Sometime last year, I picked up the Pendragon Core Rulebook for 6th edition. That review had some critiques about what it was missing, and that the Core Rulebook did not give me everything I needed to run the game. After doing some research, it appears that others felt the same way and that the Core Rulebook was more of a Player's Handbook. As the Gamemaster, you needed a different level of detail and that seems to be what this book is intended to provide.
For those who do not know, Pendragon is a role-playing game where you attempt to take up the mantle of a Knight from the Arthurian Legends. This is a semi-mythical time period of British history that was greatly influenced by other European takes on what it meant to be a good Knight through-out the Middle and High Middle Ages. There are various versions of the Legend of King Arthur had his Knights and most of them dwell on the later period. However, the actual roots of the Saga take place over a 150-year legendary time span, and this game lets you play characters and lineages from the opening to the end of the Myth Cycle.
I really am a fan of the "idea" of Pendragon as it puts players into an actual society and then asks them to role-play what life in that society may look like. This is a very different feel for a game where you are character who is semi-lawless out on the frontier. Here you are the one that represents civilization and its changing ways, and it your job to uphold what civilization you can. Sure, you can become a character of legend, but the focus is very different from what you see in a typical frontier style RPG. I have a soft spot for these types of games where players must act within a society, including its constraints and limitations.
Now, let's strap on our armor, hoist ourselves up on our chargers and grab our lance. It is time to go out on a quest into the heart of the Pendragon Gamemaster's Handbook.....
Things That I Liked
First off, there was a lot of things I wanted covered in the Pendragon Core Rulebook such as Feasts, Magic, Foes, Religions, and intro adventures. Thankfully, this book covers all of those topics very well. It really fills in the blanks in a way that I think I can actually run the game now. Yippee!
The mechanics for Feasts are really fun! I often joke that Legend of the Five Rings is the game of dinner parties, but Pendragon takes it to another level. In this game, your main success measure is Glory. You gain Glory a variety of ways, but you also earn Glory at Feasts! Characters earn Glory based on where they are seated compared to their Lord, actions they take, and if they do not have a "for sure" agenda; they can draw Feast Cards. These are essentially random events that act as a spring boards to Trait Tests and/or role-play. All of which can gain you Glory as a Knight. This game has a mechanical benefit for engaging in the Social Pillar of the game, and not just a Narrative benefit. This is a very cool mechanic.
There is a nice section about running the game as the GM. This includes advice about moving through time, navigating technology changes, and other items unique to the setting. Unlike many settings, this one is NOT frozen in time. In fact, technology improves as you move forward in the Myth cycle. You start with chain mail, spear and simple shields, but end with full plate armor, horse barding, and dedicated lances. However, I think my favorite piece of advice in the GM section is this, "When running a scenario, it you have a plot planned out; avoid random events." Music to my Trad/Neo-Trad ears! West End Games: Star Wars my favorite GameMaster section, but the advice given in this book is probably my second favorite. I have an excellent idea of how this game should be approached and played.
Appendix A gives a very handy summary of Glory rewards for a variety of situations and PC/NPC types. This is helpful as Glory rewards are often scattered in the rulebooks. This helps consolidate them into a few pages. Since this is a key measure and main success metric in the game, you can bet Players will want GMs to get this right.
Things I Did Not Like
One thing that stands out with this game, is that it is a rather roll heavy game. Many times, situations in the rules are abstracted down to a Trait test or series of Skill Rolls. Success is based on the dice rolls more than anything else. The narrative is shaped by these rolls, so luck can play a big part in what will develop and where the plot may go. There are ways for players to mitigate the roll of luck using Passion checks, but there is also a risk. In addition, rather complex situations that may take a few hours to role-play out fully, are designed to be resolved with a few rolls and a few moments of dialogue. This allows the game to pack 1 year into a session or two. However, it also leads the game to be a relatively streamlined experience, and some key events are not allowed to breath. The game itself moves briskly from challenge to challenge, but this can disrupt the Narrative. However, this game is designed to be more simulation of Arthurian Legend.
This simulation also leads to a variety of "rituals" in how the game is played. I.e. when you meet foreign Knights on patrol you do X. If you end up at a foreign castle you do Y. If you are flirting or courting you do Z. The rules cover the most common situations and quickly and easily systematizes them into a Trait test. This makes the game almost feel more like a series of pre-set rituals rather than creative role-playing. The characters themselves are trapped a bit, which is one of the games strengths at recreation, but also a constraint on innovative role-play.
