The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Now here's your chance to play the bad guys of Pendragon. Well, not really. While Saxons may be the bad guys in the main Pendragon storyline, they are given a fair, complete treatment in this supplement. So instead of the honorless, untrustworthy brutes who murdered Uther and upon Arthur's death took over Britain, we have three-dimensional characters with their own virtues and flaws, their own rules for courtesy and honor, and their own traditions (yet who still murdered Uther and took over Britain upon Arthur's death). So, as Mage has it's Guide to the Technocracy, Pendragon has Saxons! Wolves in the fold of Arthur's Britain.

Saxons! is an encyclopedic tome of useful setting, culture, history, character, and adventure information for any Pendragon campaign that involves Saxons.

This sourcebook is not a "riveting page-turner" that keeps you interested because of an interesting writing style, suspense, and mystery. Instead, it is a book that keeps you reading by the sheer volume of useful, interesting and well-researched information it provides. Suddenly, $24.95 doesn't seem like too much to pay for a 140 paged paperback supplement- the amount of information provided in this book could easily fill three times that volume in the more prose-heavy, fiction-laden, illustration rich, larger print format often seen in sourcebooks for other games. If you want a game book because it's pretty to look at, you may want to skip this one. If you want a game book for the information it contains and get irritated by obvious filler, you'll love Saxons!.

Organization

The organization of this book is overall quite good, but lacking in a few areas. There is no index, and the Table of Contents is very limited. While I would not see this as a problem in a smaller, sparser book, the large volume of information contained in this book would be much easier to process if it was indexed. On the other hand, this book does a good job of referencing other sections in text. If there is a rule later in the book that has to do with something mentioned in the earlier "culture" section, there is an in text reference to that later section. Such references are not limited to pages within this book- specific page references are also given for the main Pendragon book, and for The Boy King and Lordly Domains where appropriate.

There is a glossary of important Saxon words that are then used throughout the text. Thus, Saxon kings are cynings, kin is cynn, a community is a theod, etc. A pronunciation guide for these new words and Saxon names is also included (which is a good thing considering how some of these names are spelled!). Illustrations are somewhat sparse, but tend to include scenes from everyday life in addition to action scenes. But what got me to buy this book in the first place was probably the large number of maps. These include historical maps, village maps, and a two page foldout map of the Saxon Shore.

Saxon Culture

The chapter on Saxon Culture is truly excellent. While not every aspect of Saxon life could be described in a mere twenty pages, most parts relevant to game play are included. This includes the social hierarchy and social roles, Saxon laws, courts, and penalties, Saxon attitudes towards others, Saxon traditions and obligations, the role of women, the role of raids and war, boasting, funerals, religion, magic, legends, and much, much more. This section gives a good cultural background for making any Saxon character, and defines his or her place in society (and how this can be changed). This is, in my opinion, the best part of the book. The descriptions in this chapter are not Pendragon specific, and could easily be ported to any other game where you wanted to use Saxons. But as the authors caution in the introduction- do not take this book as a purely historical account of Saxon culture and history. Bits and pieces from Viking and other traditions are included, as are fantastic elements appropriate in an RPG book but not a history paper. If you want a source for a history paper (or want even more background for a Saxon campaign), check out the 2-page list of references at the end of this book.

The Saxon Chronicle

You wanted a historical background for your campaign? You got it. There is a general history of Saxons and the lands of Britain that would be occupied by Saxons dating back to roman times (BC). Nearly annual updates on invasions, battles, migrations, and other important events are given from roughly 367-577 AD. In Pendragon terms, this book adds six new ~15-year "phases" predating the five described in The Boy King (numbered -5 through 0), and gives Saxon specific information and events up to the time of Arthur's death at the end of Pendragon phase five. In addition to listing specific events, this book also lists more general trends in technology, religion, economics, and migrations during each of these phases. Four historical maps, showing new boundaries, invasions, and other changes are included in this section.

