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Preamble

I am a great fan of Michael Moorcock. I find the themes of the Eternal Champion and Law versus Chaos across the Multiverse a great backdrop for stories and gaming. I have played the Chaosium games Stormbringer and Elric!, both set in the Young Kingdoms, for years.

Whilst I started gaming with Traveller, T&T and D&D, I quickly dropped D&D from my gaming systems and have not played it for well over a decade. I recently purchased the 3rd edition D&D Players Handbook and was favourably impressed.

I do not believe that roleplaying in a Moorcock inspired style requires a 'sanctioned' set of rules such as those from Chaosium, and believe that there are many ways to enjoy the sub-genre that is Moorcock.

Review

This is a 8"x10" paperback book of some 208 pages. It is the first d20 product published by Chaosium and it details 'Adventuring in a Dark World of Law & Chaos', in other words roleplying in the world of Elric and the other associated novels by British fantasy author Michael Moorcock.

It is well illustrated in black and white with large and clearly readable main body text with side bars, and top and end pieces that represent demons, dragons and swords. The illustrations range from dark and brooding to fresh and illustrative. The book notes that these are collected from a wide range of earlier Chaosium games, and non-english versions of those games, and as such there is a wider range of styles. All fit the style of the game and the novels well.

The book requires the 3rd edition D&D Players Handbook to play. It includes new d20 Open Game Content. It is NOT a game in it's own right.

Introduction

This introduces the Elric Saga, Michael Moorcock and the timeline of the saga to date. Owners of the Elric! rpg will recognise this as identical to the material in that game. It is clear and provides a simple overview of the saga whilst imparting the fact that this is a brooding and doomed tale, and that the game will be similar.

The World of the Young Kingdoms

This sections offers a map of the world and sailing times between locations. It then details each of the three continents, the islands and elsewhere. A full page details coinage. The world of the Young Kingdoms has very clear and obvious nations with very distinctive characteristics. These 26 pages give a good introductiont that will allow players and DMs to be able to get a good pen portrait of their home nation. For those with Elric! this is also essentially identical text to that game.

Adventurers

This section details how to create adventurers for a Young Kingdoms game. The section makes it clear that non-human races from D&D do not feature in the saga and as such should not be used for the game except with some extra planar, mutant or distant land explanation. It the introduces the non-human races that do appear and offers them as PC races; Melniboneans, half-Melniboneans and Myyrrhn. The Melniboneans are the dark corrupt Chaos worshippers of the saga and as such have some similarities to dark elves. Full Melniboneans are Wizards by default. PCs are more likely to interested in half-Melniboneans who have lesser racial advantages, can be any class and have a reason to be travelling the world. Myyrhyn are a race of winged humanoids (well 50% have wings) and the book introduces some new feats, weapons and attack types for this race.

For human adventuers the book takes the sensible approach of mapping nations with classes. Thus the primitive nations of Oin and Yu produce Barbarian warriors, only nations with elemental worship (such as Dorel) have Druids. In addition each nation has two cultural skills which a native treats as class skills in addition to those of the class chosen. Each nation also has favoured feats which is recommended that a PC from that nation take. Players may use this section randomly, rolling to see which nation they are from and then choosing a class, or choosing nation and class to best suit their wishes.

There is then the new option of distinctive features. Thesea and suggested personal items for each nation are 'chrome' but it is touches like this that can make more impact on characterisation that the attribute scores.

Game System

This is the Open Game Content added to the d20 community by Chaosium and adds some very nice touches to the options for a d20 DM. There are new skills, some of which one wonders why the PHB didn't have such as Fly, Perform, Scent/taste, Sailing and Trap. There is also a development of the Fumble option, with a couple of tables for effects. In addition the concept of Major Wounds (familar to all Elric! and Stormbringer players) is added to D&D, allowing for catastrophically great blows to cripple PCs. All of this is good and will allow for D&D combat with a different flavour. The biggy is Allegiance.

