Grand Duchy of Reme is a generic role playing game supplement published by Frog God Games as part of the Lost Lands setting. The supplement is covered by the Open Game License and some parts are considered to be Open Game Content as a result.
The supplement is available from DriveThruRPG as a 154-page PDF for $24.99 but was purchased at a reduced price during a sale. Two pages are the front and rear covers, two the front matter, four the Table of Contents, two the Index and one the Open Game License.
The Introduction explains that the Grand Duchy of Reme is one of the original locations of the Lost Lands setting. It explains that it can be difficult to convey a fantasy culture that isn’t just Merry-England-With-Elves. It looks at the nomenclature of the Grand Duchy, which is a grassland region better described as a khanate, the difference between the terms used to refer to the land and culture and to the city of Reme and the Loreclans, the most significant social organisation of the region.
Chapter One: Overview starts with an overview of the grand duchy and its behaviour, before moving onto the culture of the Loreclans, which come in three basic types; settled, semi-nomadic and purely nomadic. Three different Loreclans are then described and then the Lore that is where the name Loreclan came from is covered. A sidebar covers the feudal system of Reme, which is not feudal in the traditional sense, with descriptions as to what Rhemish knights, barons and dukes are like. The sea power of the Grand Duchy is covered, as the harbour and location of Reme make it an important seaport. A timeline is followed by a more detailed description of the Grand Duchy’s history, from the pre-Hyperborean period, through the Hyperborean era, the Foerdewaith era and its current status as an independent world power. Finally, there are some details on civil unrest in the Westmarches, the ethnicity and culture of the Grand Duchy and the ability of the Shattered Folk beyond the Crynnomar Gap to petition for the right to settle the plains.
Chapter Two: Lands of the Grand Duke gives an overview of the country and its stats, then covers the government, a hereditary, feudal monarchy, and military, religion, trade and commerce and loyalties and diplomacy. The country has no colonies beyond its ancient borders and seeks to be on good terms with all countries who do not threaten those borders; it is friendly with many nations. The duchy is concerned about deteriorating conditions in the Borderland Provinces and Sundered Kingdoms and encouraged the alliance between the Duchy of Waymarch and Bard’s Gate as a result. Various locations within the Grand Duchy are covered next, both physical and settlements, with settlements being given stats where appropriate. Varazath, a major city, is mapped.
Chapter Three: The City of Reme also has a map. It has stats for the city and an overview covering religion, government and military. Next the city itself is described, with details on streets and bridges and then on more specific locations. Various locations have more details, such as price lists, on organisations and adventure hooks.
Chapter 4: Duchy of the Northmarches has a map of the region then gives an overview of the duchy and its stats, with its history, religion, trade and commerce, people, loyalties and diplomacy, government, military, major threats, wilderness and adventure. It then describes the various locations in a similar manner to Chapter 2, although some locations also have Reference Sources, which relate to their coverage in other supplements.
Chapter 5: The Frontier again is laid out in a similar way. There’s a map of the frontier, an overview with stats, general information on borders, lands, history, people, religion, trade, commerce, loyalties, diplomacy, government, military and major threats before describing the various locations, again with Reference Sources as appropriate.
Chapter 6: Duchy of Waymarch follows the same pattern, with a map of the duchy, an overview with its stats, the general information on borders, lands, history, people, religion, trade, commerce, loyalties, diplomacy, government, military and major threats and then various locations, with Reference Sources if appropriate.
Chapter 7: Duchy of Westmarch continues the same way, having a map of the duchy, its stats, general information on its history and people, religion, trade and commerce, loyalties and diplomacy, government, military, major threats and wilderness and adventure, followed by various locations in the duchy along with any appropriate reference sources.
Chapter 8: Beyond the Borders is laid out differently to the other chapters. There is no map at the beginning of the chapter, as some of the places are in maps of the other regions and others are underground. Instead of there being s single region detailed, nine different places are covered, each separate. Each is individually covered in similar ways to each other and the other chapters, with each having their own stats and more details, such as history and people, religion, government, loyalties and diplomacy, military, major threats, wilderness and adventures and places of interest, though not every different region has every section. Notably, information on many of the places, from the Rhemish point of view, is either minimal or their very existence isn’t known. Again, any appropriate reference sources are given.
Appendix A: Primary Gods of Reme lists the four main gods of the Grand Duchy. Each is named, given their various stats such as domains and worshippers along with a more detailed description of them.
Appendix B: Encounter Tables has d100 encounter tables for various specific and general regions.
The final two pages of content have a map of Reme.
Grand Duchy of Reme in Review
The PDF is bookmarked with the various sections and subsections linked. The Table of Contents is to a similar level of depth and is hyperlinked. The Index is thorough and is also hyperlinked. Navigation is good. The text maintains a two-column format and appeared to be mostly free of errors. There are a variety of colour illustrations, up to two-page spreads, as well as maps and some blue line art, though perhaps not as much as might be expected in a book of this size. Presentation is okay.
Firstly, this is a system neutral book with no game stats, presumably done so that one book could be bought for any system wanted, then the supplementary books for Pathfinder, Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition and Swords & Wizardry be bought separately for the needed stats; these books are, however, comparatively expensive.
The supplement covers a major country in the Lost Lands setting, and its use outside that setting is going to be more limited. It’s not impossible to drop it into a blank area in another setting, but quite a few reference changes will need to be made. Possibly some sections, such as settlements, could be lifted out, but overall, this is a gazetteer for a specific setting and is best used as such. There is a large amount of information on the Grand Duchy, though more could, of course, have been included; perhaps things such as naming conventions, games and other cultural elements. This is a useful supplement for the Lost Lands setting, though, and helps expand the material available there. Given the strong connections parts of the Grand Duchy have to Bard’s Gate, which is the primary city setting of the world, it can help expand a Bard’s Gate campaign. Grand Duchy of Reme can be found by clicking here.
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