideas, intriguing encounters, nefarious nemeses, and exotic locales, Rogues, Rascals and Rapscallions is a must for any campaign, be it Lyonesse or some other fine setting.

Hardcover POD & PDF ($35.99 and $12.99 respectively)

Colour & B/W

140 pages

Available now here.

As for Against the Darkmaster, it looks like the Game Master’s Guide will be available soon. 

From the folks at Open Ended Games:

We’re thrilled to announce that the Against the Darkmaster GM's Guide is nearly complete! This complement to the Player’s Handbook, covering the GM’s side and Bestiary of the Core Rules, will be available both as a Print-On-Demand (POD) and PDF on DrivethruRPG. Here’s a preview of the cover art by the always excellent Heraldo Mussolini to whet your appetite!

I love that the cover is from the perspective of the Darkmaster. Very cool!

While I adore the massive VsD tome, having slimmer Player and GM books is more useful for running the game, in my view – and obviously less expensive for players. (Also, holding the VsD core rules in one hand while running a session can be a bit tricky…)

Fictional worlds and the RPGs that I would use for them

Below I list some of my favourite settings from fantasy fiction that I think could serve as viable RPG settings and the rules that I would use if I were to run adventures in them. 

Fictional setting: Middle-earth (as described by JRR Tolkien in The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, and so forth).

 

System: Adventures in Middle-Earth (a 5^th edition D&D variant, heavily revised with ideas from The One Ring RPG) for the Third Age (I had a very positive experience using the system).

Possible alternative: Against the Darkmaster (VsD)—for earlier eras or if I'm drawing a lot on my old Middle-earth Roleplaying (MERP) collection, since it’s easy to convert MERP stats into VsD.

(Why not MERP? In my view, VsD keeps everything that is great about MERP and makes some helpful improvements.)

 

A further thought on Middle-earth: I'd like to try The One Ring (2^nd edition) system sometime—I have the book and box set, and they’re gorgeous. I played a couple of games of 1^st edition TOR years ago and didn’t care for it—something about it just didn’t “click” for me. But that may have been because I didn't really understand the system (or I was just too tired or something). AiME imports a lot of ideas from TOR, so there must be something there.

Fictional setting: The Elder Isles of Jack Vance’s Lyonesse trilogy.

 

System: The Lyonesse RPG (a version of Mythras).

One of my favourite FRPGs (Mythras) adapted specifically for one of my favourite fantasy settings—what more could I ask for?

(I think that this system also could be used for a “Cugel-level” Dying Earth campaign.)

 

Fictional setting: The Eternal Champion multiverse, including especially the worlds described in Michael Moorcock’s Elric (the “Young Kingdoms”) and Corum stories.

System: Mythras, especially with the (now out-of-print) RuneQuest II (MRQII) Elric supplements. Since Mythras is a direct descendant of MRQII, conversion would be a non-issue. (I played in an excellent Young Kingdoms campaign using MRQII a decade ago.)

 

Fictional settings: The Hyborian Age (as described in Robert E Howard’s Conan stories) and the Atlantean Age (as described in REH’s Kull tales).

 

System: Crypts and Things if I want something fast and furious; Mythras for detailed bone-crunching action.

 

Fictional settings: Clark Ashton Smith’s “Averoigne,” “Hyperborea,” and “Zothique.”

 

Systems: Again, either Crypts and Things or Mythras, depending on what style of game I want to run.

 

Fictional setting: The “First Law” world, as described in Joe Abercrombie’s original trilogy, and the post-trilogy stand-alone books (I think that the regions covered in Red Country and Best Served Cold would make excellent campaign settings). (Note: I haven’t read the “Age of Madness” trilogy yet.)

System: Either Mythras or Against the Darkmaster.  

 

Fictional setting: The “Cthulhu Mythos” universe (as described by HP Lovecraft and others).

 

System: Call of Cthulhu (naturally)—or possibly a modified version of Mythras (I'm playing in an excellent Mythras “Return to the Mountains of Madness” campaign now).

 

 

Giants in the Earth and the pre-TSR Known World

Some interesting notes from the original “Known World” Dungeons and Dragons campaign setting have been made available for all to enjoy. (See this thread at the Piazza forum or find the PDFs here.)

