A good campaign setting needs a clear tone & theme to it, along with an unambiguous "call to adventure" for PCs to follow. In Heirs of Argax I wanted there to be no doubt as to all of these aspects.
The tone & theme of the campaign is one inspired heavily by the early medieval period, which tends to be defined as roughly 500 - 1000 AD. What we're thus looking at is a pre-Norman conquest type world. The geopolitical landscape is fractious with petty kingdoms, warlords, a few larger kingdoms and empires (think the Charlemagne and the Eastern Roman Empire). Trade exists, but is less prosperous than in previous or subsequent ages. There are no established merchant- or crafts guilds yet. Coinage is mainly silver based at this time as well (I have a custom silver coin based price list for the campaign).
The initial core campaign region of Gertania is far removed from the greater centers of world civilization. It is an isolated place that should remind players of Frankish Central Europe, Norse Northern Europe, and Saxon Britain. As a fan of giving my players distinct cultural references that immediately conjure up relevant images, I will say it is akin to the vibe seen in the TV series The Last Kingdom. Though historically flawed in many respects that series is a great medieval adventure campaign story that can work with the Swords & Wizardry framework.
With an historical basis to build from, I added the fantastical and swords & sorcery elements of OD&D on top. Heirs of Argax does not aim to be an historical simulation or exact analog of the early medieval world. If you're looking for something that close to "reality" then I'd recommend my beloved Harn as a perfect setting to scratch that itch.
Magic is certainly present in the world. Regionally it can be very rare and viewed with suspicion, but I didn't want it to be so shunned as to make every magic user a pariah right out of the gate. Though viewed with caution, they are present. Magic items, however, are a bit more on the rare side and can certainly never be purchased in some shop. These artifacts must be earned with blood and sacrifice. In future I will write an update dedicated to the place of magic in the setting.
I will give a brief recent history update in a future post, but the "call to adventure" for PCs is one of reclaiming lands against the encroaching tendrils of chaos. Restoring the civilizing touch of Law to the lands. It is a place where heroes etch their names in the songs of legend (or infamy). Power and influence can be gained through various means. What if the PCs do nothing? Chaos continues its march from the wilderness and nobody knows which direction events might take.
The setting is meant to be explored. To this end, I utilize emergent, procedural, random generators during hex travel by PCs. Though there are set locations, both known and unknown to the PCs, most of the setting is determined through exploration and random tables. This approach makes every campaign utterly unique without the hint of a linear metaplot.
I also designed the maps and existing society in a manner conducive to higher level "domain/faction" play. Though not built for truly massive scale warfare, it gives the amount of room to generate the relatively smaller scale and more intimate warfare common in the early medieval period.
To summarize, Heirs of Argax is a fantasy, sword & sorcery interpretation of the early medieval period. It is a period with darkness on the edges, but with defenders of light and hope for Law pushing back against the darkness. It is gritty and grounded, but it is not grimdark or low fantasy.
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