Descent into the Chaos Temple Ruins - Baptism of Fire Rpg Session Report One

 Tonight I was a part of my friend Paul's Baptism of Fire Rpg game campaign one shot adventure. We were playing knights tonight tracking down a chaos cult of 'Mercury' & came face to face with a huge vault of Chaos slime. In the back woods of Poland the cult had taken over an underground temple set of ruins left by Elves of another age. 

We ran into undead and the lethality of the Baptism of Fire game came to the fore as we lost 2 PC's to a horde of zombies. The underground air was oppressive & dangerous with some pockets of poison gas.  We had to hurry through because the torches kept going out when we encountered a pond of highly dangerous Chaos slime! 

The cult of Mercury itself was fully lifted from Dark Albion's Cults of Chaos. This is when we encountered several Chaos mutant fighter guards 2nd level. There was some hard going as we were restricted to a bottle neck. 

 When we cleared out the horrors and came into the Roman style temple were artifacts and statues of weird silver surrounding an Elven Lich. One of our hirelings went down under a hail of weird energies from the lich! We moved forward and pressed on! Two more mutants fell under our swords as we burnt up the scrolls of the lich. And then the lich retreated cursing two other of our knights! We burnt everything in the temple, recovered several spell books, and mapped out the temple location so far. 
We think that DM Paul is going to connect this adventure with The Pundit Files II The Dead City. By A. Changing the adventure's location and linking up with the tunnel that the cultists and Elves were using. 

Impressions Of Sword & Caravan By The RPG Pundit From Mad Scribe Games As OSR Campaign

  "Sword & Caravan is an OSR setting book for playing a historically accurate fantasy campaign set in the East along the region known as "the Silk Road" at the turn of the 12th/13th Centuries. This historic campaign's timeline is set amid the turbulent era between the Third Crusade and the Mongol Invasions. This marked Europe's earliest period of post-classical interaction with the East."

 

"As Players, you may decide to take on the roles of crusaders, merchants, or explorers traveling to ancient and mysterious lands. Alternatively, you may choose from any number of unique character concepts native to those lands."

 With a detailed gazetteer of every region along the Silk Road from the Crusader States and the Muslim world to China, Sword & Caravan gives you everything you need to explore the history and varied cultures of a region filled with war, intrigue, commerce, and conquests."

The hardback of Sword & Caravan By The RPG Pundit From Mad Scribe Games just arrived today from Drivethrurpg. With my birthday coming up in a couple of days my wife grabbed a copy off of Drivethrurpg & it just arrived today. What a beautiful book & perfect for any historical or OSR gamer out there.  Sword & Caravan takes place on the ancient Silk Road. And Sword & Caravan is completely OSR but could act as sourcebook for either Dark Albion the OSR setting book  or the  Lion & Dragon the Rpg 

Everything within Sword & Caravan is geared around the 'Silk Road' from the Silk Road of China & the middle East as campaign setting, to adventure hooks set around the whole affair. Sword & Caravan isn't pulling punches with lots & lots of detail about the Silk Road itself from most of the major & minor towns, cities, and setting all detailed. Sword & Caravan follows the major conceit of Lion & Dragon & Dark Albion notably that the major race detailed for PC's is human. The whole of Sword & Caravan is humancentic & so it should be. What is the 'Silk Road' that we're talking about here?! Well, according to the Silk Road wiki entry; "The Silk Road (Chinese: 絲綢之路)^[1] was a network of Eurasian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century.^[2] Spanning over 6,400 kilometers (4,000 miles), it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and religious interactions between the East and West.^[3][4][5] First coined in the late 19th century, the name "Silk Road" has fallen into disuse among some modern historians in favor of Silk Routes, which more accurately describes the intricate web of land and sea routes connecting East and Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, Central Asia, the Middle East, East Africa and Europe.^[2]" 

We get most of the major cities, towns, oasises, deserts, ruins, & tons of details in one hundred ninety five pages with an index built in. And plenty of adventure hooks thrown in. Do youself a favor & get the hardback its well worth the money. This makes up for the terrible version of Drivethrurpg's Invisible College. We get Greece, China, and many places inbetween in Sword & Caravan. Plus we get most of the major PC classes from these and other places. Sword & Caravan creates its atmosphere by being straight up & really well presented.  Sword & Caravan By The RPG Pundit presents its world, campaign setting, etc. in a straight forward no nonsense manner. There's no side hustles here, the history in Sword & Caravan is right on the money, the writing crisp and too the point. The history is accurate & on point. 

