ASTONISHING SWORDSMEN & SORCERERS of HYPERBOREA A Role-Playing Game of Swords, Sorcery, and Weird Fantasy ASTONISHING SWORDSMEN & SORCERERS of HYPERBOREA™ is sword-and-sorcery role-playing at its pinnacle. Play an Amazon fighter, Atlantean magician, Esquimaux shaman, Hyperborean warlock, Ixian necromancer, Keltic barbarian, Kimmerian cataphract, Pictish thief, Viking berserker, or one of many other possibilities. The heroes of a HYPERBOREA campaign delve the mazes and labyrinths of vast dungeons filled with horrifying monsters, lethal traps, and bewildering puzzles. They explore savage frontiers, breach hostile borderlands, probe ancient ruins, and investigate cursed tombs. They plunder for treasure and magic in a decaying world inhabited by bloodthirsty beasts and weird, otherworldly beings. Explore endless challenges and infinite realms of imagination with this complete sword-and-sorcery role-playing game! Text: Jeffrey Talanian Illustrations: Ian Baggley Editing: David Prata Cartography: Andreas Claren Box Cover Art: Charles Lang Box Cover Design: James Kramer Foreword by Stuart Marshall Rules: An OGL-based game informed by the original 1974 fantasy wargame and miniatures campaign rules as conceived by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. Milieux: Sword-and-sorcery setting inspired by the fantastic literature of Robert Ervin Howard, Howard Phillips Lovecraft, and Clark Ashton Smith. Product Type: Complete role-playing game designed for 2 or more players. Product Format: 8 x 10 x 2.5-inch boxed set that includes a 252-page, 7 x 8.5-inch, spiral-bound Players' Manual; 236-page, 7 x 8.5-inch, spiral-bound Referee's Manual; a 22 x 28-inch poster map of Hyperborea, 6 character sheets, and 6 polyhedral dice. Product Code: NWA101 Product Price: $50.00 Product Availability: Available Now!(*) Order at our Online Store. Also available in PDF, for $10.00, exclusively at RPGNow. (*)Please note the following: Although the AS&SH game is now shipping to pre-order customers, we do not expect general sales orders to begin shipping until early October 2012.
Review of Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea “A Role-Playing Game of Swords, Sorcery and Weird Fantasy” Written by Jeffrey Talanian Illustrated by Ian Baggley Published by North Wind Adventures, LLC Why Am I Reviewing It Although I have been playing rpgs for more years than I care to consider and have played more rpgs than anyone else I know, this is my first review of any rpg. The reason for this is that something about this game struck a chord with me such that I wanted to share the awesomeness of it with others. My Credentials to Review It I started playing rpgs with the Homes basic set in 1978. I was in 6th grade and have been hooked ever since, much to my wife’s chagrin. I soon had the white box set as well as the Greyhawk, Blackmoor and Gods, Demi-Gods and Heroes. Of course, I soon graduated to AD&D. I also discovered and loved the Arduin Grimoire trilogy. Over the course of the next 34 years, I played (mainly game-mastered) rpgs consistently. I played many rpgs during this period, including AD&D 2nd, D&D 3.0 to 3.5, D&D 4E, Call of Cthulhu, Runequest I through III, Gamma World I, Tunnel & Trolls, The Fantasy Trip, GURPS, Hero System, Savage Worlds and Castles & Crusades. I have also read almost all of Robert E. Howard, Clark Ashton Smith, Michael Moorcock, Jack Vance and HP Lovecraft. Lately, I waxed nostalgic and yearned for a return to my old school roots of rpgs and the wonderment of those magical first years. I found OSRIC, Dungeon Crawl Classics and the first edition AD&D books and started a new AD&D first edition campaign. Then, quite by happenstance I chanced upon a posting about Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea (“AS&SH”) while browsing the Dragonsfoot AD&D forum. Intrigued, I checked it out and then purchased it. I spent many hours reading through the game. Then I ran an extended multi day session totaling over 16 hours at Pacifcon Game Expo in California over Labor Day weekend. I was not a Kickstarter supporter of the game, I am not affiliated with the author and I am not a fanboy (although I do really think the game is great). The Basics Because I was not a Kickstarter supporter of the game, I was not able to get my hands on the boxed set and had to settle for a PDF. However, I was so enthused about the game that I had a copy printed out and bound at a copy shop. I also had a chance to see the boxed set when a stranger (“now a friend) I chanced to meet at Pacificon brought it to the second session of the game I ran at Pacificon. There are two spiral bound books; a Players’ Manual and a Referee’s Manual. They are contained in a box along with a black and white glossy poster-sized map of Hyperborea and some goldenrod character sheets. The books are slightly smaller than 8.5 by 11 and are printed in black and white. (I had my PDFs printed out at 8.5 by 11 and actually prefer