Hârn is a fantasy world of breathtaking depth covered in a broad overview in this interview with Grant Dalgliesh. Hârn receives regular RPG support with over 4,500 pages and three million words in print. HârnWorld is being further explored via nine planned hardcover kingdom books, the sixth of which, HârnWorld: Republic of Tharda, is on Kickstarter until February 4, 2024. Grant Dalgliesh of Columbia Games was kind enough to talk to me again about Tharda and the nine hardcover kingdom book series Columbia Games is working on finishing.
Charles Dunwoody (CD): Thanks for talking with me again, Grant. HârnWorld: Republic of Tharda includes the cities of Coranan and Shiran. Which city is your favorite and what kind of adventures will PCs find there?
Grant Dalgliesh (GD): Shiran is known as the city of sins and there are lots of fun adventures to be experienced there. The church of the goddess Halea is strong in the area; she is known for worldly pleasures and other hedonistic action. There is also a robust market with varied forms of trade of everything from staples to luxuries or the very unusual trade in beasts (monsters) destined for the gladiatorial arenas, which invite players to get involved. The other city, Coranan, is Hârn’s largest and a very important center of trade and politics.
CD: What other products are available that are set in Tharda or would support a campaign set in that kingdom?
GD: There are dozens of other castles, keeps, forts located in/around Tharda. These are sold separately in print or PDF. Fort Taztos is my favorite, a key military establishment which invites players to experience legionary life.
CD: Tharda is bordered by both Rethem and Kanday, two of the eight other kingdoms being printed in hardcover. Two questions:
CD: How well do the various kingdom books, especially Republic of Tharda, reference interactions with the other kingdoms?
GD: The three nations have been at war several times in recent history and tensions run high. Both Kanday and Rethem have reasons for conflict with Tharda and each other. There are a half-dozen ideas in my head in just a few minutes of thought from re-reading the timeline. A key hallmark of Columbia Games Hârn books is that we have detailed Hârnic history but we never push the timeline forward. GMs and players tell the story (we never contradict) but I’ve heard of war breaking out in more than one campaign.
CD: What is your favorite source of conflict between these nine kingdoms and how would you turn that conflict into an adventure?
GD: Gosh there are lot. In the west, religious conflict between the adherents of Larani’s Order of the Checkered Shield and Agrik’s Order of the Copper Hook are among my favorite. In the east, the two massive kingdoms of Kaldor and Melderyn both claim the small realm Chybisa which is between them. Kaldor is also on the verge of a civil war which may break out when the king dies (without clear heirs). The north features a simmering rebellion where some 8,000 Viking Ivinians lord over 60,000 seething native Jarin (analogous to Irish or Welsh). The last rebellion was 20 years ago, brutally crushed, the next one is “tomorrow”. This is a small sampling of my favorites, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg.
CD: Columbia Games has an ambitious plan to print nine hardcover books covering the kingdoms of Hârn and is two-thirds along. What prompted the decision to print these kingdoms in hardcover and how did you determine the order to print the books?
GD: Popular demand was ultimately the driving factor. Collectors wrote to us, longing for shelf-worthy editions. It’s proven to be a winner. The order was fleshed out early by writers Brent Bailey and Kerry Mould. It was based mainly on the amount of work needed to update and colorize the artwork and expand the content.
CD: As the books go out of print are there plans for reprints or should those interested in a copy pick up the first print run?
GD: We have already reprinted Kaldor, Melderyn, and Rethem (the first three). I believe we will be able to keep them in print for the long term. That is my goal.
CD: Is the project on track and when do you plan the last three books to become available or be Kickstarted?
GD: The project is moving along well. 2024 should see Kanday and Chybisa without question. The final book, Evael, is a big project to update and expand the previous edition. It is underway, but it may creep into 2025.
CD: Anything else you’d like to share with the posters on EN World?
GD: Thanks for your support in helping Hârn thriving for 40 years now. Stay tuned for more hardcovers beyond the kingdom series. Some goals include hardcovers of HârnMaster fourth edition, Bestiary, HârnManor, and Ivinia.
Charles Dunwoody (CD): Thanks for talking with me again, Grant. HârnWorld: Republic of Tharda includes the cities of Coranan and Shiran. Which city is your favorite and what kind of adventures will PCs find there?
Grant Dalgliesh (GD): Shiran is known as the city of sins and there are lots of fun adventures to be experienced there. The church of the goddess Halea is strong in the area; she is known for worldly pleasures and other hedonistic action. There is also a robust market with varied forms of trade of everything from staples to luxuries or the very unusual trade in beasts (monsters) destined for the gladiatorial arenas, which invite players to get involved. The other city, Coranan, is Hârn’s largest and a very important center of trade and politics.
CD: What other products are available that are set in Tharda or would support a campaign set in that kingdom?
GD: There are dozens of other castles, keeps, forts located in/around Tharda. These are sold separately in print or PDF. Fort Taztos is my favorite, a key military establishment which invites players to experience legionary life.
CD: Tharda is bordered by both Rethem and Kanday, two of the eight other kingdoms being printed in hardcover. Two questions:
CD: How well do the various kingdom books, especially Republic of Tharda, reference interactions with the other kingdoms?
GD: The three nations have been at war several times in recent history and tensions run high. Both Kanday and Rethem have reasons for conflict with Tharda and each other. There are a half-dozen ideas in my head in just a few minutes of thought from re-reading the timeline. A key hallmark of Columbia Games Hârn books is that we have detailed Hârnic history but we never push the timeline forward. GMs and players tell the story (we never contradict) but I’ve heard of war breaking out in more than one campaign.
CD: What is your favorite source of conflict between these nine kingdoms and how would you turn that conflict into an adventure?
GD: Gosh there are lot. In the west, religious conflict between the adherents of Larani’s Order of the Checkered Shield and Agrik’s Order of the Copper Hook are among my favorite. In the east, the two massive kingdoms of Kaldor and Melderyn both claim the small realm Chybisa which is between them. Kaldor is also on the verge of a civil war which may break out when the king dies (without clear heirs). The north features a simmering rebellion where some 8,000 Viking Ivinians lord over 60,000 seething native Jarin (analogous to Irish or Welsh). The last rebellion was 20 years ago, brutally crushed, the next one is “tomorrow”. This is a small sampling of my favorites, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg.
CD: Columbia Games has an ambitious plan to print nine hardcover books covering the kingdoms of Hârn and is two-thirds along. What prompted the decision to print these kingdoms in hardcover and how did you determine the order to print the books?
GD: Popular demand was ultimately the driving factor. Collectors wrote to us, longing for shelf-worthy editions. It’s proven to be a winner. The order was fleshed out early by writers Brent Bailey and Kerry Mould. It was based mainly on the amount of work needed to update and colorize the artwork and expand the content.
CD: As the books go out of print are there plans for reprints or should those interested in a copy pick up the first print run?
GD: We have already reprinted Kaldor, Melderyn, and Rethem (the first three). I believe we will be able to keep them in print for the long term. That is my goal.
CD: Is the project on track and when do you plan the last three books to become available or be Kickstarted?
GD: The project is moving along well. 2024 should see Kanday and Chybisa without question. The final book, Evael, is a big project to update and expand the previous edition. It is underway, but it may creep into 2025.
CD: Anything else you’d like to share with the posters on EN World?
GD: Thanks for your support in helping Hârn thriving for 40 years now. Stay tuned for more hardcovers beyond the kingdom series. Some goals include hardcovers of HârnMaster fourth edition, Bestiary, HârnManor, and Ivinia.
