Hi guys,
The long-awaited Conan RPG is shipping and will be available in your local stores and all good book shops throughout next week! Weighing in at 352 pages, Conan is the biggest, fattest and best looking book Mongoose have done to date and is the key to adventuring in the Hyborian Age. Nearly half the print run has already been sold and have left our warehouse, and we printed far more copies than we did Babylon 5 - I have a feeling this game is going to be popular! So, once you get this weighty tome home, what will you find inside?
The rulebook kicks off with an introduction and overview to the entire game, putting you straight into the mood to start swinging your sword across Hyborea. This includes a basic premise of the rules themselves, detailing ability scores, movement and all the other bits and pieces you need when roleplaying. Then you are into the Character chapter.
The Conan RPG has only human characters available to players but, in the Hyborian Kingdoms, this gives a huge variety of choice. Among the major races, players can choose the Cimmerian, Himelian Tribesman, Hyborian, Hyrkanian, Turanian, Khitan, Ku
e, Northern Black Kingdom Tribesman, Nordheimer, Pict, Shemite, Southern Islander, Southern Black Kingdom Tribesman, Stygian, Vendhyan, Zamorian, and Zingaran. However, some of these have associated variant races, allowing players to place their characters more specifically in this world - Wazuli, Argossean, Barachan, Bossonian, Gunderman, Hyperborean, Tauran, Chaga, Ghanata, Aphaki, Pelishtim, Meadow Shemite, Darfari, and Tlazitlan. The Khauran are also present, but only as an NPC race. Each of these races gives slightly different benefits and atmospheres and has a great impact on the character class to be chosen. For example, Cimmerians are strong but poorly educated but gain a bonus to Will saves and a spread of skill bonuses and penalties (good at Climbing, bad at Diplomacy!). Their favoured class is, predictably, Barbarian but they are prohibited from Noble, Nomad, Pirate and Scholar at 1st level.
This done, you will need a character class, and here a few changes to the core SRD's system are evident - characters now have Base Dodge, Parry and Magic Attack Bonuses, alongside the usual Base Attack Bonus. The choices you have are Barbarian (far different to his D&D cousin), Borderer (rock hard ranger would be the nearest equivalent), Noble, Nomad, Pirate, Scholar (these will be the ones getting into trouble when trying to use magic), Soldier, and Thief. To round out your character, you will start with three Fate Points - these can be used to alter the game itself by performing mighty blows against long term enemies, being left for dead instead of actually dying, leaving behind a villainous life or to follow your destiny. No alignment rules are present in the Conan RPG - instead, you get to choose a Code of Honour in order to limit your actions. This is by no means necessary (there are plenty of characters in Hyborea with no honour!) but there are some nice bonuses if you choose to include this in your roleplaying. Characters also get to pledge allegiances, avoid corruption (more on this later) and build up a great Reputation (Conan's biggest asset, one might say!). Reputation can follow a character around the Hyborian Kingdoms, or characters may try to adopt alias in order to lose it.
The Skills and Feats chapters contain everything your characters will need to specialise and enhance their abilities. There are some old favourites here but plenty of new ones too - Crushing Grip can make good grapplers lethal, Gunderland Pike and Shield Fighting makes for a lethal combination in battle while the Web of Death will be familiar to all those who enjoy the Arnie films!
Equipment, Loot, Coin and the Spoils of War shows how characters can arm themselves up for battle and other adventurous tasks, but it also illustrates the difference between Conan and other fantasy RPGs. In this game, your characters will spend at least half of their current wealth on high living, gambling, fine wines and good company. This is Hyborea, your characters are adventurers. This is what they do! It also makes a fine motivation for celebrating after a great victory but needing to go back to the adventuring lifestyle soon afterwards. . .
There are some new weapons and armour from Hyborea presented in this chapter but also a lot of familiar ones - however, they are very different to those you are used to and usually far more deadly. A Greatsword in the Conan RPG, for example, is an exotic weapon dealing 2d10 damage and capable of smashing through very thick armour. Even a light mace is capable of 1d8 damage and bows and crossbows are downright lethal, though all are present with a Strength rating that precludes their use to some. In Conan the weapons 'feel' right. They are also superbly illustrated in full colour, most of them with a few remains of their last victim decorating their heads and edges. There are plenty of other bits and pieces of equipment, from the every handy loincloth to a King's Castle.