Sword & Caravan is easily one of the better OSR sourcebook on the market. The book is beautifully done, the layout clear, the writing is hard core on the history coming alive under the author's pen. 
Sword & Caravan is a labor of love and it's on point offering its readers a glimpse into a word of it's witnessing. 
Sword & Caravan offer a nicce alternative campaign setting to the usual OSR campaign books on the market. 

Sword & Caravan By The RPG Pundit From Mad Scribe Games Is Availabe Here 

The Cult of Elemental Evil Rises - Looking At Lion & Dragon & Adventurer, Conqeuror, King's By This Axe

 So looking deeper into the lore of  ACK's By This Axe I Rule, where some of the Dwarven Kingdoms of  destabilized Europe are dealing with the rise of cult of elemental evil. This is something that we've covered on the blog here.  The tool of these forces of Chaos are of course the humanoid armies now under the effects of the increased spread of the temple's influence from Germany's Black Forrest.

The Old Race such as the Elves, Dwarves, and other races are acting through thier trade representives  in Europe and on the Silk Road ala Sword & Caravan. This is where the half breed races of the Old Races come into play. These are the traders, the entertainers, the courriers, the advisors, etc to all of the royal courts of Europe. And these PC's and beings are not necessarily the products of rape, or even intermarriage. They could be creatures of sorcerous origin ala the old European myths & legends of changelings. 

Alexander Marcus shared this earlier on Twitter and here we see the rules for ACK's crossbreeding of species. 

What's really important here is that for the forces of Chaos. They can literally generate pig faced Orcs, Goblins, etc. all quite nicely from thier generators. This helps to explain the rapid expansion of the humanoids found in B2 The Keep on the Borderland by Gary Gygx. The source breeds true of the alignment of the creation of the magus or arcane spell caster. 
Could these same rules also apply to shamans & the like?! They sure could if the DM wants them too! This opens up the floor for all kinds of humanoids crossbreeding  thier own champions. This coud help to explain the rising number of orges & near human horrors that Chaos armies seem to create almost over night. 

And these numbers of humanoids could be the raiders that could be cutting off the economic life blood of the Silk Blood to Europe. The forces of Chaos are literally tearing the economic life blood of the entire block of Western civilization. The edges of Western civilization might be ACK's Capital of the Borderlands. 

The edges of the Middle East could stand in for ACK's  Cyfaraun, ancient capital of the borderlands. The Roman empire is long gone and a moderate group of royals now rules the former empire of  Cyfaraun just before the Mongols take all much later on.The events after TSR's B2 Keep on the Borderlands remain. The events in Capital of the Borderlands take place as the two merge as the cult of Elemental Evil rises in both the East and the West. 
Raids along the Silk Road really begin to take thier toll as the humanoid forces wage both literal and ecnonmic warfare on all of Western & Near Eastern Europe. The Middle East takes centerstage. 

The old Roman network of fortresses becomes incredibly important and only with the Dwarven royals help can Europe be saved.

The Corruption of Europe in T1-4 Temple of Elemental Evil By Gary Gygax & Frank Mentzer - Looking At Lion & Dragon & Adventurer, Conqeuror, King's By This Axe

 So today has been a day where T1-4 Temple of Elmental Evil by Gary Gygax & Frank Mentzer has been on my mind. We're gonna pick it up from here on the blog.  Over the last couple of days we've been going over original Dungeons & Dragons. However something remains on my mind as a DM would the rise in humanoid populations dramatically within the campaign?! Possibly especially given the fact that events would center near the line of ancient human fortresses on the Borderlands near the Black Forrests of Germany. 

Because to the Dwarven nations of  ACK's By This Axe I Rule  these fortresses are brand new lines of defenses. And they can't understand why the humans of B2 & T1 have let these defenses go soft after the fall of the Roman empire. 
Is an economic downturn really what the cult of Elemental Evil wants for Europe?! In a short answer. Yes! Fast breeding humanoid cultures fresh out of the generation pits would be a horror to anyone they run across. The cult is trying to whip up any dark energies that they can. 
And this is something we see time and again with the Caves of Chao! The rise of Chaos in ACK's based games is centered around humanoids. And this could easily apply to the Europe of Dark Albion's setting.  

And this predicates the fact that many of the horrors rising within Europe could indicate that the ancient monsters know as dragons could awaken across Europe. And be ready to blast the advancing humanoid armies to restore the balance. And this ties directly into Sword & Caravan 's commentaries. The boundry of the Silk Road is more then a mere economic life line of trade in Europe. It could well be an ancient route where history and myth meet. The Romans knew it and tried to keep the ancient Pagan forces predicated. 

The cult of elemental evil's cultists have been working hard to corrupt officials across Europe. They work behind the scenes of both peasant & king alike. They bribe, corrupt, and bring to heel those they can. 
Asassinations, distruption of infrastructure systems, etc. are all through them where and when they can. 

The other forces that are on the move are the more covert menaces. The monkey wreckers and mercenaries who are only to happy to take the elemental evil's coin. 

Little do the 'useful idiots' realize just how disposable that they are. And the 'Elvish' race has little rational of it's place in the scheme of events as some groups of cultists are from thier ranks. 

Dwarves, Elves, and The Growing Threat of The Cult of Elemental Evil - Looking At Lion & Dragon & Adventurer, Conqeuror, King's By This Axe

 So let's pick this blog post up from here.  T1 The Village of Hommlet's events are happening deep with the Black Forrest of Germany. And while the rest of Europe is getting to engulf itself into war. The old races of Adventurerer,Conqueror King such as the Elves, Dwarves, and other Fey races are becoming aware that something sees it's opportunity to sieze Europe. If we go with ACK's By This Axe I Rule then the Dwarves really are one of the most advanced cultures under Europe. 

And is Europe actually in the middle of an economic downturn during the events of the Dark Albion rpg setting?! The facts presented within  Sword & Caravan might seem to indicate so. The trade of the Silk Road is helping to keep Europe's markets vitalized. And the barbarians see this as a prime opportunity. And what about the Elves?! The usual D&D Elves are not the wonderful stewards of nature that we usually associate with nobleness, goodness, and purity in ACK's or Dark Albion. 
Instead I'd say that the Elves have been literally living off the corpse of the ancient Pagan gods. God who were the original Elves that enslaved mankind eons ago. 

The Dwarves see through this ruse and so the friction that we've see over & over in popculture is solidly real. Why?! Because the Elven gods are locked out of our normal space time. The Elves of the ACK's Europe setting are ripe to be fed upon. Elves in this setting are literally a walking magical herd. 
And the cult of Elemental Evil are quite literally the Elven gods and worse waiting for the harvest. 

The Silk Road here in Europe is the literal life blood route for stopping the events of T1-4 Temple of Elemental Evil. Mankind is fighting among itself for the usual reasons & the violence has awaited it. War & violence call these dark powers like a starving man to a buffet. 

And we see that sucession, bloodlines, and more play into this especially in Axioms Issue 19: Cohorts & Dynasties.This can be a critical detail for PC's who are a part of the upper royal circles. Perhaps its only the rulers who are really aware of the horror that is growing in thier own backyards. And to what end?! Next time the cost of Europe in corruption & manpower. 

'T1 & The Elven Deception' - Lion & Dragon, Adventurer, Conqueror,King rpg, & Lamentations of the Flame Princess Rpg

 So let's pick this up from yesterday with T1 & why the adventure context is so important here. The implication in T1 is that Hommlet is tired & so are the adventurers. In point of fact thier described as haggard & down on thier last gold piece. This is a Europe ravaged by war. 
And this brings us to the Elves who surround this Dark Europe campaign. And here's where Lamentations of the Flame Princess comes into play just not in the way you might be thinking. 

In Lamentations because it's based on Frank Mentzer's B/X we have Elves who are better then you at everything. And this is as it should be. Elves are extremely long lived, they have better abilities then humans, etc. Why?! 
Because Elves are entirely alien to our space time continuum. This isn't hyperbole because within mythology they were. 
The Elven courts are trying to pass themselves as nobles & kings to heads of state of Europe. And for the most part they are correct they are. 
However the Elven gods were behind them & they were cruel. Cruel in every sense of the word. 
And the abuse continues right down the line here. The Pagan gods of old literally consumed the Elves as per the Lion & Dragon rpg. 

Here we go into the mythology of Elves and look into the Encyclopedia Britannica website's definition from here;"elf, plural Elves, in Germanic folklore, originally, a spirit of any kind, later specialized into a diminutive creature, usually in tiny human form. In the Prose, or Younger, Edda, elves were classified as light elves (who were fair) and dark elves (who were darker than pitch); these classifications are roughly equivalent to the Scottish seelie court and unseelie court. The notable characteristics of elves were mischief and volatility. They were believed at various times and in various regions to cause diseases in humans and cattle, to sit upon the breast of a sleeper and give him bad dreams (the German word for nightmare is Alpdrücken, or “elf-pressure”), and to steal human children and substitute changelings (deformed or weak elf or fairy children). In the British Isles, flint implements called elf-bolts, elf-arrows, or elf-shot (which are now known to be prehistoric tools used by the aboriginal Irish and the early Scots) were believed to be the weapons with which elves injured cattle. Elves occasionally also were benevolent and helpful. The second edition of Encyclopædia Britannica, which was published in 1777–84, calls the word elf obsolete but reports that belief in such creatures “still subsists in many parts of our own country. . . In the Highlands of Scotland, new-born children are watched till the christening is over, lest they should be stolen or changed by some of these phantastical existences.” In time, elves came to be indistinct from fairies, though both older classics—such as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s poem “Der Erlkönig” (“The Elf King”)—and such modern classics as J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings (1954–55) still treat elves as a distinct type." 

The Elves of the world's most popular rpg are literally former vessal Fairy states of the Old Gods. Royal vessals who have been filling thier ranks by switching out human babies for changlings. We know that the Elven strong holds are in England, Spain, the Netherlands, Germany, etc. Yet why would the Elves be interested in human conflict & war?! Brecause for all these centuries the Elven courts of Seelie & Unseelie  been filling thier ranks with humans who have become Elves. 

The answers to these and other horrors are located under the former homes of the late Roman Empire. This was all explained away as 'barbarian invasions' & 'battles of historical conflict'. Yet ACK's Secrets of the Nethercity contains some truth of what the Elven tribes were up too. 

What do the Elven courts offer the heads of Europe during these conflicts?! Besides logicistical advice, war support, & magickal assistence?! Well, they offer the supernatural element all of the while fighting proxy wars through their human puppets. And entire villages disappear amid the fog of war & yet no one questions it. Those who adventurer are not even aware of the fact that this goes on. Elven adventurers are the exception and not the rule. They are seen from time to time acting as agents along the Silk Road for the Elven nations & as traders. 

Not all Elven nations are in on the use of humanity to stoke the fires of human civilization. And these are few & far between but they have their own problems with the Fey & the Unseelie courts (BTW human definitations). And the Dwarves know of all this & hence their contempt for the Elves. Axioms Compendium Volume 2: 9 - 16 contains the "“The Fetid Crypt of Anatu the Defiler”, an ACKS adventure; 9 new monsters, including faeries, nymphs, and nosferatu; 5 new character classes, including the dread priestesses of Nasga and the Nosferatu scion". This adventure reveals some of the underlying horror of the Elves past. 

