Lankhmar – City of Adventure
Encyclopedia
Lankhmar – City of Adventure is an accessory for the Dungeons & Dragons
fantasy
role-playing game
, first published by TSR
in 1985.
, and Ken Rolston
, with a cover by Keith Parkinson
and interior illustrations by Jeff Easley
, and was first published by TSR for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons
game system in 1985 as a 96-page book, a 32-page districts book, and a color map. Additional research was by Steve Mecca, and editing was by Anne Gray McCready
and Barbara Green Deer
. The color map is a large full-color map of the city, and the 32-page booklet contains geomorphs, district maps, a DM's player-character roster, and five pregenerated player characters drawn from the stories.
The set was updated in 1993 under the same name for use with second edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons.
, and a 32-page booklet of record sheets and handouts for players. The set describes Nehwon and the city of Lankhmar, from Fritz Lieber's "Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser" series. It includes information on the city's districts, factions and guilds, characters, and the gods and monsters of Nehwon, encounter tables, and adventure ideas.
The larger book begins by detailing summaries of the Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser stories, and provides comments on the stories' potential for further adventures. Next is a district-by-district breakdown of Lankhmar, with detailed maps that mark and describe 99 locations, as well as record sheets for the DM
's campaign notes. Another map details the world of Nehwon
, accompanied with notes. Next is a series of almost 100 non-player character
s, including statistics for Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser in Legends & Lore
format; the gods and monsters of Nehwon are also presented, adding to those already appearing in Legends & Lore.
The book goes on to describe the workings of the city, including details on its political factions, guilds, and religions, as well as a chapter on adventuring in Lankhmar with rules on haggling, bribery, the legal system, and Social Levels. There is also a section on generating new NPCs and buildings, which includes sample building plans. The book also includes a series of conversion rules for fitting the setting into the AD&D game system. There is a series of set-piece encounters for providing random incidents, or even starting-points for adventures, as well as a scenario for 9th-12th level adventurers titled "The Karvian Elephant".
The color map includes a number of areas in grey, which the DM can design. The map of Lankhmar depicts a crowded city with roads and alleys winding around the houses; in the middle of each city block is a large blank area that represents the narrow backstreets of Lankhmar, those areas about which the casual passer-by knows nothing. It is only after leaving the main streets and venturing into the inner areas of Lankhmar that these areas become known to the PCs.
The smaller booklet contains a series of city block geomorphs which can also be used to fill in the blank areas on the map. Whenever the PCs venture into the backstreets, the GM selects one of the 12 geomorphs to fill the empty area, and each geomorph shows the layout of buildings in the backstreets. The smaller booklet also contains record sheets, duplicate maps, and other information for players.
reviewed Lankhmar – City of Adventure for White Dwarf
, and gave it 10/10 overall. Davis notes that the Social Levels rule "makes a valuable addition to the AD&D game rules", and the sample building plans are "useful in any context - Lankhmar or otherwise". Davis was concerned whether the AD&D game system "could fit a pre-existing, detailed fictional setting without the obvious strain that showed in the Conan AD&D modules", but he says the chapter on conversion rules "put my mind at rest. There is a little spanner-work necessary, especially with spellcasters, but the adjustments work surprisingly well once you get used to them, and little or none of the flavour of the original setting is lost. Given that Lankhmar is an entire campaign setting, and not just another AD&D module, the adjustments are forgivable and indeed necessary." Davis calls the color map "a thing of beauty", and concludes the review by saying: "All in all, Lankhmar is a delight - I was convinced it would need a separate game, but I was wrong. If you like the stories - whether or not you play AD&D - you should get it as an encyclopedia and a work of fan literature. If you play AD&D -whether or not you like Leiber
's stories – Lankhmar is simply the best city module ever to see print - including Thieves' World. D&D DMs will also find it useful, although a small amount of conversion is necessary. Rush out and buy this one - it's a beauty."
Jim Bambra reviewed Lankhmar City of Adventure for Dragon
magazine #136 (August 1988). Bambra felt that the set described "a city that is full of atmosphere and has a distinctive character", but cautioned that "Lankhmar’s character is also one of its weaknesses, as the city is very closely tied to the world and characters created by novelist Fritz Leiber," which would make it hard to fit this supplement into a more conventional AD&D game setting. Bambra describes it further: "It's a living and breathing city, a place where Leiber’s heroes Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser can really feel at home. [...] The supplement's designers have done an excellent job of capturing the atmosphere of the city; you can almost smell the smoke and stench as you read through the supplement's main book." Bambra feels that the Lankhmar pack all about the opportunity for a game master to create a city in as much detail as desired, and that the pack contains enough background to make designing a city really easy. Bambra pointed out omissions that he considered minor annoyances: "There is no Rainbow Palace flow chart for conducting fights and chases in the palace, no Nehwon wandering monster encounter chart (although this is referenced twice in the book), and no new spells that were promised for spell-casters." Bambra concluded his review by stating: "With its flexible and easy-to-use system for detailing the city, the Lankhmar pack is easily one of the best city supplements ever published, but it is also limited in its use. To be used to full effect, it must be placed fully within Leiber's world. This is a world with lots of charm, excitement, and humor, but it is certainly not your average AD&D game world. With no dwarves
, elves
, or halflings
, and with magic much more restricted than is usually the case, the Lankhmar pack is unique but narrow in scope. [...] So, we have an excellent city pack that doesn't fit very easily into mainstream AD&D game play — a situation that tends to mark the Lankhmar pack as an inspirational reference work rather than a living and breathing city. This is, of course, unless you’re a big Leiber fan who enjoys thief- and fighter-oriented adventures; in this case, Lankhmar is a dream come true."
