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The World of Broadsword is a setting supplement for the Broadsword RPG, a rules-light beer & pretzels roleplaying game using the 1PG engine. The original Broadsword RPG attempts (and succeeds, in my opinion) to capture the feel of epic pulpy fantasy as portrayed in the Savage Sword of Conan comic series and movies like Beastmaster. The World of Broadsword is an expansion supplement for Broadsword containing a smattering of new rules, a campaign world and an adventure. It was written by Jeff Mejia, who has a popular gaming blog under the name of The Evil DM. The original Broadsword pdf is required to use the World of Broadsword.
It's a bit difficult to characterize the World of Broadsword. I called it a setting supplement above because the gazetteer takes up the bulk of the book, but it is really a collection of additions to the game of Broadsword, including new rules, beasts and an adventure as well as the setting information. It is divided in to 5 sections, Advantages, Bestiary, The World of Broadsword, The Gods and The Pirates of the Belsa (the adventure). It is 31 pages in black and white, lavishly illustrated, with a colour cover. It is available in pdf form only and is for sale at rpgnow for $3.95.
Overall, it is an inspiring creation. Broadsword used character generation and game mechanics to impart the sword and sandal feel. The World of Broadsword goes even farther. Here, author Jeff Mejia is really able to demonstrate his expertise in the genre, using a well-balanced combination of broad strokes and enticing details to draw us into a fantasy world where snake cults plot to overthrow city-states, mercenaries can always find work and kings go mad with power. The World of Broadsword made me want to play in it. It's also chock full of cool ideas, situations and adventure seeds that you could throw into any high fantasy campaign.
CONTENTS
ADVANTAGES
This is probably too small to be really called a section. It's 6 advantages, all of which look fun to play. They are a good example of the combination of rules and flavour text that makes the original Broadsword tick. Here is the text for the Escape Artist advantage: "Ropes, chains, manacles, even prison cells - nothing holds him for long. Either by skill or dumb luck, he always gets away."
BESTIARY
Divided into Common Animals and Monsters & Other Menaces, this section contains your standard wild animals and a bunch of classic fantasy monsters, including Basilisk, Giant Snake and Minotaur. The description text for the monsters is brief, but often contains a hook or seed that the GM can use to make them slightly original. Snake Men, for instance, " are the last of a degenerate race the ruled the known world millennia ago." The stats are very simple in Broadsword. The monsters are given a Brawn and a Blood (hit points) score and their attacks. It's all you need.
THE WORLD OF BROADSWORD
This is the gazetteer of the world first referenced in the series of adventures found at the end of the original Broadsword. Here is where the supplement really shines. This section starts with a map, followed with 14 one-page city descriptions. It is followed by two pages of descriptions of large regions, each one getting a quick paragraph. Finally, there is a brief list of gods.
-The Map
The world is displayed in a one-page map, done in hexes and an old-school computer graphic style (low res icons in each hex). The design choice captures the feel but it still is the graphically weakest part of the supplement. The labeling is also sometimes unclear. The geography itself is a pretty classic mix of continents, bodies of water and cities, with desert lands to the south and mountainous ones to the north.
-Cities & Nations
The map is followed by city descriptions, each one getting a single page, containing Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. Each of the cities (or city-states, as the case may be) is quite different, spanning the range of fantasy city types, from the desert city of spices to the mountain city of weaponsmiths to the slaver city and so on. Though they all fit some pretty classic tropes, each city has something unique and interesting going on. Plus, the conflicts, intrigues and economic relations between the cities are portrayed with just enough information to make the world a dynamic and interconnected place. As each city is described, their relations to each other are also laid out and slowly you see a very complex and twisted state of politics, one that is rife with espionage, manipulation and outright war. The goal of creating a world that you can plop adventurers into anywhere and have stuff to do has definitely been achieved here. This could be used for any high fantasy campaign.
Each city description is full of adventure seeds and campaign ideas. Everybody is at war or worried about it, so there are always jobs as mercenaries. But there are many original ideas as well and enough political hooks that even as a hired man-at-arms there is a wide range of trouble PCs could get into, depending on the city.
The layout and art also really stands out in this section. Each city gets a pencil sketch, looking a bit like an architect's drawing and the text is wrapped around the images. It's very evocative and helps add atmosphere to the text descriptions. However, I do have one minor criticism of the organization, which is in alphabetical order. It would have been easier to follow if the cities were grouped by nation and region.
-Locations
Large geographical areas, such as deserts and swamps, are briefly described. You are given just enough information to get started with, though even here there are some intriguing adventure hooks. For instance, the Jungle of Green Death has "slaves, spices, ivory and rare woods... for the taking if you can survive the ancient ruins, monstrous beasts and bloodthirsty savages."
RIVER PIRATES OF BELSA
This is a 5-page adventure where the party infiltrates a band of river pirates, led by a ruthless and charismatic mercenary and his curvaceous jungle sorceress babe. It's very open-ended and very ruthless. For instance: "If they [the PCs] fail any of the trials and yet somehow survive, they will be beaten half to death and left for dead in the wild." And that is how it should be. I suspect the adventure would take at least two sessions to complete.
DESIGN
For a 31-page pdf, the design is excellent. There is art on almost every page and it varies from good to excellent, if not consistent. The quantity and quality of the art is surpising, actually, given the $3.95 price tag. The layout is clean and easy to read.
CONCLUSION
If you own and enjoyed Broadsword RPG then the World of Broadsword is a must have. If you are interested in having a quick and fun fantasy barbarian game that you can throw on the table in between campaigns, this is definitely worth the price. If you are running a fantasy campaign and are looking for inspiration and ideas, I would heartily recommend the World of Broadsword. If you want something detailed and crunchy, look elsewhere. Broadsword RPG delivered a go-to sword and sandals system with a pre-plotted adventure series. The World of Broadsword opens that up to a wide open world of adventure, just waiting to be plundered.
