Superb piece of work. Such memories of some great times. I lost my collection due to water damage, with Tharda being the only piece to survive as it had been misplaced during a move. Again, it's a brilliant retrospective.
The interconnectedness and detail makes Harn truly fascinating! The price tag of products is prohibitive but the unique qualities make this hard to pass. So I've slowly expanded my pdf library and now am even waiting for the Chybisa hardback from the Kickstarter.
Picked up a lot of the Harn material in the 80s, when it was easily available (and much cheaper than it is now lol), though I didn't manage to buy a copy of Harn Master until a couple of years ago. Instead, we ran FGU's Chivalry & Sorcery set on Harn, which worked very well for us. My group loved the detail and depth of the Harn material, as our campaigns were played that way. I do wish the Harn material was available in the UK, shipping is crazy from USA these days (I much prefer print copies to pdfs). . I did back the Columbia hard backs kickstarter, but shipping was very expensive :(
Personally, I buy the PDFs and use Lulu to get them into hardcopy, where postage is too astronomic. Especially for large volumes, it works out cheaper. .
Harn is one of those things I have endless respect for, even though it runs quite counter to my actual gaming preferences. It's an incredible body of design work and lore.
I remember seeing Harn in my local shop back in the day. I did not pick it up. It's great to see it again as I had forgotten it's existence. Thank you for the investigation. That's quite a collection of tea cups you have going as well!
Knee deep into D&D in the 80s i always saw Harn at my local game shop but never got into it. I always thought Harn was similar to Runequest, which I also never played. Never knew N. Robin Crossby but I lived very close to him in BC.
Late to the Harn Universe, but like any other game verse it is a much have for idea and data mining. Appreciate all the effort you put forth for your videos.
Great review as always! I bought Hârn in 1983 and have almost everything and I did learn many details. I played HarnMaster 1, 2, and 3. I even played AD&D in the Hârn setting. It's been almost two decades since I've played in Hârn though. I am back thanks to the newly released HârnMaster: Roleplaying in the World of Kèthîra which is very good (looking forward to your review of that). Not having looked at Hârn in a very long time, it is a pleasure to revisit it again. I think your comparison to Glorantha is most astute. It is also a very detailed setting, although it is base on a Bronze Age period instead of the Middle Ages of Hârn. As always, I am looking forward to your next video.
Thank-you! In many ways, it's Hârn's early mediaeval setting that drew me there. It's one that I've studied most, partly because there's still a lot of it, material and nature, hanging around British society today. History is always better when you can touch it! (Although museums are often a bit miffed about it if you do...)
@@WillyMuffinUK Yes it's one of the things I like most about traveling, and something I enjoyed while I visited Great Britain, the touching and seeing the remnants of the past.
@@hexaedre I have something planned for a video on my Renaissance wargaming, to film it at the site of the Battle of Naseby. Also trying to block out some time to go and wander Robin Hood country to film that script. Tad different scenery to my tip of an office!
Any system that heads down a more "realistic" line isn't a bad fit. That includes the BRP family - BRP, Mythras, Legend, and the not-too-tied-to-Glorantha RuneQuest editions.
Not yet! It's somewhere on the list, and I'm sort of going through some session/world building odds and sods in the members' area (although, at this time, just one video there so far).
One thing that separated Harn from my game shelf was the cost. This seemed to be 15-20% more costly than everything else in the game store. Was that less so in the UK.
If I remember, the Hârn regional was comparable to the Greyhawk boxed set in price, and books such as the Kingdom Modules were more expensive than an equivalent TSR adventure module. I'll dig out some old magazines from the time at the weekend, see if I can find the prices they went for.
I went to Harn to use as the setting for my GURPS game but my 140 IQ wasn't quite enough to get the most from that combination. So I kept GURPS and made a home brew world. Although, within that world there is a cultural region called Ivinia. But then, there is also a Thyatia, Aquilonia, Waterdeep, King's Landing and of course, Greyhawk City ( no relation to the City of Greyhawk ). *Needs a Rohan.
Once Again Willie, your sensibilities are bang on with the Harnic overview. Thanks I'd love to get your take on the system.... Have you run a campaign at all?
