Legends of the Dark Ages is a pdf product from RPGObjects. Written by Charles Rice, this pdf details the world of the Dark Ages after the fall of the Roman Empire and provides all the rules required for adventuring in such a time and setting, including background details, new classes, magic systems, and equipment. The pdf has 78 pages. This pdf normally retails for $10.95.
Note: This is an older review reposted since the server crash.
Initial Impressions:
The Legends series of products from RPGObjects provides DMs and players with everything they need to adventure in an alternate legendary world, be it the lands of medieval Japan, lands of King Arthur, or, as is the case in this instalment, adventures in the middle ages following the fall of the Roman Empire. The pdf is well-presented with some good artwork by Jeremy Simmons and Joseph Wicfield, while Dominique Crouzet provides some excellent period maps of the time, one indicating the lay of the land at the fall of the Roman empire, and the other the state of Europe during Charlemagne. I was pleased with the presentation in general, although it was annoying to find that there were neither bookmarks nor a table of contents in the pdf. This is not the first pdf by RPGObjects in the Legends line to suffer from this problem, and I sincerely hope that they attempt to correct this in the future. Trying to find something by sifting through all 78 pages is not what anybody should be expected to have to do to navigate a pdf.
The Details:
Legends of the Dark Ages is all about roleplaying in the dark ages, a period roughly defined as starting after the fall of the western Roman empire and the death of Charlemagne in 814 AD. The pdf is divided into four chapters, dealing with history, character classes, equipment and magic respectively.
Chapter 1 - History of the Dark Ages: This chapter provides plenty of valuable information on the history of the dark ages. Campaigns in eras such as these often make it difficult for DMs and players due to unfamiliarity with the setting and background of the period, but thankfully this pdf provides a decent and enjoyable history that focuses on major events and leaves the little details out. Within the timeframe of roughly 300-814 AD several historical events of importance, such as the rise of the arab world, or the fall of the Roman empire, can provide for interesting and stimulating roleplaying opportunities. DMs interested in this period of history can expand as much as they desire on the background details, while those not interested should have enough information given to them to create a solid campaign set in the dark ages. I have to admit that I was left wanting more information at the end of this, not because it was lacking in any sense, but merely because the brief history cannot possibly do justice to the events of the past. Nevertheless, I though this was a solid and enjoyable introduction to the legendary time of the dark ages.
Chapter 2 - Characters: As can be expected from such a series as the Legends series, each pdf requires a number of new classes to represent the characters of the time. The second chapter, the meatiest in the pdf, focuses on these, after providing details on a number of character related issues, such as bloodlines, nobility, reputation, and allegiances. I though these sections capture the feel of the setting well, and provided good game mechanics to create strong characters with.
There are a total of 12 new classes for the dark ages setting: charlatan, hermit, marauder, mercenary, monk, noble, nomad, priest, seer, skald, soldier and thief. The soldier class is further divided into a number of specialities, such as archer, cavalry or scout. Each class is presented with decent background material that gives players information on the nature of the class, its religious tendencies, bloodline information and nobility information. Overall I thought the classes were strong and solid, providing something that felt like it belonged in the dark ages, although naturally the spellcasting classes add a more fantastical feel to the setting than any traditional dark ages world. The chapter concludes by providing a few comments on various skills and provides a few more feats that can be used.
Chapter 3 - Dark Age Gear: This chapter provides details on armor, weapons and gear that can be found in the setting, and provides several new weapons and armors that are more appropriate to the time period. Weapon like the feared Hun Bow are includes or the dreaded Norse axe, and armor's akin to those worn by Romans at the time are also presented. A solid chapter that provides a brief overview of some new gear and material for the setting.
Chapter 4 - Magic and Religion: The last chapter of the pdf deals with issues of magic and faith. The magic system is spell point based, and spellcasting classes such as priests and seers, among others, gain spell points that can be used to cast spells, sometimes even spells more powerful than they would normally be able to cast. The use of metamagic feats is elegantly incorporated into this system, and overall if you can live with magic in your dark ages world, then this provides a nice flexible system to use. Most spells from other sources are allowed, and the chapter provides full spell lists for each spellcasting class. More than a handful of new spells are provided that have a more setting-orientated feel. The chapter also provides ample details on existing religions of the time, predominantly Christian, although with the rise of Islam things changed very quickly.
Conclusions:
Legends of the Dark Ages is a setting-supplement from RPGObjects for roleplaying in the time period from 300-814 AD. It provides a mechanically solid background based upon several new core classes and bloodlines, and includes all the details required to run games within this timeframe. Generally I was pleased with the pdf, from the background information provided, to the mechanical write-ups to the presentation and layout. I think in the old end I was left wanting a little more, but perhaps that was the intent - to get prospective DMs and players exited enough to develop further material based on the solid framework provided. It would've also been good to perhaps see some advice on running these kinds of games without the use of magic, to create a more 'realistic' feel to the campaign world rather than the one provided. Overall though, based on quality of material and presentation, this is a good pdf and I'd grade it with four stars.
