The Warded Man by Peter V Brett

I'm one of those people that's got the sale syndrome. You know, if its a good sale and something I might be interested in later, I'll pick it up.

So it was with The Warded Man and the Desert Spear, both by Peter V. Brett, whose website can be visited here. I'd never heard of the author or either book before and was in no hurry to read them, but see, this was during the time period that Borders Bookstores were closing and were essentially throwing stuff at the customers begging them to take it off their hands. Sadly enough, these are only two of the books I bought that in the interval I still haven't read.

At least that's no longer true for the Warded Man! Apparently Peter did this overseas as the Painted Man, with the cover image I've put up top. It's a solid cover and in my opinion far better than the one used in America even though I do prefer the name The Warded Man. Hell, if you have the chance, look at the one in Japan. Hell with it, I'll snag it here.

That's a damn great cover in my opinion and the red cape makes it pop for me.

Anyway...Peter V. Brett does a great job of bringing a 'small' fantasy world to life. It's a heavy character focused setting with enough unique bits and pieces in terms of magic and monsters to keep me interested. The world is plagued by demons that rise up every night from the core to kill, well, everything.

This has a few effects on the people. In the north, a generic 'dark ages' if you will, the people hide behind 'wards' or runes that are inscribed on walls and posts and other surfaces. These wards prevent the demons from attacking. But they don't always work. Time erodes them, the posts break, a demon the ward isn't meant for shows up, natural fires happen, and other things of that nature.

The people in the north believe the best way to deal with the horror is to live their life the best they can and stay behind the wards and hope for a better tomorrow.

The people of the south? They fight. They use the wards to entrap the demons who cannot stand the light of day and die in it. The downside of this is that their population is shrinking.

Peter V Brett's novel The warded Man, brings us three main characters. The first of these I'll mention is Arlen. He admires the Messengers, specially trained individuals who move from city to city and hamlet to village in order to bring news and information. He admires them because they dare to travel, they dare to go into the night even when the demons are out and about.

Arlen's skill set and mentality make him an ideal agent of change. It is his ability to trust his fellow man, even when sometimes they have not earned it, that makes him more than just another Messenger, and eventually turns him into the Warded Man.

The second character is Rojer, an entertainer who finds himself on the road often. His own childhood one of great suffering but one that put him on a path that others have never enjoyed. He finds that his ability with music gives him power over the demons.

The last is Leesha, a healer whose mentor hints at secrets of the old world. This includes the ability to craft a 'demonfire' of sorts that is similar to alchemist fire and capable of killing wood demons. Turns out the 'wise women' were given their own set of secrets and things to carry forward until the time was right to use them in saving mankind.

Peter does a great job of bringing these characters together through the years of each of their individual lives until their lives intersect in a great battle that sets the course of future conflict with the demons.

The writing was a bit more 'on' that I'd consider most books that I'd call 'popcorn'. It was enthralling and made me want to read further. There were some bits that are a bit old hat. After all, three young people each having their coming of age isn't anything new but it's always been about how well told the tale is for me.

I'll be discussing some specifics below so if you don't want any spoilers, read no further.

1. World Building: As I mentioned up thread, the world seems small. There are essentially two cultures and one magic system that has a lot of room to expand as more is discovered about it. This narrow focus though, allows the author to focus on the characters as opposed to dragging analogs of dozens of real world historical archetypes into the setting.  When designing your own setting, put the focus where you want it at the start and build from there. If it's a Viking focused world, throwing too many other elements into the stew may ruin the flavor.

2. Character Abilities: The three main characters of this book all have special knowledge or abilities that set them outside of others. Not only that, but they have different ways of approaching things. For example, Arlen wants to kill demons. He wants to kill them so much, that when he discovers that some of the wards that were common among his town folk aren't known in the city, he decides that in order to increase everyone's knowledge, instead of selling them, they'll only be available for trade. Sounds like a wizard in a D&D campaign to me. Players are notorious for finding the 'weak' points in a game wither that's the knowledge base that they can draw from or stupid assumptions of the setting. Their own goals and ambitions may be so different that they could potentially break the setting. Run with it and see where it goes.