them, although the smaller books are still quite legible.) They are lavishly illustrated with evocative art by Ian Baggley that captures the spirit and mood of the “Swords, Sorcery and Weird Fantasy” genre compellingly. I am still leafing through the books to admire the art. The layout is clean and concise and the editing is excellent; my hat’s off to David Prata. I have a couple of minor complaints. First, the character sheets provide in the PDF print out too small to be legible due to their strange layout. (Each page of the 2 page character sheet appears to consist of two 8.5 by 11 pages reduced and placed side by side on a single 8.5 by 11 that prints out in landscape.) I would rather have a 4 page character sheet. Don’t be scared by the size of the character sheet, the fourth page is for spell users to list their spells known and memorized. It really is a well laid out and inclusive sheet reminiscent of the goldenrod AD&D character sheets from back in the day. Second, the PDFs of the map are broken down into 9 separate sections that you must print out and fold to fit together. I would also have liked a full size image that I could view in its totality and print out at a copy shop. Third, although the index is serviceable, I feel it could have been beefed up a bit with more entries. Core Mechanics In his acknowledgment, Mr. Talanian states “Game rules and conventions are informed by the original 1974 fantasy wargame and miniatures campaign rules as conceived by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.” The core mechanics of the game are basically based on OD&D and AD&D with some modifications here and there. Anyone familiar with either of those systems will quickly and easily grok AS&SH. There are the six standard attributes ranging from 3-18, with the standard variety of ways to randomly determine them. There are the 4 standard primary character classes; Fighter, Cleric, Magician and Thief with the standard HD type per level of experience. Armor Class ranges from 9 (no armor) to 0 (full plate with shield) and on into the negative numbers for the really hard to hit. A d20 is rolled to hit and a separate die is rolled for damage based upon the weapon being used. Spellcasting is basically “Vancian” in that Magicians have a book of spells known and must memorize a limited number each day and forget them once cast. However, this is not just a retro-clone imitation of AD&D. What struck me was how Talanian and company modified, clarified and improved upon the core mechanics of AD&D in a manner which suited the “Swords, Sorcery and Weird Fantasy” genre and setting of the game. There are no demi-humans with the attendant controversial level limits as a balance to their innate superiority. Instead, “Nine “pure” races of man are extant in Hyperborea, plus two notable hybrid races. Otherwise, racial admixtures and men of indeterminate ancestry are considered “common” stock.” The available races include Vikings, Kimmerians, Amazons, Picts, Kelts, Atlanteans and Hyperboreans, etc. They are all integrated into the setting of Hyperborea and each has a distinct flavor without any distinguishing game mechanics. In play, it really helped in character development. (My group were mainly Vikings or common folk visiting Viking lands.) In addition to the four standard character classes, there are a multitude of flavorful subclasses, including Berserker, Barbarian, Warlock (similar to a fighter-magic user from AD&D), Witch, Priest, Pyromancer, Bard, Assassin, Ranger, Druid, Shaman and Scout, etc. The subclasses tend to have special abilities that the basic classes don’t have, but these are balanced out by not progressing as fast in level, more limited spell choice, etc. The class abilities are clearly written and appear balanced against each other, although I will need to play longer to verify this. In my opinion, they appear to be marked improvements on these classes as they first appeared in AD&D. The classes are also representative of the “Swords, Sorcery and Weird Fantasy” genre and setting of the game. One of the things I really appreciated about AS&SH was how well written and edited it was. Mr. Talanian and company cleaned up all the ambiguities inherent in the original AD&D core mechanics. They also tweaked the mechanics them to eliminate some controversial “flaws” of the original system. In AS&SH, characters can make a test against a physical attribute (Str, Dex, and Con) by rolling a d6 equal to or less than a target number determined by their attribute score, perhaps modified by plus or minus one due to ease or difficulty. It is like an AD&D open door check based on Str, but for Dex and Con as well. These are for tasks of moderate difficulty. There are also extraordinary task based upon the physical attributes. However, these use a percentage chance based upon the character’s attribute score. It is similar to AD&D’s percentage chance to bend bars and lift gates, except it also can be used