I, Mordred - The Fall and Rise of Camelot

Appearance

I, Mordred comes as a 64-page perfect bound softcover. The cover is the first since 'Last days of Constantinople' without the Sperlonga touch and Avalanche seems to have chosen a more typical fantasy illustration. Morgan le Fey still shows some cleavage but is no match for my sweaty memories of Excalibur's Helen Mirren in catsuit astradle King Arthur ("Cough! Huff! Cold shower time..."). The back cover shows a picture of a surly King Arthur slouching on his throne and has more depth and colour than the front cover.

Interior art is mostly reproduced from woodcuts and etchings, with only a few original pieces. The maps are more schematic and functional than aesthetic and never attempts to invoke the grandeur of the setting (e.g. Camelot is a rectangular box filled with rectangular rooms and what remains is corridor).

The text is in two columns and comfortable to read. OGL contents is either clearly placed in a separate chapter, in an illustrated border or, not so clearly, just marked in bold. Some typos have slipped through and on one occasion a vignette partially covers the text. Overall I found the final look of this product less finished than e.g. 'Vlad the Impaler', but the nice woodcuts make up a bit for this.

Spoiler Warning: This review contains information that should be kept secret from people who wish to play in this campaign.

The setting

The book starts of with a brief overview of the different versions of the Arthurian Legend. Then we get a recap of the story with a change of direction once Lancelot leaves Camelot and Morgan traps Merlin. In Avalanche's version of the story Arthur becomes a disillusioned dunk tyrant whom, being one with the land, causes the kingdom to decline too. Mordred becomes a tool of Morgan's revenge, but he is also England's best hope. Behind the scenes Merlin still has something to say, though few now hear his voice.

While the basic layout of this campaign is such that the players are Noble Knights or at least fighters in Mordred's service, the setting also allows for other options. There are guidelines on how the PCs could be noblemen at Camelot spying for Mordred; or the PCs can start off as faithful to Arthur but can be swayed to Mordred's cause because of the way Arthur misrules the kingdom. And there is even an option where the players take the role of the Grail Knights and try to save Arthur and the realm.

To complicate things there is Morgan le Fey who can aid Mordred but has an agenda of her own and gets her help from the Fey clans whose different motivations and allegiances must also be weighed. Note that in I, Mordred we depart from the typical fantasy Fey view. No pixies or dryads here nor King Oberon. Instead the Fey are depicted as medium sized humanoids without butterfly wings or other trappings. They worship a mythical figure know as the Green Knight or de Hautdesert. I'm no expert on Celtic mythology so I can't say if this corresponds with earlier versions of the Arthur myths.

The campaign description gives us some key locations (Camelot, the Forest of Bür, etc.) and information about events or opportunities (Contests of Truth, Wicker Man festival, trip to Avalon, etc.) but lacks for example a period map of England. We are also introduced to some interesting NPCs, some of which scream 'Kill me!' but for some obscure reason remain statless.

The D20

I think this section would be the main reason to buy I, Mordred. The D20 stats offer players of the D20system an opportunity to play in the world of King Arthur. There is only one new character class: the Noble Knight. While not a prestige class there are still some restrictions on how to use this class. The Noble Knight is basically a fighter but has some obligatory feats that replace the bonus feats at 4th, 8th and 12th level. These feats (Aura of Courage, Noble Grace, Pure of Heart) are logically inherent to the setting and the class.

Where Avalanche's other historical D20 supplements kick out everything too fantastic, this supplement still allows and makes use of the standard D&D classes and spells. Many of the exotic weapons are forbidden though.

For the D20 system we get stats for many important characters from the legends: King Arthur, Merlin, Lancelot, Mordred, the Green Knight, the Lady of the Lake and some of the most notorious Knights of the Round Table.

The Fey are presented as a new race of medium sized humanoids with innate magical abilities. On top of the racial benefits, a Fey character belongs to a clan that will determine favoured class, class skills and some extra free spells. The different clans are the Lobeholders (priests and artisans), the Silverkiels (fighters), the Giantsteppers (rogues) and the Stonegrinders (workers).

The Power Wraith is a new template that can be slapped on a high level Druid at the moment of his death, turning him effectively into a non-corporeal undead. Besides haunting peoples sleep and giving visions and dreams, the Power Wraith also has the (limited) ability to manifest as a Dragon.

There are of course also stats for Excalibur, the Holy Grail and the Questing Beast.

I found only a few 'weird' things in the D20 stats. Can somebody explain how a 2nd level warrior (with 3 stat bonus) can have a skill at 10? And I was also surprised that a 35hd critter with the ability to give characters a serious hosing was only CR11 (though a cursory glance at the MM seems to confirm this).

