Berserk 37 by Kentaro Miura

While Berserk by Kentaro Miura has not come to an end in the manga version, it has slowed considerably. This volume, afaik, is the last one we'll see in a while. Ironically enough, the movies have been moving forward. Hopefully we'll see more Berserk and of Guts in that field while the manga lays fallow.

This volume concludes the 'Sea God' story and brings in more magic and more visibility to the changes that have rocked the world since "the Wind" event where a strange wind blew through the land and heralded the age of magic and monsters returning to the world.

The art is up to Kentaro Miura's usual high standards. He, George Pereze and John Buscema all have a great timeless talent and I hope that if Berserk is on hold for a while that we'll be seeing his work in some other forms. Perhaps even an art book or something.

In terms of gaming?

1. Judge not by size. When Guts is 'fighting' the Sea God, he's fighting an island. Like several other similar situations where the character's size is of such insignificance, Guts is able to deal damage based on a weak point of the creature, in this case, it's heart. Designing such an opponent is like designing a dungeon. There are 'anti-bodies', various monsters that make their home there, there are parasites, there are creatures too small for the entity to notice. There are also natural hazards like stomach acid, drowning in blood and other unpleasant bits.

2. Red herrings: Guts is aided in this volume by Merrow and by a magical child. It's strongly been hinted, or at least argued online, that the child is Guts and Caska's child that is only able to reach the mortal world during the period of the full moon. This volume throws a wrench into that theory though as we're given two other options. The first is that the character seeking the elves to restore Caska, have been given a guide. The other is that the boy is a manifestation of King Hanafubuku. I'm sticking with it being Gut's and Caska's child.

3. Blow up the Outside World: Because Guts is at sea on a voyage, he doesn't know what's happened to the mainland. With all of the magic and monsters roaming freely through the land, man has retreated to shelter under Griffith's new country. Growing from outside the country are huge arcs of crystal called "Wing Stones" due to their appearance like wings. These keep out the 'wild' monsters and keep the humans and the Apostles, demonic creatures that serve Griffith, 'safe'. The real question is are the humans safe from the Apostles long term?

In addition to these Wing Stones, there is also the World Spiral Tree, an object so huge that it casts its branches over mountains and its visible against the moon when it first rises.

Lastly, we have the newly raised, in whole through magic and ritual, city of Falconia, a city where harvest season never ends, allowing people to continue to survive as well, people. Food and shelter are now not issues and they can continue to bring in outsiders.

These elements are a far cry from where the series has been prior to the Wind incident. In the past there were elements of ancient India and the Dark Ages of Europe. All that is potentially washed away but what it's replaced with is not certain. Only by effecting HUGE change can this be done.

Now I can hear some people saying, "I could swear that you didn't like it when WoTC blew up the Forgotten Realms." and yes, that is true but that's because of the manner in which it happened. There was no opportunity for the players to experience the events as they happened but rather, they get to play in the aftermath of that, and in many cases, the setting, at least in the novels I read, read much the same with a few nods to the vast changes. And when I say nods, that's what I mean. For example, Dragonborn? Not in the novels I read. Real effects to magic and the Spellplague? Again, nods to it, but effectively no. The whole point of putting the setting in that far reach having little impact on the characters.

Putting the characters IN the middle of that action however? Completely different beast.

Berserk 37 may be a temporary close to the story of Guts, but it's visual impact remains long after the last page is turned.

Berserk 36 by Kentaro Miura

I'm out of touch. I didn't even know the new Berserk came out until I saw that a new animate 'movie' came out. Immediately bought both. Don't know if I'll be talking about the movie outside of "m'eh" and yet it's a "m'eh" with potential if they cover the core story elements cut out like Puck and Skullknight and actually, you know continue it.

Anyway, Berserk 36 was like visiting an angry old friend. Kentaro's art reminds me of Goerge Perez or Jim Lee in that his detailed line work is awesome. I still refer to my art book despite the fact that the text is all in Japanese. I figure it's an art book right?

The book continues to make use of some elements that I find would be right at home in most campaigns.

1. Curse Magic Items. Elric had Stormbringer. Guts has the Berserk Armor. With it pain and injuries that don't outright kill him are... well, not healed by the armor, but modified enough that he keeps fighting. Bad news is that in this state he makes a frenzied berserker look sane. Still, unlike Elric, Guts has at least one comrade wo can pull him out of the frenzy.

2. Ritual Magic is very powerful. Despite the limited knowledge of magic that Lady Farnese has, she is able to do a ritual magic that prevents magical entities from entry. A mystical barrier if you will to prevent fully monstrous magical creatures from entering it. While it's use is somewhat limited and it doesn't stop those things that are hybrids of magic, it's powerful enough to stop those that are fully of 'the other world'. Many games use some type of this effort but often have such long casting times or high material component costs that they're not very practical. Here the same is true but they do have the time and knowledge to use it.

3. The Foe Too Big To Face! Many times a character will encounter something that they just shouldn't be able to defeat. In Star Wars, A New Hope, the rebels have no chance against the death star but it does have a certain famous weakness. In How To Train Your Dragon, Toothless, as powerful and unique as he is, is not where near powerful enough to battle 'the Red Death'. Here, Guts comes face to face with 'The Sea God'. It's so enormous that the ship sized creatures that he has been fighting with the ship he's taken passage on, are essentially it's whisker's and decides the only way to kill it is by going to it's heart!

This is old hat as they say. I've seen Thor do it with Celestials and other heroes with Ego the living planet and I'm sure other people could point out numerous instances of the foe too powerful to simply beat down. In 4e, it might be possible to use a Skill Challenge to model how best to overcome this entity. In another game, it might be possible to just model many of the 'antibodies' or other efforts of the host body to repel the invaders. Make the players realize what a do or die situation they're in and don't hold back!

4. New Character Bring It. Isma has just joined the crew but already in this new world, she's shown that she fits right in as she is capable of turning into a mermaid. In traditional games, the power level of the core group may grow and grow to such a point that a fresh character starting at the recommended baseline power level wouldn't have a chance to survive much less contribute to the game. There are numerous ways around this including splitting the party or the focus of the campaign and giving the lower level characters appropriate enemies and side liens and goals and then they're the way Kentaro takes and that's to make the new character have a 'hook' or a unique ability that lets them jump right into the fray.

