Hawkmoon - Adventures in the Tragic Millennium

This Chaosium monograph work is a setting book for adventuring in the world of Michael Moorcock’s Hawkmoon. It is neither a game in its own right, nor a complete sourcebook in the traditional manner. Instead, this work is a distillation of a much larger, more complete sourcebook that will, we hope, see physical print at some time in the future. The monograph series from Chaosium allows us to get at least the core of the Hawkmoon sourcebook into print, in a way that (we hope) satisfies most people. with the titanic struggles of Law and Chaos.

Hawkmoon is a roleplaying supplement based on the novels by Michael Moorcock. In the game, players take on the role of adventurers in the turbulent world described in 'The High History of the Runestaff' and 'The Chronicles of Castle Brass', a place where science and fantasy collide and blur; a time of war, intrigue and romance. Adventurers may fight either for or against the Dark Empire of Granbretan; they might be mercenaries serving the numerous provinces of Europe, steeped in their own petty conflicts; or they might be travelers, seeking nothing more than fame and fortune. Or perhaps they unwittingly serve the Runestaff, engaged on its work and unwary of its secret agenda. In the Hawkmoon game world, all these things -- and more -- are possible.

This book describes Hawkmoon's Europe as it is five years before the events described in 'The High History of the Runestaff' and ten years before those described in 'The Chronicles of Castle Brass'. Hawkmoon has not yet been captured by Baron Meliadus at the siege of Köln, and Meliadus has not yet encountered Count Brass or made his fateful oath on the Runestaff. Granbretan is still preparing to invade Europe, but its threat is very real and being felt by most European countries.

The monograph contains the following sections * Introduction – which you now read * Granbretan - The Dark Empire – information concerning Granbretan and its Beast Orders * Hawkmoon’s World – The Codex Europa. Tragic Millennium Europe as observed by Sir Huillam D’Averc * The World Beyond – notes regarding Amerehk and Asiacommunista * Adventuring in the Tragic Millennium – creating a Hawkmoon adventurer using the Stormbringer or Basic Roleplaying rules * The Runestaff – What it is, and how it affects those within its agenda * Sorcery-Science – Concerning the strange technology of the Tragic Millenium * Personalities – descriptions of the key personalities of the Hawkmoon saga * Scenarios – a starting scenario and scenario seeds for adventures in the Tragic Millennium