[BLOG] Towards Fomalhaut – and What It Is

The City-State of Pentastadion
(as depicted in a 1932 university yearbook)

“OK, but what actually is Fomalhaut?” is not a question I get asked specifically, but it is one which seems to deserve an answer due to other questions about the setting which come up – “Is Erillion part of Fomalhaut?”, “Are all the campaigns in Echoes from Fomalhaut set in the same world?”, “Do you have a blog post that’s like a guide to your settings?” – and which come back to this question.

Over time, I may have contributed to the confusion by not clarifying the matter in an accessible post, and just assuming all this would be self-explanatory. To compound the problem, I named this blog “Beyond Fomalhaut”, and my zine “Echoes From Fomalhaut”. These choices were intentional, since at the time, I was not actually running a game in the Fomalhaut setting, so the names were hints this would be something different (the “beyond”), it would just have some vague stylistic similarities to it (the “echoes”). Both were initially aimed at a small circle of friends I have known since the mid-2000s who would presumably know this, but rapidly grew beyond that scope to draw new readers who presumably wouldn’t. The original setting guide was published in Fight On #03 in 2008, and that wasn’t yesterday either (more time has passed since that time than between OD&D and 2e). To add insult to injury, when I started publishing materials for the Isle of Erillion, I didn’t have a good name for the broader setting, and didn’t really need any, so a lot of people just rationally assumed it would be the titular Fomalhaut. A few years later, the mixup persists and grows, and well, much of it is my fault. It also happens to be that I have published a hardcover last year that described a corner of Fomalhaut (Khosura), and am planning a players’ setting guide for early next year, making it a good opportunity to clarify things.

So here it is: a post about what isn’t Fomalhaut, what is Fomalhaut, and what makes Fomalhaut distinct from “just old-school D&D”.

We Will Speak of this No More
(an Unholy Khosura/Erillion Hybrid by Grützi)

Drifting Lands: What Isn’t Fomalhaut

Let’s start with the simple part. The Isle of Erillion, the Twelve Kingdoms, and Kassadia are unrelated to Fomalhaut. All of these places are regions of the Drifting Lands, a more traditional adventure fantasy setting which is more or less in line with the implied setting of the AD&D rulebooks. Of these, Erillion is sort of standard Gygaxian high fantasy (and would fit neatly into Greyhawk somewhere east of the Great Kingdom and north of the Lendore Isles); the Twelve Kingdoms is a northern archipelago divided among tiny rival kingdoms (mainly inspired by Jack Vance's Lyonesse and Mike Singleton's Lords of Midnight); and the fallen Empire of Kassadia is a mixture of late Roman and mediaeval Italian influences about a land where the local equivalent of the Roman Empire never fell, just decayed into competing polities still nominally linked by shared culture and tradition. Other regions in the settings are sketched out but unexplored, since we have not had adventures there.

The Drifting Lands just assume that all of the common assumptions about AD&D’s implied setting are valid, and if something is there in the three rulebooks, you could also find it here. (Conversely, I have never had much of an interest in expansions like the UA, although our campaigns have adapted some stuff from T. Foster’s much better Heroic Legendarium.) The Drifting Lands is more humanocentric than canonical AD&D tends to be; it is slightly lower on the power curve (it doesn’t get too deep into the high-level end of AD&D, and assumes a lower level of magical treasure); and it has a slightly stronger sense of fantasy realpolitik than most AD&D materials (assuming its internal conflicts mostly stem from human-level ambitions vis-à-vis a battle of cosmic forces and alignments – to be fair, Greyhawk comes fairly close in these sensibilities). These are differences of degree, but not of kind. It also explains why I didn’t worry too much about defining the setting beyond the regional level, since materials written for it are plug-and-play, and easily adapted to most old-school campaigns.

Now This Is More Like It
(Updated Overview Map)

What Fomalhaut Is

Fomalhaut is a different setting: a coherent sword & sorcery take on the D&D baseline, with strong sword & planet elements. While the Drifting Lands are defined by their adherence to the AD&D canon, Fomalhaut is defined by its distinction from modern RPG fantasy – it highlights that which is specific and peculiar about old-school D&D, eliminates the “elfie-welfie” (my phrase from 2006), and makes a setting out of it. At the time of its creation in 2006 (apparently, right before Christmas), it was inspired by the rediscovery of the Judges Guild materials, particularly Wilderlands of High Fantasy; the exploration of “Appendix N” books; a growing interest in OD&D; and the stranger aspects of old-school play. Thus, Fomalhaut is still D&D through-and-through, but it focuses on the game where it connects to earlier traditions of pulp fantasy. This is not old-school gaming as it was, since it was always a mixture of influences, but old-school gaming as it could at least theoretically be – self-consciously sword & sorcery while keeping the structures of play as they are.