The only problem with Berserk 36 is that despite it's hefty length, we're left with essentially a very long high level fight which means that we've got to wait until the next issue to get resolution. Damn you Kentaro!

Berserk 35 by Kentaro Miura

Dark Horse comics continues to support my type of manga as Berserk collection 35 hits the United States. While the series is a little further according to my research, it looks like it'll be some time before volume 36 hits the streets.

When I read Berserk, the high energy of Miura's art inspires me. For me, his style is similar to another favorite of mine on the Super Hero comics shores, George Perez. It has a ton of detail and a lot of movement to it.

In this volume, we see further ramifications of past events continue to unfold. This provides some good ground work for those who run episodic adventures with an other all theme or arc. In this instance, Guts efforts to save Caska by taking her to the isle of the fey comes under complication when a pirate ship falls pray to the new madness and in turn becomes an enormous threat. In D&D 3rd edition, this could easily be done through the addition of templates, class levels, or other such goods. In other versions of the game, depending on how serious the GM is taking it, he might just rewrite the material and hand wave the reasoning.

In addition, since the ship takes some damage in their battle with the monster ship, the group is forced to make landfall on an island.

Islands are great bits for fantasy games for several reasons.

1. They can be isolated. This allows the GM to throw in things that are older than the standard setting in terms of dress, eating, religion, weapons, attitudes and outlook.

2. They can be isolated physically. Sure, the weird natives might be giving off a Wicker Man vibe and setting up all sorts of unpleasant events, but the real problem is that there's no damn way off an island outside of repairing the wreck you came in.

Movies like Cast Away or television shows like Lost showcase some of the other problems with an island. Equipment may be hard to come by for example. Isolation from the mainland may cause strange mental illness to forment on those isolated too long.

But in a fantasy game, there could be other issues.

For one, the island itself could be alive.

For another, the island could be slowly moving through the planes.

For another, the island could be at a center of power that attracts all sorts of weirdness to it as individuals try to harness this energy in ritualistic manner.

Another useful thing about islands, is that if you're not making them a continuous stop or part of the setting, it's not that big a deal to wipe out the inhabitants to showcase how vile a particular monster is. In this case, the creature that's coming after Guts and his party has destroyed the village and absorbed them, making them new monsters that come against the party.

Another thing to note about islands though, in all this talk of flesh eating and isolation, is that they make a good point in a sea campaign to introduce new players. In this instance, Isma, a native to the island whose mother is supposedly a mermaid and whose life is outside the town, showcases how to introduce a new character that has reason to trust the party (isolated from the other inhabitants of the island) and is full of the desire to explore and leave the small town behind. It works well in this instance and provides more fuel for the unusual side of the Berserk saga.

Berserk 35 isn't going to bring in any new fans to the series but it doesn't disappoint the old fans. The kinetic art and action provide a lot of fodder for the imagination and the new character brings more complications to the young 'ens of the cast.

Berserk Illustrations file

It's difficult to tell from the tiny cover, linked from Amazon.com, but Kentarou Miura is a fantastic artist. I was hooked into Berserk through the anime. It ends in a... bad spot so to speak, and I wanted to know what the hell happened after the event.

The manga is where I decieded I'd find out. Thankfully, by this time, Dark Horse has picked up the license and was zipping them out fairly quickly.

For several years, I lived in Mount Prospect and we had a Mitsuwa market there. One of the asian stores was a bookstore that had manga and other bits in the original language, region free DVD players, and a ton of anime soundtracks.

Among those treasures was the Berserk Illustratons file. It's a large table sized book, larger than the Warriors and Warlords of Angus Mcbride, but in softcover. I can't remember how much I paid for it, but I was fascinated by it. Kentarou's art, much like George Perez of comic book fame, is meant for large screen viewing. He has a great sense of motion, of detail, and of control.

While many of the illustrations within are the same as the covers of the individual books, having them in the expanded size is nice. Some of them are also new to me and I'd never seen them before.

When I'm in the mood for something of the fantastic and the macarbe, if it's seeing the monstrous Zod in all his transformed glory looking like a fallen angel of beastial might, or sseing the evolution of Guts from a child soldier to a soldier to a slayer of evil, the Berserk Illustrations file is never far from my bookshelf.

The Enemy Of My Enemy

Berserk 32 picks up with Zodd, an old 'friend' of Guts, literally crashing into him as he's recovering on a dock ward after being knocked out of the sky by the Kushan Emperor.

Guts needs Zodd's wings. Zodd needs Guts sword. Together, they fight crime! Well, not quite but you get the picture. By acting together, the two are able to do what one alone could not and disperse the Emperor's astral being.

In thanks, Zodd allows Guts to walk away from the situation so that he can take care of Casca. This is part of Zodd's personality at times. The willingness to let others recover so that he can face them at full strength. So that the blood thirst he has can be meet at full. This has been shown before, such as when the Skull Knight first dragged Guts out of the Eclipse.

Mind you, this is far different than a healthy opponent fighting Zodd and being injured. Zodd doesn't stop once it gets going.

By having a rich campaign world with multiple elements in it, the Game Master can sometimes put the players in the unenviable position of having to ally with something that they may normally want to attack, in order to overcome something even worse. For example, orcs are probably better to have around than undead. The undead on the other hand, may be better to have around then say demons.

This volume also showcases the benefits of high level characters fighting against minons. While possible for the minions to deal some damage, the higher level characters will often have numerous ways of recovering from minor damage quickly. This is another reason why high level wizards, no, not even wizards, spellcasters in previous editions of Dungeons and Dragons (pre 4e), were a force to be feared. A fireball isn't all that impressive against a large enough force. Control Weather, Earthquake, and other spells being cast that a normal enemy can't really fight against?

