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Pendragon Starter Set
Pendragon is a roleplaying game set in King Arthur’s Britain. You take on the role of knights and overcome mythical monsters, rival knights, and other wondrous challenges in search of Glory. The Pendragon Starter Set presents a world of great adventure. This is the time of the Sword in the Stone, of the Boy King and Merlin and their struggles against those who would seize the crown for themselves...and of the flowering of chivalry. This is a time of desperate battles, dark portents, enchanted forests, pride, and self-indulgence. “What kind of knight are you?” Do you believe in chivalry, or do you think might always makes right? Are you willing to die for your Honor? Will you fight to rid the world of injustice, or use clout and power to take advantage of those beneath you? Combat in Pendragon is bloody and intense, and every knight must show valor sufficient to face it―and gain great Glory for their prowess! The Pendragon Starter Set contains everything you need to begin questing and adventuring. It includes a selection of pregenerated characters and a short campaign offering multiple sessions of gameplay. Inside This Box Book The Adventure of the Sword in the Learn the rules for Pendragon as you play this solo adventure. Book The Fabeld Everything you need to know about the game’s setting and core mechanics. Book The Sword A beginner-friendly campaign taking the Player-knights through the most important early events of King Arthur’s reign―three game years in all. Additional rules and setting details introduced as you play through The Sword Campaign. Pregenerated Eight Player-knights, ready for adventure. Battle Eighteen cards for generating Battle Encounters and Opportunities. A set of seven polyhedral dice suitable for roleplaying in Pendragon.
168 pages, Paperback
Published June 29, 2023
4 people are currently reading
7 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 26, 2024
A lovely bit of kit and an excellent introduction to what promises to be a massive time-sink of a game. This starter set guides you through a dice mechanic and a set of traits and characteristics that initially look daunting to anybody used to simple unopposed D&D 5e rolls, but are actually quite simple once you've rolled them a few times. And, unlike D&D, the combat herein is absolutely deadly, with magic for the most part beyond the players' reach. As a device to hook people into the main game, beyond the initial scope of the box, this has definitely worked a treat.
Now to run it on actual players... ;)
Now to run it on actual players... ;)
June 16, 2024
Much like the other great Chaosium starter set boxes, the Pendragon Starter set is a great sample of an updated game with a long lineage.
The most standout thing is the art direction. The illuminated book feel and doodles in the margins just adds so much atmosphere and builds up under the setting info that is spread out over all three books in the set. A bunch of the artwork - mostly the stained glass, wood carving and "old painting" style art is amazing. But it is not coherent, and some of the art feels off (but not bad in itself) which detracts sometimes.
The rules are close to other BRP games, except you roll a D20 instead of D100. As usual, the skill rolls and such are very easy to get into. The Traits and Passions which makes the game different are laid out well and easier to understand than for example Runes and Passions in the Runequest starter. The only thing I missed in the World book would be character creation, but being a starter box that omission is to be expected.
The solo-adventure and the campaign booklet both explains rules and conveys what you are supposed to do in the game very well. Which mostly seems to be about GM story time, with the players being "consumers" who when they get to act often has to roll against traits to see if they have free will or need to act a certain way. The world goes on without you, but how the player knights behaves and where they end up in the legends, rather than change Arthurian legends in any meaningful way, seems to be the point. Would be hard pressed to remember another rpg where the way of playing the game and "who gets storyteller rights" is skewed more than this one. I think maybe it's too much for me, but the game is interesting enough that I will give it a shot anyway.
I also really like the premade characters included, and some of the extra rules stuff, some of which as I understand it isn't even in the Core Rulebook (battles for example) which are nifty. Not a big fan of the dice colours, but it's not like d6s and a d20 is hard to come by elsewhere.
The most standout thing is the art direction. The illuminated book feel and doodles in the margins just adds so much atmosphere and builds up under the setting info that is spread out over all three books in the set. A bunch of the artwork - mostly the stained glass, wood carving and "old painting" style art is amazing. But it is not coherent, and some of the art feels off (but not bad in itself) which detracts sometimes.
The rules are close to other BRP games, except you roll a D20 instead of D100. As usual, the skill rolls and such are very easy to get into. The Traits and Passions which makes the game different are laid out well and easier to understand than for example Runes and Passions in the Runequest starter. The only thing I missed in the World book would be character creation, but being a starter box that omission is to be expected.
The solo-adventure and the campaign booklet both explains rules and conveys what you are supposed to do in the game very well. Which mostly seems to be about GM story time, with the players being "consumers" who when they get to act often has to roll against traits to see if they have free will or need to act a certain way. The world goes on without you, but how the player knights behaves and where they end up in the legends, rather than change Arthurian legends in any meaningful way, seems to be the point. Would be hard pressed to remember another rpg where the way of playing the game and "who gets storyteller rights" is skewed more than this one. I think maybe it's too much for me, but the game is interesting enough that I will give it a shot anyway.
I also really like the premade characters included, and some of the extra rules stuff, some of which as I understand it isn't even in the Core Rulebook (battles for example) which are nifty. Not a big fan of the dice colours, but it's not like d6s and a d20 is hard to come by elsewhere.
March 12, 2026
Chaosium starter sets are pretty great. They're a good value for what they provide, that being dice, simplified rules, fancy premade character sheets, a booklet or two of world introduction, and a couple of scenarios good for new players.
