Fellowship Phase in Esgaroth (Spider Cult of Mirkwood part 1.5)

May-June 2946...

[A picture of Esgaroth by J.R.R. Tolkien]

Having completed their first adventure together, our heroes—Hartmut, Hengil, and Ulvmund—spend some time resting in Lake-town.

The companions take the locked chest (which they had discovered within the spidiers’ mound) to Aelfwine, a skilled locksmith in Esgaroth. Within the chest are revealed 2 Dwarven coins and 2 gems (aquamarine and moonstone). Hartmut asks some dwarves in town for more information about the chest. He discovers from them that it is likely from Moria (before its fall to the Balrog).

Hengil researches the black stone. He learns that the etchings on it say (in a corrupted form of Quenya): “Submit to the glory of the Unlight!” Hengil also learns that the stone is likely from the Mountains of Mirkwood, where ‘black glass’ is common. Finally, Hengil is told that an Elvish sage in the village of Celebannon, named ‘Luinwen’, may know more about the stone and the meaning of what is written on it.

Ulvmund researches the spiders of Mirkwood. He learns that there are at least 2 different kinds of spiders: ‘attercops’ and the larger ‘great spiders’. Moreover, these giant spiders are intelligent and can speak the mannish tongue. While evil, though, the spiders are not servants of the Necromancer (but have been known to cooperate with the Necromancer’s minions from time to time).

The companions make plans to travel to Celebannon in the Woodland Realm to learn more about the black stone.

Video that explains Dungeons and Dragons to the uninitiated

This Vox video that explains Dungeons & Dragons (and, to some extent, role-playing games more generally) is pretty good. I especially liked the discussion by the participants about why they play the game (8:00-9:40).

Next time I'm asked by a non-RPGer to explain the hobby that has been a disturbingly large part of my life since the age of 10, I may simply refer them to this video.

New settings for Dungeons and Dragons 5e?

It looks like some new settings for Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition will be announced by Wizards of the Coast later this year ("Dungeons & Dragons plans to announce several additional publications in 2018 which will add new campaign settings for players outside of the Forgotten Realms").

Personally, I'd love a 5e version of Planescape. It's my favourite 'official' setting ever published by TSR (though, tragically, I've never run or played in a pen-and-paper campaign). It is, I think, the most 'uniquely AD&D' setting ever -- it's 'mythology' in rooted in AD&D's distinctive, weird cosmology (the plethora of planes and their relations to each other), as well drawing heavily on singular AD&D creatures like the Githyanki, Tieflings, and so forth. I appreciate its strange mix of being a hub within a Moorcockian multiverse (and its associated 'law-versus-chaos' factionalism), and its gritty proto-steampunk aesthetic (I'm not a huge fan of steampunk generally, but I like the way it is expressed in the look and ethos of Planescape). Also, thanks to the presence of so many portals ('doors') to other planes, it's easy to connect Sigil to other D&D worlds. So I really hope that this happens!



As for other old TSR settings, I suspect that Mystara (which I used to really dig, but find a bit too 'goofy' these days) and Greyhawk are just too similar to the Forgotten Realms to be done again with full-blown campaign books. Yes, I know that the fans can spell out many 'important' differences among these settings, but from a distance they're all 'kitchen sink D&D' worlds'. Not that there's anything wrong with that! But WotC already has FR.

I'm not that familiar with Spelljammer. It never grabbed me back in the day. But I'd have an open mind to it, if a new version were to be published. Likewise I would consider checking out a 5e version of Dark Sun, which always struck me as quite intriguing, but I never picked up for some reason during 1990s. Among the more recent settings, I don't know much about Eberron, but it looks distinctive and I would consider looking into it as well, should a 5e version be produced.

However, I have zero interest in Dragonlance. In fact, I loathe it. I personally would be grateful if it never reappears as an official setting (though if it does, it should be easy enough to ignore). It gave my teeth too many cavities back in the 1980s...

Tolkien exhibit at Oxford

If you're a fan of Middle-earth, and you can manage a trip to Oxford between the 1st of June and the 28th of October, you should check out this exhibit: 'Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth'. It looks amazing.

I lived in Oxford for two years over two decades ago (1992-94). Strangely, I have not be back since, even though my time there greatly influenced me and shaped the course of my subsequent life. Needless to say, this exhibit sorely tempts me to return. Happily, there is a chance I'll be in England in September. If that works out, I'll definitely try to go to this exhibit ... as well as check out some of my old haunts.

Mythras Bundle of Holding

Curious about Mythras (formerly RuneQuest 6)? Well, over the next two days you can get a rather impressive bundle of Mythras PDFs for a very low price!

The Starter Collection (14.95 USD [retail value 47 USD]) includes:

• Mythras core rulebook ($15)
• Mythras Imperative (free)
• Classic Fantasy ($20)
• Three Mythras adventures:
• A Gift From Shamash ($4)
• Xamoxis' Cleansing ($4)
• Madness & Other Colours ($4)

If you want more, you can get the Bonus Collection (threshold starts at 24.95 USD  [retail value 52 USD]):

• Mythic Britain ($18)
• Mythic Britain Companion ($5)
• Mythic Rome ($14)
• Mythic Rome Maps (PWYW)
• Three Classic Fantasy adventures:
• M1 The Terror of Ettinmarsh ($5)
• G1 These Violent Delights ($5)
• N1 Tomb of the Mad Wizard ($5)

Design Mechanism's nominated charity is the Electronic Frontier Foundation. 