The scenario

The scenario at the back of the book gives us a taste of how the campaign could be run. The PCs are assumed to work for Mordred and must intercept a shipment from Arthur. Along the way they learn the shipment was meant as payment for some mysterious device Arthur ordered that could change the course of the war. Not all is as it seems and once things go wrong it is up to the PCs to get things back in line. The scenario uses elements from the campaign setting and introduces some colourful NPCs.

Pendragon

It is difficult to judge an Arthurian supplement without comparing it to Pendragon. Why would you use D20 when there is already a successful game that offers everything you need to play Noble Knights of the Round Table? Well, the reason could be that people just prefer D20.

I, Mordred tries to cover the same information that Chaosium packs in the basic Pendragon and the second half of The Boy King but only has about 50 pages to pull this off. The final result will offer little new to Pendragon campaigns, except maybe a different slant on Morgan and the Fey. In all I think it would be difficult to insert this scenario or setting in an existing Pendragon campaign, without making mayor changes to either this setting or the Pendragon one.

Conclusion

I, Mordred offers an interesting alternative setting for a campaign during the last years of King Arthur's reign. The stats for Arthur and other characters and the new Character Class give players of the D20 system a chance to play in this rich setting. Still, to get the most out of this supplement the GM will have to put in some work to complete the setting.

I gave Substance a 3 because, while the supplement contained lots of good pieces, it is up to the GM to complete the puzzle.

I gave Style a 3 because, despite some personal dislikes (maps, front cover) there is nothing that really puts this module below average quality, compared to other D20 supplements.

Hors review

Avalanche is shortly publishing two supplements on Celtic Legends. The one about the Fey is called 'Little People' (and sees the glorious return of Lorenzo Sperlonga). I don't know how the contents of these books will match or contradict the Celtic myths in I, Mordred, but the previews seem to indicate a different approach.

Also I may be reading too much in this, but a well known games designer sporting the name of a famous Round Table Knight and bearing the 'Knight in Shining Armour' label has on occasion criticised Avalanche's cover art, so it came as no surprise to me how the famous Knight got treated in this supplement. Probably it's just my imagination though... ;)