3. Unique words: Demon is a pretty standard word, but because they come from 'the core', the word 'core' gets used for all manner of meanings ranging from hell, to being killed by demons or cored. Having a few unique words to set the stage can be a useful thing. The old TSR/WoTC setting Planescape was notorious for it's 'chant and Thieves Tongue and pirate speak are all 'languages' that have flavor to them that can increase the mood or theme of a campaign.

The Warded Man is a solid book and I've already started The Desert Spear and am enjoying it. There's no doubt I'll be looking for the third book in the series.

The Warded Man is available from Amazon in paperback for $7.19 in mass market paperback, prime eligible, or in kindle format for $5.99.

Blood of Elves by Andrzej Sapkowski

Fantasy Novel Review

When I initially read, novel, The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski, I wasn't overly impressed. I don't know if it was the translation, the short story format, or just the writer getting to the introduction parts of his world and characters but it struck me as rather mediocre. Unfortunately for me, I had already purchased the Blood of Elves in kindle format when it was on sale. I figured I'd already read the first book, might as well plow through the second.

It was the right call. Blood of Elves is a much better book than the Last Wish. I don't know what the author Andrzej Sapkowski did between the books, or if the company found a better translator or what, but it is head and shoulders above the previous book.

The book's title, Blood of Elves, is a bit of a play on words. I initially thought it would be something about the sacrifice of elves in that the world had passed them by and it was their time to move on. And in part, that element is there. But more than that, it's the bloodline of elves. In the Witcher's setting, many individuals have the blood of elves in their heritage. Many can claim lineage to the elves.

It uses a lot of the material set up in The Last Wish, but isn't overly reliant on the reader having read that book. Instead it does a lot of subtle world building by allowing various factions and personalities from different regions and races to air out their world points which provides the reader with a lot of background and detail as to what the current state of the world is.

In doing so, it provides the reader with clearer understandings of the various characters including Geralt, the Witcher, an albino who was raised from an orphan, as are all witchers, to be a slayer of monsters. There are other cast members we are introduced to, including Ciri, who is a 'Surprise Child' which has a faerie tale quality to it. A Surprise Child is one conceived of when a favor is granted and payment is allowed to be anything. Very similar to King Arthur's own tale in the movie Excalibur. 

Many members of the cast make appearances here including Dandelion, a poet, bard, performer who acts as part time spy for his country, as well as being a friend to the Witcher himself. In some ways, he reminds me of a 'Companion' style character popular in Michael Moorcock's Eternal Champion series. He's useful, but can't compare to the main cast so to speak.

The only problem with the book, is that it knows it's part of a series. While you wouldn't have to read any books previous to it to enjoy it, it ends on an obvious cliffhanger. This isn't something I'm fond of because there have been books by Ryamond Feist that just ended when things were 'getting good' and I was furious because at that time, I was reading them as they were coming out.

For those interested in the works of Andrzej Sapkowski, we have the following:

Blood of Elves in Paperback for under $8.00.

Blood of Elves in kindle format for under $7.00. 

Below I'll be discussing some of the specifics of fantasy novel Blood of Elves and how it might work in your own games.

Witcher

Geralt is a Witcher. We find out more about these characters here. They were originally orphans taken in and trained at a citadel. They were subject to magic, training, and specific diet to augment their abilities. Some of this training is physical and martial related. Some of it is magical and spell related. All of it on the focus of destroying monsters.

Initially I thought that such a concept might be a prestige or paragon path, but after seeing that the changes are permanent and that the effects include things like reduced aging and augment physical abilites from the schooling, it would seem to be more of a core class or at least a rational for why a core class might have such abilities. Depending on the campaign, for example, in an OSR style game and designing your own classes, something done a bit in the Player's Companion to Adventurer Conqueror King, you might try to restrict players from taking a 'powerful' class by having very high requirements to get in. This in short was the method that the official Advanced Dungeons and Dragons game used to limit say the number of Paladins in a game.

The thing that shines through in the Witcher though, is that a specific class has specific elements to it. In this case, the witcher's training ground and home has been destroyed prior to the start of the novel. This limits any new witchers from being fully changed as those that were not there and did survive, do not have the knowledge base on how to craft the alchemical drugs needed to physically transform any students they do have. 

