RPG Retro Review Grand Duchy of Karameikos

Grand Duchy of Karameikos PDF/POD:www.drivethrurpg.com/product/...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Champions of Mystara PDF: www.drivethrurpg.com/product/...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My Patreon Page: / captcorajus
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PayPal Tipjar: www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Facebook: Dungeons and Dragons RPG Reviews: / rpgretroreviews
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
captcorajus on Twitter: / captcorajus
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
captcorajus on tumblr: www.tumblr.com/blog/captcorajus
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact me: [e-mail]

[@jarkoer]

Ah, memories! This was the home and setting of many of my first D&D adventures. Eventually my party worked up to having their own barony so we could wage war games against the Black Eagle barony. Then high school graduation happened, and unfortunately I never made it back to Karameikos.

[@sharkdentures3247]

Ah, the D&D world. (not AD&D) So many memories. The world was so simple & so much bigger then.

[@johnharrison2086]

My D&D adventures started here - in a little town named Threshold

[@patrickbuckley7259]

That towns name is so meta... I love it!

[@DangerAce]

Me too! The Gazeteers were so much fun.

[@paavohirn3728]

Yeah! I think I gotta grab this! Only had the Thyatis/Alphatia gazetteer from way back when. This would be a great place to start of new legends with all the modules available as well.

[@hawkeyepearce1066]

Your "known world" videos, along with the youtube output of a certain Mr. Welch, have me hankering to take a detour from Greyhawk when I start my next campaign. Thanks for another great vid, looking forward to the Hyperborea review!

[@kevind7396]

Always a favorite setting. This was a very well thought out, fascinating setting.

[@xxredjayxx]

I've always loved Mystara, got started with the Penhaligon trilogy back in 94

[@stratuvarious8547]

I love Mystara, and The Grand duchy of Karameikos is a great start to a fantastic series of setting books. My favorite, so far is the Principalities of Glantri. A whole magic college, a city built on waterways ala Venice, and the variety of real world inspired families, just so much of interest.

[@mattnerdy7236]

Hey Capt. Thank you for your wonderful channel. Your module review videos are a natural 20. 10k subs, Congratulations Capt.! I was watching your older videos the other night. At the end of "Tomb of the Lizard King", you announced a future video called "Isle of the Ape". I tried desperately to look up this video, but I failed my Investigation Check searching in your playlist. There is a free copy online, great old module. I converted the new spells (new in 1985), Serpent missile and Log to Lizard to 5e. I laughed really hard when I first read those spell names. Forgot how corny AD&D could be, loved it then, love it now. Thank you so much Capt., have a great day.

[@swirvinbirds1971]

Congrats on the subscribers. You deserve many more!👍

[@MrRourk]

Finally ran a tabletop game in 2020. Used Bluehack (the look on the players faces when I handed them the 22page booklet of rules was utterly priceless). Set it in the Town of Threshold. They had information that Bargle was spotted in town. They didn't catch him but messed up his operation and plans.

[@richmcgee434]

Ah, Bargle, hated by D&D players for decades. One of our local stores used to sell custom tees that read "I stabbed Bargle the Infamous...and he died!" on them back in the early 90s.

[@MrChupacabra555]

Although its not in this Gazeteer, there is one set of rules introduced in this series that I think still holds up (more or less) even today: The Trade and Commerce rules we see in The Minrothad Guilds and others. I think, with some work, it could be used in later editions of the game (particularly 3rd edition), although you would have to come up with something so that the players don't become stupidly wealthy by engaging in Trade (like make sure to apply upkeep costs to various caravans used, paying all the employees, taxex, etc.), but some people actually like this 'Papers and Paychecks;' style of play (I liked the similar system in the old "Traveller" game myself ^_^)

[@ciscornBIG]

Thanks for the tip! I'm going to use this in my campaign.

[@yvindheilo229]

Just recieved this is the mail from DriveThru a couple of days ago! What a great fit!

[@Satori2046]

Gret channel, 10k subscribers well deserved. Now I'm waiting for some Greyhawk material review :p

[@BlackJar72]

I remember seeing this when it came out but wasn't in a position to get it. My only critique at this point would be that adventure modules, since they are run and involve the PCs, should not have canonical times but instead happen when and if the DM chooses.

[@wanderingbardagain6945]

Picked this up as a PDF early this year and loved all the great story hooks and adventure ideas just baked right into this setting. I'm using it for my 5th edition campaign right now (which is heading to the Isle of Dread shortly), and the players are really into the Duchy and all the conflicts swirling around. Great stuff, and as you said, so adaptable to any fantasy RPG you are running. Keep on sharing these classics, so much great material out there just waiting to be explored and adapted. :)

[@RoDaGrier]

This was the first print on demand book I picked up from Drive Thru an I am extremely pleased with it. I will be getting all of the printable Gazetteer as they become available. If you cover them I will be happy to use your affiliated links assuming you post one before I am ready to make a purchase.

[@spkt0r]

Great Channel, thank you very much.

[@fulminatus6241]

Man, you are crushing it lately. Lovin' this series. Keep up the good work.

[@rowanhawklan9707]

I have The isle of Dread and The Grand Duchy of Karamekos and used both for AD&D very successfully, mind you that was 32 years ago now!

[@hadeseye2297]

Ludwik, Stefan, Magda. Feels native to me. I have to get a look at Mystara.

[@josephskiles]

I'm really sorry I missed this one as a kid, I would have loved this setting!;thanks for the awesome video!

[@99zxk]

Baron von Hendricks looks like Blackadder during the Renaissance. Does Bargle always have cunning plans?

[@markpriest589]

Shearing ceremony is an awesome twist. Appreciated your expanding on this theme. Great writing for sure. So many options spring from this wonderful cultural detail. I could see in functioning in Westeros, etc.

[@menion2599]

Great review! Had the original, but I'm tempted to buy the POD version.

[@BrexerBlue]

Nice one 😃

[@doctorlolchicken7478]

I bought this when it first came out. I have it in my bookcase right here. I read it when I bought it, borrowed a few elements - notably the Black Eagle Barony - and I don’t think I’ve opened it since!

[@dennispascale842]

Another great review. Still a favorite of mine. So many memories. My gaming group can’t get together right now so in the meantime I’ve been building a 5e campaign set in the Grand Duchy. The nostalgia has sparked some creative ideas and it will be fun to play in this setting. This gazetteer packs so much inside it. Some others are hit and miss but this one presents a complete ready to play in sandbox. Many find Karameikos generic but I disagree. Looking forward to more of the reviews for the series.

[@griselame]

really loved Karameikos, great setting, have to run something in it one of these days, love the Norman vs Saxon angle it could have with the Thyatians vs Traldars

[@CawmeKrazee]

Would love to see you review the OG Dave Arneson's blackmoor settings

[@darthjoel6357]

10k subs!! Woot!! Congratulations!! 😊

[@BTsMusicChannel]

Congrats on 10000!!!

[@PagrZero]

I've only really become aware of the world of Mystara in detail recently. In my 25 years of playing, I never looked at the Gazetteers because of their age thinking the would be underdeveloped or hacky generic fantasy supplements. I couldn't have been more wrong. I have to thank you greatly for showing me these books in detail. It looks like I'm going to be burning my money to the DrivethruRPG gods in the next couple of months.

[@Leftylives]

My Orc and Goblin horde lives in the swamp out side the Keep on the Borderlands, haha! We even have an ogre, he's hard to feed though.. mostly been eating troglodytes..

[@Johnny_Nitro]

Congrats on reaching 10K subs!

[@captcorajus]

Thank you so much 😀

[@thomaskiser3886]

Would love to have you review “Night’s Dark Terror”!!!!

[@captcorajus]

Absolutely have that in the cue. Very shortly!

[@whiterino5738]

Congrats on 10k brother!!!!!!!!

[@raymondlugo9960]

It came out in 87 so it was designed for Mentzer rules (1983 BECMI).

[@captcorajus]

Yep, all the Gazetteers were. :)

[@sunsin1592]

Great timing; we just finished Night's Dark Terror today!

[@NemesisOwl]

I've been waiting for this one!

[@2012Jammer]

WOW had no idea there is a pod of the the Grand Duchy...looks great...LOL just looked at the back of the one i bought 30 + years a go and i payed more for it back then (10 bucks)...if you ask me thats a hell of a deal for less then 8 bucks. I might buy the new pod so i can stash away the original to keep it in the best shape as possible.

[@captcorajus]

Yeah, I was like WOW, that's a great deal, so I knew I needed to get the word out on my channel. Especially when I got my own, and saw how good it was.

[@Arcboltkonrad13]

>Duchy of Karameikos is POD for less than $8 Dang, now I know what I'm buying next paycheck!

[@nebulanz8232]

What a blast from the past, awesome. 👍

[@j-henry7391]

Great vid!

[@KeyserSoze1972]

Set most my campaigns here until players wanted to try AD & D

[@gregolder1713]

Some suggestions of old retro D&D books worth checking out: Lords of Darkness (the original undead sourcebook and multiple mini-adventures featuring iconic critters) and Dozen & One Adventures (we enjoyed this sandbox of a campaign for Al Qadim in our group)

[@RobNomad]

i’d like to see Mystara for 5th

[@RobNomad]

@David what? why?

[@Bluecho4]

You know that a game setting is quality when there's a built-in justification for why adventurers are running around in great numbers. (Though I've always found the idea of an "Adventurer's Guild" to be distractingly artificial).

[@Mnnvint]

I picture an "Adventurer's guild" to not so much be an actual guild with guild halls and initiation rights and royal charters and stuff... as just a bunch of people who know each other and are in roughly the same business as the player characters. Doing more or less great deeds, hopefully getting rich of it, and at the very least have some entertaining stories to boast of. It can also double as a thieves' "guild", or "borderline criminal gang" as we might call them in a less medieval setting.