The Geography of the Saxon Shore

This chapter provides piles of useful setting information for GMs. It contains an alphabetical listing of 132 interesting sites along the Saxon Shore. Some are simple towns or castles, while most have interesting histories or plot hooks (hauntings, monsters, treasures, enemies, legends, faerie, etc.) that a GM could turn into adventures. These places are cross-referenced to the large, fold-out map of the region located at the end of the book. While each entry is brief and the entire section is rather encyclopedic, this section provides the GM with plenty of adventure possibilities just around the corner for the Saxon PCs.

Creating Saxon Characters

The process is much like character generation from the main Pendragon book, except with Saxon specific rules. This section is largely comprised of tables to help you randomly generate a character. Statistics are randomly generated, as are other character aspects including homeland, culture, family standing, starting gear, and much more. You can make it through most of character generation without ever making a decision yourself. If you had something more specific in mind for your character, you'll have to negotiate with your GM. Once the basics are done, the player can allocate points to skills, passions, and stats as they see fit (within reason) and can even make their characters older to given them more points based on experience. Stats, passions, skills, and the like work the same as they do in the main Pendragon book. Oh, and to save space (and not be repetitive), where rules are identical to those in Pendragon, the rule is omitted and a page reference to the main book is given. Advanced character generation allows you to make non-standard characters, including magic users. These characters follow the same general rules as regular Pendragon magic users, except for the rune users. Rune magic is described later in the book. While it can have powerful effects, the cost of magic for the user is high enough to keep rune users for using their skills regularly. Since runes are by default permanent, each rune used permanently lowers the runere's Magic Limit- even a very powerful runere would only be able to cast four or so during his or her lifetime. Not the best option for a spellcasting character- if that is your goal, you'll want to avoid the runes and stick with the more traditional Talented Pendragon characters (of which there are several Saxon varieties).

Differences between Saxon characters and typical Pendragon characters can be seen by examining the character sheets. Saxon characters get their religious bonus for excelling in their Wotanic Passions, rather than Christian. There is a spot on the front page of the sheet for a character's Boasts- something important to the proud Saxons but not for the more modest Christian knights. Instead of squires, there is room for the character's Heorthwerod, or bodyguards.

Adventures!

The campaigns and adventures in this book seem very Saxon and setting appropriate. They come complete with background, NPCs, step by step events, and even situation appropriate random encounter tables. The Chronicle of Haestings includes the setting for an ongoing campaign, and includes three full adventures specific to that setting. The Battle of Badon provides specific mini-adventures to be had during the days of that great battle. If your players would rather be Saxon raiders, there are plenty of places to raid and NPCs to fight described in the Raids and Encounters chapter. GMs who prefer a more textual approach to their prepackaged adventures may be irritated by the large number of random tables for each, though these tables do outline many possible outcomes.

Some of the adventures are written more from the perspective of "realism" and not for the traditional RPG adventure party. This is not a criticism of the game, just an observation that people used to the adventure party approach to gaming may have trouble adapting to a style of play where the PCs aren't the big players, are strongly tied to family and land, and are rarely acting alone. In fact, two of the adventures are most easily accomplished by requesting assistance from the PC's lord, and having him and his advisors lead (or advise) rather than the PCs. On the one hand, this encourages the use of diplomacy and intrigue in addition to combat skills, on the other hand, it encourages the PCs to be dependent on outside aid and leadership rather than their own skills and judgement. I doubt that the adventure of the Pitiless Tower could be accomplished by the PCs without outside aid (though exceptionally clever or powerful PCs may have SOME chance). Even adventures such as raids (by ship or land) take many more people than an adventuring party. Unlike the knightly quests of the later Pendragon knights, there just doesn't appear to be a whole lot that Saxon PCs can DO on their own or as the big players, at least given the example adventures in the book. They are tied to their land and their lord in a way that doesn't easily accommodate going off on quests for extended periods of time. Nothing a good GM couldn't work with, and definitely worth playing, but the Saxons! book certainly encourages non-standard gaming.

