King Arthur Pendragon: A Comprehensive Guide
Kevin H.
United States
Crescent City
California
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The goal of this geeklist is to serve as a list of all material published for the King Arthur Pendragon RPG, with commentary and links to help interested gamers make a decision about the game, and where to start. Thanks to fuzzydice82 for suggesting this series of geeklists.
For geeklists exploring other systems, please check out the RPG System Metageeklist.
It only includes English-language versions; if a similar list is made covering any or all non-English versions, let me know and I am happy to link to it.
The organization of the list is as follows:
I. Overview of the RPG
II. Core rulebooks
III. Supplemental rulebooks
IV. Scenarios
V. Additional material and miscellanea
All of the above categories will be sorted in reverse chronological order (newest first). Click on one of the category names to be taken to the first item in that category.
For the executive summary of where to start with the game, please click here.
Many books do not easily fall into one of the above categories; in particular the region books for 4th edition. When in doubt I have used page count ratios and/or my sense of the book's presentation via its ad copy.
If you have general comments to make about the entire RPG, including edition wars, please make them under the first item. Comments about the individual publications should go under the particular item; finally, metacomments/feedback/suggestions about the list itself should be made as a comment on the entire list.
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Kevin H.
United States
Crescent City
California
-
I. Overview of the RPG
King Arthur Pendragon is the premier Arthurian RPG in the hobby. It was first published in 1985 and remains in print today. It has a long and rich publication history and has been widely lauded as one of the best fusions of system and setting in the history of roleplaying.
It is primarily based on the vision of the Arthur cycle present by Sir Thomas Malory in Le Morte D'Arthur. Thus it is not historical, nor is it fantasy; rather, it is romance, in the literary sense of the word. If you have little or no idea of what exactly the Arthur cycle is about, start with Wikipedia for a brief overview. It is, however, a literary tradition, so if you'd like to go past sterile encyclopedism, T.H. White's The Once And Future King is generally considered the best single-volume source for the modern reader. I would like to plug the earlier two-volume edition of Howard Pyle's as well -- the second volume is available free on Gutenburg; the first is curiously missing.
Pendragon uses a variant of the Basic Roleplaying System developed by Chaosium in the late 1970s. It was one of the first skill-based (as opposed to class-and-level based) systems. While vanilla BRP uses a percentile system, Pendragon simplified everything by converting to a single d20. There are additional differences to further reinforce the setting, such as slightly more complex combat rules, and most notably a system to quantify passions and personality traits in playable and meaningful terms.
Also noteworthy is that Pendragon is a dynastic RPG: unlike the frantic pace of many games (where little, if any, time passes between adventures), in Pendragon there is typically one adventure per game year. The rest of the time, either the weather makes the roads impassable, or your character has feudal or familial duties that keep him from spending his time as he sees fit. This, combined with the deadliness of combat and the unavoidable decline of eventual old age, ensures that all characters will die after 30-50 game sessions. However, in the sorry event of your character's death, you may start playing your original character's son and heir -- assuming he has one! This provides impetus to gain enough glory to secure a good marriage and start producing offspring -- thus underscoring the importance of family in a feudal society.
In 2005, King Arthur Pendragon was inducted into the GAMA Hall of Fame:
GAMA wrote: Pendragon has seen publication in the past twenty-three years from Chaosium, Green Knight, and now White Wolf. The RPG draws upon the literary and historical material of the Matter of Britain to create a role-playing experience very much unlike that afforded by any other RPG. Play is anchored by chivalric concepts of nobility, compassion, and piety, as embodied in the Rules of the Round Table. This makes the game a favorite among school and even church groups open to RPG play. Over the years, products produced under the Pendragon banner have deservedly earned a reputation for stellar historical research and high literary quality, garnering praise from literary critics, gamers, and academics.
Reviews
Not-Quite-Historical RP, but still at its finest: the Pendragon RPG
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Kevin H.
United States
Crescent City
California
-
II. Core Rulebooks
2010, Nocturnal.
As of this writing, this is the newest edition of the core rules. The differences between editions in Pendragon are very slight; the general consensus on this book is that if you already have edition 5.0, then there is little reason to pick this up; however if you have an older edition (or are looking for a place to start) then you should probably get this.
Reviews
None yet.
Where to Buy
PDF ($20), softcover ($40), hardcover ($50).
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Kevin H.
United States
Crescent City
California
-
2005, Arthaus.
