Post by Arsulon on Nov 18, 2015 1:28:44 GMT -7
In no particular order, below are some resources to enhance a Primeval Thule campaign.
While re-reading The Iliad, I realized I'd once again fallen into the habit of imagining the characters as 5th century Greek hoplites; after all, what exactly did the combatants of bronze age Mycenae look like? As a result, I purchased Osprey's Bronze Age Greek Warrior 1600-1100 BC, as well as Sea Peoples of the Bronze Age Mediterranean. The lavish, full-colour plates and essays contained in these books provide detailed yet to-the-point views of the deadly splendour of bronze age arms, armour, military organization, and even chariot and naval tactics. These titles, and possibly Bronze Age War Chariots and Warships of the Ancient World (neither of which I've read), are invaluable for enriching a bronze age setting like Primeval Thule.
While there's certainly plenty to do on Thule proper, to say nothing of Hellumar and Nimoth, Totems of the Dead (Gunmetal Games) presents a sword-and-sorcery take on a very primeval North America, including fantasy analogues of the Cahokians, Hopi, and Aztec (to barely scratch the surface). Adjustments can and must be made, but are minor and cosmetic in nature for the most part. For example, the setting's version of Greenland, "Jotunland", becomes Thule itself, and the Skadian raiders colonizing the northeastern shores are now Nimothan settlers. Likewise, the Atlantean exile slave-raiders of the mid-Atlantic coast remain just that, but with the added understanding that they're the barbarized descendants of Thule's sunken continent. This book particularly comes into its own when the GM wants to run a desert adventure or jungle journey that needs to include specifically mesoamerican influences.
The Primeval Thule Campaign Setting seems to take it for granted that the reader is familiar with the Cthulhu mythos, although it does specifically treat a few of the elder horrors associated with that genre. Naturally, Call of Cthulhu (Chaosium) itself is the go-to resource to consult, but Call of Cthulhu d20 (WOTC) and The Wake of the Watcher (Paizo Inc.) are of particular note as they provide rules-specific treatments of the mythos for D&D 3.5 and Pathfinder, respectively.
Lastly, to lend some depth to the decadent and cruel elves of Imystrahl, consider Lost Days of Memories & Madness (Cubicle Seven). While a collaborative storytelling game, the central conceit is too good not to use: an immortal court of doomed, dissipated elves, spiralling into madness and decay as they live only to indulge their addiction to the stolen memories of their slave-subjects. For a concrete tie-in to Primeval Thule, see the elven orb of regret on page 253.
While re-reading The Iliad, I realized I'd once again fallen into the habit of imagining the characters as 5th century Greek hoplites; after all, what exactly did the combatants of bronze age Mycenae look like? As a result, I purchased Osprey's Bronze Age Greek Warrior 1600-1100 BC, as well as Sea Peoples of the Bronze Age Mediterranean. The lavish, full-colour plates and essays contained in these books provide detailed yet to-the-point views of the deadly splendour of bronze age arms, armour, military organization, and even chariot and naval tactics. These titles, and possibly Bronze Age War Chariots and Warships of the Ancient World (neither of which I've read), are invaluable for enriching a bronze age setting like Primeval Thule.
While there's certainly plenty to do on Thule proper, to say nothing of Hellumar and Nimoth, Totems of the Dead (Gunmetal Games) presents a sword-and-sorcery take on a very primeval North America, including fantasy analogues of the Cahokians, Hopi, and Aztec (to barely scratch the surface). Adjustments can and must be made, but are minor and cosmetic in nature for the most part. For example, the setting's version of Greenland, "Jotunland", becomes Thule itself, and the Skadian raiders colonizing the northeastern shores are now Nimothan settlers. Likewise, the Atlantean exile slave-raiders of the mid-Atlantic coast remain just that, but with the added understanding that they're the barbarized descendants of Thule's sunken continent. This book particularly comes into its own when the GM wants to run a desert adventure or jungle journey that needs to include specifically mesoamerican influences.
The Primeval Thule Campaign Setting seems to take it for granted that the reader is familiar with the Cthulhu mythos, although it does specifically treat a few of the elder horrors associated with that genre. Naturally, Call of Cthulhu (Chaosium) itself is the go-to resource to consult, but Call of Cthulhu d20 (WOTC) and The Wake of the Watcher (Paizo Inc.) are of particular note as they provide rules-specific treatments of the mythos for D&D 3.5 and Pathfinder, respectively.
Lastly, to lend some depth to the decadent and cruel elves of Imystrahl, consider Lost Days of Memories & Madness (Cubicle Seven). While a collaborative storytelling game, the central conceit is too good not to use: an immortal court of doomed, dissipated elves, spiralling into madness and decay as they live only to indulge their addiction to the stolen memories of their slave-subjects. For a concrete tie-in to Primeval Thule, see the elven orb of regret on page 253.
