Hello all,

I own the 5.1 Edition of the King Arthur Book (also the 3rd, 4th, and 5th + allot of older supplements), the Great Pendragon Campaign, The Book of Uther, The Book Of Battle II, The Book of Knights and Ladies, The Book of the Manor, and The Book of the Estates.

My game is currently based during the Reign of Uther and I have been considering purchasing the Book of the Warlord but have hesitated because I'm not certain whether or not it'll provide enough new/additional material to enhance my campaign, and understanding of the setting above and beyond that which is already covered in the books I already own.

So if there is anyone who is able to perhaps share, in a general sense, why or why not this book would be a valuable addition to my library of Pendragon books I would appreciate it. I am really on the fence because I fear purchasing a book whose material is largely already covered elsewhere with a few subtle or minor changes. On the other hand I fear missing out on a wealth of new information about the major actors within and surrounding Logress, and information that will inspire interesting new ideas.

Thanks ahead of time.

It does a few things:
1. The new economic model is a bit different than Book of the Manor. Simpler in a few ways, not as up-down in terms of income, and all the money is no longer hidden. Estate additions are still there, but with some limitations and arguably a bit better balance in terms of effects. There are samples of various sized estates as well.

2. The Baron (Warlord) list is similar to the one in the Book of Uther, but for a few of the great barons (Roderick, Ulfius) there are longer descriptions of their holdings. Plus some examples of what a more normal baron might hold.

3. There is information regarding baronal rights, officers, etc. Plus some hooks and data that helps with the opportunities a player-knight might get if serving as an officer. A baron, for instance, has a sizable entourage and spends a considerable amount of his income on his court and knights. And a few pages that give a method to roll up a random warlord. This, plus the new way to handle holdings, is the meat of the book in my opinion.

Overall I consider it a useful volume since it combination with the Book of Uther it fleshes out the upper two levels of the hierarchy in Logres (as of 485) quite well along with supporting information to help the GM with using the material in a campaign. Not a must-have book like the GPC, but I think a solid entry in terms of useful information for GMs.

It does a few things:
1. The new economic model is a bit different than Book of the Manor. Simpler in a few ways, not as up-down in terms of income, and all the money is no longer hidden. Estate additions are still there, but with some limitations and arguably a bit better balance in terms of effects. There are samples of various sized estates as well.


Just to clarify:
The new economic model is the same in BotW and BotE; they differ only in scale. BotW is intended for £100 - £1000+ range or so (honours), while BotE is for £10 - £100 (estates). So if you have BotE, you don't need BotW for the new economic model. BotW focuses more on the court members of the Baron's court and glosses over the commoners, while BotE lists the commoners, too, since the households are smaller.

BotE has the estate additions, BotW does not (see more about this below).



3. There is information regarding baronal rights, officers, etc. Plus some hooks and data that helps with the opportunities a player-knight might get if serving as an officer. A baron, for instance, has a sizable entourage and spends a considerable amount of his income on his court and knights. And a few pages that give a method to roll up a random warlord. This, plus the new way to handle holdings, is the meat of the book in my opinion.


For hooks I'd include:
- the castle lists for Uther, Anarchy and Boy King Periods, with some notes on how they change hands etc. Something a GM can mine for local information.
- the baronial replacement table and the handy table for castle plots during the Anarchy. Who is ruling here and why and what the PKs might do about it.
- Also, there is information for Salisbury at the start of Anarchy, with some plot hooks.



Overall I consider it a useful volume since it combination with the Book of Uther it fleshes out the upper two levels of the hierarchy in Logres (as of 485) quite well along with supporting information to help the GM with using the material in a campaign. Not a must-have book like the GPC, but I think a solid entry in terms of useful information for GMs.

I'd agree with this. My priorities might shift from time to time, but to summarize:

Book of the Estate: Who is living at the manor/estate, what kinds of servants & officers you have, what can you build to individualize your estate, INCLUDING fortifications.

Book of the Warlord: Who are the barons of Logres, their rights and duties, castles & holdings (in summary), and also how the honours are distributed (caput major and outliers). The ladder of noble titles (with Glory for appointment), the officers of the barons and the Officer's Solos. All the plot hooks mentioned above. New economics explained down to a manor level (also done in BotE, of course). Warlord generator. If BotW would have the improvements (especially fortifications), then I'd be tempted to skip BotE altogether. However, there is enough stuff in BotE to justify buying it, if you like tinkering with your manor and playing around with the commoners. Once Book of the Castle comes out, it will complement BotW very well on this front.

Book of Uther: The King, the King's Men and the Kingdom. So if you like having a bunch of NPCs detailed, then you will enjoy that part. GPC expansion 480-484 allowing you to start playing from the dawn of the Uther Period, as he becomes the King. Note that GPC Expansion works very well with the freebie adventure The Marriage of Count Roderick (TMoCR), set in 480 - 483. BoU also has the court event generator, if a GM needs an idea to get the creative juices flowing. BoU also fixes some problems & contradictions with GPC, especially with the ages of the important Gamemaster Characters.

If you have the money, get all of them. :)

If I HAD to choose one, it would be a very hard choice between BotW and BoU. I would be tempted to 'cheat' a bit and get BotW and the standalone GPC Expansion. This shows a bit my bias:
1. BotW gives me more information on the scales that the PKs are likely to interact: at a Count's household and especially during Anarchy, taking leading roles amongst the officers if they survive.
2. BotW explains how the economy works, allowing me to scale it down to a manor level. BoU does not. (If you already have BotE to cover this angle, then no worries.)
3. BotW has a wider range, covering the castles all the way to the end of the Boy King Period, and a huge amount of plot hooks buried in those tables as well as a couple of tables to generate more. So, BotW gives me roughly twice as long 'shelf life' (485 - 518) than BoU (480 - 495).
4. Also, maps. Did I mention maps? BotW has some very nice maps: map of county castles (including the counties; this one is also in BoU), the caput majors of the barons of Logres, ALL the castles of Logres in 485, 505 and 518, and a map of Salisbury (as well as lists of market towns in Salisbury). Granted, BoU has some very nice maps as well, including market towns.
5. There is enough stuff about the royal prerogatives already in BotW for me, so I don't need the extra detail in BoU.
6. BoU is superior in what it does, setting up the Uther period and court. But since my campaigns mainly took place outside Uther's court, the lists of Uther's favorites and officers is not THAT valuable for me in comparison to what BotW gives me, apart from the GPC Expansion.

So in the head to head 'you can only pick one', I'd probably go with BotW. But, like said, someone else might enjoy the minutia of estate management and go with BotE. And if one likes having loads of NPCs, and get a really top-level view on the Kingdom, BoU is where it is at. Did I already mention the GPC Expansion? :P

But the above is for me. For a starting Gamemaster, he could do worse than get KAP + BoU and run the GPC Expansion & TMoCR first, and then start reaching for GPC and other supplements.