Introduction: Alright, I am recreating my past on my blog here so let's hop in our DeLorean, and set the dial to August 23, 2006, and imagine we just picked up this hefty hardcover in a Flagstaff game store! Here's that blog post, written with the excitement of a fresh discovery of an old unpublished blog entry I found here!
Foreword: I’m going to start with a couple of disclaimers. First of all, this is my very first review. So please be kind. Secondly, I am not a person who usually takes much notice of crunch. At the best of times I am a reluctant GM and as a player I prefer to lie back and let rules wash over me. So please don’t expect too much in-depth analysis of obscure tables and charts.
What's up today?
Well, folks, today is a big day for my gaming shelf (and my brain!). I managed to snag both the King Arthur Pendragon Fifth Edition rulebook AND the massive Great Pendragon Campaign (GPC) supplement. It feels like I just unearthed a treasure trove of Arthurian adventure! I've been hearing whispers about Greg Stafford writing a new Pendragon Campaign for ages – the focus on chivalry, the deep character development, the whole Arthurian legend brought to life – and now I'm finally diving in to the newest edition headfirst!
After flipping through both of these tomes, my initial thought is: these belong together! Seriously, while the 5th Edition rulebook seems solid on its own, the GPC feels like the missing half, the sprawling epic that the core rules are designed to support. If you're thinking about getting into Pendragon, do yourself a favor and grab both. Preferably in one giant, glorious hardcover!
So, what are we talking about?
For those who haven't yet been swept away by the tales of Camelot, Pendragon is a roleplaying game that puts you in the shining armor of knights at King Arthur's court. It masterfully blends the high romance of Arthurian legends with a touch of gritty realism, making you wish this legendary era was actually real. The 5th Edition rulebook kicks things off in the early days of Arthur's reign, but the GPC… well, the GPC is like the ultimate sequel, the director's cut, the extended universe all rolled into one incredibly detailed book.
The GPC could easily be described as the largest scenario book EVER published for a roleplaying game. It's packed to the gills with maps, characters, adventures, locations, gear, and even some extra rules. Think of it as a massively expanded version of those early "Young King" scenarios, but on an epic, multi-generational scale.
How does it look? (The Books as Objects)
Both books are gorgeous! Coming from the world of White Wolf's Arthaus, the production quality is immediately noticeable. These are proper hardcovers, with decent binding that feels like it will actually survive years of use at the gaming table. A welcome change from some of the flimsy softcovers out there.
Let's talk covers. The 5th Edition rulebook has a more grounded, Celtic-looking Arthur wrestling a monstrous boar. It's cool, but maybe a bit obscure for newcomers. The GPC, on the other hand… chef's kiss. It's pure Arthurian romance! A regal, crowned Arthur in shining armor, a majestic Camelot in the background, and at the forefront, Lancelot and Guinevere separated by the iconic sword in the stone. It wraps around to the back, even if poor Merlin gets a bit text-bombed. Lots of golden hues – this is the stuff of legends!
The GPC's endpapers are even in color, displaying the coats of arms of various noteworthy knights – a fantastic touch that really immerses you in the world.
The text in both books is well-typeset and easy to read. The layout is clean and uncluttered, with a nice margin for notes. The GPC even has unique graphical headers for each chapter, which are both beautiful and surprisingly helpful for navigating its immense length.
And speaking of visuals, I have to give a special shout-out to the gorgeous pull-out map of Britain included in the 5th Edition rulebook! Seriously, this thing is fantastic. It's in full color and really helps you visualize the kingdoms, the forests, and the lay of the land. It's the kind of map you could spend hours just gazing at, imagining your knights riding across its terrain. The GPC then builds upon this with even more maps – detailed regional maps, city maps (early and late Camelot!), and even battle maps. The cartography in both books is top-notch and really enhances the sense of place.
Speaking of length, the GPC clocks in at a whopping 429 pages (plus some annoying ads at the end – seriously, publishers, we paid good money for this!). That's twice the size of the 5th Edition rulebook! You can practically hear the jaws drop when you show a newbie the core rules and then pull out this behemoth: "...and this is what we're going to play!"
The GPC is definitely not a picture book, but the art it does have is excellent. Lots of shaded pencil drawings depicting knights and characters (with their all-important coats of arms!), illustrations of monsters, and even era-specific clothing and weapons. It's functional art that really fuels the imagination. The maps in the GPC are plentiful and detailed – Britain through the ages, the Forest Sauvage, Ireland, France, and even key cities like Camelot at different points in time. Thankfully, there's a map index to keep you from getting completely lost!
