Chivalry and Sorcery is a
fantasyFantasy is a genre that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting. Many works within the genre take place on fictional planes or planets where magic is common...
role-playing gameA role-playing game is a game in which the participants assume the roles of fictional characters. Participants determine the actions of their characters based on their characterization, and the actions succeed or fail according to a formal system of rules and guidelines...
that was first published in 1977 by
Fantasy Games UnlimitedFantasy Games Unlimited, often referred to as just FGU, is a publishing house for both table-top and role-playing games. They have no in-house design teams and rely on submitted material from outside talent.-History:...
. Originally created by
Edward E. SimbalistEdward E. Simbalist was a role-playing game designer. Two of the most famous games he designed are Chivalry & Sorcery and Space Opera. He was Canadian and lived in Edmonton. He also was a teacher at ....
and
Wilf K. BackhausWilfried Karl Backhaus was a role-playing game designer, business professor,and lawyer. He co-designed Chivalry & Sorcery a role playing game. He is also a published philosopher...
in 1977, Chivalry & Sorcery (C&S) was an early competitor to Dungeons and Dragons. Historically, the two designers of the game were dissatisfied with the lack of realism in
Dungeons & DragonsDungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game is currently published by Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of Hasbro...
(D&D) and created the first gaming system derived from it, which they named "Chevalier". They presented it to
Gary GygaxErnest Gary Gygax was an American writer and game designer, best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons with Dave Arneson...
at a gaming convention, but he showed little interest in modifying D&D in this direction. After some final changes to get rid of the last remnants of D&D (eg the game contained a table of "Saving-throw" similar to D&D), Edward Simbalist and Wilf Backhaus published the first edition of their game - now renamed "Chivalry & Sorcery - shortly after the release of the first edition of Advanced D&D.
More focus on the side and medieval chivalry on the fantasy side, C&S had in its first version of a system of rules more sophisticated and complex as the very first role playing. The game has been published four times, first to improve its presentation and also to modernize the mechanisms. C&S was the first to introduce new concepts like critical hits or levels for monsters who have been occasions, for example,
RolemasterRolemaster is a role-playing game published by Iron Crown Enterprises. Rolemaster has come in four separate editions. The 3
rd edition, first published in 1995, is also known as the "Rolemaster Standard System"...
, or the new version of Dungeons & Dragons and open players on the outside part of campaign instead of confining them to a dark underground dungeon in the dark confines of the country. The parties taking place outside the framework of an adventure became very important, especially for magicians, who had to spend many days to learn their spells and enchant their materials.
The 1st edition (C&S1)
Also called The Red Book (see image above), the first edition of C&S is still for many fans the best and most comprehensive of the four editions produced during the 30 years history of C&S. Anyone opening the red book was first struck by the density and richness of information it contained. Rules not only for character creation (including Monster player characters), combat and magic, but also for Knights (tournaments, courtly love, fiefs, political influence), a hierachical priesthood who could perform miracles, a large section on monsters, including the Infernal Court of demons and even wargames rules for armies. This and more was contained in the rulebook. The text was photoreduced and the text literally was very dense and the sheer volume of information contained probably caused most players who opened the red book for the first time to close it immediately without have the courage to bring the attention it deserved. In addition to ideas taken from Arthurian myth, the first edition also incorporated elements of
J. R. R. TolkienJohn Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford from...
including hobbits, Balrogs and Necromancers who could make 22 Rings of Power including a Ruling Ring. These references have disappeared in subsequent editions for reasons of copyright, all these names are now protected by the descendants of Tolkien. Thus, C&S has less of a modern literary influence than D&D which was influenced by Tolkien but also by other authors such as
Jack VanceJohn Holbrook Vance is an American fantasy and science fiction author. Most of his work has been published under the name Jack Vance. Vance has published 11 mysteries as John Holbrook Vance and 3 as Ellery Queen...
,
Fritz LeiberFritz Reuter Leiber Jr. was an American writer of fantasy, horror and science fiction. He was also an expert chess player and a champion fencer....
