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Barbarians of Lemuria (Legendary Edition) $4.00
Average Rating:4.7 / 5
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Barbarians of Lemuria (Legendary Edition)
Publisher: Beyond Belief Games
by William L. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 09/16/2010 07:37:00

At it's core, BoL is perhaps one of the best RPGs I have ever played. Simple and intuitive, the rules blend into the background and let you get on with the adventure. It includes just the right amount of background and setting information -- enough to get you started and get the creative juices flowing; but not enough detail to bog you down and overwhelm the senses (i.e., the Forgotten Realms Syndrome). No overreaching metaplot (a good thing). No fiddly skill system (thank goodness for "careers"). Elegant magic system that allows the players to create their own spells while at the same time maintaining the flavor of S&S magic. What's not to like?

The only changes I've made are to convert the 2d6 resolution system to 3d6 and to change the default setting to the Hyborian Age.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Barbarians of Lemuria (Legendary Edition)
Publisher: Beyond Belief Games
by Marcelo P. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/17/2010 07:34:56

There are few RPGs one would call a gem. Some are called that due to nostalgic reasons, others due to overdo hype... Barbarians of Lemuria is neither. It's not an old game we played when we started in the hobby back in 74, 80's or 90's (your milleage may vary). Yet, this 110-page PDF feels like an old school title and it's very welcomed in my gaming table.

I won't dare to compare Barbarians of Lemuria to that old science-fiction game where you could die when rolling your character. Each one has its own strengths and are completely different systems, but somehow when reading Simon W.'s book my mind drifted away to that old RPG...

((Let's see... We have careers, we roll 2d6 and must reach 9 or more after adding some modifiers... Yes, I was mistaken. In that old sci-fi game we needed to reach 8 or more. It's completely different. ;-) ))

Okay, jokes aside, I really like Barbarians of Lemuria. Let me tell you what you'll find in the book.

It's a 110-page PDF with a 2-collumn layout and line drawing artwork. It has a clean design and my printer didn't screamed "Ink!" when printing. The artwork is simple and evocative, but I didn't like the style so much--and a word of warning to the puritans: there are a few bare breasts, but this in any way detracts the book (it's my humble opinion the artist followed the sword & sorcery genre art to the letter, as many S&S tales depict partially nude women ready to saved from eldritch horrors or ready to be sacrificed).

I am not too qualified to review the setting background as I've never read Carter's Lemuria, so I won't dabble in those areas. However, having played a mini-campaign using Barbarians of Lemuria rules and Howard's Hyborean Age background where a barbarian becomes king, I'm apt to say the game instills the creating of great characters and even--dare I say that in a S&S setting?--heroes.

Speaking of characters, a group of four players who had never played Barbarians of Lemuria before was able to create their chars in less than 10 minutes. And that's a plus in my GMing book.

But how a character is created in these rules? It's a point buy system with few attributes and few abilities. Once you've made that choice, you almost finished your character creation. What is missing? The careers.

And here is one of the points where the rules shine.

From a roll of 24 (give or take a few as I don't have the book in my hands now) careers, you'll be able to pick 4. Then, using a few points (remember this is a point buy system!) you'll select which careers your character has more aptitude or has spent more time as. This choice almost determines a kind of character background, as you'll be able to see how your character started as a Farmer and became a Pirate (for instance). Instant character background is always another plus in my book. Add the equipment rules (simply give whatever the players want--if it's too much make them lose it somehow; if it's less than you think they need, give something to them during the adventure) and you're set.

And how the system works?

In combat, you'll roll 2d6, add the appropriate attribute, add the appropriate combat ability, add/subtract any modifiers. If the result is 9 or more you succeed.

Outside combat, you'll roll 2d6, add the appropriate attirbute, add any appropriate careers, add/subtract any modifiers. If the result is 9 or more you succeed.

There are a few more details, like using Hero Points (meta-gaming abilities, auto critical results and such) and using magic (true to the genre, it's dangerous, time consuming, and corrupting), but they are equally simple and fun to use.