Lawrence Schick, in his 1991 book Heroic Worlds, calls the set "Easily one of the best campaign settings for AD&D, it's designed so that each GM who uses it will create an individualized Lankhmar by selecting detail maps and locations to suit."
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...
fantasy
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...
, first published by TSR
TSR, Inc.
Blume and Gygax, the remaining owners, incorporated a new company called TSR Hobbies, Inc., with Blume and his father, Melvin Blume, owning the larger share. The former assets of the partnership were transferred to TSR Hobbies, Inc....
in 1985.
Publication history
Lankhmar – City of Adventure was designed by Bruce Nesmith, Douglas NilesDouglas Niles
Douglas Niles is a fantasy author and game designer. Niles was one of the creators of the Dragonlance world and the author of the first three Forgotten Realms novels, and the Top Secret S/I espionage role-playing game.-Early life:Niles was born in Brookfield, Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwaukee, and...
, and Ken Rolston
Ken Rolston
Ken Rolston is an American computer game and board game designer best known for his work with West End Games and the hit computer game series The Elder Scrolls...
, with a cover by Keith Parkinson
Keith Parkinson
Keith Parkinson was an American fantasy artist and illustrator known for book cover and game artwork for games such as EverQuest, Guardians, Magic: The Gathering and Vanguard: Saga of Heroes.-Early life:...
and interior illustrations by Jeff Easley
Jeff Easley
Jeff Easley is an oil painter who creates fantasy artwork in the tradition of Frank Frazetta.-Early life:...
, and was first published by TSR for the Advanced 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...
game system in 1985 as a 96-page book, a 32-page districts book, and a color map. Additional research was by Steve Mecca, and editing was by Anne Gray McCready
Anne Gray McCready
Anne Gray McCready is a game designer and editor who has worked on a number of products for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game from TSR.-Early history:...
and Barbara Green Deer
Barbara G. Young
Barbara G. Young is an editor who has worked on several game products and articles for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game from TSR. She was an assistant editor on Dragon and Dungeon magazines from 1987 to 1995....
. The color map is a large full-color map of the city, and the 32-page booklet contains geomorphs, district maps, a DM's player-character roster, and five pregenerated player characters drawn from the stories.
The set was updated in 1993 under the same name for use with second edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons.
Contents
The original Lankhmar – City of Adventure contains a 96-page book with a back cover pocket, which contains a poster-size, full-color map of the city of LankhmarLankhmar
Lankhmar is a fictional city in the Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser stories by Fritz Leiber. It is situated on the world of Nehwon, just west of the Great Salt Marsh and east of the River Hlal, and serves as the home of Leiber's two anti-heroes....
, and a 32-page booklet of record sheets and handouts for players. The set describes Nehwon and the city of Lankhmar, from Fritz Lieber's "Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser" series. It includes information on the city's districts, factions and guilds, characters, and the gods and monsters of Nehwon, encounter tables, and adventure ideas.
The larger book begins by detailing summaries of the Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser stories, and provides comments on the stories' potential for further adventures. Next is a district-by-district breakdown of Lankhmar, with detailed maps that mark and describe 99 locations, as well as record sheets for the DM
Dungeon Master
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, the Dungeon Master is the game organizer and participant in charge of creating the details and challenges of a given adventure, while maintaining a realistic continuity of events...
's campaign notes. Another map details the world of Nehwon
Nehwon
Nehwon is the fictional world created by Fritz Leiber in which his heroes, Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, adventure. It is notable for the city of Lankhmar."Nehwon", the reverse spelling of "No When", alludes to Erewhon.-Ilthmar:...
, accompanied with notes. Next is a series of almost 100 non-player character
Non-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
s, including statistics for Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser in Legends & Lore
Deities & Demigods
Deities & Demigods , alternatively known as Legends & Lore , is a reference book for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game . The book provides descriptions and game statistics of gods and legendary creatures from various sources in mythology and fiction...
format; the gods and monsters of Nehwon are also presented, adding to those already appearing in Legends & Lore.
The book goes on to describe the workings of the city, including details on its political factions, guilds, and religions, as well as a chapter on adventuring in Lankhmar with rules on haggling, bribery, the legal system, and Social Levels. There is also a section on generating new NPCs and buildings, which includes sample building plans. The book also includes a series of conversion rules for fitting the setting into the AD&D game system. There is a series of set-piece encounters for providing random incidents, or even starting-points for adventures, as well as a scenario for 9th-12th level adventurers titled "The Karvian Elephant".
