Astrology by N. Robin Crossby, Ron Gibson and Lance Gutteridge is a role playing supplement published by Columbia Games Inc. Though this is a supplement for Hârn, it is system neutral.
The supplement is available as a 12-page PDF from DriveThruRPG for $5.99 although it was purchased at a reduced price thanks to a special offer.
The opening page explains that few Hârnians have any real knowledge of astronomy and those who have observed the motion of planets have come to the conclusion they must have a bearing on people’s destiny. A sidebar explains the role of court astrologers and the fate of a famous one, which is why astrologers avoid giving precise predictions.
Practical Astronomy lists the major constellations and mentions comets and meteors.
The Star Charts contains star charts for the northern and southern hemispheres.
Astronomical Data states that very, very few Kethirans know any of the following; it’s largely for the GM. This section outlines the planets in the Nolomar system, and the star itself, together with Kethira’s moon, lunar and solar eclipses.
Origins and Spread of Kethiran Astrology gives a history of astrology and astromancy, to Pvaric astrology.
Pvaric Astrology is then done in more detail and the 12 signs of the Kethiran zodiac are covered, followed by an illustration of it.
Gamemaster Notes: Applications talks about using astrology in Hârn. No rules are given, but there are suggestions, especially as to how to deal with the idea that astrology influences destiny.
Astrology in Review
The PDF lacks bookmarks and is long enough with enough different sections that these would have been useful. Navigation is poor. The text, bar the first page which is a single column with sidebar, follows a two-column format and appeared to be free of errors. There are a range of illustrations, both colour and black and white, some definitely custom, such as the star charts.
This is a pure background piece for Hârn. It details how astrology would be used, some astronomical data and the star signs of the zodiac and how it’s believed they affect people’s behaviour, just like normal ones. It would have been nice to have some game influences for star signs, making them have some sort of game importance, though. This is essentially interesting background information for the setting. Astrology can be found by clicking here.
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