Sword of Cepheus 2nd Edition: The Sword & Sorcery RPG That Made Me Read Fafhrd
I can’t normally read big PDFs on a tablet. Once you get over 100 pages, I need a physical copy. This thing is 365 pages. I read the entire thing in a weekend.
It got me so into the mood that I finally started reading Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. That should tell you everything.
What Is This?
Sword of Cepheus by Stellagama Publishing is a sword and sorcery RPG using the Cepheus system (same as Traveller). 2d6, roll to beat targets, dead simple. But it’s the character creation that makes this game special.
It covers three genres: sword and sorcery, sword and planet, and sword and sandals. Want laser guns alongside your broadsword? There’s an optional section for that.
Character Creation Is The Game
This is the same career-path system from Traveller, and it’s brilliant. You don’t build a character - you discover them.
Your character isn’t yours until you’ve finished creation. You start at age 14, pick a background, then move through career terms. Each term you gain skills, roll events, face consequences. Four years pass each time.
A soldier who took Liaison instead of Melee Combat - what does that mean? Were they making connections? Dealing? Avoiding fights? The backstory emerges from the mechanics.
Events tables create story. Roll “invaded” and one of your estates is attacked by foul beasts. Roll “slavery” and you choose whether to join a slaver crew (gain benefits, lose social standing) or resist (gain an enemy, keep your honour).
Every roll builds hooks. By the time your table finishes character creation, you’ve built half your campaign.
The Skill System
No perception skill. I love this.
If you’re investigating a crime scene, you use relevant skills. Social skills for social situations. Insight for understanding people. You’re not rolling a magic “find stuff” ability.
There’s Carousing (because Conan would). There’s Govern (because Conan ended up running a state). There’s Jack-of-all-trades (no penalties, just no bonuses).
The skill list tells you what kind of game this is.
Combat And Health
Two actions per turn - attack twice, or move and attack. Simple and elegant.
Health works differently. You have Stamina (quick to recover) and Lifeblood (slow to heal). Take damage to Stamina first, then Lifeblood. Get injured and you might pick up lasting problems.
This means you can bounce in and out of fights fast, but cumulative damage will catch up. Very setting appropriate - spend all that treasure on healing between adventures.
Sorcery Is Dangerous
Sorcery takes about 10 minutes to cast. You can push yourself and cast faster, but then you risk corruption and mutations.
Roll snake eyes and bad things happen. Wraiths appear. Your nearest ally gets magically enraged and attacks you for 1d6 rounds. You mutate - maybe your skin thickens (gain armour, lose stuff), maybe you become an albino with sunlight problems.
Sorcerers aren’t built to last. They’re playing with things they shouldn’t. The faster and looser they play, the faster their demise.
The Book Has Everything
I got to page 316 before finding something I wanted more of (hamlet/village creation rules - I’m greedy about that). That’s pretty impressive.
- Demon generation tables
- Mountains of NPCs ready to grab
- Ship rules, sailing, vehicles
- Random encounters by terrain
- An adventure at the back
- Optional super science section for lasers
One Minor Issue
The range modifier table would want a cheat sheet. But honestly, I’d probably just add or subtract one depending on what seems reasonable. The system can handle that.
Bottom Line
365 pages of sword and sorcery goodness. Character creation that builds campaign hooks. Sorcery that feels dangerous. A system simple enough to hack but robust enough to handle it.
This game made me want to run sword and sorcery. I can’t say much more than that.
Get it. Sword of Cepheus 2nd Edition