Thieves World
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One of the first Shared World fantasy settings -- now commonplace -- was Thieves World. Contributors to the first two volumes included Lynn Abbey¸ Poul Anderson¸ Robert Asprin¸ Marion Zimmer Bradley¸ John Brunner¸ Christine DeWees¸ David Drake¸ Philip Jose Farmer¸ Joe Haldeman¸ Janet Morris¸ Andrew Offut¸ and A.E. van Vogt.
The darkly grim city of Sanctuary was an immediate hit with readers. The series with its roots in fantasy roleplaying in turn inspired the Thieves World Sanctuary Adventure Pack. In keeping with the spirit of the montage of authors of the series¸ Greg Stafford¸ et al at Chaosium worked with with some of the brighter lights of the RPG industry (Dave Arneson¸ Steve Marsh¸ Midkemia Press¸ Marc Miller¸ Steve Perrin¸ Lawrence Schick¸ Ken St. Andre¸ and many others) to make the Thieves World RPG compatible with 9 RPG systems: AD&D¸ Adventures in Fantasy¸ Chivalry & Sorcery¸ DragonQuest¸ D&D¸ The Fantasy Trip¸ RuneQuest¸ Traveller¸ and Tunnels & Trolls.
Truly a Rosetta Stone of early roleplaying.
Skulk through the night on the heels of Shadowspawn... delve into the twisted tunnels of the Purple Mage... attend the court (or perhaps the harem) of Prince Kadakithis... dodge the keen-eyed Hell Hounds with Jubals Hawkmasks... drink your ale and guard your purse at the Vulgar Unicorn... boldly walk the streets of the wildest¸ most varied¸ and most downright fascinating city in fantasy literature - SANCTUARY¸ the Thieves World!
* The Players Guide to Sanctuary - the creation of Sanctuary; Thud and Blunder¸ Sanctuary chronology; Hakiem and The Hell Hounds; a stroll through the city; a captured llsigi document; magic¸ working ladies¸ and oaths; glossary /pronunciation guide; a map of the known world; a city map. * The Game Masters Guide to Sanctuary - palm-greasing and arrest procedures; a secret Carronnian report; city gods and religions; main city encounters; encounters for the Jewelers Quarter¸ Processional¸ and Westside; 18 tables of specific encounters¸ descriptions/encounters for The Maze¸ Bazaar¸ Street of Red Lanterns¸ Downwind; business generators and tables by area; 6 area maps¸ 15 floorplans of typical buildings (including the Vulgar Unicorn); scenario suggestions.
* The Personalities of Sanctuary - story/character index; system notes as applicable and character stats for 9 RPG systems (minimum of twenty characters each¸ each system divided to Prince and Retinue. Transients¸ and Residents); general descriptions of other characters.
* Wall Map of Sanctuary. Referee Maps of The Maze¸ The Maze underground.
WHATS IN THIS BOX?
THE THIEVES WORLD ADVENTURE PACK contains three books and three separate maps. Each of these is carefully designed to fulfill a particular need¸ as outlined here.
THE PLAYERS GUIDE TO SANCTUARY answers those individuals who¸ new to Sanctuary¸ ask What do I know about the place? It gives commonly-known information about the city¸ as well as essays portraying ancient city life which will warn the players of the inherent dangers and problems of such places. This book is useful browsing for the gamemaster¸ also.
THE GAMEMASTERS GUIDE TO SANCTUARY provides the gamemaster with a master plan and guide to the intricate ins-and-outs of the city. This is the main book for plotting adventures and/or random encounters in the city. It contains extensive and detailed encounter tables¸ sample floor plans (usable for break-ins and constructing adventures)¸ and it can also generate purposes for empty buildings.
PERSONALITIES OF SANCTUARY holds the NPC statistics for the characters of the books. It is quite likely that player-characters will encounter one or more of these individuals during their own adventures¸