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The Armies and Enemies of Dragon Pass $24.95
Average Rating:4.8 / 5
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The Armies and Enemies of Dragon Pass
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The Armies and Enemies of Dragon Pass
Publisher: Chaosium
by Dominic T. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/21/2023 07:55:01

Martin H does amazing work. When I was witing for Chaosium we were told to be careful to avoid fan produced work (just for canon purposes not implying its low quality) EXCEPT this book and other workers by Martin. In fact they gave me a copy to reference. And then I went out and bought it here as it's SO good. And then I went out and bought a hard copy.

Buy anything Martin writes. Just do it. You will not regret.

Plus AMAZING Award winning art.

Folks just go buy this book already. And the others.

Plus the author is a cat lover and all around lovely chap. Just BUY THE BOOK.

DomT Beer with Teeth.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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The Armies and Enemies of Dragon Pass
Publisher: Chaosium
by Peter G. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 02/13/2023 16:33:17

A very good reference book for those who need to see the flavour of what warriors and armies wear.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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The Armies and Enemies of Dragon Pass
Publisher: Chaosium
by Juha H. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 11/25/2022 14:46:19

I am biased. I am back actively participating in Glorantha after seeing the sketches Martin was doing for Armies and enemies and getting the idea to get some nice minis to convert to Glorantha. At some point of that road I ran into RQG and the group I play with these days. I bought this for illustrations both pdf and paper. And I think I got my moneys worth However - the text content is gold too. It draws an intricate picture of warfare in Dragon pass in a way that makes it possible to describe - if you show wish - campaign or battle like Caesar in Gallic wars or Cornwalls Sharpe. If these are not your cup of tea you can still use the book to just pick a unit to be your next group of evil henchmen of big baddie - with a good understanding of from where they come from and how they operate. And show a pic of how their troopers look like.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Creator Reply:
Thank you for your kind comments.
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The Armies and Enemies of Dragon Pass
Publisher: Chaosium
by Brian D. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 02/09/2022 09:21:56

This is a staggeringly wide-ranging and detailed look at "military matters" in central Genertela. It is also relevant on the same topic much more broadly, in terms of how warfare could be conducted anywhere within this world.

I'm not any kind of expert on ancient military history, but the author shares a wealth of knowledge drawn both from the world of Glorantha and also real-world ancient warfare. Inevitably, much of this material is relevant to a wider understanding of the history and politics of Dragon Pass and its various neighboring territories.

It's really not a book to read from cover-to-cover and I can't claim to have read half of it yet, but if you are interested in Gloranthan soldiers, battle tactics, regiments or anything related, this is the place to start looking. It is well-written, clearly laid out, and the author's illustrations are excellent. If I have one small quibble, the header styles are often too similar to each other making the overall structure not always easy to follow. And there are not enough footnotes, but the author certainly made up for that in the equally good Men of the West!)

Who is it for? It's a must-buy for any gamemaster with strong military elements in their game, or for anyone wanting to dive in-depth on Gloranthan warfare generally. It's not "ready-to-play", there are no rules or examples of how to apply them, which is probably a good thing with a subject this broad. Although it is Gloranthan through-and-through, much of the material on weaponry, battle tactics etc would be good value-for-money for other games and settings.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Creator Reply:
Hi Brian, Thank you for your comments. A&E is intended primarily as a reference book, so you are correct that it is more a book to dip into. Headers - mea culpa. Footnotes - Men of the West and my current project probably have too many! A&E was my first project of this sort. The book is intended to be systemless, though the Army List entries are compatible with the Dragon Pass (White Bear & Red Moon) board game.
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The Armies and Enemies of Dragon Pass
Publisher: Chaosium
by Austin C. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 02/02/2022 04:35:32

Among the initial releases for the Jonstown Compendium, The Armies & Enemies of Dragon Pass (A&E) has been a landmark publication both for the Glorantha community and, I believe, for community content at large. "Magisterial" has become the standard adjective. Having just finished reading my copy of the Print on Demand edition, I wholly agree.

