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Books from the Mysterious Orient.
Aug. 23rd, 2023 12:50 pmIn case you missed it, I love Istanbul. My studies include the wider Eastern Roman Empire (aka the Byzantine Empire) and later the Ottoman Empire, with a fascination with the end of that empire, which was very messy.
Which is why I had a big smile on my face when FedEx sent me an email that my package had been picked up in Istanbul. What am I getting? Historica Arcanum: The City of Crescent.
The campaign takes place in Victorian-Era Istanbul during the reign of Abdulmejid I, with an intrigue-filled campaign taking players on a journey in one of the oldest and most culturally diverse Imperial Capitals of our world! I've been reading the PDF, but I wanted the physical book.
Yes, it uses the D&D 5th Edition engine, but it is magnificently tweaked to get the feel of 19th-century Ḳosṭanṭīnīye (The Turkish version of Constantinople.) Written by natives of the city, you feel it. They do a great job of translating D&D classes into roles appropriate for the setting and a much more subtle advancement path.
This is not a game of bashing monsters (although creatures of legend live in the Queen of Cities in disguises) but a thinking campaign of Secret History, as rival magical societies and political movements begin fighting for the fate of House of Osman.
Then there is the free stuff. A pack of gorgeous maps that took me back in an instant. When I saw the books at Baycon, I checked out the map and was able to place our hotel from 2016 on it. There is a collection of smaller tactical maps for fights in the city.
There was also a 29-track soundtrack designed to be played at various points in the game. Just on it is own, it is beautiful. Two tracks, "Istanbul by Day" and "Istanbul by Night," are just ambient sounds from the city.
This is an amazing piece of work, and Metis Media has produced several similar titles. Check them out.
Which is why I had a big smile on my face when FedEx sent me an email that my package had been picked up in Istanbul. What am I getting? Historica Arcanum: The City of Crescent.
The campaign takes place in Victorian-Era Istanbul during the reign of Abdulmejid I, with an intrigue-filled campaign taking players on a journey in one of the oldest and most culturally diverse Imperial Capitals of our world! I've been reading the PDF, but I wanted the physical book.
Yes, it uses the D&D 5th Edition engine, but it is magnificently tweaked to get the feel of 19th-century Ḳosṭanṭīnīye (The Turkish version of Constantinople.) Written by natives of the city, you feel it. They do a great job of translating D&D classes into roles appropriate for the setting and a much more subtle advancement path.
This is not a game of bashing monsters (although creatures of legend live in the Queen of Cities in disguises) but a thinking campaign of Secret History, as rival magical societies and political movements begin fighting for the fate of House of Osman.
Then there is the free stuff. A pack of gorgeous maps that took me back in an instant. When I saw the books at Baycon, I checked out the map and was able to place our hotel from 2016 on it. There is a collection of smaller tactical maps for fights in the city.
There was also a 29-track soundtrack designed to be played at various points in the game. Just on it is own, it is beautiful. Two tracks, "Istanbul by Day" and "Istanbul by Night," are just ambient sounds from the city.
This is an amazing piece of work, and Metis Media has produced several similar titles. Check them out.