Has anyone ever converted the setting of Pendragon?

Herne's Son · February 18, 2017, 12:43:35 AM

For a vikings campaign, you'll want to dig up a copy of the old "Land of Giants" supplement. (It was either for 3rd or 4th edition.)

Pendragon is a great core system for any sort of highly dramatic, character driven game. I found myself once toying with using it for a Spaghetti Western game, dealing with homesteaders, the Westward Expansion era, etc. I thought it would have been a lot of fun, and a perfect match for the system. Sadly, my players weren't interested in a Western game.

TrippyHippy · February 18, 2017, 04:36:37 AM

In response to those who have argued for Pendragon as a generic system, the problem lies in the way in which it is set up to simulate a specific setting. Combat for example, assumes that you are going to slog it out with heavyish armour providing much needed protection, while avoiding knock down and the like. There's no kung fu or spanish matador theatrics here. While you could make efforts to adapt it's broader system, you still have to recognise that it's set up is tailored for a specific setting.

Voros · February 18, 2017, 05:27:26 AM

Yeah, I'm a big fan of its combat as it is truly elegant and to use a term from another thread 'realistic' but it is very much based around knight vs. knight.

Matt · February 18, 2017, 10:14:37 AM

Quote from: TrippyHippy;946279In response to those who have argued for Pendragon as a generic system, the problem lies in the way in which it is set up to simulate a specific setting. Combat for example, assumes that you are going to slog it out with heavyish armour providing much needed protection, while avoiding knock down and the like. There's no kung fu or spanish matador theatrics here. While you could make efforts to adapt it's broader system, you still have to recognise that it's set up is tailored for a specific setting.

Works well for many settings without your kung fun and matadors, as noted earlier by several folks who have already used it in ways that show your assertion to be incorrect. You might want to check into the definitions of words such as "specific" and "setting." Or do you think a bat can only be used to play baseball, too?

Thegn Ansgar · February 18, 2017, 12:34:22 PM

Quote from: TrippyHippy;946279In response to those who have argued for Pendragon as a generic system, the problem lies in the way in which it is set up to simulate a specific setting. Combat for example, assumes that you are going to slog it out with heavyish armour providing much needed protection, while avoiding knock down and the like.

That's not really much of a problem in trying to replicate most historical eras though. Armour really does matter in terms of providing protection. In fact, that's one of the reasons why I quite like what I've read in the core book. It really seems to do armour right, even armour that most folks would dub "lighter" such as chain and scale and lamellar.

It essentially does a very good approximation of battlefield style combat in my opinion. Not necessarily knight vs. knight (because that has some tricky implications), but rather pitting trained well equipped warriors against one another. Essentially suitable for any type of melee based combat where armour is worn as a general thing.

TrippyHippy · February 18, 2017, 03:37:08 PM

Quote from: Matt;946332Works well for many settings without your kung fun and matadors, as noted earlier by several folks who have already used it in ways that show your assertion to be incorrect. You might want to check into the definitions of words such as "specific" and "setting." Or do you think a bat can only be used to play baseball, too?

It's been used for "many settings"? Fine although none of them have been published to date and, if you are going to assert my observations are incorrect, some detail about how these games actually work in subsystems like combat would be nice. The notion of it being a specific design for the setting largely stems from the designer himself, Greg Stafford, by the way. He expressly states that Pendragon is designed to be a genre game rather than a generic one in his essays. Yes, you could expand the system into more generic areas - the same is true of any system, regardless of what Ron Edwards says - but there is some work to do.

Herne's Son · February 18, 2017, 08:52:46 PM

Quote from: Armchair Gamer;946107The Kickstarter is launching sometime this month; Greg Stafford himself is involved in getting it published.

Heh. I'm still amazed those guys decided to bring Prince Valiant back. I'll be curious to see what they do with a new KAP-based game, but they seem to have strange priorities.

Voros · February 18, 2017, 09:00:02 PM

I think an RPG for kids is a great idea. Otherwise this hobby will die off.

Tristram Evans · February 18, 2017, 11:20:53 PM

Quote from: Voros;946378I think an RPG for kids is a great idea. Otherwide this hobby will die off.

I dunno...when I was a kid, I hated things "for kids." I'd say, if you want an rpg to appeal to kids, declare its suggested age much older, and imply that its somehow "mature" and "dangerous".

Voros · February 19, 2017, 04:55:45 AM

That was true for me as a teen but not as a kid. Remember the best-selling TSR product ever was the Red Box.

Panjumanju · February 19, 2017, 01:02:43 PM

I think there's some sloppy terms going around in this thread. Just because a system can be adapted to something very similar does not mean it's 'generic'. I don't think anyone has said anything even close to the idea that the Pendragon system can be used for anything.

Pendragon works only within a narrow band of genre emulation, and it does that very well, but I'm not about to bust out Pendragon for my next silver age superheroes game. Taking a one-step lateral design step to the left and filling in some new details does not make a game 'generic'.

//Panjumanju

CanBeOnlyOne · February 19, 2017, 02:49:09 PM

Quote from: Coffee Zombie;945154Weren't there some upcoming Pendragon releases I was reading about? A Samurai setting and a Musketeers setting?

"Before Iron" was supposed to be released in 2016 but it wasn't and I haven't heard about it lately. However I traded blog posts with the author and he said he had completed his piece of it (years ago) so it's now up to Nocturnal. Before Iron is based on Pendragon rules but takes place in mythic Greece.

RPGPundit · February 23, 2017, 01:34:15 AM

Quote from: Armchair Gamer;946107The Kickstarter is launching sometime this month; Greg Stafford himself is involved in getting it published.

That's great news!

PSW · February 24, 2017, 10:11:19 PM

Quote from: CanBeOnlyOne;946479"Before Iron" was supposed to be released in 2016 but it wasn't and I haven't heard about it lately. However I traded blog posts with the author and he said he had completed his piece of it (years ago) so it's now up to Nocturnal. Before Iron is based on Pendragon rules but takes place in mythic Greece.

My brother and I are the authors on that one. I think it was my brother with whom you spoke. We, indeed, finished that one up ages ago, and I haven't heard anything in awhile. I hope you guys see it one day. There's some cool stuff in there!

Larsdangly · February 26, 2017, 12:14:56 AM

Quote from: PSW;947600My brother and I are the authors on that one. I think it was my brother with whom you spoke. We, indeed, finished that one up ages ago, and I haven't heard anything in awhile. I hope you guys see it one day. There's some cool stuff in there!

This is a great idea; I hope it sees light of day!

Has anyone ever converted the setting of Pendragon?

Herne's Son

Herne's Son