Not a bad idea. I've avoided, mostly, mixing the two, because that would make for very messy videos of daft length, but pure lore ones would make for good companions 👌
Harn's an incredible creative achievement but leaves me totally cold as an RPG setting though... over (needlessly?) detailed, choice paralysis, etc are all elements that have got in the way of bringing this to the table. It is amazing though and I totally admire the authors and what Colombia Games have done over the years.
I somewhat agree. For me, Harn has been one of those worlds to "read" more than "play". Plethora of bits and pieces of inspiration and a huge library of useful maps, though!
@@WillyMuffinUK Totally! Its incredible in its focus and detail. Great video btw, love your content and always find them interesting however much or little I know about the game in question.
Wonderful in depth coverage of the History of Harn. Worth a listen for anyone who is interested in Harn.
Thank-you. I'm glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Yes, absolutely! Very interesting perspective. I never knew the lines divided.
@@paavohirn3728 Confused the heck out of me at the time!
@@WillyMuffinUK I bet! Would have confused me if I'd heard of it earlier 😅
Superb piece of work. Such memories of some great times. I lost my collection due to water damage, with Tharda being the only piece to survive as it had been misplaced during a move. Again, it's a brilliant retrospective.
Thank-you - glad to reignite your memories 🙂
The interconnectedness and detail makes Harn truly fascinating! The price tag of products is prohibitive but the unique qualities make this hard to pass. So I've slowly expanded my pdf library and now am even waiting for the Chybisa hardback from the Kickstarter.
I suspect DriveThru has saved many a game's mortgage. Thank grief for PDFs!
@@WillyMuffinUK yeah 😅
Picked up a lot of the Harn material in the 80s, when it was easily available (and much cheaper than it is now lol), though I didn't manage to buy a copy of Harn Master until a couple of years ago. Instead, we ran FGU's Chivalry & Sorcery set on Harn, which worked very well for us.
My group loved the detail and depth of the Harn material, as our campaigns were played that way. I do wish the Harn material was available in the UK, shipping is crazy from USA these days (I much prefer print copies to pdfs). . I did back the Columbia hard backs kickstarter, but shipping was very expensive :(
Personally, I buy the PDFs and use Lulu to get them into hardcopy, where postage is too astronomic. Especially for large volumes, it works out cheaper. .
Harn is one of those things I have endless respect for, even though it runs quite counter to my actual gaming preferences. It's an incredible body of design work and lore.
It's a good aspirational and inspirational work, if not always practical.
Nice video coverage of one of the best fantasy settings and a joy to watch.
Cheers!
Thank-you!
I remember seeing Harn in my local shop back in the day. I did not pick it up. It's great to see it again as I had forgotten it's existence. Thank you for the investigation.
That's quite a collection of tea cups you have going as well!
Hah! Yes... I occasionally remember to bring them in for washing. Usually when I can't find a new cup in the cupboard for the morning cuppa!
Will be watching this in full after work. Great topic.
I hope it provides some reasonable post-work entertainment!
A fantastic setting that I have based most of my campaigns in since the 80s. Harn, and Kethira provides all any GM could need.
And more!
Knee deep into D&D in the 80s i always saw Harn at my local game shop but never got into it. I always thought Harn was similar to Runequest, which I also never played. Never knew N. Robin Crossby but I lived very close to him in BC.
It is a bit like RuneQuest, but at the same time very different. More finely detailed, for one, which isn't everyone's cup of tea.
Late to the Harn Universe, but like any other game verse it is a much have for idea and data mining.
Appreciate all the effort you put forth for your videos.
It is one of the best mines going 🙂
Thank-you!
Great review as always! I bought Hârn in 1983 and have almost everything and I did learn many details. I played HarnMaster 1, 2, and 3. I even played AD&D in the Hârn setting. It's been almost two decades since I've played in Hârn though. I am back thanks to the newly released HârnMaster: Roleplaying in the World of Kèthîra which is very good (looking forward to your review of that). Not having looked at Hârn in a very long time, it is a pleasure to revisit it again. I think your comparison to Glorantha is most astute. It is also a very detailed setting, although it is base on a Bronze Age period instead of the Middle Ages of Hârn. As always, I am looking forward to your next video.
