Which is the best official adaptation of the Lankmar setting of Fafhrd and Gray Mouser?
Savage Worlds or Dungeon Crawl Classics? Or another previous one?
The DCC one looks pretty good, but I have a soft spot in my heart for the AD&D Lankhmar box set, which was fascinating to me because it was the first time I'd seen the D&D rules being toolkitted to fit a specific setting. It opened my eyes to the fact that this sort of thing could be done.
And I mean, besides that, it was quite a good presentation of the setting, too.
Quote from: RPGPundit;1091826The DCC one looks pretty good, but I have a soft spot in my heart for the AD&D Lankhmar box set, which was fascinating to me because it was the first time I'd seen the D&D rules being toolkitted to fit a specific setting. It opened my eyes to the fact that this sort of thing could be done.
And I mean, besides that, it was quite a good presentation of the setting, too.
Apart from the city map with those annoying empty boxes. Just looked awful. But the book was well done - it's just a shame the oddities of Lankhmar did not port well into AD&D (or should that be "The oddities of AD&D did not really suit Lankhmar"?) I enjoyed it, but it felt somehow not quite right. And the follow up adventures were a bit of a mess. I'd give it a 7/10.
I agree that TSR's Lankhmar: City of Adventure was quite good (it even had Fritz Leiber's personal seal of approval). I also agree that the "blank spots on the map" idea was cute, but ultimately just annoying and spoiled an otherwise great city map. Ruleswise, of course, D&D is an awkward fit for Lankhmar, but as setting material goes it was great. It sounds like Adventures in Middle Earth did a great job of adapting 5e to get the feel of Middle Earth right. Maybe someone should try the same thing with Lankhmar.
The first 3-4 releases of the TSR version were terrific; I still use them. The map was a monstrosity - I don't find the empty areas in the least bit cute. Just lazy setting creation and bad graphic design.
I think Pundit is referring to the 1996 "Lankhmar: New Adventures of Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser" boxed set, which was a standalone AD&D variant designed by Shane Lacy Hensley (who'd return to the setting with the SW version) and edited by Steve Miller. I went through the first six Lankhmar books based on Miller's recommendation of the series (I was a fan of his Dragonlance: Fifth Age and Ravenloft work) and found them well-done, but ultimately too lurid and amoral for my tastes.
I have a preference for the Savage Worlds version, but I like the DCC version as well for scenario ideas and fluff. The preference for the SW version comes down to me liking that system more than DCC.
What's the story with the maps w/blank spots?
Quote from: kythri;1091918What's the story with the maps w/blank spots?
http://www.stemedcaucus2.org/lankhmar-map/ (http://www.stemedcaucus2.org/lankhmar-map/)
Click any of the images in the top row and you'll see.
Quote from: kythri;1091918What's the story with the maps w/blank spots?
They were intended to be filled with random geomorphs by the DM.
Quote from: TKurtBond;1091946They were intended to be filled with random geomorphs by the DM.
Thank you!
I think the 1e AD&D Lankhmar: City of Adventure supplement did a surprisingly good job, as long as you use the variant rules.