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Shardland - Muskets, Blades and Words of Power $15.95 $7.99
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Shardland - Muskets, Blades and Words of Power
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Shardland - Muskets, Blades and Words of Power
Publisher: Judith and Christian Vogt
by Jon F. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 06/01/2018 11:55:28

SHARDLAND, a Setting for Fate Core --- A review

Subtitled “Muskets, Blades and Words of Power”, Shardland is an independently published volume, by Judith and Christian Vogt available in German and English editions. I am reviewing the English edition. It is a volume of 87 pages, available as a PDF or printed book from Drivethru RPG. These are my earliest thoughts from a first quick reading.

I must begin by saying I really love this setting! I love the book itself too, which is attractive and clearly laid out. The book includes a lot of setting background material, and story ideas and plot hooks, rather less character creation/rules material and adversaries, and a beginning/example adventure. The rules additions are about magic particular to the setting (words and alchemy), and combat.

The setting sits firmly in the recently expanding genre of Flintlock Fantasy, based as it is on a Russian style empire of the late 18th Century-Napoleonic War era. But it is not a real world setting, eg. there is no Moscow, or Baltic sea, but obvious real world parallels are plentiful. Equivalents of India lie to the South and China to the East (with temples of warrior monks in the mountains), icy tundra to the North. The Empire is vast, and full of dark magic, bleeding over from a hidden shadow world. The magic, and the supernatural creatures depicted are all very much of the European fairytale sort, so quite grim as well as Grimm. There are strong influences from less familiar (at least to English speakers) Russian and Slavic myth as well. There are no fantasy races such as Elves, orcs, etc. (Hurrah for that choice!) The Empire is ruled by a Czar and Czarina, and is in a state of turmoil due to a religious schism dividing society at all levels. The conflict is between those who believe the traditional three faced depiction of the god Perunkya, and those who take the new idea that there is a fourth hidden face. Magic in the setting is dark and dangerous and either carried out through words of power or alchemy. Some outline of, and powers for both, are given.

The game has a strong and specific focus, in that player characters all belong to the same organisation, they are all “Wolves” a team (pack) of elite agents of the Czar, charged with completing his special missions. Policing actions, special forces missions, monster hunts, spying and intrigue, all could be on the table. All in a society riven by internal conflict as much as external threats. Exciting stuff.

The included introductory adventure is very much a “Magnificent Seven” 'save the village' kind of scenario with an emphasis on battle, although there is a political and supernatural side to it which is interesting but not fully developed. It is very much in form of guidelines and suggestions, rather than a more tightly restrained, and more fully defined adventure as are present in some Fate Worlds of Adventure such as Secrets of Cats or Masters of Umdaar.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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