Interestingly, AD&D originally had a much stronger Sword and Sorcery influence as Gygax was more a fan of Howard, Moorcock, Leiber, et.al, than the heroic fantasy of Tolkien. It seems D&D drifted more towards high fantasy over the years but I always preferred the grittier feel of older editions. Thanks for covering this!
@@captcorajus I think its because of the TSR tourneyment modules run at Gencon that were published as modules later. Like the A1 - A4, S1, S2, S3, C series G series, etc etc
I just received an email that Hyperborea 3E is shipping this month and next month. I can't wait! AS&SH 2E was the first RPG I ran for my son and his friends at an actual table vice online. I look forward to your review of the actual books as well as looking forward to receiving mine in the mail!
I remember we had just bought the Unearthed Arcana and then the second edition stuff came out. I also remember the four coloured magic items book in faux leather that we got. We bought some of the second edition stuff but when they started dropping race/class manuals, we stopped buying. We could tell then that the game was going to cost way more than we were playing having gone now out into the work world. But for a few brief years a decade ago we went back to Advanced and played again. It was a blast and your videos on these D&D topics make me remember the best days of my younger life. Thanks for that and keep up the great work. Nice to see the channel growing, you were way less than 5k when I subbed.
Kinda wished they still had a 1 volume option for this. My 2e book was damaged in a flood and I backed this primarily to get new books. Not all that impressed with some of the new art here but the game itself is still solid.
I always get a chuckle from Captcorajus' generous (IMHO) grading system, up until that -2 for lacking an index comes out of nowhere to smack them in the face.
"Toothy maw..." somewhere Matt Mercer's ears just perked up and he's smiling but doesn't know why. I'm pretty much on the outside looking in when it comes to D&D and OSR since I have yet to actually play at a table, but Hyperborea seems like an incredible passion project. It's not just an OSR or tabletop game, it's a world and tribute to old school D&D and the sword & sorcery genre as a whole, which I've grown to appreciate even more than high fantasy this past year. On that note, I have this channel to thank for my interest in OSR, as well as H.P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard. Thank you, and God bless.
Still want to get this so badly though I was unable to back the kickstarter. Thank you Captain for the video on this and hopefully I will still be able to get this when financially I am better off than I was when the kickstarter was funding.
The only thing is that having all these traditional D&D classes in a sword & sorcery setting starts to make it feel like D&D and not sword & sorcery to me, despite the removal of demi-human races and such. You don't typically see Paladins, Clerics, Rangers, and such in the works of Robert E. Howard, L. Sprague De Camp, Lin Carter, etc.
Awesome video and review as usual. Really enjoy this game. I agree it is definitely a worthy successor to OSR D&D, but is a great game in its own right! Glad to see you back and making videos. I hope you enjoyed your time away. You don’t happen to have a copy of Low Fantasy in your pile of things to review do you? If you do I’m looking forward to your take on it. Thanks again for the great video
There are also a lot of more subtle tweak s in 3e, to certain monster abilities as well as to several spells which have been either nerfed (Invisibility) or boosted (mount).
I'm waiting for my copy to eventually arrive. So much so that I am refusing to read the pdfs in order to save myself for Hyperborea's cellulose-bound majesty.
There is cross influence between Lovecraft and Howard to be sure, but they are definitely NOT the same thing, and I don't assume in a review where I'm trying to introduce new people to the game that they already know that Howard and Lovecraft influenced each other's works. 😀
I am a huge fan of Howard, Ashton-Smith, and Lovecraft. My current campaign is a 1/2e ADnD run that has a lot of these authors elements in them including Dwellers of the Forbidden City (inspired by Red Nails) where the Yuan Ti are introduced and I’ve included a storyline including Rhan Tegoth (a Great Old One from The Horror in the Museum). It’s set in a land based on Shem and Turan. This work would be an excellent addition to my collection.
I too have run those things. I mentioned the 'Red Nails' Connection in my review of Dwellers of the Forbidden City a few years ago. :) I think a LOT of my subs feel the same way.
@@captcorajus Cap, your review of Dwellers is how I found your channel. I was looking for reviews and info on runs of the original ADnD I2 module as I was incorporating it into my campaign. I’ve been hooked since.
