The Pendragon Starter Set is full of adventure and support for GMs looking to try out the system which is related to the Basic Roleplaying family of RPGs. There is also a Pendragon Quick-Start. Pendragon line editor David Larkins was kind enough to talk with me about the box set which releases on June 29.
Charles Dunwoody (Charlie): Thanks for talking with me about Pendragon. If you had one paragraph to describe your RPG for RPG gamers mostly unfamiliar with the game, how would you describe Pendragon?
David Larkins (David): This is a game built around the legends of the world of King Arthur, a world of adventure and danger filled with deadly peril and mystery and populated by larger-than-life characters—including your own! Everyone plays a knight, but every knight is different thanks to the game’s use of Traits and Passions to drive dramatic storytelling and truly unforgettable moments.
Charlie: What’s in the (Pendragon Starter Set) box?
David: You get three books: a tutorial adventure, the rulebook, and a short campaign of three linked scenarios. In addition, there are several “appendices” that teach specific rules or aspects of the setting as they come up in the scenarios, a set of perforated cards for use with the Battle system, a set of dice (1D20 and 6D6), and eight pre-generated characters on special gatefold character sheets.
Charlie: What types of characters can players look forward to playing in this Pendragon Starter Set?
David: We wanted to present a wide range of characters typical both of Arthurian tropes as well as demonstrate the diversity of options within the broad category of “knight.” We have a would-be chivalrous knight who takes his Honor very seriously (Sir Clarion), and a cynical jokester who finds it all quite silly (Sir Avalloc). We have a former maiden, Lynelle, who has taken up her father’s arms and armor in a quest to avenge him, and an ambitious squire, Cadwallon, descended from West Country peasants; both hope to earn their knighthoods. There are “foreign” knights from near (the Saxon knight Dame Cwenhild) and far (the Greek knight Sir Asterius, from Constantinople). Dame Tamura is descended from Sarmatian mercenaries who settled in Brittany, and is an expert archer and horsewoman, while Sir Evrain boasts a noble pedigree of his own but has earned his coin as a mercenary since the death of his lord, hoping to one day marry Lady Morcades of the White Tower.
Charlie: What advice and tools will GMs get to help in running an adventure in the world of Pendragon?
David: The Starter Set was designed to introduce newcomers and welcome veterans alike. Despite its straightforward conceit, the world of Pendragon can seem intimidating to folks unfamiliar with Arthurian lore and medieval history, so the first book in the set is a tutorial SoloQuest adventure that anyone can play through. It establishes the world of Arthurian Britain and guides the reader through the traditions of a medieval noble’s life, teaches the core mechanics and how combat works, and generally gives you an idea of what a typical Pendragon adventure might look like. As mentioned above, we keep the rules and setting information in the rulebook focused on the essentials, then introduce other elements through the scenarios and appendices. The scenarios assume you are playing young knights or squires (the pre-generated characters), thrust into dramatic events with the drawing of a certain sword from a stone…By the time you’ve completed The Sword Campaign, you’ll have experienced battles and raids, intrigue and diplomacy, and had encounters with wondrous magic, learning the game as you went along.
Charlie: What further adventures might follow from the one in the Starter Set?
David: We’re currently working on releasing a revised edition of the classic adventure, The Grey Knight (originally written by Masks of Nyarlathotep author Larry DiTillio), which will include two prequel scenarios that dovetail precisely with the events of The Sword Campaign. In the meantime, one of the great things about Pendragon is its deep archive of scenarios, including The Great Pendragon Campaign, all of which are compatible with the system presented in the Starter Set.
Charlie: What other support is there beyond the Starter Set, in print or upcoming?
David: Soon after the Starter Set launches, Chaosium will be debuting its community content program, The Companions of Arthur, with several products ready for your perusal and many more to come. In addition to The Grey Knight, our next release is The Knight’s Handbook, the “core rules” of the game, as it were (and which will be followed by The Gamemaster’s Handbook and The Noble’s Handbook, which cover the world of Pendragon in even greater detail). And beyond that, frankly, we have several years’ worth of releases lined up—this new edition has been in development for over a decade, and we’re ready to show the world all the exciting stuff we’ve been working on.
Charlie: Many readers of EN World are D&D and Pathfinder players. What would you say if they asked why they might want to try Pendragon?
David: Well, first of all, it uses a D20 for resolving everything except damage, so you can use your lucky twenty-sider! But seriously, I’d say that folks looking for a fantasy game that offers greater immersion, both in terms of characters and setting, or who like their fantasy to have a more legendary, folkloric feel, or folks like me who love medieval history and culture, should give Pendragon a look.
Charlie: Any final comments you’d like to share with the readers of EN World?
