Dungeons and Dragons stands upon the shoulders of fantasy giants. However, even giants can be buried by time, and it’s what I feel about Jack Vance’s Dying Earth series. Most people recall Tolkien’s influence and yet Jack Vance arguably has just as much, if not more influence upon DnD’s halcyon days. From “Vancian Magic” defining the language of DnD’s spellcasting to Vecna literally being an anagram of “Vance”, his mark is undeniable.
And that’s exactly why you should give his dedicated RPG a try.
The Dying Earth RPG Collection by Pelgrane Press on Humble Bundle features 29 RPG books based on the iconic setting. For only $18, you can nab over $300 of value in Dying Earth RPG books, a massive 94% off from its original price. As the rather “chipper” title suggests, Dying Earth takes place on a planet on the verge of collapse. Whether humanity’s innate darkness or the very literal forces of darkness, this is a brutal setting. The darker aspects of DnD, particularly DnD classes such as the classic Thief, come from this decaying world.
If you have literally zero frame of reference for Dying Earth, then I highly recommend reading through The Compendium of Universal Knowledge. Included in the bundle, it covers every bit of lore you need to run a world in the setting, on top of prompts for adventure campaigns.
Particularly if you don’t feel like adding the Dying Earth books to what is doubtlessly an Everest-ian backlog.
From there, you can start narrowing the scope with The Kaiin Player’s Guide, which features over 100,000 words in the setting’s most decadent city. Any of these titles can rival your favorite DnD books, be it in lore or mechanical depth.
Here are some other books from the Dying Earth RPG Collection to check out:
- Primer of Practical Magic
- Demons of the Dying Earth
- Rhialto’s Book of Marvels
- The Exasperating Cadaver
- Cugel’s Compendium
A portion of the proceeds go directly to the World Wildlife Fund, the iconic organization dedicated to protecting the animal inhabitants of our very alive Earth.
For more tabletop deals that’s off the beaten path, hang out with us over at the Wargamer Discord!
Source: Wargamer