A&E is a detailed reference book exploring warfare in central Genertela—the primary setting of RuneQuest. This is not restricted merely to "who stabs who," but rather explores social, religious, and economic aspects of ancient warfare. Covering topics from how hoplites get cuirasses, to how the gods express themselves on the battlefield, A&E isn't just a book about war. It's a journey into the details of Gloranthan life.

My favorite part of the book is how much new detail (well, new to me, anyway) it provides about Peloria and Dara Happa. I don't know these spaces well, and A&E has lots of information about both the Lunar Empire, and the microcultures which live within in. Another surprise bonus for me was the appendix biography of Tarshite general Fazzur Wideread. It answered a few questions I had about this major character (though no, I'm not going to reveal either questions or answers—spoilers!). I think the book could have been most improved by exploring the Hero Wars armies beyond about 1630. While written from a hypothetical "looking back" perspective, I would have enjoyed learning how what's presented in this book mutated and changed over the following decades (especially the Sartar Free Army, and the magical secrets which helped Argrath found his warlock regiments).

On my "tabletop/armchair" spectrum, A&E fits firmly in the "armchair" category. The gamemaster will get a lot of use from A&E—inspiring story hooks, antagonists, etc.—but I don't feel the book is meant to be on hand for use at the table (with a possible exception for bookmarked illustrations). One pleasant surprise, as I read through A&E, was the high quality of its prose. I knew A&E would be useful; I didn't realize it would also be readable. This book's editing and proofreading is also remarkable, exceeding my expectations for professional work.

Would I recommend reading it cover-to-cover, like I did? ... I'm not sure. I enjoyed doing so, and I think some Glorantha fans will, but I don't think this is a "must-read" for everyone. I do think that it's a great resource for RQ gamemasters, and deserves a place on your shelf.

To be honest, if you're going to buy only one "reference" book to support your RuneQuest collection, don't buy the Guide to Glorantha—buy A&E. I feel A&E is more relevant to the action of an RQ campaign than the Guide, providing useful, story-generating details.

Overall, I feel this book has loads to offer for any fan of gaming in Glorantha, whether RQ, HeroQuest/Questworlds, or 13th Age. It's well-written, informative, and entertaining.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Creator Reply:
Hi Austin, thank you for your review. I'm pleased you enjoyed reading it; the book can be read from cover-to-cover but is primarily intended as a reference book. As every archaeologist knows, at present our best sources are tentatively dated to the early Hero Wars period, and towards the end of the 1620s and into the 1630s, interpreting texts and finds becomes more difficult. Hopefully, as techniques improve, and new material is unearthed, it may be possible to document developments both in arms and armour, and in the organisation of the combatants.
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The Armies and Enemies of Dragon Pass
Publisher: Chaosium
by Peter H. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 02/01/2022 18:09:58

Comprehensive look at the armies of Sartar and the Lunar Empire. A really useful resource you will come back to again and again. Accompanied by plenty of fabulous art. Recommended.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Creator Reply:
Hi Peter, Thank you for your kind review.
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The Armies and Enemies of Dragon Pass
Publisher: Chaosium
by Jörg B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/01/2021 12:02:47

As official an army list as we are likely to see for the initial phase of the Hero Wars in Central Genertela.

This book contains official information available only to a few high bidders from the Kickstarter campaigns or a few authors as well as data from the long out-of-print foundational boardgames that were the first Glorantha publications ever, and makes them available to a wide public.

The illustrations are breathtaking in their frequency and breadth, and informative even if your own head-canon says something different.

This is more Glorantha per buck than you could realistically expect.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Creator Reply:
Thank you for your comments. I was very lucky to be given access to the regimental outlines in a draft document created for a wargame project that would have been implemented by Stratelibri in the 90s, which provided information on the Lunar Army, and a few other smaller documents. In many cases it was necessary to take published material, especially the Guide to Glorantha, material in various public archives, a few draft documents, and weave it all together. The results, I hope, are reasonably authentic. The Red Moon & White Bear (Dragon Pass) board game was the foundation of the Army Lists, just as it is still the basis for the modern Gloranthan roleplaying games. The Kickstarters - there were snippets in the RuneQuest: Classic Edition rewards, mainly suggesting banners and colours for Lunar satrapies and provincial kingdoms, but I have never seen the Guide to Glorantha high tier rewards.
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The Armies and Enemies of Dragon Pass
Publisher: Chaosium
by Glen P. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 03/21/2021 21:01:15

