Kingdoms of Kalamar
Encyclopedia
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
campaign setting
Campaign setting
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place...
created by Kenzer and Company and released in 1994. Shortly after Wizards of the Coast announced the 3rd Edition of Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
, they announced jointly with Kenzer & Company that Kenzer had acquired a license to produce official Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
material, using the Kalamar setting exclusively.
While not as well known as setting such as Forgotten Realms
Forgotten Realms
The Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories...
, the setting has a loyal following and has received praise for its consistency and realism.
History
The original Kingdoms of Kalamar material was clearly intended for use with Dungeons & DragonsDungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
, while carefully avoiding any direct trademark or copyright infringement. The setting appeared in two books, the Sourcebook of the Sovereign Lands, and Mythos of the Divine and Worldly. While distribution was not widespread, fans of the setting continued to support it.
The Sourcebook of the Sovereign Lands detailed the people and places of Tellene, the campaign's continent (and world). It broke the continent down into six regions and examined each one on a large scale.
The Mythos of the Divine and Worldly examined the setting's 43 gods with a great amount of detail, including holidays, descriptions of clerical garb, and common sacrifices. It also described secret societies and the setting's astrology and calendar.
These products were available individually or together in a box set with a two-part map.
Current Incarnation
Origins Award
The Origins Awards are American awards for outstanding work in the game industry. They are presented by the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design at the Origins Game Fair on an annual basis for the previous year, so the 1979 awards were given at the 1980 Origins.The Origins Award is commonly...
for Best Roleplaying Game in 2001. Over 30 different products have been released to support it.
While most of the books have been released with the Dungeons & Dragons logo, newer books (starting with Svimohzia: the Ancient Isle) and pdf re-releases have been without it. On July 11, 2007, Kenzer & Company announced that their license with Wizards of the Coast would expire in August of that year.
Dungeons and Dragons 4e
On July 8, 2008, Kenzer & Company released a compilation of the Campaign Setting and Atlas as a new PDF updated to Dungeons & Dragons fourth edition. Notable about this release, was that it does not use the Game System LicenseGame System License
The 4th edition Game System License was released to the public on June 17, 2008. This license is similar to, but more restrictive than, the Open Game License that was created for 3rd edition of Dungeons & Dragons...
and is the first 3rd-party release compatible with fourth edition not under the GSL.
Future
On July 6, 2006, Kenzer & Company announced that Kingdoms of Kalamar would be the official setting of the next version of their HackMasterHackMaster
HackMaster is a role-playing game produced by Kenzer & Company, being a revised expansion of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. It started out as a fictional game, a parody of the most ludicrous aspects of D&D played by the characters of the Knights of the Dinner Table comic strip by Jolly R. Blackburn...
roleplaying game.
Setting
The continentContinent
A continent is one of several very large landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, with seven regions commonly regarded as continents—they are : Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia.Plate tectonics is...
of Tellene is the focus of the Kingdoms of Kalamar setting. Inhabitants of Tellene believe it the entirety of the world, although the source-material hint at lands beyond the edges of the map. Due to this, the world is also generally referred to as Tellene.
Tellene is generally divided into several subregions. These include Brandobia, the Young Kingdoms, the Wild Lands, Reanaaria Bay and the isle of Svimohzia. The southernmost tip of Tellene lies at roughly 20° latitude
Latitude
In geography, the latitude of a location on the Earth is the angular distance of that location south or north of the Equator. The latitude is an angle, and is usually measured in degrees . The equator has a latitude of 0°, the North pole has a latitude of 90° north , and the South pole has a...
, while the northernmost explored areas rest at about 54° latitude
Latitude
In geography, the latitude of a location on the Earth is the angular distance of that location south or north of the Equator. The latitude is an angle, and is usually measured in degrees . The equator has a latitude of 0°, the North pole has a latitude of 90° north , and the South pole has a...
. The climate ranges from temperate
Temperate
In geography, temperate or tepid latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally relatively moderate, rather than extreme hot or cold...
to sub-tropical.
Tellene has three moons; Diadolai, Pelselond and Veshemo. These orbit Tellene with an 80, 34 and 28 day Orbital period
Orbital period
The orbital period is the time taken for a given object to make one complete orbit about another object.When mentioned without further qualification in astronomy this refers to the sidereal period of an astronomical object, which is calculated with respect to the stars.There are several kinds of...
respectively. Most of Tellene uses a lunar calendar
Lunar calendar
A lunar calendar is a calendar that is based on cycles of the lunar phase. A common purely lunar calendar is the Islamic calendar or Hijri calendar. A feature of the Islamic calendar is that a year is always 12 months, so the months are not linked with the seasons and drift each solar year by 11 to...
, based around the 28-day orbit of Veshemo. The year consists of 13 months, each divided into four 7-day weeks. The year starts on the first day of spring.
External links
- Kenzer & Company
- TSR Archive Kingdoms of Kalamar product list