What about the fun factor?

High. Extremely high. One of the first adventures I've GMed to the group was a variation on Howard's The Tower of the Elephant, and the group instantly was drawn into action. There was no downtime looking for rules (hey, the main rules of the game were described ahead, so believe me when I tell you this is a rules light system!) and the fights were interesting: rabble monsters fell like the cannon-fodder they were and the main villains fought well in a epic combat.

This is a masterpiece. I can't deny it. Or, better yet, like I've said at first, this is a gem. Grab it. You won't be disappointed.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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Barbarians of Lemuria (Legendary Edition)
Publisher: Beyond Belief Games
by Sc N. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 06/18/2010 21:49:33

Awesome, awesome, awesome! what can i say, have played several games with this already as I have both the PDF & the printed copy from lulu. This game just ooozes S&S, my group just loves the simplistic skill system (which there are none, just career levels that kinda group several skills and abilities under one core roll). You can't go wrong here if you like real freeform roleplaying, if you like more detailed systems, then go grab any d20 OGL or 4e system out there as they gag the market already. This simple d6 system reminds me of Classic Traveller at times but only in a S&S setting with sorcerer's.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Barbarians of Lemuria (Legendary Edition)
Publisher: Beyond Belief Games
by David K. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/10/2010 13:09:02

As fans of the sword and sorcery genre, my fantasy role-playing group thouroughly enjoyed Simon Washbourne’s Barbarians of Lemuria game. Currently, I am the game master for two distinct Barbarians of Lemuria play-by-post games. This review sets to accomplish critical critiques of the Revised Edition layout and substance.

The Revised Edition offers significantly more artwork throughout the book. Except for the cover, all artwork is done in black-and-white, making both editions printer-friendly. By comparison, the previous edition offered about 46 images (including a profession map by Gil Pearse) over 103 pages, while the Revised Edition boasts a whopping 80 non-repeating images over 100 pages, and includes the same high-quality map. In fairness, some graphics are used more than once, but I did not see any image used more than twice. An exception of this art was the image of a ram’s skull that precedes the bottom page number. While this graphic seems like a nice touch, I fear the repeatative nature may at least cost a page of ink over 100 pages. Hopefully, this issue can be resolved before final editing and printing. Some favorite artwork is used again. John Grumph, Keith Vaughn and Matthew Vasey do the interior artwork.

Each of the twenty+ possible character profession gets a bust-style portrait, and the NPC/Example characters found near the end of the book have each received new full-body images. Because the art is very similar throughout the book, the same intense feel can be maintained. In describing geographical areas, some characters receive “boons” (formerly named “traits,”) and possibly some “flaws.” I also liked how each career received some special attention as to its possible play in combat. For example, while an executioner might do well with a two-handed axe, such a character should only gain a bonus to combat rolls if their target is prone.

As a player and a game master, I am exceptionally excited about the new design! The addition of the new caricatures adds a great flavor of the gaming world. I am thankful Washbourne kept the map, because the work was exceptional and has become engrained in many players’ memories. While I hoped for more artwork about the “flora and fauna” (and even the inclusion of the “bloodless” creatures), I am satisfied with what has been provided because artwork can be expensive.

New players to Barbarians of Lemuria will enjoy the rules-lite systems and freedoms this system supports. The artwork helps pace new information, and inspire the imagination. Fans of the game will enjoy the same sword-and-sorcery fun, high quality artwork, and have satisfaction that the author accepts feedback and is actively pushing the game to new heights in Europe and America!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Barbarians of Lemuria (Legendary Edition)
Publisher: Beyond Belief Games
by Anthony H. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/01/2010 08:27:41

Barbarians of Lemuria. . . I have encountered this product somewhat out of order. I purchased Dogs of War a few weeks ago and rather enjoyed it, and received Barbarians of Lemuria this morning. I printed it out (I'm fortunate enough to have a rather old, but functional laser printer in my study that will output double sided content, albeit SLOWLY :) ) and started reading over it.

