Fyrestryke
Explorer
Posted over at Mongoose.
The first box set for the Conan RPG, Shadizar - City of Wickedness, has arrived at our offices and is currently en route to the warehouse. It should be hitting stores somewhere around the middle of January! Anyway, we cannot keep all this Conan goodness to ourselves, so I wanted to give you all a little sneak peek of what you can expect to find. . .
I love box sets for RPGs. Kinda brings back the 'good old' days (whatever and whenever they were - but you know what I mean, right?). There is just something of an air of mystery as you rush home with that new box set that promises to change your entire campaign, and an excitement as you open the box for the first time. So, will Shadizar do this for you?
Well, you get a lot inside! As you open the box, you will see fold-out floorplans for just about every type of structure you could find in the city. Then there are the pop-out counters for use with the floor plans (over 70 of them, but never fear, we are working on getting miniatures for this game!), along with 'character cards' for the same, so you have all the stats you need for people such as Zamorian Thugs and Royal Guard in a very handy place. A huge (and I mean HUGE) poster map gives you a bird's eye view of the entire city of Shadizar, and is just crying to be laid out on the gaming table or pinned to the wall of the gaming room.
And those are just the accessories!
Book I is entitled the Games Master's Guide and is a full colour 96 page tome delving into the heart of this city. It kicks off with a look at Zamora in general, and Shadizar's place within the kingdom. You then plunge into the heart of the City of Wickedness - and it is not for the faint-hearted! All the important cultural aspects of Shadizar are detailed, including the force of bribery, the role of women in the society, and the importance of hedonism. You will find even buying basic goods is not always straight forward in this city. . .
There are overviews of the main districts, as well as the movers and shakers of each. Vincent Darlage has done a superb job throughout and each pages almost drips with adventure ideas to get your teeth into. The last chapters are aimed squarely at the Games Master and detail how the city and its inhabitants should be portrayed to the players, in a manner they will certainly never forget! There are also details on the gods of Shadizar and many new scenario ideas designed to get your players involved with the city as quickly as possible.
Book II is Secrets of the Streets and is designed to act as a handy reference for both players and Games Masters when in Shadizar. The first section is called Foes and Felons, and comprehensively details many sample characters such as Merchants, Gamblers and Tavern Employees - however, each has been detailed at multiple levels (typically 1st, 6th and 10th), allowing you to alter encounters as you see fit. A few new feats and uses of skills are provided that are common among the folk of Shadizar - no doubt players who spend any time here will soon begin to pick up on these traits and abilities, adding an exotic air to their characters.
A short bestiary provides a few new creatures that can be found in and around Shadizar, such as the Electric Eel (that will surprise a player or two), Fire Drake and the Jatte. Last, there are two new options for characters. The Professional is a prestige class for those looking to find the epitome of what it is to be a thief, while players forced to roll up new characters in Zamora might fancy trying their hand at a Kezankian Hillman.
Still not enough for you? Well, Book III is Dark Dens of Iniquity, a complete adventure set in Shadizar, designed to introduce your players to the types of people living in the city as well as its most important locations. I won't give anything away except to say the players will begin their quest after hearing rumours in a whorehouse - ah, only in Conan, eh? Smile
So, that is what you will be getting in this, the first of the Conan box sets. Following soon after Shadizar will be another city, Messantia, and then we have a full blown campaign on the way - Conan and the Shadow of the Sorcerer!
Shadizar - City of Wickedness is out around the middle of January and will be priced at $39.95
The first box set for the Conan RPG, Shadizar - City of Wickedness, has arrived at our offices and is currently en route to the warehouse. It should be hitting stores somewhere around the middle of January! Anyway, we cannot keep all this Conan goodness to ourselves, so I wanted to give you all a little sneak peek of what you can expect to find. . .
I love box sets for RPGs. Kinda brings back the 'good old' days (whatever and whenever they were - but you know what I mean, right?). There is just something of an air of mystery as you rush home with that new box set that promises to change your entire campaign, and an excitement as you open the box for the first time. So, will Shadizar do this for you?
Well, you get a lot inside! As you open the box, you will see fold-out floorplans for just about every type of structure you could find in the city. Then there are the pop-out counters for use with the floor plans (over 70 of them, but never fear, we are working on getting miniatures for this game!), along with 'character cards' for the same, so you have all the stats you need for people such as Zamorian Thugs and Royal Guard in a very handy place. A huge (and I mean HUGE) poster map gives you a bird's eye view of the entire city of Shadizar, and is just crying to be laid out on the gaming table or pinned to the wall of the gaming room.
And those are just the accessories!
Book I is entitled the Games Master's Guide and is a full colour 96 page tome delving into the heart of this city. It kicks off with a look at Zamora in general, and Shadizar's place within the kingdom. You then plunge into the heart of the City of Wickedness - and it is not for the faint-hearted! All the important cultural aspects of Shadizar are detailed, including the force of bribery, the role of women in the society, and the importance of hedonism. You will find even buying basic goods is not always straight forward in this city. . .
There are overviews of the main districts, as well as the movers and shakers of each. Vincent Darlage has done a superb job throughout and each pages almost drips with adventure ideas to get your teeth into. The last chapters are aimed squarely at the Games Master and detail how the city and its inhabitants should be portrayed to the players, in a manner they will certainly never forget! There are also details on the gods of Shadizar and many new scenario ideas designed to get your players involved with the city as quickly as possible.
Book II is Secrets of the Streets and is designed to act as a handy reference for both players and Games Masters when in Shadizar. The first section is called Foes and Felons, and comprehensively details many sample characters such as Merchants, Gamblers and Tavern Employees - however, each has been detailed at multiple levels (typically 1st, 6th and 10th), allowing you to alter encounters as you see fit. A few new feats and uses of skills are provided that are common among the folk of Shadizar - no doubt players who spend any time here will soon begin to pick up on these traits and abilities, adding an exotic air to their characters.
A short bestiary provides a few new creatures that can be found in and around Shadizar, such as the Electric Eel (that will surprise a player or two), Fire Drake and the Jatte. Last, there are two new options for characters. The Professional is a prestige class for those looking to find the epitome of what it is to be a thief, while players forced to roll up new characters in Zamora might fancy trying their hand at a Kezankian Hillman.
Still not enough for you? Well, Book III is Dark Dens of Iniquity, a complete adventure set in Shadizar, designed to introduce your players to the types of people living in the city as well as its most important locations. I won't give anything away except to say the players will begin their quest after hearing rumours in a whorehouse - ah, only in Conan, eh? Smile
So, that is what you will be getting in this, the first of the Conan box sets. Following soon after Shadizar will be another city, Messantia, and then we have a full blown campaign on the way - Conan and the Shadow of the Sorcerer!
Shadizar - City of Wickedness is out around the middle of January and will be priced at $39.95
