This article originally appeared in d20 Weekly
The Last Days of Constantinople
Published by Avalanche Press
Written by Mike Bennighof
48 pages; $9.95 ($4.95 during "Summer Sacrifice Sale")
Avalanche Press is hosting a "Summer Sacrifice Sale" on their website to make room for the forthcoming release of Celtic Age. Among the items being sold off at half price is The Last Days of Constantinople, the adventure that kick-started their line of historical d20 supplements. So the question becomes, is Last Days worth running out and purchasing before stocks run dry?
Our own history can provide some of the most epic and exciting roleplaying experiences, as both Steve Jackson Games and Green Knight Publishing have long since discovered. Sure, it's dramatic for the PCs to be defending the walls of a city in your high-fantasy campaign, but it's far more memorable when the city in question is Constantinople, the heart of the Byzantine Empire. Avalanche Press obviously banked on the hope that more than just a select group of history geeks agree with this statement.
The time is April, 1453. Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire and the last bastion of this once-mighty power and of Rome's ancient legacy, is besieged by a horde of Turks. The epic defense by a few thousand desperate soldiers against an army over 100,000 strong was one of the heroic feats in history. With this book, players can play a prominent role in this turning point in history.
The book begins with a short background, providing historical information in an effort . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: July 17, 2002
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