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[Review] Black Sword Hack – Ultimate Chaos Edition

BLACK SWORD HACK – Ultimate Chaos Edition
An Old School Renaissance (OSR) Fantasy Game

Written by Alexandre ‘Kobayashi’ Jeannette, with art by Goran Gligovic
and released by The Merry Mushmen.

It isn’t often that I look to review books outside of the vast library of Stormbringer (and Elric!) RPG supplements that I’m yet to critique here, but given the recent positive murmurings I’ve heard about Black Sword Hack – and its eligibility replicate old school gaming of the Eternal Champion – I thought it was worth taking a look at.

Initial observations

I should start by saying that I purchased this book as a pdf via publisher’s website having missed the very successful Kickstarter in late 2022. As an aside, while this is my first interaction with the French based Merry Mushmen, they seem to be a publisher of the most wonderful boutique games and roleplaying supplements, however there was little on their website to tell me much about them beyond the generally gorgeous quality of the material they produce. I should also say, the fact they are a small publisher does unfortunately reflect on the price of the game itself – with the PDF alone being €16 Euro and the Print/PDF option €29 Euro before shipping. Just to put that in context for myself, based in New Zealand, the PDF works out to be $28 NZD, while the physical edition comes in at just over $70 NZD!

Elric: Rise of the Young Kingdoms

Hi All – very rarely do I use this site to promote other sites, games or events, but I’ve been lucky enough to have had (a very small) something to do with this Kickstarter – https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ledepartement/elric-rise-of-the-young-kingdoms

[Review] Hawkmoon: The Roleplaying Game – Mongoose Publishing – 2007

As a companion piece to the interview with Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan, Stormbringer is happy to present an extended and critical look at Hawkmoon: The Roleplaying Game. Released by Mongoose Publishing in 2007, this was their second (and final) setting released in their Eternal Champion series (the other being Elric of Melniboné).

Those who dare swear by the Runestaff must then benefit or suffer from the consequences of the fixed pattern of destiny that they set in motion. Some several such oaths have been sworn in the history of the Runestaff’s existence, but none with such vast and terrible results as the mighty oath of vengeance sworn by the Baron Meliadus of Kroiden the year before Dorian Hawkmoon van Koln set foot into the pages of this ancient narrative.

AS IT IS WRITTEN IN THE HIGH HISTORY OF THE RUNESTAFF

About Hawkmoon

Hawkmoon (or to quote its full title from the book’s cover Michael Moorcock’s Hawkmoon: The Roleplaying Game) was released in 2007 by Mongoose Publishing and arrived the same year (although slightly later) than their only other Eternal Champion game, Elric of Melniboné. Like its more familiar cousin, Hawkmoon utilises the  enerable and well-respected Runequest ruleset – then licensed from Greg Stafford – but moves even further away from its parent mechanics as it attempts to reflect gaming in the strange and techno-magical world of the Tragic Millennium.

Stormbringer’s Guide to Old Hrolmar by Richard Watts

Please note that is a revised edition with new layout and cover art (released December 2021). The cover art for this update was enabled by the kind patrons of this site (see https://www.patreon.com/stormbringerrpg).

About Old Hrolmar

The last of Chaosium’s published monographs, Old Hrolmar explores the Vilmarian city of the same name, and details how the home of Duke Avan Astran represents a bastion of change throughout of the Young Kingdoms. This monograph includes information on the city, its inhabitants and its future in a world doomed for destruction.

This monograph contains a complete guide to the Vilmirian city of Old Hrolmar, including its history, major locations and important residents. Like all supplements for the Stormbringer game published to date, this monograph is set in the year 399 YK, the year preceding Elric’s coronation as the 428th Emperor of Melniboné. Most of the material presented within Old Hrolmar is for the Gamemaster’s eyes only. Players should make every endeavour to avoid reading this book least the knowledge they gain lessen their pleasure in learning the city’s secrets as they are presented during the course of the game.

Interview with Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan

For many long-time fans it came as somewhat of a shock when – in the mid-2000s and seemingly out of the blue – Chaosium ‘handed’ their Eternal Champion gaming licenses over to Mongoose Publishing. For myself personally, as a big fan of the Elric, Hawkmoon and Corum games, I never really expected Chaosium would willingly give up their control these properties, despite their somewhat ‘love-hate’ relationship with these worlds over the previous quarter of a century. Of course, the reaction to this shift was typical of what one sees when any big changes occur with anything we love; a mixed of anger, excitement and not a little trepidation. What would come of my favourite game? Would we get to explore new aspects of the Eternal Champion? And – hang on – just who are these Mongoose guys, anyway?

While history speaks for itself, it is undeniable that Mongoose Publishing’s stewardship of the Eternal Champion was another high point for the licence, not only bringing in new players and fans into the Multiverse, but also creating games that reflected more closely the actual worlds Moorcock had laid out all those years before. More importantly, Mongoose had a new way of working, one that ensured that the lines would be actively supported and would see regular releases. And to do that you needed talent.

It is fortunate, then, that our guest today was the very person shoulder tapped to bring Mongoose’s vision of Hawkmoon’s Tragic Millennium to life. An author young and raw enough to hold no fear leaping into a new property that had a long and complex history, and which therefore brought with it much expectation. None other than the now well-known and immensely respected, Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan!

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