Another gripe that someone could have with the chronicles and timelines is that Saxons! and Pendragon both have rather rigid metaplots. While GMs are encouraged to toy with this "history" as they see fit and not worry too much about this, there is definitely a sequence of events that is going to happen, and Pendragon sourcebooks set after the Saxon book require a certain starting point historically. Thus, the Saxons are all going to die at the battle of Badon in 518. Any PCs who live that long will be slain in the battle, so that Arthur may rule and the chivalry and adventures of Arthur's reign (and of other Pendragon books) can happen. The Battle of Badon adventure is not about winning of losing, it's about how the PCs die. I liked this, for it illustrated one of the strengths of Pendragon- it's not about success and failure, life and death- it's about the stories you make as you go through life, and many great heroes from Arthurian and other legends are remembered as much for their deaths as for their lives. A death in battle is not a waste, and your character's heirs and family can carry on your glory. The battle of Badon is a heroic ending for a Saxon campaign. However, some GMs and players may feel constricted by the rigid timeline. I guess this is an issue for any "historical" RPG- some people are reluctant to change "history" in their games, and some Pendragon GMs may not want to imagine an Arthurian Britain in which the Saxons won at Badon, and therefore may be hesitant to allow PC actions to matter in the "big picture."

Who this book is for:

This book is for Pendragon players who want to play Saxons, either as part of a Saxon campaign or as PCs in a regular Pendragon game. This book is for Pendragon GMs who want more of a historical background for their regular Pendragon games, who want to run Saxon campaigns, or who want to add more detail to their Saxon NPCs. Since most of the book is not Pendragon specific, this sourcebook would also be useful to gamers wanting a historical setting for another RPG (but on the other hand, how many other RPGs are there out there that take place in 5th-6th century Britain?).

This book is in no way a necessary supplement for Pendragon. Even a game involving Saxons is possible without it. The new rules are all Saxon specific, and do not replace other rules in the main Pendragon book. All you need to start your very own Saxon campaign can be found in this sourcebook and the main Pendragon (4th edition) book. If you have an older Pendragon edition, you may need to upgrade to 4th edition in order to make full use of this sourcebook, since rules for magic and magician characters were not included in 3rd edition.

If this review interested you, then Saxons! Wolves in the fold of Arthur's Britain should interest you even more.

