We’ve said before that Hyborian Tales will not be for everyone. So, is it for you? This document will try to help you decide.

Adventure Style

You know what? We love player-led plot, and intrigue, and politics. In some games.

Hyborian Tales isn’t really about those things though. These adventures are unashamedly old-school in many respects: plenty of combat and action, villains who are evil through and through, and a high chance of character death (particularly if you screw up). This is not next-generation, freeform, LRP-as-art, much as that might be fun in some games. If you really don’t like combat at all, this is not the game for you. Your character doesn’t have to be totally focused on combat, but pure non-combatants will not survive.

All that said, these are not your grandfather’s linears. Among our regular event staff we have a professional theatrical costumier, Bridie, and a superb prosthetic/props/makeup artist, Andy Rimmer. We are fully committed to spending hundreds of pounds each event on new costume, props, makeup, and prosthetics. Each adventure will feature new kit, designed specifically for the relevant encounters. Of course, we will have a good stock of generic kit, and you will see old kit re-used, but we won’t fall into the trap of just using the same old tatty axes and sackcloth tabards every event.

Soft Skills and Hard Skills

As you will see from the Character Generation rules, Hyborian Tales uses a number of in-game skills and advantages. These are not intended to be a complete replacement for your “hard skills”, i.e. the skills and characteristics that YOU personally have in the real world. Rather, the game’s “soft skills” need to supplement your “hard skills”. What does that mean, in practical terms?

If you want to play a combat-oriented character, you will find it advantageous to practice with the weapons that you intend to use, and to ensure you have a certain minimal level of fitness before the game starts. There’s nothing less convincing than a supposedly mighty barbarian who’s out of breath after the first fight. You don’t need to be an athlete, martial arts expert, and bodybuilder, but it would help if you could convincingly roleplay one. In fact, even non-combat-oriented characters would probably benefit from a reasonable level of aerobic fitness in their players. We are seriously considering adding some kind of out-of-character physical requirements for some of the physical skills, so for example you might be expected to run uphill in a certain amount of time if you want to take an endurance-oriented skill!

If you want to play a sorcerer of some kind, you will need to discuss the precise nature of the tradition your character follows, and the powers he or she has, with the game’s referee team. Depending on the style of magic your character practises, you will need to either learn a number of precise, ritualised spells (for an academic sorcerer), or else be capable of ad-libbing your magic (for a more shamanic type). So, you need to either be capable of and willing to learn your rituals off by heart, or be confident enough in your roleplaying and fast-talking skills that you can convincingly make it up as you go along.

A character who concentrates on social skills will need to be played by someone who is either naturally gregarious and commanding, or capable of roleplaying those qualities effectively.

A stealth-oriented character is going to need a suitably sneaky player. Most thieving skills such as hiding, moving silently, and picking pockets, are represented solely by the player’s “hard skills.”

The Look

Costume for the Hyborian Age varies enormously by culture, but almost all the relevant costumes are roughly based on real-world kit. We encourage a high standard of costuming. This does not necessarily need to be expensive -- Conan started a fair portion of his adventures wearing little more than a loincloth, sandals, and sometimes a tunic, so as long as you’re prepared to brave the British weather, you will be welcome to do the same!

The following guidelines should help you decide what costume to wear:

Footwear -- either gladiator-style sandals, turnshoes, or plain black/brown boots (desert boots are great, para boots/rigger boots/motorbike boots are OK).

Lower body -- either a simple loincloth or kilt, or medieval-style hose for Hyborian and Nordheimer characters (hose can be simulated by leggings, if need be, so long as your upper body clothing extends to at least thigh length to cover the top of the leggings), or baggy trews. Avoid obviously modern materials or styles (combat trousers don’t look right, nor do spandex leggings or PVC trousers). Side-laced leather trousers can be OK for pioneer-type characters, e.g. Aquilonian colonists in the Westermarck, but don’t look right for most other characters. Knee-length, baggy, silken breeks are good for pirates.

Upper body -- layers are best here. Simple medieval or renaissance style shirts are good for the base layer (piratey flouncy shirts are appropriate for Argossean and Zingaran pirates or nobles). Doublets are good for most Hyborian characters, or frock-coats for pirates, or several layers of simple tunics for most barbarians (Cimmerians, Nordheimer, maybe Hyperboreans too). Picts, Kushites, Stygians, etc. wear almost nothing (in cold weather you may wish to add culturally appropriate Native American style coats, fake tigerskin cloaks, or Egyptian style robes respectively). Layers of flowing robes are good for Shemites and Zuagir. Mongol-style furs and leathers for Hyrkanians and Turanians. Cloaks can work for almost anyone.

Head -- hats or hoods as appropriate to culture.

Armour -- The only cultures with ready access to full plate are the Hyborian nations, though scale, padded armour, leather, and mail are common almost anywhere, as are a variety of helmets.

Weaponry -- if possible, make it culturally appropriate. Simple bows, stone axes/spears/clubs, and rough short metal daggers (often copper or bronze) for Picts, Kushites, and many other savages. Medieval style kit for the Hyborians. Viking swords and Daneaxes for the Nordheimer or Cimmerians. Curved eastern swords for the Shemites, Zuagir, Turanians, and Hyrkanians. Vaguely Egyptian gear for Stygians. Often, adventures will start with all the PCs in jail, or tied up, or unconscious, and thus deprived of their gear anyway -- in that case, we will provide suitable improvised weaponry as part of the set dressing.

Accessories -- Everyone should bring an in-character bowl, spoon, knife, and tankard (or other drinking vessel). These are not needed while adventuring, but will be essential for the tavern evening.