Friday, June 14, 2013

City-States part Two

Another interesting thing is the nature of the city states themselves.   Both the Invincible Overlord and the World Emperor are evil in alignment.   But, the population of both cities are thoroughly mixed in alignment.  Perhaps, if the books ahd come out later, the Invincible Overlord might have been switched from LE to LN  (he's described as LE with good tendencies).   The world emperor is evil, but completely detached (and green to boot).

Both states are surrounded by wilderness areas of course.  The World Emperor set has a hex map of the surrounding area and detailed descriptions of lairs, villages, castles etc.   The Overlord set is less forthcoming, only detailing things directly butting up on the city walls.

The most baffling thing about Invincible Overlord is the claim on the cover that "10 dungeon levels included".  Sure enough there are 10 dungeon level maps in the book.  But, I'll be dipped if I can find any key to the maps or any clue as to where theses dungeons are meant to be found and used.

Both city states have complex systems of social status and urban encounters in them (including rules for verbal smackdowns).  These are very different than things we'd see today.

The two cities, together with "Wilderlands of High Fantasy"---a series of outdoor hex maps of the entire continental area where both city states are located would be a useful campaign area, but it has a very strange vibe to it.

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