Why You Should Be Playing HârnMaster 3.5 - Final post!

[gridlore]

It turns out that the "new" edition of Hârn is vaporware at this point, so everything I've written before holds true.

So, here we are. I've tried to show those of you reading this why HârnMaster is a great system and an absolutely fabulous setting with forty years of development behind it. Realistic wounds, a real feudal setting, and an island teetering on the edge of chaos in so many places.

I've glossed over psionic powers, the enigmatic Earthmasters who left sites made of Godstone across Hârn, and existence of the Keitherian family of worlds, accessible to powerful Grey Mages. Most sages assume Lothrim summoned the Gargun from one of these worlds. A strange place called "Terra" is part of the family. Your choice as what time period Terra is in should you travel there.

But that is really advanced stuff. Late campaign adventures. Let's start with some basics.

• Embrace the character generation process. Sure, you might generate an impoverished shephard, but that describes King David in the Bible. Use the character generation process to build an interesting character who might someday rock the world.
• Use Session Zero to establish why the party is together. Hârnic families are extensive and united in a clan structure. This is the perfect way to build a party with established bonds. Take the case of a Satia-Mavari Who returns to his home village after completing his apprenticeship with a Shek-Pvar chantry. He has been entrusted with a magically-sealed message tube to be delivered to a mage in Orbal, but the new journeyman mage is frightened of taking the journey alone. This is when cousins, siblings, and friends stand up. A chance to see more of Hârn and maybe make their fortunes doing something other than growing crops for the local lord? This establishes connections. Maybe one of the adventurers is the Satia-Mavari's older brother, who deserted from the Earl's guard and doesn't think his brother can poor piss out of a boot. Established relationships!
• Hârn is a fog-shrouded, rainy land. Play this up. Trekking through the Sorkin Mountains should involve fog-shrouded trails where all sounds are muffled and distorted. Was that a Harpy?
• As a GM, do not ignore the political situation. King Mignath of Kaldor amazes his subjects by just drawing breath, and there is no clear succession in place. Chysbia sits between two far more powerful kingdoms that both have a good claim on it. Rethem is facing a potential civil war and the king know three of his four predecessors didn't die in bed. Kanday faces ongoing religious skirmishes between Kandian Laranians and Rethemi Agrikians. Orbaal is no more stable than any other Ivanian kingdom, and the majority Jarin population is gearing up for revolution. Again.
• Build up slowly. One of the best early adventures is 100 Bushels of Rye, a fairly simple investigation module that leads to some interesting places. This is for 1st Edition, but can easily be converted.
• Do not neglect the importance of contacts and favors. People are people, and having a friend in Cherafir's bonding house, or a Thardic Senator who owes you one can be vital. Conversely, honor your obligations.
• Finally, and this applies to all TTRPGs, everyone should work together to both build the legend and have fun. The GM/player relationship should not be one of adversaries fighting in a wargame, but a cooperative effort to build something great.

Well, I've made my pitch. Oh, if if you really want to see how moribund Columbia Games really is, check out the system requirements for the character generator. I laughed my ass off.

Currently drinking: Sierra-Nevada Oktoberfest Festbeer.