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Camelot.

Sometimes it's a place filled with deadly seriousness where all is conducted in earnest. Other times it's a silly place, where even Arthur doesn't go to if he can help it. The rest of the time, it's the subject of a much-parodied musical or attributed to some dead US president's administration.

We know what Camelot is about, though. We also know that another RPG has the lock on this subject- _Pendragon_- and no other can surpass it in simulating either mythic or cinematic Arthurian myth. Fortunately, that's not what the authors intended with this book.

What they did intend was to make Arthurian role-playing availible to a broader audience than _Pendragon_ allows. Through _GURPS_, that goal is easily achieved and the possibilties are without limit.

The book starts with an overview on Arthurian characters, starting with the power level and proceeding quickly with special rule changes to model the genre conventions of the Arthurian cycle. This includes special modifiers to the magic system and descriptions of the most famous items- including the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch.

The first version of Camelot is the historical version. This version paints Arthur as a Romano-Celt warlord after Romans abandoned Britain. It mixes well with _GURPS Celtic Myth_, since there is a lot of overlap between the two mythologies. The information provided makes it easy to start playing with nothing more than this book, the Basic Set and maybe _GURPS Magic._

The second version covers the mythical Arthur, which is the one we know best and is the basic for _Pendragon._ While the plate armor is absent, most of what we expect for Camelot exists here. Again, the mixture with Celtic Myth is a good idea. (Those following T.S. White may consider Robin Hood, either as a replacement or a third adjunct.) Again, there is sufficient information to play a mythic campaign without any additional support.

Finally, we have the cinematic Arthur. This is the Arthur is popular culture, epitomized by the 1981 film _Excaliber_. While I find this version annoying at best and repulsive at worst- _First Knight_, anyone?- I admit that there are those who prefer this version over the rest. That doesn't change my disgust for this variant, in gaming (_Rifts England_) or out (_Excaliber_, etc.).

The best uses for this book are as source material for another RPG- be it _Pendragon_ or _Rifts_- or as a model for your own idealistic realm regardless of genre. (_Five Star Stories_, for example, could be such a genre crossover.) It works on its own, but you're always better off with _Pendragon._

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

GURPS Camelot
Author: Robert M. Schroeck & Peggy Schroeck Category: game Company/Publisher: Steve Jackson Games Cost: $16.95 (US) Page count: 128 pages ISBN: 1-55634-199-7 Capsule Review by Bradford C. Walker on 05/13/98. Genre tags: none	Camelot. Sometimes it's a place filled with deadly seriousness where all is conducted in earnest. Other times it's a silly place, where even Arthur doesn't go to if he can help it. The rest of the time, it's the subject of a much-parodied musical or attributed to some dead US president's administration. We know what Camelot is about, though. We also know that another RPG has the lock on this subject- _Pendragon_- and no other can surpass it in simulating either mythic or cinematic Arthurian myth. Fortunately, that's not what the authors intended with this book. What they did intend was to make Arthurian role-playing availible to a broader audience than _Pendragon_ allows. Through _GURPS_, that goal is easily achieved and the possibilties are without limit. The book starts with an overview on Arthurian characters, starting with the power level and proceeding quickly with special rule changes to model the genre conventions of the Arthurian cycle. This includes special modifiers to the magic system and descriptions of the most famous items- including the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch. The first version of Camelot is the historical version. This version paints Arthur as a Romano-Celt warlord after Romans abandoned Britain. It mixes well with _GURPS Celtic Myth_, since there is a lot of overlap between the two mythologies. The information provided makes it easy to start playing with nothing more than this book, the Basic Set and maybe _GURPS Magic._ The second version covers the mythical Arthur, which is the one we know best and is the basic for _Pendragon._ While the plate armor is absent, most of what we expect for Camelot exists here. Again, the mixture with Celtic Myth is a good idea. (Those following T.S. White may consider Robin Hood, either as a replacement or a third adjunct.) Again, there is sufficient information to play a mythic campaign without any additional support. Finally, we have the cinematic Arthur. This is the Arthur is popular culture, epitomized by the 1981 film _Excaliber_. While I find this version annoying at best and repulsive at worst- _First Knight_, anyone?- I admit that there are those who prefer this version over the rest. That doesn't change my disgust for this variant, in gaming (_Rifts England_) or out (_Excaliber_, etc.). The best uses for this book are as source material for another RPG- be it _Pendragon_ or _Rifts_- or as a model for your own idealistic realm regardless of genre. (_Five Star Stories_, for example, could be such a genre crossover.) It works on its own, but you're always better off with _Pendragon._ Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

GURPS Camelot