I, Mordred - The Fall and Rise of Camelot
I, Mordred - The Fall and Rise of Camelot Capsule Review by godfather punk on 25/10/02 Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 3 (Average) I, Mordred offers a D20 framework for an Arthurian campaign but will require much work by the GM first. Product: I, Mordred - The Fall and Rise of Camelot Author: F.S. Kessler, John R. Phythyon Jr. Category: RPG Company/Publisher: Avalanche Press Line: D20 Cost: $16.95 Page count: 64 Year published: 2002 ISBN: 1-932091-00-9 SKU: APL 0912 Comp copy?: no Capsule Review by godfather punk on 25/10/02 Genre tags: Fantasy Historical	I, Mordred - The Fall and Rise of Camelot Appearance I, Mordred comes as a 64-page perfect bound softcover. The cover is the first since 'Last days of Constantinople' without the Sperlonga touch and Avalanche seems to have chosen a more typical fantasy illustration. Morgan le Fey still shows some cleavage but is no match for my sweaty memories of Excalibur's Helen Mirren in catsuit astradle King Arthur ("Cough! Huff! Cold shower time..."). The back cover shows a picture of a surly King Arthur slouching on his throne and has more depth and colour than the front cover. Interior art is mostly reproduced from woodcuts and etchings, with only a few original pieces. The maps are more schematic and functional than aesthetic and never attempts to invoke the grandeur of the setting (e.g. Camelot is a rectangular box filled with rectangular rooms and what remains is corridor). The text is in two columns and comfortable to read. OGL contents is either clearly placed in a separate chapter, in an illustrated border or, not so clearly, just marked in bold. Some typos have slipped through and on one occasion a vignette partially covers the text. Overall I found the final look of this product less finished than e.g. 'Vlad the Impaler', but the nice woodcuts make up a bit for this. Spoiler Warning: This review contains information that should be kept secret from people who wish to play in this campaign. The setting The book starts of with a brief overview of the different versions of the Arthurian Legend. Then we get a recap of the story with a change of direction once Lancelot leaves Camelot and Morgan traps Merlin. In Avalanche's version of the story Arthur becomes a disillusioned dunk tyrant whom, being one with the land, causes the kingdom to decline too. Mordred becomes a tool of Morgan's revenge, but he is also England's best hope. Behind the scenes Merlin still has something to say, though few now hear his voice. While the basic layout of this campaign is such that the players are Noble Knights or at least fighters in Mordred's service, the setting also allows for other options. There are guidelines on how the PCs could be noblemen at Camelot spying for Mordred; or the PCs can start off as faithful to Arthur but can be swayed to Mordred's cause because of the way Arthur misrules the kingdom. And there is even an option where the players take the role of the Grail Knights and try to save Arthur and the realm. To complicate things there is Morgan le Fey who can aid Mordred but has an agenda of her own and gets her help from the Fey clans whose different motivations and allegiances must also be weighed. Note that in I, Mordred we depart from the typical fantasy Fey view. No pixies or dryads here nor King Oberon. Instead the Fey are depicted as medium sized humanoids without butterfly wings or other trappings. They worship a mythical figure know as the Green Knight or de Hautdesert. I'm no expert on Celtic mythology so I can't say if this corresponds with earlier versions of the Arthur myths. The campaign description gives us some key locations (Camelot, the Forest of Bür, etc.) and information about events or opportunities (Contests of Truth, Wicker Man festival, trip to Avalon, etc.) but lacks for example a period map of England. We are also introduced to some interesting NPCs, some of which scream 'Kill me!' but for some obscure reason remain statless. The D20 I think this section would be the main reason to buy I, Mordred. The D20 stats offer players of the D20system an opportunity to play in the world of King Arthur. There is only one new character class: the Noble Knight. While not a prestige class there are still some restrictions on how to use this class. The Noble Knight is basically a fighter but has some obligatory feats that replace the bonus feats at 4th, 8th and 12th level. These feats (Aura of Courage, Noble Grace, Pure of Heart) are logically inherent to the setting and the class. Where Avalanche's other historical D20 supplements kick out everything too fantastic, this supplement still allows and makes use of the standard D&D classes and spells. Many of the exotic weapons are forbidden though. For the D20 system we get stats for many important characters from the legends: King Arthur, Merlin, Lancelot, Mordred, the Green Knight, the Lady of the Lake and some of the most notorious Knights of the Round Table. The Fey are presented as a new race of medium sized humanoids with innate magical abilities. On top of the racial benefits, a Fey character belongs to a clan that will determine favoured class, class skills and some extra free spells. The different clans are the Lobeholders (priests and artisans), the Silverkiels (fighters), the Giantsteppers (rogues) and the Stonegrinders (workers). The Power Wraith is a new template that can be slapped on a high level Druid at the moment of his death, turning him effectively into a non-corporeal undead. Besides haunting peoples sleep and giving visions and dreams, the Power Wraith also has the (limited) ability to manifest as a Dragon. There are of course also stats for Excalibur, the Holy Grail and the Questing Beast. I found only a few 'weird' things in the D20 stats. Can somebody explain how a 2nd level warrior (with 3 stat bonus) can have a skill at 10? And I was also surprised that a 35hd critter with the ability to give characters a serious hosing was only CR11 (though a cursory glance at the MM seems to confirm this). The scenario The scenario at the back of the book gives us a taste of how the campaign could be run. The PCs are assumed to work for Mordred and must intercept a shipment from Arthur. Along the way they learn the shipment was meant as payment for some mysterious device Arthur ordered that could change the course of the war. Not all is as it seems and once things go wrong it is up to the PCs to get things back in line. The scenario uses elements from the campaign setting and introduces some colourful NPCs. Pendragon It is difficult to judge an Arthurian supplement without comparing it to Pendragon. Why would you use D20 when there is already a successful game that offers everything you need to play Noble Knights of the Round Table? Well, the reason could be that people just prefer D20. I, Mordred tries to cover the same information that Chaosium packs in the basic Pendragon and the second half of The Boy King but only has about 50 pages to pull this off. The final result will offer little new to Pendragon campaigns, except maybe a different slant on Morgan and the Fey. In all I think it would be difficult to insert this scenario or setting in an existing Pendragon campaign, without making mayor changes to either this setting or the Pendragon one. Conclusion I, Mordred offers an interesting alternative setting for a campaign during the last years of King Arthur's reign. The stats for Arthur and other characters and the new Character Class give players of the D20 system a chance to play in this rich setting. Still, to get the most out of this supplement the GM will have to put in some work to complete the setting. I gave Substance a 3 because, while the supplement contained lots of good pieces, it is up to the GM to complete the puzzle. I gave Style a 3 because, despite some personal dislikes (maps, front cover) there is nothing that really puts this module below average quality, compared to other D20 supplements. Hors review Avalanche is shortly publishing two supplements on Celtic Legends. The one about the Fey is called 'Little People' (and sees the glorious return of Lorenzo Sperlonga). I don't know how the contents of these books will match or contradict the Celtic myths in I, Mordred, but the previews seem to indicate a different approach. Also I may be reading too much in this, but a well known games designer sporting the name of a famous Round Table Knight and bearing the 'Knight in Shining Armour' label has on occasion criticised Avalanche's cover art, so it came as no surprise to me how the famous Knight got treated in this supplement. Probably it's just my imagination though... ;)