It's one of the reasons why pseudo Middle Ages armies tend to be on the low end of the steak against anything 'weird' in the Dungeons and Dragons game. An army versus a dragon for example, probably isn't going to go to well for the army, especially if the dragon has some immunity to non-magical weapons or some innate regeneration. Then yo uget into the whole make up of the army. Are there spellcasters? Are there clerics? Are they psions? When you start peeling back the layers of a fantasy campaign's army, be careful how far you peel. Too far and it's not longer psuedo history.

The volume ends with a show case of Griffith's long term planning coming to a head. After Griffith's Band of the Hawk overcomes a force that was essentially surrounding the city and preparing to destroy it, Griffith plays down his cards.

1. He's a hero of the common people.

2. He's the one who rescued the blood Princess.

3. He's the one with the divine revelation of being the Hawk of Light and is honored as such by the highest of the holy, the pontiff.

Some of these elements have been set up volumes ago and come to fruition here. If the party smartly plans out their actions well in advance and has the proper allies and methodology, the Game Master should give them the fruits of their labor. Nothing is more frustrating then dotting all of your is and crossing all of your ts only to be told that it doesn't work and there's no good reason why it doesn't work.

Allow the players the benefits of their planning. Allow them to reap as they sow. Allow the players to make alliances with those they need to in order to get the job done. Everything should not be smooth as silk, but everything should be possible.

The Spirit of the City

Berserk 31 starts off with the group still trying to get that boat. Surrounded by an invading monstrous force there to lay siege to the various knightly orders of the Holy See brought in from numerous countries.

Guts manages to hold the curse of the Berserk armor off of him for much of the initial fight, giving his witch time to summon up a spirit of the city. Initially, Schierke noted that spirits were harder to reach in the city because most people there looked past magic.

But the city has a spirit of its own, the Burning Wheel. Not, not the RPG, but a spirit of fire that manages to cook all of the enemies about them. She's able to summon this spirit because she's gained experience dealing with these higher level entities while travelling with Guts and his friends.

When that in and of itself doesn't prove enough though, she manages to focus that Burning Wheel spirit right into Guts sword in order to take out another powerful entity. During that fight, the villain screams out, "You've shortened your life!"

In such a situation where the characters can draw upon great power but at a personal cost, think about what you're potentially setting up. If the characters are going to be killed unless they use this power, why wouldn't they use it? At worse they use it and die, just as they would even if they had never used it! At best, they use it, gain some experience with it, and surprise the enemy.

I know in older editions of Dungeons and Dragons, when the haste spell could age you a year per casting, most people in the party didn't want it used on them every fight but they enjoyed having a scroll of it around just in case. The trade off of power versus age was one they were willing to take for the 'big fights'.

Towards the end of this volume, Guts meets the Great Emperor of the Kushan lands. Noting that Guts is human and branded, he offers Guts the opportunity to work for him. Offering a player an opportunity to work with a bad guy can be an interesting opportunity, but at the same time, can present the campaign with its own set of limitations if it's just restricted to a single character. What happens if the player does decide to have the character go off? Do the other players follow? Does the character become an NPC? Does the GM solo that player on a different day and session?

Offering players temptation is always an interesting way to judge their character development but be sure to have a plan B in case the players take that temptation.

Power Seeks Power

In Berserk 30, we start off with a little intra-party conflict that doesn't result in anyone's death, but does showcase some more of the inner personalities of the characters. For example, Isidro, a youth who strives to become a swordsman, doesn't think that Guts and Serpico are fighitng 'for real' but when it turns out they are, he takes a moment of self reflection, perhaps pondering if this is what he really wants.

This is behavior that has been touched on in previous volumes where he has no problem fighting against monsters and stealing from people, but did have a problem with a 'killer instinct' against humans.

We see Serpico worried that Guts and his berserk armor will get his own ward killed.

And we see Guts who perhaps could have killed Serpico instead use the flat of his blade to knock him down.

In several role playing games, one often has the option to do subdual damage to knock an enemy out as opposed to killing them. When players wage war against one another, try and subtly remind them of this option. While there are no laws against players killing one another, it can lead to hurt feelings among the members engaged in the fight and if the group isn't mature about it, then the group has to worry about the new character coming in being out for revenge even though the new character had nothing to do with the old one.

When the group catches up with Farnese, they are surrounded by nobility. In this meeting of nobles, the nobles come under attack and are saved only by Guts and his comrades. When possible, the party members will always try to take the brain out. The enemy should be no different. If power is gathering in one spot, power will be sent to deal with it.

Guts and his crew manage to fight through numerous obstacles and we see new characters come to light. The Holy See is lead by a pontiff, referred to as his holiness. Like many before him, he too had the dream of the hawk of light. And Griffith has sent along Sonia and her duck protector in order to show the holy pontiff the light. This further sets up the stage of the world as a larger and larger place while at the same time, being a power play that doesn't come into the light until later.

As time allows, continue to expand the world the players occupy by expanding the people they know and the people who know the people they know. If a player is a cleric of Tempus, who does he report to in church? Who does that church report to? Is there an overall grand marshal? Are there divine angels who serve the sword of Tempus that the players may one day run into while travelling the planes? Religion often plays a small role in the games despite it playing such a huge role in the era many of these games are based around. While one doesn't necessarily have to 'keep it real' by burning witches and having faiths splinter into numerous cults and sub cults, having more details, titles, rankings, and other mundane information on what memebers of the church actually do can only be helpful if the players ever want that information.

When the players have their gatherings and are of a power in and unto themselves, don't have them forget that bringing together the lord of thieves, the master of blades, the holy hand of the three blind gods, and the last caster of Albion makes them a tempting target for anyone who'd like to proceed with their own plans.

To Protect or to Contend?

Berserk 28 brings Guts face to face with the Skull Knight again. The readers at this point know a little more than Guts does at who or what the Skull Knight is. This mysteriousness allows Kentaro to use the Skull Knight in various ways and while Guts thanks him at this point, he, much like the reader, doesnt' know what the Skull Knight's end game is.

Here, the Skull Knight warns Guts that continuing to wear the armor will continue to have greater and greater consequences. "Color fades from the eyes, the tongue loses teaste, shivering plagues the fingertips... Each time you wear that armor and fight as the berserk, light, voice, warmth, you will come to lose many things."

