Circa 1978, I encountered something life-changing: tabletop role-playing games. Specifically, it was 1st edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. When my friend (and DM) Kevin got the Dungeon Masters Guide in 1979, I longed to switch which side of the screen I was on. While I loved it as a player, the idea of creating and managing a world was even more appealing.⚔
With cost as a major barrier, one of the first tools I got was The Rogues Gallery—a book of imagined individuals that I could plug into the adventures I created. It was a great idea for a book, in theory. It contained many statistics about the people I might include in my adventure, but it told me nothing about their personalities. For me, that was its critical fail.
For the next 40 years I considered writing my own version. By this time I had discovered what's now called Old-School Revival, and my favourite system in that genre is the Basic Fantasy Role-Playing Game—an open source retro-clone of 1981 Moldvay-Cook Basic & Expert D&D. So, I started writing.
My book varies from its original inspiration in three ways:
- First, it throws away the odd spreadsheet design in favour of a more "monster book" arrangement. Characters of the four standard classes are described by mini-biographies, stats, and equipment, and arranged from levels 1 to 9.
- Second, their physical characteristics are specified only in cases where it is pertinent. For the most part, the descriptions are historical and psychological in nature. How you imagine them is up to you, but the way they behave is strongly suggested.
- Third, rather than existing as complete strangers in isolation, they are part of a shared reality. As I say in the book's introduction:
This is not a tome of random, disconnected individuals. To me, that would be fantasy on a level beyond the game this book is written for. While there are some high-functioning outliers and fringe individuals, there are also many friendships, families, organizations, rivalries, and other interpersonal dynamics.
Why this design?
- I want a GM to have the convenience of picking a character the same way they would find a monster or a deity and read a compact summary that would allow that NPC to be role-played quickly and convincingly.
Who is Chrysogon?
- My imagined biographer. While a thief by trade, his real talent was the manipulation of others to achieve his goals.This is why the descriptions "he" wrote are mostly historical and psychological profiles. To control others, you need to understand what makes them tick. This same insight makes them easier for a GM to play. Their motivations, reactions and interactions can be surmised from the summaries.
- As in real life, not all characters are known equally. Some are intimately understood, others are superficially observed. Some are less interesting or less useful. Some are best understood not by how they perceive themselves, but how others perceive them.
As an open source product, you are free to download and use this material at no cost... but it's also available in print—at-cost. I will always remember the child that I once was, who struggled to save up for TSR books. However, if you want to tip me out of appreciation, I'd be grateful.
Speaking of gratitude, I'd be remiss without mentioning Gabe Fua. From the moment I became involved with Basic Fantasy RPG, I was taken aback by Gabe's amazing work. When he expressed interest in my book I took my chance to ask him if there was any chance he'd do the cover. I was delighted that he accepted. His customer character design is both found on the outside and the interior, along with many other of his drawings that I happily adapted to personalities in the book. Thank you, Gabe.
Chrysogon's Coterie (Alternate Cover)
Note:
⚔ - I couldn't afford the TSR hardcovers at first. My first "Dungeon Master" purchase was the 1981 Basic Set by Tom Moldvay, followed quickly by the Expert Set by David "Zeb" Cook. That was eventually eclipsed by an orange-spined AD&D Dungeon Masters Guide in 1983. Stupidly, I sold those box sets. For me, Basic Fantasy RPG is the best re-implementation of that system, which is why I chose to write and release this book for free under that banner.
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