Round Table Roundup #3: here's new releases in The Companions of Arthur, the community content program for independent Pendragon creators
Posted by Michael O'Brien on 7th Dec 2024
From Mark Morrison, community content ambassador:
The Companions of Arthur community content program for Pendragon launched in October with 8 titles, including two available in print. Since then hundreds of Pendragon gamemasters and players have downloaded the initial releases, and many have now achieved Silver Medal status on DriveThruRPG (The Guide to Arthurian Britain, Squires Rampant, The Adventure of the Craven Knight, The Barnyard Tournament, The Adventure of the Arcadian Bull, The Tree Hazardous and The Adventure of the Forester Knight). Print copies of Companions of Arthur titles have made their debut at the community content table at PAX AUS, GameHole Con (US) and Dragonmeet (UK), and sold out each time.
Regular community content reviewer Pookie from the Reviews From R’lyeh blog has started reviewing Companions of Arthur releases under his new series Companions Chronicles. Here are some excerpts from recent reviews:
- "The Tree Hazardous presents three nicely written and engaging little quests that will test both the knights and their players... quick and easy to prepare and slot into a campaign."
- "There is a classic fairy tale feel to The Adventure of the Loathsome Wyrm and the Machrel of the Sea… a nicely engaging adaptation of a folk song into a tale of greed and ambition."
- "Squires Rampant provides personality aplenty as well comedic opportunities for annoying, dangerous, or even odd situations, as well as good roleplaying."
We hope you’ve been enjoying the initial releases. Here’s what’s new from the Companions of Arthur:
The Knights of the Hounds
The Knights of the Hounds
Jeff Erwin, Veli-Matti Pelkonen & Robert Schroeder ($1.99, PDF)
The Knights of the Hounds are a mysterious order active on the frontiers of Logres. This supplement, designed for a Gamemaster running a Boy King era campaign, details these ‘Mongrel’ knights, their goals, and possible future.
Horse Racing Expanded
Horse Racing Expanded
J. William Kulm, Jr. (free, PDF)
A supplement for the Pendragon RPG which provides Players and Gamemasters with a process to play out contests of Horsemanship between knights, ladies, and NPCs in additional detail. With this ruleset, Pendragon players can run local competitions or add challenges to an impromptu chase and reward those whose characters pursue mastery of the beast which elevates armored soldiers to mounted chevaliers!
The Serpent of Mildenhall
The Serpent of Mildenhall
Jeff Erwin, Veli-Matti Pelkonen & Robert Schroeder ($2.99, PDF)
Tangle with a scaley monster in this adventure! This adventure features a perilous encounter on the road between Carlion and Londinium. Time is of the essence… can the knights rescue a child from a terrifying watery foe?
Pendragon Mappa Mundi
Pendragon Mappa Mundi
Matthew Wallhead ($8.00, map, PDF)
The Pendragon Mappa Mundi is a Pendragon world map. It is based on Western world knowledge from Herodotus (c.450BC) through to the time of Thomas Malory (c.1475). It was firstly based upon a map by the Venetian Fra Mauro (c.1450). Mauro’s great map was the last of the many T and O mappa mundi before the discovery of the New World.
The map includes mythical features Mauro had removed. The Hereford world map (c.1300) was a chief guide, as well as the fanciful Travels of Sir John Mandeville (c.1356). In the mediaeval tradition, Jerusalem is in the centre. Normally a mediaeval map would place Eden at the top. The map has a modern orientation, with north at the top, to aid comprehension for players and gamemasters. Where possible the map includes real nations and tribes of the 6th century known in Europe; later discoveries (like those of the vikings) of which Thomas Malory might have heard are also included.
Want to take part in The Companions of Arthur yourself?
The Companions of Arthur community content license enables fans of Greg Stafford's TTRPG masterpiece Pendragon to create, share and sell their own material for the game on DriveThruRPG.
If you'd like to follow in Greg's footsteps and create for The Companions of Arthur yourself, check out the Landing Page for guidelines and your first steps into the program.