Not Quite Fomalhaut,
But Close Enough

Fomalhaut’s TL;DR pitch is “Mediterranean city-states in a world built atop the ruins of an earlier, more advanced age, surrounded by a vast wilderness dotted with strange enclaves, fallen (or all-too-successful) utopias, and pockets of weirdness.” Its main sources of inspiration in tone are Leigh Brackett (the Skaith trilogy in particular), Jack Vance (more Planet of Adventure and even Demon Princes than the Cugel stories), Clark Ashton Smith (mostly Hyperborea and Zothique), H.P. Lovecraft (Dream-Quest, but not Cthulhu), Harold Lamb’s historical pulps, various swords & sandals movies like Harryhausen’s Sindbad films, and Alex Raymond’s Flash Gordon comics (the original, crazy 1930s strips, of which the 1980 movie is a worthy adaptation). To sum up from the intro of the forthcoming gazetteer: “This is a setting of bold sword & sorcery, where the Techno-Hellenic age fell in destructive interstellar wars, and was succeeded by one of iron and bronze. Here, the descendants of Man have fractured into a myriad strange societies in a changed world, some warlike, some reclusive, and some surprisingly civilised. Philosophy, religion, and cultural variety are rife with exception and local colour. But ‘in every age, in every place, the deeds of men remain the same’ – and for all its strangeness, this setting, and the adventures you can find therein, should be immediately recognisable to fans of sword & sorcery.”

One major difference with strong implications down the line is that where D&D’s implied setting is mostly mediaeval (with Old West and modern influences), Fomalhaut draws its aesthetics and social settings from Ancient Greece and the surrounding Mediterranean and Near Eastern civilisations. It is thus a setting with vast seas and lots of seafaring; mainlands covered with wilderness and lots of barren wastelands; and small pockets of civilisation dominated by commercial city-states (leaning into the points of light concept). It assumes fantasy polytheism a bit beyond D&D’s understanding, and a set of limited petty gods with massive character flaws. It also adds a layer of weirdness, which informs its ideas of the fantastic: lost high technology, crashed UFOs, ideas plundered from pseudo-archaeology, the kind of strange magic you may find in 1930s pulps, and all kinds of odd thought experiments (“but what if… someone tried to set up an ecological utopia in a sword & sorcery setting around the wreckage of a flying saucer?”). The setting also assumes NPCs and PCs who are shrewd, pragmatic, and often a little morally dubious by modern standards – more Odysseus and Conan than Robin Hood and Frodo. Conversely, it is not a grimdark setting: it is intended to be violent and morally complex, but not nasty or cynical. It is about as edgy as a mid-century hardboiled story – that is, “somewhat” but not beyond good taste. If Leigh Brackett would write it, it would fit Fomalhaut.

Above all, Fomalhaut leans into the idea of the hex-crawl, as expressed most purely in Wilderlands of High Fantasy: the setting is meant to be a sandbox where wilderness exploration and sea-faring are important pillars of play. (Although our City of Vultures campaigns were mostly city-centric, and our ongoing online game is more site-based.) It stretches over nine hex maps, two of which have been published so far (one in Echoes #08, and one in Khosura), and altogether three of which have seen extensive play since 2007 (not counting connected otherworlds, of which there were some).

The Tridentos
(Regional Hex Map ca. 2006, Players' Version)

Setting specifics

(This section is excerpted from the forthcoming players’ gazetteer.)

Campaigns on the world of Fomalhaut generally conform to the rules and style of play found in old-school systems, but by default (as we have played our campaigns), they feature some departures as well. The following is not immutable dogma, and may be altered or disregarded at the Gamemaster’s discretion, but it makes for a cohesive, sword & sorcery-flavoured take on the old-school playstyle that has worked out fine in our games.

Humanocentrism: Only human descendants of old Terra are found on the world of Fomalhaut. The likes of dwarves, elves, gnomes or halflings are entirely absent, unless they are brought in through a magic portal, found in cryogenic storage, summoned by a magic-user, etc. During character generations, players may select from Terrans (general humans) and other human sub-groups. Likewise, Fomalhaut does not have goblinoids (orcs, goblins, ogres, most giants) or dragons, but features an abundance of degenerate cavemen, a few mutants, dinosaurs, and rarely, high-tech killing machines. In many cases, the GM can simply substitute appropriate results on random encounter tables (e.g. cavemen or ape-men for orcs, or dinosaurs for dragons). [The original setting concept had gnolls, but they were subsequently removed. Our first campaign also featured a dragon despite my sincere promises that “there are no dragons on Fomalhaut”. Fortunately, the dragon was killed by the characters, so there are no dragons on Fomalhaut. You can trust me.]

Class range: Not all classes fit campaigns on Fomalhaut. Fighters, clerics, thieves, magic-users and illusionists are excellent; others may be adopted on a case-by-case basis. In a campaign played with Seven Voyages of Zylarthen, fighting-men, thieves (SVoZ’s excellent variant) and magic-users were sufficient, and clerics were not particularly missed.

