By Crom! Modiphius is Making a New CONAN RPG

Modiphius Entertainment will be producing the newest Conan roleplaying game. Titled Robert E. Howard’s CONAN Adventures In An Age Undreamed Of, the game is planned for an August 2015 launch, and will focus on Howard's original stories using the 2d20 game system, the cinematic roleplaying rules devised by Jay Little (Star Wars: Edge of the Empire) for Mutant Chronicles. "Modiphius is already working on the roleplaying corebook for Robert E. Howard’s CONAN Adventures In An Age Undreamed Of to be released this Fall. A Kickstarter is planned for the summer to fund a larger range of roleplaying supplements, campaigns, and accessories to follow the core book."

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They've got quite a team assembled: Timothy Brown (designer of the Dark Sun setting), Robert E. Howard scholar and essayist Jeffrey Shanks, Jason Durall (Basic Roleplaying, Serenity, The Laundry), and Chris Lites (Paizo, Savage Worlds, Omni, Slate). Shanks, the HOward cholar, will approve all material and ensure it remains true to the spirit of the original texts. This is, of course, not Conan's first outing as an RPG. There were Conan D&D adventures in the 1980s (when the Schwarzenengger movies were very popular), and a Conan RPG by TSR in 1985; there's been a GURPS Conan, and Mongoose Publishing's successful Conan RPG line with numerous editions and supplements. Conan first appeared in the pulp fiction magazine Weird Tales in 1932.

More info here.

 

[mrm1138]

If anyone wants to check out the 2d20 rules in more detail, the Mutant Chronicles 3e beta rules are available for free on DriveThruRPG.com.

http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/126929/Mutant-Chronicles-3rd-Edition-FREE-Open-Beta

 

[Curmudjinn]

Modiphius is going to have some stiff competition with Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea, which just came out a two or three years ago and many people into Conan-eqsue weird fantasy settings are pretty happy with the game.

The Mutant Chronicles mechanics do sound interesting though.

 

[Gadget]

Quick question from the ill-informed: Does some estate hold the "rights" to publish Conan materials? Like the Tolkien Estate and Tolkien Enterprises. Or is it kind of Public Domain now?

 

[mrm1138]

Modiphius is going to have some stiff competition with Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea, which just came out a two or three years ago and many people into Conan-eqsue weird fantasy settings are pretty happy with the game.

I'd also be interested to see how Modiphius' Conan game compares to Primeval Thule. I know that the latter is a campaign setting as opposed to a separate game in and of itself, but from the sounds of it, the world it presents is pretty amazingly well-realized. I just wish Sasquatch Games would release an updated version for D&D 5e.

 

[mrm1138]

Quick question from the ill-informed: Does some estate hold the "rights" to publish Conan materials? Like the Tolkien Estate and Tolkien Enterprises. Or is it kind of Public Domain now?

According to the Modiphius press release, the name of the company is Conan Properties.

http://www.modiphius.com/conan.html

 

[Queer Venger]

Is 2d20 the new D&D 5e system??

 

[mrm1138]

Is 2d20 the new D&D 5e system??

No, it's very much its own thing and was created by Modiphius.

 

[BrockBallingdark]

Finally, I have the RPG I'm excited about for 2015. I'm not familiar with the 2d20 system at all but I like that it's different and created by Modiphius. I was on their Achtung Cthulhu KS and they created beautiful books. I'm all in on this KS in August!

 

[trancejeremy]

Quick question from the ill-informed: Does some estate hold the "rights" to publish Conan materials? Like the Tolkien Estate and Tolkien Enterprises. Or is it kind of Public Domain now?

It's completely ridiculous. Howard died childless in 1937 in Texas, yet somehow a Swedish Company (Paradox, they make PC games) owns the rights to his work.

A handful of his stories are in public domain in the US, most notably Red Nails, but presumably trying to use those as a basis for anything would get you sued.

http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/36031

 

[Stacie GmrGrl]

Another game by Modiphius that I want.. the first two being Mutant Chronicles 3e and Infinity. This company is going to have a lot of success in the rpg market from this point forward.