 

These notes are from a shared campaign developed and run by Tom Moldvay and Lawrence Schick when they were college students in the late 1970s. Both Schick and Moldvay went on to become employees at TSR for a few years. These notes clearly were developed into the “Known World” setting originally described in the module X1: Isle of Dread (and used by subsequent modules in the “Basic” and “Expert” D&D lines—eventually becoming, well after the departure of Moldvay and Schick from TSR, Mystara).

 

I've only skimmed the notes. Based on that skim, of most interest to me are the write-ups for fictional characters: Cugel the Clever, Kane, Conan, Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, and the like. These would later appear in Dragon magazine’s feature: “Giants in the Earth: Classic Heroes From Fiction & Literature.”

As a great Jack Vance fan, I love the work they put into their write-up of the Dying Earth wizard Iucounu. Here’s the version that was published in Dragon issue 29:

 

I’m not a member of the Piazza but it looks like an interesting place. Perhaps I’ll join…

 

 

Mythras Bundle of Holding

I thought that I would mention that there are four days left to pick up the Mythras Settings Bundles (PDFs): the “Starter Collection” (which includes the Mythras core rulebook, the Mythras Companion, two combat adventures, the Monster Island setting, and the Monster Island Companion) and the “Bonus Collection” (which includes the excellent Lyonesse role-playing game and setting, two Lyonesse adventures, the Luther Arkwright setting book, and Parallel Lines, a book of adventures for Luther Arkwright).

 

As I’ve mentioned before here, Mythras is an excellent role-playing game, my favourite of the past two decades, and has the best combat system ever designed. And Lyonesse is brilliant setting, certainly one that belongs in the collection of any fan of Jack Vance’s fiction.

 

More information here.

Praise for Lyonesse

Mythras is my favourite FRPG of the 21^st Century and Lyonesse is one of my favourite trilogies of the 20^th Century—so naturally I’m a great fan of Design Mechanism’s new Lyonesse FRPG, which artfully combines these two things!

For the edification of all, I recommend the fine review of this excellent book at the blog “Reviews from R’lyeh.” Reviewer Pookie’s conclusion:

“Lyonesse: Fantasy Roleplaying Based on the Novels by Jack Vance is fantastic and thorough, almost compendium-like adaptation of a classic fantastical setting, one that is likely to feel almost familiar to many gamers, because even if they have not read the novels, they will have encountered its influence on Dungeons & Dragons. This provides an opportunity for roleplayers old and new, unaware of them or not, to visit the Elder Isles, the setting of that influence, and explore it in all of its glory and grit, its whimsy and wonder, its manners and machinations, its delights and its dangers, in this well designed, well researched roleplaying game.”

Happy 2021 everyone! Hopefully things will get better in the new year.

 

New Lyonesse and Mythras adventures

The good people at the Design Mechanism have released a couple of new adventures for Lyonesse and Mythras: 'In High Dudgeon', and 'Meeros Doomed'.

Below are the adventure descriptions.

In High Dudgeon:

Games Without Frontiers...
Every year, the villages of High and Low Dudgeon meet for the midsummer games. Every year for the past 10 years, Low Dudgeon has lost. The villagers are suspicious; what is High Dudgeon's secret? Could it be magic? Could it be some secret training technique? Is it outright cheating? Enter the intrepid characters, visiting the villages to enjoy the games, but drawn into the intrigue of Low Dudgeon's misfortune. And if the true source of High Dudgeon's success isn't found before the current games end -- well, things could get ugly.
In High Dudgeon is a Lyonesse scenario for 2-6 characters, and involves a high degree of investigation and social interaction. The adventure is complete with maps, and a plethora of colourful non-player characters. Also included are four pre-generated characters -- Madam Neneveh's Festive Fellows -- designed for use with the adventure.

Meeros Doomed:

The City State of Meeros lies broken. Queen Herathos wants the renegade priestess, Kara, brought to justice to atone for her treachery. The characters are tasked with venturing to distant Kopash, and charged with making her arrest.
But is all as it seems? Powerful forces are plotting to destroy Meeros completely, and those who have protected the city may well be the ones who secure its doom.
The characters must uncover traitors, travel into monster-infested swamps, confront sorcerous fiends, and perhaps even ally themselves with Meeros' ancient foes, the Badoshi Warlords, if they are to avenge the Doom that has come to Meeros!
This mini-campaign follows on directly from events found in the Mythras core rules, and the scenarios Sarinaya's Curse, and Meeros Falling, although it can also be played stand-alone.