[@seanschraidt3985]

Its a good book from DTRPG. My problem with it, is that when they scan most of these books, they don't use enough contrast so you can see the shadow of the text on the backside of the page. As someone who has scanned a ton of books, that's a huge pet peeve of mine.

[@captcorajus]

I can tell you this scan is free of those issues. :)

[@seanschraidt3985]

@@captcorajus Awesome. Thanks for that.

[@RoDaGrier]

So I finally stared a Karameikos game. Solo game starting at level 1. Because it solo we are using a hybrid of the solo rules from the OSR solo game Scarlet Heroes and BECMI. We started with the Veiled society. Playing one on one we managed in one nice 6 hour session. It ended with the local cell of the the evil Thieves' Guild broken, but the mysterious masked leader escaped. The PC was made a Ducal agent (which was sort of my objective for using this module first) and will be sent to the far reaches of the duchy next session, as it is suspected his life maybe locally forfeit. Any suggestions on what modules to line up next? The PC is still level 1, but as strong as a small party of level 1 characters (because of the Scarlet Hero rules).

[@Bargletheinfamous]

Great video! Was excited to go buy this but both DMs guild and drive thru don't seem to be carrying it right now.

[@captcorajus]

Yeah, its really weird. like two days after my video went up, they took it down. Grrrr.

[@Bargletheinfamous]

@@captcorajus that is such a bummer....i should have picked it up when i saw it earlier in the week.

[@sirjonsnow]

Good stuff, but FYI it's Phillip *Vorloi*

[@captcorajus]

that's what i said! lol

[@TheWiseRabbit]

I used to have this gazeteer... it's selling for $80 now? drat.

[@captcorajus]

I know right?

[@rds978]

I have boxes and boxes of original D&D, AD&D 1st, 2nd, and some 3rd edition in my basement. Plus a bunch of other role-playing games from the late '70s through the late '90s. Just out of curiosity I should pull that stuff out and see what it is going for today. Though I doubt mine is worth much as I played a staggering amount with it and it shows on some of those books. Especially the 1st edition AD&D stuff.

[@TheWiseRabbit]

@@captcorajus The drivethrurpg says the item is no longer available :(

[@SeeTheWholeTruth]

What about the review of the Dragonlance series? I played the oldies, but I never see anyone pull out the Dragonlance sets. Always wished they had done a good Elfquest set too. *shrug*

[@kurgon1976]

capt. which OSR system would you recommend for 5E like combat mechanics (no THACO) but old school look and feel? I want to go old school but don't want to deal with charts.

[@captcorajus]

I hightly recommend Castles & Crusades. Its 'based' on 3E style mechanics, so its heavily d20 based. Most ability rolls are accomplished via its own 'siege-engine' system, which is very cool. AC is typical modern ascending type, and the entire thing is well written. Troll Lord Games is the maker. The game emulates 1E D&D, and was the favored OSR by Gary Gygax himself.

[@DaneFalco]

This was my very first DnD campaign I played in! :)

[@SMunro]

4:40 shows diplomats but refers to traladaran families... :-p

[@captcorajus]

I'm stuck with the pictures that were in the Gazetteer Brother. :p

[@SMunro]

@@captcorajus I know. It wasnt that long ago I gave my D&D to relatives that I dont remember what was in the Gaz 1. Too bad the Asteroid hit capable of creating the 56 mile diameter crater in southern glantri would have created a fireball capable of reducing everything in the 'known world' setting to ash out to the edge of the Thyatian empire and justiying a reboot of the setting beyond AC1006. Even karameikos would have burned for the thirty minutes the fireball would have cooked everyone alive.

[@richmcgee434]

@@SMunro Wasn't a fan of the way they shoved the setting there either, but the lack of a realistic meteor impact didn't bother me any. It's D&D, magic is everywhere, and I'm perfectly willing to believe that their natural laws behave very, very differently than ours do. One look at the giant races is sure proof that the cube-square rule isn't working right and there's the whole "planet being hollow" thing to boot, just to name a few issues.

[@nicklarocco4178]

The only thing I really don't like about the gazetteer series is the colored splash art on every page. It's distracting, and doesn't add anything. I'd much prefer a POD without those blue towers in the middle of every page.

[@captcorajus]

yeah, i can agree that the icon art on every page is a bit distracting. Of course these are reprints not edits. :)

[@waltwhitmanleaves]

do you still play dungeons and dragons ?

[@captcorajus]

at least once a week, sometimes two!

[@waltwhitmanleaves]

@@captcorajus any games on roll20 ?

[@captcorajus]

Sorry, no. I can't make heads or tails on how to use roll 20, and I have all my stuff on Fantasy grounds. I just upgraded to Fantasy grounds unity.