Despite their foundation being destroyed though, most of them shown here are loyal to the cause and the idea. They do not hold with the idea of working for a specific country or place. Geralt even talks about the world failing and in the ruins of that new world, fighting and killing monsters until one of them kills him. It's good character depth and motivation.

World Building

At the start of the novel, a group of various individuals ranging from merchants and wizards to kings and advisors, are listening to an entertainer. After the tale of the entertainer, they begin to speak about the things in the tale and assigning specific names to things only hinted at by the speaker.

In the modern era, there may be a certain assumption of knowledge. You can know what's happening in your town, your city, you state, your country, your hemisphere. Knowledge is deep and detailed. Things can be verified and cross checked. The request for information are instant.

In most fantasy settings, even those with wizards and other methods of circumventing the perils of long term travel, this is not true. The people on the next horizon might be completely unknown. Historically groups like the Mongols seemed to arise from nothing and nowhere because no one had really investigated and more importantly, made that knowledge widely known.

Throw red herrings into the campaign when you can because chances of everyone knowing everything? Slight to non-existent in those times characters find themselves part of. 

Character Knowledge

On the other hand, don't be afraid to give the players specific knowledge that is not common. Allow them to know things that even the so called professionals are wrong on. In the novel, Geralt is amused by a scholar who is speaking to him of certain types of creatures and how something Geralt is talking about, simply cannot exist. Of course when Geralt is proven correct, the scholar quickly changes his mind.

Giving players specific knowledge based on their profession or actual personal experiences gives them a reward beyond magic and gold. It is information that they might be able to trade with others of their profession or use to get into guilds or companies.

Miscellania

There are numerous other bits that show up in the Blood of Elves that make for some potential good gaming.

For example, on rivers, borders might be a bit difficult to detect and enforce. When certain trade goods are taxed or banned outright, will characters claim the law on their side if on a watery surface and claim the tariffs were unfairly enforced?

Factions within Factions: The 'wild' demihumans believe that they are fighting for their freedom. They have been roused to action by outside agencies. Those agencies aren't too concerned for their welfare. This leads the 'wild' races of elf, dwarf, and gnome, to fight against those living within and working within the human kingdoms, leading some of the human kingdoms to closely question, and set up tests of loyalty for those races. A situation in which there can be no clear winners. 

Blood of Elves is a strong fantasy novel and far ahead of The Last Wish. After I finish wadding through some of my other back log of books, I'll be sure to return to the next novel in the series. Hell, I might even pick up the computer game by that time.

If you enjoyed my ramblings, please +1, share, and ask questions or comments on your own enjoyment/dislike of the book.

Vampire Warlords by Andy Remic.

Vampire Warlords is book three in the Clockwork Vampire Chronicles. Written by Andy Remic, it follows the adventures of Kell, an old axeman who fights against a summoned trio of vampires whose true power eclipses the clockwork vampires or vacine, who conquered his homelands. Like the previous books in the series, I found the characters wandering all over the place in terms of temperament and personality but it was a quick action filled ride so I'll forgot those inconsistencies. The fact that I picked it up at Half Priced books for $3.99 doesn't hurt.

Having said that, there are a few things I took from the book. Those who want to avoid spoilers, read no further.

1. Dead Plot Lines: There's the old saying about the gun in scene one being used in scene six. One of the characters, Kell's grand daughter, Nienna, speaks to Kell's unique axe. It hints at big things to come for her. Then she gets killed by that axe and nothing happens. She doesn't inhabit it. She doesn't haunt Kell. It's just a gruesome death. Now mind you, Andy has mentioned that he may wind up doing another two trilogies but the impact of the axe talking to Nienna and telling her things is going to be lost in a new trilogy because the reader hasn't spent three books with the character. Even with exceptional flashback use, Nienna will at best be a secondary character in those novels and her impact on the axe also minimal.

2. Endgame: We are introduced to three vampire warlords. Kell defeats two of them and when going to defeat the third is told, "No, it's cool. We got that." Ugh. When putting  villains in the setting that are supposed to be the big bad endgame, do not take it out of the character's hands. "Well, I'm glad you guys managed to get to level 20 and all that but Ocrus kills Demogorgon so you guys don't have to worry about it." That would be a massively unsatisfying game.