I am just going to skim through the Combat chapter, to give you a taste and flavour of what it is like - others have done detailed combat examples elsewhere (you lucky people with early preview copies!) and in a week's time, you will be able to see for yourself how things work!
During combat, characters have a choice to parry or dodge, which gives appropriate bonuses to their defence value - this choice will largely be determined by your character class and base ability scores, so some thought needs to go into character creation if you want to build the ultimate combat machine. As has been previewed elsewhere, armour reduces damage in the Conan RPG but can be bypassed by particularly sharp or heavy weapons. However, armour can also be damaged by massive hits and characters may soon find they adopt armour as and when they can find or buy it, rather than having a prized possession as fantasy characters do in other settings. There are also provisions made to use finesse weapons, such as stilettos that, with a well-aimed thrust, can avoid armour altogether.
I'll quickly run through a few of the remaining rules in this chapter, to give you an idea of the 'feel' - recovering from 0 hit points with a flagon of wine, being Left For Dead, feints, and Combat Manoeuvres (including the Bull's Charge, Cat's Parry and Decapitating Slash, moves guaranteed to spice up your combats).
The Sorcery chapter quickly outlines the purpose of magic - knowledge and power. There are no other reasons to study it in Hyborea. Anyone familiar with the Slaine RPG will have a sense of the Power Point magic system behind Conan, though there are some subtle twists in how magic works and what can actually be achieved by it. There are certain consequences to magic in Conan - mighty spells and runaway magic can really ruin your day, whereas corruption and insanity wait to prey on any unsuspecting mind. The spells themselves are not your typical fantasy fireball/lightning bolt incantation but they are no less powerful for all that. They are divided into Counterspells (Warding, Incantation of Amalric's Witchman), Curses (Awful Rite of the Were-Beast, Curse of Yizil), Divination (Astrological Prediction, Visions of Torment and Enlightenment), Hypnotism (Entrance, Dance of the Cobras), Nature Magic (Summon Beast, Children of the Night), Necromancy (Agonising Doom, Black Plague), Oriental Magic (Calm of the Adept, Warrior Trance), Prestidigitation (Conjuring, Telekinesis), and Summoning (Master-Words and Signs, Demonic Pact). Related sorcerous paraphernalia includes magical items, though they are very different from their D&D equivalents and not quite so prevalent. Drugs and poisons are more common and the Lotus Plants make a healthy (?) appearance.
The Hyborian Age is a chapter written by the great man himself, Robert E. Howard, explaining just how the different lands and peoples of the Kingdoms came together. This essay will be familiar to veteran Conan fans but it will put you in just the right mood for the next chapter - Gazetteer, A Guide to Conan's World.
Using the world map on the inside covers of this hardback, the gazetteer takes a thorough look of the Hyborian Kingdoms that will only be surpassed by the forthcoming Road of Kings supplement (being written by Vincent Darlarge). Maps, pictures, capitals, military forces, customs and societies of the Hyborian Kingdoms are all examined, along with plenty of excerpts and scenario hooks that will place you firmly in these nations as you read. This is supported by the Religion chapter, which examines the pantheons and gods of these kingdoms, as well as the requirements of worship for each. Everyone from Ajuju to Ath is here (yes, including Crom!).
Getting near the end of the book now, the Bestiary chapter contains all manner of Hyborian enemies and foils to lock the horns of the players. Most enemies faced will be human, of course, and the Bestiary dwells on this, as well as providing the Khauran race and Commoner NPC class. There are also some example human foes such as Belit's Black Corsairs, Picts and Turanian Light Cavalry. For those looking to fight something a little more exotic (not to mention dangerous!), there is the Son of Set, War Dogs, Black Fiends, Ghouls, Risen Dead, Spawn of Dagoth Hill, Were-Beasts and many others.
The last chapter, Campaigns, demonstrates just how to games master in the Hyborian Age and how the game should emphasise slightly different twists and values than other fantasy RPGs. A short essay on making combat seem truly exciting is provided as well as how to tackle canon issues of Robert E. Howard's immense and richly detailed setting.
The Conan RPG winds up with a 2 page character sheet (available for download on our web site) and a complete index.
The Conan RPG is priced at $49.95 and will be available from all good hobby stores and book shops next week.
Keep an eye out on our web site over the next week - we will have some goodies for you, all ready to download throughout the coming week, including some rules additions that did not make the final cut to the rulebook!