You Will Worship the Benevolent
Giant Slug God of Hedonism
And You Will Be Happy
(NO EDGED WEAPONS
OR SALT ALLOWED!)

Petty gods: Fomalhaut’s gods are not impersonal cosmic forces, but powerful and arbitrary individuals. Few consider them a reliable moral compass, and those who do are often dangerous fanatics. But most average denizens, and even priests and other followers see them in a practical light, resulting in a more transactional relationship. However, player character may easily come into contact with the gods from the outset, who can act as both patrons and antagonists in the course of play.

Power range: It is suggested to start campaigns at level 3 (or an XP value where most classes are at that point) where characters are hardy and capable enough to face the world’s challenges. No campaigns in the setting have reached levels far beyond name level (12-13 was the highest), and that is more or less where the setting itself caps out. Magic has also been limited in our campaigns, with no spells available beyond level 5, and no magic items beyond +3 (mostly in keeping with OD&D’s original range, which was similar). Magic items were generally more scarce. All this results a world of sword & sorcery that is slightly lower-powered than the old-school default, but where characters can also expect the same restraint from the setting itself.

XP for squandering: Treasure-based experience is awarded not for winning treasure, but squandering it in hedonistic excess (at the same rate of 1 XP/gp). Squandering may mean expensive drugs, lavish entertainment, fancy clothing, sponsoring gladiatorial games, or anything that has no direct or indirect gameplay benefit. Therefore, money spent to curry favour with the rich and powerful, direct sacrifices to the gods, or bribes to achieve some concrete aim do not count, but investments in larger personal projects (including the construction of temples and strongholds) do. Alms to orphans and widows, or money spent on other acts of senseless altruism also qualify, since these actions are ultimately just as ineffective and meaningless as vapid debauchery. No training rules apply, as characters are assumed to be competent enough to learn during their adventures.

Hellenism and barbarism: The cultures, attitudes and development level of the setting reflect humanity during late antiquity instead of a truly mediaeval milieu. This is not just an age of barbarism, but also one of sophistication and sometimes decadence; of bold ideas and advanced commerce in a violent world. This is not a grim and dark milieu, but one with wide conceptual horizons. Magic and fantastic elements are not pervasive, but they do shape the possibilities and mindset of Fomalhaut’s societies, and the powerful use them on a par for the course basis. The legacy of the lost Techno-Hellenic age also means the setting may be more modern in its thinking than it could first appear, and both the players and some NPCs may be behaving like modern men dropped into pre-modern societies. Of course, applying modern ideologies or utopian philosophies to the basic layer of fantastic “realism” also introduces an inherent tension, with many possibilities for conflict and failure. This element is excellent fodder for ongoing campaigns.

High technology: The clash of a sword & sorcery setting and advanced technology is a prominent feature of adventures on Fomalhaut, which feature a strong sword & planet element. Devices from the world’s ancient history do not turn up often in the daily life of an average person, but they are a lot less rare in the hidden corners of the wilderlands, the deep levels of dungeon complexes, or in the possession of NPCs. By outwards appearance, the devices and architectural remains of the old Terran civilisation generally follow neoclassical, art deco, and high modernist / brutalist influences.

Foreign planes and strange worlds: Boundaries are thin between the plane of Fomalhaut and other dimensions. Adventurers who lose their way may easily find themselves in another world, or be dragged into strange settings by hostile forces, from which they must escape with their own might. It is left open to interpretation whether these worlds are truly different planes, foreign planets, a form of time travel, dream-worlds, or all of these.

Exoticism and colour: As conceived, Fomalhaut strives to be a world of colourful, mosaic-like cultural variety; eccentric and sometimes outré local customs; with a helping of fanciful thought-experiments and surrealism. This is also a setting where wild ideas may be tried in some corner of the world to see how they unfold to their logical conclusions, which is how many of the specific details of this gazetteer came to be.

Keep it adventurous: Ultimately, this is a setting for classic adventure gaming with the usual old-school rulesets, not an exercise in world-building for its own sake, or an attempt to come up with the most bizarre world imaginable. Where a lot of Fomalhaut is colourful, the adventures therein should be immediately familiar. It is a broad canvas to have adventures with a specific flavour, and the needs of the game always come first.

The Sea of Emerald Idols
(as Depicted on a 1988 SF Magazine Cover)

What Is Out There and What Is Yet To Come

At the present time, two main bodies of work for Fomalhaut are available in up-to-date editions: Khosura, King of the Wastelands (a regional sandbox setting which has a bit of everything – city, dungeons, wilderness, and more), and various pieces of The City of Vultures campaign that have been published in Echoes From Fomalhaut. There have been a few others, and there were earlier materials elsewhere (mainly in Fight On! and Knockspell, although many of these have been republished).

