Pyramid Review
The Deryni Adventure Game
Published by Grey Ghost Press, Inc.
Written by Aaron Rosenberg, Ann Dupuis, Melissa Houle, Jennifer Brinn, Sharon Cohen, James A. Davis, Steve Kenson, Melinda Sherbring, & Doyce Testerman
Edited by Nancy Berman, Ann Dupuis, Melissa Houle, & Katherine Kurtz
Art, graphics by James A. Davis, Ann Dupuis, Michael Herring, Daniel M. Davis, & Martine Lynch
256-page b&w hardcover; $39.99
Low fantasy isn't a subject that gets a lot of treatment in RPGs these days. If it doesn't sport ancient dragons, magic that can level a castle, and gods enough to fill an amphitheatre, your swords-and-slight-sorcery book is probably going to be stuck on a deep circle of niche-product hell. But what if you license yourself into a built-in audience? It might work for The Deryni Adventure Game.
Using the FUDGE system, Grey Ghost Press brings Katherine Kurtz's world to the tabletop. In her Deryni stories, we see an off-kilter version of our own medieval past (the part running between the 9th and 12th centuries, anyway). The Eleven Kingdoms are centered on pseudo-Europe, but the action in the series also drifts to the Middle East and such now and then. There are court intrigues, military actions, and romantic encounters, but the catalyst for many of these tales is the Deryni -- a race of humans who possess the gift of magic.
The standard witch-hunt is therefore a deadly reality. The Church rails against them, the Crown has a potential . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: July 14, 2006
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