I like to create. That may be why I made three babies… or that may have something to do with hormones. Nonetheless, traditionally I scoff at publications that, as I once said, “help the unimaginative stumble their way through role playing adventures.” Yet I stumbled upon a copy of Pyramid and was surprised. So surprised I thought it worth mentioning here. The copy I downloaded from the e23 web site (available here: e23) was Pyramid #3_41: Fantasy World Building (March 2012). I’ve played in my homebrew world since I was ten and it has evolved constantly since then. That’s twenty three years of ignoring loved ones to make my world perfect. Needless to say, I am passionate about world building so I opened the magazine with equal parts skepticism and excitement. Yet, as I said before I was pleasantly surprised and impressed right off the bat.
My assertion that fantasy roleplaying publications offer ideas for the unimaginative could not be further from the truth. The pyramid magazine offered structure for my own creativity. I stopped about a quarter of the way through and started writing notes and coming up with ideas for my world. Ideas that you will hopefully read about in one of my stories some day! The publication took a macro and micro approach to world building which I appreciated and proved to be very useful.
I typically avoid specifics and spoilers in reviews as I think you should experience them as the author intended but I will brag about some of the components. The history construction was immediately useful and had some great charts. There was a section that involved the effects of a failed theology, which has been a topic in two of the last three campaigns I played in, so I found that very interesting. Yet my favorite aspects were the twist on the jungle campaign setting and a singular mafia concept. Both articles were great and gave me some great ideas for stuff that I want to create down the road. The jungle setting actually inspired me to design an adobe canyon setting with similar mechanics.
I found the Pyramid Magazine to be a synergy to my creative energy rather than a crutch. I am very curious to see what other topics are on e23 and how many I can download before my wife turns off my credit card. I would gladly pay $8 bucks for another dose of inspiration like that. I pay the caffeine man a good ten bucks a day so what is eight a month for a spinal tap of fantasy inspiration?!?
Check out the core GURPS books you need to get started here
Check out Steve Jackson Games here
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