You see the Elves have a secret & that is that they live in mortal fear of their ancient Pagan god masters returning. And no I'm not talking about Odin, Shiva, etc. No we're talking about the Chthonic gods here. The gods of Chaos & horror that unleashed the orcs & the black orcs on the Earth as well as the other humanoid races of ACK's. 
And T1 & B2 Keep on the Borderlands are ground zero for their return. The cult of elemental evil is alive and within the Moathouse in the Black Forrest. Because everything centers around Hommlet & that Keep in B2. But this is merely the beginning. Stay tuned as we dive further into this. 

T1 The Evil of the Moat House - Looking At Lion & Dragon & Adventurer, Conqeuror, King's By This Axe

 

So we're going to pick it right up from here on the Lion & Dragon: Medieval Authentic OSR Roleplaying By RPG Pundit. And this post here from a couple of weeks ago on the blog.  And incorporate a few ideas from last night's T1 Village of Hommlet blog post here.  Let's just forget Greyhawk for a second & imagine for a moment that we've got a Dark Europe here with Dwarves,Elves, etc. Screw Cowards of the Coast from now on. 

Now imagine that Dwarves are real and they've been around since the time of the very beginning of the world. They've watched mankind rise and fall again then the cycle start again. The Dwarves have been there since before the Floods & the fall of Atlantis. And their still in the Adventurer,Conqueror, King rpg game version of Lion & Dragon. They have colonies within the the North Pennines & Cumbria etc. in England.

They have withdrawn from mankind but occassionally act through human agents to sell their ores and wares. They do this all along the Silk Road discussed within  Sword & Caravan. Here we have a similar situation with the Elves. And then the ACK's dynamic changes because we see that Elves, Dwarves, etc. are acting through human agents. Kings & Queens are still seek these Elder Races out because of the magical qualities of their ore. Axioms Issue 17: Ore Never Changes goes into exactly what this does to a campaign.

 

And these ores have  been sought by Roman generals, Persian princes, etc. the lines are endless. Hence another reason why the Elder Races have withdrawn. But the spectre of war never changes & the effects on weaponry is explored in issue Axioms Issue 20: of Arms and Armor.

And while the spectre of war is looming all of Europe is not even aware of the greater threat looming within the Black Forrest of Germany. And that threat is evident by the Moathouse of T1. Europe has forgotten the cult of Elemental Evil which sent the whole of Europe burning ages ago. Humanity has a very fickle brain. And before that it was the Froggy cult which might still be out there. 

Looking At Lion & Dragon: Medieval Authentic OSR Roleplaying By RPG Pundit & Axioms Issue#19 For Adventurer, Conqueror, King Rpg

 "Lion & Dragon is a Medieval Authentic OSR game. Until now, you only thought you were playing "medieval fantasy"! With Lion & Dragon, the rules of the original tabletop RPG have been adapted to create a more historically authentic medieval experience, to reflect the grittier and yet more mythic world of a magical medieval Europe. L&D includes new rules governing social class and materials on culture to help a GM craft a world that feels closer to the world of the 100-years war or the War of the Roses. It has a grittier and more dangerous feel to reflect the cheapness of life at the time."


" Also included are sections on medieval economics, law & justice, and chapters with monsters and magical items based on authentic medieval legends. Finally, a completely revamped magic system is based on actual grimoire-magic as the medieval magicians really envisioned it. From the creator of Dark Albion, Lion & Dragon will have you discovering real medieval fantasy for the very first time. (Publisher's note: Lion & Dragon is a complete OSR game in itself. However, even if you prefer to stick with traditional fantasy RPGs featuring dwarves, elves, spellcasters, and the like, L&D can still provide a lot of options that will help you give much flavor to a more usual campain world. For example, the sections on alchemy, herbal medicines, poisons, or law & justice, could be imported in any other fantasy game.)"

Now that the Cowards of the Coast business has died down tonight I've gotten back into the Lion & Dragon: Medieval Authentic OSR Roleplaying By RPG Pundit. Why?! There are several reasons the least of which is the fact the magick system has everything we need for a ritual magick system that catters to the Medieval gamer crowd. A crowd  whose looking into the same terrority that we've done with Dark Albion in the past. And the real question becomes can we add bits & pieces of Lion & Dragon into Adventurer, Conqueror, King over the next few months. The short answer is yes.
And the reason for this is wanting to work with Sword & Caravan as a campaign setting. And most of this is of course at this particular time a mental exercise. 

There's lots of opportunities in Sword & Caravan to drop several of Axiom Issue # 19  rules for  dynasties, including birth, succession, blood rights, and more for establishing familial trade dynasties within several Silk Road locations. ACK's brings the details while Lion & Dragon brings the Medieval grittiness. There have been rumbles of merchant commerce & the PC's wanting to trade on the Silk Road far more then we've done in the past. 

Medieval China offers plenty of opportunities for both adventure & as a possible fantasy location for PC's to get into a wide variety of trouble. ACK's is a huge scope & breath for OSR adventuring. The  roles of crusaders, priests, monks, smerchants, or explorers are primed for a campaign of exploration & opportunity. 

OSR Commentary - Happy International E. Gary Gygax Day!

Everytime you sit down to design a dungeon or break open the first edition  Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Player's Handbook or the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Master's Guide your celebrating Gary Gygax day. 

Every single time you sit down at a rpg convention for a classic Dungeons & Dragons module such as Keep of the Borderlands your celebrating Gary Gygax day. And each year that Mr.Gygax's passing get's a bit further away in time.He seems to slip from our collective memories. Or does he?! 
The truth is that even though outfits like Wizards of the Coast & their corporate owners Hasbro would like us to forget about Gary E.Gygax & David Lance  Arneson. We who carry our dice knowing the legacy that Dungeons & Dragons & Advanced Dungeons & Dragons first edition  brings with the game. 
But do we need a E. Gary Gygax day? In a word yes, the legacy of  both  Gary E.Gygax & David Lance  Arneson needs to be preserved. Not through days but games or events of original Dungeons & Dragons, B/X Dungeons & Dragons, as well as Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. 
Otherwise their memories will fade like the morning due and these wonderful games origins will be forgotten. Bearing this in mind everyday is Traveller day, E.Gary Gygax day, David Lance Arneson, & every other creator's day who put pen to paper to create these wonderful games. 

Node Cities & Starting Points For The Sword & Caravan By The RPG Pundit From Mad Scribe Games As OSR Campaign

Is Sword & Caravan all that exotic within today's OSR?! Yes & no, there haven't been too many rpg product that have come across my desk that explore the Silk Road in detail. Sword & Caravan fits this niche nicely. This blog entry picks right up from here. 

Sword & Caravan is epic history along the Silk Road & the supplement does it in a compact yet  divisive way. Why do I say divisive?! Because of the very nature of Sword & Caravan where the PC are travelers,merchants, explorers  upon the Silk Road. And within this the OSR campaign is woven. But where is the Silk Road & why has it been critical to Eastern & Western civilization? Well according to the Silk Road wiki entry; "First coined in the late 19th century, the name "Silk Road" has fallen into disuse among some modern historians in favor of Silk Routes, which more accurately describes the intricate web of land and sea routes connecting East and Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, Central Asia, the Middle East, East Africa and Europe." And this was the case going back to the Mongol Empire &  up until the rise of the Ottoman Empire in 1473.  This leads to massive expansion for an OSR campaign stretching across the ages on the Silk Road. Sword & Caravan set's this up quite nicely. And this leads to one of the single most important cities of the Silk Road & that's Baghad. The Round city of Baghdad between 767 and 912 was the most important urban node along the Silk Road.

The Round city of Baghdad between 767 and 912 is the perfect central urban point to start a Sword & Caravan campaign. The adventurers can be of the higher social strata making their way in the world along with their staff.
Used with either or both Lion & Dragon or Dark Albion, Sword & Caravan offers at completely different setting then the usual dungeon crawling but there's also plenty of opportunities for that as well. All along the route of the Silk Road are hub or node cities that benefit from the trade & caravans that make up the life blood of the route.. The Round City of Baghdad is a perfect example of this style of urban location. This trade is the heart & soul of the Silk Road according to wiki; "

The expansion of the Parthian Empire, which stretched from eastern Anatolia to Afghanistan, provided a bridge to East Africa and the Mediterranean, particularly the nascent Roman Empire. By the early first century CE, Chinese silk was widely sought-after in Rome, Egypt, and Greece.^[2] Other lucrative commodities from the East included tea, dyes, perfumes, and porcelain; among Western exports were horses, camels, honey, wine, and gold. Aside from generating substantial wealth for emerging mercantile classes, the proliferation of goods such as paper and gunpowder greatly altered the trajectory of various realms, if not world history."