You are awesome and I'd love to play in your campaign. I'm using modiphius Conan 2d20 for my own campaign but those books are also a great gazetteers. What if you put a Thog (from The Slithering Shadow/Xuthal of the Dusk, also appearing in The Black Stone, and has a lot similarities to Shoggoths in lovecraft). Give such a monster a pit and a captive audience to eat/sacrifice) as a kind of random wandering X-Factor of fear to the inhabitants
@@AAron-gr3jk The Black Stone is a real favorite of mine. So creepy and existentially dreadful. I am going for a campaign where Old Gods weren’t worshipped so long ago that they aren’t still active in the world. The Forbidden City provides a perfect focal point. Weird, ancient Snake People Race, mutants, Saurians, impossibly old survivals from past millennia. It’s got such great bones to build on.
While I am looking forward to 3e, the change I'm combat to make it "simpler" is one change I really fucking hate. The 2 Phase system lead to some really cool and strategic choices that you can't get in 3e.
I am in no way making fun of you, but when the video started, I though it was Doctor Demento speaking. Your voice has many similarities. I had a flashback of listening to the show instantly.
@@captcorajus Didn't you say in the vid it was a once/day ability anyway? Which is dumb if true, but it would largely eliminate the issue of wanting a shield caddy. :) Also, looting the bodies of humanoids for their shields is a thing. We used to do that in D&D simply so we had appropriate orc-tribe shields for disguises.
@@captcorajus Because why should it be? It's not a memorized spell, it's fighting technique. If you have the opportunity to get a new shield between fights (or even during one, if it's not one of the style that takes significant time to strap on properly) there's no reason besides "balance" that it shouldn't be useable again. And balance in OSR is a weak, weak excuse for anything.
I think it's kind of an ingenious thing to do with all the enemy equipment that just get's otherwise left on the ground. "Did you you say that serpentman was using a shield? Cool then I know I got a shield if I break mine."
Waiting for your in deep review of the game, I'm interested as I find the game world intriguing and I like the class variety, but I didn't like what I read about the rules, specially the combat rules, it looked like a downgrade for other great osr like my favorites swords and wizardry and basic fantasy.
@@JungleRice Nada. That 'metal' logo was just not appealing to me at all (Its so stylized that I can't even read what it says), and I see no reason to spend the additional money for a 'rule book'. The nice shiny book with the great artwork is just fine for me. :)
Yes, but the PDFs are out. Links in the description. He DID order enough for them to stay in stock for awhile. So once fullfillment of KS is done in May, you'll be able to order from their website.
Interestingly, AD&D originally had a much stronger Sword and Sorcery influence as Gygax was more a fan of Howard, Moorcock, Leiber, et.al, than the heroic fantasy of Tolkien. It seems D&D drifted more towards high fantasy over the years but I always preferred the grittier feel of older editions. Thanks for covering this!
I really find this game to be a very worthy successor, but also a unique and phenomenal game AND setting all its own.
@@captcorajus I think its because of the TSR tourneyment modules run at Gencon that were published as modules later. Like the A1 - A4, S1, S2, S3, C series G series, etc etc
I love this. I started a campaign in a similar setting myself. This is fresh air. Thank you very much for your content, really.
Obsessed with this system.
I've never encountered anything that the creator was this passionate and articulate about at the same time.
Agreed!
I just received an email that Hyperborea 3E is shipping this month and next month. I can't wait! AS&SH 2E was the first RPG I ran for my son and his friends at an actual table vice online. I look forward to your review of the actual books as well as looking forward to receiving mine in the mail!
Can't get enough Hyperborea content, thanks!
I still can't get over how good that funky keyboard riff is.
I remember we had just bought the Unearthed Arcana and then the second edition stuff came out. I also remember the four coloured magic items book in faux leather that we got. We bought some of the second edition stuff but when they started dropping race/class manuals, we stopped buying. We could tell then that the game was going to cost way more than we were playing having gone now out into the work world. But for a few brief years a decade ago we went back to Advanced and played again. It was a blast and your videos on these D&D topics make me remember the best days of my younger life. Thanks for that and keep up the great work. Nice to see the channel growing, you were way less than 5k when I subbed.
