Review of Orlanth is Dead!

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Orlanth is Dead!

Sartar Rising, part 2

a mini-review

This is the book that kicks the Sartar Campign into high gear. Part one, Barbarian Adventures, described events during a relatively peaceful time, but now the kid gloves are off. The Lunar empire is seeking to crush the Orlanth-worshipping people of Dragon Pass once and for all. They have a plan to sever the link between the people and their gods, leaving them without magic and ripe for either conversion or annihilation.

The book's content includes the fabled Clan Generator, at long last. This is a questionnare that lets the players take a hand in shaping the myths and history of their home clan. Lots of useful background for the campaign is generated this way. There is also a chapter on how the heortlings wage war, and how large-scale battles can be handled in rules terms. Several new lunar enemies and eight famous rebel leaders are presented with full stats.

The meat of the book is in the descriptions of what the sartarites must endure when the Empire slays Orlanth, and of how the rebels strike back at "The Battle of Iceland". Player heroes who take part in these momentous events are well on their way to herodom. The depictions of the orlanthi's plight are so dramatic and tragic that they actually brought tears to my eyes a few times. Not many roleplaying supplements have accomplished that.

There are only two small caveats I can apply to Orlanth is Dead. First, the cover art is not as attractive as on previous Hero Wars books. Second, it calls for a good deal of planning on the part of the Narrator. This is no pick-up-and-play module, most of the material needs adjusting to the individual campaign and many choices have to be made. This cannot diminish the fact that Issaries have produced one of the most impressive RPG adventures ever.

(Disclaimer: my name appears in the credits for Orlanth is Dead, under "commentary and additional material". What this means is that I did some proofreading. I have no other involvement in the design or development of this book. Though I will say that the very few typos that are in there were introduced after I had done my round of proofing...)