Another take on BA

From: Jonas Schiott <jonas.schiott_at_...>
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2002 18:41:29 +0100


Since the squirrels are not what they seem, and have taken a dislike to Barbarian Adventures, another perspective might be useful. This is the review I posted on RPGnet:

Barbarian Adventures
Sartar Rising part 1

Finally: the first book of scenarios for Hero Wars, the start of the epic Sartar Campaign. A campaign that will become epic, that is ­ this first installment is pretty low-key. The purpose of this book is to get players acquainted with the daily lives of orlanthi barbarians, before the next part in the series changes those lives forever. I'll be assuming in this review that the reader is familiar with at least the basic facts about Dragon Pass, as presented in the Hero Wars rulebook. To actually use Barbarian Adventures in play, you would most likely also need a copy of Thunder Rebels.

Barbarian Adventures marks the start of Issaries' new format for their Hero Wars line. They've abandoned the trade paperbacks and now use the standard american size that 99% of all other RPG products are printed in. It means having to adjust my bookshelves, but apart from that I would argue that this change is all for the better. Bigger pages mean more information is available at a glance; also the stapled binding is more durable than glued and allows the book to stay open on the table when you want to reference a certain section. A new set of fonts is introduced that is more conventional, and thus more readable, than what has gone before. The illustrations are plentiful and competently done. Some have been lifted from the computer game King of Dragon Pass and suffer slightly from the conversion to greyscale, but they're still the best of the bunch. None of the others are as interesting and evocative as the woodcuts from Thunder Rebels and Storm Tribe, but they get the job done. With the change in format comes the opportunity for something that was impossible to include in earlier HW supplements: decent-sized maps. Sadly, this opportunity is missed in Barbarian Adventures. The only map (showing the Kingdom of Sartar) is a quarter page and rather abstract. Still, it's at least official now, and contains a few corrections to the older versions seen in fan publications.

In the first chapter, "The Kingdom of Sartar", we are given an overview of the tribes that make up this somewhat loose confederation. The focus is on describing reactions to and ways of dealing with the Lunar occupation. There are also notes on tribes that aren't technically Sartarite or Orlanthi, but are important to the region anyway. Finally, an amusing paragraph debunks the idea of D&D-style "inns" in Sartar.

"Player Resources" describes the ways in which player heroes can get
information or other kinds of assistance from their clan, cult or tribe. Mostly this codifies what a knowledgeable Glorantha fan might already have guessed, but it's always good to see some guidelines for ability and resistance levels. This chapter also introduces a new format for presenting the stats of leaders and other important persons: a half-page sheet that shows the most important abilites of both the leader and his or her closest followers. It neatly summarizes how they would work as a group in typical contests, and gives a graphical representation of how the leader's time is divided between various activities.

In "Narrator Resources" we're presented with a rogues' gallery of typical opponents that Sartarite heroes might have to deal with. This is the chapter for those who have wondered how tough a Lunar hoplite really is. (The answer is: not as tough as their skirmishers ­ those Thunder Delta Slingers are lethal!) There's also a short section on "wanderers and oddballs" who are not necessarily enemies, including the infamous Puppeteer Troupe.

Fully half the book is taken up by the "Clan Activities" chapter and three scenarios (sorry, "episodes"). The former spends some time extending the concept of triggered episodes (from the Narrator's Book) and applying it specifically to a heortling clan. It also includes a section on everyday activities such as patrols, ambushes (the favored mode of warfare among orlanthi) and raids. Cattle raiding is shown to be a very important part of life, simply by the amount of description and rules it is given. A couple of pages on the rebellion mainly paints a picture of reasons for revolt against Lunar rule: apparently the occupational forces are corrupt to the core and atrocities are rife. This is obviously written from a traditionalist viewpoint...

None of the episodes are very heavily plotted: they provide a framework wherein the narrator can place as many sessions of play as desired. You get a starting point, a desired outcome, and a bunch of things that can happen along the way. "A Year of Chaos" tells the story of a clan that is afflicted by an unusual amount of chaos-related events. The heroes must investigate the reasons behind it all. "Blood Feud" is the most generalized episode: while a specific event is given to spark a conflict, the descriptions of a feud's lifecycle apply to any and all feuds that might occur in orlanthi society. "These Women Need Help" has the heroes escorting a group of healers around the countryside. The culmination is a rather frightening event that is said to have repercussions in the next part of the campaign. Exactly how is not explained yet.

The book concludes with some omens of the imminent Hero Wars, an index and
"What Grandpa Told You" ­ a brief rundown of recent history from a local
perspective.

While Barbarian Adventures is designed as an introduction to the Sartar Rising story arc, the information it provides is useful for any series based in Sartar, and many parts of it are applicable to Orlanthi in other parts of Glorantha. It even gives glimpses of the Lunar Empire in action, for those Shepelkirt worshippers out there. I would recommend it to anyone interested in these subjects.



Jonas Schiött
Göteborg

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