3. Changing Origins: In previous books, we've seen Kell's axe gain it's bond with him. In this one, it goes "super sayian" and becomes even more powerful. In this case, it's not necessarily a terrible thing but it feels heavy handed. Working with the players when trying to update or incorporate their background elements can be difficult or easy depending on the nature of the campaign. In a high fantasy epic campaign or a silver age super hero one? No problem. In a historical fantasy or gothic? Might be a little more difficult.

4. The Set up. We learn that the vacinee or clockwork vampire civilization sacrificed to release the Vampire Warlords are merely the tip of the clockwork vampire society. This leads to a potential encounter further down the road. Kell, long poisoned, is feeling it more and more and is preparing to seek out a cure. This cure will lead him to another land where it's strongly hinted that werewolves or other wolf style creatures are waiting. When Kell's axe get's it's make over, it's hinted that Kell will have at least three issues, the vampires, the wolves, and even dragons. These things allow the setting to be expanded without forcing the issues to be dealt with at that very second.

5. Description versus game mechanics. Kell's advanced age is only there to give the writer something to talk about. When it comes to combat, heart attack, easily succumbing to disease, etc... Kell shrugs off such nonsense. When it comes to simple walking or eating though? Well, the aches and groans and moans come out. In a role playing game, those could be useful bits and catch phrases for a  character who wanted to play an older individual but doesn't want the mechanical penalties of such.

Vampire Warlords has a lot of rousing action scenes that are impaired a bit by the wanderings of the characters from one mood to the next.

Lords of the Sky by Angus Wells

I read a few of Angus Wells books when I was a younger man going to Demon Dogs before it closed. There was a nearby library that I would snag books from and head off into the train station. Not too long ago at Half Priced books, I spied Lords of the Sky by Angus Wells and well, it was in my favorite spot, the dollar spinner rack.

I finished it today. It's a massive tome, some odd six hundred pages plus long. It took me a few days to read in between work, painting, and the other dreaded real life concerns going on. It was a nice, one shot book told well. It does some good world building and showcases some interesting moral questions I've often seen hit on in of all things, super hero comics with the old great power and great responsibility bits.

When I look at Amazon, and see that it's $11.99 for the Kindle edition, I shake my head.  Sure, there's no mass market paperback, and the regular trade is like almost thirty dollars before the Amazon sale price, but man, I think that the author is losing a lot of potential sales by his company keeping the price so high up there. And it's not just this book. Most of the ones written by Angus hit this price point. Oh well. It's not like there aren't plenty of others books out there on sale.

I'll be discussing some very specific spoilers below so if you'd know no more of the book, read no further.

One of the things I enjoyed about the book, is the motivation of the main character, Daviot who is always questioning things. Always asking the why not of things. Almost always seeking to do good for those about him. Notice I say almost always because there is a blind spot in his character and that is his love for his lady mage, Rwan . For her, he would sacrifice his duty, leave his country, and be hers alone. This motivation is powerful in him. His appreciation for his friends is also strong. It makes him a little more than just 'the hero'.

She on the other hand, is always about duty. But to her, it's not just duty to her cause, not just duty to her people, but duty to the greater future of the world. Her strength in this conviction leads her to move past his loyalty to family, kin, and country and battle all comers in an effort to bring about a new era of peace. She powerful and strong is her faith in this belief, she is able to convince others of the necessity of it through any means necessary.

The other players are friends of Daviot, and while I do not want to 'lessen' then status, it's of that friendship that I'd make mention. Too often the character motivations are of material possessions or of status. Rare, save for in perhaps the Lord of the Rings, are characters friends. Are characters entities that would sacrifice for one another.

I'm not talking about in game play. Foolish is the PC who would let another one die because he's annoyed at the other character. Such methods lead to retribution, anger, and well, a crappy game in some instances. I remember one game where two players kept making their characters specifically to kill the other one and since the GM enjoyed it, it continued well beyond the "that was funny phase."

But in having players have some loyalty to one another, that in their own personal life that they might suffer, the GM can create an interesting weave of possibilities. I understand that it may be too much to assume that another player should be reduced in role like that, but don't hesitate to use NPCs to fill those roles. Frodo and Samwise both have their part to play in the shaping of Middle Earth and one could not have performed to the point they did without the other.

Solid friendships need good foundations and the GM should strive to put forth those opportunities for the players to engage them.

Lords of the Sky provides an entertaining read while providing some thoughts about the nature of friendship, sacrifice, and motivation.

Fortress In The Eye of Time or How to Host A Party

"...There have been now ten attempts on my life, of which the south gate is witness save the last, where we lost good men in my stead, and yet Lord Heryn swears the district under his control - ah, what else of gossip have I forgot? Armed bandits in the countryside, of which there now are fewer. Perhaps you have had such difficulties, my lords. If so I earnestly pray you advise me." (p. 242 hardcover sci-fi version.)

It's easily possible for a group of players to meet numerous factions and gain from them information. One way to allow the players a wider degree of control in what they may seek out in terms of adventure, is to have a gathering of like minded friends and allies and have them speak of their recent adventurers, issues, and potential problems. This allows the Dungeon Master to throw out several plot lines and see which ones the players are interested in before working fingers to the bone on something that the players may have no interest in.

Players have characters that are generally not the standard citizen of a fantasy realm. They go out and risk live and limb for treasure if not for personal reasons. Have them meet wagon masters who gather together and speak of the trouble on the roads. Have them meet nobles from different corners who gather together to tell old tales and speak of problems yet unsolved. Have them gather together with rival adventuring bands and share tales of woe.

The larger the DM can make the setting ahead of time as the players travel through it, the more options possible when presenting adventurers from those different venues. The trick is to have something that brings all of these elements together and adventurers being far from the normal citizen, can be that. Mayors they've helped in small communities may call for a feast in their honor. Warrior Kings whose aid they're secured may call for a show of might, allowing the players to show off their abilities while gathering new information.

And don't forget, during any such meeting, the chance for adventure is always there. Do all of the assembled like the characters? Do unfriendly forces know of the assembly and have the means to attack it? Are there any poisoners in the crowd? Any assassins?

Don't limit the danger to the dungeon. Provide the characters opportunities to use the world as a springboard for further adventurers and this will give the world more depth and character then only allowing the players meeting time with NPC's during mission hirings.

Midnight's Mask: The Erevis Cale Trilogy Book III

I'll be talking about Midnight's Mask and what a Game Master or player might draw from it. One thing to warn of though is that this is a spoiler filled review. Lots of discussion about various parts of the book.

"His girls were gentle creatures- he had no idea why--but he did know that gentleness was not rewarded on the street. He had learned that lesson often in his youth. But somehow his girls had managed to survive without becoming vicious"..."Friends," he said softly, and pondered (p.86-87).

In almost any game and any setting, there will be those players who insist on playing the loner. They will want to be the Wolverine of the X-Men. They will want to be the Punisher of the Marvel Universe. They will want to be the Assassin in the group of paladins. If the players can work among themselves how this will work in the actual game, that's great. The Game Master should try to foster enjoyment of the game for everyone and if one of the players must be the lone one eyed assassin, ask that player why on earth the other characters would travel with them. In some cases, the answer may indeed be as simple as friendship. In long term campaigns, this can be more problematic as opposed to one shot games where the length of the game may determine that a good reason for adventuring once is no longer valid.

"What he saw froze him. His numb hand fell from Jak's shirt....A virtual mountain of flesh was squirming itself loose from the ruble. Cale had never seen a creature so large. He recalled the size of the shadow dragon they had encountered on the Plane of Shadow. This creature was easily several times that size." (p. 224).

One of the great things about games like Dungeons and Dragons, is that the Game Master can throw some larger than live elements into the mix. As a Game Master, not only may you benefit from having a huge library of books, but having a great imagination. When possible, always try to impress upon the players the fantastic of what they are encountering. Always try to keep the wonder alive. Always try to make the players wonder what it is they're encountering. Good description can go a long way in this avenue.