Style: 3 (Average)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Saxons! Wolves in the Fold of Arthur's Britain
Author: Roderick Robertson Category: game Company/Publisher: Green Knight Publishing Line: Pendragon Cost: $24.95 Page count: 141 ISBN: 1-928999-06-9 SKU: GK2722 Capsule Review by Lindsay McHenry on 08/28/00. Genre tags: Fantasy Historical	Now here's your chance to play the bad guys of Pendragon. Well, not really. While Saxons may be the bad guys in the main Pendragon storyline, they are given a fair, complete treatment in this supplement. So instead of the honorless, untrustworthy brutes who murdered Uther and upon Arthur's death took over Britain, we have three-dimensional characters with their own virtues and flaws, their own rules for courtesy and honor, and their own traditions (yet who still murdered Uther and took over Britain upon Arthur's death). So, as Mage has it's Guide to the Technocracy, Pendragon has Saxons! Wolves in the fold of Arthur's Britain. Saxons! is an encyclopedic tome of useful setting, culture, history, character, and adventure information for any Pendragon campaign that involves Saxons. This sourcebook is not a "riveting page-turner" that keeps you interested because of an interesting writing style, suspense, and mystery. Instead, it is a book that keeps you reading by the sheer volume of useful, interesting and well-researched information it provides. Suddenly, $24.95 doesn't seem like too much to pay for a 140 paged paperback supplement- the amount of information provided in this book could easily fill three times that volume in the more prose-heavy, fiction-laden, illustration rich, larger print format often seen in sourcebooks for other games. If you want a game book because it's pretty to look at, you may want to skip this one. If you want a game book for the information it contains and get irritated by obvious filler, you'll love Saxons!. Organization The organization of this book is overall quite good, but lacking in a few areas. There is no index, and the Table of Contents is very limited. While I would not see this as a problem in a smaller, sparser book, the large volume of information contained in this book would be much easier to process if it was indexed. On the other hand, this book does a good job of referencing other sections in text. If there is a rule later in the book that has to do with something mentioned in the earlier "culture" section, there is an in text reference to that later section. Such references are not limited to pages within this book- specific page references are also given for the main Pendragon book, and for The Boy King and Lordly Domains where appropriate. There is a glossary of important Saxon words that are then used throughout the text. Thus, Saxon kings are cynings, kin is cynn, a community is a theod, etc. A pronunciation guide for these new words and Saxon names is also included (which is a good thing considering how some of these names are spelled!). Illustrations are somewhat sparse, but tend to include scenes from everyday life in addition to action scenes. But what got me to buy this book in the first place was probably the large number of maps. These include historical maps, village maps, and a two page foldout map of the Saxon Shore. Saxon Culture The chapter on Saxon Culture is truly excellent. While not every aspect of Saxon life could be described in a mere twenty pages, most parts relevant to game play are included. This includes the social hierarchy and social roles, Saxon laws, courts, and penalties, Saxon attitudes towards others, Saxon traditions and obligations, the role of women, the role of raids and war, boasting, funerals, religion, magic, legends, and much, much more. This section gives a good cultural background for making any Saxon character, and defines his or her place in society (and how this can be changed). This is, in my opinion, the best part of the book. The descriptions in this chapter are not Pendragon specific, and could easily be ported to any other game where you wanted to use Saxons. But as the authors caution in the introduction- do not take this book as a purely historical account of Saxon culture and history. Bits and pieces from Viking and other traditions are included, as are fantastic elements appropriate in an RPG book but not a history paper. If you want a source for a history paper (or want even more background for a Saxon campaign), check out the 2-page list of references at the end of this book. The Saxon Chronicle You wanted a historical background for your campaign? You got it. There is a general history of Saxons and the lands of Britain that would be occupied by Saxons dating back to roman times (BC). Nearly annual updates on invasions, battles, migrations, and other important events are given from roughly 367-577 AD. In Pendragon terms, this book adds six new ~15-year "phases" predating the five described in The Boy King (numbered -5 through 0), and gives Saxon specific information and events up to the time of Arthur's death at the end of Pendragon phase five. In addition to listing specific events, this book also lists more general trends in technology, religion, economics, and migrations during each of these phases. Four historical maps, showing new boundaries, invasions, and other changes are included in this section. The Geography of the Saxon Shore This chapter provides piles of useful setting information for GMs. It contains an alphabetical listing of 132 interesting sites along the Saxon Shore. Some are simple towns or castles, while most have interesting histories or plot hooks (hauntings, monsters, treasures, enemies, legends, faerie, etc.) that a GM could turn into adventures. These places are cross-referenced to the large, fold-out map of the region located at the end of the book. While each entry is brief and the entire section is rather encyclopedic, this section provides the GM with plenty of adventure possibilities just around the corner for the Saxon PCs. Creating Saxon Characters The process is much like character generation from the main Pendragon book, except with Saxon specific rules. This section is largely comprised of tables to help you randomly generate a character. Statistics are randomly generated, as are other character aspects including homeland, culture, family standing, starting gear, and much more. You can make it through most of character generation without ever making a decision yourself. If you had something more specific in mind for your character, you'll have to negotiate with your GM. Once the basics are done, the player can allocate points to skills, passions, and stats as they see fit (within reason) and can even make their characters older to given them more