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The second part of the Sartar Rising campaign series for Hero Wars , Orlanth Is Dead begins the long-awaited RPG version of the conflict between the Lunar Empire and the Kingdom of Sartar first introduced in the board game White Bear & Red Moon, back in 1976. The Lunar Empire, a vast cosmopolitan culture, defeated and occupied Sartar some two decades before the "current day" of Sartar Rising campaign. The Heortling people of Sartar, a sort of Viking-Gaelic society, have chafed under the alien rule, and since the occupation they have indulged themselves in a futile and uncoordinated cycle of rebellion and oppression. As the Lunars prepare great socio-magical rituals to subdue the Heortlings and their gods once and for all, the Heortling leaders prepare for one final uprising – the Hero Wars have begun!

Orlanth Is Dead contains two sorts of material: background on Heortling clans and culture and campaign information, including a scenario.

The background material includes brief descriptions and statistics for many of the Heortling leaders, a section on Heortling warfare, and a Clan Profile. The last item is a clever tool allowing players a direct hand in developing the campaign setting. The Clan Profile is made up of thirty-two questions covering the history of a Heortling clan from the beginning of human memory to recent events. The players of characters based in that clan get to answer these questions, and their decisions affect everything from gaining extra abilities to the clan's resources to "mere" color. It's a neat idea, simultaneously personalizing the game setting and investing the players in that setting.

The campaign section consists of two parts – a campaign description and a fully developed scenario. The campaign description lays out what occurs in Sartar when Orlanth, the great Storm God and Father-God to the Heortlings, is defeated and chained by the Lunars. The grim picture of the frozen kingdom is filled with scenario hooks and bits of color to help narrator and players understand the horror of a people who have lost their gods. The scenario, "The Battle of Iceland," serves as the climax for this first section of Sartar Rising, allowing the player characters to participate in a major event of the campaign. The scenario is especially interesting because it is a battle, a difficult and unusual setting for an adventure. " The Battle of Iceland " pulls it off, however, partly due to the ability of Hero Wars to change between scales of action, but mostly by paying careful attention to pacing and mood – when the player characters should be the focus of the action and when the larger scope of the battle should take precedence. It's also a great example of a grand cinematic scenario – the biggest to hit Glorantha since "The Cradle" back in 1982.

Issaries has produced a very fine product with only a few weaknesses. The cover art, although quite dramatic once you decipher it, is muddy and hard to identify from a distance. The interior art, by contrast, is clean and professional with few exceptions. (There seemed markedly fewer typos from earlier products as well.) Additionally, Orlanth Is Dead is not a "plug ‘n play" type of scenario pack; its material in is very tied to Sartar Rising. Campaigns set in other times and places will need to modify the information extensively. Expanding this further, the average game buyer, who does not play in Glorantha, much less Sartar in 1621, may feel that there is little point in looking at Orlanth Is Dead. Which is a pity, because there is a great deal here for everyone. First, Glorantha is one of the most detailed fantasy worlds ever created – thirty years of development has created a slew of cultures with different mores, social organization, and myths. These cultures feel far more organic than many fantasy creations; they have grown and developed over three decades with the input of many people. Even if gamers don’t want to play in Glorantha, there is a nearly endless supply of ideas to pillage. From Orlanth Is Dead, GMs and players of other games systems might modify and use:

Descriptions of any of the NPCs
The Clan Profile – while the questions would obviously need to be modified, the idea is useful for exploring the history and mythic origins of any group.
"The Battle of Iceland" – Not only an interesting scenario in its own right, it can give non–Gloranthan GMs many ideas: how to run a military scenario, how to work myths, cultural elements, and previous scenario’s events into a climactic adventure, and many of the encounters could be lifted nearly intact into other battles.
The theme of a culture that has lost a god is powerful and worth considering for many campaigns. Orlanth Is Dead shows how this could be played out, and gives a good sense of the trauma and loss of the people affected.

So, while Orlanth Is Dead is a must-buy for Narrators of Gloranthan games, it also has broader usefulness. Issaries, which has excelled at "deep cultural development" and clever scenarios and game mechanics, has released a professional, attractive, and useful product that deserves notice by the wider gaming community.