And the ole Skull Knight knows all of this because he once wore the armor. Still in his role as Guide, the Skull Knight informs Guts that there will be apostles soon and they may be lead by Griffith but Guts will be unable to take the fight to Griffith if he wants to heal Casca, whose still insane after her ordeal many volumes ago.

This is where the title of the column comes from this time. The Skull Knight notes that to protect or to contend comes from. Guts can either follow his heart's desire to fight Griffith or to fight that desire and do what many would consider the right thing and protect Casca. But it's even more as Guts learns that it's not just protection, but if he gets her to Puck's elf land home, she can be cured of her insanity. But that may not be all that Guts wants as if cured, her desire may not be the same as his own...

Here, one of the character's own background as a herald of arms comes into his own as the group enters Vritannis, a leading trade city, Serpico throws down some quick information on no less than five different countries troops that all have the Holy See in their lands. The Holy See would most resemble some fantasy version of Christianity with the religion being in several different countries, all of whom might not always be on friendly terms, but when invaded by an outside force with an outside religion, are capable of pulling together.

Guts on the other hand, acts as a guide as to how mercenaries gather their troops. By having the leader make a direct 'sales pitch', the mercenaries get to see what shape the leader is in. Guts throws out the following observations.

Does he look dependable?

Does he look wealthy?

Does he get on well with the soldiers?

"Mercenaries aren't patriots or chapions of some great cause. It's all about earning enough to eat. Strength is the rule for a mercenary band, but first you gotta see if the boss if on your side or the employer's."

Here the book stumbles a little. Some recall Griffith, but no one recalls Guts, the captain of the Raider's? Even more ironic is Isidro being inspired by Gut's hundred man kill, but not knowing Guts name. It's a little flub in that it seems everyone would know but if pressed, it's understandable. Years have passed, Guts was never seen enjoying the limelight but rather enjoying training, and the kingdom in which he earned his nick name is in shambles.

The book also showcases a few things in brief. The spirits of the dead, invisible to all those who are used to the hustle and bustle of city live, are trapped here. Condemed because they were slaves of the wrong race when war broke out, their spirits linger.

Next, it showcases that despite having magic laws, that there is not just one way for magic to work. Schierke encounters Sonia who is able to sense things like souls, the strange nature of the apostles, and other things that border on well, psychic as opposed to magic.

This works well in a role playing game environment. For example, the old Rolemaster was traditionally broken into three methods of magic;

Channelling: Taking divine energy and well, channelling it through you.

Psychic: Magic based psionics.

Essence: Essentially gathering the flow of energy, much like the force, and turning it into say, Lightning Bolts.

As the game line expanded, there were other bits.

Psionic: Taken straight out of good old Space Master.

Elementalism: Energy from the elemental realms.

Arcane: Prior to the split of magic into the three original forms, magic was more raw, perhaps more powerful, and perhaps more difficult to use.

In other words, if it can fit into the campaign and isn't overbalancing, why not say yes? Different methods of magic can work great in making one culture different from another just as spell selection within a magic school can work to make one branch of study different than another.

Keep the options open and allow the players to have multiple paths but don't be afraid to remind them that they may not be able to master all the paths they seek to.

Curse of the Berserk Armor

Berserk 27 showcases what a cursed item can be. First off, look at the cover here. Notice that the experience of using it has given Guts a white streak.

Inside, Guts is essentially consumed by the armor's persona, becoming an engine of rage and carnage. Defense? No needed. Defending others who can't fight the same foes? Not needed.

Guts is pulled out of this trap by his new comrade, a young female witch known as Schierke. She sends her astral self into the armor and it's a place of pain and anguish. It showcases how Gut's ego is almost dissipated into the armor's curse.

This gives the reader a first hand visual of what is going on in the cursed item.

If in your campaign you're using a cursed magic item, what does it feel like when the curse takes place? Is the user trapped in his own head like Kyle was during his episode as Parallax? Is the person's personality destroyed as Gut's almost is? Does the person have no memory of the actions done as Elric when he accidentally slays his friends while in a feeding frenzy for his soul stealing sword Stormbringer?

What about the visual of the item? Guts Berserk armor initially does not resemble it's final form. This form is an combination of the initial Berserk armor and Gut's own personal hell hound that's been haunting him for several issues. The helm looks like a wolf's face with sharp teeth and the arm is

Another defining point of the armor, is that it doesn't stop. As Guts is walking along the beach, he notices a trembling of his hand. More powers of the armor?

Next up, villain motivation. With Griffith back to the real world, it would seem all of the Apostles follow him. Wrong. There is one, conviently, the leader of the Kushan army invading Midland, who figures, "To hell with him. I've got the largest empire in the world and he's going to have to fight me for domination of the world." It's a good show case that not all bad guys get along together even if they're from the same race and breed. There's always someone who wants more and is willing to fight for it.

It also showcases that even for those who serve, there may be a turning point. A young price of an exiled clan of assassins is shown that his ruler, the emperor of the Kushan empire, is breeding demonic forces in a manner that no human could endorse. Since this young exiled prince is human, it calls into question his future loyalty. Will he continue to serve in some vain attempt to please this mad demon king emperor or ?

Keep things moving in the game. Don't be afraid to showcase the power and peril of magic items and how they can continue to effect the user long after he thinks the item's worst spells are over.

The Berserk Armor

Berserk 26 provides Guts with his power up. Now since he's not going to get rid of his sword, what else is there?

Most characters can be defined in game terms by how hard they hit and how hard they are to hit. Guts has some great armor crafted by a master smith, but it is still only human armor.

Here, the title comes into play again, Berserk, as he's giving, the Berserk armor. Now in the past, we've seen the title referred to as part of Guts standard fighting style. We've seen the title as part of Guts being possessed. Now we see it as a magic item that Guts gains.

But the item is both beneficial and harmful. See, it doesn't care how injured you are and it doesn't actually patch you up, it merely allows you to keep fighting.

