Arduin Week - 2020 - Day Seven

To begin Day Seven of Arduin Week 2020 let us begin with another item from our anonymous guest artist and his tribute to Dave Hargrave and Arduin.

Winds of Chance (Arduin Grimoire Vol. VIII), 1988 (published posthumously)

The Front Cover.

The Back Cover.

The opening sad news at the beginning of Volume Eight.

Dave's soapbox piece above would be just as timely today. If there are things that you do not like and they upset you, do everyone a favor and do not read those things. Here thirty-two years later this advice is still timely.

Having just lost my own wife to cancer 15 months ago, I feel a great deal of empathy for this couple that had such a short time together.

The table of contents, this book is jammed full of useful things.

All the way through Arduin kept its Hobbits and its Kobbits. It also kept its Ents and its Balrogs. So I suppose there are benefits to flying under the radar. I will note again that in all of the history of RPGs is there anyone with the flair for naming things to compare with Dave Hargrave?

I will skip the live eels, but the other three I would love to try. they sound very tasty to me.

Here again are end comments, and we see that he has heart surgery coming up. Perhaps someone knows, I do not, but did he pass before the surgery or after the surgery. Either one seems likely to me. He was only 42 when he passed and  he would have been 74 this year and even that is young these days. The 9th volume ENDWAR was to have several surprises and "not a little bit of myself." I am left wandering how much of that, if any, made it into the book that was published.

End War (Arduin Grimoire Vol. IX), 2002 (published posthumously)

This volume has taken a lot of criticism for not being up to the Dave Hargrave standard, although I have not seen it myself, I will say that those are mighty big shoes to fill and to the guys who completed this last volume, I say thank you. Maybe it can be improved on and maybe it cannot, but I will still buy it given the chance.

In keeping with the Arduin tradition, this the final volume of the "Trilogy of Trilogies". The book is jammed packed with new, never before published material from the mind of Dave Hargrave as well as articles from Monty St John, Mark Burton and Compleat Arduin co-author Mark Schynert. This is the final chapter of the Arduin Grimoire series also known as the first edition of Arduin. Most certainly usable with ALL Fantasy Role Play game systems but especially written for the Arduin Multiverse.

In addition to a wide assortment of monsters, treasures, spells, techno items, magik artifacts and a new character class, this volume takes us once again into the depths of the UNDERCITIES, reveals the secrets of "HELL WALKING", provides insights into the inner workings of the ARDUINIAN GOVERNMENT and the nefarious THIEVES GUILD.

Pay a visit to the mysterious PEARLY GATES INN deep in the heart of Khurahaen, where you are likely to be regaled with tales of Arduin's legendary SHIPWRECKS. But take care not to wander too far lest ye end up in one of the ELEMENTAL PLANES or fall victim to the WINDS OF CHANGE.

A member (simrion) of The Ruins of Murkhill forum provided this for me in early May of this year:

The Arduin Grimoire, Vol. IX: END WAR
Based upon material from Dave Hargrave assembled and expanded upon by various members of Emperors Choice Games
Jim Mathis, Mark Schynert, Scott Clark, Rick Brown, Mark Burton, Monty St. John & Lee Gold
Editor not identified
Illustrators not identified
Emperors Choice Games - Amherst, NY
Third Printing 2005

Much like the other Arduin Grimoires this is digest sized. It is perfect bound glossy soft cover slightly larger in outside dimensions: 9 1/4" x 6 1/8". Exterior steps away from the Arduin meme by boasting glossy red covers with black & white art. Book is 108 pages, black on white paper, no parchment styling. Page three contains the Table of Contents, the previous pages being introductions and dedications. The back page is blank, perhaps for personal campaign notes? Over all this book gives me the impression the publisher had some incomplete Hargrave notes and material available, just enough to publish a final volume in the final trilogy of grimoires. I obtained this a few years back from Emperor Choice Games in the Buffalo, NY area. I believe their website still exists however am uncertain as to the actual status of the company at this time.

Table of Contents

Pg 05  Dungeons and Why the Authorities Don't Shut Them Down 

Pg 06  Arduin View on the Lending Between Characters 

Pg 07  Betrayal and Being "Bad"

Pg 08  Scout Class

Pg 11  Arduin Government

Pg 17  More Arduin Customs

Pg 19  Historical Perspective: The Thieves Guild in Arduin

Pg 21  Arduin Undercities

Pg 28  Winds of Change 

Pg 29  Innkeepers Ballad

Pg 33  War Dogs of Arduin 

Pg 35  Arduinian Equines

Pg 39  Casting the Cards

Pg 50  Famous Arduin Shipwrecks

Pg 55  New Arduin Spells

Pg 65  New Magik Artifacts

Pg 75  New Monsters 

Pg 83  Insanity and Obsession

Pg 86  More Technological Weapons of Arduin

Pg 88  Unique Arduin Weapons 

Pg 90  Creative Use of Treasure 

Pg 93  Trans-Dimensional Movement 

Pg 95  Elemental Planes 

Pg 97  The Kingdom of Arduin and Its Surrounding Nations 

Pg 104  A Preview of the World of Khass - Legendary Lands of Arduin book

I hope to see you all back here tomorrow for Dave Hargrave Day!