What do I need for an Elric game?

[Mage]

The title says it all. I have the core book, but I am not sure what to get next, and am also on a budget.

I'm caught between Bright Shadows and the Elric Companion. While I will buy both books at some point in the future, I am on a budget. However, neither of the previews sold me on either one. Not saying that the books are bad, I do want them, but the previews were lackluster.

Does anybody have alternative suggestions? I already have a lot of books in the core RQ range, just wondering about setting specific books.

Also, is Cults of the Young Kingdoms sounds good, but its more expensive than other books in the series. I'm just curious as to how crammed and detailed it is, and the content. I like the preview.

 

[Kamelion]

Bright Shadows is good for a game set in or heavily featuring Imrryr. It's also handy if you have Melnibonean characters, as you'll get detail on their home, cults, attitudes etc. Plus it has some cool stuff on Dragon Princes. If that's not applicable to your game, you can safely skip it for now.

Elric Companion has a variety of handy bits and pieces (essays on running Elric games, rules for insanity, Elwher and the East, stuff on ships and sea-travel), some more NPCs and monsters from the saga), additional tables with features for demons, a mass-battle system and a scenario about an invasion of the Young Kingdoms. All of these things are fairly neat, but none are essential and none leap out and make the book tremble with the awesome between its pages.

Cults of the Young Kingdoms is packed (and I mean packed!) with detail. Brims with cool cults, great setting flavour and lots of neat ideas. Of course, your characters need to be interested in pursuing careers with cults (or you need to be interested in using them with lots of NPCs) to make it worth the purchase, but it does not skimp on the meat.

I would, however, also recommend Magic of the Young Kingdoms if you want to expand on magic in the game (rune magic, elemental magic, alchemy, necromancy, more detail on sorcery, dreamtheft, enchanted items and grimoires). It is excellent - one of the best books in the gameline.

And, although it is seemingly limited in scope, I was hugely impressed by Dream Realms. I got more adventure ideas out of this book than from any other. I've always liked the multiverse aspect of the Elric saga and Moorcock's other books, so this really hit the spot. It's not just about dreamthieves, although they do get solid coverage, as do the dream realms (for, like, the third time - and here the most comprehensive). You also get a look at Melnibonean dream couches and the Thousand year Dream, some awesome NPCs and creatures, an adventure based around the dream realms, and a bonus section on Tanelorn! I loved this book.

If it was just one book, however, I think I'd go with Magic of the Young Kingdoms, because it adds levels of detail to magic in the game that you need to properly reflect some of the stuff that happens in the saga. Beyond that, I think the needs of your game will determine what you get. Hit me with more questions if you have them - I've just spent a week re-reading the Elric game books and the details are all still pretty fresh .

 

[tarkhan bey]

I would personally go for the Companion of the two you mention. Bright Shadows is a good read but I think that the Companion offers more that can be ported into your game immediately(unless, of course, your characters are from or are adventuring in Melnibone). There is also the advantage of a well written adventure-"She dreams of Empires".

 

[Agonovos]

@ Kamelion: thanks for your little Infos about the Elric-Books, espescially "Bright Shadows". It is hard to find usefull Infos about it the Books. I have the "Melnibone"-Book from Chaosium still in my Shelf. Can you/somebody compare them?

@Mage:
I have the "Magic of the young Kingdoms" and the "Companion".
I would recommend the "Magic of YK" cause it is full of usefull Ideas and Things to Spice up your Elric-Games.

And try a look at the Chaosium-Site: there you can find "Seas of Fate" with an good Adventure and much more Informations about Seafaring as the "Companion" offers. In the "Companion" there are some Infos hinted but there are Cut off the Text (example there are only Carapults as War Engines for the Ships) but the Text mentions more. You find them in the "Hawkmoon"-Book or in the "Seas of Fate". There are even Tables for Events on the different Oceans of the YK.

And by Chaosium there is still "Perils of the young Kingdoms" with 5 interesting Scenarios. All Books with there Stats are with little work usefull (to 80% Compatibel cause they use earlier Versions of the Runequest-Engine).
I play with ELRIC! for 10 Years and use all Stuff, even from Mongoose.

But this is just my Opinion.

I guess Mongoose have to improve there Proofreading: there are Cuts in there Books (missing Stats/Maps in "Secret of Tragic Europe", "Castle Brass", "Elric-Companion". It is very annoying to find such Errors when you are made curious about an Topic/NSC and to find it is missing. Much is fixed via Forum by the Authors. But why no Download-Errata. Here in Germany you find much like this.