The Arthurian Companion 2E (2001) [+]
Jul 01 2024
The Arthurian Companion by Phyllis Ann Karr is the second edition of a book that is a great complement for King Arthur Pendragon RPG. Encyclopedia format so there is one entry for each knight, place, item in Arthurian lore with alternate spellings included. First edition used the Vulgate Cycle (13th century French) and Thomas Malory (15th century English) as primary sources and second edition adds the works Chrétien de Troyes (12th century French). There is also a little bit of modern Arthurian literature when it is significant.
Entries include coat of arms if known, or sometimes created by Greg Stafford. In general if there is disagreement among versions Karr picks the one she thinks is most correct (consistent or aesthetically pleasing) and notes major differences. Malory's version seems to be the most prominent (and that's what KAP uses I believe). Karr also tries to give locations to most places, using other scholarly sources, though it seems a lot more guesswork. There are also family trees for major characters.
Since there are many unnamed people in the literature Karr often gives them appropriate names. I guess that would make this book less scholarly but more convenient as an adjunct to a role-playing game and easier when an entry refers to otherwise unnamed characters.
The appendices include discussions on the literature and lore and medieval life though focusing on knightly pursuits and how they're portrayed in the literature.
I think it's quite a fine work and very useful for KAP. Apparently a third edition is in the works at Chaosium and they will also publish an annotated version of Malory's cycle.
Entries include coat of arms if known, or sometimes created by Greg Stafford. In general if there is disagreement among versions Karr picks the one she thinks is most correct (consistent or aesthetically pleasing) and notes major differences. Malory's version seems to be the most prominent (and that's what KAP uses I believe). Karr also tries to give locations to most places, using other scholarly sources, though it seems a lot more guesswork. There are also family trees for major characters.
Since there are many unnamed people in the literature Karr often gives them appropriate names. I guess that would make this book less scholarly but more convenient as an adjunct to a role-playing game and easier when an entry refers to otherwise unnamed characters.
The appendices include discussions on the literature and lore and medieval life though focusing on knightly pursuits and how they're portrayed in the literature.
I think it's quite a fine work and very useful for KAP. Apparently a third edition is in the works at Chaosium and they will also publish an annotated version of Malory's cycle.