The color map includes a number of areas in grey, which the DM can design. The map of Lankhmar depicts a crowded city with roads and alleys winding around the houses; in the middle of each city block is a large blank area that represents the narrow backstreets of Lankhmar, those areas about which the casual passer-by knows nothing. It is only after leaving the main streets and venturing into the inner areas of Lankhmar that these areas become known to the PCs.
The smaller booklet contains a series of city block geomorphs which can also be used to fill in the blank areas on the map. Whenever the PCs venture into the backstreets, the GM selects one of the 12 geomorphs to fill the empty area, and each geomorph shows the layout of buildings in the backstreets. The smaller booklet also contains record sheets, duplicate maps, and other information for players.
Reception
Graeme DavisGraeme Davis (game designer)
Graeme Davis is a writer and editor. He has worked extensively in the gaming industry and was one of the original designers of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay....
reviewed Lankhmar – City of Adventure for White Dwarf
White Dwarf (magazine)
White Dwarf is a magazine published by British games manufacturer Games Workshop. Initially covering a wide variety of fantasy and science-fiction role-playing and board games, particularly the role playing games Dungeons & Dragons, RuneQuest and Traveller...
, and gave it 10/10 overall. Davis notes that the Social Levels rule "makes a valuable addition to the AD&D game rules", and the sample building plans are "useful in any context - Lankhmar or otherwise". Davis was concerned whether the AD&D game system "could fit a pre-existing, detailed fictional setting without the obvious strain that showed in the Conan AD&D modules", but he says the chapter on conversion rules "put my mind at rest. There is a little spanner-work necessary, especially with spellcasters, but the adjustments work surprisingly well once you get used to them, and little or none of the flavour of the original setting is lost. Given that Lankhmar is an entire campaign setting, and not just another AD&D module, the adjustments are forgivable and indeed necessary." Davis calls the color map "a thing of beauty", and concludes the review by saying: "All in all, Lankhmar is a delight - I was convinced it would need a separate game, but I was wrong. If you like the stories - whether or not you play AD&D - you should get it as an encyclopedia and a work of fan literature. If you play AD&D -whether or not you like Leiber
Fritz Leiber
Fritz Reuter Leiber, Jr. was an American writer of fantasy, horror and science fiction. He was also a poet, actor in theatre and films, playwright, expert chess player and a champion fencer. Possibly his greatest chess accomplishment was winning clear first in the 1958 Santa Monica Open.. With...
's stories – Lankhmar is simply the best city module ever to see print - including Thieves' World. D&D DMs will also find it useful, although a small amount of conversion is necessary. Rush out and buy this one - it's a beauty."
Jim Bambra reviewed Lankhmar City of Adventure for Dragon
Dragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
magazine #136 (August 1988). Bambra felt that the set described "a city that is full of atmosphere and has a distinctive character", but cautioned that "Lankhmar’s character is also one of its weaknesses, as the city is very closely tied to the world and characters created by novelist Fritz Leiber," which would make it hard to fit this supplement into a more conventional AD&D game setting. Bambra describes it further: "It's a living and breathing city, a place where Leiber’s heroes Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser can really feel at home. [...] The supplement's designers have done an excellent job of capturing the atmosphere of the city; you can almost smell the smoke and stench as you read through the supplement's main book." Bambra feels that the Lankhmar pack all about the opportunity for a game master to create a city in as much detail as desired, and that the pack contains enough background to make designing a city really easy. Bambra pointed out omissions that he considered minor annoyances: "There is no Rainbow Palace flow chart for conducting fights and chases in the palace, no Nehwon wandering monster encounter chart (although this is referenced twice in the book), and no new spells that were promised for spell-casters." Bambra concluded his review by stating: "With its flexible and easy-to-use system for detailing the city, the Lankhmar pack is easily one of the best city supplements ever published, but it is also limited in its use. To be used to full effect, it must be placed fully within Leiber's world. This is a world with lots of charm, excitement, and humor, but it is certainly not your average AD&D game world. With no dwarves
Dwarf (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, dwarves are a humanoid race, one of the primary races available for play as player characters...
, elves
Elf (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, elves are a fictional humanoid race that is one of the primary races available for play as player characters. Elves are renowned for their grace and mastery of magic and weapons such as the sword and bow...
, or halflings
Halfling (Dungeons & Dragons)
The halfling is a fictional race found in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Halflings are similar to humans except about half the size...
, and with magic much more restricted than is usually the case, the Lankhmar pack is unique but narrow in scope. [...] So, we have an excellent city pack that doesn't fit very easily into mainstream AD&D game play — a situation that tends to mark the Lankhmar pack as an inspirational reference work rather than a living and breathing city. This is, of course, unless you’re a big Leiber fan who enjoys thief- and fighter-oriented adventures; in this case, Lankhmar is a dream come true."
Lawrence Schick, in his 1991 book Heroic Worlds, calls the set "Easily one of the best campaign settings for AD&D, it's designed so that each GM who uses it will create an individualized Lankhmar by selecting detail maps and locations to suit."