Sword & Caravan By The RPG Pundit From Mad Scribe Games Is Availabe Here 

First Impressions Of Sword & Caravan By The RPG Pundit From Mad Scribe Games As OSR Campaign

 "Sword & Caravan is an OSR setting book for playing a historically accurate fantasy campaign set in the East along the region known as "the Silk Road" at the turn of the 12th/13th Centuries. This historic campaign's timeline is set amid the turbulent era between the Third Crusade and the Mongol Invasions. This marked Europe's earliest period of post-classical interaction with the East."

 

"As Players, you may decide to take on the roles of crusaders, merchants, or explorers traveling to ancient and mysterious lands. Alternatively, you may choose from any number of unique character concepts native to those lands."

 With a detailed gazetteer of every region along the Silk Road from the Crusader States and the Muslim world to China, Sword & Caravan gives you everything you need to explore the history and varied cultures of a region filled with war, intrigue, commerce, and conquests."

The hardback of Sword & Caravan By The RPG Pundit From Mad Scribe Games just arrived today from Drivethrurpg. With my birthday coming up in a couple of days my wife grabbed a copy off of Drivethrurpg & it just arrived today. What a beautiful book & perfect for any historical or OSR gamer out there.  Sword & Caravan takes place on the ancient Silk Road. And Sword & Caravan is completely OSR but could act as sourcebook for either Dark Albion the OSR setting book  or the  Lion & Dragon the Rpg 

Everything within Sword & Caravan is geared around the 'Silk Road' from the Silk Road of China & the middle East as campaign setting, to adventure hooks set around the whole affair. Sword & Caravan isn't pulling punches with lots & lots of detail about the Silk Road itself from most of the major & minor towns, cities, and setting all detailed. Sword & Caravan follows the major conceit of Lion & Dragon & Dark Albion notably that the major race detailed for PC's is human. The whole of Sword & Caravan is humancentic & so it should be. What is the 'Silk Road' that we're talking about here?! Well, according to the Silk Road wiki entry; "The Silk Road (Chinese: 絲綢之路)^[1] was a network of Eurasian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century.^[2] Spanning over 6,400 kilometers (4,000 miles), it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and religious interactions between the East and West.^[3][4][5] First coined in the late 19th century, the name "Silk Road" has fallen into disuse among some modern historians in favor of Silk Routes, which more accurately describes the intricate web of land and sea routes connecting East and Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, Central Asia, the Middle East, East Africa and Europe.^[2]" 

We get most of the major cities, towns, oasises, deserts, ruins, & tons of details in one hundred ninety five pages with an index built in. And plenty of adventure hooks thrown in. Do youself a favor & get the hardback its well worth the money. This makes up for the terrible version of Drivethrurpg's Invisible College. We get Greece, China, and many places inbetween in Sword & Caravan. Plus we get most of the major PC classes from these and other places. Sword & Caravan creates its atmosphere by being straight up & really well presented.  Sword & Caravan By The RPG Pundit presents its world, campaign setting, etc. in a straight forward no nonsense manner. There's no side hustles here, the history in Sword & Caravan is right on the money, the writing crisp and too the point. The history is accurate & on point. 

Sword & Caravan is easily one of the better OSR sourcebook on the market. The book is beautifully done, the layout clear, the writing is hard core on the history coming alive under the author's pen. 
Sword & Caravan is a labor of love and it's on point offering its readers a glimpse into a word of it's witnessing. 
Sword & Caravan offer a nicce alternative campaign setting to the usual OSR campaign books on the market. 

Sword & Caravan By The RPG Pundit From Mad Scribe Games Is Availabe Here