''Champions of Mystara'' is an accessory for the '' Dungeons & Dragons''

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role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within ...

, published in 1993.

This boxed set for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' game is based on the "Princess Ark" chronicles from the pages of ''

Dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...

'' magazine, and includes everything needed to build a campaign around Prince Haldemar of Haaken and his skyship. The "Designer's Manual" explains how to construct skyships from scratch and launch them into outer space. The void between worlds is as frigid as an arctic night, negative gravity planes can cause vessels to capsize in mid-air, and passengers who do not wear air masks or cast spells to create an atmosphere are at risk of suffocation. This boxed set includes the following items: *''Champions of Mystara: Designers Manual,'' which is a 64-page booklet for creating Skyships, the mode of transportation central to this module. The booklet includes details regarding Skyship engineering, air travel, aerial combat, and navigating to other worlds. There is a Skyship Record Sheet as well. *''Champions of Mystara: Heroes of the Princess Ark,'' which is the adventure that was serialized in Dragon Magazine issues #153 - #188. The booklet is 95 pages, and includes detailed descriptions of the Princess Ark skyship and its crew. It also includes a chronicle of the skyship's travels. *''Champions of Mystara: Explorer's Manual,''which is a geographical and cultural expansion for Mystara, highlighting two of the cultures featured in the Dragon Magazine printing of Princess Ark, as well as introducing two new cultures: the Graakhalians and the Karimari. It includes regional information, provided in a gazetteer style. This booklet is also 64 pages. *A map of the Great Wastes *A map of the Serpent Peninsula *2 deckplans for the Princess Ark, suitable for use with 25mm scale miniatures *8 skyship recognition cards *A customer response card *A Winter 1993 TSR catalog

Publication history

''Champions of Mystara'' was designed by Ann Dupuis and

Bruce A. Heard Bruce Heard (born March 9, 1957, in Nice, France) is a game designer, and an author of several products for the '' Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game from TSR. Early life Heard was born in Nice, France, on March 9, 1957, to his Fren ...

, and published by TSR as a

boxed set A box set or (its original name) boxed set is a set of items (for example, a compilation of books, musical recordings, films or television programs) traditionally packaged in a box and offered for sale as a single unit. Music Artists and bands ...

containing eight vehicle blueprints and four poster maps. The box art was by

Robh Ruppel Robh Ruppel is an American artist best known for his work on role-playing game products. Critic Joseph Szadkowski of ''The Washington Times'' has referred to him as a "horror genius". Early life Robh Ruppel grew up in Bellaire, Texas, and att ...

, with book cover art by

Fred Fields Fred Fields is an American artist whose work has appeared largely in the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game from TSR. Biography Fred Fields was born in northern Kentucky. He grew up in the small town of Burlington, Kentucky. Fiel ...

and interior art by

Terry Dykstra Terry Dykstra is an artist whose work has appeared in role-playing games. Works Terry Dykstra produced interior illustrations for many ''Dungeons & Dragons'' books and issues of '' Dragon'' magazine throughout the 1990s. Dykstra also illustrate ...

. The publication date is 1993.

Reception

Rick Swan Rick Swan is a game designer and author who worked for TSR. His work for TSR, mostly for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, appeared from 1989 to 1995. Swan also wrote ''The Complete Guide to Role-Playing Games'' (1990), published by St. Martin's Pre ...

reviewed ''Champions of Mystara'' for ''

'' magazine No. 202 (February 1994). He suggests that fans "mourning the loss of the "Princess Ark" chronicles ..can console themselves with this lavish boxed set". He compared the space exploration feature of the set to the Spelljammer setting for ''AD&D'', noting that "Mystara physics aren't nearly as cooperative", raising the question, "You thought piloting an Alphatian yacht would be easy?" Keith H. Eisenbeis reviewed the module in a 1994 issue of ''White Wolf''. He stated that the product, "provides all that’s necessary to bring the adventure elements of this excellent series into the D&D game setting". He rated it at 3 out of 5 points for Value, and 4 points for Appearance, Concepts, Complexity, and Playability.

References

Mystara Role-playing game supplements introduced in 1993 {{D&D-stub

Contents

Publication history

Reception

References