,
L. Sprague de CampLyon Sprague de Camp was an American author of science fiction and fantasy books, non-fiction and biography...
and
Michael MoorcockMichael John Moorcock is an English writer primarily of science fiction and fantasy who has also published a number of literary novels....
.
Creating a character
Creating a character begins with the random selection of the race among human,
elfAn elf is a creature of Germanic mythology. The elves were originally thought of as a race of minor nature and fertility gods, who are often pictured as youthful-seeming men and women of great beauty living in forests and underground places and caves, or in wells and springs...
, dwarf,
hobbitHobbits are a fictional diminutive race in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium who inhabit the lands of Middle-earth. They are named "Halflings" by most of Middle-earth, and "Periannath" by the Elves....
, or monster. It should be noted that non-human races are not restricted in how many levels they can rise to as in D&D. Some non-humans races are superior to humans (possessing innate magical abilities, sometimes considerable longevity or immortality, racial bonus to certain skills, etc..). These show the influence of the world of Tolkien and the elves, especially the "High Elves" are by far the most powerful race of C&S1. Once the race specified, the player randomly draws "primary" characteristics, as well as size, weight and astral sign. Characteristics are seven in number: dexterity, strength, constitution, intelligence, wisdom, appearance, bardic voice.
Some "secondary" characteristics are derived from primary characteristics, size and weight: Body points, Fatigue points, charisma, Carrying Capacity (CC), Military Ability Factor (MAF), Personal Combat Factor (PCF) and Command Level (CL or ability to lead an army). The astral sign, accompanied by auspices (favorable, unfavorable or neutral), determines if the character is more or less born under a lucky star regarding his vocation. For example, the sign Leo is a good sign for the Warriors while the sign Scorpio is a good sign for magicians. This results primarily (but not only) in a gain greater or lesser experience in the tasks performed. The alignment of a character from 1 to 20, corresponding to a 1-5 character Lawful and 16-20 in a Chaotic character. These concepts are very different from those of D&D, C&S they determine the behavior of a report by the teachings of the Christian religion. A Lawful character would be very respectful of the sacred texts and behave like an honest citizen of good moral. A Chaotic character considers religion and moral principles which are attached as secondary or even devoid of any significance and will deliver the worst abuses that morality condemns.
A character can also have one or more phobias or fears, which allows the player to give a little more depth to his character. In C&S social status is very important and a random drawing determines the origin and social rank of the character. Finally, taking into account the characteristics, his astral sign of social background, race and his natural inclination, the player decides what role the character will follow.
Depending on Social background Fighters range from the peasant soldier, through the belted knight, to the members of Religious Fighting Orders and for the most devout the Paladin. A magician will choose among 19 different classes. The priests were also present but are almost exclusively monotheistic faith of Christian. It is without doubt one of the major weaknesses of C&S1, but we must put the game in a context that is intended as a simulation of an essentially medieval Christian Europe. Finally, there are three classes of thieves, thieves itself (very similar to the Lankhmar style thieves of D&D), brigands (most often encountered on the roadside as NPCs) and assassins.
It cannot be denied that, at least at first, especially in the days before widespread personal computer ownership, the creation of a character C&S1 generally requires several hours in the company of a Game Master, but the characters have their creation story, an experience that gives them a head start in creating a back-story for the character and assisting the player's role. For this same reason, when a character dies, it is rare to stop the game temporarily for as long as the player creates another character, as creating a character is not a matter of a few dice and a few minutes. This certainly influenced the game to campaigns in which the mortality figures are considerably lower than in other role-playing, which has the effect of requiring a lot of attention preparation of C&S scenarios and difficulty level by the Game Master, especially as returning from the dead is not common in C&S, compared to other games like D&D.
Combat
Combat in C&S attempts to be more realistic than the abstract systems of games such as D&D, though it still has the Armour Class and Hit table concepts. C&S introduced concepts such as fatigue being separate from damage, critical hits and the "Bash" (a strong blow that can cause the target to be knocked to the ground). This means that level differentials between combatants are less prone to make one invulnerable to the other if one outmatches their opponent in level.
Magick
The magic system of C&S was very sophisticated and complex. It was created by Wilf Backhaus and inspired mainly by
Real Magic by
Isaac BonewitsPhillip Emmons Isaac Bonewits is an influential Neopagan leader and author. He is a liturgist, speaker, journalist, Neo-druid priest, and a singer, songwriter, and independent recording artist...
