Akbitanan vs Atlantean vs Cimmerian

[Supplement Four]

It seems strange to me that, in a game set in Conan's world, that there isn't any big who-do made about Cimmerian steel.

Aren't Cimmerians known for their craftsmanship and their weapons? Isn't Cimmerian steel weapons sought after?

Or, is that really just a pastiche/movie "thing"?



And...what about ancient Atlantean weapons? Again, is this just a pastiche/movie "thing"?



I was thinking that, in my campaign, the good Cimmerian smiths would produce weapons using the High Quality rules. That really doesn't make them that special, I know, except to say that Cimmeria produces a lot of master-smiths.

But, what about Atlantean steel? I'm almost of a mind to make found Atlantean weapons much more rare, but a step better than, Akbitanan weapons. That would mean Atlantean weapons: grant an enchantment of +2 to attack rolls and +3 to Armor Piercing. Furthermore, they have 2 times the usual Hardness and three times the Hit Points for the weapon type. An Atlantean weapon would be not be available on the open market at all, but if one did find a person who owned one, getting it for ten times the weapon's usual price would be a true bargain.

What are your thoughts on this?

 

[LucaCherstich]

Aren't Cimmerians known for their craftsmanship and their weapons? Isn't Cimmerian steel weapons sought after?

Or, is that really just a pastiche/movie "thing"?

I think this is something from the John Milius Conan movie.
As far as I know REH did not write much about Cimmeria (other than the poem and few details about Cimmerian gloomliness here and there...).

Maybe it could be from some book pastiches.
I must confess that while I've read all of the REH original stories more than once, my knowledge of Conan conantics is pretty poor (when I was young here in Italy they were not widely translated).

In any case, if you really want Cimmerian weapons to be good, I think they should be good only for other barbarians (e.g. the Vanir raiding Conan's village in the movie).

I do not see the point of a civilized army (e.g. Aquilonians) raiding Cimmerian villages only for weapons....

"Technology" and "resources" are a serious issues here.

The advanced Hyborian cities could have the resources for builing higher technology furnaces and kilns operated by the best weaponsmiths.
Aquilonia has whole legions of soldiers: this means a firm tradition of weaponsmithing.
Maybe these furnaces and weaponsmithing techniques are not as good as Akbitanan ones...but certainly better than "homemade" rough furnaces in small barbarian villages.

 

[Jotenbjorn]

Personally I hate the rules for Akbitanan weapons, it's ridiculous that there's only one city in the entire known world that has craftsman capable of producing high quality weapons.

 

[Clovenhoof]

Yeah, in our game "Akbitan" is just "Masterwork"; it takes specially refined steel but that exists in various places all over the world. But that can still be used as an adventure hook.

 

[kintire]

Or, is that really just a pastiche/movie "thing"?

Cimmerian steel is from the movie. The implication is that Cimmerians can make steel weapons, but not of any unique quality. Conan cheerfully uses any weapon he can get his hands on.

Howard's Atlantis does not seem to have been the kind of highly advanced civilisation that produces superior steel: they were barbarians. Advanced barbarians, but barbarians. VALUSIAN steel might be worth something though...

 

[rabindranath72]

Akbitan is just one place (the most renown); it need not be the only one.

 

[strategos14]

in the middle ages, Damascan steel was highly prized. Probably because of the high number of good smiths that output good weapons and not because of a special kind of iron found in the Damscas's backyard. I think in Hyboria, you can find weapons of Akibitan quality elsewhere but it would be forged by Bob the Smith from the kingdom of Bumbledorf.
As far as Cimmeria is concerned, doesn't say in one of the books that some Cimmerians are still using primitive type weapons? The Cimmerian source book maybe?

 

[tarkhan bey]

I believe that Toledo steel was also highly regarded. Zingara perhaps?

 

[Supplement Four]

FYI, for those interested, Atlantean steel is given a large section in the Barbaric Treasures book.

 

[strategos14]

hey Supp. how many of those Barbaric books are there? we have 3 i think.

 

[Supplement Four]

hey Supp. how many of those Barbaric books are there? we have 3 i think.

You've got all three of them, then. The Barbaric Warrior, Barbaric Treasures, and The Barbaric Sorcerer.

For those of you who don't have these three books, I highly recommend them. They are specifically written for the Conan RPG by a third party publisher, and they are well written and extremely useful.

I like them a lot.

 

[strategos14]

i concur with supp. all 3 good and have been used a lot