Pendragon Core Rulebook by Greg Stafford

Book Review

Seth Stauffer

There aren’t many characters in literature more famous than King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Those heroic tales of chivalry and adventure in a lawless land have captivated young and old readers for centuries. The only accurate word for such enduring stories is ‘iconic.’ 

Now in its 6th edition, Chaosium’s Pendragon, originally penned by the late, award-winning Greg Stafford, presents gamers with a unique opportunity to step into the spurs of a knight in the legendary lands of King Arthur. Will they rise through the ranks of courtly life? Carve a path of glory to inspire future generations? Embark on a perilous quest? Re-creating such familiar content can be daunting because fans can revolt if someone mangles canonical stories and characters. Fortunately, there isn’t any controversy around handling the content with Pendragon. 

Yet, with so much in favour of the game, I was frustrated when reading it. I knew I needed to include something since Pendragon is so highly regarded. I stepped back to reflect on it. The level of granularity in the courtly politics, the exclusive focus on knights, and the nuance of details threw me when I first waded into the text. 

I initially missed that this game isn’t about kicking in doors, looting treasure, and slaying monsters. While there is combat, the point of the game is to be a knight and ultimately to be invited by King Arthur himself to sit at the round table. As it says in the book, “After a knight joins the Round Table, they are expected to be a paragon of Arthur’s ideals and to spread those ideals to all lands through the example of their actions.“ (Chapter 6, ‘Aspirations’ p. 129)That involves quests and adventure. There is combat, but there are various other factors, such as upholding the values incumbent with chivalry.  A knight must maintain their discipline as much as they need to joust well in a tournament. 

This game will significantly shift the perspective of people who make their way to Pendragon from the well-trod terrain of other fantasy adventure RPGs. Pursuing honour and glory means gamers can’t just loot the bodies and burn down the villages. To put it bluntly, murder hobos have no place in King Arthur’s court. And all of this spelled out extremely well.

The only thing I found lacking in the book was stat blocks for foes. While it might be a convenience, it’s one that’s appreciated. There’s a small section on “supporting characters,” but no stats. When I sit at the table, I’d like to be up and gaming as quickly as possible, but statting out every character for my group is tedious. Not having this in the core book is a bit of a miss.

Otherwise, the attention to detail is outstanding. There are rules for downtime, solo excursions, and even a whole chapter dedicated just to horses. Visually, the book is magnificent. It’s full-colour from cover to cover and filled with period-specific illustrations that fit the content perfectly. While there is already a beginner’s quest for Pendragon, and more supplements will almost certainly be forthcoming, the lack of information for NPCs and foes is frustrating. If you love the tales of King Arthur and his heroic knights, this game is an absolute must. It’s a different experience from many other medieval-style RPGs and results from a labour of love. The care and affection for the source material are apparent from start to finish, and the game is excellent.