Hex-crawl materials:

• Khosura, King of the Wastelands: Includes the writeup of the wilderness setting surrounding the city-state of Khosura, encompassing the south-eastern quadrant of the Batrakasz.
• Thasan: A hex-crawl treatment of the western half of this region, centred around the City of Vultures and extending to the Sea of Kroitos. Published in Echoes #08.

Adventure modules and campaign materials from the EMDT catalogue:

• The Lost Valley of Kishar (levels 6–8): Wilderness adventure set in a small valley populated by strange wildlife.
• Trail of the Sea Demon (levels 3–5): Three interconnected city adventures involving a mysterious cult.
• The Nocturnal Table: Although more broadly usable, the nighttime encounters in this book were originally developed for the City of Vultures.
• People of the Great Wheel: A doomsday sect worshipping an enormous, rolling stone wheel. Published in Echoes #03.
• Terror on Tridentfish Island (levels 3–5): Former island resort gone to ruin. Blood, death, and tourism! Published in Echoes #03.
• The Technological Table: Various high-tech devices from Fomalhaut. Published in Echoes #04.
• Arfel: City-State of the Charnel God: A smaller city-state close to the City of Vultures, ruled by the followers of Ozolba, the zombie god. Published in Echoes #04.
• The Enchantment of Vashundara (levels 3–4 ): A small extraplanar adventure set in the giant-sized palace of the eponymous hero-god. Published in Echoes #05.
• The City of Vultures: A primer to the city-state, with its customs, conspiracies, gods, and places of note. Published in Echoes #06.
• The Gallery of Rising Tombs (levels 4–6+): One of the major dungeon complexes beneath the City of Vultures. It goes deep and gets progressively more dangerous. Published in Echoes #06.
• The Hecatomb of Morthevole (levels 1–4): Mini-dungeon beneath the City of Vultures. Published in Echoes #07.
• The Tomb of Ali Shulwar (levels 4–6+): Another larger dungeon complex beneath the City of Vultures. Published in Echoes #07.
• The White Hand: One of the minor conspiracies in the City of Vultures. Published in Echoes #07.
• Oom the Many: A more prominent conspiracy in the City of Vultures. Published in Echoes #10.
• The Temple of Jeng: The city’s most powerful religion, including their heavily fortified temple. Published in Echoes #10.
• Urmalk the Boundless (levels 3–5): The necropolis of Pentastadion, a place of burial since time immemorial. Published in Echoes #12.
• Catacombs of the Pariahs (levels 3–7): Yet another large dungeon complex beneath the City of Vultures. Published in Echoes #12.
• Tower of the Thief (levels 3–5): A mini-adventure describing an abandoned tower inhabited by a master thief. Published in Echoes #12.

Earlier adventure modules, some to be revised, and excluding those that have already been:

• Black Blood (levels 3–5): A dark prophecy, a scared serving girl, and a nobleman’s villa where things have gone very-very wrong. The opening adventure to our first campaign. Published in Fight On! #05.
• Pentastadion: Large city-state, one of the setting’s main maritime powers. Published in Fight On! #05.
• The City-State of Dusal Dagodli: A very small, eccentric city-state inhabited by various philosophical schools. High Vancian. Published in Fight On! #12.
• Isles on an Emerald Sea (levels 5–10): A series of island scenarios, often fairly broad-strokes in their presentation. Published in Knockspell #01, #02, #04 and #06. I would like to update these, and add some material that saw play, but not publication.
• Systema Tartarobasis (levels 4–6): A larger adventure in a fallen technological utopia. Available here. [A minor note: the module introduction describes Fomalhaut's history as 8000-years long. This was subsequently shortened to a more sensible 4000 years.]
• In the Name of the Principle (levels 5–7): Tournament scenario set in a prosperous city-state known for its Autumn mysteries. A bit over-the-top compered to the setting baseline, but possibly the best thing I have written, so no regerts. Available here.

This is where things stand. My next  project is A Voyage to Fomalhaut, which will serve as the updated and expanded players’ setting gazetteer to replace the one that appeared in Fight On! #03, and should hopefully see release in February. I would like to release more material in the future, especially from our online campaign, which has produced a lot of stuff over three years of play. Even more importantly, I really wish to do a Fomalhaut boxed set with all the hex maps (counting player versions, that would be 18 of them, which is a bit scary to think of), and hex descriptions for the three major explored regions. This will need some work.

Until then, in the spirit of Christmas, here is a preview of A Voyage to Fomalhaut. Since my first post ever on Fomalhaut was a writeup of the deities, this will also be about half of the same chapter – now updated and expanded, with art by the late and great Virginia Frances Sterrett, the Antique Alumni, and yours truly.

A Voyage to Fomalhaut – Preview (2.3MB)

Onwards!