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GURPS Banestorm is a 240 full color hardback for $34.95. In terms of price, not too many other publishers are competing on this level. Bob Stelic and Chris Quilliams who both do a great job illustrate the book. My only complaints against the art are that it’s often too small and that we don’t get enough of it.
The book uses a three column layout format. White space use is good. Chapters are color coded on the sides of the page. In addition, sidebars that occur throughout the text are also color coded. I don’t like the sidebars though because instead of the old typical box they use a different format that cuts into the box shape on the top and bottom making the shapes look odd and a bit wasteful of space.
Some meta-thoughts about the book. It was printed in the USA. Now for a full color hardback to be printed in America is a special thing these days as even the biggest publisher in the RPG field, Wizards of the Coast, doesn’t do it anymore. If you want to support American business I guess the quote is buy GURPS.
In terms of style, the book is crisp and easy to read. I’m no proofreader and nothing struck me as being way out of the blue or incomprehensible. The interior notes that it’s helpful to have GURPS Fantasy and GURPS Magic, but reading through it, those books would be more useful for ideas as opposed to mandatory reading. One big thing that readers should know is that the book is mostly system free. A reader with a good grasp of her favorite game system would be able to use this for Fantasy Hero of standard d20 Fantasy with no problems.
My biggest complaint of the book is that the maps are terrible. I’m not a great artist and I felt that with a few hours practice, I could’ve done a better job of making the maps at least feel more textured. Perhaps in the 80’s when this was GURPS Fantasy, such maps were the norm. With the full color art and colored borders though, it seems a missed opportunity. In addition, the decision on what to make maps of is also puzzling. While it’s nice to have the general overview maps, to get the GM started, a few maps of local areas like typical taverns; churches or other common fantasy elements would’ve been great, as would a map of one of the larger cities to get the GM into the game.
The book has a very generous table of contents that makes navigation a snap. To augment that, there is a three-page index. The managers at GURPS hear the internet noise about the utility of an index.
Broken up into seven chapters, the book starts off with history. The hook of the setting, is that a long time ago, the elves decided to rid themselves of the orc using a magic that would be called the Banestorm. Well, the Banestorm worked in an off way. It brought races from many other worlds that would hunt and kill the orcs, but didn’t look too kindly on the elves either. This also created a split among the elves. Some wanted to perfect the spell while others wanted to move on.
The second hook of the setting, is that because so many of the creatures dragged off to this world were humans from a world remarkably like our own if not our own (depending on the core background the GM is using), it embraces many real world religions. This includes Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism and others. Very few other fantasy settings have the courage to do this and it lends some interesting options to the campaign setting.
After the history, the book moves into how people live on the lands of Yrth. This includes some notes on the major worlds that have lost inhabitants here; Gabrook, Loren’dill, and Olokun, as well as things like how magic works in the setting and how technology is advancing ever so slowly. See, unlike historical Earth, since magic actually works in this setting, there are a few things keeping regular technology from just moving up the ladder. In game terms, this means that technology levels past four are almost unheard of. Part of this is the ban on gunfire and technology, part of it the reliance on magic. It stretches the point of realism, but the book notes that and pretty much suggest moving on.
Another big different in this setting is that slavery is often the norm rather than the exception. While other, older settings like the Wilderlands and the Conan OGL game by Mongoose often have slavery in the background, it’s nice to see another setting embrace what was often used in the pulps as a clever plot device.
In looking at Religon, chapter three provides a few bites on how religions have adapted to the setting and how religions are viewed in day-to-day life. In some cases it follows logically from real world believes including discrimination between religions and even war between religions. In other areas, it follows historical events in transposing some of the religions, like Judaism and it’s members handling money, to this setting. A touchy subject in many cases, but the text reads fairly unbiased and readers should come away with a better idea of how to use the material to make a game more interesting and fun.
Chapter four provides the details of the lands of Yrth. This includes the largest of them all, one of the most powerful if perhaps on the decadent side, Megalos with sections for Wester and Eastern Megalos. Of more interest to me from past readings, was Cardiel, not because of any particular memories of that country, but because of Tredroy, the City of Three Laws, where three countries have in essence split a city. It’s a fascinating place and the coverage here just hints at the potential of long term game use.
Other areas don’t receive as much attention, but in a single book, this is to be expected. As the lands were settled by those from Earth, some of the culture look familiar but are different enough that the GM can still throw in things that an armchair historian isn’t going to be able to argue with. Some of them are probably there just for their potential factor. For example, Sahud. This is a small, isolated country whose majority is composed of mixed Asian ancestry and the perfect place to add things like ninja or for a more high powered campaign, anime influences.
It isn’t until chapter five that we start getting into suggested game mechanics. This section starts off with how starting points will affect character background and potential. This includes the starting point of 25 points as an ordinary folk or hero by necessity to over 250 points as living legends.
The book then moves into what advantages are standard for this type of game, including page references for ease of lookup, as well as disadvantages. Religions ranks of church officials are included, as are details on what cost of living gets you by status rank.
Those interested in seeing how the standard races are created will enjoy the wide variety of templates that start on page 188. This includes things like centaurs, as well as dwarves and giants, with a nod to old classics with such favorites as intelligent great eagles or mythological resources like the dreaded medusa.
For those interested in groupings of skills to make character creation easier, a wide variety of adventuring character templates are included. These range from the deadly assassin to the dashing swashbuckler to the ever popular, in fantasy fiction at least, peasant hero.
Chapter six doesn’t let up on the church as it provides numerous pregenerated creatures. Unlike a game like d20 where things have a CR and some automatic advancements by hit dice and type, GURPS involves a bit more freedom and having unique monsters like bushwolves and nightstalkers already written up, saves the GM a great deal of time.
Chapter seven moves back into the fluff of the book with ideas on campaigns on Yrth. In some ways, it mirrors campaigns in other fantasy settings in terms of controlling the campaign by controlling the mood. In some cases, like Sword and Sorcery, this is harder than in others. The traditional S&S setting is not nearly as explored or advanced as Yrth is. On the other hand, it’s a great game for Dark or Epic Fantasy. Several examples in the forms of starting scenarios are included to get the creative juices of the GM flowing.
In looking over the book, the lack of reliance on game mechanics is a good thing. It allows the book to be used for a wide variety of systems while maintaining the same setting. The details on the various countries of Yrth also includes various secrets which the GM can use or ignore but always has the option of using. These make the world seem richer and fuller than I recall it being in the past where the hooks of the setting were pretty much meant to make the campaign stand out.
The hooks of the campaign though, are no small potatoes. If carefully used, the GM can include characters from a wide range of sources and shape the scope of the campaign in ways that standard campaign models can’t hope to provide advice on, giving the GM a clear path to new types of adventure.
GURPS Banestorm provides an interesting setting whose use of real world religions and flexibility are designed to allow the GM to take control.