. The organization rules of magic, scattered over several chapters throughout the book of rules, made some of it difficult to follow. A magician's capability is defined by his Concentration Level (which depends on his characteristics, his bonus astral and experience) which determines Magick's Level (MKL, the 'k' of Magick is emphasized by C&S). The MKL determines what level of spells will be available (a new level of spells are available both MKL). The highest MKL a magician can have is 22 (as the 22 mysteries of the
TarotThe tarot , , is a pack of cards , used from the mid fifteenth century in various parts of Europe to play card games such as Italian Tarocchini and French Tarot. The tarot has four suits corresponding to the suits of conventional playing cards...
). On the other hand, the Personal Magick Factor (PMF) of a magician depends on its characteristics and its MKL and defines its ability to affect the world around them. In practice, PMF determines the scope and duration of spells and the number of volumes of materials used by the Magick User (see below on Magic Basic). This aspect of magic is questionable because the power of a spell will depend in some cases the level of the spell (spells the highest levels being most powerful) but for Basic Magic spells will no longer depend on the level of the spell but the magician PMF is to say its power. This ambiguity persisted until the third edition of the game.
Basic Magick
Alongside "classic" spells, charms, illusions, black magick, there is a special class of magic, Basic Magick (BM) dealing with spells manipulating the four elements (water, air, fire, earth) and their derivatives (ice, cold, heat, light, dark, sand, dust, rain, etc..) All sorts of BM are the result of mixing of at least one spell of creation / manipulation (and up to three) and an element. There are eight creation / manipulation spells: Create, Remove, Detach (Move), Accelerate, Amplify, Intensify, Concentrate and Affix (Fix). Thus creating a fireball requires the following formula: Create Fire. If the magician wishes to launch the fireball at an enemy, he must use Detach Fire. A magician who wants to create and launch a fireball at the same time uses a spell with the formula Detach Create Fire. Knowing that we can combine up to three spells of creation / manipulation with an item, the number of possible combinations is immense. A magician will generally focus on one or two elements and attempt to optimize combinations using them. BM is much more dangerous than the magic commonly found in other games. For example an intermediate magician (eg MKL9, which is the level at which teachers become magicians and can take a student) can cast a fireball that causes 130 to 240 Body points of damage, with an average damage of 180. An average man has 30 body points and an athletic one rarely exceeds 50 points. In contrast, in AD&D the fireball spell is unlikely to kill a character in a same average level as the caster.
Different classes of Magick Users
When a player decides to play a Magick User, the class to which he will belong must be determined randomly (or selected if his game master agrees). There are 21 classes of Magick Users are available, divided into four main categories: Magicians Nature, Arcana Minor Arcana Major and Mystics.
- The Wizards are the Primitive Natural Talent, who make the magic instinctively but are unable to learn spells from a book or to enchant magic items, and the Shaman, Medium, Dance and Vocal Trance which Drug learn magic by a spiritual guide, contacted in a trance, which is induced by an altered state due to the concentration of the magician, the absorption of drugs or the use of sacred songs, or else a mixture of all this.
- The Minor Arcana consist of highly skilled magicians such as the Alchemist seeking the philosopher's stone and the potion of immortality, the Jewelsmith Artificer, which manufactures protective amulets and rings Powers (similar the Elves of Eregion who were manipulated by Sauron in the work of Tolkien), the Mechanician Artificer that makes the statues come alive, mechanisms and magical traps, the Weaponsmith Artificer that manufactures weapons and armor magic, magician class in which the Dwarves excellent particularly, the Astrologer who reads the future in the stars and Diviner which reads the card's Tarot delighted. The last category is the Minor Arcana's Stone (Hex Masters) which itself comprises several types of magicians. There are Witches and Warlocks who live in convents, often headed by a Evil Priest, specializes in black magic and demonology, capable not only do magic but to ask miracles to Lucifer
Lucifer is a Latin word, literally meaning "light-bearer", that was used as a name for the "day star" or "Morning Star" that precedes the rising of the sun. The name is frequently given to the Devil in Christian convention...
and his angels. Finally, the Solitary Master Hexuses his knowledge of black magic and demons to fight evil, it is necessarily Lawful alignment.
