Arduin?

So what is the deal with Arduin? I know a little about it but to be honest, up until a few years ago, I never heard of it. I know there are some pretty hardcore adherents and also that Gygax was pretty hostile towards it. But I don't know anyone that has ever played Arduin. Looking through what I can discern online, it looks pretty gonzo (which is OK by me - after all, I actually really like the 1980's Flash Gordon movie and have a thing for digest sized books). So, I see Emperor's Choice is selling all the Grimoires as a set. $100 is a bit steep, but hell, I'm a big boy and have some discressionary income to spend. I've seen some of the art and it looks pretty good. I'm in a Flash Gordon kind of silly gonzo mood so would Arduin fit that bill? Let me know.

Comments

  1. StevenWarbleJanuary 21, 2011 at 11:33 AM

    I love Arduin, but the Grimoires are not really a playable system, but rather a whole bunch of psychedelic-crazy high power things to add into your old D&D game. Demon lords, super weapons, very powerful classes, random spell effects, monsters, etc

    Jeff rient did a pretty good multi-part review of the first book over at Jeff's Blog

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  2. netherwerksJanuary 21, 2011 at 1:59 PM

    Arduin is a crazy-quilt toolbox for adding stuff to your OD&D game, like @StevenWarble said. It's an uneven and feverish mess of tables, creatures, classes, and ideas that still has a lurid allure even after all these years. You might be able to pick up used copies of the booklets more cheaply--it's definitely not everyone's cup of tea, and there are those who have bought the booklets and ran away screaming after the first few pages.

    Arduin is one of those things that happened in the Seventies/Eighties that carries a nice nostalgia for those who knew it when. Reading it cold, now...it might not make quite the same impression it did then, especially if you're not a kid anymore...

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