The Cheap DM is back and this time, he sets his sights on Westeros! So, are there enough free resources on the web, to provide the basic info we need to run a campaign set in this world? Without resorting to out-and-out piracy? Between the fact that I'm posting this and the new HBO series, firing things up, there's really no doubt that the answer is yes!
Sure, you can just go out and buy that expensive newfangled rpg (which is actually reasonably priced for the print version, but I'm trying to stay in character, here). Or, read the books and pull out the info for yourself. But, they may not be practical, desirable or doable, for all sorts of reasons! Besides, many of my reader's will have no use for the d20 game info, so why pay for all of that? We can do our own stats. We just need setting. That's why the Cheap DM is here!
We need maps, ones that are good enough, so that they'll at least look ok, printed out. A Gazetteer, so that when the players point to a location on the map and say "what's that?", we'll at least have some sort of an answer. Some history. The gods. And, considering the setting, as much NPC info as we can get! Whatever other info we can find, to help out, as well.
It's been a while since I've done one of these, so let's take a quick look back at previous entries in the series:
- Conan and the Cheap DM provided everything we needed to put together a campaign set in Hyboria. Indeed, there was so much useful stuff out there, that I posted a part II. (The title of the post was a reference to some of the Tor Pastich books, "Conan and the Grim Grey God," etc. I kept the joke going, for the follow-up entries in the series.)
- Prof. Tolkien and the Cheap DM was no sweat, at all! There's a ton of awesome material for us to plunder! Much more than enough, to make running a campaign set in Middle-Earth, easy!
- Zagyg and the Cheap DM was, thanks to all the wonderful Greyhawk devotees on the web, a piece of cake!
- Elminster and the Cheap DM was a bit tougher! The vast majority of the Forgotten Realms sites, which were once so numerous, are gone. But, thanks to a few, comprehensive sources, we were good to go!
Now, let's get started on Westeros!
Warning! You may encounter spoilers, so, if you aren't up to date on the novels, you might want to be careful.
Allright! I'll admit it! I chose an easy target, this time. I had another one in mind, which, while doable, was just barely so and left me unsatisfied. I might go back and see what else I can dig up for that one.
A Game of Thrones.net. From the about page:
Now, we can declare victory right here, but let's go for the overkill! We might find some better, cooler, stuff. Or, at the least, have some more fun!
Ooh! Look at this. Westeros: The Song of Ice and Fire Domain. A Wiki, a Concordance (for more in-depth coverage of topics), Heraldry, Maps. Plenty of stuff to scarf up.
A hexmap, is called for. John at Campaign Mastery did a review of Hexographer. Featured in his article, is a hexmap of Westeros done with the program. Click and expand. It's huge. No number labels, though.
The Song of Ice and Fire Animated Timeline Map site may be of use. If you go to the faq, there's a link to download the really nice map used.
The Illustrated Guide to Houses & Character Relationships will help you keep all those damn npc's straight!
As you might expect, HBO has some material available. Including this downloadable viewer's guide. Some pretty pictures and a nice map.
Granted, the thrust of this post is telling Green Ronin to suck it (no offense, GR,) but you might find their A Song of Ice and Fire free quick-start, useful.
And, as you might expect, Wikipedia has some nice overview info.
I'm sure there's more out there, but this will suffice to run a campaign and let you devote your hard earned cash, where information is more scarce. Like Tekumel, or something.
Warning! You may encounter spoilers, so, if you aren't up to date on the novels, you might want to be careful.
Allright! I'll admit it! I chose an easy target, this time. I had another one in mind, which, while doable, was just barely so and left me unsatisfied. I might go back and see what else I can dig up for that one.
A Game of Thrones.net. From the about page:
Game of Thrones.NET is a persistent role playing game world built upon the Neverwinter Nights 2 engine that is based upon the best selling novel, A Game of Thrones, by George R. R. Martin. It is a permadeath world in which players play a preeminent role in the evolution of the world through the actions of their characters.Ok. What matters to us here, is that it's got a ton of info and maps! Really, everything we need and then some! Click on the various sections and then, most of the listings have more pages, nested within. I mention this because the pages are brown on brown and an eyesore! Pretty much every word that you have to nose up to your monitor to read, is a link to more detailed info! The whole thing is quite thorough, though I can't vouch for how accurate it all is. The author(s) state their devotion to adhering to canon, so there you go. There's gazetteer info, maps, npc's, religion, culture, etc., etc., etc! Someones put a shitload of work into this site! I love gamers, I really do! Nice, huge, expandable maps! For the d20 players, there's game mechanics, prestige classes and what not.
Now, we can declare victory right here, but let's go for the overkill! We might find some better, cooler, stuff. Or, at the least, have some more fun!
Ooh! Look at this. Westeros: The Song of Ice and Fire Domain. A Wiki, a Concordance (for more in-depth coverage of topics), Heraldry, Maps. Plenty of stuff to scarf up.
A hexmap, is called for. John at Campaign Mastery did a review of Hexographer. Featured in his article, is a hexmap of Westeros done with the program. Click and expand. It's huge. No number labels, though.
The Song of Ice and Fire Animated Timeline Map site may be of use. If you go to the faq, there's a link to download the really nice map used.
The Illustrated Guide to Houses & Character Relationships will help you keep all those damn npc's straight!
As you might expect, HBO has some material available. Including this downloadable viewer's guide. Some pretty pictures and a nice map.
Granted, the thrust of this post is telling Green Ronin to suck it (no offense, GR,) but you might find their A Song of Ice and Fire free quick-start, useful.
And, as you might expect, Wikipedia has some nice overview info.
I'm sure there's more out there, but this will suffice to run a campaign and let you devote your hard earned cash, where information is more scarce. Like Tekumel, or something.