I’ll be getting both of these. My hope is that once a few more adventures come out for Lyonesse I can string them together—and add some of my own—to run a campaign later this year (or possibly early 2021). 

Speaking of Lyonesse, I finally picked up my printed copy of the rules, which had been languishing in my post office box for several weeks. It’s a beautiful volume. And it is thick (almost 4 centimeters / 1.5 inches)! 

I’m really looking forward to reading this tome properly over the next couple of weeks. I already have the PDF, which I’ve dipped into occasionally over the past month, but I generally find that I need a proper physical book to read something like this from cover to cover. E-books and PDFs are helpful and convenient, but they can’t replace proper paper.

Sail to Lyonesse today!

The Lyonesse role-playing game is now available! The system is based upon Mythras, adapted to Jack Vance’s classic fantasy setting.

I’ve mentioned this book a number of times before in this blog. It combines one of my favourite role-playing systems (Mythras) with one my favourite fantasy settings (Vance’s ‘Elder Isles’) –- so it’s pretty much the ‘Reese’s Cup’ game for me. I’m really looking forward to digging into it over the summer.

Here is the official announcement from the Design Mechanism:

We're delighted to announce that Lyonesse, the roleplaying game based on Jack Vance's award-winning trilogy (Suldrun's Garden, The Green Pearl, and Madouc) is available to buy from our DrivethruRPG store in Print+PDF versions.

We're offering the game in hardcover and softcover formats. The softcover is slightly cheaper than the hardcover (and yes the prices really are meant to be that close - one of the quirks of POD publishing), and both formats are Print On Demand, largely because in these uncertain times, we do not know how long it will take our regular printer to get back to normal operations, and our distributor, Alliance, is still closed for business.

The book costs $79.99 (hard cover), $74.99 (soft), or $25 (PDF only). You also received a free download of the main interior maps at full size, regardless of the format you buy.

Based on the award winning fantasy trilogy by one of Science Fiction and Fantasy's greatest wordsmiths, Lyonesse transports you to the Elder Isles, where King Casmir plots to seize control of the Ten Kingdoms, assassinate his foes, and prevent a disturbing prophecy from being fulfilled. Elsewhere, the magicians Shimrod, Murgen, and Tamurello are locked in a private battle of wit, will and magical intrigue. All the while, the brutal, disdainful Ska are drawing their own plans of conquest.
And in the immense Forest of Tantrevalles, the secretive fairies watch all that happens with wry amusement, and occasionally meddle in mortal affairs for reasons of their own.

Players in Lyonesse take on the roles of adventurers of the Elder Isles, seeking fame, glory, profit, magic, or simply the promise of a good meal and a soft bed for the night. Characters can be mercenaries or spies in the service of one (or several) kingdoms; oath-sworn knights eager to do battle with their lord's enemies; thieves, tricksters or even honest merchants, out to make a just living (sometimes). Perhaps characters are aspiring magicians, keen to emulate the likes of Shimrod, Tamurello, or even the mighty Murgen himself.

Lyonesse is a complete roleplaying game. This book contains everything needed (except dice and friends) for creating fabulous adventures in the Elder Isles. Exhaustive information on the kingdoms and lands of the islands; full rules for characters, skills, combat, magic, and monsters.
 
Great care has been taken to recreate the style and atmosphere of Jack Vance's novels, so that Games Masters and Players can fully immerse themselves in the Lyonesse setting. Special rules for creating towns, taverns, tavernkeeper, and even lovingly described meals are all included, emulating the quintessential elements of the books.

Don your armour! Take up your weapons! Sharpen your wits! Get ready for adventure across Hybras and beyond!

And here is a recent review of the game at RPG.net.

During these dark times, I’m so happy that this is now available. Praise Lucanor!

Lyonesse is coming

The good folk at the Design Mechanism have received the proof copy of their forthcoming Lyonesse book:

Lawrence Whitaker writes:

“It's a big book – 510 pages in total – but this is a complete, standalone game containing everything you need to roleplay in Jack Vance's Elder Isles."

As I’ve noted before (many times), I’m quite excited about this game! Jack Vance’s Lyonesse trilogy is one of my all-time favourite fantasy series, and Mythras is one of my all-time favourite role-playing games. Consequently, I think that this is going to be awesome!