In many ways, this type of armor is perfect for Dungeons and Dragons 4th edition. As a minor action, it would allow a user to burn off a healing surge and keep the user fighting to the point of death. However, if there are no active foes around, the user must make a save or attack the nearest creature, even if it's a comrade. It would also have to have a high enchantment but the bonus of the armor is minor compared to the ability to keep fighting. In 4th ed, the healing surges represent every ability to recover, but usually they have to be burned off with help like from a cleric or warlord. The ability to burn through your own healing surges makes the armor very powerful but once it's done, it's done. There are no extra points off life to keep going.

On another venue, the book continues to explore perception. Here, Grunbeld, the draogn night, battles a very weakened Guts and is vastly disappointed that Guts proves to be so weak. Expectations versus reality. What are the players expecting to fight against what they are fighting. It works both ways though. If a dragon goes all out on the party using allies, minions, traps, and the environment to best the party, it may think the party weak. When the party gets the dragon on their terms, they may be able to show the monster the error of its ways.

And lastly, a look at motivation again. If the players understand the motivation of those they're battling, it makes it easier for the players to relate and see how things work in that manner. For example, Grunbeld, despite being a monster, much like Zodd, wants the thrill of fighting an equal. He wants to showcase his loyalty to Griffith. In this case, that's by attacking an old woman in a remote forest. But by having a chance to cross weapons with Guts? Makes it all worth it.

Earlier, Guts encounters one of the five angels. The female member of the God Hand, Slan, materializies in the lower reaches to toy with Guts, she does so because of her fascination with him and his ability to survive on hate and fear and pain. However, she also enjoys the pain and agony that comes to herself when fighting someone like Guts. Being a member of the God Hand, merely having her physical form destroyed though is no guarantee of her destruction and hence, may in part expalin her love of pain, both her own and others.

Berserk 25 puts the newly empowered group that has gathered around Guts with their new items against trolls.

These trolls are not like standard trolls we see in games like Dungeons and Dragons. For one, they are short. Perhaps as tall as a teen. But they're bulky, like dwarves. And fur covered. And... and... and...

In short, nothing like standard Dungeons and Dragons trolls.

There is also an ogre. Once again, nothing like the standard Dungeons and Dragons ogre. Not a big hairy stupid looking man, but a monstrous entity whose bone proportions are way off and whose head is completely inhuman in it's shape and use.

If you're using a home brew setting, you can do stuff like this all the time. You can customize the world to your characters and setting. If you're running the standard rules though, make sure to inform the players that you've made a lot of changes to the campaign setting and not to expect the same old thing. That you, as the Game Master, will tell them what their players know of opposition meet.

This can be useful in that it cuts down the players who already know everything from playing the game for years, if not decades. However, as useful as it is to the Game Master to leverage surprise and newness among the group, it can be frustrating for those who've spent years gathering this lore to have it suddenly rendered useless. Try to gauge how the party members are reacting to the world.

Readers also learn a bit about the cosmology of the setting. Like the dreaded real world, the mainland church here has managed to incorporate many bits of older religions into itself. Doing so has essentially muted those old names and powers and requires efforts to gather those resources back. Divine lords of the elements become archangles for example. Churchs are built atop old religious sites in order to deny them to the 'pagans'. This shows a richness of history that runs parallel to the real world and showcases how events in the real world can be mirrored in your fantasy setting.

One of the things that 4e brought a little more back into focus is how the Fey Realms overlap the world. What if they're not the only ones? In this volume, with Casca and Farnese both captured by trolls, the party has to search for them. During that time, as they descend into caves, the caves become stranger and stranger and the insects and animals that might be found in such a spot more and more bizzare. Turns out that due to the event of Griffith coming back, the barriers between worlds are thin and all it takes is a wrong turn to end up in a place like Qliphoth.

This is "The Astral World's Region of Darkness." The spellcaster here notes that ethereal bodies tend to gravitate toward ods of the same nature. In essence, like attracks like. It makes a lot of sense in most Dungeons and Dragons settings too as that's usually what happens in the different planes.

It's hard to describe the bizzar nature of Qliphoth and it's inhabitants as visualized here. This is another huge benefit to Berserk being in a manga form. The artists, Kentaro Miura, is top notch. In the old western comics, I'd compare his style to George Perez. Seeing the weirdness that pours of of Kentaro's mind on paper makes it a lot easier to describe to your players by simply using the old copy machine for personal use.

Finally, the book ends off on a cliff hanger. This is a good reminder that the end of a campaign session should accomplish something in and of itself. For example, at the end of a massive battle where everyone is tired and weary, having the characters safety reach home is one option. For another, having the party be out on the road and have an encounter and ending it there? That's another option.

Stealing Names and History

Berserk 22 starts off with Guts and Griffith having a meeting atop a hill. Ricket, under the guidance of Gordo, fashioned swords for practice and used them as grave markers for this hill of swords.

A site like this lends itself up to a few possibilities. First off, there is the creation of the site itself. A single man honoring his comrades has a resonance that can be felt wither the event just happened or happened hundreds of years ago.

Second, it's a potentially dangerous place to fight. Guts, not really happy to see Griffith again, charges at his old leader only to be stopped by Zodd. As the two fight on the hill, through the swords about them, Guts uses his old infamous Sunder attack on Zodd's sword, just as he did when they first meet, only to have Zodd reach down and grab one of the nearby swords to augment his fighting style, which is countered by Guts kicked up one of the swords managing to wound Zodd.

This maze of swords can be used as something like a skill challenge where you can inflict an extra dice of damage on the enemy or replace a broken weapon.

The thing I was thinking of though, would be what if you were a wounded soldier holding a magical sword and needed a place to hide it? Now I know it's a bit of a cheat since players can always use detect magic or other means, but placing the sword among the other swords already out could at least slow down just yanking it off of the soldier.

Another element here is that of the Nemesis. While the word initially has a mythological context to it, depending on its context, it can mean a long term enemy. Zodd and Guts have crossed swords before and as the end of this fight showcases, may do so again.

In a fantasy RPG, especially one like Dungeons and Dragons or Rolemaster, where almost everything earned in terms of experience to gain levels, is a direct result of killing things and taking their stuff, it can be hard to have a single nemesis. On the other hand, there are things that can be done to make a 'feel' for a Nemesis.

