Originally posted here: https://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2022/03/review-castles-crusades-codex-slavorum.html

Coming up on some myths I know the least about and maybe the most excited to read. There is a lot of great stories I have read and watched over the years. What I like, so far, is that these are mostly new stories to me. Well. Not entirely new. I have been using Baba Yaga for years and my first published Ghosts of Albion adventure deals with Chernbog (Czernobog in this book).

So let's instead say I am less familiar with all of these.

Castles & Crusades Codex Slavorum

For this review, I am considering the PDF and hardcover book. The book is 94 pages. Color covers, black & white art. Written once again by Brian Young. He doesn't say it in the books, but it is Brian N. Young, Ph.D. He worked hard and earned his degree and it should be recognized.

Chapter 1: In Bygone Years

Like the previous volumes, this chapter covers both the real-world history and the myths of the area. The area in question surrounds the Black Sea in Eastern Europe.

We get some pre-history, but the people we call the Slavs will get their start in this volume with Byzantine Empire. The time period here is parallel to both the Germanica and Nodica books.

The myths of the area are all new to me and while Young (the author) does a good job in his summary, it leaves me wanting to seek out more. I suppose that is the point right?

Chapter 2: The Whole World & That Which is Beyond

This goes into detail about the lands of the Slavs and these myths. I have now gone through five of these Codecies and I am thinking that a Castles & Crusades game in Mythic Earth is a great idea. There is a nice map of the Slavic Kingdoms.

The second half of this covers the mythic lands of the Slavs; the three worlds. Like the Norse, these are placed on the World Tree, the Drugi Svet. Young even mentions that combination is possible but does not (correctly) tell you how since it would depend on YOUR world. The three worlds are Parv (or Iriy or Vyrjy), the realms of light, the lands of summer, and the home of the Gods. Lav (or Yav) is the middle realm of men, and Nav the Underworld. Here Czernobog becomes the Devil-like figure. Indeed it might be hard to tease out what is Czernobog and what is "Lucifer" in modern depictions of "the Devil." Svarog is our creator deity of light.

In a case of supporting my "One Man's God" series, there is Peklo, the Abyss, which is the home of various demons. Demons it seems very much in the AD&D mindset.

There are more lands and frankly, the more I read the more I want to use all of this in a game.

Chapter 3: Did Dwell Many Peoples

Our monster chapter. Monsters are "false creations" (my words, not so much Young's) of Czernobog. And there are some GREAT monsters here. Nearly 50 monsters here. Some are familiar to any D&D players, but many are new to *D&D games or at least in this form.

There are a couple new "races" that characters can be. The Zmajevit, or the "Dragon born" are humans with dragon blood in them. The Zduhac, or the Elemenatal ones, are elemental influenced humans.

There is also a new class here, the Vampirdzhija or the Vampire Hunter. This is a Wisdom-based class. Essentially the Vampire Slayer of the Slavic cultures.

Chapter 4: Filled with Great Magic

Another favorite section this one covers magic and new magic-using classes. The Kolduny is a new type of wizard that is Wisdom-based. The Molfar is the Slavic shaman, also Wisdom-based.

There are a few names mentioned for other types of spell casters. These are just names for other types, but do not have their own class per se.

Chapter 5: Of Mighty Gods and Spirits

This chapter takes the myths and reshapes them into something that can be used with Castles & Crusades but of course any other game. And there are a lot of gods here! Some are familiar to me, but most are brand new.

There is some text on the pagan religions of the Slavs and their practices.

Chapter 6: Battle Strong and Heroic

This is typically the "fighters" chapter. This one covers the weapons used by the Slavs and mentions of the heroes and groups of heroes of their tales.

Chapter 7: Castle Keeper Info

This is the GM's or Castle Keeper's information on running a game using these rules. Like the others in this series, this includes names and the various laws of the lands.

More so than the other books this one left me wanting more. This is a good thing and not a fault of the book. It is due to my own unfamiliarity with these myths and stories. It would work well with the Germanic and Nordic books for greater world-building. Now I want books like this for all the big myths of the world.

Codex Europa Maybe one for Spain and Al-Andalus should be next? What do you think Dr. Young?