I’m looking forward to bossing around some sandestins while thwarting the Ska…

Coddefut’s Stipule: a Lyonesse adventure

As I’ve mentioned a few times here, I’m really looking forward to the forthcoming Mythras-based Lyonesse FRPG from the Design Mechanism. While the FRPG likely will not appear this year, there now is a ready-to-run Lyonesse adventure available: Coddefut’s Stipule. It can be run using the core Mythras rules (or the freely available Mythras Imperative).

Here’s the DM blurb:

What is afoot in Silkspindle Tower?
A small town on the Dahaut coast has a distinct problem: its fishermen are going missing, vanishing from the seas with their boats and catches, never to be seen again. People are scared; could this have something to do with the wizard Coddefut who once lived in the tower? Never! He disappeared 20 years before, so perhaps this is mere coincidence.
But Moribund, the devious burghermeister of the town, sees this as an opportunity. There are several individuals in the community who are especially vexatious to him, and this is a chance to prove that he, Moribund, is not a man to be vexed. Thus, these persons of interest have been gathered together and ordered, as a matter of civic duty, to venture out onto Coddefut's abandoned island, and investigate.
Coddefut's Stipule offers an introduction to the incredible world of Lyonesse, as described in Jack Vance's acclaimed fantasy trilogy: 'Suldrun's Garden', 'The Green Pearl', and 'Madouc'. The adventure is also a taster for the Lyonesse roleplaying game being produced by The Design Mechanism, and gives a sneak peak at some of the wonderful rules and magic the game will include to simulate Jack Vance's inimitable style.
Complete with 6 pregenerated characters, Coddefut's Stipule is fully compatible with the Mythras (and Mythras Imperative) rules, and is ready for play.

I’ve skimmed the adventure and it looks very good. The beginning is something of a ‘railroad’, but that’s fine for a ‘one shot’ (it could be reworked for a proper campaign). The pregenerated PCs are all quite distinctive and colourful, exactly the kinds of protagonists one would expect in a story by Vance. The 'Vancian charts' for town names, inn/tavern names, landlords, and meals are great, as are the sample fairy spells. Overall the adventure has a pungent Vancian flavour!

A new Mythras Companion and a future Lyonesse scenario

A new thing for Mythras! It’s the Mythras Companion.

Here is the description from the good folks at the Design Mechanism:

A compilation of additional rules and mechanics for Mythras, taken from several previous supplements and created specially for the Companion itself. Inside you will find rules for tactical combat using a battlegrid and miniatures; rules for sanity and corruption; abstract rules for vehicles of all kinds; a brand new system for resolving social conflict; and detailed rules for handling pursuits and chases.
The Mythras Companion is a handy resource for every Mythras GM, with plenty of new material to enhance your scenarios and campaigns.

While the Companion looks great—especially the rules for social conflict, sanity, and corruption—what I’m really excited about in the world of Mythras is the forthcoming Lyonesse game. So this item from the Design Mechanism newsletter caught my eye:

Coddifut's Stipule is a special scenario set in Jack Vance's captivating world of Lyonesse. Created for the 2019 UK Games Expo convention, the adventure concerns mysterious goings-on in the abandoned tower of the magician Coddifut. Why have local fishermen gone missing? What has happened to Coddifut, himself missing for some 20 years; why does Moribund the Burghermeister dislike you so much?
The scenario is 100% compatible with Mythras, and contains some specialist rules taken from the forthcoming Lyonesse RPG, to help create that unique Vancian feel. Six pre-generated characters are included, along with some sample spells for the characters able to use magic.

The scenario is not available yet (*sigh*), but Design Mechanism plans to release it in the near future (yay!).

The Dead Gods of the Elder Isles

A few months ago I reread (for the third time!) the Lyonesse trilogy by Jack Vance. My main motivation for doing so was to refresh my memory of the setting in anticipation of the forthcoming Mythras-based Lyonesse FRPG. (The first novel was discussed at the Tabletop Roleplayers’ Book Club blog last January.)

A passage in the final novel, Madouc, stuck with me, as it described a pantheon—the ‘Dead Gods’—that I quite liked. (I think that this pantheon would work quite well in a different fantasy setting as well, not simply the Elder Isles.)