- The Major Arcana are closer to traditional magicians found in writings or in other RPGs. The conjuror practiced all through his magic potions that he prepares in his magic cauldron, the Enchanter hides his spells in songs and tunes and often takes the disguise of a minstrel who goes castle to castle, the Necromancer animates the dead and command. All his life he searches for the Secret of Life and Death which will create a being of flesh animated entirely at his command, in the style of Frankenstein
Frankenstein, or, The Modern Prometheus, generally known simply as Frankenstein, is a novel written by Mary Shelley. Shelley started writing when she was 18 and the novel was published when she was 21. The first edition was published anonymously in London in . Shelley's name appears on the second...
's monster. When it reaches a high enough MKL it may make the Rings of Power and One Ring that allows all command, as did SauronSauron is the titular character and the principal antagonist of the fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien....
of MordorIn J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe of Middle-earth, Mordor is the dwelling place of Sauron, in the southeast of Middle-earth to the East of Anduin, the great river...
. The Necromancer often plays the villain in the adventures of C&S and is a formidable opponent. The last class of the Major Arcana is Thaumaturgist, it produces powders and perfumes and is the undisputed master of illusions.
- The Mystics are three in number and practice more esoteric forms of magic, even sealed their colleagues in other classes. The Kabbalist (Cabbala-Symbolist) practice his art by the use of runes that can draw in the air or on objects. He often works with other magicians, especially the fireworks blacksmiths. The class is very interesting to play but it is regrettable that it is sufficiently distant from the Jewish Kabbalah, but rather a kind of "generic" cabbalist, which can be adapted to different cultures (Judeo-Christian, Nordic , etc..). Power Word is the master of words and commands. He learned many languages and seeks to discover and learn all over the Words of Power. A good example of verbal Ged (Sparrowhawk), in the saga of Earthsea Ursula Le Guin. Finally the Mystic Square uses the numbers to do magic. Perhaps the most mysterious of all magicians, one whose knowledge is the most hermetic and difficult to teach, which may explain that the Magick Users class is very uncommon in C&S campaigns. At very high level, his knowledge of the fundamentals of magic is such that it is able to cancel any magic in a wide radius around him, whatever the power of magic he meets.
Spells
The magic system itself is based on the premise that the world is resistant to magic and to learn a spell or enchant a material to make something magic, a magician must lower the resistance (Basic Magick Resistance or BMR) of this fate or what material to 0. Spells and materials have a BMR varies from 1 to 10, the highest BMRs match spells / materials more durable and therefore more difficult to learn / enchant. A magician will then spend time, lots of time to ponder his spells to learn and easier to enchant materials. The time spent on these activities purely magical is going to bring in experience, although often it would have earned on an expedition adventurer to kill monsters and find treasures. In practice, to cast a spell, the magician must first pass the Casting, which is automatic if the fate is known to BMR 0, which otherwise requires a throw of the dice. Then it must reach its target spell correctly (Targeting), the effectiveness of targeting depends on experience and that of its target. Some spells do not need to be targeted, they act on an area of effect. Finally, if fate is kind of illusion or charm, the target is allowed a Saving throw, using either his intelligence (for illusions) or wisdom (for command) to resist. This three- stage system makes magic less automatic, more random, but not less dangerous because the effects of high level spells are often terribly final.
Magical Devices
The process of making magic items was particularly detailed and far more advanced than other games of the moment. Magic items were classified into three categories:
Simple magical items: items that require a limited number of different materials (under 10) and contain a limited number of charges, these charges being worn or when the spells contained in it are used. They are classically simple rings, potions, scrolls etc.
Magical items of Power: More complex and time consuming to make, they require consulting an astrologer who should determine what the astral sign of the object. The Magick User will then enchant the 22 corresponding materials to the sign of the object and end his spell during the 30 days covered by the sign of the object, without anyone coming to interrupt this period of time. These objects are much longer and difficult to manufacture, but contain more spells, more loads and feature a power recharge allowing them to return every day some of the loads.