The long-awaited Conan RPG is shipping and will be available in your local stores and all good book shops throughout next week! Weighing in at 352 pages, Conan is the biggest, fattest and best looking book Mongoose have done to date and is the key to adventuring in the Hyborian Age. Nearly half the print run has already been sold and have left our warehouse, and we printed far more copies than we did Babylon 5 - I have a feeling this game is going to be popular! So, once you get this weighty tome home, what will you find inside?
The rulebook kicks off with an introduction and overview to the entire game, putting you straight into the mood to start swinging your sword across Hyborea. This includes a basic premise of the rules themselves, detailing ability scores, movement and all the other bits and pieces you need when roleplaying. Then you are into the Character chapter.
The Conan RPG has only human characters available to players but, in the Hyborian Kingdoms, this gives a huge variety of choice. Among the major races, players can choose the Cimmerian, Himelian Tribesman, Hyborian, Hyrkanian, Turanian, Khitan, Ku
e, Northern Black Kingdom Tribesman, Nordheimer, Pict, Shemite, Southern Islander, Southern Black Kingdom Tribesman, Stygian, Vendhyan, Zamorian, and Zingaran. However, some of these have associated variant races, allowing players to place their characters more specifically in this world - Wazuli, Argossean, Barachan, Bossonian, Gunderman, Hyperborean, Tauran, Chaga, Ghanata, Aphaki, Pelishtim, Meadow Shemite, Darfari, and Tlazitlan. The Khauran are also present, but only as an NPC race. Each of these races gives slightly different benefits and atmospheres and has a great impact on the character class to be chosen. For example, Cimmerians are strong but poorly educated but gain a bonus to Will saves and a spread of skill bonuses and penalties (good at Climbing, bad at Diplomacy!). Their favoured class is, predictably, Barbarian but they are prohibited from Noble, Nomad, Pirate and Scholar at 1st level.This done, you will need a character class, and here a few changes to the core SRD's system are evident - characters now have Base Dodge, Parry and Magic Attack Bonuses, alongside the usual Base Attack Bonus. The choices you have are Barbarian (far different to his D&D cousin), Borderer (rock hard ranger would be the nearest equivalent), Noble, Nomad, Pirate, Scholar (these will be the ones getting into trouble when trying to use magic), Soldier, and Thief. To round out your character, you will start with three Fate Points - these can be used to alter the game itself by performing mighty blows against long term enemies, being left for dead instead of actually dying, leaving behind a villainous life or to follow your destiny. No alignment rules are present in the Conan RPG - instead, you get to choose a Code of Honour in order to limit your actions. This is by no means necessary (there are plenty of characters in Hyborea with no honour!) but there are some nice bonuses if you choose to include this in your roleplaying. Characters also get to pledge allegiances, avoid corruption (more on this later) and build up a great Reputation (Conan's biggest asset, one might say!). Reputation can follow a character around the Hyborian Kingdoms, or characters may try to adopt alias in order to lose it.
The Skills and Feats chapters contain everything your characters will need to specialise and enhance their abilities. There are some old favourites here but plenty of new ones too - Crushing Grip can make good grapplers lethal, Gunderland Pike and Shield Fighting makes for a lethal combination in battle while the Web of Death will be familiar to all those who enjoy the Arnie films!
Equipment, Loot, Coin and the Spoils of War shows how characters can arm themselves up for battle and other adventurous tasks, but it also illustrates the difference between Conan and other fantasy RPGs. In this game, your characters will spend at least half of their current wealth on high living, gambling, fine wines and good company. This is Hyborea, your characters are adventurers. This is what they do! It also makes a fine motivation for celebrating after a great victory but needing to go back to the adventuring lifestyle soon afterwards. . .
There are some new weapons and armour from Hyborea presented in this chapter but also a lot of familiar ones - however, they are very different to those you are used to and usually far more deadly. A Greatsword in the Conan RPG, for example, is an exotic weapon dealing 2d10 damage and capable of smashing through very thick armour. Even a light mace is capable of 1d8 damage and bows and crossbows are downright lethal, though all are present with a Strength rating that precludes their use to some. In Conan the weapons 'feel' right. They are also superbly illustrated in full colour, most of them with a few remains of their last victim decorating their heads and edges. There are plenty of other bits and pieces of equipment, from the every handy loincloth to a King's Castle.
