Conan the Cimmerian in Roleplaying Games Part III: The Modern Age

“…Hither came Conan, the Cimmerian, black-haired, sullen-eyed, sword in hand…” 

Greetings Adventurers! Welcome to the last entry in my series about Conan in RPGs. In 2015 British game company Modiphius Entertainment announced that is would be creating a new Conan RPG. Sadly, I was not on board. I felt burned by the stack of books on my shelf from Mongoose and didn’t have the faith or energy (or cash for that matter!) to emotionally or financially invest in the Kickstarter. I let Conan Adventures in an Age Undreamed of (2017) pass.

This was to be a terrible mistake and nearly a painful regret as I will discuss later on. The Kickstarter was a tremendous success, fully funding within a few hours and by the end raised nearly 10 times the goal amount. Much acclaim was hyped upon the new game and the momentum would only build with the release of the Quickstart Guide which included an amazing Thunder River introductory adventure. This game was to be different, and the designers were to focus only on the Howard cannon. Brilliant writers, talented and famous artists were commissioned for the artwork and maps. For the first time Howard scholars from the Robert E. Howard Foundation were brought on board to review and assist. The highly successful 2d20 System previously used for Modiphius’ Star Trek Roleplaying Game (among others) was utilized and tweaked to fit Howard’s world. In January 2017 the pdf was released and by May 2017 the 368page all color physical book was in print and the world of Conan exploded! From that point on over a score of hardback books were produced all based on Howard’s writings. Critically acclaimed supplement books such Conan the Barbarian (the Barbarian/Cimmerian sourcebook)

 and Conan the Thief (The Thieves and Zamora sourcebook) were produced as well as many others detailing Howard’s world. Several adventure books and accessories were also produced during publication, such as special dice, card decks, an amazing Gamemaster’s Toolkit/Screen, Maps, and other items. During the end of publication some liberties were taken with a few supplements (not of Howard canon) that tied into The Age of Conan and Conan Exiles video games as well as a (fated-see below) sourcebook tie in with Monolith’s Conan board/miniatures game. All the books were hardbacks, beautifully illustrated and well made with quality paper. For the most part (I’m talking about you Conan the Wanderer) all were critically acclaimed. Sometime in 2020 I ran into a sale at Drive Thru RPG and grabbed a bundle of all the .pdfs with some birthday or perhaps it was Christmas money, I cannot remember which. It was a “Conan Impulse Buy.” I skimmed the core book but have always been averse to “roll low” systems and didn’t think much of the 2d20 system, then. I perused the .pdfs not really taking it in or reading much about the mechanics other than some of the flavor text which I felt was very good but alas, I left them sit on my hard drive. In 2022 I heard that Modiphius was losing the license and on a trip to Houston with my wife I ran across the physical copy of the Gamemaster Toolkit and picked it up for a little less than cover price. One thing you will get to know about me- I’m a sucker for GM screens or DM screens or Judge’s screens or whatever you want to call them. I just love them (Hm. Perhaps that may be an idea for another series of posts?) In the hotel room I scanned it among the other treasures I picked up that day not thinking much about it. The tables were clean and well laid out and the GM screen was printed on very thick durable cardstock. Upon review, I was fascinated with the listing of weapons and armor and wanted to know more about the strange damage symbols and how “Armor Soak” worked. I had also read previously online that the Gamemaster Toolkit was worth it alone for the Adventure Generator and as I reviewed it in the booklet I found out there was, indeed, something I had missed. When I got home, I found the .pdfs on my hard drive and transferred the free QuickStart (and adventure) onto my handheld pad and began to read. This was amazing. What had I missed all these years? I had goofed and goofed bad. The more I read the more I began to enjoy this elegant system. I devoured the .pdfs and began my quest to purchase all the physical books that I could find. It started with the core book and blossomed from there. Luckily there were people on eBay dumping their copies. With news of Modiphius losing the license and the liquidation of their backstock (sadly which I had missed) prices on eBay were low and sometimes even affordable. I lucked out and snagged a bundle with over a dozen books nearly completing my collection in one go. I slowly searched and hunted, grabbing physical copies where I found them. Some in FLGS like Games Plus in Mount Prospect, IL outside of Chicago (where I was on a film shoot) and some from Noble Knight Games (dealers in new and out of print games.) Then in 2024 I managed to find the last book (for cover price I might add) which was the video game tie-in-The Conan Exiles Sourcebook at Robert E. Howard Days in Cross Plains, TX (for you non-Howard scholars this is an event held at his house every year celebrating his life and creations.) With that book I completed my collection. Sure, I’m missing the special dice (Ack! See below) and some maps but I now have all the books. I’ve fallen in love with this system and have read cover to cover a large portion of my collection. I’m savoring this reading taking each volume word by word and enjoying them at a leisurely pace. Currently, I’m on Conan the Wanderer, this is the one that critics have panned and has the least favorable rating of all the line, but so far I still feel it is an excellent read. I have read (cover to cover), reviewed, selectively read, or have used sections of all the books. The system plays well and the Doom and Momentum mechanics give the game a certain feel that I can only describe as “pulpy.” (IMHO the boys at Daggerheart have seen this system and appear to like it. I challenge you to compare their 2d12 system to this one and tell me it is not true.) The subsystems of skills, combat and magic add just enough crunch that I like without making it too complicated nor too basic. The game does not use hit points and has a stellar death spiral mechanic. I think that the excellent and (Ennie award winning) Seth Skorkowsky has the best explanation and formal review, far better than I can describe here. Please check it out. This is MY goto Conan system and I will continue to use it. I might buy some new adventures when they come out, but for the system I’m going to stick with this one. Sorry Savage Worlds…this one just works for me and for Conan, I’ll see you for some other stuff. Promise.---and more on SW later! 

Ok. So, I got off on a bit of a tangent now back to the history with Modiphius. Sadly, they did relinquish their license in 2022 and it passed on to Monolith Games. Monolith Games had created a very successful Conan tabletop game (2016) packed with miniatures and they continue to crank out reprints

 and new supplements for this boardgame to this very day. They now have the license for a Conan RPG and are producing Conan: The Hyborian Age – The Roleplaying Game (TBD). They ended their successful Kickstarter at the end of 2024 and have put out their free Quickstart on Drive Thru RPG. I’ve read and tested the Quickstart and I’m not a fan. Some of the stats and numbers I’ve seen do not jive with me. I do not like a hit point system for the Hyborian world and I prefer a death spiral system. Also, a bit of the flavor of the game just isn’t in the Howard style that I enjoy. This does not mean I will not patronize this company as I will probably purchase the two planned adventure books (in .pdf) and convert them to Modiphius’ 2d20 Conan system. I just won’t be purchasing the core book or other supplements. I will say that the artwork looks great and the layouts are very professional. This is just my opinion and I urge you to download and try it out yourself.

Well, those were some long posts filled with lots of information. I’m sure this is not the end of the tale of Conan of Cimmeria in roleplaying games and I wish Monolith all the best with their new RPG. For those of you wondering- Conan: Adventures in an Age Undreamed Of Core Book prices on eBay are beginning to drop and with the coming of the new RPG people are unloading their core books and collections at now reasonable prices. Good Hunting! I just saw that someone was unloading the mega-kickstarter with the Leather Bound Core book, Leather Conan Backpack, GM dice set and EVERYTHING in print for a few thousand dollars. Too rich for my blood. Ack! I just found the Modiphius Conan dice on eBay and paid way too much for them…alas, I’m still a sucker for Conan.