Hârn - The Most Medieval of Campaign Settings

[Ancalagon]

Columbia Games produces quality work and they've always had solid customer service! I went in on the Melderyn KS, too.

[Necron 99]

Columbia Games produces quality work and they've always had solid customer service! I went in on the Melderyn KS, too.

Hellz to the yeah! Right on.

I love that cover for the Melderyn book, it's really evocative for a low/moderate fantasy setting. Matter of fact, the majority of all the artwork I've seen for the Harn products has been fantastic. I think delving into Harn was one of the things that made me look into the later TSR Birthright setting. Having run so many games in the Forgotten Realms, which is typically more high-fantasy, and then finding something that had the appearance of low to moderate fantasy, just felt more appealing.

It's been over a decade since I've looked at the actual HarnMaster system, I recall we had a good time testing it out back in the Valdosta days. I need to throw the PDF on my iPad and spend some time reading over it again, refresh my memory and maybe suggest it for one of our online game sessions to go back through the play, test it out again.

[Ancalagon]

Columbia Games produces quality work and they've always had solid customer service! I went in on the Melderyn KS, too.

Hellz to the yeah! Right on.

I love that cover for the Melderyn book, it's really evocative for a low/moderate fantasy setting. Matter of fact, the majority of all the artwork I've seen for the Harn products has been fantastic. I think delving into Harn was one of the things that made me look into the later TSR Birthright setting. Having run so many games in the Forgotten Realms, which is typically more high-fantasy, and then finding something that had the appearance of low to moderate fantasy, just felt more appealing.

It's been over a decade since I've looked at the actual HarnMaster system, I recall we had a good time testing it out back in the Valdosta days. I need to throw the PDF on my iPad and spend some time reading over it again, refresh my memory and maybe suggest it for one of our online game sessions to go back through the play, test it out again.

I really enjoy the art of HarnMaster. Richard Luschek creates most of the portraits used in the various game items / supplements. You can check out his site here: https://www.richardluschek.com/

The isle of Harn is grounded, more or less, in the early 1200s England level of technology. That in itself is a big YES for me! Magic in Harn can still be powerful. The thing is that its rare, especially in comparison to settings like Greyhawk and definitely FR where there is a wizard in every village who can seemingly fart fireballs.

I remember playing my first ever HarnMaster game at GenCon in 2012. Man, that was fun! I was completely immersed in the setting location, could hear the sound of the river running over stones, see the gently sloping banks covered in smooth elliptical river rocks, smell the evergreens as my PC sat under the limbs for cover. I really didn't want that session to end.

If you're interested in giving HarnMaster a go on Roll20, you should reach out to Don (Arashi on 3Ps) and chat with him. He's been running it with various folks for a year or so and he loves the HarnMaster system.

[Necron 99]

One of the things I remember from the system was that your skills are made up of an average (or some variation thereof) of three attributes, which I always thought was a great concept for determination of skills. Some attributes weighed more in a particular skill, so you may have 2x of one attribute and 1x of another for the total. Like GURPs and other more complex systems, Harn front-loads everything during character creation, but once you're running, it runs fairly smooth and easy.

I purchased the HarnWorld PDF from Drivethru RPG back in the day, I was pleasantly surprised to see that when I downloaded it again last night, that it was revised with the newest color version of the Columbia Games product. Started reading through it before bed and managed to read through the overview of kingdoms for Azadmere and Chybisa before nodding off. Good stuff. Will tackle more this evening.

[Ancalagon]

One of the things I remember from the system was that your skills are made up of an average (or some variation thereof) of three attributes, which I always thought was a great concept for determination of skills. Some attributes weighed more in a particular skill, so you may have 2x of one attribute and 1x of another for the total. Like GURPs and other more complex systems, Harn front-loads everything during character creation, but once you're running, it runs fairly smooth and easy.

Emphasis mine.
Exactly. And you're spot on with the frontloading of PC creation... but by the time you finish, you've got a solid idea of the character, background, etc. Players then can grow the character as things unfold.

I purchased the HarnWorld PDF from Drivethru RPG back in the day, I was pleasantly surprised to see that when I downloaded it again last night, that it was revised with the newest color version of the Columbia Games product. Started reading through it before bed and managed to read through the overview of kingdoms for Azadmere and Chybisa before nodding off. Good stuff. Will tackle more this evening.

I've yet to delve into Azadmere and Chybisa but will get to it one of these days.

[Ancalagon]

Check it out!

Columbia Games has a pretty amazing special on their website right now. For only $1, you get four PDFs:

HârnWorld
Hârndex
Cities & Towns
Hârn Region Map

I don't know how long they intend to run this.

https://secure.columbiagames.com/ec/pro ... ae000003e7

[Ancalagon]

Here is another Hârn article that discusses the setting, kingdoms, magic, religions, treasure, publications, and more using HârnWorld for ANY Role-Playing System. Check it out!

[Necron 99]

Nice, long, Harn-related video. This will make some good background chatter while working this week. I look forward to checking it out. Speaking of Harn, I just saw a post on the FB group today talking about the new Tharda.

Tharda is complete. The final version with all Richard Luschek's amazing art has been delivered to CGI. It will likely take CGI a bit to distribute the electronic copies and to pack up the physical copies for mailing, but all the writing, art and editing is finished. I have to say (from a totally biased point of view), it looks spectacular and I think will really encourage HarnFans to give Tharda a look as a place to set their campaign. It offers a very different location with many exciting opportunities for roleplaying.
It will be in your hands soon(-ish....CGI-time).

[Ancalagon]

Here is a good discussion about the new / updated Hârn setting of Tharda.

Why You Should be Using: Republic of Tharda



Here are a few links for some cool Hârn gaming goodness if you're interested:
Get FOUR HârnWorld products for ONE DOLLAR --- https://bit.ly/harnworlddeal
Get Republic of Tharda --- https://secure.columbiagames.com/prod...
Get HârnQuest and save 50% off ALL PDF's (including Tharda!) --- http://bit.ly/2FTH0iP

[Ancalagon]

I found this VTT demo of HarnMaster combat on YouToob and figured I'd post here>