Blood & Lust
Chaosium, 1991
128 pp.
Paperback
First of all, I am not a native speaker of English and this will be my first review here. Advice is welcome.
Here, we are talking about a King Arthur Pendragon's supplement which includes tips for the GM, rules for travel, four whole adventures, the description of a dukedom and six short adventures.
INTRODUCTION
In this only page, there are instructions about where in the timeline can the adventures be played, where and the order.
GAMEMASTERING TIPS
Greg Stafford
For my tastes, one of the most profitable parts of the book; six pages full of tips to GM Pendragon.
We find advice about how to run games in campaign world deeply fixed by a canon (useful not only to this game, but also for a bunch others like LotR of Star Wars).
Another point is how near from King Arthur will be the PCs. In this subsection there are the descriptions of different knight groups with different degrees of attachment to the High King.
Next is a section exploring the possibility of having more than one PC by player. I tried that months ago, but it ended with me running two parallel campaigns for the same players. But the concept is interesting enough to deserve another go, and in my next campaing I will try to follow Stafford's tips.
Finally, how to use your knight's day-to-day life as material for adventures; marriages, problems with the neighbours and travels.
GETTING ABOUT
Greg Stafford
Six pages about how people travel, the time it takes, encounter tables and not much else.
THE ADVENTURE OF THE HEART BLADE
Leonard Wilson
The most beautiful adventure for this game I have read and it is also very well written. But it can't be played by itself, it is necessary to entwine it with other adventures. It requires, as well, one player eager to put his PC into a long and difficult coutship.
Along the 29-pages module, the main theme is love, and introduces the idea of a list of virtues for a Lovely Knight (opposed to the Virtues of, for example, a Knightly Knight).
As usual, the courtship will involve not only flowers and poems, but also adventures, combat and even a quest for a powerful magic sword, the Hearth Blade.
THE ADVENTURE OF THE CASTLE OF TEARS
Garry Fay
The main theme in this adventure is a well-known trope in the Arthurian literature, a bizarre custom followed in a castle. It is typical, when knights ask for hopitality in a strange castle, that they are confronted with a custom usually cruel or immoral; the knights.
This adventure has creatures of legend, court scenes, the strange custom of the Castle Pleur, combat and moral decisions.
THE ADVENTURE OF MORGAN LE FAY'S CHALLENGE
Paul Cockburn
In this eleven-pages adventure the player knights will know the puzzling Pendragon's stepsister who will ask them to defend the honor of the ladies in her court.
The knight's strong arms will be necessary, but Morgana's plans are as complex as an exquisite spider web. Player who excessively trust steel to solve problems could get really frustrated with this scenario.
THE DUKEDOM OF ANGLELAND
Suzanne Courteau and Greg Stafford
This section details a big area north-east of Logres. It contains information about history, a pair of maps (master's and player's) and geographic details. All in six textbook-like style pages plus a little adventure.
THE ADVENTURE OF THE STIGYAN STALLIONS
Greg Stafford and Suzanne Courteau
A twelve-page adventure full of investigation, chasings and fights. The player knights will try to rescue three stolen horses which are more valuable than the knight's lands alltogether.
SHORT ADVENTURES
Greg Stafford
Some short adventuras that can be used as quick encounters, filling dumb holes in the games. One of the most interesting describes the tests knights must pass to become Knights of the Queen.
The last pages of the book provide us with props to photocopy and an interesting bibliography.
Visually is like the other Pendragon books of the nineties; a simple two-columns arrangement of the text, adorned with celtic patterns and designs by Gus diZerega (maps are also his).
The cover, by Stephen King, shows the violent last moments of a battle under a heavy sky with red clouds. Just right.
Inner B&W drawings by Arnie Swekel. As usual, they are few but of good quality and directly related with the text.
Finally, I consider it a good supplement even for those who aren't especially interested in an adventure book. The adventures themselves are good, the lest interesting of them being The Adventure of the Stygian Stallions.
Review Summary