Retro Review of Atlantis: The Lost World Source Book By Bard Games For Your Old School Campaigns Part II

When it came to the second age of Atlantis and a DM needed monsters and creature only Bard's Games's
Bestiary fit the bill. This book was the second section of the Atlantis: The Lost World Rpg Source Book and it has a ton of material in it. From mythology to created creatures the Bestiary delved into them all weaving its monsters and races through a  kaleidoscope of imaginary races and beasts all the way to the pits of Hell itself.  Here's a break down from Wayne's Books; "Return to the second age of Atlantis to a time when  the race of men was young, and giants still walked the earth... when ancient dragons lay sleeping beneath the ocean waves, and the woods of Avalon and Stonehenge were alive with the haunting songs of the magical Sidhe. Encounter the strange and wondrous inhabitants of a bygone age in the Bestiary.
Includes:
• The Alicanto, a fabulous bird that feeds on precious metals
• The Zephyr, beautiful winged folk from the Continent of Mu
• The Hantu, so-called "earth-bound demons" of legend
• The Ahl-at-Rab, reptilian rulers of the desert sands
• The Kraken, fearsome monsters of the deep
• The Zazir, diminutive and industrious creators of nature's wonders
• And many, many more...

With a separate section for fantasy role players, featuring stats for hundreds of monsters and wild animals, lists of encounters, and much more..."

If you were reading Dragon magazine in Eighty Eight then you were thumbing past advertisements and adds for Atlantis: The Lost World Source Book By Bard Games which contained two different source books under one cover and it was great value for the money. Make no mistake the book was strongly influenced by both Hollywood films such as Clash of the Titans, Legend, and many others.

 This book was packed and it was wall to wall artwork and background, there's a ton of the Atlantis splat book background campaign history in each of the creature sections with special attention paid to the Fey, fairy races, and old world mythological resources strained through the lens of the Atlantis setting.

 There were a ton of races, setting details, adventure hooks, possible religious and magick bits sprinkled though out the book and it covered everything including Undead, Atlantis: The Lost World had its own internal rpg house system that dove tailed right into the resources of the Arcanum

 Races got a first class treatment in this book with incredibly in depth entries perfect for sword and sorcery games set during the second age of Atlantis, there were non human cities, maps, settings, and more waiting for the dungeon master to cherry pick what they needed or wanted. Best of all the book could be used with OD&D, AD&D 1st edition, Runequest, Tunnels and Trolls and other games on the market with several conversion charts included.

 There were hints and suggestions of how the placement of monsters was done in the entries for each of these races of creatures within the bounds of Atlantis and beyond. Most of the entire Old World was used or at least Atlantian analog places and settings. The book went into some detail with a bit of history about the monsters and not even the undead were spared. The artwork is wacky, black and white line art but it fits the spare and leanness of the world of Atlantis.

 The giant races had a ton of detail and added several bits to their mythology making them prime antagonists and a playable race as well. This was one of the differences to other monster manuals of the time. The Atlantis books treated the creatures as more then mere cannon or dungeon fodder they were races with history, traditions, and culture behind them some going back thousands of years.

 Humanoid races were treated differently as well drawing down solid legends and backgrounds to the usual suspects. Sure the orcs analogs were there but there were desert dwelling serpent men and horrors beyond count waiting to murder adventurers in the night.

 Demonic and semi demonic races were also in evidence with all of their own charms and legends surrounding them. These horrors spoke of the mating of man and something else. There's more then a bit of Lovecraft and Robert Howard between the lines here in the monster entries but stats for these creatures are way in the back of the book.

 Monsters including the usual suspects such as the Dwarves and Elves of D&D fame are here as well closer to their inspiration from mythology and the movie Legend then the Monster Manual.

 Monsters of Earth, Sky, and Water are also here and they're mean as hell too, some of these races have an aura of menace and murder about them in spades enough to give many of the usual suspects from the Fiend Folio a run for their money.

 Werecreatures and horrors of the night are given their due as well, there is a sense that this isn't simply an Alternative age of mythology but something of an alien world entirely. The book reeks of Appendix N style Weird Tales action and in several spots delivers exactly that style of vibe making the Bestiary a perfect resource for OSR games such at Lamenations of the Flame Princess and Dark Albion a perfect fit.

 Remember those various charts and formula from the Compleat Alchemist? Well,  the Magical Hybrids and Constructs chapter has all of those monsters and more. This is one of those sections that the DM in some of the games I played in back in '90 or so were forbidden from referring back to this book for useful tid bits unless the appropriate rolls were made.