More information on this Bundle of Holding can be found here.

And Newt Newport (of D101 Games) recently reviewed Mythras at his 'Sorcerer Under Mountain' blog. 

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!

Tolkien: world-creator and (almost) code-breaker

Over at the Goodman Games site is a short essay on J.R.R. Tolkien. It covers the usual information on the good professor, and comments on the influence of Middle-earth on Dungeons & Dragons. The author (Chris Doyle) is somewhat sceptical of Gary Gygax’s attempts to minimize Tolkien’s influence on the game—and correctly so, in my view.

Anyhow, I learned these two facts about Tolkien from the essay:

“As a child he is said to have been bitten by a large baboon spider, which could have been an influence of his later writings of Shelob in The Lord of the Rings. As the Second World War raged on, Tolkien was tapped by the British government to become a codebreaker. He agreed, and received formal training from the cryptographic department and even took classes at the London headquarters of the Government Code and Cypher School. Later that year he was informed his services would not be required.”

Also, my wife sent me a link to this 'brackify' of the Elves of Middle-earth. I can't make any sense of it. (More specifically, the various 'pairings' generally seem incoherent.) 

My favourite role-playing games

Apropos of nothing, here is a list of my favourite role-playing games...





















Mythras (formerly RuneQuest 6 and Mongoose's RuneQuest II). 

This is the game that I've played (as opposed to GM'ed) the most in recent years. Highlights include: (a) playing a half-Melnibonean sorcerer in the Young Kingdoms (using MRQII) and (b) playing a Roman mystic-philosopher (in Mythic Britain). Among its many virtues, Mythras has (hands-down) the best combat system I’ve found in a RPG yet.



Call of Cthulhu. 

I've run a fair amount of this over the years, both campaigns and one-shots. It is probably my favourite game to run overall.



Classic Dungeons & Dragons (including Basic/Expert D&D, AD&D, and related 'retro-clones' [e.g., Swords & Wizardry, OSRIC] and 'pseudo-clones' [especially Crypts & Things]). 

I haven't played too much 'classic D&D' in recent years—except for a short AD&D campaign and a number of sessions of Crypts & Things (a game to which I contributed some rules)—but it remains a constant love for 30+ years.



Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition (especially as modified for Adventures in Middle-earth). 

Finally, an 'in-print' version of 'D&D' that I enjoy! I'm currently running an AiME campaign. It's a pretty solid realization of Middle-earth.




Elric! (a.k.a. Stormbringer). 

An old favourite (especially Elric!/SB5e). It’s a fantasy version of BRP (Basic Role-playing) that is easy to run and has a lot of flavour. While I think that the MRQII version of the setting (now out of print, alas) does a better job in realizing the Moorcock’s multiverse, I have fond memories of this game. 



Middle-earth Role-playing (MERP). 

I haven't played this game in years (the last time, I think, was 1999-2000), but I cherish my ICE collection of MERP adventures, campaign guides, and (especially) maps. Indeed, I am using some MERP material in my current AiME campaign. I ran my first 'real' (i.e., coherent) RPG campaign using MERP while in high-school, and still look back fondly on it. To this day I enjoy reading the critical charts.

There certainly are other games that I’ve played and enjoyed over the years (e.g., Traveller, Star Frontiers, Thieves’ Guild, DragonQuest, The One Ring, Trail of Cthulhu, etc.). But the ones listed above are the ones that stand out for me.

Iain M. Banks’ Culture is coming to television…

Consider Phlebas—Iain M. Banks’s first novel about the Culture—is coming to Amazon television.

I’m excited by this—but also nervous. I’ve praised Banks before here. He’s my favourite science-fiction writer of the past century. Hopefully Amazon will do a good job with this.

For a great analysis of the Culture (focusing especially on Consider Phlebas), check out this excellent essay, “Why the Culture Wins: An Appreciation of Iain M. Banks,” by Joseph Heath (a philosopher at the University of Toronto). It’s scholarly but also fun—a rare combination!

(Hat tip: Lawrence Whitaker.)

Conan to tread onto the small screen?

Well this news is rather intriguing:

"Amazon is developing drama series Conan, based on the books by Robert E. Howard.
[…]
Conan retells the classic character's story via a return to his literary origins. Driven out of his tribal homelands, Conan wanders the mysterious and treacherous world of civilization where he searches for purpose in a place that rejects him as a mindless savage.
[…]
[T]he creative goal [is] to return to the original Howard literary works and produce a series that is faithful to the spirit of his Conan character. Conan the Barbarian, aka Conan the Cimmerian, was created by Howard in 1932 in a series of fantasy stories published in Weird Tales magazine."

(More information here.)

While I've always enjoyed the 1982 Conan the Barbarian film since I first saw it as a fantasy-obsessed lad, the Schwarzenegger movie has almost no connection to the original Robert E. Howard tales (and the less said about the sequel and the 2011 version the better). A series actually based on Howard's Conan stories could be great. And I think that a television series probably is a better way to adapt the stories, given their episodic character, than a movie.

I really hope that this becomes a reality-and that it turns out to be as awesome as it has the potential to be.

By Crom!