The under-chamberlain took Madouc into the Court of the Dead Gods. “See yonder! There stands Cron the Unknowable, across from his terrible spouse Hec, the Goddess of Fate. For a game they created the difference between ‘yes’ and ‘no,’ then, once again becoming bored, they ordained the distinction between ‘something’ and nothing.’ When these diversions palled, they opened their hands and through their fingers let trickle matter, time, space and light, and at last they had created enough to hold their interest.” 

“All very well,” said Madouc, “But where did they learn this intricate lore?” 

“Aha!” said the under-chamberlain wisely. “That is where the mystery begins! When theologians are asked the source of Cron and Hec, they pull at their beards and change the subject. It is certainly beyond my understanding. We know for a fact only that Cron and Hec are father and mother to all the rest. There you see Atlante, there Gaea; there is Fantares, there Aeris. These are the divinities of water, earth, fire and air. Apollo the Glorious is God of the Sun; Drethre the Beautiful is Goddess of the Moon. There you see Fluns, Lord of Battles; facing him is Palas, Goddess of the Harvest. Finally: Adace and Aronice stand in opposition, as well they might! For six months of each year Adace is the God of Pain, Cruelty, and Evil, while Aronice is the Goddess of Love and Kindness. At the time of the equinoxes they change roles and for the next six months, Adace is the God of Bravery, Virtue and Clemency, while Aronice is the Goddess of Spite, Hatred and Treachery. For this reason they are known as ‘The Fickle Pair’.” 

“Ordinary folk change by the hour, or even by the minute,” said Madouc. “By comparison, Adace and Aronice would seem to be steadfast. Still, I would not care to be a member of their household.” 

“That is an astute observation,” said the under-chamberlain.

[From Jack Vance, Madouc, X.2.]

I also really liked this description of the ‘Druidic’ deity ‘Lucanor’ (god of ‘Primals’):

Lucanor’s duties were three: he plotted the shape of the constellations and, when needful, altered the placement of the stars; he assigned to each thing of the world the secret name by which its existence was confirmed or denied; he regulated the cycle by which the end of the future merged into the beginning of the past. In Druidic depictions, Lucanor wore double-pointed shoes, with toes extending both forward and back. An iron circlet displaying seven golden disks clasped his head. Lucanor was a solitary god, who held himself aloof from the lesser gods of the Druidic pantheon, among whom he inspired awe and fear. 

A Druidic myth relates how Lucanor, coming upon the other gods as they sat at the banquet table, found them drinking mead in grand style, to the effect that several were drunk, while others remained inexplicably sober; could some be slyly swilling down more than their share? The disparity led to bickering and it seemed that a serious quarrel was brewing. Lucanor bade the group to serenity, stating that the controversy no doubt could be settled without recourse either to blows or to bitterness. Then and there Lucanor formulated the concept of numbers and enumeration, which heretofore had not existed. The gods henceforth could tally with precision the number of horns each had consumed and, by this novel method, assure general equity and, further, explain why some were drunk and others not. “The answer, once the new method is mastered, becomes simple!” explained Lucanor. “It is that the drunken gods have taken a greater number of horns than the sober gods, and the mystery is resolved.” For this, the invention of mathematics, Lucanor was given great honour.

[From Jack Vance, Madouc, XI.2 (footnote).]

Not one but two forthcoming Vance-based games

I’m a big fan of Jack Vance’s fantasy works—in particular, his Lyonesse trilogy and his Dying Earth stories. So I’m quite excited about the Design Mechanism’s forthcoming Mythras-based Lyonesse role-playing game. (For an interesting discussion of the first Lyonesse novel, go here.)

To my amazement, though, I completely missed the announcement a few years ago of another Vance-based role-playing game: namely, one from Goodman Games set in the Dying Earth. Since the original announcement claimed that the game would be available in ‘late 2017’, I was worried that the project had been abandoned. However, this GG post from about two weeks ago (March 12th) indicates that it’s still on the cards.