This is the previous edition and the return of the game's creator to having creative control over it. It is noteworthy for the removal of many of the expanded character creation options that were folded into the core rules for 4th edition (e.g. non-English, non-knightly characters), in favor of focusing the basic game only on Arthurian knights. Supplements made the options available again.
As a core rule set, this is clean, clear, and well laid out.
Reviews
My Lords and Ladies, Make Way For The King Of Role-Playing Games
Where to Buy
PDF ($18), softcover ($30).
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Kevin H.
United States
Crescent City
California
-
1993, Chaosium.
Noteworthy for integrating many character creation options into the core book which were previously available only through optional supplements, or not at all. This is the only edition to have quantified rules for Arthurian magic. The designer later regretted this on the grounds that magic should be a mysterious vaguely-defined force only available to NPCs; he removed them from future editions.
Reviews
None yet.
Where to Buy
PDF ($15).
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Kevin H.
United States
Crescent City
California
-
1990, Chaosium.
Not really a new edition in terms of rules, but in presentation. This abandoned the boxed set of the 1st edition and collected everything in a single softbound book. The major rule change is the elimination of skills for understanding other languages, which is a major plus -- linguistic difficulties are not part of the literature, and their inclusion was a holdover of notions of "realism" rather than anything designed to be playable. This was a watershed moment for the game; recognizing that fidelity to the sources can and should trump any other consideration.
This won the Origins Award for Best Roleplaying Rules of 1990.
Reviews
None yet.
Where to Buy
Secondhand market only.
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Kevin H.
United States
Crescent City
California
-
1985, Chaosium.
Note: there was no second edition of Pendragon. It was scheduled and announced, but was never actually published for a variety of reasons. The project was scrapped and restarted as the third edition.
This is the original version of Pendragon that started it all off! It came in a boxed set, complete with dice and character sheets. The rules are similar to the modern iterations and the game is still quite playable. It does fetch a high price on the collector's market and, due to the ready availability of the newer editions, is really only for the collector at this point.
Reviews
None yet.
Where to Buy
PDF ($10).
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Kevin H.
United States
Crescent City
California
-
III. Supplemental Rulebooks
2009, Greg Stafford Publications.
(For 5th edition.)
A collection of armies of all sizes, periods, and cultures in the Arthurian world. Made to work with the Book of Battle (below) and not usable without it. Useful if running a highly martial campaign that involves player knights being involved in many large-scale battles, and you want armies pre-made instead of having to come up with them yourself.
Reviews
None yet.
Where to Buy
PDF ($20), softcover ($25).
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Kevin H.
United States
Crescent City
California
-
2009, Greg Stafford Publications.
(For 5th edition.)
Presents a mass combat system for use in Pendragon. Useful if your campaign involves many large battles that player knights take place in. Provides a way to determine outcomes of the battle, ways for player knights to participate and influence the outcome, and consequences for being involved in large groups of people trying to impale each other.
Reviews
None yet.
Where to Buy
PDF ($20), softcover ($25).
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Kevin H.
United States
Crescent City
California
-
2008, Greg Stafford Pendragon.
(For 5th edition.)
A revision of the original Book of the Manor, published two years prior. I don't know what the differences are from the 1st edition.
As the players are almost invariably vassal knights, they have land. This land and its inhabitants are, in many ways, an extension of the character himself. Thus the management (or mismanagement) of the land can have profound effects on the knight's financial situation, and (more importantly) his glory and reputation, and (most importantly) the health and well-being of his family and heirs. This book provides a detailed way to simulate this important part of a knight's life, as well as providing challenges and rewards outside of the normal cycle of adventure and military endeavors.
This can involve a lot of bookkeeping, so many players might not be that into it. Personally, I like it.
Reviews
None yet.
Where to Buy
PDF ($20), softcover ($25).
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Kevin H.
United States
Crescent City
California
-
2007, Greg Stafford Pendragon.
(For 5th edition.)
Adds many, many character creation options to 5th edition. To the core book's single available cultural background (Cymric) and three available religions (British Christianity, Roman Christianity, and Cymric Paganism), this supplement adds about a dozen of each.
The extra options are nice, but use sparingly if at all: many players will jump at the chance to be superficially different, and if you are not careful you may end up with a table full of Arthurian knights, none of whom are British or Christian.
Reviews
Critical Supplement for playing non-Salisbury Knights (and Ladies!)