One, the foe is just that much stronger than the player. This allows the first fight to be one in which the player probably won't win and perhaps even in the second fight.

Two, the foe is actually an organization. This can be a family that has a grudge against the players or can be a cult that the players have thwarted. To give it a personal feel, the GM should have someone at the head of the organization or family that the players know is in charge and is continuously putting them in danger, but can't actually do anything to physically harm that individual. It might make them think of ways outside the box to harm the individual such as pooling their money and trying their hand at the game of finances, trying to bring ruin to the individual in that manner, or for those groups which have bards or other social types such as nobles, using a slow and sure methodology of destroying that person's reptuation.

Three, the foe is essentially immortal. In Marvel comics, Ultron is a robot that returns again and again and unlike many comic book foes, each time he's defeated, it's apparently permanent. But by being a robot in the first place, the writers are able to use any old excuse around to bring him back. In a game like Dungeons and Dragons where there are spells like Wish, Clone, Reincarnate, and now in 4e, rituals, not to mention the various templates and ideas that can be applied to a dead individual, such as coming back undead, demonic, etc..., it could be easy to bring someone back from the dead in some form or another. Heck, have the players meet a warrior they thought dead come back as a half-golem!

The trick though, is to make the nemesis someone the players want to fight again even if their characters don't necessarily want to fight again. A lame nemesis can be good in a game like say Paranoia but unless the group is enjoying it, just brings down the mood. In addition, the appearance of the nemesis should count for something. When first introduced, Zodd is the herald that the world is not normal. That there are things larger and more monstrous beyond the ken of mortal men. In his second apperance, it's just before the Eclipse where Griffith sacrifices the band of the hawk. In his third apperance, it's to prevent Guts from attacking Griffith. This indicates to Guts at least, that there are things going on that he has no clue about. Note that these apperances are as they pretain to what the character, Guts knows.

Next up, powerful Non-Player Characters. There are times when reading online forums, I have to wonder why the players are even bothering to play. They try and nit pick apart all things at all times. In this volume, Griffith leads... well, is present at a counter attack as the invading army of Midland learns that the Apostles are not to be trifled with. Each one of these aposltes appears as a great warrior, some of them of some reknown. But we as the readers haven't seen any of them before.

This can easily happen in a RPG. The scope of the game, as in the scope of the comic, has to be on the here and now and can be expanded. To continuously question why the character's wouldn't know of this 'Dragon Knight' or Locus, the Moonlight Knight. And the short answer is that they didn't exist before. The long answer, depending on the circumstance, is that they were thought dead, retired, from another country, etc.. etc... etc... This is another case where the longer and more forward thinking the Game Master can be in terms of whose who in the campaign, and introduce at least the names and deeds of those individuals, that they appear as more than just upstarts when they first make their apperance.

However, the Game Master must keep that door open for the players as well. For example, in this volume we get some more background information on Lady Farnese and Serpico. In many ways, these two might be players. Why then after they've been introduced do we need this background now? Where did it come from?

As a player, I'd be lying if I didn't say sometimes I just want to play and think of the background latter if at all. I like to see how the character evolves through paly. On the other hand, there are times when I have a definitive idea for my character and write out a brief background on it. If a character presents background details that don't clash with the campaign, or if he presents information that can be incorporated into the campaign and actually make it a fuller, more weighty campaign, then the Game Master should allow it.

Even if it's the exact same thing that the players are crying about, history and characters bursting forth into the scene that didn't exist before, it has the same effect in making the game fuller.

Keep the locations interesting. Use the nemesis sparringly. Keep ideas of long term character introductions at the start of the game and be prepared for the players to ambush you with background at any time.

And That's Why The Players Are the Heroes

Berserk 21 brings Guts more conflict with a wide array of foes and a resurrection of the one who tried to sacrifice him.

But more importantly than that, Guts has a few scenes where he's showcasing some important differences between those that do and those that wish. Between those that take that action and initative, and those that want others to take that action.

"All they do is pray. Every last one of them. When the fire's under their own ass all any of them do is bow down. Tens of thousands of people shouldn't cling to just one woman."

Kentaro writes.. He stands without retreating in the midsts of this overwhelming nightmare. The one and only thing that is certain.

These two bits illustrate one of the things I've tried to mention about how players might be preceived. They're the ones that do things. While they don't control the world, while they have nemesis and enemies and allies, it is the player's actions which should stand out to the players.

The scenarios and situations that the Game Master designs should be based around the actions of the players. If the players are asking why the NPC isn't doing it, why are they asking? Is the NPC so obviously capable? Is the mission so far beneath them? Try to build bits out of what the characters have done and the players won't have to worry about getting jobs from patrons in low key taverns but will instead be seeking out NPCs in order to further their own goals.

Go Big or Go Home

Berserk 20 is the image of previous events, the great eclipse from the old volumes 12-14 happening again in a similiar manner.

This means bad things for a lot of people but it does it in a big way.

For example, Guts normally has to fight one apostale at a time. But during that original configuration that wasn't true and here, it's also not true. Lots of big bads coming from left and right.

The tower itself falls pray to the "current of causality" as it crumbles due to internal battles and external forces and comes to resemble the God Hand's initial launching point of a huge five fingered hand.

The people who sought shelter within? Fodded for the maddness about.

And Guts? The hero strives on, as he did previously, but once again, seemingly helpless to prevent the sacrifice.

Here we see huge things happening in the scope of the series. An ancient tower falling, a whole city worth of people devoured by darkness, and the plot line for future stories that won't start taking place till say... volume 33 and up, coming to fruition.

When the players are of a high level, make the scope of the game larger and make their actions have direct impact on it.

Try and Try and Try Again

Berserk 19 reminds me of the old Billy Joel Shaver song, "Try and Try Again."

Guts is out to save Caska.

He starts off by interrupting a whipping about to take place. Once again playing the part of the lone stranger.

Then has to deal with cultists. And this time, due to Casca's presence and nightfall, where here brand acts up, the Cultists get a signifcant power boost. Remember what I've mentioned about having those templates ready for skinning purposes.