Focus: These are enchanted like Magical items of Power, but each class magician produces a type of Focus of its own. For example, the Medium has a crystal ball, the Artificer Blacksmith, a hammer and anvil, the conjuror a pot on a verbal stick, etc. The Focus is essential to the Magick User who wants to practice his art in good condition. It will store a huge number of spells in and he can use his Focus for his personal magic defense. From MKL1, any self-respecting magician who undertakes the manufacture of a Focus, long-term undertaking that can last several years.
Demonology
The demons of C&S have clear origins in myth and prior works of fiction. It is ascending to power, Gargoyles, Imps, Balrogs, Elementary of four elements, Jinn of the Ring, Jinn of the Lamp and Efreet, Knights of Hell, Fallen Angels, Powers, Principalities and Lord of Hells at the top of the demonic hierarchy. There is a spell of invocation to the demons of each circle of power, the most powerful demons requires a
black massBlack Mass is the name given to a ceremony supposedly celebrated during the medieval Witches or Black Sabbath, which was a parody of the Catholic Mass...
and a sacrifice for their invocation. The Magick User who wants to invoke a demon must first succeed in drawing a protective circle, then the devil appears and it can then be ordered to request a service or be binded for a period of time. The most powerful demons can not be bound but they know many secrets they can teach the Mage. Despite the interest and realism of the system, which makes a case demonic invocations no Mage can not afford to treat lightly, this part of the system has not been well integrated with the rules of magic and is confined to the end of the rules, and also the mixture of styles, the Judeo-Christian demonology adjacent to the Thousand and One Nights, all sprinkled with a touch of mythology came from the writings of Tolkien.
Guilds and secret societies of magicians
One of the most interesting system of magic C&S is an opportunity for a Magick User to be part of a guild or society, more or less secret, including members of his class, and sometimes other classes of magicians pursuing the same ideals and animated by the same designs. Thus, there are secret societies of sorcerers and witches, of course banned in companies based on where monotheistic religions worship the
DevilThe Devil is believed in certain religions and folklore to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The Devil is commonly associated with heretics, infidels, and other unbelievers...
is punished with the stake. But there are also guilds Artificiers Blacksmiths with storefront and selling weapons and armor to magic which is fortunate enough to buy them. The advantage of belonging to a guild or society for a Magick User is to have access to knowledge of the guild, which is sometimes overwhelming and made available to members only. Often, the Mage will be on a mission by his guild, which provides the game master opportunities scenarios. Within the guild, the young Mage will have to prove himself and is framed in its infancy by a master who taught him his first spell and ensure its training and its protection. Then, when it reaches the MKL9, the student becomes the master and can in turn take an apprentice, thus perpetuating the spread of the knowledge and traditions of the guild. Among the many secret societies, are the very powerful Great White Lodge, inspired other esoteric secret societies like the Rosicrucians, or
FreemasonryFreemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around 5 million, including just under two million in the United States and around 480,000 in...
. The avowed purpose of the Great White Lodge is to ensure that magicians do not use their powers to increase their influence, wealth or social position and does not harm the balance of the world through the use of magic. The members of such an order, very limited and highly selective, are the natural enemies of sorcerers, Necromancers and by extension any user of black magick which aims to get more power through knowledge and use of magic.
Second edition (C&S2)
The second edition, released in 1983, is presented in a cardboard box containing three booklets of rules, whose presentation is greatly improved compared to C&S1, the text is more airy and there is a tendency towards greater consistency in the organization rules. There is no fundamental change in relation to C&S1 but multiple changes which tend mostly to clarify (or simplifying) some points. The medieval period was now clearly separated into three distinct periods: Early Feudal, High and Late Chivalric Feudal, for each period with a distinct technology. For example, the heavy plate armor and swords in both hands like swordfish are available in Late Feudal (XIV - XV centuries). This avoids the anachronisms and gives teachers play a useful indication of technological advances each time, allowing campaigns to make more realistic, ongoing concern which the authors, Ed Simbalist and Wilf Backhaus, are attached.
