Of course, I am talking about Lion & Dragon, a very awesome and well-researched "Medieval Authentic" OSR game by RPG Pundit, owner of The RPG Site and self-described Final Boss of Internet Shitlords.
Now, it does go without saying that Pundit is somewhat of a polarizing figure in the RPG scene, especially in the OSR Movement.
You either love him or hate him, and while I don't agree with several of his political views, I do like him and respect him as both a game designer and as an advocate for free speech and free expression within this hobby of ours. I've been an active member of his forum, The RPG Site (linked at the end of this article) since December of 2015 and The RPG Site is one of my favorite online spaces in the hobby of role-playing games, equaled only by RPG Pub. But enough about Pundit's politics or his forum, let's discuss his actual work in question!
Lion & Dragon is a Medieval Fantasy OSR that is described as "Medieval Authentic", which means that it is more closely modeled after the actual history and society of the European Middle Ages, and draws its influences and inspirations from actual medieval history and folklore as opposed to fantasy adventure literature from the 20th Century.
Whereas a typical D&D or OSR game would be influenced by the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, Robert E. Howard, H.P. Lovecraft, and their later successors in the genre, Lion & Dragon would more likely draw its inspirations from the works of Sir Thomas Malory, Geoffrey Chaucer, Dante Alighieri, and Christien de Troyes, among other medieval romances.
There are many key differences between Lion & Dragon and the default assumptions of Dungeons & Dragons and other OSR games, some of which are unusual to those familiar with common fantasy works (especially more recent ones) and to many gamers (especially Millennial gamers like myself) these changes may seem restrictive, but I find them to be rather liberating.
Some of the major changes are as follows....
1. Social class is a major element of character creation and gameplay, and society is structured under a very strict hierarchical class system. Serfs, peasants and city-dwellers are playable, but are assumed to defer to the authority of the nobility and the authority of both the Church and the Crown.
2. The world of Lion & Dragon is monotheistic in its outlook as opposed to the more polytheistic settings typical to most D&D worlds. The two cited examples of monotheism are the Church of the Unconquered Sun (from Pundit's Dark Albion setting) and medieval Christianity. Theoretically, you could play a character who is a pagan or a polytheist, but they would be most likely viewed as a heretic and an outlaw.
3. Alignment is a major factor in gameplay and your character has to behave in a manner befitting of the alignment. The default assumption in Lion & Dragon is Law vs. Chaos, although Good vs. Evil is also mentioned as a possible alternative. The famous Nine-Point Alignment chart from D&D does not apply here.
4. Clerics are monotheistic and must be of Lawful alignment. Rather than being just a priest who can cast spells and wield blunt weapons, clerics in Lion & Dragon are specifically chosen by divine will to serve God (or the Unconquered Sun, if specifically in Dark Albion) and are blessed by him. They do not cast spells, but can work miracles and blessings. As such, clerics are treated as more like a religious society or monastic order as opposed to the mainline clergy. While priests, monks, and nuns can be clerics, it is not a requirement. In fact, you can even play a female cleric, although given the patriarchal nature of medieval society, the leaders of the clerical orders are male.
5. There are no weapon and armor restrictions on characters per se, although Magisters cannot use magic while wearing metal armor, as it inhibits movement and dexterity required for certain arcane preparations.
6. Gold pieces are not standard currency, and they are rare. The monetary system is closer to the actual medieval and Renaissance currency system used in England, albeit simplified somewhat for gameplay purposes. The coins are divided into Pennies, Shillings, and Pounds. Pennies are copper, Shillings are silver, and Pounds are gold, but coinage in general is uncommon and a barter economy is the standard, especially in more rural areas or among the lower social classes.
7. Magic is a lot closer to actual medieval occult practices such as alchemy, astrology, cures, talismans, and banishing. Magic itself requires proper material components, preparations, and conditions to be met in order for the magic to work as intended.
8. Summoning is also a major magical skill, and revolves around demonology and otherworldly beings of a similar nature. There is an infernal hierarchy among demons and it is important that one takes the proper steps in preparing the summoning rituals and ceremonies. However, a Chaotic character can shortcut their way to magical power by making pacts with demons or making blood sacrifices to them.
9. Much like in medieval society, the King and the Church both have absolute authority over their subjects, Unlike many modern and post-modern works, this is not treated as inherently bad, simply as an aspect of the period in question.
These touches of authenticity can help player and GM alike be more creative, thinking outside the box of common and standard fantasy fiction tropes and overall it feels like a breath of fresh air compared to bog-standard D&D and OSR games.
Prior to buying Lion & Dragon, almost all of my OSR collection and experience was with generic retro-clones like Dark Dungeons, Swords & Wizardry, or Basic Fantasy.
While I do like the newer editions of D&D and many OSR games, Lion & Dragon is by far my favorite OSR game and quite possibly my favorite variant of D&D period. Kudos to RPG Pundit for making this game.
In fact, I have several ideas in mind for a Lion & Dragon campaign or fan fiction, including concepts for both the Tudor era and the Arthurian romances. Some of them may appear on this very blog in the near future.
Here is Pundit's forum, if any of you wish to check it out for yourself...
https://www.therpgsite.com/
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