Without wishing to steal Chaosium's thunder, and not to bore players of Elric!, alignment is dropped from DLOM and replaced by Allegiance to the forces of Chaos, Balance and Law. This is a fluid system, since the PCs themselves will dictate whether they align themselves more to one force than another by their actions. A table is presented for the DM to assign allegiance points as games proceed and PCs may veer from one allegiance to another or follow one strongly. The beauty of this is that it is the PCs actions that are reflected in the allegiance, not an alignment dictating play. A PC can follow a path of actions and will find themselves allied with the major forces in the Young Kingdoms. Strongly allying oneself can also lead to formal alliances with the Lords of Law or Chaos or even becoming an Agent, with the benefits and disadvantages clearly detailed.

I think that many roleplayers are uncomfortable with alignment dictating PC behaviour, and for this alone many D&D games may be well influenced by this alternative. Later in the book are explanations of how D&D spells associated with good/evil alignment are to be dropped, how law/chaos spells work and a new set of spells that replace the alignment functionality.

Magic and Religion

This 43 page section details the Churches of Chaos and Law, the individual gods within them and their domains. The Sodality of Tanelorn is detailed, for this is the only route for a PC to become a Monk in DLOM, and only as part of a campaign. This section also details the whole process of invoking and compelling demons, with an extensive system for the vast array of demons and their abilities, needs and quirks. Demons are a key part of the Elric saga and as such this allows a very wide range of individual and unique otherworld creatures, either player or DM created.

For a player of Elric! this section is eerily familiar. It is a compliment to both WoTC and Chaosium that the Elric! demon rules can be translated to d20 and yet remain fundamentally the same. If you detailed a demon in Elric! it can be easily understood using d20 rules. No need for conversion, it is the interpretation of the features that differs (and not by much). This is also a better detailed section on religion than in the Elric! rulebook.

Demons, Monsters, Folk and Heroes

This is a 38 page bestiary and digest. It lists typical demon races, monsters (Chaos Butterfly, Elenoin, Melnibonean Dragons) and great personalities from the saga such as Elric, Dyvim Tvar and prince Gaynor the Damned. In one section typical standard NPCs such as Captain of the Guard or Capable Noble are listed. This is a great section for DMs and focuses on the mix of creatures and people in the setting. Just for the record Elric is a Level 8 Fighter / Level 20 Wizard..

The Dungeon Masters Companion

In this short section Campaigns, Mass Combat, Effects of Chaos, and Rumours are covered. It is a short section and I'd like to have seen more here, but this is a big book and quite frankly it'd be difficult to think of anything that should have been taken out. In effect the whole book is a DM's guide.

Conclusion about the product

This is a well put together Chaosium product that is well laid out well proof read and accessible. Another success from the company that's brought us Chaos for over 25 years!

Conclusion for D&D players (and clones)

This is a great sourcebook for a longstanding and well loved fantasy world in which the standards of Tolkien are forgotten and darkness and violence combine with fantastical tales and magic. It contains a setting where you can play a mature game with confidence, perhaps linking back to the Planescape setting. The cinematic style of D&D combined with the rollercoaster style of Moorcock will produce a great game.

The new rules, especially Allegiance, can be dropped into any D&D game, and much of the background can be re-used or used as a template for our own settings. Having said that, the canvas of the Young Kingdoms is open enough that you can make the world your own as soon as you roll the first dice.

Conclusion for Elric!/Stormbringer players

If you have Elric! then you don't need this game. It's nice, and more readable than Elric! but too much is the same. If you have not got Elric! but have Stormbringer then it is a good sourcebook and has some nice ideas.

Conclusion for non-D&D players

If you play another rpg and want to adventure in the Young Kingdoms then I have to say that this might be the better game for you than Elric! if you want to keep with your own ruleset. If you aren't tied to your ruleset and are happy with the Chaosium BRP/d100 systems then go for Elric! since that is the whole setting and a full system rather than requiring you to also buy the 3rd edition D&D PHB.

