Fantasy Wargaming (Bruce Galloway) – Anybody remember this "classic"?

[niklinna]

For several years in small town Louisiana in 82 through about 84ishs this was the only non-D&D book in the Role Playing Game section. I can only imagine the reaction to THAT cover as the Satanic Panic kicked into high gear. It was very readable, but I don't know if there was an actually playable game there, it seemed to be something you could add to another RPG or set of wargaming rules (much like white box D&D really didn't have a game engine) to get their flavor of Fantasy Wargaming. I pulled bits of it for years for use in my D&D games that I DMed. I look forward to checking the blog entry.

That cover was pretty boss, even though it totally mischaracterized Eliphas Lévi's version of Baphomet (an anachronism to begin with—he lived in the 19th century (Eliphas Lévi, not Baphomet (of course))). Even in the medieval period, Baphomet was supposed to be worshipped by the Knights Templar, not solitary wizards, and the book was trying to make a point of being historically accurate, in reflecting the fantastic beliefs of medieval people. Still, quite the image! I sure wouldn't want some angry goat demon's crotch vipers lunging at my neck.

 

[TerraDave]

Its a strange book that was very well timed and hence got a strangely wide distribution on both sides of the Atlantic.

I have it and yes, I always keep it handy.

 

[Blue Orange]

It was in the back of a used bookstore, under something else. Was reading it at a rather tough time in my life. So I have fond memories of the thing.

It does have a full game, more or less, but the rules are so scattered throughout I'm not sure if anyone's ever played it. There are, in fact, stats for God (though apart from being level 24 and having a 40 intelligence and rank in host 9 with resistance to appeal 7 we have no stats on Him--though we're told his areas of interest and patronage are creation and dominance, disfavor is rebellion, and "Three persons, Can operate independently"), the Virgin Mary, various angels and saints, and the devil ('Lucifer') and a bunch of demons. There's a whole system of correspondences with each one corresponding to one of the twelve zodiac signs (both God and the Devil), which also affect statistics and spells, and a few varieties of magic-users in a rough sort of status hierarchy from Cabalists through Wizards and Witches down to cunning men/wise women. Fighters seem to be chosen from a list of historical soldiers--it's not clear. It has the Norse deities too. There are miniatures rules for combat as well as gaining levels in adventuring--it doesn't seem to know whether it wants to be a miniatures wargame or a tabletop RPG.

There are some fun monsters that didn't make it into the Monster Manual, like the Bonnacon (which has a huge explosive farts) and the Singing Bone (which is what it sounds like), and a bunch of others like dwarves and giants with a more mythologically Celtic or Anglo-Saxon feel than the D&D varieties.

I really enjoy it, honestly. It's loopy and hints at a more chaotic era of gaming, and there's certainly stuff you could mine for your own campaign.

There are a bunch for about $10-30 on Abebooks, and Amazon sells them used for about $30-50. I have no idea who holds the copyright at this point. Galloway's dead, sadly, so I wish someone would stick it in the public domain, but I guess it went to Stein and Day, but they're now bankrupt (their bankruptcy being the subject of the book A Feast For Lawyers), so....no clue? Any surviving relatives?

 

[niklinna]

There are a bunch for about $10-30 on Abebooks, and Amazon sells them used for about $30-50. I have no idea who holds the copyright at this point. Galloway's dead, sadly, so I wish someone would stick it in the public domain, but I guess it went to Stein and Day, but they're now bankrupt (their bankruptcy being the subject of the book A Feast For Lawyers), so....no clue? Any surviving relatives?

Yes, the blogger I linked in the OP talked with David Day Stein, son of the publishers, who edited the American-market editions and who was also a D&D player, for his book.

 

[Blue Orange]

Ah, thank you. So it's still under copyright?

 

[niklinna]

Ah, thank you. So it's still under copyright?

I have no idea. But you can find it on archive.org pretty easy.

 

[darjr]

A copy sat in the local used book store for years and years. I’d look at it every once in a while and I’d get the weird sense of bizarro world D&D from it. Only if D&D wasn’t already bizarro world for me. I did consider getting it only so I cold learn it’s secrets.

I never did though. Eventually it left the shelves, I know not how or why.

 

[Davies]

Ah, thank you. So it's still under copyright?

Copyright in the UK lasts 70 years from the author's death. As this book was authored by a group, and one of that group (Nick Lowe) is still alive at last report, yes, it's still under copyright.

 

[GreyLord]

I have at least one copy, maybe two (2nd would be in storage). Interesting book, could never make enough sense or muster the courage enough to try to get a group to actually play it as a game, but the content was an interesting read.

 

[aramis erak]

Fantasy Wargaming news…it’s kind of a big deal

It’s hard to believe that it was over a decade ago that I decided to revisit Fantasy Wargaming. It all began with a search of a bibliographic database (WorldCat) to see if the authors had wri…

mikemonaco.wordpress.com

I've owned two copies - one at A4, one at A5 sizes.
Lots of interesting details... in places I don't care for. I think I still own the A5 sized one.