Pyramid Review
Turjan's Tome of Beauty and Horror (for The Dying Earth RPG)
Published by Pelgrane Press Ltd.
Written by Robin D. Laws with Ian Thomson
Cover by Ralph Horsley
Illustrated by Ralph Horsley, Charles Reid, Elliot Jeffries, & David Esbrí Molinas
144-page b&w softcover; $29.95
While Jack Vance's Tales of Dying Earth have had undoubted influence upon roleplaying, The Dying Earth RPG itself has mostly concentrated upon Cugel-level adventures. These are tales of swords & chicanery in which scoundrels, mountebanks, charlatans, and ne'er-do-wells attempt to charm and con their way to a better way of life. Invariably the success of such plans and pettifoggery is transitory. Events go awry, the conned see through the obfuscatory words, and the wastrel suffers his comeuppance. Such adventures are not the subject of the latest book, for they have their own sourcebook, Cugel's Compendium of Indispensable Advantages.
No, this book is Turjan's Tome of Beauty and Horror, a worthy volume for the high minded and studious, who above all have found a purpose in life, even as the Sun wanes. That purpose in the final years is the study of the arcane. Turjan-level characters seek knowledge of the last 100 spells (though there may be more), track down wonderful artifacts and devices created in aeons past, learn ancient technologies, and master the creation of vat-grown creatures. In this they are driven, determined, no less flawed, but most definitely far more capable than the amateurish efforts . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: January 7, 2005
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