Cities of Myth (5e): Fallen Camelot is a role playing game supplement published by Realmwarp Media for use with Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition. As such, it is covered by the Open Game License and some parts are considered to be Open Game Content as a result.
The supplement is available as a PDF from DriveThruRPG for $19.95, standard colour softcover print on demand for $34.95, premium colour softcover for $44.95, standard colour hardcover for $29.95 or premium colour hardcover for $49.95; in each case, the PDF can be bundled for no extra cost. The PDF is the version reviewed although it was purchased at a reduced price during a sale. The PDF has 175 pages, with one being the front cover, two the front matter, one the Table of Contents and one the Open Game License.
The Introduction explains that this is the first in a series of mythical cities (though this covers most of Great Britain), which will eventually have more cities, venture into other media and have its own system. There are some details on running the setting, namely the terminology used.
Chapter I: Setting Info starts with a timeline of events for Camelot, from 410 to the present of 637, with sidebars on female warrior and non-Caucasian residents, both of which would have existed historically. Pantheonic Values explains that the people of Albion follow the personifications of values. There are nine different values and each has three d6 tables; ideal, bond and flaw. The Fall of Camelot has a map of Albion and covers Arthur’s rise to the crown and the events that led to his and Mordred’s deaths, and the rise of Queen Morgan le Fae.
Characters has descriptions of a number of the more important characters, though two are dead (not that this has stopped one of them from moving around) together with their pantheonic values, as mentioned earlier.
Regions covers the different places in Albion, divided into major areas with some also having locations of interest.
Chapter II: New Mechanics starts with some rules on exploration, with different types of exploration objectives, checks to find them and the rewards for doing so. There are d6 tables of mechanical and roleplaying boons for the different objectives, and some details on spellcasting. Aberrant magic explains the effects of corruption on land and creatures, and how this corruption can be cleansed.
Chapter III: Races has five different races for the setting. Celestial-Blessed, Dragon-Claimed, Faeborn, Fiend-Scourged (actually a type of undead) and Giant-Blooded. Each is given an overview, including names, and a description of their appearance and their traits, including the typical pantheonic values.
Chapter IV: Classes & Subclasses has these. Leyfinder is the only true new class but Barbarian, Bard, Cleric, Druid, Fighter, Monk, Paladin, Ranger, Rogue, Sorceror, Warlock and Wizard all have new subclasses. All but Monk and Rogue have two new subclasses; they only have one. These subclasses all have a quest that must be undertaken to retrain in the subclass.
Chapter V: Backgrounds explains that, in the setting, these are modular and customisable. There are skills and features to choose from.
Chapter VI: Guilds are the organisations of the setting, eight in all. Each is given an overview of its goal, the hierarchy and the different levels in that, how to join it, a description of an NPC, tables of goals, villains and adventure hooks and a description of the organisation’s major location.
Chapter VII: Items has magic items for the setting, including some artefacts.
Chapter VIII: Bestiary has a handful of new monsters. Giants, in Cornish, Pictish and Sea varieties, Fae, Sea Creatures, Ley Deviants and Notable NPCs.
Chapter VIII: Adventure (yes, this chapter is given the same chapter number as the Bestiary chapter; in the Table of Contents, it’s listed as Chapter IIX – which is not a valid Roman number and means “8” anyway) starts with Camelot Adventure Seeds. There are seeds for adventures from Tier 1 to Tier 4, with several at each tier. Combined, they map out a complete campaign. Ill-Shapen But Not Ill-Prepared is an introductory adventure for the setting and has some hooks to involve characters as well as some background material.
Appendix A: Additional Magic Items has new magic items from the adventure.
Appendix B: Additional Creatures has stats for an NPC enemy from the adventure.
Appendix C: Sidekicks has stats and a progression chart for an NPC from the adventure.
Cities of Myth (5e): Fallen Camelot in Review
The PDF is decently bookmarked with major and minor sections linked. The Table of Contents is to a similar level of depth and is hyperlinked. Navigation is okay. The text maintains a two-column colour format and a number of errors were noticed. There are a variety of illustrations, some custom, some stock or possibly public domain; styles often don’t match that well. Presentation is okay.
Though this is billed as a setting book, a substantial amount of it is new mechanics and character options. These are tied to the setting admittedly, as the new classes and guild, plus new mechanics, are related to the current condition of Albion, but the setting is not detailed as thoroughly as might be expected. The portrayal of Albion and Camelot is also perhaps a bit different. Not necessarily wrong, but the differences might be jarring to those familiar with other portrayals.
It would have been nice to see more setting details in the core book for the setting, especially as it’s going to be tied more to other supplements in the range; mention is made of Atlantis, which has since been released. There are also other supplements to expand the setting, though it looks like they focus more on mechanics, like the core setting book does, than setting. The differences to the standard Arthurian setting may take a bit of getting used to; it’s definitely high-magic (unsurprising for a 5E base) and other species are covered in much more detail. There are humans, but humans are only some of the inhabitants. Cities of Myth (5e): Fallen Camelot is a different version of the Arthurian legend and it can be found by clicking here.
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