Where to Buy
PDF ($20), softcover ($30).
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Kevin H.
United States
Crescent City
California
-
2007, Arthaus.
(For 5th edition.)
The 1st edition of the landholding system for KAP 5th ed. As mentioned in the item for the 2nd edition, I do not know what the differences are between 1st and 2nd.
Reviews
An Economic Side-Game for your Pendragon campaign
Where to Buy
Secondhand market only.
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Kevin H.
United States
Crescent City
California
-
2000, Green Knight Publishing.
(For 4th edition.)
A sort of "players' handbook" for Pendragon, containing a simplified character creation system for 4th edition; this pares down the surfeit of options available in the core 4th book to a more manageable and traditional selection. It also includes a basic overview of the rules as relevant to players.
Reviews
None yet.
Where to Buy
PDF ($4).
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Kevin H.
United States
Crescent City
California
-
1999, Green Knight Publishing.
(For 4th edition.)
A supplement detailing the history and culture of Arthur's iconic enemies. Has rules for creating Saxon characters, running a Saxon campaign that predates Arthur and Uther, three short adventures, and a climatic battle at Badon that breaks the Saxons and allows for the rise of the Cymri.
Reviews
None yet.
Where to Buy
PDF ($12).
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Kevin H.
United States
Crescent City
California
-
1997, Chaosium.
(For 4th edition.)
This is the equivalent of 5th edition's Book of the Manor or 1st edition's Noble's Book: a way to quantify the economic aspect of a knight's rights and duties. Stafford felt that this particular iteration was too lenient and lucrative for the players, so the later versions tightened things up. This also includes a scenario using the rules and concepts presented herein.
Reviews
None yet.
Where to Buy
PDF ($10).
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Kevin H.
United States
Crescent City
California
-
1996, Chaosium.
(For 4th edition.)
The geography, culture, myths, and people of Scandinavia through the lens of Pendragon. Includes two scenarios.
Reviews
None yet.
Where to Buy
PDF ($10).
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Kevin H.
United States
Crescent City
California
-
1995, Chaosium.
(For 4th edition.)
The wall in question being Hadrian's Wall, which separated Britain from Caledonia (Scotland). On the other side of the wall are Picts and other assorted crazy savages. Has a lot of detail about Pictish ways and peoples, with the requisite background for running a game about Picts if that's your thing. Not sure I get the appeal, but there you have it. Has six short adventures and one long one.
Reviews
None yet.
Where to Buy
PDF ($10).
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Kevin H.
United States
Crescent City
California
-
1994, Chaosium.
(For 4th edition.)
The region and culture book for Ireland. Has a lot of detail; a truly excellent supplement that could easily sustain an entire Irish campaign. Erin go bragh!
Reviews
None yet.
Where to Buy
Secondhand market only.
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Kevin H.
United States
Crescent City
California
-
1990, Chaosium.
(For 3rd edition.)
The first appearance of the expanded character generation system that would introduce many options for creating knights of diverse cultural and religious backgrounds. This would be folded into the 4th edition core book, and separated out again for 5th as The Book of Knights and Ladies. Also includes various supplemental rules, clarifications, and points of interest for the game.
Reviews
None yet.
Where to Buy
PDF ($9).
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Kevin H.
United States
Crescent City
California
-
1986, Chaosium.
(For 1st edition.)
Expands the scope of knighthood beyond the mere adventuring or questing knight, and adds the first inklings of what would later become Lordly Domains, then Book of the Manor. Differs from its descendants in its greater focus on higher ranks of nobility (Barons, Earls, Dukes) with a minor economic element that would come to the fore in later years.
Reviews
None yet.
Where to Buy
PDF ($6).
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Kevin H.
United States
Crescent City
California
-
IV. Scenarios
2006, Arthaus.
(For 5th edition.)
It's hard to discuss this without hyperbole. It is a massive book, one of the largest single volumes ever published in the hobby and a singular labor of love by Stafford, pulling in almost every possible thread of Malory and presenting it in playable format for the game.
As presented, this will start the players as 21-year-old knights in AD 485 (10 years before Arthur's birth and 25 years before he pulls the sword from the stone), bring them through the fall of Uther, and the rise, apogee, and finally the tragic fall of Arthur in AD 565. By the end of it the original PCs' grandchildren will be participating in events that their grandfathers had a hand in shaping. Dozens of adventures, battles, romances, high chivalry, faerie, venal betrayals, all that is best and worst in the stories we tell about ourselves will have occurred and be part of living memory in the campaign.