In the case of Pendragon, the starter seems particularly essential, as the scenarios contained within it are for a very pivotal time in the world of King Arthur, that being the drawing of the sword from the stone and the battles that followed immediately after! These pair well with the starter scenarios from the Gamemaster's Handbook, the dates of each one carefully arranged so that a mini campaign can be built from them.
For all this good value, I do have two small caveats. First, the warning that if you want to play more after playing the starter, you'll definitely need the Core book and the Gamemaster's Handbook. The abridged rules of the starter get you going, but they won't provide everything you need. My second small quibble is that, though this is the starter, the introductory scenarios from the Gamemaster's Handbook feel much more like a true tutorial, going over the truly basic stuff, while the starter scenarios here throw you immediately into Battle (which is a different thing than a mere fight!)
It is thus, from that point of view, a strange order of procedure, that this box should be designed to cone AFTER the purchase of the core books proper, but in concept is supposed to be the first thing you buy. If you're not all that fussed about such orders of operation, get this kit! If you sprang for the core books first, the scenarios might still be fun enough to enjoy purchasing the cheaper pdf off of Chaosium's website.
In the case of Pendragon, the starter seems particularly essential, as the scenarios contained within it are for a very pivotal time in the world of King Arthur, that being the drawing of the sword from the stone and the battles that followed immediately after! These pair well with the starter scenarios from the Gamemaster's Handbook, the dates of each one carefully arranged so that a mini campaign can be built from them.
For all this good value, I do have two small caveats. First, the warning that if you want to play more after playing the starter, you'll definitely need the Core book and the Gamemaster's Handbook. The abridged rules of the starter get you going, but they won't provide everything you need. My second small quibble is that, though this is the starter, the introductory scenarios from the Gamemaster's Handbook feel much more like a true tutorial, going over the truly basic stuff, while the starter scenarios here throw you immediately into Battle (which is a different thing than a mere fight!)
It is thus, from that point of view, a strange order of procedure, that this box should be designed to cone AFTER the purchase of the core books proper, but in concept is supposed to be the first thing you buy. If you're not all that fussed about such orders of operation, get this kit! If you sprang for the core books first, the scenarios might still be fun enough to enjoy purchasing the cheaper pdf off of Chaosium's website.
September 25, 2025
J'ai terminé de lire le Coffret de Découverte de Pendragon.
Un jdr où l'on joue des chevaliers et chevalereses de la Table Ronde.
Le coffret contient une aventure dont on est le héros/héroïne, un livret de règles et un livret de campagne appelé La Campagne de l'Épée.
Pour l'ADTELH, je suis passé à travers, j'ai eu des jets de dés pourris qui m'ont fait rater toute l'histoire.
En gros, mon personnage a rencontré des fées et je suis resté bloqué là bas quelques heures, mais quelques années s'étaient écoulées à mon retour.
Les règles sont sympas même si certains points auraient pu être alléger.
J'aime beaucoup le système de Passions et de Traits qui mette les personnages sur une piste pour l'interprétation de leur personnage.
Pour la campagne, on a trois scénarios.
Chacuns est assez dirigiste dans son ensemble et c'est bien dommage.
Limite beaucoup ressemble à une scène cinématique de jeux vidéo où l'on voit les premiers pas de Arthur.
Seul l'aventure du milieu me paraît intéressante à jouer, car un peu plus de liberté, même si ce n'est pas totalement ça.
Je vais finir par un truc chiant, la maquette et des problèmes de relecture. Des moments gênants où une illustration cache du texte ou tout simplement un personnage qui est duc/baron/comte, par soucis de relecture.
Bref, j'aime bien car ça suit les aventures de la Morte d'Arthur de Malory, mais j'aimerais qu'il y ai plus d'impact dans le choix des PJs au fil des scénarios.
Un jdr où l'on joue des chevaliers et chevalereses de la Table Ronde.
Le coffret contient une aventure dont on est le héros/héroïne, un livret de règles et un livret de campagne appelé La Campagne de l'Épée.
Pour l'ADTELH, je suis passé à travers, j'ai eu des jets de dés pourris qui m'ont fait rater toute l'histoire.
En gros, mon personnage a rencontré des fées et je suis resté bloqué là bas quelques heures, mais quelques années s'étaient écoulées à mon retour.
Les règles sont sympas même si certains points auraient pu être alléger.
J'aime beaucoup le système de Passions et de Traits qui mette les personnages sur une piste pour l'interprétation de leur personnage.
Pour la campagne, on a trois scénarios.
Chacuns est assez dirigiste dans son ensemble et c'est bien dommage.
Limite beaucoup ressemble à une scène cinématique de jeux vidéo où l'on voit les premiers pas de Arthur.
Seul l'aventure du milieu me paraît intéressante à jouer, car un peu plus de liberté, même si ce n'est pas totalement ça.
Je vais finir par un truc chiant, la maquette et des problèmes de relecture. Des moments gênants où une illustration cache du texte ou tout simplement un personnage qui est duc/baron/comte, par soucis de relecture.
Bref, j'aime bien car ça suit les aventures de la Morte d'Arthur de Malory, mais j'aimerais qu'il y ai plus d'impact dans le choix des PJs au fil des scénarios.
January 2, 2025
Very neat design and aesthetics. Good introduction to the rules. Art is gorgeous.
March 3, 2026
Awesome little starter set, I wish it went into how to start the great pendragon campaign, but it seems beyond the scope of the currently released books for 6E.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews