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I have read a few reviewers who have been less than kind about the D20 edition of Dragon Lords of Melnibone. As far as I can tell, these critics must be Stormbringer game fans who resent their niche going mainstream.
Dragon Lords of Melnibone is an interesting read. It is full of ideas for your game world and could actually be used as a stand-alone setting. You get a fair amount of detail about the world of Michael Moorcock's Elric as well as quite a bit of D20 game content.
Mr. Moorcock is not really a nice fellow. He creates worlds where demons take mens' souls and all of humanity (and unhumanity) lives under a doomsday sentence. These adventures take place during a brief span of years before events set in motion by Elric of Melnibone result in the destruction of the Young Kingdoms and everything else.
It is a world were the main hero has destroyed his own homeland and carries a sword that steals souls. Even the gods go down to death in this setting.
There are some interesting variant rules in this publication, including critical hits and a skill called "sailing." If nothing else, it is a really good read. There is quite a bit of material here about the personalities in Moorcock's doomed setting. There is a lot of pretty good gaming art and enough inspiration to get even a timid DM going. (Although a timid fellow might find the setting a bit harsh..."too strong for the hobbyist gamer.")
Anyone who wants to add to this setting can acquire the other Chaosium Elric and Stormbringer supplements. (The game has gone through five or six forms in its history...some with different names.) The other publications are not necessarily tied to the Stormbringer game system and could easily be adapted to support this D20 product.
This publication is one of the favorites in my collection. I am always coming back to it to enjoy the artwork and get inspiration from the text. Good stuff!
Rating:  [3 of 5 Stars!] |
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