A Review of the Role Playing Game Supplement HârnLore 5

HârnLore 5 is a role playing game supplement published by Columbia Games Inc. for use with Hârn and HârnMaster. The supplement is a digital version of the original magazine.

The supplement is available as a 17-page PDF from DriveThruRPG for $5 but was purchased at a reduced price thanks to a special discount. One page is the front cover, one the front matter and table of contents, one is blank and one an ad; the ad will have been added much more recently.

Letterdemain has a sidebar giving an overview of the issue’s contents before going on to readers’ letters and the answers given. Bear in mind these are from 1988.

Dicey Business is an article on the game business, in this case game distribution, in particular mail order and retail sales. Again, from 1988.

Trail’s Peril is a short adventure that can be used as a random encounter on a woodland trail on the borders of civilisation. It features a tribe of Gargu-arak that have been unusually aggressive. This includes a map of the local forest and of the primary location.

Master’s Grimoire has excerpts from the spell book of Satia-Mavari, Theris of Meredos, a Shek-Pvar of the Jmorvi convocation. It gives some details on Theris and 13 spells.

Penny Arcane discusses the predictive arts and the probability that the Hârnic Tarot will never be created.

HârnLore 5 in Review

The PDF lacks bookmarks and has enough different sections that these would have been useful. The table of contents covers the major sections. Navigation could be better. The text maintains a two-column format and appeared to be free of errors. There are a number of black and white illustrations, with some custom maps. Presentation is okay.

The first thing to consider about this supplement is that it’s a magazine from 1988. Letterdemain is probably not entirely useless, but the state of Columbia Games’ distribution in the late 80s is hardly relevant. The adventure and the grimoire are definitely useful, though, and the Penny Arcane section is interesting. At full price, this is probably not worth it, but it is worth getting at a decent discount for the adventure. HârnLore 5 can be found by clicking here.