When reunited with Casca, he doesn't have time to enjoy it and must rely on others to take care of her... which leads to Casca being captured by the Holy Chain Knights and to the next arc where Guts must prevent her from being burned at the steak.

But what does that mean for the game?

In terms of the background, the characters, continuing to have them act towards the players based on the players actions and have them continue to absorb new facts about the players. For example, when Guts last met the Holy Iron Knights, he was in no shape to fight and they took him down with relative ease. They try to repeat this tactic with expected results.

In addition, things that are unknown, people will try to explain with the known. When the cultists come under the possession of demons thanks to Casca's brand, no one jumps to the conclussion that it's a supernatural posession. No, rather, they would all prefer to believe that it's a cultists drug they take that augments their strength and endurance to monstrous levels. Sound familiar? It should. It's the same reasoning that the old Arnold movie where he's featured as a mechanical assassin was used. Something along the lines of "yeah, cocaine is a hell of a drug."

People prefer to believe in what they know and won't take in new facts until they are explained again and again to them. When they have a plausible expalantion, they'll cling to it. If the players are on the know and can convince others what's going on, those NPCs may come to rely on the players for their ability to see things as they truly are, not how they wish them to be.

Lastly, let the players take advantage of situations that they come across. Here, Guts winds up fighting a swordsman whose skill, perhaps not as skilled as Guts, but who uses terrain in a huge way to prevent Guts from using his sword. If the players, or the monsters for that matter, can put the terrain to good use, such as on crumbling ledges, or icy floors, allow them to do so. It allows the combats to be more organic and keeps things moving.

The Not So Innocent Bystander

Berserk 18 starts off by using an old stand by of role playing games and fantasy novels (and probably Westerns as well.)

Guts comes into conflict with an invading force by merely being in the wrong place at the wrong time and we the readers, are introduced by Isidro, a youth whose skills apparently include stealing and wishing to be the world's strongest swordsman.

Guts saves Isidro and this is a common method of introducing new plot points or quests in a game. How often have we seen the old man on the side of the road being attacked or having the heroes approaching home only to notice fires in the distance?

It's old hat but it works and if not overused, it shouldn't strain the players to take the bait.

The series also continues to showcase how evil people can be... 'good'. For example, the clerics in this particular setting are some of the dark examples of heretic hunters, putting many to the rack and death. Several of these individuals that follow the Father, are unique in apperance, 'freaks' in some people's eyes. But the Father has taken them in and given them food, shelter, and at the very least, the comarderie of each other. This binds them to the Father like iron chains in a bond that will not be broken , regardless of what they do in that service even though when not punishing heretics, they don't seem to be of the "enjoying evil for evil's own sake".

If the game master can find a way to show case individual elements that are normal, things that everyone does, such as enjoying time with a pet or telling tales around a table, it gives the players another dimension of those they battle to consider.

Next up, how about some cult action? Here we see a few things at work. First off, is the use of drugs and sex to act as binding agents of loyalty to those who are in the cult. Those who won't partake of these 'joys' are not members. It's an old trick of sorts where you make everyone take part of the guilt. By doing this, you bind those who are in your cause to you with the same guilt. It's similiar to say, how a movie like Lord of War has Cage's character become closer to an arms buyer who does him a favor and has Cage kill a man whose killed one of Cage's family. The ties that bind...

But beyond the physical, there is the potential spiritual. During the rituals of drugs and sex, there is a vision of a goddess with fiery wings in the flames. She bears a remarkable resemblance to one of the God Hand, indicating that there is more than just the standard events going on here.

Another old stand by used here is the fall from a great height that "no one could survive!" It's been used at least once before in Berserk and it's one of the classics, good for both players and non-player characters. No body may mean that they're not dead. Something that players, especially seasoned ones, will well be aware of so don't overuse it.

Lastly... bait and switch. The cover is a clear indication of Guts getting ready to battle the Immortal God of the Battlefield, Zodd, with Griffith behind him. Nothing of that sort appears in the actual tale. A clear case of bait and switch. Player's often don't like it, so use the old bait and switch with care if at all.

The Various Perils of Power

In Berserk 16, Guts manages to acheive some victories and taste defeat.

But how does that effect your game?

I'll mention NPC motivations again. Here, the entity that Guts has been battling, a semi-elf demonic child, has only one friend and puts herself in danger time and time again to save that friend. This is a fact that does not go unnoticed by Guts who puts this knowledge to good use.

This is a bit of tit for tat though. Players often have friends, family, and other contacts that the Game Master can weave plots around, often by having something horrible happen to those individuals to drag the players into the new session. Turn about is fair play.

If the Necromancer King is reknown for his love of a captured princess, rescuing her before launching the all out assault may make the Necromancer King more prone to seek up close and personal revenge, forsaking guards and other protection that the players would have to spend precious resources on. It doesn't have to be something so obvious as that, but if the NPCs have things they care about and are willing to sacrifice for, it acts as a good lead for the players to follow.

There is a brief pause in the action as we see the old Skull Knight, an ally of sorts to Guts who moves through the battlefield collecting his own trophies. If possible, think about doing some sort of interlude for the players so they have an idea of the wider scope of the world. It doesn't necessarily have to involve something they're directly involved in at that exact moment nor does it have to be something they know about, but it should be painting a larger picture for the players to understand some of the other factors going on in the campaign.

Lastly, Guts is wounded from his fight. Badly wounded. In comics, it's fairly common to see a super hero take out someone near or above his power level and then at a weakened state, get taken out. Sometimes, as with Batman and Bane's first encounter, it's by an adversary who is normally equal to the character.

Othertimes... not so much. In this case, Guts encounters what would be spoiled nobles playing at being knights who have two individuals with talent with them. Were he at full strength, he'd be able to blast through them. However, as weak and wounded as he is, they manage to score a victory.

This isn't necessarily important, but it does showcase that if players aren't able to marshal their resources, they may face the shame of being defeated by entities much weaker than they are. Sometimes however, that might be a good thing. For example, it can lead to the introduction of new characters that can act as new sources of information. Or in some cases, if the party has been split up or players have suffered character death, it can even act as a pool for new characters to emerge from.

