Book Review- Drachenfels

 

                                                             Black Library

A reprint of Drachenfels is a part of the opening for Games Workshop’s recently announced Warhammer Horror line. Originally published in 1989, the book was one of the earliest pieces of Warhammer fiction, predating even Black Library. Written by esteemed horror novelist Kim Newman under the penname Jack Yeovil, the book told the tale of the titular “Great Enchanter” and the adventurers who slew him. 25 years after their apparent victory, the traumatized survivors of that quest gather for a play recounting their triumph. Unfortunately, Drachenfels' dark powers are so great that they extend from beyond the grave...

While it has some issues, Drachenfels is in most respects the gold standard of Warhammer fiction. It has a fleshed out cast and a compelling villain. That's coupled with a complete narrative arc, which includes a satisfying and uncharacteristically upbeat ending. The novel fully explores Warhammer Fantasy’s setting, while providing enough context to stand on its own. All in all, it's a competently crafted story. Drachenfels has a lot more intelligence than you'd expect from licensed fiction, even if can be a little too obvious at times.

Many recommend Drachenfels as an introduction to Warhammer Fantasy’s setting and with good reason. The book fully realized the grimy world of political intrigue, strange magic, and brutal carnage previously established in magazines, army books, and RPG supplements. Drachenfels examines crucial concepts like the gods, Imperial politics, Sigmar, mutation, and even the alien Slann’s hand in shaping the Warhammer World. But most impressively, it puts all of it in a grounded context that still does those concepts justice. Part of what distinguished Warhammer Fantasy’s setting from so many other tabletop games was how the world felt like one people actually lived in.

Setting Guide- Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

 
Most long running franchises have a number of different eras for Game Masters to set their campaigns in. With the advent of youtube and various wikis, it's easy to get the raw details. But it's harder to get a sense of what makes a given fictional time period so special. In this first Setting Guide, I explain what thematic elements make the media based on the classic video game Knights of the Old Republic so special.

Yesterday’s Heroes- and Villains

Falls from grace and unlikely redemption dominate the KOTOR era. Revan and Malak went from being the Republic’s saviors to razing it. That's just the most influential example. The inverse is equally prominent. Nearly every central character works to overcome some past failing, be it moral or otherwise. What makes this element so unique to KOTOR is that the heroes have often committed unimaginable horrors. The struggle comes not just from their quest for forgiveness but determining if they can ever come back from what they did. The conflict between what you were and what you’ve become drives the character arcs of the KOTOR era, if not the entire setting.

Dark Revelations

In the Mandalorian Wars and its subsequent conflicts countless secrets and lies were exposed. The truths range from being personal to galactic in scale. The most obvious example of the former is the famous twist involving the first game’s player character. The first KOTOR game also revealed that the galaxy was shaped by the monstrous Rakatans, from crucial technology like hyperspace drives to the very foundations of worlds like Kashyyyk. Regardless of what form they might take, these truths have massive ramifications. All of KOTOR media was defined by their shocking twists and turns, even more so than the rest of Star Wars. Wherever you might take your KOTOR-era games, make sure the player characters learn something they really didn’t want to.

An Endless Cycle

It’s hard to think of a piece of Star Wars media that doesn’t feature dark lords, dashing rogues, faceless soldiers, and dastardly superweapons. Star Wars has a certain set of tropes it always falls back on. This is especially evident in KOTOR media, though this reliance is used to anchor the more unique elements. With the this era of Star wars, relying on these tropes is vital to establishing the events of your campaign as being a part of the Star Wars universe. KOTOR and its offshoots are so far removed from the entities and characters traditionally associated with the franchise that Game Masters shouldn’t be afraid to lean heavily into Star Wars’ established archetypes. That will give you more of an opportunity to fully exploit the more unique aspects of the KOTOR era.