Friday, September 06, 2013

Under review: Kenneth Hite's Qelong

A tip of the hat to Chris Troxell who just reminded me of Kenneth Hite's new role-playing game setting Qelong, which draws heavily from Khmer mythology and history. I'm just starting to take a look at it, but it seems promising, designed to be incorporated into the Lamentations of the Flame Princess system.

It's described as:
Two barely conceivable beings have fought a war for a generation over Sajavedra, a barely legendary land far to the southeast. They wish to claim its rich harvests of souls and fields, its intricate networks of ley lines and temples, for their own. 
They have devastated it utterly. 
A forgotten weapon in their war, a neglected sorcery fallen from a distracted archon’s attention, lies in the Qelong River valley at the edge of this near-cosmic battlefield. 
Qelong is Kenneth Hite’s hellish southeast Asian setting inspired by fantasy quest drama and war stories like Valhalla Rising, Apocalypse Now, and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Suitable for character levels 4-6, usable with LotFP Weird Fantasy Role-Playing and other traditional role-playing games.
The Lamentations of the Flame Princess setting is described as: "Beyond the borders of civilization, beyond the influence of manipulating politicians, greedy merchants, iron-handed clergy, and the broken masses that toil for their benefit, the ruins of ancient civilizations call to those bold enough, and desperate enough, to escape the oppression of mundane life. Treasure and glory await those courageous enough to wrest it from the darkness. But the danger is great, for lurking in the forgotten shadows are forces far more corrupt than even civilization. The price for freedom might be paid in souls."

Would this be suitable and/or adaptable for role-playing set in a fantastic version of Laos? A preliminary glance suggests there are some great places for overlap and compatibility. For now, I'll say that it may be what many of us are looking for, although I suspect it will take a little tweaking once you get it out of the box. But a more in-depth assessment is forthcoming, and I look forward to giving a more thorough assessment soon.

No comments: