Pyramid Review
Legends of Excalibur (for the d20 System)
Published by RPG Objects
Written by Charles Rice with Paul King & Chris Davis
Cover by Jeremy Simmons
Illustrated by Eleanor Brickdale, William Russell Flint, Louis, Arthur Rackham, & George Wooliscroft Rhead
160-page hardcover; $29.95
If you have a yearning for roleplaying in the Arthurian Age, then no doubt you will have rejoiced in the news that White Wolf republished the King Arthur Pendragon RPG. And while it can be successfully argued that it is the definitive game of the genre, what are the options for the d20 System? One might be Legends of Excalibur, published by RPG Objects. This has the feel not dissimilar to Green Ronin's Medieval Player's Manual and Atlas Games' Love & War, in the main part it draws several particular sources for its inspiration. The first is that of Le Morte D'Arthur by Sir Thomas Mallory, which gives Legends of Excalibur its high romance and medievalism. The second is Alfred, Lord Tennyson's Idylls of the King, which infects this gaming interpretation with a stark brutality. Both of these sources, (which the author quotes from), and others, have been referenced in their Project Gutenberg editions. Other sources of also referenced, but perhaps the most notable of these is the film Excalibur, which imparts a sense of epic grandeur and sweep to the game.
Another source of the game's Victorianism comes in its appearance. While the book is clean, tidy, and utilitarian in its look, it benefits from . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: November 9, 2007
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