''GURPS Banestorm'', written by

Phil Masters Phil Masters is a British role-playing game designer and author. Career Phil Masters' writing credits in role-playing games go back to ''White Dwarf'' Magazine #20 and the ''Fiend Folio'' of ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons''. Masters wrote about h ...

and Jonathan Woodward, is a setting sourcebook for the fourth edition of the

GURPS The ''Generic Universal RolePlaying System'', or ''GURPS'', is a tabletop role-playing game system designed to allow for play in any game setting. It was created by Steve Jackson Games and first published in 1986 at a time when most such systems ...

Role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within ...

released in October 2005. It details a fantasy setting called ''Yrth'' that has been updated from the older GURPS Fantasy source books ''

Orcslayer ''Orcslayer'' is a sourcebook for ''Steve Jackson's Man to Man'' and later ''GURPS''. Contents ''Orcslayer'' includes nine combat scenarios, each linked by role-playing encounters, in which the player characters deal with the Orcmen invading Cait ...

'' and ''

GURPS Magic ''GURPS Magic'' is a source book for the ''GURPS'' role-playing game from Steve Jackson Games that provides in depth coverage of magic in the context of ''GURPS''. The first edition was published in 1989. The book expands on the material outlined ...

'' (first edition). The standard fantasy elements such as Wizards, Orcs, Elves, and Dwarves are present, along with connections to

Infinite Worlds Infinite Worlds may refer to: * ''Infinite Worlds'' (book), 2005 nonfiction book *''GURPS Infinite Worlds'', 2005 role playing game *''Infinite Worlds'', 2007 album by Vagabon Laetitia Tamko, better known by her stage name Vagabon, is a Cameroo ...

. There are also some more unusual fantastic races like the Reptile Men, and several others which can be added in as desired by the game master.

Setting

A basic premise of the setting is that magical ''banestorms'' pick up people and whole villages from other worlds (including Earth) and deposit them on Yrth. As a result, many of the societies and cultures are reminiscent of a Crusades-era Earth, albeit with magic. One significant difference this brings is that, unlike many fantasy settings, Yrth has many of the major Earth faiths as its core religions, including

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesu ...

, Islam,

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or ''dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global po ...

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the ...

, and others. The setting's official timeline syncs up with our own so that a "normal" campaign would be set in 2005 or 2006. The Banestorm started about 1,000 years ago when a group of "Dark Elves" completed a magical ritual designed to banish all Orcs from Yrth. The spell backfired horribly, and instead brought people from other worlds. Although the majority of Banestorm strikes occurred shortly after the initial backfire, giving the world its fantasy-medieval flavor, occasional flare-ups have occurred since then. For instance, in the 16th century, a number of humans were transported to Yrth from France, bringing with them dangerous knowledge of Protestantism, and gunpowder. The latter has since been suppressed due to concerns by the Empire of Megalos about too much technological progress.

Plot

One of the interesting things about the setting is that a different flavor of fantasy campaign can be had depending on which region of Yrth one uses. Araterre, for instance, is a seafaring nation inhabited by the descendants of those brought to Yrth from France in the 16th century. Light or no armor, swashbuckling, and courtly intrigue are the rule of the day. Sahud is the Asian mish-mash country, and would be suitable for a wuxia style game, or even something akin to Legend of the Five Rings. Some countries are almost entirely human-dominated, and others are mixed, while there are still some area completely under the control of Elves, Orcs, Dwarves, or Reptile Men.

Third Edition

In third edition GURPS, the book GURPS Fantasy covered the Yrth setting rather than being a genre toolkit. It was among the inspiration sources for the Media Computing Group of the

RWTH Aachen University RWTH Aachen University (), also known as North Rhine-Westphalia Technical University of Aachen, Rhine-Westphalia Technical University of Aachen, Technical University of Aachen, University of Aachen, or ''Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hoch ...

for the development of the REXplorer mobile game. GURPS Fantasy: Tredroy and GURPS Fantasy: Harkwood provide additional setting information about Yrth.

Major Locations

* Al-Haz: Shiite Islamic * Al-Wazif: Sunni Islamic * Araterre: Island nation. 16th Century Catholicism brought into line by Banestorm Church. strong Huguenot "heresy". * Cardiel: Formed from the former Islamic Nation of Al-Kard, which was conquered by Megalos, but lost control of Cardiel. Nominally Catholic, practices tolerance of other religions. * Caithness: Catholic * Megalos: The largest nation of Yrth, Megalos is a human-dominated Christian Empire. Catholic * The Nomad Lands: Pagan * The Oceans * The Orclands: opposed to the Eternal * Sahud: Quasi-Asian nation on the northern coast of Yrth. Buddhist/Shinto * The Great Forest: Elven worship of the Eternal * The Southwestern Wilderness * Tredroy, City of Three Laws: Tredroy is a city divided between the rule of Cardiel, Al-Haz and Al-Wazif. * Zarak — The Underground Kingdom of the Dwarves. Dwarven worship of the Eternal

Publication history

''GURPS Banestorm'' was published in 2005 for fourth edition, set in the world of Yrth.

References

External links

Banestorm at the SJGames.com catalogueA comprehensive review of Banestorm
a
RPG.net
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gurps Banestorm Fantasy role-playing game supplements Banestorm GURPS 4th edition Role-playing game supplements introduced in 2005 Yrth