 The Monstrosities and Oddities chapter were for a wizard to look through for help with their latest hybrid monsters or worse. Its a particularly good chapter in a book full of bloody useful stuff.

 You get ton of monsters from myth and legend sprinkled though out the product and it really lets the DM know the details of a species without bogging down heavily on the gaming aspects of the creatures and monsters it describes.

 The undead are treated with something akin to respect and a sense of horror that just can get under your skin very quickly when you realize the full implications for adventurers. Ghouls are very Lovecraftian with a hint of menace from legend. Use some of these with some caution they can cause a lot of damage.

 Speaking of damage one difference with the religions of Atlantis as an appendix the PC's have full breath and depth of the setting's faiths. This makes this chapter something the clerics in the party are going to thumb though.

 Devils, demons and the infernal races get their due along with the spirit realms of Atlantis: The Lost World  setting. There's a ton of details here including infernal rulers, monsters, a lot of Atlantian occult details and more.

 Lots of the spiritual entities are given full fleshed out entries along with highlighted bullet points about bits and pieces of their full identities and place  within the spirit realms.

 The rulers and entities of the Elemental planes are also in evidence and their chapter opens up all kinds of possible alternative plane hopping and crousing on adventurers parts.

 The Genie, demons, and other horrors of the Abyss and the various Atlantian Hells are mean , dangerous, and can cause adventurers incedible amounts of stress and death.

 Many of the Earthbound demons are a part of the setting's spiritual realms as well as the various campaign and setting material driving the overarching plot in the landscape of  Atlantis enabling a DM to play merry havoc with adventurers out in the wilds.

 The sheer variety of monsters can be a bit overwhelming and placement is critical, there are several key points and even a smaller monster driven adventures are easily handled with handy tables and charts referencing everything into easily read sections of material.

Even the realms of the dead get their due and some of the cosmology issues of earlier edition games are elegantly handled in the Atlantis books. This also means that games such Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea can easily benefit from the Atlantis: The Lost World Source Book because the material is easy to convert and with a little fifth grade math can be used for all kinds of adventure design and custom old school adventure builds.

 There's a sense of completeness about the Atlantis: The Lost World Source Book  as if we know that this book is only one that we're really going to need. Is it any wonder that with such an almost system neutral gaming system within the bounds of this book. This makes book an invaluable resource for the old school gamer who wants to flesh out his own material.

All in all the Atlantis: The Lost World Source Book By Bard Games is a must have for any old school DM or player. The material here is fresh and interesting, as it was in 1988 and can be used with a wide variety of OSR games. The trick is to know how and where to apply the monsters and setting material as the DM needs.

Retro Review of Atlantis: The Lost World Source Book By Bard Games For Your Old School Campaigns Part 1

If you were gaming in Eighty Eight then you might have been lucky enough to pick the old school sword and sorcery sourcebook called Atlantis The Lost World From Bard Games. This book is a combination of both the original text of THE LEXICON (Atlas of the Lost World of Atlantis) and THE BESTIARY (the Atlantean creature compendium),according to Wayne's books Rpg Reference site.  The Lexicon created the setting material for the Atlantis line and
THE ARCANUM held the PC material. THE BESTIARY was the Atlantis Monster Manual and contained a wealth of monsters from myth, legend and some very original monsters.

 The Lexicon contained a wealth of information on the background and setting of the world of Atlantis including history, material, and a ton of background material most of this was generic enough to retrofit into your own AD&D style world but it could be applied to other games such as Tunnels and Trolls, Runequest or your own Rpg system.There was a semi definitive date ,history, and background for Atlantis.  Once again according to Wayne's;"In game terms, a Second Age campaign may begin anytime between the years 150-200 (by Atlantean Second Age reckoning); in modern day terms, this would equate to approximately 15,000 B.C."

 Today we're going to concentrate on the Lexicon aspect of the Atlantis: The Lost World Source Book. We get a nice solid overview of the places and settings of the various races that appeared in the THE ARCANUM. Everything here slots quite nicely into the background and setting of the Bard's Game in house world which has been polished out and expanded. Everything described is generic enough to fit any old school retroclone system.

 The artwork has improved, system and setting history has been scaled back and expanded in certain areas. Much of the material in Atlantis: The Lost World could easily fit your favorite rpg retroclone or AD&D style game with no issue at all. The book is very detailed and well written. The quality of the book is surprising for the era it came out of and much of the matrerial here would fit into a Lamentations pseudo historical world. Even better is the fact that the book's content could be used even with a Dark Albion game campaign.

 Places, governments, and even foreshadowing of Talislanta are all spelled out in this book and then expanded in certain areas of the book. The level of detail in some entries and places is a bit overwhelming but the book doesn't prattle on and instead outlines a number of optional places and peoples. There are sinister hints of things to come and are in the background waiting for adventurers to take full advantage.

 The cartography is exceptional and we get a full range of the city of Atlantis itself including neighborhood by neighbor write up through out this book. There is plenty of factions and city residents and more all waiting to cause a party trouble.

The book focuses on both a little and a lot all in one go and there's a sense of the mystical and Biblical throughout the book. As if we the audience are sitting through a lecture about the Second age from those who lived it.

Countries, settings, high weirdness is all there but there's something else lurking in the backdrop of  Atlantis: The Lost World. The various peoples and quick thumbnails of the various peoples lurking throughout Atlantis: The Lost World.

 When you get right down too it, there are boat loads of maps, details, and more waiting for your DM to incorporate them into their own home grown campaign. This is one of the things that makes the sourcbook work as a whole that all of these pieces fit together as an uneasy puzzle.

 There really something of the sword and sorcery vibrations working its way through the source book.  Atlantis: The Lost World Source Book. That fluff and essence of  Atlantis herself comes through in spades as one reads and thumbs through the  Atlantis: The Lost World Source Book

 There are also a ton of other rules and backgrounds that while optional can be essential in my humble opinion The approach works on several levels through the  Atlantis: The Lost World Source Book
On the whole this is one of the most dynamic and fun books that came out during the Eighties time period. If you can get this book at a good price? Don't even ask just grab it and go to town with a campaign all of your own.  The Atlantis: The Lost World Source Book is an excellent addition to any game campaign or inhouse setting. Bard Games did an excellent job with  The Atlantis: The Lost World Source Book.

Thinking About The Arcanum Second Edition System Rule Book By Vernie Taylor & Stephan Michael Sechi

Back in the dawn of the old school era during the dark halcyon days of Nineteen Eighty Four in various Dragon magazine issues one of the most influential & yet least talked about book series was winding its way through hands of gamers. I'm speaking of The Arcanum  2nd edition  a part of the Atlantean Trilogy this was one of those third party Advanced Dungeons & Dragons products that Gary Gygx warned about!?! Umm no!  Actually it wasn't. The Arcanum  2nd edition book is the foundation for a well put together old school rpg system that has a both decent skill system, a level based PC progression, & an innovative magick system! Something that wouldn't come along again until RoleMaser. 


It took the material that Bard Games had in the Complete Alchemist put it into a new book along with other systems hinted at & touched upon within "The Complete Spellcaster" & "The Complete Adventurer". This made it into a completely different package. What's in this package? 
"Rules covering 8 character races, 32 "professions" (classes), a relatively easy combat system, a large magic and spell section, alchemical creations, and magic items. This edition contains many revisions and new material."

All of this came out right at the height of D&D popularity & the Satanic Panic, the red pentacle on  The Arcanum  2nd edition  book was like giant target for every parent, priest, and preacher around when this book hit the shelves. But the basic systems of  The Arcanum  2nd edition were far easier to grasp then Rolemaster at the time & far more accessible. This book was the first part of the Atlantean Trilogy, released in 1984 (with a 2nd edition in 1985).

The Arcanum  2nd edition hit that sweet spot between mythological, legendary, & semi mythical rpging without shying too far away from AD&D first edition. There were the usual races of Elves, Dwarves, Hobbit analogs to be sure but there were other far more interesting PC choices such as beast men, demon blooded races, etc. The system  mechanics are simple: a basic d20 roll for most results, armor subtracts from damage, etc.  Wizards & magic users were encouraged to stay out of harms way. They are not walking artillery pieces but don't have to memorize spells ala the Vancian system of AD&D. Magic user classes don't do will in one on one confrontations instead they really should have fighter types as associates. This plants the occult muscle squarely in the center of the Ray Harryhausen style of school of magick ala 'The Seventh Voyage of Synbad'. Transformations such as those below were available to Wizards & other magic using classes back in '85. 

There have been a number of incidents when I've run across gamers who resented having a skill based system within a book like the The Arcanum  2nd edition because it went against the grain of AD&D 1st edtion's 'rulings not rules' tradition. As for my players over the years the skill system was simple, innovative, and well within the bounds of our style of D&D. 


The material here is packaged for both the dungeon master & his players with spells keyed into the PC classes, flavored filled occult symbols, minor magicks, etc. all made within the confines of the classic pseudo pop culture mythological world of Atlantis. There are layers & layers of flavor filled text that pump the book into a class by itself. 
 

 
The Arcanum  2nd edition is more of a curiosity piece today then a living & breathing rpg system. Sure there are ton of fans who fondly remember both this book & system but many OSR retroclone systems & products  have overtaken it. But back in '84 it was state of the art! So are there still things worth looking into?! On the whole if you can find a book for less then a hundred dollars & a group willing to invest the time in a system that exists as its own self contained universe then I believe so. Vernie Taylor &  Stephan Michael Sechi  the authors of the The Arcanum  2nd edition book would go on to greater success with Talislanta the spirtual sucessor to Atlantis trilogy.
All in all The Arcanum  2nd edition remains a fine resource for a dungeon master looking for something different then the usual 1st edition material Advanced Dungeons & Dragons material.

If your looking for a far more in depth review I did one back in 2015. This review has all kinds of details about the  ins & outs of the Arcanum system.

For now keep em rolling!

Thinking About The Arcanum Second Edition System Rule Book By Vernie Taylor & Stephan Michael Sechi On A Tuesday

Back in the dawn of the old school era during the dark halcyon days of Nineteen Eighty Four in various Dragon magazine issues one of the most influential & yet least talked about book series was winding its way through hands of gamers. I'm speaking of The Arcanum  2nd edition  a part of the Atlantean Trilogy this was one of those third party Advanced Dungeons & Dragons products that Gary Gygx warned about!?! Umm no!  Actually it wasn't. The Arcanum  2nd edition book is the foundation for a well put together old school rpg system that has a both decent skill system, a level based PC progression, & an innovative magick system! Something that wouldn't come along again until RoleMaser.


It took the material that Bard Games had in the Complete Alchemist put it into a new book along with other systems hinted at & touched upon within "The Complete Spellcaster" & "The Complete Adventurer". This made it into a completely different package. What's in this package?
"Rules covering 8 character races, 32 "professions" (classes), a relatively easy combat system, a large magic and spell section, alchemical creations, and magic items. This edition contains many revisions and new material."

All of this came out right at the height of D&D popularity & the Satanic Panic, the red pentacle on  The Arcanum  2nd edition  book was like giant target for every parent, priest, and preacher around when this book hit the shelves. But the basic systems of  The Arcanum  2nd edition were far easier to grasp then Rolemaster at the time & far more accessible. This book was the first part of the Atlantean Trilogy, released in 1984 (with a 2nd edition in 1985).

The Arcanum  2nd edition hit that sweet spot between mythological, legendary, & semi mythical rpging without shying too far away from AD&D first edition. There were the usual races of Elves, Dwarves, Hobbit analogs to be sure but there were other far more interesting PC choices such as beast men, demon blooded races, etc. The system  mechanics are simple: a basic d20 roll for most results, armor subtracts from damage, etc.  Wizards & magic users were encouraged to stay out of harms way. They are not walking artillery pieces but don't have to memorize spells ala the Vancian system of AD&D. Magic user classes don't do will in one on one confrontations instead they really should have fighter types as associates. This plants the occult muscle squarely in the center of the Ray Harryhausen style of school of magick ala 'The Seventh Voyage of Synbad'. Transformations such as those below were available to Wizards & other magic using classes back in '85.

There have been a number of incidents when I've run across gamers who resented having a skill based system within a book like the The Arcanum  2nd edition because it went against the grain of AD&D 1st edtion's 'rulings not rules' tradition. As for my players over the years the skill system was simple, innovative, and well within the bounds of our style of D&D.


The material here is packaged for both the dungeon master & his players with spells keyed into the PC classes, flavored filled occult symbols, minor magicks, etc. all made within the confines of the classic pseudo pop culture mythological world of Atlantis. There are layers & layers of flavor filled text that pump the book into a class by itself.
 

 
The Arcanum  2nd edition is more of a curiosity piece today then a living & breathing rpg system. Sure there are ton of fans who fondly remember both this book & system but many OSR retroclone systems & products  have overtaken it. But back in '84 it was state of the art! So are there still things worth looking into?! On the whole if you can find a book for less then a hundred dollars & a group willing to invest the time in a system that exists as its own self contained universe then I believe so. Vernie Taylor &  Stephan Michael Sechi  the authors of the The Arcanum  2nd edition book would go on to greater success with Talislanta the spirtual sucessor to Atlantis trilogy.
All in all The Arcanum  2nd edition remains a fine resource for a dungeon master looking for something different then the usual 1st edition material Advanced Dungeons & Dragons material.

If your looking for a far more in depth review I did one back in 2015. This review has all kinds of details about ins & outs of the Arcanum system.

For now keep em rolling!