Kinda wished they still had a 1 volume option for this. My 2e book was damaged in a flood and I backed this primarily to get new books. Not all that impressed with some of the new art here but the game itself is still solid.
The photograph reported to be Clark Ashton Smith is actually Robert Bloch, another member of the Lovecraft circle.
Good catch, I'll have to update that in future videos.
Great review! Also worth mentioning are some changes to undead. Level drain is no longer a thing. Undead now drain Constitution, instead of Levels.
ooo... i missed that. Good catch.
Was looking forward to this! Thank you captain!
I always get a chuckle from Captcorajus' generous (IMHO) grading system, up until that -2 for lacking an index comes out of nowhere to smack them in the face.
What can I say? I need an index! If there's a contribution I can make to the industry, all new RPG books will have an index! lol
Love the cover art of this new edition.
"Toothy maw..." somewhere Matt Mercer's ears just perked up and he's smiling but doesn't know why. I'm pretty much on the outside looking in when it comes to D&D and OSR since I have yet to actually play at a table, but Hyperborea seems like an incredible passion project. It's not just an OSR or tabletop game, it's a world and tribute to old school D&D and the sword & sorcery genre as a whole, which I've grown to appreciate even more than high fantasy this past year. On that note, I have this channel to thank for my interest in OSR, as well as H.P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard. Thank you, and God bless.
Awww.. you're very welcome!
Nice review! I hope we get to see lengthy campaign adventure modules for Hyperborea to add more to the weird and wacky lore.
Definitely! I've got quite of few of the Adventure Modules at this point.
I was in AZ last week on vacation and I went into a large game store and could’ve sworn I saw the books in there. Ty for the review. 😊
Keep these reviews up, I’ll need to run it in the future!
Also it’s because of you that my group will be playing this. Thank you!
Thanks for the overview! I can't wait to get my physical copies in the mail.
This channel is made for me. I used to spend hours drawing dungeons and maps.
Still want to get this so badly though I was unable to back the kickstarter. Thank you Captain for the video on this and hopefully I will still be able to get this when financially I am better off than I was when the kickstarter was funding.
It's available on Drive Thru RPG
Thank you for an extremely informative review.
Looking forward to getting my hard copy!
The only thing is that having all these traditional D&D classes in a sword & sorcery setting starts to make it feel like D&D and not sword & sorcery to me, despite the removal of demi-human races and such. You don't typically see Paladins, Clerics, Rangers, and such in the works of Robert E. Howard, L. Sprague De Camp, Lin Carter, etc.
Awesome video and review as usual. Really enjoy this game. I agree it is definitely a worthy successor to OSR D&D, but is a great game in its own right! Glad to see you back and making videos. I hope you enjoyed your time away. You don’t happen to have a copy of Low Fantasy in your pile of things to review do you? If you do I’m looking forward to your take on it. Thanks again for the great video
The sheer volume of things, "in the pile' continues to stack up, but 'Low Fantasy' isn't one of them I'm afraid.
Great review! I love anything Hyperborea related.
There are also a lot of more subtle tweak s in 3e, to certain monster abilities as well as to several spells which have been either nerfed (Invisibility) or boosted (mount).
Good stuff is always!
Looks interesting, I'll be waiting for your review when the real books come out.
Excellent
I'm waiting for my copy to eventually arrive. So much so that I am refusing to read the pdfs in order to save myself for Hyperborea's cellulose-bound majesty.
awesome 👍
Thank you.
"Conan the Barbarian meets the Cthulhu Mythos" they already are the same setting
There is cross influence between Lovecraft and Howard to be sure, but they are definitely NOT the same thing, and I don't assume in a review where I'm trying to introduce new people to the game that they already know that Howard and Lovecraft influenced each other's works. 😀
I am a huge fan of Howard, Ashton-Smith, and Lovecraft. My current campaign is a 1/2e ADnD run that has a lot of these authors elements in them including Dwellers of the Forbidden City (inspired by Red Nails) where the Yuan Ti are introduced and I’ve included a storyline including Rhan Tegoth (a Great Old One from The Horror in the Museum). It’s set in a land based on Shem and Turan.