Dragon Lords of Melnibone
Dragon Lords of Melnibone Capsule Review by Tom Zunder on 06/04/01 Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 4 (Meaty) Chaosium brings Moorcock to d20 and improves D&D as well. Product: Dragon Lords of Melnibone Author: Tom Zunder Category: RPG Company/Publisher: Chaosium Line: d20 Cost: 23.95 Page count: 208 Year published: 2001 ISBN: SKU: Capsule Review by Tom Zunder on 06/04/01 Genre tags: Fantasy	Preamble I am a great fan of Michael Moorcock. I find the themes of the Eternal Champion and Law versus Chaos across the Multiverse a great backdrop for stories and gaming. I have played the Chaosium games Stormbringer and Elric!, both set in the Young Kingdoms, for years. Whilst I started gaming with Traveller, T&T and D&D, I quickly dropped D&D from my gaming systems and have not played it for well over a decade. I recently purchased the 3rd edition D&D Players Handbook and was favourably impressed. I do not believe that roleplaying in a Moorcock inspired style requires a 'sanctioned' set of rules such as those from Chaosium, and believe that there are many ways to enjoy the sub-genre that is Moorcock. Review This is a 8"x10" paperback book of some 208 pages. It is the first d20 product published by Chaosium and it details 'Adventuring in a Dark World of Law & Chaos', in other words roleplying in the world of Elric and the other associated novels by British fantasy author Michael Moorcock. It is well illustrated in black and white with large and clearly readable main body text with side bars, and top and end pieces that represent demons, dragons and swords. The illustrations range from dark and brooding to fresh and illustrative. The book notes that these are collected from a wide range of earlier Chaosium games, and non-english versions of those games, and as such there is a wider range of styles. All fit the style of the game and the novels well. The book requires the 3rd edition D&D Players Handbook to play. It includes new d20 Open Game Content. It is NOT a game in it's own right. Introduction This introduces the Elric Saga, Michael Moorcock and the timeline of the saga to date. Owners of the Elric! rpg will recognise this as identical to the material in that game. It is clear and provides a simple overview of the saga whilst imparting the fact that this is a brooding and doomed tale, and that the game will be similar. The World of the Young Kingdoms This sections offers a map of the world and sailing times between locations. It then details each of the three continents, the islands and elsewhere. A full page details coinage. The world of the Young Kingdoms has very clear and obvious nations with very distinctive characteristics. These 26 pages give a good introductiont that will allow players and DMs to be able to get a good pen portrait of their home nation. For those with Elric! this is also essentially identical text to that game. Adventurers This section details how to create adventurers for a Young Kingdoms game. The section makes it clear that non-human races from D&D do not feature in the saga and as such should not be used for the game except with some extra planar, mutant or distant land explanation. It the introduces the non-human races that do appear and offers them as PC races; Melniboneans, half-Melniboneans and Myyrrhn. The Melniboneans are the dark corrupt Chaos worshippers of the saga and as such have some similarities to dark elves. Full Melniboneans are Wizards by default. PCs are more likely to interested in half-Melniboneans who have lesser racial advantages, can be any class and have a reason to be travelling the world. Myyrhyn are a race of winged humanoids (well 50% have wings) and the book introduces some new feats, weapons and attack types for this race. For human adventuers the book takes the sensible approach of mapping nations with classes. Thus the primitive nations of Oin and Yu produce Barbarian warriors, only nations with elemental worship (such as Dorel) have Druids. In addition each nation has two cultural skills which a native treats as class skills in addition to those of the class chosen. Each nation also has favoured feats which is recommended that a PC from that nation take. Players may use this section randomly, rolling to see which nation they are from and then choosing a class, or choosing nation and class to best suit their wishes. There is then the new option of distinctive features. Thesea and suggested personal items for each nation are 'chrome' but it is touches like this that can make more impact on characterisation that the attribute scores. Game System This is the Open Game Content added to the d20 community by Chaosium and adds some very nice touches to the options for a d20 DM. There are new skills, some of which one wonders why the PHB didn't have such as Fly, Perform, Scent/taste, Sailing and Trap. There is also a development of the Fumble option, with a couple of tables for effects. In addition the concept of Major Wounds (familar