M Helsdon Posted August 24, 2020 Share Posted August 24, 2020 (edited) Now up for sale. Men of the West The timeless appeal of the legends of the Hero Wars has resulted in an enduring interest in the period. Surviving texts, supplemented by archaeological evidence, are used here as the basis of this reconstruction of the combatants of the initial phases of that world-shattering conflict. This volume is a companion to The Armies and Enemies of Dragon Pass. Many mercenaries and adventurers from the West have been drawn to the conflict in Dragon Pass. Their homelands of Seshnela, Fronela, and Ralios are also fighting their own Hero Wars. Seshnela strives to impose the ambition of One God, One King, One Empire on the divided city-states and kingdoms of Ralios, where many look to the long-prophesied return of the hero Arkat for their salvation. In Fronela the idealists of Loskalm must confront the bloodthirsty armies of the Kingdom of War raging across the land bringing destruction and death. And there are yet more threats and perils. This book presents details of the warriors, soldiers and mercenaries fighting during opening periods of the Hero Wars, their arms and armor, their ships, their cultures, histories and organization, terrain, the battlefields on which they fought, their fortifications, their magic, and their religions. Army Lists provide details of some of the regiments which fought in these epic conflicts, supplemented by numerous illustrations of the participants. Warning: adult themes - some aspects of Bronze Age warfare may be distressing. There is also a description of Gloranthan sorcery. Note: The Armies and Enemies of Dragon Pass provides details of arms and armor, formations and many other things useful to the reader. https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/325525/Men-of-the-West?src=newest_community Edited August 24, 2020 by M Helsdon 21 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minlister Posted August 24, 2020 Share Posted August 24, 2020 Congratulations!! And many thanks for the beautiful work! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M Helsdon Posted August 24, 2020 Author Share Posted August 24, 2020 1 hour ago, Minlister said: Congratulations!! And many thanks for the beautiful work! Thank you. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pachristian Posted August 24, 2020 Share Posted August 24, 2020 Saw it. Bought it. Reading now. Thank you for producing these books, they're a priceless resource. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M Helsdon Posted August 24, 2020 Author Share Posted August 24, 2020 30 minutes ago, pachristian said: Saw it. Bought it. Reading now. Thank you for producing these books, they're a priceless resource. They aren't canonical... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dissolv Posted August 24, 2020 Share Posted August 24, 2020 Sweet! Purchased. I've been eyeing the Gripping Beast Late Roman Cataphracts as a possible chain mail free option for the men of the west. When I've got a chance to read through it carefully I'll try to figure out what may or may not best for the figures! POD would still be something I am interested in, but I take it that ship has sailed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard S. Posted August 24, 2020 Share Posted August 24, 2020 (edited) 30 minutes ago, M Helsdon said: They aren't canonical... Maybe not officially, but they're so well done and in depth compared to what we had that they might as well be! My future campaigns will probably use your material heavily as a resource. Edited August 24, 2020 by Richard S. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lordabdul Posted August 24, 2020 Share Posted August 24, 2020 (edited) 38 minutes ago, M Helsdon said: They aren't canonical... Doesn't mean they aren't super super useful Congrats on the new release! It's going into my next batch DTRPG purchase. Edited August 24, 2020 by lordabdul Quote Ludovic aka Lordabdul -- read and listen to The God Learners , the Gloranthan podcast, newsletter, & blog ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minlister Posted August 25, 2020 Share Posted August 25, 2020 I confess I was never really interested in the West, but this book could convert me! Of course the art is splendid (the Pralori mercenary, p. 139 may be my favourite!) but the text is also a gold mine of information! Let's hope future canon books will build on this one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Brooke Posted August 25, 2020 Share Posted August 25, 2020 Congratulations on writing the #1 bestseller on DriveThruRPG! Quote Community Ambassador - Jonstown Compendium, Chaosium, Inc. Email: nick.brooke@chaosium.com for community content queries Jonstown Compendium ⧖ Facebook Ф Twitter † old website Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M Helsdon Posted August 25, 2020 Author Share Posted August 25, 2020 12 hours ago, lordabdul said: Doesn't mean they aren't super super useful Congrats on the new release! It's going into my next batch DTRPG purchase. Thank you. 1 hour ago, Minlister said: I confess I was never really interested in the West, but this book could convert me! Of course the art is splendid (the Pralori mercenary, p. 139 may be my favourite!) but the text is also a gold mine of information! Let's hope future canon books will build on this one! Before I started, I was a little cool on the West, but the further you dig the more interesting it becomes. Be warned that whilst it is based on canon, some old (some very old) material was used, though that is often flagged in some way, and the rest was... made up. 15 minutes ago, Nick Brooke said: Congratulations on writing the #1 bestseller on DriveThruRPG! Thank you. I am very surprised. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minlister Posted August 25, 2020 Share Posted August 25, 2020 Quote the rest was... made up. Well, this is such stuff / As dreams are made on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dissolv Posted August 25, 2020 Share Posted August 25, 2020 2 hours ago, M Helsdon said: Be warned that whilst it is based on canon, some old (some very old) material was used, though that is often flagged in some way, and the rest was... made up. Lol. It's all made up! I appreciate the work on a number of levels. A big one is simply a skeleton of how the West works, so that if my players ever get a hankering to go there, or a plot arc comes up that makes sense for the lands of Ralios or such to appear, then I've got at least this, plus the Guide to work something out. That's far, far more than I've had for years, and we had a sorcerer from Ralios as soon as 3rd Ed. dropped. I scrambled, and it worked out, but the homeland always remained annoyingly undefined. Sometimes you just need *something*. My original take on the land west of the Holy Country was a giant savage forest full of Picts. (RQ2 book only) This made for a fun adventure, but when it was later shown to be wrong, it required a lot of furious backpedaling. Plausibly close is still extremely useful to all the GM's out there. Thanks! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M Helsdon Posted August 25, 2020 Author Share Posted August 25, 2020 (edited) 21 hours ago, Dissolv said: Sweet! Purchased. I've been eyeing the Gripping Beast Late Roman Cataphracts as a possible chain mail free option for the men of the west. When I've got a chance to read through it carefully I'll try to figure out what may or may not best for the figures! There are a number of makes of potentially useful figures. Personally, I see Parthian and Sassanid cataphracts as a reasonably close fit, and there are a number of manufacturers. Sarmatians, Bactrians, as well. Edited August 25, 2020 by M Helsdon 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g33k Posted August 26, 2020 Share Posted August 26, 2020 On 8/24/2020 at 2:35 PM, M Helsdon said: They aren't canonical... 🥰 They are... hrmm... shall we say, "less non-canonical" ... than any other source we have available! 😇 😁 Quote C'es ne pas un .sig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M Helsdon Posted August 27, 2020 Author Share Posted August 27, 2020 Well, it's now Copper on DriveThruRPG. Am a little surprised as the West is probably a niche of a niche. Not certain there will be another in this series, as for other regions my available information is basically the Guide and perhaps one or two of the Stafford Library books, so less easy to work in, without copying. In comparison, the center of Genertela had masses of sources, and the West, whilst less developed, isn't short of 'seed' material. Other regions, for my purposes, far less so. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir_Godspeed Posted August 27, 2020 Share Posted August 27, 2020 Well, if nothing else, you've certainly deserved a break! ^^ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M Helsdon Posted August 27, 2020 Author Share Posted August 27, 2020 Just been sketching Gloranthan graffiti, and mentioned to the recipient that I'd used a pad and ink, and was asked what application Ink is... I suddenly feel very old, but then I draw using tech that isn't that different to that used by an Ancient Egyptian scribe. 3 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joerg Posted August 27, 2020 Share Posted August 27, 2020 On 8/25/2020 at 12:14 AM, lordabdul said: Doesn't mean they aren't super super useful Congrats on the new release! It's going into my next batch DTRPG purchase. It actually triggered mine... Quote Telling how it is excessive verbis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brootse Posted August 27, 2020 Share Posted August 27, 2020 Congratulations! Any new projects on the horizon? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M Helsdon Posted August 27, 2020 Author Share Posted August 27, 2020 10 minutes ago, Brootse said: Congratulations! Any new projects on the horizon? Nothing at present. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M Helsdon Posted September 3, 2020 Author Share Posted September 3, 2020 Now at silver. https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/325525/Men-of-the-West?affiliate_id=2310005 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pachristian Posted October 12, 2020 Share Posted October 12, 2020 On 8/24/2020 at 2:35 PM, M Helsdon said: They aren't canonical... They are in my game. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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