A Review of the Role Playing Game Supplement Oselbridge

Oselbridge by Eric Hotz is a role playing game supplement published by Columbia Games Inc. for use with Hârn.

The supplement is available as a six-page PDF from DriveThruRPG for $4.99 but was purchased at a reduced price thanks to a special discount.

The opening paragraphs explain that this is the only crossing of the Osel River and a spot on the Genin Trail. It is in a strategic location and there is a centuries old ongoing dispute with different parties seizing control at different times.

The Kingdom of Kaldor explains that Kaldor has a strong historical claim to the place, with the original structure thought to have been built by a kingdom later absorbed into Kaldor. The Lord Warden is a nephew of King Miginath of Kaldor and has a good claim on the throne. He has tried to build a stronger fortress, but been turned down, and may be trying to provoke a conflict to further his ambitions.

The Kingdom of Chybisa explains that this kingdom once held the area and, though they have never formally surrendered the claim, consider it a buffer state.

The Kingdom of Melderyn explains that this kingdom seeks to maintain the balance of power in the region. A sidebar mentions the Nebulan Chapterhouse of the Order of the Lady of Paladins.

The Mercantyler’s Guild explains the guild operates a trading post in the region and the current operator doesn’t want a major fortification built as that would disrupt the trade with the local inhabitants, the Pagaelin.

The Pagaelin explains that the tribesfolk, though violent, tolerate the mercantylers like the Chelni do at Trobridge Inn. It also looks at an outcast sect of Naveh. A sidebar looks at the Osel Massacre, when the tribesfolk slaughtered a mission of the Order of the Spear of Shattered Sorrow.

Next is a labelled map of the region with descriptions of the two points of interest, the bridge and trading post.

After this is a page with an excerpt from the Hârn regional map showing the site’s location, a map of Hârn, again with the bridge’s location marked, and a list of related products.

The final page is an unlabelled map of the area.

Oselbridge in Review

The PDF lacks bookmarks and is short enough that they are not needed, but with enough sections that they would have been appreciated. Navigation is okay. The text maintains a single column with sidebar format and appeared to be free of errors. As well as the colour maps, there are a number of colour and black and white illustrations. Presentation is decent.

Though this is a Hârn supplement, there are no HârnMaster stats, making it usable with other systems. It describes a single location, though not in a huge amount of detail, along with a variety of issues that exist in the area that could lead to conflict. It may be possible to use the bridge in another setting with some tweaking. Oselbridge can be found by clicking here.