Every year is broken down with notable events, court gossip, and possible adventures. Also noted is when new technology becomes available (reinforced chain, war flails, etc.). Some years are sketchier than others, allowing for more freedom as to how things develop.
The major criticism of it is that it is pretty railroaded. This is true to an extent: Arthur will pull the sword from the stone, create the Round Table, etc. You are playing an Arthurian game after all, and if you plan on totally deviating from the myth cycle then there is little point in picking this up. However there is a surprising amount of freedom towards two ends: First, in how your character contributes and reacts to the march of legend. Second, in your character's fortune and the consequences of his involvement. You may still become glorious (or not), benefit your family (or not), and survive. Or not. And course this is a roleplaying game, so the GM is free to modify things as she sees fit. Want to present a nonstandard view of the myth, such as Steinbeck or Bradley's? Go right ahead -- many of the events can be changed merely as a matter of interpretation.
But even if you play it as written, given the scope, detail, and obvious love for the subject matter, it is difficult to escape the conclusion that this is one of the greatest things ever published for the hobby. It is, I think, essential if you have any interest in the game, the subject, or in collecting artifacts of historical interest to our weird little pastime.
This won the Diana Jones Award for Gaming Excellence in 2007:
The Diana Jones Award Committee wrote: In terms of sheer scope alone, Greg Stafford's Great Pendragon Campaign breaks new ground, presenting almost a century’s worth of continuous story with gemlike clarity; in almost fractal fashion, any given year can become its own campaign. Its greatest structural successes are those of Stafford's Pendragon: a superbly compact yet never sketchy adventure format, seamless hard-wiring of characters into setting and continuity, and unprecedented emphasis on epic, generational storytelling. Thematically, it is a triumph of Arthurian art in its own right, the roleplaying form's equivalent of Tennyson's The Idylls of the King or Wagner's Parsifal—a brilliant personal engagement with one of the foundation myths of Western fantasy.
Reviews
Epic, Simon Crowe (2012).
Where to Buy
PDF ($25), softcover ($50).
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Kevin H.
United States
Crescent City
California
-
2003, Tentacles Convention.
(For 4th edition.)
A small run of a convention book done as a fundraiser for the 2003 Tentacles convention held in Germany. Has material for many different RPGs, and a single Pendragon adventure that I know nothing about.
Reviews
None yet.
Where to Buy
Secondhand market only.
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Kevin H.
United States
Crescent City
California
-
2003, The Chaos Society.
(For 4th edition.)
Contains an article, "Villains of Logres," by Shannon Appelcline.
Reviews
None yet.
Where to Buy
PDF ($4).
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Kevin H.
United States
Crescent City
California
-
2001, Green Knight Publishing.
(for 4th edition.)
According to the description, this consists primarily of adventures involving spectres and other haunts, plus a description of Cambridge and rules for creating scholar characters. None of that sounds especially appealing to me; maybe an adventure with an undead threat is useful as a change of pace, but the hobby as a whole certainly doesn't lack for usage of the restless dead as antagonists. And scholar characters, while great for Call of Cthulhu, has little appeal to me in Pendragon.
But I haven't read it, so I could be totally wrong. I'll let you know.
Reviews
None yet.
Where to Buy
PDF ($10).
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Kevin H.
United States
Crescent City
California
-
2001, The Chaos Society.
(For 4th edition.)
Has a magazine article, "Ghosts of Britain," by Shannon Appelcline.
Reviews
None yet.
Where to Buy
PDF ($4).
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Kevin H.
United States
Crescent City
California
-
2000, Green Knight Publishing.
(For 4th edition.)
This is a reprint collection of older scenarios from the 1st edition days, the eponymous one from The Grey Knight and two from Tournament of Dreams. Reprints are not terribly exciting as a rule, but this is an exception as the three scenarios are among the best outside of the Great Pendragon Campaign. Grey Knight specifically is one of the best scenarios in the hobby. Of course in these lackluster days of ubiquitous digital distribution and print-on-demand, a reprint is a meaningless concept, but once upon a time it was special. If you're on a tight budget, you should get this -- the 4th edition ruleset is a lot closer to what you're likely using.
As the title implies, all scenarios are set in and around tournaments and deal with the martial pageantry of that noble custom, with mystical shenanigans to spice things up.
Reviews
None yet.