I am just going to skim through the Combat chapter, to give you a taste and flavour of what it is like - others have done detailed combat examples elsewhere (you lucky people with early preview copies!) and in a week's time, you will be able to see for yourself how things work!
During combat, characters have a choice to parry or dodge, which gives appropriate bonuses to their defence value - this choice will largely be determined by your character class and base ability scores, so some thought needs to go into character creation if you want to build the ultimate combat machine. As has been previewed elsewhere, armour reduces damage in the Conan RPG but can be bypassed by particularly sharp or heavy weapons. However, armour can also be damaged by massive hits and characters may soon find they adopt armour as and when they can find or buy it, rather than having a prized possession as fantasy characters do in other settings. There are also provisions made to use finesse weapons, such as stilettos that, with a well-aimed thrust, can avoid armour altogether.
I'll quickly run through a few of the remaining rules in this chapter, to give you an idea of the 'feel' - recovering from 0 hit points with a flagon of wine, being Left For Dead, feints, and Combat Manoeuvres (including the Bull's Charge, Cat's Parry and Decapitating Slash, moves guaranteed to spice up your combats).
The Sorcery chapter quickly outlines the purpose of magic - knowledge and power. There are no other reasons to study it in Hyborea. Anyone familiar with the Slaine RPG will have a sense of the Power Point magic system behind Conan, though there are some subtle twists in how magic works and what can actually be achieved by it. There are certain consequences to magic in Conan - mighty spells and runaway magic can really ruin your day, whereas corruption and insanity wait to prey on any unsuspecting mind. The spells themselves are not your typical fantasy fireball/lightning bolt incantation but they are no less powerful for all that. They are divided into Counterspells (Warding, Incantation of Amalric's Witchman), Curses (Awful Rite of the Were-Beast, Curse of Yizil), Divination (Astrological Prediction, Visions of Torment and Enlightenment), Hypnotism (Entrance, Dance of the Cobras), Nature Magic (Summon Beast, Children of the Night), Necromancy (Agonising Doom, Black Plague), Oriental Magic (Calm of the Adept, Warrior Trance), Prestidigitation (Conjuring, Telekinesis), and Summoning (Master-Words and Signs, Demonic Pact). Related sorcerous paraphernalia includes magical items, though they are very different from their D&D equivalents and not quite so prevalent. Drugs and poisons are more common and the Lotus Plants make a healthy (?) appearance.
The Hyborian Age is a chapter written by the great man himself, Robert E. Howard, explaining just how the different lands and peoples of the Kingdoms came together. This essay will be familiar to veteran Conan fans but it will put you in just the right mood for the next chapter - Gazetteer, A Guide to Conan's World.
Using the world map on the inside covers of this hardback, the gazetteer takes a thorough look of the Hyborian Kingdoms that will only be surpassed by the forthcoming Road of Kings supplement (being written by Vincent Darlarge). Maps, pictures, capitals, military forces, customs and societies of the Hyborian Kingdoms are all examined, along with plenty of excerpts and scenario hooks that will place you firmly in these nations as you read. This is supported by the Religion chapter, which examines the pantheons and gods of these kingdoms, as well as the requirements of worship for each. Everyone from Ajuju to Ath is here (yes, including Crom!).
Getting near the end of the book now, the Bestiary chapter contains all manner of Hyborian enemies and foils to lock the horns of the players. Most enemies faced will be human, of course, and the Bestiary dwells on this, as well as providing the Khauran race and Commoner NPC class. There are also some example human foes such as Belit's Black Corsairs, Picts and Turanian Light Cavalry. For those looking to fight something a little more exotic (not to mention dangerous!), there is the Son of Set, War Dogs, Black Fiends, Ghouls, Risen Dead, Spawn of Dagoth Hill, Were-Beasts and many others.
The last chapter, Campaigns, demonstrates just how to games master in the Hyborian Age and how the game should emphasise slightly different twists and values than other fantasy RPGs. A short essay on making combat seem truly exciting is provided as well as how to tackle canon issues of Robert E. Howard's immense and richly detailed setting.
The Conan RPG winds up with a 2 page character sheet (available for download on our web site) and a complete index.
The Conan RPG is priced at $49.95 and will be available from all good hobby stores and book shops next week.
Keep an eye out on our web site over the next week - we will have some goodies for you, all ready to download throughout the coming week, including some rules additions that did not make the final cut to the rulebook!