If you own any of Mr. Washbournes other products, such as Dogs of War, or the Barbarians of the Aftermath by Nathaniel Torsen, which uses BoL rules, and enjoy them, then you won't be in for any surprises here.

For those who aren't familiar with these products, allow me to summarize, because it is a terribly hard system to catch on to.

To perform an action Roll 2d6 Add the Attribute that applies Add any appropriate combat abilities OR Add any appropriate careers (if not in combat) Add or subtract modifiers as the GM sees fit.

If your result is higher than a 9, you succeed

(For those of you that haven't figured it out by now, I was being facetious about the system being hard ;) )

You get 110 pages of nice, clean 2 column text with system and setting appropriate artwork, most of it simple line drawings, for which your printer will thank you when you go to print this out.

The writing is clear and concise, and after a quick read-through of about 25 minutes, I was ready to start making the characters that I will use for major bad-guys with my group when I run this game.

I don't anticipate any problems with character creation, a couple of weeks ago, I sat four guys down who had never heard of this system (using Dogs of War) and they had eight characters created out in less than half an hour (and that was with interruptions from outside sources), and within 5 minutes of play, everyone was in the swing of things as far as dice mechanics went.

The pdf includes a decent bestiary, sample characters, a pantheon of gods, a nice setting (Lemuria, of course), and three short adventure hooks to get you started. There is also a beautifully rendered map (In color) of Lemuria by Gill Pearce, whose galleries I went and looked over on her website (do a google search for her name, you'll find it).

The ONLY minus to my review is a very minor one.

On the character sheet, in order to hide the page number and header text (I assume this was the reason, at least), whoever did the layout placed a 'watermark' style image behind the character sheet.

When printing out on a black and white laser printer, this looks horrible, and makes a good portion of the sheet difficult to read. This is not a big deal to me, since I often create my own sheet (Although I like the sheet in this one, except for the watermark), but I own the software that will allow me to make adjustments to this, or rebuild it myself, which I will probably do.

My overall rating is 4.875 out of 5. Well done, well worth buying, as are the other products by Mr. Washbourne.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Barbarians of Lemuria (Legendary Edition)
Publisher: Beyond Belief Games
by Luis R. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/01/2010 02:23:30

AN AWESOME SYSTEM The rules, dice notation, the math, combat, task resolution and almost everything else in this system is fast and easy, and in MOP great for first time Role players and veterans alike!

Personally I'm sick and tired of tomes upon tomes of skills, feats, spell lists, and all the other things that come with other systems as well as keeping track of Classes. This system did away with all that rubbish !

No lie, this is replacing the biblical sized game books on my shelf.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Barbarians of Lemuria (Legendary Edition)
Publisher: Beyond Belief Games
by Michael W. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 03/12/2010 17:37:38

This is, by far, the best fantasy roleplaying game I have come across in a long, long time. I was getting pretty tired of all the D20 variants, which all looked pretty much the same. Barbarians of Lemuria is a perfect blend of swords and sorcery, action, and story-gaming. Easy to make characters, easy to play, and a magic system that's perfect for its particular genre.

...now if only I can draw the rest of my friends away from the 4E, I would be able to play Barbarians of Lemuria all the time!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Barbarians of Lemuria (Legendary Edition)
Publisher: Beyond Belief Games
by Austin R. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 03/09/2010 23:26:14

Inspired by the classic sword & sorcery stories of yesteryear, BoL is a newschool game with an oldschool feel. It's setting is inspired by the Lemuria of Lin Carter's "Thongor" series, but also borrows influence from the world's of other similar S&S worlds, but can easily be adapted to any fantasy (or non-fantasy) setting with it's simple system (in fact, there's already been a post-apocalyptic supplement and a 70's/ 80's adventure title using the BoL system!!).