Originally posted here: https://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2022/03/review-castles-crusades-codex-germania.html

Today I am going further south and a little more back in time. Related to the Nordic myths and tales are the older Germanic ones. Given the connections between the two, I am going to have to point out the differences and commonalities.

Castles & Crusades Codex Germania

For this book, I am reviewing the PDF and hardcover edition of this book. This book has 110 pages, so slightly smaller than the other codices. Like a lot of Castles & Crusades books, the art here is from Peter Bradley. Once again Brian Young is our author and designer. Young also spends some time comparing the Germanic and Nordic myths and tales.

These myths come from central Europe and begin as early as the 1st century BCE right on up to the time of the Vikings.

Chapter 1: In Ancient Tales

Like the previous books, this chapter covers the history of the Germanic peoples as well as a brief bit on their legends and stories. Like the Nordic (or to the point the Nordic myths are like these) we get an origin story about Giants and three Gods. Young takes pains to differentiate these myths from the Norse and talks about the shortcomings of the source material. Here we see the first comparisons between Woden and Odin.

Chapter 2: Of Germania & Beyond

This chapter covers the Germanic lands. Now to assume there is only one Germany is a huge mistake and one that Young deftly avoids. There are lots of lands here and lots of peoples dating back to the height of the Roman Empire to it's fall. It is helpful to consult the map or hit up various maps online.

Chapter 3: Magical Beings & Monsters Dwelled

Once again we have a chapter on monsters and it is a real collection of gems. Here are 40+ monsters. All are a little bit familiar to any D&D players, but these harken back to their "original" forms so great for players that have "seen everything."

The monsters are of course enough on their own, but there is a nice section here on the complexities of the Germanic dragons. Essentially if you ever have read about the dragon Fafnir, then you have an idea of what this is about. Honestly, this is something that all dragons should have or at least the really interesting ones. Speaking of the interesting dragons, there are also tables to determine what a unique dragon's name would be.

Chapter 4: In Wizardry & Enchantments

Here we get some new magic-using classes. There is the Halirúna, or the Dark Witch (Intelligence-based) which I absolutely love, the Erilaz, or the Rune Master (Wisdom-based) which also has runic magic (like the Nordic book), and the Gudja. or People of the Gods, the clerics for this setting.

Magic is not a "supernatural" force here, but rather a natural one; THE natural one to be honest. This chapter uses magic as a means of connecting the people to the gods. Which are coming up next.

Chapter 5: To Serve the Gods

This chapter covers the gods and discusses the overlap between these cultures and the Nordic. Young points out that due to the Roman Empire the gods and myths of the Germanic pagans are a bit better documented than that of the neighboring Celts. Among these gods it is likely that Woden (Odin) and Þūnor (Thor). Again there are no stats for gods here (as it should be).

The chapter also details Germanic pagan beliefs and practices.

Chapter 6: Skilled in Battlecraft

Warriors are still one of the highest castes in the life of the Germanic peoples. This chapter gives us information on arms and armor used. How retainers were used and honored, and other topics on warcraft, including special unique weapons.

The new class, the Drachentöten (lit. "Dragon Killer") is a Dexterity-based class.

Chapter 7: Castle Keeper Info

Like the other codices, this covers running a Castles & Crusades game with this worldview. The importance of the king and lawgivers are established and explained.

The common folk are not forgotten and details like the importance of names (and many tables of names) are detailed.

Chapter 8: Sample Adventure Module

The sample adventure, "The Monster of the Fens," is given. It reminds me, naturally enough, of Beowulf. The adventure takes place in East Anglia so Young states that it can be integrated with the Codex Celtarum. The adventure is for 2 to 4 characters of 3rd to 4th level.

It is a fun little adventure and reminds GM/Castle Keepers that even a "simple" monster like a Troll would be a menace to the folks of pagan Germanic lands. Indeed, much like Beowulf shows.

The temptation is great to compare this to the Codex Nordica and also to find it lacking. This temptation must be avoided! The Codex Germanica is its own thing. While the myths and stories will feel familiar to the more popular Norse myths, they are their own, situated within their own time and place. These myths feel older and darker in many respects. In many ways, I like these myths and tales a little more than those of the Norse.

Again, this book is light on actual rules details, save for the classes, so it is an excellent resource for any RPG. Converting it over to AD&D, D&D 5, or your favorite OSR-Clone would be trivial at worst. Of course it is designed for Castles & Crusades which is fantastic in it's own right.

Originally posted here: https://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2022/03/review-castles-crusades-codex-nordica.html

The Castles & Crusades Codecies series are great books to add some flavor and history to your game. While overtly for the Castles & Crusades game they can be used by nearly any game. The Codex Nordica is another I was looking forward to getting and it did not disappoint. Norse myths are among my favorites, right behind the Greek and Celtic myths.

Castles & Crusades Codex Nordica

For this book, I am reviewing the PDF and hardcover edition of this book.

The book is 146 pages with color covers and black & white interiors. The art is up to the high standards you should expect from Troll Lords with plenty of evocative art from Peter Bradley. Like the other books in this series, this one was written by Brian Young, who has the educational background to tackle these books.

Norse myths are some of my favorites and rarely have they been more in vogue. Young makes it clear that this book is a game guide to myths, legends, and history of the Swedish, Danes, Norse, and the other peoples of Scandinavia and not a full recounting of history, myths, and/or legends.

Chapter 1: History & Cosmology

This chapter gives us both the real-world historical background of the lands and the people of the area. This also covers the basic myths. It will not replace a history text or a book on Norse Mythology, but it is a great overview for a gamebook. This book is likely better researched than most game accessories you will find.

Chapter 2: The Nine Worlds

This takes the material from the previous chapter and some more to build on a game world of the Nine Worlds of Norse myths and how they could work in Castles & Crusades. Each world is covered, in as much detail as can be provided, which also includes what random creatures can be found. My favorite bits are the two maps that include the Viking colonies and migrations across Europe.

Chapter 3: Magical Beings & Monsters

I would be tempted to say that this chapter is worth the price of the book alone, but while this is true there is a lot of great stuff in this book. But seriously this chapter is a lot of fun. There are nearly 40 creatures of varying degrees of familiarity to D&D/C&C players. Some are new enough to be quite fun. Since the format is for Castles & Crusades they can be easily converted to AD&D, D&D5, or any OSR game of your choice.

Chapter 4: Wizardry & Enchantments

This chapter is the most "Norse" of all of the ones in the book if I may be so forward. It covers magic in its Nordic version or Seiðr. Since war is the realm of men, magic belongs to women. There are two new character classes, the Seiðkona, an Intelligence-based sorceress or more accurately, a "Magic-user" and the Völva or Vǫlva, a Charisma-based prophetess who is quite similar to the notions of a "Witch."

The Seiðkona uses Intelligence as her primary ability and casts the same spells and magic as the Wizard does. If she had used Charisma, I would naturally compare her to the Sorcerer of D&D3/5. Though given her role, Intelligence (or maybe even Wisdom) is the proper choice here. This is a class that is very much part of the mythology of the world she is in. She has access to the Wizard's spell list in C&C.

There is also the Völva, which is the clerical counterpart to the Seiðkona. This class also serves the role of a priestess and uses a distaff. Her gift is divination and prophecy. So by means of a rough comparison, she is more similar to the Oracle class in Pathfinder. She uses the Cleric's spell list until 5th level and then can split between Divine and Arcane magic.

Also, this chapter covers the runic magic system from this world. The runes are used along with the traditional magic powers (aka Spells).

Chapter 5: The Gods and Giants

This chapter covers the gods of the Nordic lands as well their primary adversaries the Giants. Here are names that will be familiar to nearly everyone who has ever played D&D or even watched a "Thor" movie or A&E's/AAmazon's "Vikings." There are similarities with the names found in the Deities & Demigods, but enough differences that readers should be sure to attend to the details.

Here the tale is more on the side of myth and legend rather than history. We learn of the Æsir and the Vanir; the gods and goddesses of the Nordic people. Also covered here in more detail than other gamebooks are the Giants and "other evil beings" spelling out the role Giants have in this mythology. They are more akin to the Titans of Greek or even the demons of other myths. You will not find stat blocks here though. Gods are not "epic-level monsters" to be fought; least of all by the likes of player characters.

Chapter 6: Warriors & Battlecraft

Magic and gods are great, but the world is made of warriors. This chapter covers the various warrior types and additions to the basic fighter of Castles & Crusades. The "upgraded" fighter includes basic warriors, elite warriors, and shield maidens. New classes include the Berserker, who is a Charisma-based fighter, and the Giant Killers (more traditionally Strength-based).

