''Stormhaven'' is a role-playing game supplement for ''
Mercenaries, Spies and Private Eyes'' published by
Flying Buffalo in 1983.
Contents
''Stormhaven'' is a setting for ''
Mercenaries, Spies and Private Eyes'' that draws heavily upon
pulp fiction of the 1930s and 1940s, including references to
Walter B. Gibson
Walter Brown Gibson (September 12, 1897 – December 6, 1985) was an Americans, American writer and professional magic (illusion), magician, best known for his work on the pulp magazine, pulp fiction character ''The Shadow''. Gibson, under the ...
's
The Shadow, and
Lester Dent's
Doc Savage.
The titular Stormhaven is an estate on Savage Island on
Lake Champlain in Vermont owned by Kenneth Allard, president of Allard Technologies, and guarded by high-tech security. Allard's invited visitors include notable people in the field of technology, celebrities, and eccentrics with ties to the Allard clan.
The supplement comes in a folder that contains an 8-page booklet of maps, and a 56-page book of scenarios and character descriptions.
Reception
In the March-April 1984 edition of ''
Space Gamer'' (Issue No. 68),
Aaron Allston gave ''Stormhaven'' a thumbs up, saying, "I'd recommend you buy ''Stormhaven'' if you run ''MSPE'' or ''
Espionage!'', and would especially recommend it to aficionados of the hero pulps. Gamemasters of other contemporary RPGs, such as ''James Bond'' and ''Top Secret'', should give it a look-through. It's fun."
In the February 1985 edition 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 ...
'', Arlen Walker praised the high production values, as well as artwork. Walker also liked the separate book for maps, which meant
gamemasters did not have to flip back and forth between scenario description and map. Walker also complimented the character descriptions: "The major characters in this book are all completely fleshed out. They come equipped not only with complete descriptions and statistics, but each also has a reason for being on the island and a personality which will guide the character’s interaction with the player characters." Although Walker found this a very strong supplement for the ''MSPE'' system, he also thought the material could and should be easily be adapted to other modern roleplaying systems. He concluded by giving a strong recommendation: "Stormhaven gets my vote not only as the best of 1983 but also as one of the half-dozen best of all time. If you role-play in the modern era, regardless of the system, this one’s a must!"
Awards
''Stormhaven'' was awarded the
Charles S. Roberts Award
The Charles S. Roberts Awards (or CSR Awards) is an annual award for excellence in the historical wargaming hobby. It was named in honor of Charles S. Roberts the "Father of Wargaming" who founded Avalon Hill. The award is informally called a "C ...
for "Best Roleplaying Adventure of 1983".
Reviews
*''
Adventurers Club'' #3 (Spring, 1984 Digest)
*''
Different Worlds'' #37 (Nov./Dec., 1984)
References
{{reflist
Mercenaries, Spies and Private Eyes
Origins Award winners
Role-playing game adventures
Role-playing game supplements introduced in 1983