The focus of this book is to put the Player-Knights in the County of Salisbury from the start of the time of the Boy King through to the end of Arthur. Therefore, much of what is written tends to focus on that time period. However, there is a great deal of time and geography that can not be covered in this book.
I was also disappointed that there was not a small section on Estates and Estate management in this book. The main player-state seems to be as Household Knights. However, I am very interested in running a Campaign (at least partially) as landholders and said responsibilities. Half the fun of the game seems to be creating a family and lineage to grow over the full 150+ years of the Arthurian Myth cycle. Also, I could see a fun campaign revolving around the adventures of a Conroi (10-15) of Mercenary Knights as well, but that is hardly touched on here. Most of the Mercenary Knight detail comes from the main rulebook. This book seems to want the focus to be on the last 50 or so years of the Arthurian Saga as Household Knights.
The starting Scenarios also feed into this idea of Household Knights of Salisbury at the end of the era of Anarchy between Uther's death and King Arthur pulling the Sword from the Stone. The Starting scenarios start the players as Squires, arranges for them to be promoted to Knights, and then allows them to get involved dealing with Saxons and border fights. These scenarios slide easily into the Starter Set, the Grey Knight, and the Great Pendragon Campaign. However, they are "mundane" adventures and years focusing on Saxon foes and battle, with a flavor of feasting. It does not touch on magic or Fae or the more "wonderous" sides of the setting. However, they do give an example of how to structure a session/year for a GM and serve to get Player-Knights stuck in.
Meh and Other Uncertainties
There is a very detailed description and section on the various religions of the people of Arthurian Briton. This section would have been really useful in the Core Rulebook as well. However, the detail and history of each is fascinating. This includes Roman and British Christianity, Heathenism(Spirit Worship), Paganism, Wodanism(Norse), and even Evil for NPCs. As a history guy, this was really interesting to read!
Of course, these religious traditions also have access to different Magic traditions and Miracles too. Each of these traditions also has different spiritual foes such as fae, fiends, and Angels as well. Of note, only fiends (agents of Satan) can use true illusions. Illusion-like effects from other creatures like glamour change and warp reality itself. Fiends may not change parts of God's creation as punishment so therefore their works are pure illusions.
There are detailed rules for running Mass Battles. These can be applies in tournament style Melees or in actual field Battles and Sieges as well. These reminded me a bit of the Legend of the Five Rings or Dune: Adventures in the Imperium rules for Mass Battles. However, the Pendragon rules for Mass Battle seem to be a bit more detailed.
There are two full Chapters on NPCs and Beasts that the Player-Knights might encounter. This ranges from standard Pictish warriors, to Saxons, to animals, to Witches, to Giants, and other Fae and Fiends. They also offer some ideas on how the more bizarre creatures appeared in Arthurian Legends. They also give Stat blocks for some Key NPCs, mostly from the later periods of the Myth Cycle.
Appendix B is pretty cool as it has a lot of detail for expanded reading. This ranges from Academic works, Traditional Folklore, and all the way to modern fiction. A solid list to help you get a feel for the genre.
Final Thoughts
If you plan on running Pendragon this is really a must have book. The detail if gives for the various religions of Briton alone is amazing and worth the read. The Feasts rules are also really cool and a great look at how to systematize the Social Pillar. The Bestiary and discussion of Magic helps build on what a complete and interesting world Pendragon lives in.
That said, 6th Edition still has a few blindspots for a fully developed campaign. The first is there is very little discussion or talk about the "Exploration Pillar". Granted, much of the region is "Known" but not to the Player-Knights. There is some discussion about visiting foreign lands, but those lands are left largely blank. In addtion, Knights are often Nobles and Land-holders and this book does not touch on that aspect of the setting/campaigns at all.
With this and Core Rulebook, you now have enough to play Pendragon.... mostly. Afterall, the GM can fill-in the rest of the Map as they see fit beyond Salisbury. Afterall, Your Pendragon May Vary! If you make your Player-Knights Household Knights you have everything you need for a good campaign. If you want to explore some of the other possibilities of the setting, this will lead you to more books to buy.
Or purchase all out games at the Blood and Spectacles Publishing Wargames Vault Page!
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