Pendragon

mmadsen said:

Wouldn't that just be Runequest?

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Huh??? <confused>

Aside from the involvement of Greg Stafford, and the fact that they were both done by Chaosium, they're all but completely different (albeit not totally unrelated) systems. Of course, given your familiarity, I'm sure you know that--therefore, I can only assume that only assume that this was meant as "bait"

Okay, so I'll bite--how would this be the same as Runequest?

Incidentally, Runequest, Elric!, Stormbringer, Elfquest, et al, are wholly inappropriate for my general fantasy roleplaying needs--largely because of their unsatisfying magic systems...

Aside from the involvement of Greg Stafford, and the fact that they were both done by Chaosium, they're all but completely different (albeit not totally unrelated) systems. Of course, given your familiarity, I'm sure you know that--therefore, I can only assume that only assume that this was meant as "bait"

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Ah, I only have a very old copy of Runequest (second edition, 1980) and a new copy of Pendragon (fourth edition, 1993); I assumed concurrent editions shared more in common.

Incidentally, Runequest, Elric!, Stormbringer, Elfquest, et al, are wholly inappropriate for my general fantasy roleplaying needs--largely because of their unsatisfying magic systems...

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What kind of magic system would you like then?

SHARKy, while I used to live in England a while ago, I'm now based in the US of A.

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I can't imagine a guy named "V-2" would be too popular in England -- at least not with the older generation that lived through the war.

Re: Re: Pendragon

The art is a bit mediocre for such an expensive (softbound product). It's a little less atmospheric than I expected, possibly because I live here in England...

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I enjoyed the art quite a bit, and I found it quite atmospheric -- but I'm not in England.

Greetings!

How goes it, Thor? OOH-RAH Leatherneck!

I think Greg Stafford is a pretty sharp fellow, and I think it's sad that Chaosium doesn't seem to do very much. They make cool products, but they always seem to be few and far between, you know? So there's never extensive development of a product line to really get into it. Look what they have done with Elric! There's a few things, but not much. Their D20 Elric! has what, *Two* products? I mean, come on--if your going to get into something, do it big, and do it right.

Pendragon has more potential--but I understand that much of it is out of print. Well, that's just brilliant, huh? And they could come out with more new products, even for Pendragon. But they haven't. I think Green something or other has a liscense to publish Pendragon stuff, but they seem to have the same problems that Chaosium does. Few and far between. That kind of production level doesn't inspire a lot of confidence, or progressive marketing.

The magic systems of each that you mentioned Thor do all have significant shortcomings, which make them in the long run unsatisfying. I wish they would improve it, and perhaps get more into D20. I think integrating them more fully would be successful.

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

Green Knight Publishing's Pendragon product page lists 11 current products and two more coming soon:

Core Rules and Supplements

King Arthur Pendragon - Complete Roleplaying Game Rules.
Book Of Knights - Introductory Rules for Pendragon
The Boy King 2nd Ed. - Arthur's Epic Life in an 80 year Campaign.
Lordly Domains - Manors, Hunts & Sieges.

Adventure Supplements

Tales of Chivalry & Romance - 14 Short Adventures
Tales of Magic & Miracles - 14 Short Adventures
Tales of Mystic Tournaments - Grey Knight, Tournament of Dreams, Circle of Gold
Tales of the Spectre Kings - Saxon Vengence Rides by Night! NEW

Lands and Peoples

Blood & Lust - Anglia, The Heart Blade, & Morgan le Fay
Beyond The Wall - Pictland and the Scots.
Saxons! - Wolves in the Fold of Britain.

Upcoming Titles

The Holy Grail - The Greatest of all Quests!
Book of Faeries - The Enchantment of Britain Continues

Greetings!

That's good, mmadsen, I look forward to more. However, do you realise that most of that stuff is at least five-ten years old? That's what I'm saying. They publish like one thing a year, or less even. You know?

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

I came in a little late on the thread, but I have a lot of Pendragon stuff.

The thing about Pendragon is that you are playing a knight in an epic campaign. You will NOT live through it. It spans decades and Father Time will eventually catch up with you. There are no epic rules here. No level 20 super-immortal bonuses. So your job is to gain personal glory AND start a noble house so that your progeny can pick up the banner for you. A lot of guys aren't into that. Then there's the whole low-magic thing where you have very little access to magical healing. Lose half your hit points? Better be prepared to rest a LONG time.

What turned off my friends to it was the fact that you have to be a knight. Sure there's rules for magic characters but if you look at them you'll see you can really only cast one spell a game. That's not much. You want to be a thief? Tough luck.

Presonally, I love the game. I love rolling against personality attriubutes. I love the combat. I love the expectations the game has of my character. Did I mention I love the personality traits?

How many time has this happened?

GM: There is a dark corridor ahead. You hear trolls in the distance.
PLAYER: Um. I wait for the other guys to get here before I go down it.
GM: I thought you said your character was reckless and heroic?
PLAYER: Um. Yeah. He is. But not this time.

That can't happen in Pendragon. If your character has a high VALORUS rating ... he darn well goes down that tunnel!

Finally, Blood & Lust contains the only module that focuses around romance that I have ever seen. The romance is not in the background or a sub-plot, it is the main plot. Very well written. Very good.

Semper Fi Teufelhund!

You're entirely correct, while Pendragon is all but perfect for capturing the flavor of the Arthurian romances, there's great potential there for the development of a truly superior high-fantasy RPG as well. Unfortunately, it looks as though it will have to be something that we cook up ourselves.

mmadsen--

In regards to the magic system (probably the most difficult to develop aspect of any fantasy game), I'd like something that captures a high fantasy feel--much as in D&D, or the aforementioned Ars Magica. The magic of Pendragon is too subtle for high fantasy, and the system from Chaosium's BRP is too low-powered and pedestrian.

Incidentally, if anyone is interested in seeing what Pendragon is all about, the Book of Knights that mmadsen mentioned is one of the better RPGing deals at only $7.95!

That's good, mmadsen, I look forward to more. However, do you realise that most of that stuff is at least five-ten years old? That's what I'm saying. They publish like one thing a year, or less even. You know?

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Sure, SHARK, it's old, but have you used it all up? They put out some dense stuff. There are more adventures in one of those adventure books than all the third-edition adventures put out by Wizards of the Coast so far. They should last you awhile.

If only more D&D fans would pick up Pendragon. Then we could expect more supplements.