What "Seven Swords" does is present seven different magical weapons, none of which is more potent than a sword +3. Each of these swords gets an extensive description of both its physical and magical properties. Amusingly, it's often the physical description that really sets these swords apart from the pack. Whether it's the huge cabochon-cut black sapphire in the grip of Adjatha, the six matched bloodstones set in the bronze blade of Ilbratha, or the rearing serpents who make the guard of Shazzellim, Greenwood makes each of these weapons unique in appearance as well as abilities. This is a small detail that many referees overlook, concentrating instead on game mechanical effects. Greenwood doesn't skimp on these either, but they're only one facet of what makes the titular swords special.
Each weapon also includes a "lore" section, detailing the history of the blade, from its forging to the present day. It's this section that I really ate up as a younger man. Re-reading them in preparation for this post, I can completely understand why that was the case. The lore Greenwood presents isn't extensive – no more than four or five short paragraphs in most cases – but it's evocative. It's suggestive of adventures and, better still, it gives even a lowly sword +1 an air of antiquity and individuality that makes it a weapon worth holding on to even when better weapons come along. That was probably the biggest lesson "Seven Swords" taught me: game mechanics aren't always what make a magic item special. It's a lesson I've kept with me all these years and one I'd like to see adopted more broadly.
I clearly remember this one as well - pulling it out to reread on a snow day and then using my dad’s narrow lined paper to fill it with the history of swords in my own game setting.
ReplyDeleteYou’re spot on with how evocative Greenwood was with this, giving the sense of deep history in just a few paragraphs.
I love the +1 sword. Along the lines of James’ post, I think the best version is in MERP, especially the Moria setting, where basic magic swords are either made of special material (ithilnaur, adarcer, eol, laen—words that were burned into my young brain), or smithed through a vaguely magical process, or a combination of both. The prose describing these processes is some of the best ever written for an rpg. It gives your basic RM +5, 10, 15 sword an element of mystery without the (to me tiresome) OSR need to make every magic sword into a special sentient thing.
ReplyDeleteI had the same reaction, but with the article on shields in a later issue (#89?). If you can make the lore behind shields interesting, you are a master.
ReplyDeleteThe Heretic
Me, too-- I missed this issue of Dragon. I recently dug one of those shields out for a campaign, and players were often very pleased with a chance to use one of the "weak" other powers.
DeleteJim Hodges---
ReplyDeleteAs a kid I thought it looked badass to see some hero wearing a sword strapped to his back, so he could draw it from over his shoulder, and I took pains more than once to make sure that was a known detail of my D&D character: his sword is kept on his back
I think I was in my forties before I realized that arrangement would have made it physically impossible for the sword to be drawn. Ah, the joys of fantasy!
Shoulder draw is totally doable. A quick resheath though is another matter.
DeleteThese articles fleshed out the weapons. With the history, it made them very interesting. DM's could add it to their own campaigns. Why does the royal family use this +1 sword, or why this sword must used to open the dwarven vaults, etc.
ReplyDeleteI remember reading this too, it was a great article.
ReplyDeleteI read this (and more) when it was collected in FR4 The Magister (1e) and was impressed by the same thing. Ed Greenwood and Carl Sargent were the two authors that taught me to add "adventure" and mystery to descriptions - in short, if you're going to write it, it should spark adventure. A hook a paragraph is my default guideline; the hook might be a dungeon; a clue to a lost artifact; a political conflict...basically any kind of unresolved problem or conflict, or unclaimed reward.
ReplyDeleteOh no that's lore! I've been told by some it's too much effort.
ReplyDeletePshaw. Some people aren't worth the time it takes to listen to them. ;)
DeleteThe wonderful thing about making up the hooks and lores is it doesn't have to mean anything until the players get interested. Who's Lurin Sevenfingers and why did she have the shortsword Lantern, and where exactly in the Skyirin Peaks is the lair of Hrandelbyur the Troll-Eater? How did the orcs get it? Who knows?
If you're not already a regular reader, Dyson of the Dyson's Dodecahedron blog has done a whole bunch of similar (albeit shorter) posts about swords and axes, with his striking illustrations for each weapon. The swords (all 50 of them) wound up it a book that was successfully kickstarted a while back, and the axes can be found under the "doodles" category on his blog. Well worth a look if you liked this article.
ReplyDeleteThank you Dick McGee
DeleteIn a GURPS campaign, one of my players found a jar that poured unlimited water. It was a bulky magical object, totally ineffective, but she loved it because it was mysterious and used it in a lot of clever ways. I remember another player complaining at some point because he had never found anything so cool. Years later, I read about give weird objects and items to the players and wait to see what happened. I couldn't agree more!
ReplyDeleteCredit to the great (and alas, late) Roger Raupp for the excellent illustration.
ReplyDelete