There are some details on fighting styles and weapons unique to this area as well.

Chapter 7: Castle Keeper Info

This chapter details running a Castles & Crusades game in the Nordic lands during the time of these myths and stories; aka the Viking Age. Here you can learn about society, laws, and the people that make it work. Of course, sea voyages are covered and various types of boats were used.

There is a section on poets and Kennings. It makes me wish they had included more for Bards here other than a brief mention that Skalds are Bards. But I guess this works. Names and their importance is covered with examples.

Most importantly there is a section on the Eddas (Prose and Poetic) and how they can be adapted to a game.

Chapter 8: The Precious Works

"The dwarves of lore made mighty spells" Tolkien told us in The Hobbit, but the dwarves he was thinking about likely were the Sons of ĺvaldi rather than the Children of Durin. Here we learn of the great magical artifacts of the Nordic myths including Gundnir, Skidbladnir, Draupnir, and Mjölnir.

Save for monsters and classes, the vast majority of this book is fairly neutral in terms of game rules. What does that mean? It means that you could easily use this book with AD&D, D&D 3 or 5, or an OSR game of choice. Of course, it works the best with Castles & Crusades, but the book is such a good resource I would hate to see it missed by people that do not play C&C.

Brian Young has a unique combination of Ph.D. level research and game design and writing credit to bring a series like this to life and make you want to play exclusively in the world he describes. Many have tried over the years, but I feel he has achieved the rare success of balancing the needs of mythological research and game design.

I highly recommend this book for anyone that wants to add a little bit of Norse myth to their games. And really who wouldn't?

Troll Lord Games knocked it out of the park on this 8th printing of the Players Handbook!

Game-wise, there is nothing new here; however, they have made the decision to move the higher level (12+) class information out of the Castlekeepers Guide and into the Players Handbook. This is a good move, even though I will never use this material, it is the right place for it to reside. I believe there is also a slight tweak to the way grappling works, some minor edits to spells (e.g., the 0-level cantrip First Aid now heals 1 hit point, etc.), but the content is basically the same as it has been for several years.

There is also new art, most noticeably a tribute cover which should be immediately recognizable to fans of the world's oldest roleplaying game. Inside, you will also find nice new art pieces for each class.

For my money, where this book really stands out from previous printings is in its layout and organization. A couple of key improvements: the book contains color tabs denoting chapters, tabular class information is now included in the beginning of the class write-ups (and not confusingly bookended at the back), and there is a solid index.

All this said, this is a great product for longtime C&C fans and those looking to check out a fantastic old school-inspired game.

These are cards are amazing. thirty some odd unique backpacks that are great for players to use as a gear refference, or for a Dungeon/Game Master to use as loot off a corpse they hadn't planned on dying (Murder Hobos, am-i-right?).

I don't even know where to begin with everything good and great about these cards, so lets start with the foreknowledge that these aren't meant for any specific game mechanism so if your playing Pathfinder or D&D, you will have to houserule how some of these work, but thankfully its all pretty self explanitory.

Each bag has this quick release mechanism. so each of these bags have a Quick release clasp on them that lets you drop the bag over the course of 1 second on a Dexterity check of DC10, otherwise it takes three seconds. to me this means if you make the check its a free action, otherwise it's your character's interaction. and i find that mechanic to be something people don't really think about, cause normally, in reality that is, you'd have to stow your pack somewhere and reclaim it later otherwise the weight and bulk would throw off your fighting giving your enemy an advantage. its not something everyone would even use but its nice to see it thought about in this.

On that note, i like that each bag has a listed weight and cost. I play with encumbrance and its always good to see someone putting thought into the weight, capacity, and cost of things like bags and kits.

A lot of these have tons of small items that are great for their situations, as you'd expect, things like files and strings for mending, or oil and lanterns for exploration. you can use alot of these items in interesting way, bringing a lot of small mechanisms and fuel for ideas.

Each of these cards are also assosiated with a standard deck of cards' suit and rank in case all your players cancel and you need to play some solitare, or ya know, any kind of system that might require drawing a standard card.