What's Inside? (The Content)
The 5th Edition rulebook lays down the core mechanics, focusing on Traits (paired, opposing characteristics that define your knight) and Passions (powerful emotions that drive their actions). Character generation is unique, even involving the history of your knight's family! The rules themselves are a modified version of Chaosium's BRP system, using a d20 for rolls. It's elegant and really emphasizes roleplaying over pure roll-playing. The concept of the Winter Phase, where you manage your estate and family, adds a layer of depth rarely seen in other RPGs. The way religion is handled, as a lens through which characters view the world rather than just a set of rules, is also particularly noteworthy. My one minor gripe with the 5th Edition is the shift towards point-based character generation, losing some of the unexpected quirks that random rolls could create in earlier editions.
The GPC then takes this framework and explodes it into an eighty-year campaign, detailing every single year from 485 to 566 AD! It's broken down into eight distinct periods, each covering roughly a decade and mirroring different historical eras:
The King Uther Period: Arthur's conception and Uther's rise.
The Anarchy Period: Chaos after Uther's death.
The Boy King Period: Arthur draws the sword and unites Britain.
The Conquest Period: Arthur's campaigns in Ireland and France.
The Romance Period: Courts of love and chivalrous adventures.
The Tournament Period: Knightly competitions and refinement.
The Grail Quest Period: Holy miracles and the beginning of the end.
The Twilight Period: The fall of Camelot.
Each period introduces new elements – stronger warhorses, heavier armor, new weapons, changing customs, and the development of heraldry. It's like a historical (again, legendary-historical) progression that keeps the game world evolving.
Beyond the chronological campaign, the GPC also delves into regions like the mysterious Forest Sauvage and the blighted Wastelands, offering tons of supernatural and wilderness adventures. There's even a whole appendix dedicated to the Enchantment Period and all things faerie!
For each year of the campaign, you get a wealth of information: where the court is held, who's missing from Camelot, rumors and gossip, the King's mood, upcoming tournaments, special Winter Phase modifiers, and a list of key events that will shape the year. These events can be drawn directly from Malory or be shorter descriptions of battles, notable deeds, and other happenings to keep the players engaged. Each period also includes a set of time-independent adventures that can be woven into the narrative whenever the GM sees fit.
While some of the scripted adventures in the GPC might feel a bit like railroading, the sheer volume of material ensures that a creative GM will have no trouble providing players with meaningful choices and actions. And for those who just want some good old-fashioned knightly action, the "roll up a battle" tables are a lifesaver!
The GPC is steeped in the metaplot of the Arthurian legends – the love triangle, the Grail Quest, Mordred's treachery, the rise and fall of Camelot. Greg Stafford clearly poured his heart and soul into weaving these iconic stories into the campaign framework.
Any Gripes?
My main issue with the GPC is the lack of a comprehensive master index. While the table of contents is decent, finding specific information can sometimes involve a bit of page-flipping. For a book of this size, a detailed index would have been invaluable. Also, the promised free PDF with full character write-ups ended up having a small price tag, which feels like something that should have been included in the hefty price of the book itself. Finally, the inclusion of the "Threshers" (Mordred's… well, let's just say unpleasant followers) feels a bit out of place tonally for some interpretations of Arthurian legend.
The 5th Edition rulebook's slightly dull cover and a surprising number of typos throughout the text are minor annoyances in an otherwise excellent package. And as mentioned before, the move away from more random character creation feels like a slight loss of potential for unique and unexpected character quirks.
Final Verdict:
Despite these minor quibbles, both the King Arthur Pendragon Fifth Edition rulebook and The Great Pendragon Campaign are essential for anyone wanting to truly experience the depth and breadth of Arthurian roleplaying. The GPC, in particular, is one of the most impressive and comprehensive campaign books I have ever encountered. It's a labor of love that provides enough material for years of gaming.
Pendragon 5th Edition Rulebook:
Style: 4 out of 5 (Excellent structure and writing, but slightly dull art and typos).
Substance: 5 out of 5 (Elegant and effective mechanics perfectly suited to the setting).
The Great Pendragon Campaign:
Style: 5 out of 5 (Clean layout, beautiful graphical headers, impressive presentation for a book of this size).
Substance: 4 out of 5 (Incredible amount of useful material, but the missing character write-ups and lack of a proper index slightly reduce usability). However, these were fixed later in another GPC Characters supplement that came out later.
Overall Recommendation: If you love Arthurian legends and want a deep, immersive, and long-lasting RPG experience, buy both of these books. The Great Pendragon Campaign isn't just a supplement; it's the key to unlocking the full potential of King Arthur Pendragon. Just be prepared for a lot of reading – but trust me, it's worth it!
Looking Forward: I am absolutely buzzing with excitement to bring The Great Pendragon Campaign to my gaming table here in Flagstaff.
The thought of guiding my players through generations of Arthurian legend, from the rise of the Boy King to the tragic twilight, is incredibly appealing. Until then, with all this rich lore and adventure at my fingertips, maybe I'll even give solo Pendragon a try! The possibilities seem endless.
What are your thoughts on Pendragon? Have you played the Great Pendragon Campaign? Share your experiences in the comments below!
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