for Dex and Con based tasks. If a character’s class has the attribute being tested as a primary attribute, then that character gets a bonus to such tests. There are no opposed checks in AS&SH. There is not a comparable system for the non-physical attributes (Int, Wis, Cha). Instead, Cha provides a modifier to a 2d6 reaction and/or loyalty roll. Int and Wis modify the chance to learn spells for Magicians or Clerics respectively, as well as how many they can memorize per day. There is, however, a nifty d6 mechanic for any and all tasks not covered by a physical attribute test. Merely assign a 1 in 6 to a 3 in 6 chance depending on the character’s capability and the difficulty of the task and let the character roll. Simple and easy. No muss, no fuss. It just works. As should be apparent from the foregoing, there are no skill roll mechanics in AS&SH. There are however, secondary background tables, which let a character roll randomly or choose to see what he did (and presumably what background skills he acquired) before he became an adventurer. Thievery skills are tested by a roll on a d12 and the target number is based upon level, with a +1 bonus to certain skills depending on an attribute score of 16+. Other character classes can test for some of these Thievery skills such as listening and climbing using the d6 mechanic mentioned above, but with a lower chance of success that does not improve as the character levels. A nice touch was that Thieves and the subclasses detect secret doors on a 3 in 6 when searching, while other classes only notice them on 2 in 6. Of course, there are rules for backstabbing. Likewise, there are rules for weapon specialization for Fighters and the subclasses thereof (although Fighters start with two weapons to specialize in and the subclasses only get one). Magicians start with 3 spells in their spell books. Clerics start knowing the rituals to memorize 4 spells. Magicians learn 1 additional spell of their choice per level. Clerics learn the rituals to memorize 4 additional spells per level. Both magicians and clerics can only memorize 1 spell per day at first level. This can be increased by 1 with a high Int or Wis respectively, and Magicians can have a familiar that allows an additional spell to be memorized per day per level. Overall, I found that the tweaks made to the standard AD&D class mechanics improved clarity, balance and gameplay and corrected some “flaws” that are recognized by some in the ether of the internet forums where such arcana is “discussed”. Likewise, the vast selection of spells is instantly recognizable to anyone that played AD&D, but with slight tweaks that improved clarity, removed ambiguities and improved gameplay. There are also several new spells that capture the weird and wondrous flavor of the setting. The improvements are most noticeable in the section dealing with combat and intuitive. There are now two phases to each round. Each character only takes one primary action per round (such as attacking, drinking a potion, readying a bow, etc.) but can also move. When a character’s actions are resolved depends on what his side’s initiative roll is and how far he moved before his action. If a character makes a full move prior to his action then he will act in the second phase in an order determined by his side’s initiative d6 roll. If a character makes a half move or less prior to his action, then he will act in the first phase in in an order determined by his side’s initiative d6 roll. Ties in initiative a resolved by Dex or go simultaneously if Dex is the same. The selection of monsters was well done. The selection of monsters is ample and representative of the setting. For example, Orcs are the descendants of offspring resulting from the mating of Picts and Daemon Swine. How cool is that!? It does not quite include all of the monsters from the AD&D Monster Manual (some of them don’t quite fit the flavor of the setting) but has some new and flavorful beasties, including Mythos inspired terrors such as the Elder Race, the Great Race of Yith, Shoggoths, etc. to accompany the classics, including the entire selection of AD&D “Daemons.” Likewise, the selection of magic items is extensive and includes special items of ancient weird “technology” that really capture the Weird Fantasy element of the genre and setting. With the exception of scrolls and potions, the creation of magic items is a lost art not available to player characters. In my opinion, this design decision fits with the genre and setting as well, with its emphasis on ancient lost empires of races that disappeared into the darkness before mankind’s descendants climbed out of the trees (indeed, before they crawled out of the sea in some cases). The equipment list was ample and it seemed the prices were well thought out and made sense. Setting of Hyperborea In his the introduction to the setting, Mr. Talanian states “The Hyperborea of Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea is inspired by these myths and legends, but perhaps more so by the weird and fantastic fiction of Clark Ashton Smith, Robert E. Howard, and H.P. Lovecraft; furthermore the works of Jack Vance, Abraham Merritt, Fritz Leiber, Michael Moorcock, Edgar Rice Burroughs, et al have informed the author’s way of thinking. Equally inspirational is the brilliant synergetic medley of myths, legends, beasts, monsters, artefacts, and fantastic milieux masterfully assembled by and under the direction of E. Gary Gygax. Drawing from these and other muses, the Hyperborea setting sprang to life, a pastiche intended to provide an entertaining experience for fellow gaming enthusiasts.” The setting of the games is a fantastic and weird transposed land called Hyperborea. It is a relatively small game world, with a diameter of about 3,000 miles (roughly the extent of Earth’s Arctic Circle). Hyperborea is described as a relatively flat, hexagonal plane. It has a central land mass with numerous surrounding islands. At the edge of the world, the seas continuously pour over the rim of the world into the black gulf where the boreas blows. Mr. Talanian explains the presence of humans on Hyperborea thus “Sages aver that the whole of Hyperborea was once an arctic land mass on Old Earth; prior to this it was a land of sunshine and plenty, a blessed place. Assumptions regarding its separation remain speculative. Connexions to Old Earth remain intermittent, these oftest associated with convergent manifestations of the aurora borealis or the crossing of the boreas. Incomers from Old Earth originate from various times and places; of note nearly two millennia have elapsed since a large-scale cultural migration has occurred.” The human races that inhabit Hyperborea are all exciting and interesting; either as player characters or adversaries. Their culture and history is described to tie them into the setting, but not bind them. In fact, this idea of tying things into the setting, but not in an overly limiting and restrictive manner marks much of the setting. Hyperborea, although somewhat limited in scope, is chock full of ideas that fire the imagination and encourage gameplay. It is a fantastic piece of work, a top flight playground of the imagination. You really have to read it to appreciate it. My hat is off to Mr. Talanian and company. Conclusion If you enjoyed AD&D and want to recapture the magic of rpgs from when you were younger or are looking for an easy to learn and quick playing swords and sorcery and weird fantasy rpg, then you really ought to try this game out. It is now my game of choice for ongoing campaign play. The gameplay, including character creation and combat, is quick and exciting, not tedious in the least. However, the game has enough depth and complexity to support years of campaign play. The setting is absolutely spectacular. I can’t wait to see the adventures. (I hope they are done in the style of the recent batch by Goodman Games for its Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG). Even if you want to stick with your current AD&D derived rules system, you really should check this game out just for the myriad of cool creatures, classes, spells and magic items. The art is awesome too.
The very first AS&SH adventure, Charnel Crypt of the Sightless Serpent, is now available for the first time in PDF format at RPGNow. It can be yours for a mere $4.29! http://www.rpgnow.com/product/117811/Ch ... ss-Serpent
I need a copy of this game. Really want to run it at Garycon, but my FLGS's aren't cooperating with putting it on a shelf for me. ~Rex
Hi Rex, Thank you for your interest! I'm happy to work with your local FLGS, wholesaling the game to them. They can reach me through my contact page: http://www.swordsmen-and-sorcerers.com/contact You can also order the game direct through my online store: http://www.swordsmen-and-sorcerers.com/store Or you can order it through Noble Knight Games: http://www.nobleknight.com/ViewProdLine ... enreID_E_0 Hope that helps! Cheers, Jeff Talanian
AS&SH PDF 50% Off!!! DriveThruRPG.com is having a big "Try a New Game in the New Year" sale! From now until January 12 you can get the AS&SH PDF for 50% off. This is the absolute lowest it's ever been priced at! Now is your chance to grab this ENnies nominated game for a mere $5.00.
Finally Found a Physical Copy! My Inner Ludite is Pleased with having avoided complicated technology to get my hands on this game..... ~Rex
Official AS&SH Forum I started a new forum for the game and its inspirational media: http://hyperborea.boardhost.com/index.php
Got some friends of mine in England that would murder for this game.....Alas they can't seem to get it over there.....Now having had it and run a few games, hell, probably going to buy a couple more copies for other folks as well. ~Rex
If the load of boxes in my kitchen is any indication, there will be PLENTY of copies for sale at Garycon! You can always buy one & mail it to them.