"The slaadi began to change. As before, when Riven had watched the Sojourner transformed them from green slaadi to gray, now they were transforming before his eyes into something even greater." (P. 252)

When playing in a long term game where the players may be meeting the same foes numerous times, try to insure that the enemies don't fall behind them on the power curve. If the players gain numerous new abilities and powers as a result of their adventurers and those long term enemies remain the same strength, the end meeting will result in the quick destruction of the villains.

There will be some stories and some themes where that's perfectly fine. If the party is continously pushing the envelope and the GM is showcasing the bad guys perfectly at contentment with the status quo, then have them remain the same. If the villains were numerous levels ahead of the players, have them stay the same.

But whne the last fight needs to be one where the heavens shake? Make sure that the players know that these foes they face are not the same as they initially encountered. Make sure to showcase the new abilities.

"She's waiting for you. She and your father. Your grandmother too. Even your younger brother Cob. Do you remember him?"

"Remember him? Of Course!" Jak could hardly believe his ears. He had not seen any of these people for years, not since they all had...

Not since they all had died. (p.275)

To all good things an ending. When characters fall and the player wishes to move on, if appropriate and time allows, give that fallen hero a send off. Explain what the afterlife looks like to that character. How does his deity approach him? What is the sky like? How good does it feel?

It's also a good event to use for downtime. Do the other players bury the character? Is there a funeral for the character where NPC's who know him can come and speak? Do the players enact any rituals? Do they enjoy that fallen character's meal as a salute to him? Do they return the items to the character's family? Do they use the items themselves in that character's name? Do they take a page from Yellowjacket and take on the name of the fallen? Do any of the other characters take on new traits?

"Men always ask why, as if there must be some overarching reason for events. Not this time, priest. There is no such reason. Thousands will die to satisfy my whim." (p. 295)

In three books, the main character has hunted down a wizard of immense power who put into play an event to change the face of the setting. The wizard did this because it reminded him of a childhood memory and he wanted to experience that event again under his own power. In doing so, many died. There was nothing personal to the wizard in regards to the hero. What if the characters in the game aren't even on the radar of the main bad guy as nothing more than an obstacle to a desire that in essence, makes no sense to anyone outside of the villain? It's not the accumulation of further arcane power. It's not the creation of a new empire. It's not the birth of a new monster. It's something the NPC does simply for the sake of doing it that makes sense in the context of the NPC's background. If the Game Master can bring that type of indifference to the main villain and at the same time, make it personal to the players, he will have created a villain that players will talk of for months to come.

There are other bits in the book that could be used as a reminder to a Game Master. For example, that massive beast that Cale sees? They don't fight it. A good example of there always being something bigger than yourself. In that same sequence there is some action on the magical plane that doesn't take effect in this book, but is strongly hinted at having greater repercussions. If the Game Master can sow the seeds of future events, especially off of things that the players are currently doing, it's all the better. The players will see that their actions have a direct impact on the world and at the same time, provide the game with some focus that can take the campaign in directions the Game Master never would have thought of.

Using Inspirational And Educational Reading

In my old weather worn and well used Dungeon Master's Guide for 1st edition of Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, on page 244 is Appendix N: Inspirational and Educational Reading. Numerous fan favorites of the authors are listed there. Appendix N has also been used as a reference point by many bloggers ranging from gaming professionals to those who love to game.

My own Appendix N would vary depending on what I was running and what I was trying to emulate. The materials I enjoy referencing in Mutants and Masterminds are very different than those I would return to or seek out for a dark and gritty game of Warhammer Fantasy Role Playing.

The.. 'purpose' of this blog will be to occassionaly discuss what things I find useful for gaming purposes in the fiction I'm reading or have recently read. Older stuff that I've read, outside of some great quotes like Stormbringer's parting words to Elric, is still in my brain, but my recollections of it and how I'd react to it now are probably much different than what I thought of it at the time of reading.

Be warned though. My first few posts will probably focus on stuff I've been reading for direct inspiration for my Forgotten Realms 4e game (set in the pre-Spellplague/Spellscar/4e era) will probably focus on several Forgotten Realms novels and what I take from them and may/may not directly plunder!

Until then though, good reading!