Tales of the Hyborian Age thread

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I liked the mechanics for the Modiphius 2d20 John Carter of Mars I ran back in the summer, so I have been slowly acquiring the Conan line from Modiphius. The books seriously flesh out the Hyborian Age and Conan's adventures in them.

From the other thread, I'm really interested in the make up of a Hyborian party basically because the source books focus on specific careers in different times of Conan's life (Thief, Mercenary, Pirate, etc.). I am wondering how a party of all mercenaries or thieves would go. One way to find out is to tell everyone to roll up thieves (or barbarians) and see how it goes, another is to ask you folks!
 
The books have this chapter in them where they look at and discus the literature.
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For some reason, I really like the idea that people in the 1930s were talking about the life and times of Conan.
 
Is Miller the guy who put together the extensive Conan chronology back in the day? I seem to remember that someone had taken all of the Conan stories and figured out an order and a timeline, then when he sent it to Robert E Howard I guess REH said something like, "I have no idea. I just write the stuff, but your timeline looks good to me."
 
Is Miller the guy who put together the extensive Conan chronology back in the day? I seem to remember that someone had taken all of the Conan stories and figured out an order and a timeline, then when he sent it to Robert E Howard I guess REH said something like, "I have no idea. I just write the stuff, but your timeline looks good to me."
That sounds like Terry Pratchett and the map of Ankh-Morpork.
 
A lot of people argue over how to work sorcery into their Hyborian Age games, perhaps unaware that the stories were part of the Mythos universe which doesn't fit the "low magic-high magic" paradigm. Unless I am using a system specifically made for Conan (only one I've used is Mongoose d20) most of my campaign prep is going to be nailing down how sorcery works.
 
A lot of people argue over how to work sorcery into their Hyborian Age games, perhaps unaware that the stories were part of the Mythos universe which doesn't fit the "low magic-high magic" paradigm. Unless I am using a system specifically made for Conan (only one I've used is Mongoose d20) most of my campaign prep is going to be nailing down how sorcery works.
I'd suggest that CoC nailed that down a long, long time ago:thumbsup:.
Most sorcerers in Conan are crazed cultists, anyway:devil:! The few that have some mystic abilities and haven't gone mad, obviously have to live in seclusion. Might it be due to Sanity loss:shade:?
 
I'd suggest that CoC nailed that down a long, long time ago:thumbsup:.
Aside from the actual literature which is the best source, the CoC sorcery serves as a big inspiration for all of my Mythos games. I draw from other gaming sources and have my own interpretations on certain spells (looking at you Voorish Sign) but yes it is a great help. I recommend The Grand Grimoire of Cthulhu Mythos Magic to get the imagination going with many examples of Mythos sorcery.
 
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Aside from the actual literature of course which is the best source, the CoC sorcery serves as a big inspiration for all of my Mythos games. I draw from other gaming sources and have my own interpretations on certain spells (looking at you Voorish Sign) but yes it is a great help. I recommend The Grand Grimoire of Cthulhu Mythos Magic to get the imagination going with many examples of Mythos sorcery.

Just picked this up a few days ago (The Grimoire) and I can heartedly second this. It's a fantastic book.
 
Has anyone played The Age of Conan the Strategy boardgame? It looks kinda cool but I'm leery of somewhat pricey boardgames that I probably won't get to play much.
 
Has anyone played The Age of Conan the Strategy boardgame? It looks kinda cool but I'm leery of somewhat pricey boardgames that I probably won't get to play much.
The Mrs isn't much up for strategy games so I never bought it but I am interested in hearing what Pubbers have to say
 
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I know you didn't ask me but I will give my two coppers. Call of Cthulhu has been around for decades so someone collected 500+ spells from many of the supplements, updated them for 7th edition, and put them in one volume. I will be the first to say that a lot of the spells aren't going to be something an adventurer or investigator uses but it is still a worthwhile purchase for someone interested in introducing Mythos-style sorcery to their game.
 
I know you didn't ask me but I will give my two coppers. Call of Cthulhu has been around for decades so someone collected 500+ spells from many of the supplements, updated them for 7th edition, and put them in one volume. I will be the first to say that a lot of the spells aren't going to be something an adventurer or investigator uses but it is still a worthwhile purchase for someone interested in introducing Mythos-style sorcery to their game.

Sounds great. I'm a fan of CoC's approach to sorcery.
 
Tell us more!

Brock Savage explained it better than I could! I'm currently using it for some handy inspiration, flicking through it to random spells lets me build adventures in my head just off the descriptions. Plus, maybe it's the completist in me but my "buy it" radar went off when I saw, " spells drawn from over thirty years of Call of Cthulhu supplements and scenarios" (even though I know it's not ALL of them). Fun to just read and thank my lucky stars I'm not an Investigator.
 
I found this site useful. His conversion of S4 Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth to HS4 The Lost Caverns of Acheron inspired me to reimagine old school adventures for my Mythos fantasy games, a tradition I've kept to this day. His entries on the nations and races of the Hyborian Age are a useful reference. I want to be clear that his work isn't canon by any means but since we are only given tantalizing tidbits of the Hyborian Age I think he did a pretty decent job of interpretation.

In fact, I think one of the strengths of the Hyborian Age is that the setting is only sketched out with evocative details allowing a GM to make the setting their own.
 
Well I just ran another session of Conan: An Age Undreamed Of, and I must say that it's going along pretty good at present - I am pleasantly surprised.

My initial plan was to run a Mythras Hyborian Age campaign this year, which is still a good fit, and Mythras is still something I would strongly recommend to those who want to run their own Hyborian Age sessions. I would recommend using Call of Cthulhu magic to feel more like the dark Sorcery from the Hyborian Age. However Mythras magic will also work fine if the trappings are in keeping with the flavour of the Sorcery from the Conan tales.

But after reading the Conan core book I thought I would give it a go RAW, rather than convert it to Mythras.
I initially wasn't big on the 2D20 system, but at this stage it does feel like Conan, and hits alot of the same beats that Mythras would have.

So I'm three sessions in so far, and it seems to be going well.

It's very pulpy, alot of the opponents are ranked as Minions (Mooks), so the characters tend to take them out very quickly, just like comic book heroes.
Next session should be interesting, as the next episode will throw a spanner in the works by having some 'Toughened' opponents show up.

So far this game does hit many of the same beats I initially wanted to do by using Mythras.

For example, both systems have hit locations, and measure weight and encumberance, and how this impacts during combat. There is also a concept of Reach regarding weapons.
Both systems allow for various spot rules and encourage cinematic combst effects, and the combats seem to be very fun.
I think that Modiphius Conan really works well with encouraging the players to use their characters cinematically, and also as a team. It certainly feels like an old Arabian Nights movie, or a set piece out of a Savage Sword of Conan comic.
My only issue so far is that the combats are over in one or two rounds due to using the minions rules, so I will have to see how things go when putting the characters against 'toughened' opponents.

The Modiphius Conan core book is quite vague and a nightmare to read in terms of clarity, it really needed a much better editor. In fact it can be infuriating at times, so the Mythras core book certainly wins out here.

However the Modiphius Conan core book has lots of flavour and great artwork, as well as an abundance of content. It does a good job of portraying the richness of Howard's novellas, and is the best Conan rpg core book I have seen - and I have read AD&D Conan, TSR Conan, GURPS Conan, and Mongoose Conan D20. All good, but the Modiphius core book is the best for flavour as far as I see it.

I'll no doubt contribute a bit more to this thread, given that the Hyborian Age is one of my favourite settings, but I'm just a bit too tired at present, I'm almost nodding off as I type, so I will check back tomorrow when I'm a bit more alert
 
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BRP/Mythras is still my favourite system, and I don't think 2D20 would be great across a wide range of settings (despite Modiphius buying up every franchise).

For the past two years I have just been collecting the Modiphius Conan books purely for love of having nice books, and for a resource for my BRP/Mythras Hyborian game I announced that I would be running this year.

But I gotta admit, so far in regards to running a Hyborian Age game that feels like a Conan story, Conan: An Age Undreamed Of does cover alot of similar territory to Mythras, and plays a bit more cinematically.

Early days yet, but so far I think it's a decent fit for playing a Conan game :thumbsup:
 
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There is Beasts and Barbarians which really captures the feel of Conan tbh.
For magic i have stolen heavily from Doctor Who.


Which I think is in keeping with the setting.
 
