So tomorrow Pendragon 6th edition is finally released; it’s been a while since the release of the boxed starter set, and on Reddit people have commented on how little fanfare Chaosium are using launching this, the “definitive” edition of Pendragon and the last created by author Greg Stafford in his lifetime. So was it worth the wait?
I’d say yes, absolutely. This may be the 6th edition (the 2nd was a reprint of the boxed set, and a new edition in publishing terms not how roleplaying gamers tend to use the phrase) — but very little has changed in all those editions. The game is still much the same as the boxed version I bought in 1985, and that came to play an important role in my life in 1986 and the first half of 1987. Any long term fan will recognise the mechanics as very much the same as always, though there are a few modifications that are noticeable, and sensible.
The dice system is still the same though using mainly a twenty sided dice and six sided dice rolled only for damage, you still play a knight at King Arthur’s Court and strive to gain glory, woo maidens, marry someone with vast tracts of land and raise healthy sons to take over when the passage of years takes your character out of play – or more likely they die on the battlefield or fighting some horror in the wilderness.
I own 1st (two copies!), 3rd, 4th, 5th, 5.1 and 5.2 already, but I have not really successfully run Pendragon since the 1980s, barring a short campaign in the 90s. It is notable that Sir Julian who joked with the Devil and Sir John deGrace may live on, but the players Julian Wheeler and John Bull have died. Memories of games we shared are precious. Now the passing of time in the game where each session sees a year pass and as the years fly by friends age and die seems much more poignant than when I first picked up the game, on the edge of seventeen.
Still I’ve always bought everything for Pendragon, and I can tell you about each edition. I won’t: I’m really hoping this one appeals to a new generation of players, and to them the past versions don’t matter. Suffice to say you could use any previous material with this edition without any need for more than superficial changes detailed in the core book. David Larkin’s design blogs tell you everything you need to know: if you bought the Starter Set you already know what’s different.
The game is set in the world of Mallory’s Morte d’ Arthur: nowadays its easy to find cheap or free online modern language versions. (I’d also recommend Phyllis Ann Karr’s King Arthur Companion which you can probably buy second hand). Any version of Arthurian myth from Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Mists of Avalon to Prince Valiant could probably form the basis for a campaign; you could explore medieval romances like Parzival or Le Roman de Perceforest (Design Mechanism have a supplement for a different system), and a few years ago a Carolingian version called Paladin was released. The version of the Arthurian myth you and your Gamesmaster explore will vary from group to group — Your Pendragon Will Vary.
The new edition is a large pretty book, but lighter than most Chaosium books. It’s printed on thick paper stock, not glossy (and more recyclable?) and it was a definite surprise when I opened the book to the vellum coloured pages. It is a definite change in style from the 5th edition versions (of which there were three) but I think I like it now.
The artwork is extremely bright colourful and vivid, with medieval manuscript marginalia style creatures and images that are lovely, and some really vibrant glorious coloured ink full page pieces. I love the art but that’s a very subjective thing.
The book was printed in Poland; I’m used to rpg companies using China and some Lithuania but this is the first rpg book I believe I’ve seen from Poland. It’s a high quality hardback and I welcome more local printing and suspect we will see more companies printing in Europe and America in the future as shipping costs continue to rise.
So why should you play this game? It puts personality, passions and your characters story in to the mechanics; who you love, where you fear or hate an enemy, the struggle between kindness (merciful) and cruelty, the desire for justice versus arbitrary self serving decisions and so forth. It mirrors the literature — everyone plays a knight, so what distinguishes you is your personality and actions. For some people they miss the diversity of character classes and monsters — but this is a game about knights.
In the 1980s the mechanics were revolutionary; now Greg Stafford’s insight that the mechanics should reflect the theme and play style of the game is generally understood by designers. The Pendragon Campaign is designed to play over a multi generational arc – you don’t have to play that way, and while for me Pendragon has always started in 485 or 495 in the reign of Uther Pendragon, the default setting is now 508 as the sword in the stone approaches. The core King Arthur period has been put up front. Other games have tried the year passing between adventures framework – Ars Magica most notably – but none have done it to the extent Pendragon did, and it was probably a reason metaplot dominated the rpg scene of the 1990s, as games settings were expected to evolve over time. (Cyberpunk and Shadow run are still doing it?)
So should you buy this book? My copy was forty pounds at UK Games Expo, and the first sale of the day as I was waiting at the stall as the convention opened having helped set up the night before. If you like roleplaying games, the Arthurian legends, romance knights and Chivalry yes absokutely. You certainly should buy the excellent Starter Set which will teach you the rules, background and allow you to run group adventures first though.
The good news is there are more books coming: the Gamemasters Book, Knights and Ladies Adventurous, the Nobles Book, and the Pendragon Campaign are all mentioned in the core book. Classic Pendragon adventures are available in pdf to buy, and the game has a small but vocal fan base.
So why do I love it so much? Traveller was my first rpg; I messed around with D&D but never got in to it and then I ran Call of Cthulhu for years. The first successful rpg campaign I ever ran was Pendragon though; my parents would go out and the house would be filled with my players, and the Nameless Anarchist Horde would travel the paths of the Forest Sauvage in search of adventure, woo fair maidens and fight the Saxon invasion. My dog Wogan loved the games and would run around sniffing the players, and we told epic stories of bright adventure.
In 1987 we split and went our separate ways to work or college, and I actually stopped roleplaying for three whole years as my attempts to court ladies became less theoretical and I failed my Temperance roll and took to drinking in the SU Bar. Still those sessions of Pendragon had given me a taste for romance, adventure, and living life as heroically as possible — and the quest for glory propelled me to some strange places!
Pendragon is a game that was very important to me; I hope this new edition will inspire many more young people to quest for the hard to find treasures in this enchanted realm.
"And sometimes he's so nameless" 
Pendragon is a game very dear to my heart. I brought 4th edition as teenager, and got amazing marks for some a-level coursework (we were doing Tennyson’s Morte d’ Arthur, and Pendragon gave me the deeper grasp of Arthurian myth that everyone else in the class lacked).
Glad to see it’s still alive.
Personally I think it’s a shame the groundbreaking freeform magic system from 4th edition got cut (I get it’s being a druid/priest is not the heart of the game, but the other editions could have included it as a supplement).
I suspect we’re of a similar age. However, Pendragon was one of those games that I somehow never managed to get to the table. I’ve always been aware of it and interested in it but time has always been so short. Maybe this most recent incarnation is the time. You’ve given me a bit of a rabbit hole to wander down. Cheers.