This work would be an excellent addition to my collection.
I too have run those things. I mentioned the 'Red Nails' Connection in my review of Dwellers of the Forbidden City a few years ago. :) I think a LOT of my subs feel the same way.
@@captcorajus Cap, your review of Dwellers is how I found your channel. I was looking for reviews and info on runs of the original ADnD I2 module as I was incorporating it into my campaign. I’ve been hooked since.
You are awesome and I'd love to play in your campaign. I'm using modiphius Conan 2d20 for my own campaign but those books are also a great gazetteers. What if you put a Thog (from The Slithering Shadow/Xuthal of the Dusk, also appearing in The Black Stone, and has a lot similarities to Shoggoths in lovecraft). Give such a monster a pit and a captive audience to eat/sacrifice) as a kind of random wandering X-Factor of fear to the inhabitants
@@AAron-gr3jk The Black Stone is a real favorite of mine. So creepy and existentially dreadful.
I am going for a campaign where Old Gods weren’t worshipped so long ago that they aren’t still active in the world. The Forbidden City provides a perfect focal point. Weird, ancient Snake People Race, mutants, Saurians, impossibly old survivals from past millennia. It’s got such great bones to build on.
Awesome .
Thanks!
Big Fan
While I am looking forward to 3e, the change I'm combat to make it "simpler" is one change I really fucking hate. The 2 Phase system lead to some really cool and strategic choices that you can't get in 3e.
When are the physical books of this actually coming out? Seems like this was Kickstarted a long time ago
I can’t believe I missed this
I am in no way making fun of you, but when the video started, I though it was Doctor Demento speaking. Your voice has many similarities. I had a flashback of listening to the show instantly.
That's funny. You're not the first person to make that comment about my voice.
Does it have an index now?😜
3rd Hyperborea is my new "Letter+Letter"
Three actually. One in each book AND the atlas.
With the sacrifice shield ability , if the shield is destroyed , do you have to carry large numbers of shields Or is there a repair spell?
Well, there's encumbrance so you'll have to wait till you get to someplace to buy a new shield. :). it IS a last ditch save.
@@captcorajus Didn't you say in the vid it was a once/day ability anyway? Which is dumb if true, but it would largely eliminate the issue of wanting a shield caddy. :)
Also, looting the bodies of humanoids for their shields is a thing. We used to do that in D&D simply so we had appropriate orc-tribe shields for disguises.
@@richmcgee434 Yes, you can only use it once per day. Not sure why that's dumb, but yeah.
@@captcorajus Because why should it be? It's not a memorized spell, it's fighting technique. If you have the opportunity to get a new shield between fights (or even during one, if it's not one of the style that takes significant time to strap on properly) there's no reason besides "balance" that it shouldn't be useable again. And balance in OSR is a weak, weak excuse for anything.
I think it's kind of an ingenious thing to do with all the enemy equipment that just get's otherwise left on the ground. "Did you you say that serpentman was using a shield? Cool then I know I got a shield if I break mine."
Waiting for your in deep review of the game, I'm interested as I find the game world intriguing and I like the class variety, but I didn't like what I read about the rules, specially the combat rules, it looked like a downgrade for other great osr like my favorites swords and wizardry and basic fantasy.
Have you reviewed Forbidden Lands?
No.. isn't that the setting for Swords and Wizardry?
3rd!!!
Hey John!
@@captcorajus When are you gonna review Hyperbolic: The Greatest Land with the Highest Adventure? 😜
Did you ever get your hard copy?
It in the mail right now! Coming soon.
@@captcorajus Awesome! I assume you are getting the leatherette version
@@JungleRice Nada. That 'metal' logo was just not appealing to me at all (Its so stylized that I can't even read what it says), and I see no reason to spend the additional money for a 'rule book'.
The nice shiny book with the great artwork is just fine for me. :)
Where's the epic opening?
You mean the one that I used for my previous Hyperborea review?
@@captcorajus It starts a half a minute in, oops, my bad.
Is it too late to pre-order?
Yes, but the PDFs are out. Links in the description. He DID order enough for them to stay in stock for awhile. So once fullfillment of KS is done in May, you'll be able to order from their website.
the font is sooooo small !
What font?