An addition to this second edition, which will be extended to the whole system of rules in the next edition, is the appearance of Skills, mainly but not exclusively-for-thieves, murderers and affiliates. A character can learn skills by spending experience points, some talents cost more expensive than others. Alongside the talents of "traditional" thieves one sees, for example, talent for cooking. This system of talents (very popular in the role play of the day, including at
ChaosiumChaosium is one of the longer lived publishers of role-playing games still in existence. Founded by Greg Stafford, its first game was actually a wargame, White Bear and Red Moon, which later mutated into Dragon Pass and its sequel, Nomad Gods...
) diversifies the characters in and out of traditional stereotypes.
The mass combat system was removed from the second edition, but could be found in various forms in extensions of the game, especially Swords & Sorcerers and two Sourcebooks. C&S is now refocused on the role playing aspect and its wargame aspect is set aside, presumably to both reduce the system of basic rules and to mark the distinction between genres.
With C&S2, the system was designed as a complete simulation of the
Middle AgesThe Middle Ages of European history is a period of European history covering roughly a millennium in the 5th century through 16th centuries. More specific starting and ending points are sometimes adopted by scholars to suit their respective specializations or current focus...
in all its aspects, political, economic and military, enhanced by a strong fantasy come mainly from the world of JRR Tolkien, to a set of more conventional role in which realism is nonetheless wants very strong, much stronger than in other games in the same period.
Third edition (C&S3)
After the relative success of the second edition C&S sank into obscurity for a number of years, mainly from the lack of support of Fantasy Games Unlimited (FGU). The game was finally reissued by Highlander Designs (HD), an American publishing house founded by GW Thompson. The authors are Ed Simbalist, Wilf Backhaus and GW Thompson. What is striking from the first reading of C&S3 is the almost complete disappearance of medieval references, the game was now very orientated toward the fantastic, imagination and even less near constant concerns of the previous editions, namely some historical realism and a strong smell of medieval Europeans. The magic has been significantly simplified. There is a new class of "General" magician, which sees itself as the archetype of the "classics" magicians found in other RPGs like
AD&DAD&D may refer to:* Advanced Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game* Accidental death and dismemberment insurance* Application Development and Deployment Software development* Art Direction & Development Digital communications agency from Sweden...
. C&S3 sells well enough, given the reputation of the game and its base of loyal fans. These same fans will be on the mailing list of the "Loyal Order of Chivalry & Sorcery", created in September 1996 at the instigation of Wilf Backhaus, mailing list that will, for many years (until 2005, when the creation of the first forum of LOCS, posted by Ian Plumb), stimulate debate about C&S3 then C&S4, most players lamenting the disappearance of the medieval flavor and realism of the first two editions.
C&S3, established a system of "skills" which covers all areas of the game, fighting, magic, knowledge of geography, languages, dances and songs, everything a person is able to do or know, the list of those talents are not exhaustive. The talent system (called "Skillscape") uses a percentile die and a 10-sided die (D10) for all actions determined by talent, the D10 determining if the success (or failure) of talent is "critical" or not. This system, very flexible and very efficient, is a decisive contribution to C&S, which leads to both simpler (a single resolution system for all aspects of the game) and modernism (games of all time with an operating system talent).
Several extensions to the rulebook will be published with the label C&S3, but only one really holds the attention of the gaming community, that of "Bestiary," a collection of monsters similar to the AD&D Monster Manual. The Bestiary has a chapter on "Faeries", the fairy beings of Celtic legends, the descendants of the "Tuatha de Danaan," and the eternal war between the Court and the Court Volunteer malevolent, who opposes the "angel" and "bad fairies".
Fourth edition (C&S4)
Highlander Designs went bankrupt and was bought by Brittannia Game Designs Ltd. (BGD), a company based in England and directed by Steve Turner. The fourth edition of C&S, called "The Rebirth" was born a few months later. Edward Simbalist was always the main author, but he was assisted in this task by many fans here and there brought their input and ideas. The result was the return of some medieval references and some gameplay mechanics (such as "bash" or "Targeting" for spells) adding this degree of realism that was lacking in the previous edition. Moreover, many additions to the rules (such as "Laws of Magick") brought novelty to the game, so it was ultimately a result that satisfies both old and new players. For one of the disadvantages of having worked on several projects such as C&S4 was some disparity and a lack of uniformity of rules. However, it was ultimately a product that was far superior to C&S3 and attracted many players.
