The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Ireland. Celts. Now stop right there, don't go hitting the back button quite yet. No one knows better than I how badly the recent spate of Celtic Trendy books and supplements for RPG's has destroyed many peoples ability to take anything with the word Celt on it seriously, but that doesn't mean that there is no hope at all for something good to fill the gaping hole. As a matter of fact I'm here to tell you about a book that does just that. It's a book that does something magical, something wonderful - it captures a period of history, an island, and the cultures that shaped it very close to how they really were. If you are looking for a game where all the Celts are good and honorable and all the Normans evil followers of Longshanks, you won't find it here. If, on the other hand, you want a very well done historical look at Ireland this is the book for you.

The Caveat

There is one minor caveat that must be given when discussing this book, and the author himself mentions it briefly in the book. Because this book uses the Pendragon chronology it is not completely historically accurate. It has, for example, the Vikings and "Normans" coming to Ireland several centuries earlier than they actually did. However, it does show the actual political consequences of the various invasions of Ireland in realistic terms that escape the cliches often fallen into in texts on Irish history. This is a book for a game about Arthur, and must make some concessions to that. They are generally of minor concern however, and can be fixed simply by changing dates and expanding the timeline.

The Art

Now I know that many don't care one whit for art in an RPG. I do. Not that I buy RPG's because of the art, but because I feel that if you are going to have art in a book you should make it such that it does not make those reading the book want to puke. Plus, art used correctly can give you a great insight into costume, fortifications, and culture that no amount of words can.

For that reason I'm pleased to report that the art in Pagan Shore is highly above average. The black and white line drawings give a very clear sense of Irish culture and costume. Among them are even a few pictures so good that I would be willing to pay money for a poster of them (the tribal Irish warrior fighting the Norman knight being among my favorite). Also, other than the chain-mail-chick on the front cover there are few pictures put into the book for 'cool' value. The women do not display large tracks of cleavage, and the houses do not all look like palaces.

The Rundown

The book starts with a nice glossary of Irish political and religious terms, with the necessary pronunciation guide. The terms here are mostly defined again when they occur in the text, but this section serves as an invaluable reference for looking up something you forgot in the middle of a game.

Next is a chapter on the landscape of Ireland. This section also discusses issues such as the mythic landscape of Ireland and the historical import of certain cites. It then has a 35 page long "places of interest section." Now normally such a long list of detailed locations might seem a bit excessive, but it works here for two important reasons. First is that the myths of Ireland are not ethereal, they are tied to place and time, and this section lets you really feel the mythic landscape that the Irish lived in. Second, almost every entry in the list is given a myth, a date, or a place that is set up as a potential story hook. So rather than simply having a list of places what this book gives is a gazetteer of myths, legends, histories, and ways to involve the characters in them.

The third chapter may be the strongest in the book. Entitled "Irish People" it delivers what it promises - the peoples of Ireland in all their cultural diversity and importance. Though the longest section is devoted to the various "Celtic" groups there is also attention given to the Vikings, the Normans, and the pre-Celtic peoples of Ireland. All of them are given respect, and are developed as actual cultures with rules and customs that are alien to our own. The Celts are not portrayed as a unified group, nor do they live in a perpetual twilight. They are an active people with varying levels of civilization and tribal politics. These politics, customs, and rules are also clearly and succinctly defined. They allow you to actually play a campaign based about Irish customs and not just raiding warrior bands who scream "Freedom!" It also allows you to explore the ways that modern Ireland was formed by it's history of cultural interaction and conflict, and not just as the last bastion of Celticism.

Chapter Four is "Irish Magic" and it is just that - rules for magical things that are distinctly Irish. Here we get wonderful bits like the directions of Irish myth, the curse of Femininity, and the Discheadal Do-Cheannaibh (divination using severed heads). This is not a vague or uncertain section on generic magic, but a guide to making Irish magic Irish. It also gives a remarkably lucid (though chronologically difficult) run down of the various Holy Folk of Ireland. This section is so good because it covers poets, priests, and monks as well (or better) than the Druids that most Celtic games start and end with. As a lovely final addition there is a very good section on the Irish Gods that deals with them in their own terms, and not in the Aristotelian chopped logic method, included is a minor bestiary of Irish fae and monsters. The section is rounded out with a section on Geases in Irish tradition. Nicely done and culturally centered it makes a good addition to the book. The random Geas Generator, however, could have been left on the cutting room floor.

The next to last chapter of the book is the character generation section. Unfortunately this is also the weakest section of the book by far. It is not that there is no good material here, because there is. It is that the section is a muddle of poor organization and confusing wording. I have made dozens of characters using the book, and sometimes I still get lost in the endless charts and tables. The only tables that I do like are the homelands tables - as they give you a nice section of various specific tribes and kingdoms and how many men each can field for combat. In general I would recommend using this section slowly and carefully, and not trying to rush through it.

Finally comes a chapter on Irish Storytelling. Included are brief rules for Cleases (stunts) and Glory (experience) in Irish campaigns. Along with these are 5 short story tags from myth and history that can be turned into full fledged adventures with a little work. Though this section was nice I felt it really should have been longer, with more specific information about using all the wonderful cultural detail that the rest of the book gave us.

The Conclusion

This book is not perfect. The game specific sections of it are often muddled and confusing, and there are far to many tables for my liking. However those glitches are more than overshadowed by the depth and richness which this book offers. This book is, in many ways, about as comprehensive, insightful, and accurate a portrayal of Irish culture as I have ever seen in an RPG. It does not fall into the trap of trendiness, and gives plenty of material for endless adventures. I will now let the author speak for the book, and the island that it is about:

"I write to say that the Ireland of Pagan Shore is truly a foreign country, as enigmatic as the carvings on an Aztec calendar. Don't assume that you know it. Approach it with an attitude of discovery. Like a detective, use your imagination, and the modest clues I have provided, to reconstruct the day-to-day activities of the deceased. You may be able to learn more about the actual history of Ireland than the scholar who studies a confused and confusing monkish book."

In most cases I would accuse any game writer who said such things of arrogance. This time, however, I will simply tip my hat.

If you are interested in playing a game about Ireland, or it's peoples, get this book. It is the best book on Celtic and Irish culture in the RPG market.