Characters are defined by a small set of attributes and broad stereotypical "careers" (mercenary, blacksmith, barbarian, dancer, slave) which are used as modifiers in a simple 2d6 system. Character generation can take anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes, and creates experienced and powerful characters who can have skill in anything from ruling a kingdom to farming.

Sorcery is just as deadly to the caster's body as it is to its targets, Priests are able to perform miracles (as is the will of their dark, ageless Gods), and Heroes are able to enact the will of the Twenty with the expenditure of a Hero Point. It's a dark and deadly world, but someone has got to adventure in it.

Pros:

+Fast and fun system +Quick character generation that creates capable heroes +Vague setting that can easily be added to

Cons:

-Bad artwork (which can be overlooked)

Bottom line: It's a great game that should be in any S&S fans collection.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Barbarians of Lemuria (Legendary Edition)
Publisher: Beyond Belief Games
by Hombre-lobo D. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 02/21/2010 10:56:53

After what all the other reviewers have said I'll keep it short: If you have any interest in the genre this game is a must-have. Sheer excellence!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Barbarians of Lemuria (Legendary Edition)
Publisher: Beyond Belief Games
by Jordan S. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/04/2009 13:56:11

My tastes in the "Fantasy" gaming genre tend to run more toward the "sword & sorcery", "low-magic, high-adventure" end of the spectrum. This is exactly the sort of game that BoL emulates and it does an impressive job!

Unlike other more high-magic games (including, but not limited to, D&D), heroes in BoL do not triumph by powerful items, earth-shattering spells or exotic abilities. Instead, they must rely upon their courage, cunning, strength and steel to win the day. Don't let the "Barbarians" in the title deceive you though...not every hero in this game need be a steely-thewed "Conan" knock-off. There is plenty of need and support for characters of all varieties thanks to a very simple but very inspiring "career" system at the core of the game.

The core mechanics are quite simple but offer enough options to allow plenty of character customization. Characters have three different categories of statistics: Attributes, Combat Abilities, and Careers. Each is rated on a scale from 0 to 5. To perform any task requiring a roll, the player rolls 2d6 and adds the most relevant Attribute plus either a Combat skill (if in combat) or a relevant Career (if out of combat). The GM applies any appropriate difficulty modifier. If the total is 9 or higher, the action succeeds!

The "Careers" are an elegant idea for managing character skills and backgrounds. There are 26 different careers detailed in the game (technically more than that as some careers present alternative options) each representing a basic "package" of skill, knowledge and experience for your character. These might be akin to "classes" from other games. Careers include things such as Assassin, Barbarian, Hunter, Minstrel, Pirate, Scholar, etc. If, for example, your character had the "Assassin" career, it implies that you have certain "Assassin-y" skills (like sneaking, ambushing, using poisons, and others). If a character is attempting an action that would relate to one of their careers, they can add the rank of the career to their roll. Also, because the heroes are supposed to begin the game as well-traveled and experienced characters, all PCs have four careers to start! Yes, you can play a Barbarian/Thief/Pirate/Soldier if your heart desires!

There are also very flavorful rules for sorcerous and priestly magic, and though magic-users in "sword & sorcery" tend to be the bad guys, the game gives you the option to play PC sorcerers and priests if you want to (and if your GM allows). There are also complete rules for alchemy and item-crafting for those who desire to incorporate those elements as well. All of these options are presented with an eye for simplicity and focus on creative thinking and improvisation.

There is a decent bestiary detailing other races and monsters for the heroes to encounter (including options to play some of those races) and a section detailing the land of "Lemuria" where the game can take place, giving enough information to spark imagination while leaving plenty of space for the players and GM to develop their own ideas.

Advancement rules are provided which allows for characters to "grow" statistically while enforcing the tropes of "sword & sorcery" adventuring and discouraging the "loot-and-hoard" mentality of some other Fantasy RPGs.

Throw in rules for "Hero Points", merits and flaws to add to characters and some optional extra wrinkles for combat and you have a very exciting and very inspiring game that keeps the pace fast and the rules light.