points based on experience. Stats, passions, skills, and the like work the same as they do in the main Pendragon book. Oh, and to save space (and not be repetitive), where rules are identical to those in Pendragon, the rule is omitted and a page reference to the main book is given. Advanced character generation allows you to make non-standard characters, including magic users. These characters follow the same general rules as regular Pendragon magic users, except for the rune users. Rune magic is described later in the book. While it can have powerful effects, the cost of magic for the user is high enough to keep rune users for using their skills regularly. Since runes are by default permanent, each rune used permanently lowers the runere's Magic Limit- even a very powerful runere would only be able to cast four or so during his or her lifetime. Not the best option for a spellcasting character- if that is your goal, you'll want to avoid the runes and stick with the more traditional Talented Pendragon characters (of which there are several Saxon varieties). Differences between Saxon characters and typical Pendragon characters can be seen by examining the character sheets. Saxon characters get their religious bonus for excelling in their Wotanic Passions, rather than Christian. There is a spot on the front page of the sheet for a character's Boasts- something important to the proud Saxons but not for the more modest Christian knights. Instead of squires, there is room for the character's Heorthwerod, or bodyguards. Adventures! The campaigns and adventures in this book seem very Saxon and setting appropriate. They come complete with background, NPCs, step by step events, and even situation appropriate random encounter tables. The Chronicle of Haestings includes the setting for an ongoing campaign, and includes three full adventures specific to that setting. The Battle of Badon provides specific mini-adventures to be had during the days of that great battle. If your players would rather be Saxon raiders, there are plenty of places to raid and NPCs to fight described in the Raids and Encounters chapter. GMs who prefer a more textual approach to their prepackaged adventures may be irritated by the large number of random tables for each, though these tables do outline many possible outcomes. Some of the adventures are written more from the perspective of "realism" and not for the traditional RPG adventure party. This is not a criticism of the game, just an observation that people used to the adventure party approach to gaming may have trouble adapting to a style of play where the PCs aren't the big players, are strongly tied to family and land, and are rarely acting alone. In fact, two of the adventures are most easily accomplished by requesting assistance from the PC's lord, and having him and his advisors lead (or advise) rather than the PCs. On the one hand, this encourages the use of diplomacy and intrigue in addition to combat skills, on the other hand, it encourages the PCs to be dependent on outside aid and leadership rather than their own skills and judgement. I doubt that the adventure of the Pitiless Tower could be accomplished by the PCs without outside aid (though exceptionally clever or powerful PCs may have SOME chance). Even adventures such as raids (by ship or land) take many more people than an adventuring party. Unlike the knightly quests of the later Pendragon knights, there just doesn't appear to be a whole lot that Saxon PCs can DO on their own or as the big players, at least given the example adventures in the book. They are tied to their land and their lord in a way that doesn't easily accommodate going off on quests for extended periods of time. Nothing a good GM couldn't work with, and definitely worth playing, but the Saxons! book certainly encourages non-standard gaming. Another gripe that someone could have with the chronicles and timelines is that Saxons! and Pendragon both have rather rigid metaplots. While GMs are encouraged to toy with this "history" as they see fit and not worry too much about this, there is definitely a sequence of events that is going to happen, and Pendragon sourcebooks set after the Saxon book require a certain starting point historically. Thus, the Saxons are all going to die at the battle of Badon in 518. Any PCs who live that long will be slain in the battle, so that Arthur may rule and the chivalry and adventures of Arthur's reign (and of other Pendragon books) can happen. The Battle of Badon adventure is not about winning of losing, it's about how the PCs die. I liked this, for it illustrated one of the strengths of Pendragon- it's not about success and failure, life and death- it's about the stories you make as you go through life, and many great heroes from Arthurian and other legends are remembered as much for their deaths as for their lives. A death in battle is not a waste, and your character's heirs and family can carry on your glory. The battle of Badon is a heroic ending for a Saxon campaign. However, some GMs and players may feel constricted by the rigid timeline. I guess this is an issue for any "historical" RPG- some people are reluctant to change "history" in their games, and some Pendragon GMs may not want to imagine an Arthurian Britain in which the Saxons won at Badon, and therefore may be hesitant to allow PC actions to matter in the "big picture." Who this book is for: This book is for Pendragon players who want to play Saxons, either as part of a Saxon campaign or as PCs in a regular Pendragon game. This book is for Pendragon GMs who want more of a historical background for their regular Pendragon games, who want to run Saxon campaigns, or who want to add more detail to their Saxon NPCs. Since most of the book is not Pendragon specific, this sourcebook would also be useful to gamers wanting a historical setting for another RPG (but on the other hand, how many other RPGs are there out there that take place in 5th-6th century Britain?). This book is in no way a necessary supplement for Pendragon. Even a game involving Saxons is possible without it. The new rules are all Saxon specific, and do not replace other rules in the main Pendragon book. All you need to start your very own Saxon campaign can be found in this sourcebook and the main Pendragon (4th edition) book. If you have an older Pendragon edition, you may need to upgrade to 4th edition in order to make full use of this sourcebook, since rules for magic and magician characters were not included in 3rd edition. If this review interested you, then Saxons! Wolves in the fold of Arthur's Britain should interest you even more. Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Saxons! Wolves in the Fold of Arthur's Britain