Orlanth Is Dead
Orlanth Is Dead Capsule Review by Peter Larsen on 07/10/02 Style: 5 (Excellent!) Substance: 4 (Meaty) Intended for Hero Wars and Glorantha, but Orlanth Is Dead deserves wider examination. Product: Orlanth Is Dead Author: Greg Stafford and Friends Category: RPG Company/Publisher: Issaries Line: Hero Wars Cost: $14.95 Page count: 72 Year published: 2002 ISBN: 1929052154 SKU: ISS1402 Comp copy?: no Capsule Review by Peter Larsen on 07/10/02 Genre tags: Fantasy	The second part of the Sartar Rising campaign series for Hero Wars , Orlanth Is Dead begins the long-awaited RPG version of the conflict between the Lunar Empire and the Kingdom of Sartar first introduced in the board game White Bear & Red Moon, back in 1976. The Lunar Empire, a vast cosmopolitan culture, defeated and occupied Sartar some two decades before the "current day" of Sartar Rising campaign. The Heortling people of Sartar, a sort of Viking-Gaelic society, have chafed under the alien rule, and since the occupation they have indulged themselves in a futile and uncoordinated cycle of rebellion and oppression. As the Lunars prepare great socio-magical rituals to subdue the Heortlings and their gods once and for all, the Heortling leaders prepare for one final uprising – the Hero Wars have begun! Orlanth Is Dead contains two sorts of material: background on Heortling clans and culture and campaign information, including a scenario. The background material includes brief descriptions and statistics for many of the Heortling leaders, a section on Heortling warfare, and a Clan Profile. The last item is a clever tool allowing players a direct hand in developing the campaign setting. The Clan Profile is made up of thirty-two questions covering the history of a Heortling clan from the beginning of human memory to recent events. The players of characters based in that clan get to answer these questions, and their decisions affect everything from gaining extra abilities to the clan's resources to "mere" color. It's a neat idea, simultaneously personalizing the game setting and investing the players in that setting. The campaign section consists of two parts – a campaign description and a fully developed scenario. The campaign description lays out what occurs in Sartar when Orlanth, the great Storm God and Father-God to the Heortlings, is defeated and chained by the Lunars. The grim picture of the frozen kingdom is filled with scenario hooks and bits of color to help narrator and players understand the horror of a people who have lost their gods. The scenario, "The Battle of Iceland," serves as the climax for this first section of Sartar Rising, allowing the player characters to participate in a major event of the campaign. The scenario is especially interesting because it is a battle, a difficult and unusual setting for an adventure. " The Battle of Iceland " pulls it off, however, partly due to the ability of Hero Wars to change between scales of action, but mostly by paying careful attention to pacing and mood – when the player characters should be the focus of the action and when the larger scope of the battle should take precedence. It's also a great example of a grand cinematic scenario – the biggest to hit Glorantha since "The Cradle" back in 1982. Issaries has produced a very fine product with only a few weaknesses. The cover art, although quite dramatic once you decipher it, is muddy and hard to identify from a distance. The interior art, by contrast, is clean and professional with few exceptions. (There seemed markedly fewer typos from earlier products as well.) Additionally, Orlanth Is Dead is not a "plug ‘n play" type of scenario pack; its material in is very tied to Sartar Rising. Campaigns set in other times and places will need to modify the information extensively. Expanding this further, the average game buyer, who does not play in Glorantha, much less Sartar in 1621, may feel that there is little point in looking at Orlanth Is Dead. Which is a pity, because there is a great deal here for everyone. First, Glorantha is one of the most detailed fantasy worlds ever created – thirty years of development has created a slew of cultures with different mores, social organization, and myths. These cultures feel far more organic than many fantasy creations; they have grown and developed over three decades with the input of many people. Even if gamers don’t want to play in Glorantha, there is a nearly endless supply of ideas to pillage. From Orlanth Is Dead, GMs and players of other games systems might modify and use: Descriptions of any of the NPCs The Clan Profile – while the questions would obviously need to be modified, the idea is useful for exploring the history and mythic origins of any group. "The Battle of Iceland" – Not only an interesting scenario in its own right, it can give non–Gloranthan GMs many ideas: how to run a military scenario, how to work myths, cultural elements, and previous scenario’s events into a climactic adventure, and many of the encounters could be lifted nearly intact into other battles. The theme of a culture that has lost a god is powerful and worth considering for many campaigns. Orlanth Is Dead shows how this could be played out, and gives a good sense of the trauma and loss of the people affected. So, while Orlanth Is Dead is a must-buy for Narrators of Gloranthan games, it also has broader usefulness. Issaries, which has excelled at "deep cultural development" and clever scenarios and game mechanics, has released a professional, attractive, and useful product that deserves notice by the wider gaming community.