Nyarlathotep
Explorer
"Nations of Umbragia" is the second volume dedicated to Jagged Edge Game's "Umbragia - Realms of Shadow" campaign setting. It presents an overview of the world inhabited by the various races introduced in their first game supplement, "People of the Realms". Both documents are availabe for free download from the ENWorld pages, so a top ranking in the "value for money" category is assured. An added benefit is the possibility to discuss the setting with its creators on the ENWorld forums.
Content
The "Nations" are comprised of 45 pages, including the cover. The book deals with the world's history, calendar and - surprise! - the various nations of Umbragia. What is not (yet?) included is a map of the known world, but a preliminary version is available for download from the Umbragia homepage.
The first section summarizes the history and cosmology of the Realms of Shadow on four pages, starting with the universe's creation and the becoming of the gods and leading to current events in the known world. Key concepts include:
- The Realms of Shadow are a complex structure of worlds/realities that are somehow all shadows of the 12 "primary realms". What exactly this means is purposefully left ambiguous, but one consequence seems to be that things from one world can sometimes "leak" into another.
- At the present of the given time line, the gods are long dead. There are still lots of demigods and lesser beings, that meddle in the affairs of mortals, but the creators of the world are no more.
- Umbragia's history seems to run in cycles and the current age is about to end, so major changes are to be expected soon.
Next comes a one-page description of the calendar and time-keeping system used by most Umbragian nations, based on the movement of the moon and stars.
The main part of the book is devoted to the geography of the known worlds, describing the 13 nations and 3 wilderness areas found on the map. Each nation is given a two-page treatment, including the following:
- A standardized "info box", containing useful socio-political, geographical and economical facts for quick reference.
- The national symbol/heraldic design.
- A general overview over the country. The focus lies on describing governmental structure, internal and external conflicts and selected historical oddities, all of which are quite interesting to read and seem useful as plot hooks or atmospheric detail. Personally, I would have liked more information on local geography and customs, but obviously some selection had to be made in order to treat all places within one volume. It seems to be the curse of all gazetteer-style game supplements that they contain too little of everything to be entirely satisfactory.
- A "teaser" in the form of an item or beast peculiar to the area. This is a very good idea, as it helps setting the mood despite the fact that the general information has to be so condensed.
The wild areas include two regions where reality is warped and one more "traditional" wilderness that is inhabited by dragons and other unpleasant creatures. The possibilities for adventure are endless...
What I like about this setting is its diversity and general tone: though the conflict between the forces of good and evil is certainly there, it remains mostly in the background, while more worldly, sometimes downright petty concerns affect people's lives. This is in no way meant to imply that the setting is bland, just that not everything happening in the Realms can be interpreted in terms of black and white. Thus, it reminds me somewhat of the Hyborian Age of Robert E. Howard Conan stories, which is one of may favorite RPG backgrounds for the same reasons.
Design
The page layout is held in the usual two-column style, with the "info boxes" and any Open Gaming Content highlighted. The content is clearly arranged, except that the main text of the nations' descriptions could use some more structuring - it is a little hard to find a specific detail you are looking for at first glance.
The artwork is not as good as in "People of the Realms", but as these books depend on voluntary contributions, this can't be held against them (and it must be said that Don McInturff's drawings in Volume I are excellent). Interior art consists mainly of the heraldic designs, which are enlarged versions of the icons used on the map, and some clip art.
Conclusions
For those of you interested in running a campaign set in Umbragia, the "Nations" are obviously essential to get started. There are a lot of open questions and creative decisions to be made, so if you are searching for something completely prefabricated, this book wasn't made for you. But if you are looking for a framework and source of inspiration to support your own ideas, "Nations of Umbragia" contains valuable help.
Although the material presented in this volume is less "portable" than the races of the first, you might want to look at it even if you are not playing in the Realms. If you are a GM planning a campaign, you can surely find some plot hooks and ideas here, especially if you want to incorporate some of the "People of the Realms" into your world and are unsure about where they fit in. Also, the game mechanics given for items, beasts and the "warped areas" are not setting-specific.
Content
The "Nations" are comprised of 45 pages, including the cover. The book deals with the world's history, calendar and - surprise! - the various nations of Umbragia. What is not (yet?) included is a map of the known world, but a preliminary version is available for download from the Umbragia homepage.
The first section summarizes the history and cosmology of the Realms of Shadow on four pages, starting with the universe's creation and the becoming of the gods and leading to current events in the known world. Key concepts include:
- The Realms of Shadow are a complex structure of worlds/realities that are somehow all shadows of the 12 "primary realms". What exactly this means is purposefully left ambiguous, but one consequence seems to be that things from one world can sometimes "leak" into another.
- At the present of the given time line, the gods are long dead. There are still lots of demigods and lesser beings, that meddle in the affairs of mortals, but the creators of the world are no more.
- Umbragia's history seems to run in cycles and the current age is about to end, so major changes are to be expected soon.
Next comes a one-page description of the calendar and time-keeping system used by most Umbragian nations, based on the movement of the moon and stars.
The main part of the book is devoted to the geography of the known worlds, describing the 13 nations and 3 wilderness areas found on the map. Each nation is given a two-page treatment, including the following:
- A standardized "info box", containing useful socio-political, geographical and economical facts for quick reference.
- The national symbol/heraldic design.
- A general overview over the country. The focus lies on describing governmental structure, internal and external conflicts and selected historical oddities, all of which are quite interesting to read and seem useful as plot hooks or atmospheric detail. Personally, I would have liked more information on local geography and customs, but obviously some selection had to be made in order to treat all places within one volume. It seems to be the curse of all gazetteer-style game supplements that they contain too little of everything to be entirely satisfactory.
- A "teaser" in the form of an item or beast peculiar to the area. This is a very good idea, as it helps setting the mood despite the fact that the general information has to be so condensed.
The wild areas include two regions where reality is warped and one more "traditional" wilderness that is inhabited by dragons and other unpleasant creatures. The possibilities for adventure are endless...
What I like about this setting is its diversity and general tone: though the conflict between the forces of good and evil is certainly there, it remains mostly in the background, while more worldly, sometimes downright petty concerns affect people's lives. This is in no way meant to imply that the setting is bland, just that not everything happening in the Realms can be interpreted in terms of black and white. Thus, it reminds me somewhat of the Hyborian Age of Robert E. Howard Conan stories, which is one of may favorite RPG backgrounds for the same reasons.
Design
The page layout is held in the usual two-column style, with the "info boxes" and any Open Gaming Content highlighted. The content is clearly arranged, except that the main text of the nations' descriptions could use some more structuring - it is a little hard to find a specific detail you are looking for at first glance.
The artwork is not as good as in "People of the Realms", but as these books depend on voluntary contributions, this can't be held against them (and it must be said that Don McInturff's drawings in Volume I are excellent). Interior art consists mainly of the heraldic designs, which are enlarged versions of the icons used on the map, and some clip art.
Conclusions
For those of you interested in running a campaign set in Umbragia, the "Nations" are obviously essential to get started. There are a lot of open questions and creative decisions to be made, so if you are searching for something completely prefabricated, this book wasn't made for you. But if you are looking for a framework and source of inspiration to support your own ideas, "Nations of Umbragia" contains valuable help.
Although the material presented in this volume is less "portable" than the races of the first, you might want to look at it even if you are not playing in the Realms. If you are a GM planning a campaign, you can surely find some plot hooks and ideas here, especially if you want to incorporate some of the "People of the Realms" into your world and are unsure about where they fit in. Also, the game mechanics given for items, beasts and the "warped areas" are not setting-specific.
