"ROAD OF KINGS" IS ROAD TO ADVENTURE!

[Anonymous]

Just wanted to give kudos to the folks at Mongoose and Vincent Darlage for putting out such an awesome reference book for the Conan rpg!

This is a reference manual that gamemasters and fan's of Conan should cherish forever. Great source material, realistic facts, exciting information, etc. all make for an "10" on the scale of 1 to 10!

Recommend it to your friends and neighbors and buy extra's for x-mas stocking stuffers. LOL Wow, I sound like an advertisement for Mongoose!

Seriously, from a fan of Conan, Howard and roleplaying, this is an excellent sourcebook which is well thought out and researched, with little errors that I can find.

Awesome!

Eric in Vegas

May the Blue Flame guide our hands, enlighten our minds...and burn our enemies to Arallu.

 

[Qjedi]

I liked the way that material was drawn from many different "apocryphal" sources, and the quotes given from authors like DeCamp and Roberts. In particular I like the way they kept Kordava to the way it was written by Karl Edward Wagner in Conan and the Road of Kings, but I do wish there had been a couple of things that will be sorely missed.
A) An index. 'Nuff said on that.
B) A Bibliography of books referenced.
C) The rapier weapon description for the Zingarans, dangit!
All in all, it is a great book, with fairly well done editing and depth of material. It is a good addition to any fans collection of Conan books and lexicons and practically required for players of the RPG.

Thanks, guys. You put a lot of work into this, and it shows.
Later!

 

[Anonymous]

RoK is a terrific game resource. I really love the way that the material is covered, encylopedia like, using all of the vast resources available and citing them. I got a lot of great ideas from reading just the Brythunia chapter. I can now create whole campaigns in any one of the kingdoms covered in the book. The chapter on Kush and the Black Kingdoms really wet my appetite for running something in that region, a source book for a more in depth look at that region would be very cool.

The Maps are awsome, great job on this book.

 

[Morpheus]

I can't wait until my copy arrives from FRPgames sometime Monday or Tuesday... 8)

 

[E Nicely]

I love RoK. Bought it last night which was the night of my Conan game and put it right to use. I was intending for the players to head north from Koth (where last night's sesson ended) but this awesome book has already given me some new ideas, might have to make a few detours.

Loved the wheel on pg.188 with the years listed (in order?-Dragon, Cobra, Turtle, Wildcat, ect.). The smaller maps detailing one or two countries were excellent. Cimmerian clans listed-how cool is that? 8) Mr. DeLarge, you've done a great job, one of the best supplemental gaming books I've bought in quite a while.

 

[Broccoli_Head]

Can't wait to get mine!

 

[Morpheus]

Got my copy today. Pretty solid info that is going to help me make my Conan game better.

 

[Mythos]

I've been reading through my copy for the last week, and I have to second everything that has been been posted here.
However, I have one question/problem. Where are the maps for; Argos, Zingara, and the Pictish Wilderness?

I can understand if no detailed map was created for the Picts. that would allow GM's the chance to create their own versions. The lack of maps for the other two is a problem. Both were given excellent detailed write ups, both follow the format of the other nations, I just cannot find their maps anywhere.

 

[FTracer]

waiting....on....walmart.com...to ship MINE!!!! They've still got the wrong title and it's been "processing" for weeks now.

 

[Arkobla Conn]

I've been reading through my copy for the last week, and I have to second everything that has been been posted here.
However, I have one question/problem. Where are the maps for; Argos, Zingara, and the Pictish Wilderness?

I can understand if no detailed map was created for the Picts. that would allow GM's the chance to create their own versions. The lack of maps for the other two is a problem. Both were given excellent detailed write ups, both follow the format of the other nations, I just cannot find their maps anywhere.

I'd have to agree here. My game is based in Zingara right now and imagine my dismay when I found that it, and several others did not have localized maps....why?

Otherwise, the book is brilliant

 

[Old Bear]

Problem regarding maps was that we had a finite number that could be done in the timescale available. Clayton Bunce, our top cartographer was also working on Lone Wolf maps as well. We had to makke a call on what maps to put in and something had to give.

Rest assured that more maps will be available as we do more source books, if for no other reason than I want to collect them myself!

 

[BhilJhoanz]

Rest assured that more maps will be available as we do more source books, if for no other reason than I want to collect them myself!

Translated: Argos and Zingara will be available in Pirate Isles

Got mine yesterday and despite having access to the material and the man (Vince is my GM) for several months, seeing it all in print is quite spectacular. Mongoose dod a great job on the layout and formatting -- it's all very clear and well organized.

 

[urdinaran]

I got my copy a few days ago and just started reading it in bits and pieces. I think its a great book so far. The only thing that I noticed is that in both the Nemedia and Brythunia sections it says that the Yellow river flows to the north into the Great Salt Marsh, but when you look at the map, it looks like it connects to the rivers in Aquilonia (don't have my book in front of me) and thus flow to the coast. Help on this one?

 

[VincentDarlage]

The only thing that I noticed is that in both the Nemedia and Brythunia sections it says that the Yellow river flows to the north into the Great Salt Marsh, but when you look at the map, it looks like it connects to the rivers in Aquilonia (don't have my book in front of me) and thus flow to the coast. Help on this one?

This is what happens when you have multiple authors working independently of each other, and a cartographer has to do his best with conflicting resources. Essentially, some of the early pastiches and research indicate that the Yellow River drains into the Great Salt Marsh.... however, some of the old Savage Sword comics had Conan escaping Nemedia (but for reasons too complicated to go into here must have actually happened in Brythunia) via the sea. Nemedia (and Brythunia) are both landlocked. Therefore, Marvel's map makers, not realizing the prior decision that the Yellow flowed north, connected the Yellow to the southern rivers so they could say Conan fled Nemedia (or Brythunia) via this chain of rivers to Argos, where he then made his way to the sea.

Those maps are often the basis of more modern maps, and since Howard didn't say much of anything about the Yellow River, who is to say which pastiche is correct? The hardest part about writing Road of Kings was the conflicting information found in the various pastiches, comics and existing maps (many of which are simply wrong and riddled with errors) found in these pastiches and comics. It is right to say the Yellow River flows south, because according to some pastiches it does; it is also correct to say it flows north, because according to some pastiches it does just that.

That is the complicated answer. The easy answer is just pick which one you like, and go with it.

 

[thulsa]

Hi,

noticed the inclusion of Ong and the Desert of Yondo, located in Zamora.

Wasn't this an invention of Clark Ashton Smith in his Zothique cycle (which is supposed to be in the far future) ? Has Ong/Yondo appeared in some of the pastiches or in the comics?

- thulsa

 

[VincentDarlage]

Wasn't this an invention of Clark Ashton Smith in his Zothique cycle (which is supposed to be in the far future) ? Has Ong/Yondo appeared in some of the pastiches or in the comics?

- thulsa

Yes and yes. Roy Thomas used quite a bit of Clark Ashton Smith's material in the short-lived "Conan the Adventurer" comic book. Issue 11, for example, was titled 'The Inquisitors of Ong' way back in 1995.

 

[Jason Durall]

I'm waiting on my comp copy, as I'm trying to save money and can't justify splurging on a copy in addition to the comp copy.

Mongoose - any news when the playtesters will be getting their copies?