It looks like the Dying Earth RPG will be based upon the Dungeon Crawl Classics role-playing game. I’ve never played DCCRPG, but based on my reading of the ‘quick start’ rules (which I picked up a couple of years ago), I’m not sure I’m too keen on it. While I quite like old school games—I even contributed to one (Crypts & Things)—the particular interpretation of ‘old school’ offered by DCC (e.g., the ‘funnel’ for 0-level characters; the randomness of the magic system) does not really resonate with me. At the same time, though, I’m open to the possibility that my ‘pre-play’ assessment is off, and I’d be happy to try it someday. And if the DCC system is suitably adapted for the Dying Earth setting, I’ll definitely pick it up and give it a shot!

(Goodman Games has a brief discussion of Vance’s writings here.)

Jack Vance’s Lyonesse: read it, discuss it, play it

As I’ve mentioned before here, the good people at the Design Mechanism are producing a role-playing game based upon Jack Vance’s Lyonesse trilogy. While the RPG will use the DM’s excellent Mythras system, the game itself will be self-standing (i.e., all of the rules will be in the core Lyonesse book, along with the setting material).

Here is a preview of the cover for the forthcoming DM book:

Vance’s Lyonnesse trilogy is one of my favourite fantasy series of all time. It fuses ‘high fantasy’ with the dark humour and weirdness of Vance’s Dying Earth stories. I’ve read it twice before—once in the early 1990s, and again about sixteen years ago. Upon learning of the DM’s forthcoming game set in the Elder Isles (the mythical lands south of Ireland where the stories take place), I decided to read the trilogy again. I’m now two-thirds of my way through it—I only have Madouc (the final volume) to go.

By happy coincidence, Lyonesse will be discussed at the Tabletop Role-players’ Book Club blog in January (starting on the 2nd). The plan seems to be to read the book (if you haven’t done so already) in December, and then discuss it with other gamers early in the new year.

Especially cool is the fact that the DM’s own Lawrence Whitaker (‘Loz’)—co-author of Mythras and RuneQuest 6, and author of numerous Elric!/Stormbringer RPG books, as well as many other fine things—will be taking part! 

So, gentle readers, do yourself a favour and: (a) read this brilliant trilogy; (b) take part in the January discussions at TTRBC; (c) buy the DM Lyonesse RPG; and (d) have some adventures in a fantastic past-that-never-was.

Lyonesse map draft

The good people at the Design Mechanism have shared this draft of their map of the 'Elder Isles' for their forthcoming Lyonesse RPG (based upon their Mythras system). The map is by Daniel Hasenbos, and the final version will be in colour.

I can't remember the last time I've looked forward so much to a new RPG...

A Lyonesse FRPG is coming!

Exciting news from the good people at the Design Mechanism: they will be producing a freestanding RPG (using the Mythras rules) based on Jack Vance’s classic Lyonesse trilogy!

Here is the announcement:

Jack Vance’s high fantasy masterpiece, Lyonesse, is to be brought to life in a new roleplaying game by The Design Mechanism. Licensed and approved by Spatterlight Press, Lyonesse is a standalone game based on the acclaimed Mythras system. 

The Lyonesse trilogy – Suldrun’s Garden, The Green Pearl, and Madouc – tells the story of the Elder Isles, and the ambitions of King Casmir of Lyonesse to bring its fractious kingdoms under his sole rule. Lyonesse is a setting of high chivalry and low cunning. Noble knights rub shoulders with self-serving tricksters, while capricious fairies and child-eating ogres haunt the dense expanse of the Forest of Tantrevalles. Itinerant magicians peddle charms and potions at the Goblin Fair, while kings hoard magical treasures such as the prophetic mirror Persilian. Great armies clash in fierce battles, while the navies of Lyonesse and Troicinet seek to outwit each other on the coastal seas. The new religion of Christianity coexists with the older gods of Hybras, such as Lug of the Sun, Matrona the Moon, Sheah the Graceful, and innumerable parochial half-gods. 

Using The Design Mechanism’s Mythras mechanics, the Lyonesse roleplaying game is presented as a standalone game with all the rules necessary for play. The book will provide a detailed overview of the Elder Isles and its history, its kingdoms and politics, and, of course, its movers and shakers, from King Casmir to the arch mage Murgen; from Shimrod to his nemesis Faude Carfilhiot; from villains such as Visbhume and Torqual, to heroes like Aillas, Dhrun and Madouc.

More information can be found in this PDF.

I’m thrilled by this unexpected development. Vance’s trilogy is one of my all-time favourites. And, of course, Mythras is a brilliant system. Two of my favourite things mixed into one package!