Style: 3 (Average)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

Pagan Shore: Ireland in the Age of King Arthur
Author: John Carnahan Category: game Company/Publisher: Green Knight Press (was Chaosium) Line: Pendragon Cost: $18.95 Page count: 126 ISBN: 1-56882-016-X Playtest Review by Brand Robins on 12/08/99. Genre tags: Fantasy Historical	Ireland. Celts. Now stop right there, don't go hitting the back button quite yet. No one knows better than I how badly the recent spate of Celtic Trendy books and supplements for RPG's has destroyed many peoples ability to take anything with the word Celt on it seriously, but that doesn't mean that there is no hope at all for something good to fill the gaping hole. As a matter of fact I'm here to tell you about a book that does just that. It's a book that does something magical, something wonderful - it captures a period of history, an island, and the cultures that shaped it very close to how they really were. If you are looking for a game where all the Celts are good and honorable and all the Normans evil followers of Longshanks, you won't find it here. If, on the other hand, you want a very well done historical look at Ireland this is the book for you. *The Caveat* There is one minor caveat that must be given when discussing this book, and the author himself mentions it briefly in the book. Because this book uses the Pendragon chronology it is not completely historically accurate. It has, for example, the Vikings and "Normans" coming to Ireland several centuries earlier than they actually did. However, it does show the actual political consequences of the various invasions of Ireland in realistic terms that escape the cliches often fallen into in texts on Irish history. This is a book for a game about Arthur, and must make some concessions to that. They are generally of minor concern however, and can be fixed simply by changing dates and expanding the timeline. *The Art* Now I know that many don't care one whit for art in an RPG. I do. Not that I buy RPG's because of the art, but because I feel that if you are going to have art in a book you should make it such that it does not make those reading the book want to puke. Plus, art used correctly can give you a great insight into costume, fortifications, and culture that no amount of words can. For that reason I'm pleased to report that the art in Pagan Shore is highly above average. The black and white line drawings give a very clear sense of Irish culture and costume. Among them are even a few pictures so good that I would be willing to pay money for a poster of them (the tribal Irish warrior fighting the Norman knight being among my favorite). Also, other than the chain-mail-chick on the front cover there are few pictures put into the book for 'cool' value. The women do not display large tracks of cleavage, and the houses do not all look like palaces. *The Rundown* The book starts with a nice glossary of Irish political and religious terms, with the necessary pronunciation guide. The terms here are mostly defined again when they occur in the text, but this section serves as an invaluable reference for looking up something you forgot in the middle of a game. Next is a chapter on the landscape of Ireland. This section also discusses issues such as the mythic landscape of Ireland and the historical import of certain cites. It then has a 35 page long "places of interest section." Now normally such a long list of detailed locations might seem a bit excessive, but it works here for two important reasons. First is that the myths of Ireland are not ethereal, they are tied to place and time, and this section lets you really feel the mythic landscape that the Irish lived in. Second, almost every entry in the list is given a myth, a date, or a place that is set up as a potential story hook. So rather than simply having a list of places what this book gives is a gazetteer of myths, legends, histories, and ways to involve the characters in them. The third chapter may be the strongest in the book. Entitled "Irish People" it delivers what it promises - the peoples of Ireland in all their cultural diversity and importance. Though the longest section is devoted to the various "Celtic" groups there is also attention given to the Vikings, the Normans, and the pre-Celtic peoples of Ireland. All of them are given respect, and are developed as actual cultures with rules and customs that are alien to our own. The Celts are not portrayed as a unified group, nor do they live in a perpetual twilight. They are an active people with varying levels of civilization and tribal politics. These politics, customs, and rules are also clearly and succinctly defined. They allow you to actually play a campaign based about Irish customs and not just raiding warrior bands who scream "Freedom!" It also allows you to explore the ways that modern Ireland was formed by it's history of cultural interaction and conflict, and not just as the last bastion of Celticism. Chapter Four is "Irish Magic" and it is just that - rules for magical things that are distinctly Irish. Here we get wonderful bits like the directions of Irish myth, the curse of Femininity, and the Discheadal Do-Cheannaibh (divination using severed heads). This is not a vague or uncertain section on generic magic, but a guide to making Irish magic Irish. It also gives a remarkably lucid (though chronologically difficult) run down of the various Holy Folk of Ireland. This section is so good because it covers poets, priests, and monks as well (or better) than the Druids that most Celtic games start and end with. As a lovely final addition there is a very good section on the Irish Gods that deals with them in their own terms, and not in the Aristotelian chopped logic method, included is a minor bestiary of Irish fae and monsters. The section is rounded out with a section on Geases in Irish tradition. Nicely done and culturally centered it makes a good addition to the book. The random Geas Generator, however, could have been left on the cutting room floor. The next to last chapter of the book is the character generation section. Unfortunately this is also the weakest section of the book by far. It is not that there is no good material here, because there is. It is that the section is a muddle of poor organization and confusing wording. I have made dozens of characters using the book, and sometimes I still get lost in the endless charts and tables. The only tables that I do like are the homelands tables - as they give you a nice section of various specific tribes and kingdoms and how many men each can field for combat. In general I would recommend using this section slowly and carefully, and not trying to rush through it. Finally comes a chapter on Irish Storytelling. Included are brief rules for Cleases (stunts) and Glory (experience) in Irish campaigns. Along with these are 5 short story tags from myth and history that can be turned into full fledged adventures with a little work. Though this section was nice I felt it really should have been longer, with more specific information about using all the wonderful cultural detail that the rest of the book gave us. *The Conclusion* This book is not perfect. The game specific sections of it are often muddled and confusing, and there are far to many tables for my liking. However those glitches are more than overshadowed by the depth and richness which this book offers. This book is, in many ways, about as comprehensive, insightful, and accurate a portrayal of Irish culture as I have ever seen in an RPG. It does not fall into the trap of trendiness, and gives plenty of material for endless adventures. I will now let the author speak for the book, and the island that it is about: "I write to say that the Ireland of Pagan Shore is truly a foreign country, as enigmatic as the carvings on an Aztec calendar. Don't assume that you know it. Approach it with an attitude of discovery. Like a detective, use your imagination, and the modest clues I have provided, to reconstruct the day-to-day activities of the deceased. You may be able to learn more about the actual history of Ireland than the scholar who studies a confused and confusing monkish book." In most cases I would accuse any game writer who said such things of arrogance. This time, however, I will simply tip my hat. If you are interested in playing a game about Ireland, or it's peoples, get this book. It is the best book on Celtic and Irish culture in the RPG market. Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

Pagan Shore: Ireland in the Age of King Arthur