It has been quite some time since I have felt inspired to run a Fantasy campaign. After reading BoL, I was immediately looking to get my group to try it out. I managed to run a very entertaining opening session that left me very satisfied and I hope to return to BoL again in the near future. This game comes with my highest recommendation!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Barbarians of Lemuria (Legendary Edition)
Publisher: Beyond Belief Games
by Matthew B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 09/04/2009 15:10:25

I purchased the electronic version of BoL after I perused several reviews, and I must say that I am excited about giving it a try. The rules, simple and concise, perfectly accommodate the pulpy, cinematic tone of the game.

Despite what others have said, I think most of the illustrations in the book are wonderful. If I had my druthers, I'd remove the shoddier illustrations from the equipment section, and one or two of the drawings in the bestiary.

I don't think that this game lends itself to a protracted campaign, but it doesn't tout itself as being capable of doing so. That doesn't mean that an ambitious GM couldn't easily cobble together a bunch of supplemental material and run an epic-length game with this system.

I plan to foist this game upon my players the next time we take a break from our normal, biweekly game.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Barbarians of Lemuria (Legendary Edition)
Publisher: Beyond Belief Games
by Sylvain B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/05/2009 10:06:50

BoL is without a doubt the best rules-light fantasy RPG I have ever read. I actually wasn't compelled to implement house-rules before playing it (a rare occurrence as far as I'm concerned). Its narrativist system allows for high creative freedom while being structured enough not to leave any loop-holes. The rules are clear, simple and streamlined. The careers paths and heroic origins work great and it contains the only open magic system that I don't find bland and generic. Even the advancement rules work to support the Sword & Sorcery genre. The writing, art (yes, even the art is good in the most recent version of the book) and setting (don't worry, no invasive metaplots here folks) all work together to give the right Sword & Sorcery feel to the game. BoL oozes with potential for some fantastic role-playing and story-telling. I can totally envision that its system could/will be adapted to many other genres.

As for the very few downsides (I'm being a real nitpick here), I'm not sure about that "no horses" thing and I think the game's bestiary could use a few undead critters.

Barbarians of Lemuria is worth every penny!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Barbarians of Lemuria (Legendary Edition)
Publisher: Beyond Belief Games
by Miguel d. L. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/02/2009 15:26:52

Barbarians of Lemuria, a review

Barbarians of Lemuria is a fine, rules-light game that would work well to reflect the stories of pulp fantasy. Picture a lone barbarian warrior, chain mail bikinis and dark nefarious sorecerers, fast and deadly combat, cursed treasure in hidden tombs, slave traders and pirates. It's all there.

Core Mechanic Summary: Your Class is your Skills.

Suposse you are -in BOL terms- Barbarian 3, Hunter 1, Slave 0, Sailor 0. In background terms that could mean you are from some Barbarian lands, Hunted for food as a young lad yet you got captured and spent some time as a galley slave.

In game terms, that means every time you have to check for some action, you consider your careers and roll against them. For example you want to lift a rock, I'd say that's pretty Barbarian stuff, so you'd add your Strenght and Barbarian. (Let's say STR is 2, fairly good) That totals 4. Now you roll 2d6. If your final total is 9 or better, then you made it.

Problem: Overlapping career.

In BoL careers are not defined strictly. Who's better at setting up an ambush; a Barbarian or a Soldier? No idea. What if you are Barbarian 2 Fighter 1 and Warrior 1? Who's more sneaky a Slaver or a Hunter? Context can help but I can see an opportunity for arguments over the game table.

Solution: Good roleplayers.

BoL is meant for the player who loves barbarian pulp fiction and yet it is not interested in simulating real combat. Instead, he or she loves the thrill of battle and fast action and yet it is mature enough to trust the Game Master.

That said, I would love to see the careers to be better defined in a next version.

Combat

Combat is quite sketchy, the rules are basically the same than the core mecanic, only that instead of career you use your combat skills. These are Brawl, Melee, Ranged and Defense. There are no dodging rolls, the Defense skill simply makes you harder to hit, which works just great. If you hit you roll for damage points. Armour will absorb some damage, the remainder will eat up you Lifeblood points, if they get negative you are in big trouble.

