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"Listen and hear The life of a great lord, who while he lived, hand no equal in cottage or castle. This event took place in the time of Arthur, that King, courtly and royal, and is about one of his great adventures. Wherever he went, of all kings, Arthur bears the flower; of knights, he bears the honor. This whole country was chivalrous in those days. All knights were valiant, and cowards were forever disgraced." -- From "Sir Gawaine and Dame Ragnell"

Pendragon is the best game you can find that is set for King Arthur's court anywhere. King Arthur Pendragon, 4th Edition captures everything about the Legends and Myths of Legendary Britain wonderfully. As it's heading says, it is truely "Epic Roleplaying in Legendary Britain."

What's Good about Pendragon?

Let's see. Ah, I know just where to begin. The game draws from several different sources. Although Morte D'Arthur is the work from what most of the material is drawn from, however you will find evidence of inspiration from Welsh sources (the story of Culhwch and Olwen from The Mabinogi), Modern sources (T.H. White's The Once and Future King), French sources (the Vulgate), legendary Chronicles, and finally, the radical sources of our day (Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Mists of Avalon).

Now lets get something straight, this is one of the things I like about the game. By blending them all together, the game presents a believable setting that can be enjoyed by anyone. And it doesn't even stop there.

The Game's Medieval Setting is set after the world of Malory's book and not our world. Women characters are treated as women are in an idealized setting, one that you would find in the musical Camelot! or the movie Excalibur.

Art Work

First there is Quality of Quanity, like the Art Work you find in any Monstrous Arcana book for AD&D, and then there is Quality of Genre, the second type you find in Pendragon. Pendragon has the best art work in the Middle Ages genre that I have ever seen. The Art Work makes legendary Britain spring to life. Rather than combine mediums together like in the Monstrous Arcanna books, Pendragon sticks to the black and white medium and it does this beautifully.

Character Generation

I found character generation to be a breeze. But there are two types: quick character generation and Advanced character generation. As a GM and player, I prefer the latter. Because you can create Knights from all over the British Isles and even France and Amorica, and not just the Kingdom of Logres.

With Advanced Character Generation, you can choose which culture your knight belongs too: French, Cymric, Saxon, Pict, Irish, Occitanian, and Roman. Also, you can choose which religion your knight belongs too: from Christianity to Judaism to Paganism.

And you don't have to generate just knights either. You can also generate Extraordinary Women characters, which is the correct way of roleplaying women based on the Arthurian myth. Also you can generate magicians, priests, and warriors.

Magic System

The Magic System in the game is one of the best I've seen, although I have been hearing that Ars Magica's system is a lot better. Magic is rare in the Arthurian Myth, and this is supported by the system. After performing a Glamour spell or even a miracle, the Magician or Priest must rest either for weeks or prepare a head of time to prevent premature aging.

Also, the magician relies on talents, rather than skills. A magician would use a certain magical talent of his to produce a certain effect. These talents are what set the magic system apart from other systems that I have seen or heard about, making magic seem intuitive and rare.

Roleplaying

Pendragon helps the roleplayer along. As in character generation, you generate the knight's (or woman's, magician's, priest's, etc.) personality, and determine which personality traits are dominate. Also, religion comes into effect, as relgious virtues are reflected as these personality traits. Every personality trait has an opposite personality trait such as Modest/Proud, Chaste/Lustful, and Valorous/Cowardly.

This personality traits are quantified, and can be tested. Even against the player's wishes (You fail the test of your chastity and you sleep with Morgause). However, I like the system, and I was working on a way to convert the system for use with AD&D.

Background.

The Game's Background is wonderful. Greg Stafford did a good job of not recreating history as so much as society. As was said before, the game is not based on the Actual Middle Ages, but the Idealized Middle Ages figured so much in Arthurian Myth. The Idealized Society of Arthur's world reflects very much the tales of Howard Pyle and above all, Mallory's Morte D'Arthur. Plus, you get a very good look on how religion in the Middle Ages work. There is a discourse on every religion of the time, including Evil. In fact, Greg isn't at all afraid of defining evil as it really is.

After all, game masters should explore the concept of Good and Evil and they should have a really good concept of Evil with in the context of a Roleplaying game, and Pendragon's concept is the best I have ever seen.

Overall

With over 350 pages full of material, there is enough here to have a pretty good Arthurian game based on the technology of Norman England, rather than the Technology of the Later Middle Ages or the Dark Ages. But if the Gamemaster really wants to have Knights tromping around in Gothic Plate Mail, or play one Warlord Arthur's cadre of celtic warriors, then the Gamemaster is well advised to get The Boy King.

The Game is perfect for recreating the Arthurian legend in a roleplaying game, as the system fits Mallory, Pyle, and all others wonderfully. However it is not perfect, and no game can be. However, I highly recommend it to any one who is a fan of legend.

Special Suggestion to Ars Magica Players

If you really want a good game in Mythic England, Combine Pendragon with Ars Magica. Use the Ars Magica magic system with Pendragon and introduce an Order of Hermes into Britain. A hermetic magician would be a great addition to the Various British Enchanters, Pagan Priestesses, and Christian priests in the game.

