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Let me cover the most controversial points first before moving on to the review proper. Deus Vult is Latin for "God Wills It" and was a battle cry of the crusaders. It is also the motto of The Order, the organisation to whom PC's in the game all belong. As such the player characters are all pro-Christian supporters of the Catholic Church. The game is unapologetic in this stance, remaining strictly neutral throughout. Catholicism was the dominant religion of medieval Europe so it makes sense to use this as the controlling authority of The Order. However, to modern readers it may seem unusual and could require some sensitivity to players own religious beliefs before bringing this to the gaming table. My own group are almost all atheist so it was a roleplaying challenge in itself to play characters who are all deeply religious.
In appearance Deus Vult is a hardback book with some nice clear printing. The front cover has the shadow of a medieval cross on it which I like as its simple and avoids having a piece of art which may be off putting if you don't like it. Inside there are a few pieces of black and white art which vary in quality from very good to average but its all quite dark and moody. Stats blocks and tables are clearly displayed and there is an index at the back for reference.
The characters you play in Deus Vult are all warrior monks but they may come from different backgrounds. Chapter One covers character creation which enables you to create a mix of character types which in general are a lot more powerful than the standard Runequest begining character. The monks are elite, highly trained assassins and in most cases should be able to defeat even a well trained knight in combat. Some characters may start with a very limited amount of magic, but these are treated as miracles from God and are extremely rare. Most characters will have a mix of martial, academic and stealthy skills to choose from. Using the different backgrounds in this chapter you could use this as the basis for a medieval game which doesn't involve The Order but as you read on you start to see the possibilities this background gives you.
The next few chapters explain that The Order are a secret society of warrior monks and assassins who carry out the Catholic churches dirty work. It makes it very clear that in all cases the ends justify the means, and the monks are absolved of all sins committed in the name of The Orders objectives. This is a very cool idea when you think about it. Most medieval RPG's if they are realistic would tie PC's down to their jobs and homes with little opportunity for travel or adventure. In a realistic feudal setting people don't just wander around looking for treasure and monsters. By making the PC's members of The Order they have the motive and the means to travel the land, usually on a mission assigned to them by their superiors and usually in disguise.
The background sections of Deus Vult include an interesting chapter on the tools of the trade. Not for the first time reading this section I was reminded of the computer game "Assassins Creed". In order to give the monks more of an edge The Order has a number of special weapons, gadgets and devices they can use on their missions. These can make the monks something of a medieval James Bond with items similar to the outlandish designs of Da Vinci, only they actually work ! Rather than having characters adventuring for monetary gain Deus Vult gives players a number of Asset Points dependent on rank with which to requisition this equipment. I really liked this chapter as it gives PC's an extra edge without adding more magic to the game. There were a few items I did not like as they seemed a bit too fantastical, but its a simple matter to remove them and add other designs of my own.
As a specific campaign background this book includes details of the HQ of The Order located in the historical Mont St Michel in Normandy. Maps of the island and the monestary are included, as well as statistics for all the senior members of The Order who work there. Again this is a nice touch as it allows you to start work straight away on writing adventures for the setting rather than having to spend time detailing NPC's and other background work.
So having created your monk characters and realised how much tougher they are then the average peasant, chances are the players will be raring to be let loose on medieval Europe. Their missions however will tend to be slightly more difficult than dealing with a corrupt baron or priest. In general The Order are only called in to deal with serious and often supernatural threats to the church. These include witches, demons, cults and other enemies whose powers will challenge the PC's a lot more than most mortal adversaries. There are several chapters in the book detailing the different types of mission, how a mission might be structured, as well as once again sample statistics you can use in your game. There is also a Bestiary with some classic monsters like werewolves and goblins, although with some thought any standard Runequest monster might be used.
Although the majority of the book is aimed specifically at the GM the last section includes Secrets of the Order and is very definitely for GM eyes only. I don't want to give away any spoilers here but the section does include some excellent practical advice on staging a Deus Vult game and getting the right atmosphere. Following this there are some random tables at the back to help with adventure design and a character sheet ( which is more or less the same as the rather rubbish one in the Runequest rulebook ).
In all then I am very impressed with Deus Vult as an original historical setting with a lot of potential. There is no starting adventure ( although one has since been published called Ex Cathedra ) but its style is probably going to vary depending on who GM's it. At its best the game is very dark and moody, drawing inspiration from books like "The Name of the Rose". It is not a medieval sourcebook in itself, but lacking any similar sourcebook for Runequest this makes a worthy stand in. Although the setting of medieval warrior monks on a mission may have its limits I can see many adventure ideas springing from this sourcebook and I hope there are more supplements and adventures to come.
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