A great piece of work for those of us ending societal and campaign info. Will be getting a good workout in my latest campaign



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Creator Reply:
Thank you. Pleased it is useful.
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The Armies and Enemies of Dragon Pass
Publisher: Chaosium
by Jonathan W. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 02/18/2021 00:10:50

When I was fifteen I bought ‘Armies of the Macedonian and Punic Wars’ by Duncan Head. I treasured it, re-reading it over and over.

The Armies and Enemies of Dragon Pass feels to me like Glorantha’s version of this book …but with so much more detail. The Armies and Enemies of Dragon Pass has been lovingly put together and it is clear that the author understands ancient warfare and Glorantha very well.

Great book – lovely art and a very enjoyable to read.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Creator Reply:
Hi Jonathan, Thank you for your comments. The WRG books, along with Osprey were an inspiration for this volume. I am pleased you enjoyed it. There's a companion covering the Genertelan West and I am slowly working on another. Regards, Martin
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The Armies and Enemies of Dragon Pass
Publisher: Chaosium
by Rob M. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 11/27/2020 21:06:45

A fantastically thorough and beautifully illustrated labor of love, this tome will be an outstanding resource whether you have a PhD in Glorantha studies, want to add some additional color and flavor into your game, or are just curious about the wonderful and imaginative setting. HIGHLY recommended for all.  



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Creator Reply:
Hi Rob, Thank you for your comments.
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The Armies and Enemies of Dragon Pass
Publisher: Chaosium
by Mikko R. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/08/2020 14:13:07

I absolutely love it. This treatise does justice to the work of Greg Stafford and those who have contributed and followed where he led.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Creator Reply:
Thank you.
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The Armies and Enemies of Dragon Pass
Publisher: Chaosium
by Diana P. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/20/2020 18:02:33

So. Much. Information.

I'm in awe of how much is in here. It's got all of the information I need to make a solid military background, including the religious elements.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Creator Reply:
Pleased that it is useful. Am currently working on the sequel. Thank you for your review.
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The Armies and Enemies of Dragon Pass
Publisher: Chaosium
by Darren P. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 04/23/2020 13:15:29

Epic. So much detail. So much useful information. Just the section on the Gods would normally fill a rpg supplement on it's own.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Creator Reply:
Thank you for your kind comment.
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The Armies and Enemies of Dragon Pass
Publisher: Chaosium
by Manuel M. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 04/09/2020 10:09:04

Armies and Enemies of Dragon Pass is a very well writen, edited and lay out book with a trove of information on military organizations in the Dragon Pass. Even for a game master not very war savvy or inclined like me it is a very usefull source of inspiration and ideas for fleshing out the "enemies" and allies of the character. The art is very well made and complement very well the content of the book. A very nice addition to anyone Glorantha collection.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Creator Reply:
Thank you for your kind comments.
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The Armies and Enemies of Dragon Pass
Publisher: Chaosium
by Jon H. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 02/05/2020 04:17:10

A deep and comprehensive guide to warfare and armies of dragonpass, based upon a detailed and thorough knowldge of the bronze age period in out world.

As a resource and reference guide this work this expansive, exhaustive, informative and highly detailed.

The art is informative and descriptive, and fulfills its purpose.

This is obviously a labour of love that has taken many 100's of hours to put together.

I'm very glad this work is avialabkle to all of us as a reference guide and think it was a canonical pieve it would be too complete, too descriptive, too detailed and as such such to constraining. But as a reference work it has found its pefect position.

I could mark down for layout, which is the only thing that identifies it as a fan publication, but I feel that would churlish.

As a fan publication a work of art, bravo Martin.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Creator Reply:
Thank you for your review. The text is deliberately 'framed' as though written long after the Hero Wars so as to allow wriggle room versus canon, and for alternative interpretations. However, it is as close to canon as possible...
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