Starting New Kalamar Campaign

[yipwyg]

I was wondering if someone could post more information on this setting. Experiences running it and alterating (if any) done by you to it.

I plan on buying at least the campaign setting to take a serious look at it really soon. I just would like more information on it before I buy it.

The major thing I am thinking of doing is using The Book of the Righteous concepts into the world. I already see one thing similar their is only one pantheon, however the gods go by different names.

Thanks for any info.

 

[AnthonyRoberson]

A little info for you

If your interested in Kalamar, my first suggestion would be that you head over to the Kenzer & Co. website and visit the discussion forurms. The Kalamar fans there should be only too willing to share their experiences with you.

One thing to remember if you are interested in running a Kalamar campaign is that it is not a high fantasy setting. If the Forgotten Realms is your idea of an ideal setting, then Kalamar may not be for you.

My only other suggestion would be that you definitely pick up the Kalamar Player's Guide. It is filled with crunchy bits and lots of good info about the world and peoples of Tellene.

Good luck and good gaming.

 

[Buttercup]

I'm extremely pressed for time at the moment, so I'll respond in more detail later. In the meantime, go and take a looks at Servants of the Swift Sword in the Story Hour forum. It is a wonderful story, set in the Renaria Bay region of Kalamar.

 

[Wicht]

Ok, first the negative aspects of Kalamar. Some people complain about the names. Personally its not a problem with me but some do. Secondly, it is a static setting. That means there is no sotryline other than what is in the campaign book, modules and that which you create. Again, with me this is not a problem, in fact its a bonus, but some people want a story arc created for them.

Now the positive. Any kind of campaign you want to run can be run in some place in Kalamar (horror, low magic, medium magic, high-magic, psionic, intrigue, mystery, dungeon delving, etc.) The campaign book is packed full of all sorts of interesting adventure seeds. Plus, the world was built in such a way that it does not feel thrown together, it feels like a dynamic world that makes some sense. The various races of humanity give each culture a nice feel.

The pantheon is well thought out and the different religious flavors amongst the churches is great (having the Kalamar Players guide only makes it better). Personally one of my favorite things about the world of Kalamar is the religions and the interactions of the different faiths.

The modules are some of the best out there and are worth grabbing just for the extras. Almost all of the Kalamar products are very good quality and the Players Guide is, as has been mentioned, almost a must buy IMO.

One last comment, the Campaign Guide is IMO good reading, but it can be a little heady. I would recommend first perusing it, then read the first chapter, the tenth chapter and then the rest of it bit by bit. The campaign guide is especially excellent at being a book you can go back to and, by reading only the section on a particular city or region, get plenty of ideas.

 

[Wicht]

Thanks for the plug Buttercup

 

[Rune]

Re: Kalamar Fans

Experiences running it and alterating (if any) done by you to it.

Another Runic Story Hour: Kingdoms of Kalamar in The Dream

 

[yipwyg]

Thanks for the responses. I'll look into the story hours later on today.

 

[Patrick-S&S]

What I find great about Kalamar is actually not the setting itself (even though I think it is the best D&D/d20 world) but the published adventures. You will get some pretty cool handouts with those and there is, IIRC, about 11 of them as of now. I do not know if there are more planned. Also do not forget the upcoming and much eagerly awaited Atlas book which, or at least that is what I am guessing, will be something else.

 

[Buttercup]

Ok, here are some things I like about Kalamar. The world is coherent. You have all the details of ancient migrations, enmities between various peoples, and even different alphabets! There is a cool cosmology. Dozens of cities, towns, regions and countries are mentioned in the campaign book, each with numerous adventure hooks, and important NPCs. The maps are beautiful, and easy to read.

Now, the published adventures would have to be really special to measure up to the stellar job Kenzer & Co. did with the campaign book. They are and they do. The handouts and maps that accompany each adventure are the best I've seen. There are extensive tables for random encounters in each adventure.

The player's guide has good, solid information on gods, magic, feats, classes, naming conventions, etc. And because Kalamar is a licensed setting, they are allowed to include official WotC stuff from splatbooks, etc, in their spell list.

I'm presently running a homebrew, but the next campaign I run will be in Kalamar. This setting calls to me like no other.

 

[yipwyg]

Sorry that this message is a duplicate in another discussion. Copied it to the wrong one and hit enter on mistake.

I am currently waiting for the Kalamar campaign setting book to arrive.

Yesterday was spent on character creation. The players all created dwarves, two of them being twin clerics of the god of war, one making a "holy warrior" of the god of war, and the last one made a 2nd level expert/1st level shamman who was trained by an outcast barbarian.

I had the player that is playing a shaman detail the barbarian tribe and any major NPC's. In this way he feels more involved in the development in the world. The three holy men have also discussed various things they would like to do and through them will set up quests involving their goals.

I am currently in need for some assistance.

I am using the pantheon found in the Book of the Righteous, there are no evil gods in the pantheon. The temptation of evil comes in the form of the Demon Princes and Arch-Devils, from the Abyss and Hell respectively.

I was wondering which of the gods in Kalamar best fits a god of war. The god of war in the BOTR, depending on interpetation of the churches doctrine, is either lawful good or lawful neutral.

I was also wondering if anyone could suggest an area that would be good to start from. I am thinking of a place on the fringes of civilization. The party welll initially be sent to help the local barbarian tribe that lives about 2 days from the characters home.

Thanks for any suggestions, I can hardly wait til the book comes.