From publisher blurb:
The Religion Issue
Creating Fantasy Religions
The gods are a vital part of any fantasy race or culture. Their nature reveals a great deal about what that particular culture values, and what it fears. Some deities are role models, encouraging mortals by example; others are personified dangers, to be appeased with sacrifices and correct behavior. In most fantasy games, though, the gods are largely absent, and clerics are all the same: the only differences come from the abstract concept of “alignment.” For GMs who are interested in creating a vibrant fantasy world – or adding depth and vitality to a published setting – this article explores some options.
Text: Graeme Davis, Art: Magnus Fallgren
The Tuttuli Mythos - Cthulhu’s influence in Syria and Mesopotamia
Much as they do today, the affairs of Syria and Mesopotamia intertwined with and influenced each other during the Bronze Age. Kings and magicians, armies and merchants, traveled along the Euphrates from Sumeria in the south through Assyria in the north and west to Syria and Phoenicia, and then back again. Every city had its own tutelary god or goddess, connected by myth and propaganda to the great gods of Babylon and Ugarit. Worshipped under other names, or the same names with slightly different rites, these gods held on long after their cities fell into dust and ruins. They colonized our minds, spreading new myths in pulp and pageantry until we only dimly recall their true selves.
But perhaps they remember … and wait.
This time out, we look at some of those gods and goddesses, in both their new and old forms, and perhaps tease out some new rites by which you can summon them into your games. Two sources stand out here: Gods, Demons, and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia, by Jeremy Black and Anthony Green, and the magisterial Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible. Track them down for still more lurid tales of paganism, monsters, and linguistics.
Text: Kenneth Hite, Art: Lukas Thelin
Bernard the Barbarian vs Fenix
A Comic Strip
Text & Art: Åke Rosenius
Bernard the Barbarian a Family Affair
A Comic Strip
Text & Art: Åke Rosenius
The Cult of Yezud – A Sword & Sorcery Religion for Mythras
In this issue we shall present a fleshed out religious cult drawn from the Conan stories of R. E. Howard. Yet first we should take a quick look at what is expected of a religion in the average fantasy roleplaying game.
Text: Pete Nash, Art: Lukas Thelin & Linus Larsson