to all Elric! and Stormbringer players) is added to D&D, allowing for catastrophically great blows to cripple PCs. All of this is good and will allow for D&D combat with a different flavour. The biggy is Allegiance. Without wishing to steal Chaosium's thunder, and not to bore players of Elric!, alignment is dropped from DLOM and replaced by Allegiance to the forces of Chaos, Balance and Law. This is a fluid system, since the PCs themselves will dictate whether they align themselves more to one force than another by their actions. A table is presented for the DM to assign allegiance points as games proceed and PCs may veer from one allegiance to another or follow one strongly. The beauty of this is that it is the PCs actions that are reflected in the allegiance, not an alignment dictating play. A PC can follow a path of actions and will find themselves allied with the major forces in the Young Kingdoms. Strongly allying oneself can also lead to formal alliances with the Lords of Law or Chaos or even becoming an Agent, with the benefits and disadvantages clearly detailed. I think that many roleplayers are uncomfortable with alignment dictating PC behaviour, and for this alone many D&D games may be well influenced by this alternative. Later in the book are explanations of how D&D spells associated with good/evil alignment are to be dropped, how law/chaos spells work and a new set of spells that replace the alignment functionality. Magic and Religion This 43 page section details the Churches of Chaos and Law, the individual gods within them and their domains. The Sodality of Tanelorn is detailed, for this is the only route for a PC to become a Monk in DLOM, and only as part of a campaign. This section also details the whole process of invoking and compelling demons, with an extensive system for the vast array of demons and their abilities, needs and quirks. Demons are a key part of the Elric saga and as such this allows a very wide range of individual and unique otherworld creatures, either player or DM created. For a player of Elric! this section is eerily familiar. It is a compliment to both WoTC and Chaosium that the Elric! demon rules can be translated to d20 and yet remain fundamentally the same. If you detailed a demon in Elric! it can be easily understood using d20 rules. No need for conversion, it is the interpretation of the features that differs (and not by much). This is also a better detailed section on religion than in the Elric! rulebook. Demons, Monsters, Folk and Heroes This is a 38 page bestiary and digest. It lists typical demon races, monsters (Chaos Butterfly, Elenoin, Melnibonean Dragons) and great personalities from the saga such as Elric, Dyvim Tvar and prince Gaynor the Damned. In one section typical standard NPCs such as Captain of the Guard or Capable Noble are listed. This is a great section for DMs and focuses on the mix of creatures and people in the setting. Just for the record Elric is a Level 8 Fighter / Level 20 Wizard.. The Dungeon Masters Companion In this short section Campaigns, Mass Combat, Effects of Chaos, and Rumours are covered. It is a short section and I'd like to have seen more here, but this is a big book and quite frankly it'd be difficult to think of anything that should have been taken out. In effect the whole book is a DM's guide. Conclusion about the product This is a well put together Chaosium product that is well laid out well proof read and accessible. Another success from the company that's brought us Chaos for over 25 years! Conclusion for D&D players (and clones) This is a great sourcebook for a longstanding and well loved fantasy world in which the standards of Tolkien are forgotten and darkness and violence combine with fantastical tales and magic. It contains a setting where you can play a mature game with confidence, perhaps linking back to the Planescape setting. The cinematic style of D&D combined with the rollercoaster style of Moorcock will produce a great game. The new rules, especially Allegiance, can be dropped into any D&D game, and much of the background can be re-used or used as a template for our own settings. Having said that, the canvas of the Young Kingdoms is open enough that you can make the world your own as soon as you roll the first dice. Conclusion for Elric!/Stormbringer players If you have Elric! then you don't need this game. It's nice, and more readable than Elric! but too much is the same. If you have not got Elric! but have Stormbringer then it is a good sourcebook and has some nice ideas. Conclusion for non-D&D players If you play another rpg and want to adventure in the Young Kingdoms then I have to say that this might be the better game for you than Elric! if you want to keep with your own ruleset. If you aren't tied to your ruleset and are happy with the Chaosium BRP/d100 systems then go for Elric! since that is the whole setting and a full system rather than requiring you to also buy the 3rd edition D&D PHB.

Dragon Lords of Melnibone