I recently acquired a print copy of
Simon Washbourne’s Barbarians of Lemuria (Legendary Edition)
and was pleasantly satisfied by many elements within that appealed to
my particular roleplaying game tastes...and might interest readers of
Hobby Games Recce with similar inclinations. The game mechanics and
presentation offer an original swords and sorcery setting with a
basic task resolution system and plenty of room for rich character
development.
I’m a casual fan of the Conan
material from Robert. E. Howard, having enjoyed the original
literature, the comic book series (during a brief foray into that
medium in my misspent youth), and the 1982 John Milius Conan the
Barbarian film interpretation (and other similar sword and
sorcery movie fare). I prefer my fantasy roleplaying with minimal
magic, such as simple cantrips for characters and more powerful,
sinister magic beyond their capability as part of the arch-enemy’s
arsenal. The Barbarians of Lemuria setting incorporates many
of these elements in a well-presented setting without binding them
within the vast Conan continuity (and hence opening itself up to
copyright infringement issues).
Barbarians of Lemuria contains a
host of elements that appeal to me:
Page Count: The game packs
everything needed to play into 104 pages, packed with plenty of
illustrations evocative of the setting, game mechanics, examples,
original monsters, inspirational character creation material, a
gazetteer of the world, and a few short adventures. It’s not as
comprehensive as some gamers might like, but it’s filled with
enough functional mechanics and setting information to stimulate
one’s imagination in creating and running exciting swords and
sorcery adventures.
Accessible Setting: The epic
background for Barbarians of Lemuria fits on two pages and
outlines an epic struggle against the corrupt Sorceror-Kings and
their magical technology. A series of disasters and returns imbue the
land with plenty of ruins, magical mutations, and the promise of
fantastic treasures, all while the Sorceror-Kings sulk on their
island fortress planning their revenge. This epic provides some solid
setting elements for Lemuria: a lost golden age of technology leaving
behind ancient relics and ruins the heroes might explore (a theme
within one of fantasy roleplaying gaming’s first settings, Empire
of the Petal Throne), and distant yet powerful shadow adversaries
to lurk in the background or scheme behind the scenes. Elements of
character creation also tie heroes to locations in the setting or
typical professions in the genre.
Innovative Character Creation:
Building a character focuses on three sets of “stats” (though
one isn’t really a stat at all). In each category players
distribute four points among four different categories, with a value
of zero representing average ability. First players distribute four
points among their attributes: strength, agility, mind, and appeal
(fairly standard characterization concepts). Then they distribute
four points among four combat abilities: brawl, melee, ranged, and
defense. Finally players choose four “heroic careers” from among
20 genre-inspired professions to define their characters’ pasts and
round out their generalized skill sets.
Genre Careers: Career choices
reflect the sword and sorcery genre. Each of the 20 careers includes
a parenthetical alternative, an optional profession label to cover a
similar spin on a career; for instance, it offers “Barbarian (or
Savage),” “Serving Wench (or Courtesan),” and “Thief (or
Rogue).” Brief descriptions offer ideas on relevant skills and
important attributes.
Core Resolution System: Resolving
actions boils down to a player rolling 2D6 to get 9 or higher for
success. Depending on the situation they may add to their roll the
value of relevant attributes, combat abilities, or careers; factors
such as a task difficulty, range, or target’s defense value may
subtract from their die roll. These aren’t huge bonuses, but can
increase through experience. Boons and flaws (see below) enable
players to roll an additional 1D6 in certain circumstances, adding
the two highest results for boons and the two lowest results for
flaws.
Boons & Flaws: Sure, lots of
roleplaying games include some kind of advantage/disadvantage system
in their character creation rules, but Barbarians of Lemuria
presents sets of each for every location that can serve as a hero’s
birthplace, giving them not only some game-specific bonus or penalty
but some material on which to draw in further defining their
character within the setting. Characters get one free boon and can
gain additional boons by taking a flaw or permanently reducing their
Hero Point total.
Hero Points: Here’s another
element used in many other roleplaying games, points characters can
spend during the game to alter situations in their favor. In this
game characters begin with five Hero Points they can use in a variety
of ways within the framework of the core resolution system: to reroll
for a particular task; to alter a basic success into a more powerful
“Mighty Success” or transform that into the ultimate “Legendary
Success”; to shake off wounds or stabilize a dying character; or to
define situational elements in one’s favor (such as finding a loose
stone in a prison cell wall, discovering some useful equipment
nearby, or using a coincidence to their advantage). Characters begin
the game with five Hero Points and gain back those they spent at the
end of an adventure.
Barbarians of Lemuria
also provides the basic framework of many other roleplaying games;
Lifeblood points for tracking health, weapons and armor, a freeform
spell system that reflects the rare nature of magic in the genre,
non-traditional monsters tied to setting locations, and one-sentence
descriptions of various gods of Lemuria. It’s a complete game, but
relies on experienced gamemasters and players to work together to use
the rules to create a play environment that works for them.
Almost Overlooked
I must admit I passed over this game in
its earlier incarnations despite the author’s excellent reputation
for interesting games. Washbourne’s produced a host of small,
independent, and often innovative roleplaying games. His 1940 –
England Invaded! caught my eye when it first emerged as part of the
24-Hour RPG challenge and when he released a free PDF version with
more substance; it satisfies my interest in WWII themes, in this case
with a fantastic alternate-history twist.
I downloaded one of the earlier, free
versions of Barbarians of Lemuria in PDF format when it first
appeared, hoping for something a bit more satisfying than the d20
officially licensed Conan material available at the time. My
ambivalence toward earlier editions probably stemmed from an
uninspiring layout and mediocre artwork, though the author deserves
credit for creating his own illustrations in those versions. These
factors – PDF and uninspired artwork – led me to overlook it
after an initial perusal; hence it languished unread in some archived
folder on my laptop, as do many worthy and unworthy gaming PDFs,
since I prefer to read the old-fashioned way from printed books than
transient words on a screen.
In fairness the Legendary Edition of
the rules has overcome these two drawbacks. The new illustrations,
while remaining relatively basic line art, evokes characters and
scenes characteristic of the sword and sorcery genre. Having the
option of obtaining a print version means I can sit down and read it
without the often mind-numbing hypnosis of passive words on my
computer screen, easily flipping back and forth around pages to
cross-reference game and setting concepts. I noticed a few
refinements in the game mechanics and organization from previous
editions; while the current edition is far from perfect in terms of
organization and layout, it’s clear years of active play and
development have made their positive impression.
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