Where to Buy
PDF ($10).
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Posted Tue Dec 13, 2011 3:24 am
Crescent City
California
12-Dec-2011: Started list.
14-Dec-2011: Finished list; all extant items to date added, RPGgeek reviews linked, brief commentary on each item, awards notated.
18-Dec-2011: Added links for purchasing items; added a few placeholders for items either not in the database, or in the database but not linked properly.
20-Feb-2012: Replaced placeholder links with the actual item; corrected internal links to point to the correct place.
To-do:
- edit down excessive verbiage.
- add ratings to each item based on utility (5 star = essential, etc.).
- add links to offsite reviews.
- fill in the "further reading" section.
- add links to where you can actually buy stuff if you are sold on it.- add Stafford's comments on each item (need to run it by him first).Stafford's comments are a little too lengthy to include verbatim.- general cleaning up and reediting with a focus on "if someone knows nothing about KAP but wants to learn, what do they need to know, and how can I best tell them without overwhelming them with TMI?"
Crescent City
California
Two options:
1. If money is tight: Get a PDF or used copy of 3rd edition or later, whatever is cheapest. Get the PDF or used copy of either The Boy King (if you want to do the entire cycle) or of some of the higher-rated scenario books (if you don't).
2. If money is not tight: Get edition 5.1 of the rules, and the Great Pendragon Campaign. Procure additional scenarios as needed.
Crescent City
California
Outside of the campaign books that cover the whole cycle, there have been quite a few published books of adventures. Almost without exception, these scenarios are set in the period after Arthur pulls the sword, but before the Battle of Camlann and the downfall of the romance. In other words, at the height of enchantment, chivalry, and everything else that is popularly associated with the cycle. If you are interested in running a short campaign, then it is better to start with these than to go all the way back to the Uther period -- which is interesting if you want the big picture, but not really Arthurian in the usual sense.
To that end, here is a list of the top five scenario books, sorted by average rating:
1. Savage Mountains
2. The Grey Knight
3. The Spectre King
4. Blood and Lust
5. Tournament of Dreams
Tales of Mystic Tournaments contains the entirety of #2 and #5, and is the single best place to start if you want to forgo the campaign for the time being.
Crescent City
California
(forthcoming)
Crescent City
California
For everything that is (a) rated and (b) for sale as a PDF, here is each product along with its rating, cost, and number of rating points/dollar:
Product Rating Price Pts/$ Edition
The Grey Knight 7.83 $4.00 1.96 1
Book of Knights 7.35 $4.00 1.84 4
Pendragon Campaign 7.49 $5.00 1.50 1
Noble's Book 7.28 $6.00 1.21 1
Chivalry & Romance 6.80 $7.00 0.97 4
Magic & Miracles 6.60 $7.00 0.94 4
Savage Mountains 7.90 $9.00 0.88 3
Blood & Lust 7.72 $9.00 0.86 3
Knights Adventurous 7.66 $9.00 0.85 3
Perilous Forest 7.46 $9.00 0.83 3
The Boy King 7.95 $10.00 0.80 3
Core book 1.0 7.85 $10.00 0.79 1
The Spectre King 7.77 $10.00 0.78 3
Lordly Domains 7.65 $10.00 0.77 4
Land of Giants 7.43 $10.00 0.74 4
Mystic Tournaments 7.40 $10.00 0.74 4
Spectre Kings 7.37 $10.00 0.74 4
Beyond the Wall 6.98 $10.00 0.70 4
Saxons! 8.00 $12.00 0.67 4
Core book 4.0 8.30 $15.00 0.55 4
Core book 5.0 8.28 $18.00 0.46 5
Core book 5.1 9.17 $20.00 0.46 5
Knights & Ladies 8.71 $20.00 0.44 5
Book of Manor 2e 8.00 $20.00 0.40 5
Book of Armies 7.25 $20.00 0.36 5
Great Pend. Camp. 8.77 $25.00 0.35 5
Book of Battle 7.00 $20.00 0.35 5
I will be the first to admit that this assumes many plainly false things about the rating system at RPGGeek, its general reliability, and what it purports to represent. Nonetheless it is interesting as a rough measure of the intersection of perceived value by the users here, and the folks setting prices at Nocturnal/Chaosium/RPGNow. Specifically, if you are okay with PDFs, and okay with playing an older edition, then you will probably get a lot more bang for your buck if you go with 1st or 4th edition.