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

King Arthur Pendragon, 4th Edition
Author: Greg Stafford Category: game Company/Publisher: Green Knight Publishing Line: Pendragon Cost: 27.99 Page count: 351 ISBN: 1-56882-006-2 SKU: 2716 Capsule Review by Elton Robb on 05/08/00. Genre tags: Fantasy Historical	"Listen and hear The life of a great lord, who while he lived, hand no equal in cottage or castle. This event took place in the time of Arthur, that King, courtly and royal, and is about one of his great adventures. Wherever he went, of all kings, Arthur bears the flower; of knights, he bears the honor. This whole country was chivalrous in those days. All knights were valiant, and cowards were forever disgraced." -- From "Sir Gawaine and Dame Ragnell" Pendragon is the best game you can find that is set for King Arthur's court anywhere. King Arthur Pendragon, 4th Edition captures everything about the Legends and Myths of Legendary Britain wonderfully. As it's heading says, it is truely "Epic Roleplaying in Legendary Britain." What's Good about Pendragon? Let's see. Ah, I know just where to begin. The game draws from several different sources. Although Morte D'Arthur is the work from what most of the material is drawn from, however you will find evidence of inspiration from Welsh sources (the story of Culhwch and Olwen from The Mabinogi), Modern sources (T.H. White's The Once and Future King), French sources (the Vulgate), legendary Chronicles, and finally, the radical sources of our day (Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Mists of Avalon). Now lets get something straight, this is one of the things I like about the game. By blending them all together, the game presents a believable setting that can be enjoyed by anyone. And it doesn't even stop there. The Game's Medieval Setting is set after the world of Malory's book and not our world. Women characters are treated as women are in an idealized setting, one that you would find in the musical Camelot! or the movie Excalibur. Art Work First there is Quality of Quanity, like the Art Work you find in any Monstrous Arcana book for AD&D, and then there is Quality of Genre, the second type you find in Pendragon. Pendragon has the best art work in the Middle Ages genre that I have ever seen. The Art Work makes legendary Britain spring to life. Rather than combine mediums together like in the Monstrous Arcanna books, Pendragon sticks to the black and white medium and it does this beautifully. Character Generation I found character generation to be a breeze. But there are two types: quick character generation and Advanced character generation. As a GM and player, I prefer the latter. Because you can create Knights from all over the British Isles and even France and Amorica, and not just the Kingdom of Logres. With Advanced Character Generation, you can choose which culture your knight belongs too: French, Cymric, Saxon, Pict, Irish, Occitanian, and Roman. Also, you can choose which religion your knight belongs too: from Christianity to Judaism to Paganism. And you don't have to generate just knights either. You can also generate Extraordinary Women characters, which is the correct way of roleplaying women based on the Arthurian myth. Also you can generate magicians, priests, and warriors. Magic System The Magic System in the game is one of the best I've seen, although I have been hearing that Ars Magica's system is a lot better. Magic is rare in the Arthurian Myth, and this is supported by the system. After performing a Glamour spell or even a miracle, the Magician or Priest must rest either for weeks or prepare a head of time to prevent premature aging. Also, the magician relies on talents, rather than skills. A magician would use a certain magical talent of his to produce a certain effect. These talents are what set the magic system apart from other systems that I have seen or heard about, making magic seem intuitive and rare. Roleplaying Pendragon helps the roleplayer along. As in character generation, you generate the knight's (or woman's, magician's, priest's, etc.) personality, and determine which personality traits are dominate. Also, religion comes into effect, as relgious virtues are reflected as these personality traits. Every personality trait has an opposite personality trait such as Modest/Proud, Chaste/Lustful, and Valorous/Cowardly. This personality traits are quantified, and can be tested. Even against the player's wishes (You fail the test of your chastity and you sleep with Morgause). However, I like the system, and I was working on a way to convert the system for use with AD&D. Background. The Game's Background is wonderful. Greg Stafford did a good job of not recreating history as so much as society. As was said before, the game is not based on the Actual Middle Ages, but the Idealized Middle Ages figured so much in Arthurian Myth. The Idealized Society of Arthur's world reflects very much the tales of Howard Pyle and above all, Mallory's Morte D'Arthur. Plus, you get a very good look on how religion in the Middle Ages work. There is a discourse on every religion of the time, including Evil. In fact, Greg isn't at all afraid of defining evil as it really is. After all, game masters should explore the concept of Good and Evil and they should have a really good concept of Evil with in the context of a Roleplaying game, and Pendragon's concept is the best I have ever seen. Overall With over 350 pages full of material, there is enough here to have a pretty good Arthurian game based on the technology of Norman England, rather than the Technology of the Later Middle Ages or the Dark Ages. But if the Gamemaster really wants to have Knights tromping around in Gothic Plate Mail, or play one Warlord Arthur's cadre of celtic warriors, then the Gamemaster is well advised to get The Boy King. The Game is perfect for recreating the Arthurian legend in a roleplaying game, as the system fits Mallory, Pyle, and all others wonderfully. However it is not perfect, and no game can be. However, I highly recommend it to any one who is a fan of legend. Special Suggestion to Ars Magica Players If you really want a good game in Mythic England, Combine Pendragon with Ars Magica. Use the Ars Magica magic system with Pendragon and introduce an Order of Hermes into Britain. A hermetic magician would be a great addition to the Various British Enchanters, Pagan Priestesses, and Christian priests in the game. Style: 5 (Excellent!) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)