Book Review: The Savage World of Solomon Kane

(TV Tropes for Solomon Kane)

Almost four years ago, I posted a review of The Saga of Solomon Kane just in time for Halloween.

Now that we're approaching official autumn, I thought I'd devote my latest Fluff-reading to The Savage World of Solomon Kane rule book. This Savage Worlds-based role playing game (RPG) actually predates the graphic novel omnibus I read.

(Savage Worlds RPG entry in TV Tropes)

By the way, I still haven't seen the film...

...anyway, in the RPG book, players take on the role of fellow "wanderers," receiving a mystical call to help the Avenging Puritan rid the world of evil.  Being a dour puritan isn't a per-requisite to becoming a wanderer, as there are nearly two dozen character-types players can choose from--including dour puritans.

The Savage World of Solomon Kane is lavishly illustrated, and divided into the following chapters, after a Prologue and Introduction:

1.  Solomon Kane--a biography of the title character, including story synopses.
2.  Characters--Player Character (PC) creation.
3.  Arms and Equipment--A list of items common in the 16th Century and their effects.
4.  Game Rules--A condensed version of the Savage Worlds rules
5.  Magick & Devilry--A list of spells and their effects of gameplay.
6.  The Art of Storytelling--Beginning of the Gamemaster's (GM) Section.
7.  Creating Adventures--Advice on running Plot-Point or Savage Tales game sessions.
8.  The Savage World of Solomon Kane--An overview of the 16th Century.
9.  The Old World--Specific details about Europe.
10. The Dark Continent--Specific details about Africa.
11. The New World--Specific details about the Americas.
12. Cathay and the Orient--Specific details about China and Asia.
13. Horrid Beasts of Solomon Kane--A bestiary and rogues gallery.

Getting back to creating adventures, the Plot-Point ones are loosely connected story lines, where the heroes, and allied non-player characters (NPCs, known as "wild cards") must retrieve several artifacts scattered across the globe, bring them together in order to perform an arcane ceremony, which will imprison or kill Eldritch Abominations en-mass before they conquer the world.  Meanwhile, the Savage Tales are stand-alone adventures.

The following "splatbooks" can still be found, which add more details--and horror--to one's campaign:

(Travelers' Tales on Amazon.com)

(Savage Foes entry on Amazon.com)

(Path of Kane entry on Amazon.com)

For the moment, I'm holding-off  on buying any of these supplements.  It's not that I consider them to be poor in quality.  The two I've come across seem just as good as the core rulebook--and about as pricey.

It's more of an issue of limited shelf-space and limited game time which is holding me back from investing more into the savage setting of Solomon Kane.

The Savage World of Solomon Kane snagged an average 4.8-star rating on Amazon.com.  If I were more familiar with the literary adventures of the Puritan Avenger, I'd probably give the book a 5-star rating too.  For now I'll give it a 4.

An extensive review can also be read on RPG.Net.

(Image found on:  Notes From the Peculiar, The Many Faces of Solomon Kane)