There is Beasts and Barbarians which really captures the feel of Conan tbh.
For magic i have stolen heavily from Doctor Who.


Which I think is in keeping with the setting.
I can't vouch for the Doctor Who magic system, as I've never played the game.
But if it is getting ported across, then you must be able to see the merits for doing so

Beasts & Barbarians is a great resource for rebranding into the Hyborian Age setting. I have the Golden Editon, and quite like it. I think it may be a tad more towards the influences of Spague de Camp, Lim Carter, and the Conan comics than it is from R. E. Howard's writings, but it's a fine line.

Yeah if Savage Wor;lds is one's favoured system, then definately using Beasts & Barbarians is the way to go for running sessions in the Hyborian Age.
Lots of juicy swords & sorcery flavour :thumbsup:
 
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One of these days I will understand why 2D20 prompts such strong, and mostly negative, reactions here.

But today is probably not that day.
It’s an Odd Duck in that it is
1.) a Narrative RPG that uses its metacurrencies to constrain the GM to require the Doom Pool (or whatever the game calls it, it changes). To really do all the “cool stuff” and fully engage the NPC‘s abilities, the players have to be buying dice, which basically gives them additional dice similar to 5e advantage.
2.) At the same time, it’s extremely crunchy for a Narrative RPG, with lots of Talents and Special Abilities that give Key Words to a lot of things like WotC D&D.

It’s a very good game, and does a good job of representing the action of an REH story, or Savage Sword of Conan comic.

However, it‘s too abstract and narrative for the traditional peeps and too crunchy and fiddle for the narrative peeps. The blend of styles is jarring to many.
 
One of these days I will understand why 2D20 prompts such strong, and mostly negative, reactions here.

But today is probably not that day.
CRKrueger CRKrueger is pretty much right in what he is saying about it being an odd duck in some ways. Objectively it's a fair call actually, not a criticism. As a system it has alot of 'narrative' mechanics as well as 'simulationist' mechuanics, and that could be a headache for many.

I read that someone described Conan 2D20 as feeling like 'RuneQuest-meets-Fate Core', and that is not a bad analogy. Two flavours that don't seem like they can mix, but for me they actually do. Considering I like both of those games quite a lot, it's probably not surprising that I seem to like a fair bit of Modiphius Conan. I do have my criticism of it, but overall I am liking it so far.

Additionally I think any system that tries to buy too many franchises and bombastically attempts to do them all is going to have a similar reaction, especially after what happened with the D20 OGL era. You either liked it or hated it, but one size did not fit everything, despite claims otherwise.

2D20 is no different, and I don't think it can portray the feel of the range of settings that it is currently being used in.
So I actually agree with many of the sentiments against 2D20, just like I agree that D&D 5E isn't a great fit for many things beyond D&D 5E.

But I am surprised that 2D20 seems to do Conan well for us, and so far I'm sticking to that.
It's not fanboyism, it's just that it has seemed to work quite well with my group so far, and I expect it will continue to do so :thumbsup:
 
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I think any system that tries to buy too many franchises and bombastically attempts to do them all is going to have a similar reaction, especially after what happened with the D20 OGL era. You either liked it or hated it, but one size did not fit everything, despite claims otherwise.

2D20 is no different, and I don't think it can portray the feel of the range of settings that it is currently being used in.
So I actually agree with most of the sentiments against 2D20, just like I agree that D&D 5E isn't a great fit for many things beyond D&D 5E.

But I am surprised that 2D20 seems to do Conan well, and so far I'm sticking to that.
It's not fanboyism, it's just that it has seemed to work quite well with my group so far, and I expect it will continue to do so :thumbsup:
My group liked it, they just won’t accept it as a game we play on Roleplaying Night when they could have me run Mythras Conan instead.
 
It’s an Odd Duck in that it is
1.) a Narrative RPG that uses its metacurrencies to constrain the GM to require the Doom Pool (or whatever the game calls it, it changes). To really do all the “cool stuff” and fully engage the NPC‘s abilities, the players have to be buying dice, which basically gives them additional dice similar to 5e advantage.
2.) At the same time, it’s extremely crunchy for a Narrative RPG, with lots of Talents and Special Abilities that give Key Words to a lot of things like WotC D&D.

