18 December 2009
Today’s Tabbloid
PERSONAL NEWS FOR riorio2@rogue-games.net
ROGUE FEED
Founding Fathers
DEC 17, 2009 04:51P.M.
My latest column is up at The Escapist. It focuses on the “prehistory” of
RPGs, going all the way back to 1811 and the invention of what would
come to be known as wargames.
ROGUE FEED
REVIEW: The Majestic
Wilderlands
DEC 17, 2009 07:57A.M.
Supplement VI: The Majestic Wilderlands is cartographer extraordinaire
Rob Conley‘s first foray into self-publishing and he doesn’t fail to
impress. Conley had already penned (along with collaborator Dwayne
Gillingham) two superb installments of the Points of Light series,
published by Goodman Games, along with articles in Fight On! and a
D20 revisions to classic Judges Guild adventures, so I expected good
things from The Majestic Wilderlands and I was not disappointed. It’s a
140-page digest-sized supplement to Swords & Wizardry, although it’s
easily usable with “all editions based on the original 1974 roleplaying
game.” The book is available in three formats, two print (one with the
cover pictured to the right and another with an “original style” cover),
and one in PDF. Both print editions sell for $12, while the PDF carries a
$7 price tag. Given the density of the text and small font size, there’s
quite a lot of material packed in its pages, so the prices are more than
1
reasonable for what you get, especially when compared with many other
old school products these days.
As its title implies, The Majestic Wilderlands is a licensed product,
presenting Conley’s vision of the venerable Judges Guild Wilderlands
setting. This vision is based on his having used the setting over the
course of three decades, adding to it and expanding it as the demands of
his players and campaign demanded. The result is a setting that’s at once
familiar and new, a version of the Wilderlands that’s a bit more
“realistic” than the standard one, which is to say, one that’s more
concerned with sociological and political concerns than you’d expect.
That’s not to say The Majestic Wilderlands is a dry read — it’s not — but
it definitely has a different feel than the original Judges Guild material
on which it’s based. That said, fans whose visions of the Wilderlands are
more “traditional” will still find a lot to like here, as Conley’s included
lots of little details that could be imported into campaigns based there
(or indeed most fantasy campaign settings). Conley’s vision of the
Wilderlands doesn’t completely mesh with my own, but it’s difficult not
to admire his craftsmanship in world building. The Majestic
Wilderlands, as presented here, is clearly a work of love and imagination
in the best old school tradition.
The Majestic Wilderlands bills itself as “Supplement VI,” a nomenclature
that might strike some as odd. It’s obviously a reference both to the
original OD&D supplements and to Geoffrey McKinney’s Carcosa, which
claimed the title of “Supplement V.” I don’t want to rehash the
controversies surrounding Carcosa here; I think everyone who has an
opinion on the subject has already expressed them. That said, I was
critical of McKinney’s decision in my own review of Carcosa and I
haven’t changed my mind on this score. Much as I admire OD&D and its
supplement — indeed, because I admire them — I don’t think it
appropriate to add one’s own work to the canon, so to speak. That’s a
judgment for others to make. Doing otherwise could be misconstrued as
arrogance, or at least cheek, and might turn off people who would
otherwise enjoy the content of one’s book.
Fortunately, with only a couple of exceptions, the content of The
Majestic Wilderlands is top-notch. Conley boldly divided the book into
three sections modeled on the three volumes of OD&D. The first, “Men &
Magic,” provides new character options. Among these are several new
sub-classes, such as Berserkers, Knights, Soldiers, Paladins of Mitra,
Myrmidons of Set for Fighting Men, and Mages, Artificers, Wizards,
Rune-Casters, and Theurgists for Magic-Users. The classes are all well-
done, both mechanically and stylistically. I have some issues with a few
of them (the Soldier seems unnecessary, for example), but I like many a
great deal, particularly the Myrmidons of Set, which would work nicely
in my Dwimmermount campaign as elite warriors of Typhon. Conley
provides new options for Clerics too by describing each faith of the
Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR riorio2@rogue-games.net
Majestic Wilderlands, often imposing new restrictions on the class while
at the same time opening up new possibilities. It’s a nice approach, one
that takes the kernel of a good idea in 2e’s specialty priests while
avoiding its pitfalls.
Section I also introduced a new class and its attendant sub-classes: the
Rogue. Rogues are characters who are neither good at fighting or magic
but instead excel at certain abilities, which is to say, skills. All Rogues
(Burglars, Thugs, Mountebanks, Claws of Kalis, and Merchant
Adventurers) depend heavily on the skill system introduced in The
Majestic Wilderlands. As you’d expect, I have mixed feelings about this.