David: Only that I’m a little envious of the people who will be discovering Pendragon with this release. This is the first time Chaosium has launched a new edition of a game line with a Starter Set, and I feel like it really is the perfect time to get into what I hope will become a lot of folks’ favorite “new” game.
Charles Dunwoody (Charlie): Thanks for talking with me about Pendragon. If you had one paragraph to describe your RPG for RPG gamers mostly unfamiliar with the game, how would you describe Pendragon?
David Larkins (David): This is a game built around the legends of the world of King Arthur, a world of adventure and danger filled with deadly peril and mystery and populated by larger-than-life characters—including your own! Everyone plays a knight, but every knight is different thanks to the game’s use of Traits and Passions to drive dramatic storytelling and truly unforgettable moments.
Charlie: What’s in the (Pendragon Starter Set) box?
David: You get three books: a tutorial adventure, the rulebook, and a short campaign of three linked scenarios. In addition, there are several “appendices” that teach specific rules or aspects of the setting as they come up in the scenarios, a set of perforated cards for use with the Battle system, a set of dice (1D20 and 6D6), and eight pre-generated characters on special gatefold character sheets.
Charlie: What types of characters can players look forward to playing in this Pendragon Starter Set?
David: We wanted to present a wide range of characters typical both of Arthurian tropes as well as demonstrate the diversity of options within the broad category of “knight.” We have a would-be chivalrous knight who takes his Honor very seriously (Sir Clarion), and a cynical jokester who finds it all quite silly (Sir Avalloc). We have a former maiden, Lynelle, who has taken up her father’s arms and armor in a quest to avenge him, and an ambitious squire, Cadwallon, descended from West Country peasants; both hope to earn their knighthoods. There are “foreign” knights from near (the Saxon knight Dame Cwenhild) and far (the Greek knight Sir Asterius, from Constantinople). Dame Tamura is descended from Sarmatian mercenaries who settled in Brittany, and is an expert archer and horsewoman, while Sir Evrain boasts a noble pedigree of his own but has earned his coin as a mercenary since the death of his lord, hoping to one day marry Lady Morcades of the White Tower.
Charlie: What advice and tools will GMs get to help in running an adventure in the world of Pendragon?
David: The Starter Set was designed to introduce newcomers and welcome veterans alike. Despite its straightforward conceit, the world of Pendragon can seem intimidating to folks unfamiliar with Arthurian lore and medieval history, so the first book in the set is a tutorial SoloQuest adventure that anyone can play through. It establishes the world of Arthurian Britain and guides the reader through the traditions of a medieval noble’s life, teaches the core mechanics and how combat works, and generally gives you an idea of what a typical Pendragon adventure might look like. As mentioned above, we keep the rules and setting information in the rulebook focused on the essentials, then introduce other elements through the scenarios and appendices. The scenarios assume you are playing young knights or squires (the pre-generated characters), thrust into dramatic events with the drawing of a certain sword from a stone…By the time you’ve completed The Sword Campaign, you’ll have experienced battles and raids, intrigue and diplomacy, and had encounters with wondrous magic, learning the game as you went along.
Charlie: What further adventures might follow from the one in the Starter Set?
David: We’re currently working on releasing a revised edition of the classic adventure, The Grey Knight (originally written by Masks of Nyarlathotep author Larry DiTillio), which will include two prequel scenarios that dovetail precisely with the events of The Sword Campaign. In the meantime, one of the great things about Pendragon is its deep archive of scenarios, including The Great Pendragon Campaign, all of which are compatible with the system presented in the Starter Set.
Charlie: What other support is there beyond the Starter Set, in print or upcoming?
David: Soon after the Starter Set launches, Chaosium will be debuting its community content program, The Companions of Arthur, with several products ready for your perusal and many more to come. In addition to The Grey Knight, our next release is The Knight’s Handbook, the “core rules” of the game, as it were (and which will be followed by The Gamemaster’s Handbook and The Noble’s Handbook, which cover the world of Pendragon in even greater detail). And beyond that, frankly, we have several years’ worth of releases lined up—this new edition has been in development for over a decade, and we’re ready to show the world all the exciting stuff we’ve been working on.
Charlie: Many readers of EN World are D&D and Pathfinder players. What would you say if they asked why they might want to try Pendragon?
David: Well, first of all, it uses a D20 for resolving everything except damage, so you can use your lucky twenty-sider! But seriously, I’d say that folks looking for a fantasy game that offers greater immersion, both in terms of characters and setting, or who like their fantasy to have a more legendary, folkloric feel, or folks like me who love medieval history and culture, should give Pendragon a look.
Charlie: Any final comments you’d like to share with the readers of EN World?
David: Only that I’m a little envious of the people who will be discovering Pendragon with this release. This is the first time Chaosium has launched a new edition of a game line with a Starter Set, and I feel like it really is the perfect time to get into what I hope will become a lot of folks’ favorite “new” game.