Keep the overall scope of the campaign moving even as you continue to challenge those players, especially those that waste vital resources.

No Children's Tales Here

At this point in the manga, Dark Horse has moved well beyond the cartoon.

The series continues to showcase things that every good game master should involve themselves in.

First off, world building. Here we learn the story of Peekaf, a child with strange ears and red eyes who teased as a youth, runs away to find the elves only to discover that the elves cured him as a baby and left side effects. He runs home only to discover that time flows differently in the fey lands and his parents are long dead.

This is a small tale but showcases some common themes of loss and regret, of giving up what you already have for something you may never acheive. In addition, it showcases that things don't work the way we think they do in terms of setting. Just because time flows one way in one place doesn't mean it flows the same way in another place.

The material also makes me want to mention 'skinning'. THis is where you take the game mechanics or effects of one thing and apply them to something else. Because Guts is cursed, he's always fighting ghosts that possess nearby things. While entertaining perhaps to stat up possessed hounds, humans, and other bits, it's perhaps not the best use of one's time. Having a set of stats that represent the creatures base powers that can be easily modified on the fly is a useful ability for a Game Master to have. In some game systems, like GURPS and Hero, it's essentially expected for each player and Game Master to customize their abilities based not on what the ability does, but what it's 'effect' is. For example, in Hero, a d6 for damage is a d6 for damage regardless if it's a punch, a fire blast, an ice blast, a sonic blast or some other type of damage. Having an ability to quickly guage what something does and 'skin' it on the fly is useful for when you want to keep the game moving.

Don't forget the holy men. Even in small villages and towns, there should be a priest or three to take care of the spiritual needs of the people and to act as a contact point for any religious orders, pilgrims or religious events that need interpetation. Even here in a dark and dismal world where few survive, the small town that Guts is travelling through has a priest who speaks with the holy knights moving through and on Guts trail.

Lastly, don't forget about the characters actions. If the characters are having an effect on the game world, this should be something that is noticed. In this volume, the holy knights trailing Guts are doing so because in his persona as the Black Swordman, he's continuously killing things that are not meant to be, causing quite an upstir. The knights seek to understand what this means for their religion and what is going on in the larger scheme of things and if Guts is involved.

Keep the setting real by telling the players stories that take place in the setting. Let the players know their actions are felt by having their own stories enter the legends of the campaign.

Beyond the Anime

The anime left the Berserk series off in a terrible place as far as telling a complete story. It's one of the reasons why I picked up the manga from Dark Horse.

Here we get to see a little more of how and why things worked out the way they do.

For example, the sword Guts uses? It's a dragon slayer sword made by his smith friend Gordo in a time long ago and far away. It's so big because it's not meant to be used by a normal person. It's a dragon slayer because humans can't fight dragons because they're well, human. The fact that Guts can use it? Well, that's something else.

In addition, Gordo the smith also knows a thing or two about firearms and mechanical limbs. And with the right magnet in place, Guts can use both hands on the sword. The firearm packed into the machine arm proves to be Guts salvation time and time again in the manga in latter volumes. One might almost argue that these creatures Guts fights are vulnerable to the damage that it inflicts.

But outside of some background information on Guts, what can we use in this volume?

One, no one escapes from the inquisition! In Crown of Stars by Kate Elliot and dozens of other fiction series, the chruch is not an entity to take lightly. Here, they're following Guts trail and have their own series of prophecies. Ironically enough, this group, Holy Iron Chain Knights, are for the most part, made up of nobles who donate heavily to the chruch to insure that their children stay out of the way of inheritance issues and serve faithfully. The naming conventions are good and the idea is often used that the second or third sons and daughters must serve the church.

Two, life is cheap in a points of light setting. It's important to note not only for the every day horrors that bandits commit against the innocent, such as selling girls into slavery, but what can happen to the common children. Here, the enemy is an 'elf' based demon who turns children into elf like entities that are flesh eaters and use a horrifying swarm attack to strip the flesh from anything they attack. The other part of horror here is that when slain, these monstrous elf children revert to their human form.

Three, the enemy comes in many shapes and sizes. For example, Guts has to not only fight the demonic elf children, but when souls of those slain in ritual sacrifice around a tree are awoke by the brand on Guts neck, he's got to fight a undead tree possessed of a lust for his blood and warmth.

Four, revenge is always a standard emotion for getting a player involved in a long term quest. Even in old classics like the Princess Bride, if a man is wronged, he will seek to right it. In Guts case, being damned, having all his comrades murdered, and his woman violated, well, these are powerful reasons to want revenge. It's best not to overdo it though. In this case, that's achieved by having these reasons by the foundation that launches Guts on his mission, not necessarily something that's repeated infinitely each issue. After too much loss, the players may get to the point where they expect it and no longer care.

Five, always give the players the option of being heroic but don't force them to do so. In 4e, the alignment system has been pulled back a lot. It still has quite a bit of material there, but in a grim and gritty campaign, such as Berserk or the Black Company might be, the characters are most likely going to be Unaligned in 4e. This means that if you want them to do good things for the sake of doing good things, you'll probably be disappointed.

On the other hand, if you align the characters end goals with the things that others consider to be good, well, things work out well for everyone.

The Brand!

Berserk 13 takes the manga beyond the anima.

It explains why in the first issues that various undead and other night hauntings were happening to Guts.

See, Griffith gave Guts a little present; the Brand. This makes him and makes him visible to entities that live in another world.

It also lets Guts detect them.

In many ways, it's a perfect Game Master tool.

Want to let the player know how powerful an enemy is? The brand really burns. Want to know where there is an infestation of vile entities? The brand pulls you west.

There are methods of stopping the attraction and draw of the brand. For example, Guts ally and lover, Caska, is ruined after their last adventure and could not survive with the brand in the outside world. Fortunately, elf hills are rich with elf metal and this apparently is good enough to keep the brand from attracting the wrong kind of attention. Further volumes also illustrate different methods to keep the brand from activating.

For those looking for a quick way to get the players to battle a monster of the week like the early episodes of say Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the Brand of a tool like it does the job.