PLAYING KING ARTHUR

A new and striking role-playing game based on the legends of Camelot.

Somehow, I never seem to have found time to play games during my life. When I did, however, it was always role-playing or board-games that I preferred; the electronic ones always seemed to pass me by. A few years ago I did some work with the late, lamented Greg Stafford when he was creating what I think most people would consider to be one of the finest Arthurian games of all time: Pendragon. I love that, and played it many times. More recently, I was approached by the creator of Siege Perilous, an extraordinary new Arthurian game that seems to me to outclass everything that’s gone before it. I had the good fortune to be approached by Brian Saliba, its creator, with some questions regarding details of Arthurian stories and devices. At that time I saw some of the early draughts of the work, the map, and the shields of the various knights, the latter painted by renowned artist Jay Johnstone, I was deeply impressed by these, which capture the mediaeval aspect of the Arthurian legends perfectly. Now, I’m delighted to see that the long-awaited game is about to be launched, and will hopefully soon be available to purchase. I will be first in line to get one. This is a remarkable piece of work. Other creators who have looked in the direction of the Arthurian world to create role-play and electronic games, have almost always done so with great enthusiasm but very little actual knowledge. Brian has steeped himself in virtually every aspect of the Arthurian world, with the result that the game looks remarkably the way I would personally imagine that world to be. I suspect also that playing it will take us into the very depths of the experience of the knights, lords and ladies, faery beings, giants, and strange beasts as they move through the dreamlike and magical setting of these great epic yarns. So anyone out there who is as fascinated by the legends of Arthur as I have been, and who loves to play a game that brings it all to life, look no further than Siege Perilous.