Harn

[Sigurd]

Option 2

Wheres the 'I've heard of it but I've never played it' option?

I think its sort of encompassed in Option 2.

"I've seen some setting stuff for it?"

I think most of the people who have heard of it have run into the setting.

Fair comment though, might have been a good option.


Sigurd

 

[Angel Tarragon]

I think its sort of encompassed in Option 2.

"I've seen some setting stuff for it?"

I think most of the people who have heard of it have run into the setting.

Fair comment though, might have been a good option.

Thing is, I've never been aware of it until I hit the net. I've never seen any print products for it.

 

[jdrakeh]

I've never seen any print products for it.

They are somewhat obscure, yeah.

 

[Khairn]

Over the years I've run Harn campaigns on 5 different occasions

Twice using Rolemaster
Once using Harnmaster
Once using D20 / D&D
and once with Pendragon

On the good side of things ...
-It provides for me enough information that I am able to chose the level of canon & detail I want to play. If the players want all the background, I can provide it quickly. If they want to play with little canon, its a snap.
-By being system neutral its been easy to use whichever game best suits the type of play style I am looking for
-With the default setting being low / rare magic its been easy to add (or subtract) mystical elements without breaking setting flavor
-By not releasing any material past the "starting year" of 720, all new material can be easily slipped into my games and I haven't been forced to ignore a new book.
-An amazingly creative, dedicated and helpful fan base that produces free products to very high standards
-Amazing maps
-Wonderful history
-Products that are easily used as resources for other settings (Cities of Harn, Castles or Harn, Pilots Almanac
-Ivinia!
-Gods of Harn ... one of the very best deity supplements ever written

On the bad side ...
-Costly material. Its good material, but you really do pay for it.
-Very slow release schedule

... that's about all the negative I can think of.

Its clearly not for everyone, with its emphasis on realism & "logical" history. It's pretty much the antithesis to many of the anime themes you see in recent games.

But overall its been one of the best RPG investments I've ever made. A classic that has weathered many changes in the industry.

Damn ... I sound like a real fanboi don't I?

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

Chivalry & Sorcery is also a good match for Harn.

I have much material, played a couple one shots, but never ran a campaign.

IMO Pendragon is the most natural fit, although the magic system is so forgettable I cannot recall a single detail. (Does it even have magic at all?)

Ars Magica could work, going the other direction magicwise.

For those unfamiliar with the material: The setting is a England sized island that is mostly wilderness. There are around half a dozen little kingdoms rendered in great detail, with an eye towards realism (by some reasonable definition). One of the pleasures of the setting is each kingdom is of a size where you could imagine PCs getting to know every little nook and cranny. Magic is very rare, but powerful.

 

[GrumpyOldMan]

Chivalry & Sorcery is also a good match for Harn.

I have much material, played a couple one shots, but never ran a campaign.

IMO Pendragon is the most natural fit, although the magic system is so forgettable I cannot recall a single detail. (Does it even have magic at all?)

Which magic system is forgettable? Pendragon, or HârnMaster?

Pendragon does (or does not) have magi depending on the version you use. As the game was designed for chivalrous Arthurian knights it does not (IMO) need a magic system.

HârnMaster Magic is available in two versions ‘basic’ (from CGI and ‘bespoke’ (from Kelestia). They are compatable, with one (the CGI version) being a cut down and much simplified version of the other.

For those unfamiliar with the material: The setting is a England sized island that is mostly wilderness. There are around half a dozen little kingdoms rendered in great detail, with an eye towards realism (by some reasonable definition). One of the pleasures of the setting is each kingdom is of a size where you could imagine PCs getting to know every little nook and cranny. Magic is very rare, but powerful.

Some clarifications.
It’s actually about twice the size of the British Isles (which would make it more than 5 x the size of England).

There are five feudal Kingdoms one of which is tiny and which two neighbouring kingdoms have (valid?) claims to.
There is one ‘republic’.
There is one elf and one dwarf kingdom, both so carefully hidden away that they could be ignored if a human only campaign was required.
There is a northern ‘kingdom’ modelled loosely on the Danelaw, locals being repressed by an invading ‘viking’ culture who have replaced the old ruling class.

Yes, I know about Hârn. It’s the only place I run any campaigns these days.

 

[Jhaelen]

I never played it, but I gave it a read when a friend of mine bought it, looking for an intriguing new system to try.

I enjoyed it as a kind of academical execercise but have never been interested in actually playing it. Imho, where it clearly fails is at striking a good balance between realism and playability. In that regard it's similar to Rolemaster.

I much prefer Ars Magica when I want a playable system that's coupled with a realistic setting.

The friend I borrowed it from, btw., eventually went for Runequest, another favorite of mine, which I like to give as an example of an ideal balance between realism and playability. Even it's somewhat wacky (but fun!) Glorantha setting grew on me after playing the game for a while.

 

[GrumpyOldMan]

If anyone is interested, several years ago a guy called Bill Gant did a direct comparison between the HârnMaster Core rules (the second edition of the rules) with the d20 system. The article is available from his website www.warflail.com under HârnMaster Core House Rules.

 

[Ketherian]

I run a long-standing bi-weekly game in it using HarnMaster III, set in my own version of Tharda. The game has a small following that mostly post in the HarnForum.

More links to other fan sites on the topic can be found via the HarnLink site.

 

[evilbob]

- Causing the DM to throw away the notes

- "Welcome to 'Beef Country'!!": (The battle cry of Sir Loin of Beef when going for the groin shot.

- My character being hanged for treason after losing the duel.

This is one of the funniest things I've ever read. (Although I can only pray to have the tact and grace your GM showed while dealing with your PC revolt. )

ps. Seriously. It's like 3 hrs later and I am still laughing.