(As a reminder: the original release of Chivalry & Sorcery 1st Edition would have spanned some 512 pages if printed conventionally, so FGU condensed it into a 128 page book by shrinking down the manuscript pages and printing them four to a page, with the result that the text is tiny to the point of being nearly unreadable.) This one was authorised later recompiled versions of the Red Book, circulated within the fandom, included the texts of various supplements and were very much not authorised.
The first of these, released in 2000, was a free PDF of the game’s first edition, with the layout redone to be remotely sensible.
Still, a community of Chivalry & Sorcery fans still existed, evidence for which can be found in the existence of the various Red Book editions of the game. All these iterations made at least some effort to start bringing back the sort of historical detail which the third edition had downplayed.Īll of these brief flowerings did not amount to a whole lot in the long run, and Brittannia suffered from extensive periods of apparent inactivity. 2011 would see another Chivalry & Sorcery Essence released, this time expanding its page count to some 44 pages (though with the same 4-page system underlying it), but the general idea of providing a lighter version of the game persisted. A 4th Edition followed in 1999-2000 (with Chivalry & Sorcery Light, a condensed version of the new edition, preceding the full-fat version, dubbed Chivalry & Sorcery: The Rebirth), as would an extremely condensed version of the game, Chivalry & Sorcery Essence, released as a 4-page PDF. However, after putting out the core 3rd Edition rules in 1996 and a brace of supplements in 1997, Highlander Designs would go bankrupt, having perhaps both overestimated the market’s appetite for a high-crunch fantasy system in the mid-1990s and made the questionable decision to radically scale back the game’s emphasis on historical detail, thus undermining its major selling point.īrittannia Game Designs stepped into the breach here they’d previously been formed with the intent of producing third-party supplements for the game, but a deal was struck to allow them to pick up the rights. After the rights to the game were retrieved from FGU, a 3rd Edition would be put out from Highlander Designs, which so far as I can make out was a company formed specifically for this purpose.
However, once Fantasy Games Unlimited largely lost interest in producing new material for it, it entered into a long period in the wilderness. & Sorcery lets you play in just the Middle Ages you want.Chivalry & Sorcery is a game whose early editions had some pretty significant issues, but also had some interesting ideas to mine, many of which were teased out somewhat better in the 2nd Edition of the game than the 1st. The choice is yours! From fairy-tale romance to courtly love, from religious intrigue to brutal, bloody battle, Chivalry Run a medieval high fantasy game filled with magic, miracles and myth, – or one of gritty, low fantasy, or even pure historical simulation. Magick is deep and mysterious, drawing on real-world historical detail, while Priests utter prayers and call upon the very miracles of their gods! You decide the level of magic and fantasy for your game. Knights wield secular power and command the battlefield, while other warriors strive to win their spurs in combat and rise to join their ranks. With all the medieval flavour that was loved of earlier editions now back, this truly is the definitive edition of Chivalry and Sorcery. Players can create well-rounded characters who really feel like they belong to their world.
For those who Fight and those who Pray, For those who Toil and those who Enchant.Ĭhivalry & Sorcery the Medieval Role Playing Game