The core rules had several extensions, including the "Knights Companion", "Armourers Companion," "Dwarves Companion" and "Elves Companion" are all major and rather successful. BGD also wanted to develop his own world "Marakush", which had moderate success. Despite the interest of a certain segment of the population for a type of game that is realistic and that C&S has been an example of, sales of C&S4 were not sufficient to ensure the continuity of the game and stopped producing BDG equipment to ensure the sustainability of the game. The early death of Edward Simbalist, lead author of C&S, gave the coup de grace to a game already moribund.
Fifth edition (C&S5)
While the future of the game seemed stalled, a new version appeared on the web. It took the concept and design of the first two editions. Thus the mechanics of the game incorporates the notions of "blows" and "bash" but also black magick, military & religious orders and secret societies. This new version also offers new material:
- new character classes: the Druid, the Dark Knight, the spy and the forester
- new spells
- new skills
- new religious and fighting orders
- unpublished material written by Ed Simbalist
Finally, the Elven races, Dwarves or Hobbits find their origins drawn straight from the world of Tolkien. C&S5 has been put online for free by FGU. It is not clear that there is no copyright infringement on the part of FGU (the rights of C&S being held up by Brittannia Games).
The future of C&S
At a time when Massive Multiplayer Online (
MMOThe abbreviation MMO can stand for any of several things:*Marine Mammal Observer*Massively multiplayer online game*Means, motive and opportunity*Melton Mowbray railway station, England; National Rail station code MMO.*Methane Monooxygenase...
) games have an increasingly important role in the game world, it is difficult for traditional games "with pencil and paper" like role playing to attract a younger audience. C&S has undoubtedly suffered a reputation of "complex" gaming, which was probably the case of the first edition (The Red Book), largely due to a layout and a more that approximate, although the mechanisms of games were not nearly as complex as some were willing to write. Currently in its latest release (C&S4), the game is more complex in its mechanisms, some more modern games such as
GURPSThe Generic Universal RolePlaying System, or GURPS, is a role-playing game system designed to adapt to any imaginary gaming environment. It was created by Steve Jackson Games in 1986. GURPS won the Origins Award for Best Roleplaying Rules of 1988, and in 2000 it was inducted into the Origins Hall...
,
ShadowrunShadowrun is a pen-and-paper role-playing game set in an imaginary future where huge corporations control the lives of their employees and the return of magic has altered people, politics and power. When conflicts arise the corporations, governments, wealthy individuals and even organized crime can...
or Advanced D&D.
Editors
- Fantasy Games Unlimited
Fantasy Games Unlimited, often referred to as just FGU, is a publishing house for both table-top and role-playing games. They have no in-house design teams and rely on submitted material from outside talent.-History:...
(1, 2 and 5 edition)
- Highlander Design (3 edition)
- Brittannia Game Designs
Britannia Game Designs Ltd. is the United Kingdom company that published the fourth edition of the role-playing game Chivalry and Sorcery....
and Maple Leaf Games (C&S Light and 4 edition)
- Mystic Station Designs editor of supplements for C&S 4 ed.
Core rules
- Chevalier (1976) : preversion of C&S auto publisehd at 40 issues
- Chivalry & Sorcery (1977)
- Chivalry & Sorcery 2nd Ed. (1983)
- Chivalry & Sorcery 3rd Ed. (1997)
- Chivalry & Sorcery Light (1999)
- Chivalry & Sorcery 4th Ed. Deluxe (2000)
- Chivalry & Sorcery 4th Ed. Core Rules (2000)
- Chivalry & Sorcery 4th Ed. Magick & Miracles (2000)
- Chivalry & Sorcery 4th Ed. Gamemaster's Companion (2000)
- Chivalry & Sorcery 5th Ed. (2009)
Rules Supplements
1st edition
- Castle Plans (1977)
- Chivalry & Sorcery Sourcebook (1978)
- Swords & Sorcerers (1978)
- Bireme & Galley (1978)
- Destrier (1978)
- Fortification Plans (1978)
- Gamemaster's Shield (1980) - published by Judges Guild
- Land of the Rising Sun (1980). By Lee Gold
Lee Gold is a member of California science fiction fandom and an writer and editor in the role-playing game and filk music communities.Gold became prominent in the mid-to-late 1970s as the editor of Alarums and Excursions, a monthly amateur press association to which RPG writers have contributed...