As a side note, most NPC are considered rabble. These would be dispatched satisfyingly quick enough.

Character Creation.

Boy call it fast. You divide four points among your Attributes STR, AGI, Mind (IQ) and Appeal (sorta Charisma). None can be greater than 3 or lower than -1 You choose four Careers and divide 4 points among them. Again 3 is the maximun, -1 the minimum. You divide 4 points among your combat skills, you choose an origin (place of birth), which come with suggested Boons and Flaws, and you are basically done.

Equipment, you basically get what you want, as long as it is in character. Really, like that, you don't buy, you don't worry about carrying anything, you just get what you want and that's all you need to worry.

I also see a possible problem here. The rules will work well with good players which do not seek to abuse the system but it could potentially lead to arguments.

Magic

Most magicians in BoL are evil, the bad guys, the kind of people you want to defeat, and while you can have magician PC, these are not meant to be the stars of this game.

Magic rules are again sketchy and neboulous. Indeed, the best defined feature is the price you have to pay or the limitations you have to face in order to cast a spell. Think in ritual sacrifices, fasting, specific times and so on. A first magnitude spell could require nothing but a ritual cleansing; however a extremely powerful (and difficult to cast) spell can usually need ritual sacrifice.

Which is perfect for the pulp barbarian setting; yet quite different from the usual "Medieval Fantasy" Games

Potions, Shining Swords, Golems: you can make them!

This kind of magic(?) is unusually developed in this game; perhaps to compensate for the limitations to magic. You'll need to be an alchemist, but then you can easily make a posion, with some skill, you can make a potion of strength and even shape change or achieve immortality.

You could also build flying machines or the ultimate sword; though you better hand it to the barbarian in your group.

Lemuria, the game world.

Sketchy but familiar, you know. Similiar to Conan, it's not developed in any deep, but that's a bonus if you ask me. The last thing I want in pulp fiction is a strict setting.

Bottom line: A good game for what it means to do, a great concept that deserves more development as its fan base expands.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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Barbarians of Lemuria (Legendary Edition)
Publisher: Beyond Belief Games
by Olman F. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 04/18/2009 06:56:39

Barbarians of Lemuria has hit the sweet spot of genre emulation and rules light gaming. It's simple, easy to run and play, but with just enough mechanics and character development to keep you engaged with your character. The art and layout really capture the feel of sword & sorcery, but the french bande-dessinée style gives it a slightly alien twist that really adds to the sense of otherworldliness. So far, I've used this game in a Hyboria setting, having never read any of Lin Carter's books. But the write-up and art is making me quite intrigued in that island to the east that thrived long before Conan's time. Great game!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Barbarians of Lemuria (Legendary Edition)
Publisher: Beyond Belief Games
by Dave M. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 03/13/2009 09:28:31

This review was written for UK Role Players (http://www.ukroleplayers.com)

Artwork: (5/10) There was some.

Apart from the bright cover the rest of the art work is all black and white. I didn't like most of the artwork but its easily ignored.

Layout: (7/10) A couple of issues.

Layout was 2 columns across the page much like a newspaper with each of the chapters/sections well headed and easy to find. I had a couple of issues with the layout but its more pickness than show stoppers.

Overall the logical layout could have been better but its saved by the fact the rules are light enough to be easily memorized.

Content: (9/10) Much better than expected!

INTRODUCTION - Good genre fit however it was dull. It was almost as though the author wanted to get to a point in the worlds time line so he used the Insert generic back-story here trick. Thankfully at 3 pages it was fairly short.

ROLE PLAYING - After reading the introduction I wasn't greatly impressed however once I hit the role playing section I found that my interest grew. Barbarians gives a good overview of what's expected of a rp game and its players. The section also does a really good job of creating the feel for game. At the end of this section is the rule for the core mechanic of Barbarians. I found this an odd and distracting place to introduce the rule.