Thank-you! In many ways, it's Hârn's early mediaeval setting that drew me there. It's one that I've studied most, partly because there's still a lot of it, material and nature, hanging around British society today. History is always better when you can touch it!
(Although museums are often a bit miffed about it if you do...)
@@WillyMuffinUK Yes it's one of the things I like most about traveling, and something I enjoyed while I visited Great Britain, the touching and seeing the remnants of the past.
@@hexaedre I have something planned for a video on my Renaissance wargaming, to film it at the site of the Battle of Naseby. Also trying to block out some time to go and wander Robin Hood country to film that script. Tad different scenery to my tip of an office!
@@WillyMuffinUK Very cool, I look forward to seeing those.
I was thinking a lot about Mythras while watching this. Great video, btw.
As much as I love Harn, Mythras is my go to system and it suits Harn well.
Any system that heads down a more "realistic" line isn't a bad fit. That includes the BRP family - BRP, Mythras, Legend, and the not-too-tied-to-Glorantha RuneQuest editions.
@@WillyMuffinUK Long ago, I put Kiraz into a MERP campaign. But that was the only Harn item I ever owned. I still have fond memories of that campaign.
@@whangbar The setting has some highly portable bits and bobs. I think I've used it more in pieces than as a whole.
Fascinating look at Hârn. Have you released a video on your own world/world building? I'd be interested to see that.
Not yet! It's somewhere on the list, and I'm sort of going through some session/world building odds and sods in the members' area (although, at this time, just one video there so far).
One thing that separated Harn from my game shelf was the cost. This seemed to be 15-20% more costly than everything else in the game store. Was that less so in the UK.
If I remember, the Hârn regional was comparable to the Greyhawk boxed set in price, and books such as the Kingdom Modules were more expensive than an equivalent TSR adventure module.
I'll dig out some old magazines from the time at the weekend, see if I can find the prices they went for.
Willy! Could you please do a review of Dungeon Crawl Classics? Really curious about your opinion
Definitely on the list. May well slot it in while I'm waiting for a clear weekend for the Robin Hood Road trip.
I went to Harn to use as the setting for my GURPS game but my 140 IQ wasn't quite enough to get the most from that combination. So I kept GURPS and made a home brew world. Although, within that world there is a cultural region called Ivinia. But then, there is also a Thyatia, Aquilonia, Waterdeep, King's Landing and of course, Greyhawk City ( no relation to the City of Greyhawk ). *Needs a Rohan.
That sounds like a great patchwork!
Once Again Willie, your sensibilities are bang on with the Harnic overview. Thanks
I'd love to get your take on the system.... Have you run a campaign at all?
Not what I would call a full campaign, but I've done a fair amount of shorter arcs using it.
Hârnmaster review will be along at some point!
I would love a series paralleling this one going into detail on the lore of the milieus compared to this one that is just the IRL history.
Not a bad idea. I've avoided, mostly, mixing the two, because that would make for very messy videos of daft length, but pure lore ones would make for good companions 👌
Harn's an incredible creative achievement but leaves me totally cold as an RPG setting though... over (needlessly?) detailed, choice paralysis, etc are all elements that have got in the way of bringing this to the table. It is amazing though and I totally admire the authors and what Colombia Games have done over the years.
I somewhat agree. For me, Harn has been one of those worlds to "read" more than "play". Plethora of bits and pieces of inspiration and a huge library of useful maps, though!
@@WillyMuffinUK Totally! Its incredible in its focus and detail. Great video btw, love your content and always find them interesting however much or little I know about the game in question.
@@Rich_H_1972 Thank-you 🙂. Hopefully you've discovered some interesting things on the way!
A World that I have purchased and sold on twice in my 50 years of gaming. Mostly because it doesn't resonate with my player group.
It is quite a specific taste.
I like this world…… the game system js Ok.
Yea, the system is fine. I use Mythras as it is a good fit for Harn.
I find full-fat Hârnmaster a little overboard - but Mythras and BRP isn't a bad fit for the place.
This would be a nice RPG setting for that Anglo-Saxon grit and Middle Ages funk. 🏞
Indeed it is!