It’s a very good game, and does a good job of representing the action of an REH story, or Savage Sword of Conan comic.

However, it‘s too abstract and narrative for the traditional peeps and too crunchy and fiddle for the narrative peeps. The blend of styles is jarring to many.
Yes I agree with you on most of your points here.
It does have lots of 'narrative' leanings, and the Momentum spends is a very prominent mechanic.
For us it actually enhanced our game rather than detracted from it - but I can see the same Momentum mechanic being very jarring in a less pulpy setting - Star Trek and DUNE for instance, although I really need to read them before I make that call.

I actually did not think I would like the Momentum mechanic, but it has been surprisingly good to help the rollicking pulp flavour - it has encouraged a lot of cinematic stunts and such, and I'm not sure if my Mythras game would have done likewise so easily.

I can see it not working for everyone however, and my experience is only based on a few sessions so far.
But for a pulpy game it seems to do the trick for us.
 
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My group liked it, they just won’t accept it as a game we play on Roleplaying Night when they could have me run Mythras Conan instead.
And that is fair enough as well
Mythras is an excellent game, and pretty much my favourite rpg system.
And a perfect fit for Conan. In many ways it should have been the Conan game, and I would still run and play Mythras Conan in a heartbeat.
So your group is pretty cool as far as I'm concerned :thumbsup:
 
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But if it is getting ported across, then you must be able to see the merits for doing so

Beasts & Barbarians is a great resource for rebranding into the Hyborian Age setting. I have the Golden Editon, and quite like it. I think it may be a tad more towards the influences of Spague de Camp, Lim Carter, and the Conan comics than it is from R. E. Howard's writings, but it's a fine line.

Yeah if Savage Wor;lds is one's favoured system, then definately using Beasts & Barbarians is the way to go for running sessions in the Hyborian Age.
Lots of juicy swords & sorcery flavour :thumbsup:

I have both Gold and Silver edition, recommend them :grin:
As to the magic system, it seems more in fitting with the Mythos - advanced alien sciences etc. But I guess something akin to MCU Magic would also work too. Anything that seems vaguely science based.
 
I think 2d20 is way to crunchy for what it’s trying to do. I remember trying to create a character and it was a slog. It felt like I was flipping back and forth worse than the old Decipher Lord of the Rings game (if anyone here remembers that character creation).

Conan would be better served with a lower crunch system. I’m not even sure that Mythras is the best system for what we see in the stories either.
 
I’m not even sure that Mythras is the best system for what we see in the stories either.

If you used Mythras you would need to be Pulp or Paragon type stuff from the Companion, or just straight up Savage Worlds is likely the best way to go on that. My only issue is that it is geared towards hex maps which I hate. So I would exclude that aspect of the game.
 
BRP/Mythras is still my favourite system, and I don't think 2D20 would be great across a wide range of settings (despite Modiphius buying up every franchise).

For the past two years I have just been collecting the Modiphius Conan books purely for love of having nice books, and for a resource for my BRP/Mythras Hyborian game I announced that I would be running this year.

But I gotta admit, so far in regards to running a Hyborian Age game that feels like a Conan story, Conan: An Age Undreamed Of does cover alot of similar territory to Mythras, and plays a bit more cinematically.

Early days yet, but so far I think it's a decent fit for playing a Conan game :thumbsup:

Just goes to show the difference between reading a system and actually running it. I got the John Carter on Mars Bundle of Holding so I'm looking forward to running that if I can convince my group. My wife, the sweety she is, is always willing to play a game with me but I assume the game isn't designed for one-on-one play?

Now I will give the Conan game a try next time I get a chance, I was tempted to grab the recent Humble Bundle but was just able to resist.
 
Just goes to show the difference between reading a system and actually running it. I got the John Carter on Mars Bundle of Holding so I'm looking forward to running that if I can convince my group. My wife, the sweety she is, is always willing to play a game with me but I assume the game isn't designed for one-on-one play?

Now I will give the Conan game a try next time I get a chance, I was tempted to grab the recent Humble Bundle but was just able to resist.
I haven’t read John Carter specifically, but in general, the 2d20 system allows for several types of opponents that are less than PC caliber. It shouldn’t be too hard to do a solo campaign, especially is the PC is an Earther.
 
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