All in all i really like these and hope they do a sequel, maybe like various tool kits; thieves' tools, cartography packs, brewer's kits, tanner's gear, and the like.

I feel conflicted in writing this, but it has to be said. On the one hand C&C is a great game. It's well thought out and take the essesne of 1st ed D&D and makes it something next step. BUT there comes a time when a facelift is needed for all rpgs. Troll Lord has tried to do this - as cheaply as possible- and it shows. They have "colorized" the book but it's done in such a garish manner that makes it all but impossible to read in some places and in others the choice of color palaette is horrible. Also, and C&C is not the only one guilty of this (looking at you Swords and Wizardry) but the text needs a new face lift also.

This is a great trip down memory lane: wolfoids, hawkoids, cougaroids...and some new stuff. It contains pretty much all the old Metamorphosis Alpha rules that I recall and the "dungeon" has a very old-school feel. It is perfect for nostalgia buffs. Honestly though...I'm glad I only paid $20 for it. It really takes me back to playing MA in the 70's - when we spent hours wandering the Warden slaying monsters, acquiring mutations, and powering up our plasma rifles. A lot of work went into populating this dungeon with hordes of monsters, I applaud that. And if that is what you are looking for the Starship Warden has it in spades. Don't seek here for anything deeper.

This is a brilliant product. I love the idea of pre-equipped packages. I think it is awesome!

I love old school RPG's and so I really enjoy this campaign and the level of detail contained herein. Plus it is fairly easy to convert C&C adventures to 1e/2e rules.

These maps are phenomenal! Provides so much clarity to maps in the campaign. Love it!

These maps are great! My only complaint is having raw files that can be uploaded to a VTT would be better. The fact that these maps lready have labels and graph lines makes it present less well on a VTT.

The book layout is fantastic! The art is wonderful! The creation of classes like the knight is utter perfection! I wanted to love this game so bad! But I can't. The d20 game system that C&C is based on is utterly flawed. The Siege Engine is built upon the "stat check" or "attribute check" mechanic of the D20 system - which is broken. In Gygax's 1e/2e system, if you wanted to flip a table over, lets say. You might have to roll a STR check. If your STR is 12, then you have to roll a 12 or less on a D20. If your STR is 9 you need to roll a 9 or less on a D20. So you can see it clearly is more difficult for a weaker character (STR 9) to flip over the table vs a comparatively stronger character (STR 12). In C&C they both have an equal chance. There is no recognition in any "stat check" that there is a difference between an Attribute having a 9, 10, 11, or 12 score. They are all equal in this game. This is the Siege Engine which is the foundation that runs the entire game. We tried removing this from the game and going back to the Gygaxian method of stat checks but it ends up muddying the entire system. If you LOVE 3rd edition. This game is better. If you LOVE 4th edition. This game is better. If you LOVE 1e/2e. This game system will make you lose your mind in utter frustration.

The book layout is fantastic! The art is wonderful! The creation of classes like the knight is utter perfection! I wanted to love this game so bad! But I can't. The d20 game system that C&C is based on is utterly flawed. The Siege Engine is built upon the "stat check" or "attribute check" mechanic of the D20 system - which is broken. In Gygax's 1e/2e system, if you wanted to flip a table over, lets say. You might have to roll a STR check. If your STR is 12, then you have to roll a 12 or less on a D20. If your STR is 9 you need to roll a 9 or less on a D20. So you can see it clearly is more difficult for a weaker character (STR 9) to flip over the table vs a comparatively stronger character (STR 12). In C&C they both have an equal chance. There is no recognition in any "stat check" that there is a difference between an Attribute having a 9, 10, 11, or 12 score. They are all equal in this game. This is the Siege Engine which is the foundation that runs the entire game. We tried removing this from the game and going back to the Gygaxian method of stat checks but it ends up muddying the entire system. If you LOVE 3rd edition. This game is better. If you LOVE 4th edition. This game is better. If you LOVE 1e/2e. This game system will make you lose your mind in utter frustration.

Nicely done. Well researched and seems quite accuarate. Nice to see it notes what equipment did not exist in reality as well. Provides good "flavor" for those who want something above just +1 longsword for thier characters.

This is a wonderful list and description of a variety of weapons throughout history and the world. It can be useful inspiration for any games.