Legends of Steel: Shadows of Yar: the Tone of the Campaign

When I start a campaign, I always create a document for the players that gives them a basic introduction to the tone of the campaign and concepts that they should expect.

In 2011 and 2012, I ran a year long campaign based on the sword and sorcery world of Legends of Steel. We played a total of 23 sessions.

Here is a document that I created for my group at the very beginning of the campaign. It explained the tone of the campaign and what the PCs could expect.

Legends of Steel: Shadows of Yar

Tone
 

Swords and Sorcery

The PCs are all human. Most of your opponents will be other humans.

Treasure and equipment is easy come, easy go. You'll spend more money carousing and gambling than you will on mundane gear and supplies.

Clothing is optional. Loin cloths and chain mail bikinis (yeah, baby, yeah!) provide just as much protection as full plate.

Surrendering is ok. This goes against everything we believe in as gamers, but it works for this genre. Villains don’t kill heroes immediately. They take them back to their lair (which the heroes wanted to find anyway) for sacrifice or torture. This allows for a cinematic escape, complete with a rescue of the kidnapped princess. Oh, and you get to draw a Fate Chip for surrendering.

Elements of the Fantastic

Legends of Steel is a low magic world. Still, PCs can cast spells. Wizards can summon demons. Witches can brew potions in bubbling cauldrons. However, flashy spells that cause damage or powerful spells like those that can raise the dead are almost unknown. Spellcasting is slow and ritualistic.

Magic items are rare and always unique. Do not expect a village priest to have a potions of healing ready for you. Wizards do not have a scroll or wand for every occasion.

Legendary monsters will make an occasional appearance.

Heroes

In Legends of Steel, you should act heroically. You don't have to be “Good,” but you are most definitely not“Evil.” You don’t hurt the helpless or take advantage of the weak.

To quote the author of Legends of Steel, “The heroes of Sword & Sorcery tales were warriors and rogues, but not murderers and violators of the innocent. Such behavior should be for lesser men, and discouraged by the GM as it is eventually destructive to the spirit of the game.”