Note: This is an older review reposted since the server crash.
Initial Impressions:
The Legends series of products from RPGObjects provides DMs and players with everything they need to adventure in an alternate legendary world, be it the lands of medieval Japan, lands of King Arthur, or, as is the case in this instalment, adventures in the middle ages following the fall of the Roman Empire. The pdf is well-presented with some good artwork by Jeremy Simmons and Joseph Wicfield, while Dominique Crouzet provides some excellent period maps of the time, one indicating the lay of the land at the fall of the Roman empire, and the other the state of Europe during Charlemagne. I was pleased with the presentation in general, although it was annoying to find that there were neither bookmarks nor a table of contents in the pdf. This is not the first pdf by RPGObjects in the Legends line to suffer from this problem, and I sincerely hope that they attempt to correct this in the future. Trying to find something by sifting through all 78 pages is not what anybody should be expected to have to do to navigate a pdf.
The Details:
Legends of the Dark Ages is all about roleplaying in the dark ages, a period roughly defined as starting after the fall of the western Roman empire and the death of Charlemagne in 814 AD. The pdf is divided into four chapters, dealing with history, character classes, equipment and magic respectively.
Chapter 1 - History of the Dark Ages: This chapter provides plenty of valuable information on the history of the dark ages. Campaigns in eras such as these often make it difficult for DMs and players due to unfamiliarity with the setting and background of the period, but thankfully this pdf provides a decent and enjoyable history that focuses on major events and leaves the little details out. Within the timeframe of roughly 300-814 AD several historical events of importance, such as the rise of the arab world, or the fall of the Roman empire, can provide for interesting and stimulating roleplaying opportunities. DMs interested in this period of history can expand as much as they desire on the background details, while those not interested should have enough information given to them to create a solid campaign set in the dark ages. I have to admit that I was left wanting more information at the end of this, not because it was lacking in any sense, but merely because the brief history cannot possibly do justice to the events of the past. Nevertheless, I though this was a solid and enjoyable introduction to the legendary time of the dark ages.
Chapter 2 - Characters: As can be expected from such a series as the Legends series, each pdf requires a number of new classes to represent the characters of the time. The second chapter, the meatiest in the pdf, focuses on these, after providing details on a number of character related issues, such as bloodlines, nobility, reputation, and allegiances. I though these sections capture the feel of the setting well, and provided good game mechanics to create strong characters with.
There are a total of 12 new classes for the dark ages setting: charlatan, hermit, marauder, mercenary, monk, noble, nomad, priest, seer, skald, soldier and thief. The soldier class is further divided into a number of specialities, such as archer, cavalry or scout. Each class is presented with decent background material that gives players information on the nature of the class, its religious tendencies, bloodline information and nobility information. Overall I thought the classes were strong and solid, providing something that felt like it belonged in the dark ages, although naturally the spellcasting classes add a more fantastical feel to the setting than any traditional dark ages world. The chapter concludes by providing a few comments on various skills and provides a few more feats that can be used.
Chapter 3 - Dark Age Gear: This chapter provides details on armor, weapons and gear that can be found in the setting, and provides several new weapons and armors that are more appropriate to the time period. Weapon like the feared Hun Bow are includes or the dreaded Norse axe, and armor's akin to those worn by Romans at the time are also presented. A solid chapter that provides a brief overview of some new gear and material for the setting.
Chapter 4 - Magic and Religion: The last chapter of the pdf deals with issues of magic and faith. The magic system is spell point based, and spellcasting classes such as priests and seers, among others, gain spell points that can be used to cast spells, sometimes even spells more powerful than they would normally be able to cast. The use of metamagic feats is elegantly incorporated into this system, and overall if you can live with magic in your dark ages world, then this provides a nice flexible system to use. Most spells from other sources are allowed, and the chapter provides full spell lists for each spellcasting class. More than a handful of new spells are provided that have a more setting-orientated feel. The chapter also provides ample details on existing religions of the time, predominantly Christian, although with the rise of Islam things changed very quickly.
Conclusions:
Legends of the Dark Ages is a setting-supplement from RPGObjects for roleplaying in the time period from 300-814 AD. It provides a mechanically solid background based upon several new core classes and bloodlines, and includes all the details required to run games within this timeframe. Generally I was pleased with the pdf, from the background information provided, to the mechanical write-ups to the presentation and layout. I think in the old end I was left wanting a little more, but perhaps that was the intent - to get prospective DMs and players exited enough to develop further material based on the solid framework provided. It would've also been good to perhaps see some advice on running these kinds of games without the use of magic, to create a more 'realistic' feel to the campaign world rather than the one provided. Overall though, based on quality of material and presentation, this is a good pdf and I'd grade it with four stars.
