Pinnancle Entertainment Group has released a pen-and-paper roleplaying game based on the Lankhmar setting established on Fritz Leiber's "Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser' series. We conducted an interview in December with spokepersons for the company regarding the game.
Geeksagogo: What does Lankhmar have to offer as a fantasy setting?
Thomas Reid (author of ‘Lankhmar: City of Thieves’): The short answer: Fritz Leiber's rich tapestry of a city--and the lands around it--where Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser went on many an adventure together. The longer explanation: Lankhmar gives gaming groups a setting where larger-than-life heroic tropes use their wits and their brawn to battle sinister foes and dark, brooding magic. It is a city of grit and shadows, a place where everyone who walks the streets keeps one hand on his blade, where otherworldly sorcerers and decadent nobles make every day an interesting and dangerous one, where a myriad of strange and priceless wonders from far-off lands arrive daily via caravan, and where zealous, shaven-headed priests lead brooding cults toward unfathomable goals. It is a place where heroes from every corner of the land mingle together, where magic is a frightening and rare thing that most people have sense enough to avoid, and where thieves and mercenaries skulk on every smog-filled street and alley. In essence, it is a place of great danger, but also of great excitement. It is vast, and terrible, and labyrinthine, and full of promise and hopelessness all at the same time.
Geeksagogo: How long has this been in development?
Shane Hensley: I was thinking about Lankhmar in late 2013 and my work on it in the TSR era. I decided to see if it was available, it was, and we quickly came to terms with the licensing agency. They've been great to work with, and we were fortunate enough to talk directly with Fritz Leiber's granddaughter as well. Thomas Reid came on board to work on the city setting book starting in June of 2014.
Geeksagogo: What will be some of the expansions? When does it come out?
Jodi Black (Managing Editor and COO): I think many fans of Lankhmar will be pleased to hear we have another book planned to focus on the Savage Seas of Lankhmar which will release in the last half of 2016.
We already have a total of 5 products for the Lankhmar line:
Lankhmar: City of Thieves by Thomas Reid is the main setting book and requires the Savage Worlds core rules to play.
Lankhmar: Savage Tales of the Thieves' Guild has many adventures for Game Masters to use from authors Darrell Hardy and Michael Ysker.
Lankhmar: Savage Foes of Nehwon by Ross Watson features background information and statistics for all the biggest characters and critters found in Fritz Leiber's tales of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, as well as an adventure generator and more adventures.
The Lankhmar GM Screen comes with a multi-part adventure, The Eyes of Goro'mosh by Thomas Reid, and a durable Game Master screen with handy notes and reminders for the Game Master.
The Lankhmar Bennies, poker chips used to reward players in game, have just been announced as well and are in stock!