this is a completely stand alone version of C&S 1st Edition
- Chivalry & Sorcery Sourcebook 2 (1981)
2nd edition
- Chivalry & Sorcery Sourcebook (1983)
- Chivalry & Sorcery Sourcebook 2 (1983)
3rd edition
- Game Master's Handbook (1997)
- Creatures Bestiary (1998)
- Chivalry& Sorcery Gamemaster's Shield (1998)
4th edition
- Knights' Companion (1999)
- Armourers' Companion (2000)
- Dwarves' Companion (2000)
- Elves' Companion (2000)
- The Book of Items, Vol 1 (2002) - published by Mystic Station Designs
- The Book of Vocations, Spells & Skills Vol. 1 (2002) - published by Mystic Station Designs
- The Book of Vocations, Spells & Skills Vol. 2 (2003) - published by Mystic Station Designs
- The Book of Vocations, Spells & Skills Vol. 3 (2004) - published by Mystic Station Designs
- C&S Player's Pack (2004) - published by Mystic Station Designs
- C&S Player's Pack Volume 2 (2006) - published by Mystic Station Designs
- The Game Master's Toolkit Vol. 1 (2002) - published by Mystic Station Designs
- The Game Master's toolkit Vol. 2 (2003) - published by Mystic Station Designs
- The Game Master's Toolkit Vol. 3 (2004) - published by Mystic Station Designs
- The Game Master's Toolkit Vol. 4 (2006) - published by Mystic Station Designs
- The Library of Spells (2006) - published by Mystic Station Designs
- Psionics for SkillSkape (2004) - published by Mystic Station Designs
- Great Cats for SkillSkape (2002) - published by Mystic Station Designs
- Creatures for SkillSkape Vol. 1 (2004) - published by Mystic Station Designs
- The Book of Enchanted Beings and Unusual Creatures Vol. 1 (2006) - published by Mystic Station Designs
- The Library of Spells Volume 1 (2008) - published by Mystic Station Designs
- The Book of Additional Magick (2009) - published by Mystic Station Designs
Supplements
1st edition
- Saurians (1979)
- Arden (1979)
- Land Of the Rising Sun (1981)
3rd edition
- The Dragon Reaches of Marakush (1998)
- Anderia (1998)
Adventures
1st edition
2nd edition
- The Dragon Lord (1984)
- The Songsmith (1984)
3rd edition
4th edition
- Where Heroes Fear to Tread (1999)
- Marakush Treachery (2002)
C&S Light
- Under the Castle Gates (2000)
The historical world
- Celts, vikings and Mongols in Swords and Sorcerers.
- Feudal Japan in Land of the Rising Sun
Fantasy
- Arden. A kingdom based on England set in a much larger game world (Archaeron, hinted at in an article printed in Different Worlds issue 1.)
- The world of intelligent dinosaurs in the Saurians supplement (the section dealing with the saurian Hss'Taathi is however set within the world of Archaeron).
Third Edition
- Tannoth for third edition
- The World of the Dragon Reaches of Marakush by the publishers of the current, 4th, edition Brittannia Game Designs
Britannia Game Designs Ltd. is the United Kingdom company that published the fourth edition of the role-playing game Chivalry and Sorcery....
.
None of these areas, with the exception of Marakush, have been explored in any great detail. Marakush more so than many others. With 6 books released as either world books or scenarios set directly in Marakush. There was a project to flesh out Tannoth, and another to recreate Arden and the other lands but they were not completed.
The overriding theme of Chivalry and Sorcery settings is a world where magic is rare, and whose societies mimic real-world medieval Europe. It places strong emphasis on nobility and family rank, as well as relegating magic and the supernatural to more mythical and arcane roles.
External links