CREATING A HERO - It soon becomes very clear in Barbarians that character creation and rules in general are light, quick and easy to pick up.

HEROIC CAREERS - I just love this idea! There are no specific skills in Barbarians. Instead there is a fantastic (and I really mean fantastic) mechanic for dealing with skill checks. They are called careers; careers give you a high level overview of what your character is expected to be good at. For example if you had pirate as a career you will receive a bonus when making sailing skill check. Also as a pirate its pretty safe to assume you would have been involved with gambling so if you find yourself in a gambling situation you could use your pirate career to receive a bonus. The book sets out which careers you are allowed to take and its a pretty comprehensive and decent list. However for all you out there that like to add your own stuff there is certainly room for this.

HEROIC BEGINNINGS - Another good section that adds to the feel of the system. Depending on where your hero (character) is from it is assumed you will be good at certain activities or you will have certain ways/mannerisms. For example if I had a character/hero from Satarla (a city of high culture and sophistication) you would assume I'm wealthy and arrogant.

But hold on! I hear you cry...this just offends my sense of variety. How can all Pirates be good at sailing or gambling? Why are all the people from Satarla arrogant? Its a simple answer which barbarians explains all the way through. The characters/heroes/villans are all very stereotypical. Its meant that way so heroes are indeed heroes, Villians are vile and pirates are...well...very piratey! Its a game of heroic sagas afterall.

PLAYING THE GAME - The first thing you come across in the 'playing the game section' is the core mechanic for the game. Which has already been covered in the 'role playing' section earlier in the book. Strange because it really isn't that hard to get a grasp of. Combat is also covered in this section; and its not bad. Its light, fast paced and doesn't require mini's. Following combat is rewards and advancements. Barbarian sagas are spilt into adventures and at the end of each saga the hero's receive these rewards and advancement. The rewards are suppose to be ludicrously huge. The heroes should receive mountains of gold, baskets full of gems and chests overflowing with silver coins. And then if they wish to gain advancement they have to describe exactly how they spend (blow) the lot! I love it!!!

TRAPPINGS OF HEROES - In this section it has some details of weapons and armour the players could find themselves using. In theme with the rest of the game the rules are light and thankfully encumbrance does not rear its ugly head.

MAGIC,Etc. - I found the rules for magic quite heavy going. There is too much going on for my liking and if completely honest I find it doesn't fit the game well at all. If it were me I would probably drop 90% of the magic section. Eleven and half pages on magic...about nine and half pages too much is the conclusion.

GAZETTEER OF LEMURIA - This section gives the reader/GM a detailed look at the geography of Lemuria, what the cultures are like in each of the different places and a look at the races who inhabit the lands as well as just about anything you'd want to know about the world. All in all a detailed section which adds to the feel of the game. Its a section I would browse through but I wouldn't run sagas just based on the information here.

THE SAGAS - This section helps the GM build sagas and even has a number of pre-made sagas so you dive right into Barbarians.

Overall Value: (8.5/10) You would be hard pressed to spend $10 on a better RPG.

When I started reading Barbarians I can't say it grabbed me. The introduction was dull and uninspiring. Some introductions by themselves make you want to jump up and run the game already. Barbarians didn't do this and if there is one change I could make it would be with this.

However I made it through the intro. and found to my absolute pleasure the rest of the book was great. The rules are light and unobtrusive and the character creation helps put the players in the spotlight and makes them feel truly awesome. The career, rewards and advancement rules really hit all the right buttons and I did a leap of joy when reading them!

Trad. or Indie for $10 from DriveThruRPG.com there is no excuse why you shouldn't buy it. And indeed I plan on adding this to my already busy 'to run' schedule.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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Creator Reply:
Thanks for the review Dave. Just for info, Dave's review was of the original version of Barbarians of Lemuria. Since this review, the pdf has undergone a transformation, with new (and significantly better) artwork and improved layout.
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