On the one hand, I like the idea behind several of these classes,
particularly the Mountebank, but skills make me very uneasy in a class-
based game. The skill system Conley presents is simple enough: roll
1D20, modified by appropriate class and ability bonuses (if any), and
score 15 or higher to achieve a success. As such systems go, it’s pretty
inoffensive. I’m simply not convinced that it’s needed, but I realize I may
be eccentric about this point. I’m probably also eccentric in disliking the
idea of NPC classes, particularly for “non-adventurers.” The Majestic
Wilderlands gives us several of these: Craftsman, Hedge Mage, Priest,
and Scholars. All remind me of the “cut-down” NPC classes we saw in
D&D III and, again, I don’t really see the necessity for them, particularly
in an old school game.
The section continues with an overview of playable races, with a few new
options, including some specific to the Wilderlands. There are also some
nice new rules for combat that are simple yet flavorful and should do a
lot to making OD&D-style combat more tactically rich. Following that is
a section of magic that, among other details, introduces “rituals,” which
enable a spellcaster to cast a spell straight out of his spellbook without
having to memorize it beforehand, but the spell is slower than normal
and carries a material component cost dependent on its level. As Conley
admits outright, “The intent of this system is that most utility spells are
cast via rituals in
the Majestic Wilderlands.” As you’d expect, I don’t much care for the
concept of rituals, precisely because it changes the complexion of
spellcasting character classes in a profound way. Without the so-called
“utility spells” taking up spell slots, spellcasters no longer have to weigh
combat effectiveness against the unpredictable needs of adventuring.
Should I memorize find traps or hold person is a significant decision for
the player of a 4th-level Cleric, who only gets a single 2nd-level spell.
Rituals obviate the need for such a decision, thereby changing the way
the class — and the game — is played. Again, I’m sure many will find
rituals a welcome addition to the game, but, for my part, I think it does
serious violence to the class structure of D&D and would never allow the
rules to be used in my campaign.
Section II is “Monsters & Treasure” and introduces several new monsters
and magic items. It’s the shortest section in the book (only 10 pages), but
nevertheless manages to inject some new approaches to some staples of
the game. Section III, “Underworld & Wilderness Adventures,” takes up
close to half the book and presents Conley’s vision of the Wilderlands
setting, complete with maps and a gazetteer of it all. Nearly the entirety
of this vast setting gets at least some discussion, with the area around the
famed City-State getting the most. Conley shows a remarkable ability to
18 December 2009
say a lot in a few words and, while no region gets dozens of paragraphs
devoted to it, each one provides enough detail to inspire a referee —
proof positive that campaign setting books need not be huge technical
manuals consisting of hundreds of pages to be satisfactory. The various
cultures that inhabit the Majestic Wilderlands gets more detail and it’s
here where Conley’s vision comes through most clearly. He cares a great
deal about society, culture, and (especially) religion and it’s these forces,
moreso even than monsters and magic, that drive the Wilderlands in his
estimation. This helps give the whole a “serious” quality to it that, while
not wholly to my taste, is nevertheless extremely attractive. Conley’s love
for the setting is palpable and infectious.
In the final analysis, The Majestic Wilderlands is a terrific book and
another great example of old school game design. Both in terms of its
game mechanics and its setting material, this product proves the old
adage that “less is more.” It likewise counters the notion that, without
reams of precise rules and setting detail, you don’t have enough material
to run a RPG campaign adequately. The Majestic Wilderlands is a model
of compendiousness, providing all that’s needed to play without being
cryptic. And while I dislike some of the rules included, for both
philosophical and practical reasons, they’re easily omitted. Moreover,
Conley provides so much in these pages that, even eliminating those
sections I dislike, there is still plenty to admire and, most importantly,
use in one’s own campaign. The Majestic Wilderlands is a triumph and a
nice capstone to a year that has seen the old school movement prosper
and diversify. Here’s hoping we see more products of this sort, from
Robert Conley and others, in the years to come.
Presentation: 7 out of 10
Creativity: 9 out of 10
Utility: 9 out of 10
Buy This If: You’re either a Wilderlands fan (or looking to become one)
or interested in some excellent supplemental rules to Swords &
Wizardry (or any OD&D-derived game).
Don’t Buy This If: You have no interest in the Wilderlands or prefer to
keep your OD&D-derived game free from supplemental rules.