Nasty, Brutish and Short

Columbia Games' Harn products have long been known for their level of detail and the quality their art (especially the maps!). Nasty, Brutish, and Short is no exception. This module provides a detailed writeup of Harn's orcs (or, as they are called in Harn, Gargun).

A ten-page article outlines the history, physiology, culture, society, economics and languages of Harn's five Gargun "sub-species". Especial detail is given to the differences among these subspecies, ranging from the tiny, tribal "streaked orcs" who dwell in nomadic forest lodges, to the cgreat "black orcs" who survive by conquering other orc colonies and enslaving them. Illustrations of the different species are included (including both male and female Gargun, of different ranks), as is detailed cross section of a typical 'streaked orc' lodge.

A full-page map of Harn is provided, showing the location of every major Gargun colony and tribal range. For each colony/tribe, 1-2 paragraph summaries are provided, briefly outlining its name, size, and history, as well as its internal problems, relations with the external world (i.e. other Gargun colonies, nearby human settlements, etc. It's not too hard for creative GMs to see how these descriptions can quickly be turned into adventure/campaign hooks.

Additionally, NB & S contains 4 additional articles (6-10 pages each) of detailed developed for 4 different Gargun colonies, including approximately 15 detailed maps (4 color, 11 black & white), and several different scenarios for use with these sites.

Like all Harn adventure modules, Nasty Brutish and Short can be used with any gaming system-- it's oriented towards providing developed settings, fleshed-out characters, and rich background stories than lists of numbers-- but information on the major NPCs, artifacts, etc. are provided using both the Harnmaster Core rules system as well as d20 rules.