Elric of Melniboné

Mongoose Publishing acquire the Eternal Champion Licence from Chaosium in 2006, and published new versions of both Elric of Melniboné and Hawkmoon. The initial editions of these games utilised the Runequest rule set (itself licensed from Greg Stafford), while the 2nd edition Elric of Melniboné was built on both the Runequest II and latterly Mongoose’s own Legend game system.

Although no official announcement was ever made, the license for Michael Moorcock’s games expired around 2013, although in reality their production had almost completely ceased by the time authors like Lawrence Whitaker and Pete Nash left Mongoose Publishing in 2011.

Elric of Melniboné - 1st Edition (Click to Expand)

The first edition of Elric of Melniboné was written by Lawrence Whitaker and Aaron Dembski-Bowden, this edition adapted the Runequest MRQ rule set to the the land of the Young Kingdoms and beyond.

Elric of Melniboné – 1st Edition

Description – Core Rule book
Author – Lawrence Whitaker & Aaron Dembski-Bowden
Stock Number – MGP8116
Published – 2007
Page Count – 164
ISBN – 978-1905850136

The eldritch isle of Melniboné and the Young Kingdoms across the sea provide a wealth of strange places, deadly foes and potent spells for the Elric of Melniboné roleplaying game. Sail the seas of fate into a demon-haunted world where dragons ride the storm-racked skies and the price of dreams is above rubies. Walk the streets of fabled Elwher, steal the lore of Pan Tang, and cross the Sighing Desert as you quest for eternal Tanelorn.

Elric of Melniboné takes players to the Young Kingdoms where dragons fly the skies and chaos reigns!

Based on the RuneQuest rules system, Elric of Melniboné is a complete and self-contained rulebook.


Elric of Melniboné Companion

Description – Supplement
Author – Lawrence Whitaker
Stock Number – MGP8150
Published – 2007
Page Count – 132
ISBN – 978-1906103521

The Elric Companion is a boon for all Games Masters who are desirous to send their players off into the hazardous world of Elric. Expanding upon Elric of Melniboné and Bright Shadows, the Elric Companion creates a more vivid experience of the Young Kingdoms and beyond. Inside you will find a multitude of new rules and scenarios to enhance your gaming experience.

New rules, which cover sailing and the vessels that ply the oceans, allow for travel between major ports and the investigation of mysterious islands. The Eternal Champion travels between the million spheres, now any party can have the opportunity to visit other planes. The unknown east is described in depth, allowing for adventures in lands never fully revealed within the original stories.

Insanity and madness are commonplace in Elric’s world, due to the unnatural influence of Chaos and now you can add this new danger to further threaten Player Characters. The cries of battle ring out across The Young Kingdoms and new rules allow for these to be played out.

The inhabitants of this world are also not neglected within the Elric Companion. From the heroes in Elric’s saga, to foul monsters, strange creatures and the evil of demons, all provide new challenges.

Finally there is a scenario included, involving the sorcerer Tork’aandn, whose desire to forge a strong empire could ultimately result in the forces of Kelmain storming the Young Kingdoms and altering this world forever.

So strap on your sword and leap astride your warhorse, for adventures within the Young Kingdoms have taken a new turn.


Bright Shadows

Description – Supplement
Author – Charles Green & Aaron Dembski-Bowden
Stock Number – MGP8140
Published – 2007
Page Count – 100
ISBN – 978-1905850587

“‘…they are cruel and clever and to them ‘morality’ means little more than a proper respect for the traditions of a hundred centuries.” – Michael Moorcock, Elric of Melniboné

For ten thousand years, The Bright Empire of Melniboné ruled the face of the earth, subjugating the barbarian tribes and using them as slaves. These inhuman folk kept the world in bondage with demon magic and dragon flame. The people of the Dragon Isle rest in their capital city of Imrryr, secure in their place as the undisputed rulers of the world.

But their rule was never truly permanent. Addiction and hubris made them short-sighted, and they refused to see threat before it was too late. Wars were fought and won, but at too great a cost. Now the Empire lies in ruins, a bright shadow of its former glory.

With the coronation of Dragon Prince Elric, the citizens of Melniboné clamour for the Emperor to spearhead an assault on the world, to awaken the sleeping dragons and have their proud Dragon Princes ride the air once more and retake what was once theirs. But the pensive albino merely broods, a victim to this curious emotion called ‘conscience,’ foreign to the alien Melnibonéan mind.

Amongst his court, there are rumoured whispers that the albino Emperor’s reign will be a short one and that it will bring profound changes to the Bright Empire. Indeed, there are factions at work to ensure that very thing comes to pass.

For good or ill.


Magic of the Young Kingdoms

Description – Supplement
Author – Lawrence Whitaker, Charles Green & Pete Nash
Stock Number – MGP8146
Published – 2008
Page Count – 146
ISBN – 978-1906103170

Magic of the Young Kingdoms contains a wealth of information, not just for those allied with Chaos. Within you will find new runes, along with advice on how to use them effectively. Summoning spells, the likes of which have not been seen before, shall allow you to conjure the most fearsome demons to work for you or with you.

Included are step by step guide to the Elemental Paths, along with in depth descriptions and last known locations of ancient texts, filled with magical secrets far beyond even the most experienced sorcerer’s imagination.

The dark art of necromancy is described at length, with extensive advice to guide you through the process and keep you safe from the dangerous pitfalls that are ever present within this discipline. There is also an extensive guide to the dream worlds and their safe navigation, as one wrong move or wrong thought, could leave you stranded there forever.

The magics contained within this book are not for the faint of heart or the weak of mind. They are powerful and dangerous never to be taken lightly. So to the brave, the strong and possibly the crazy, take up this powerful book and see the extent of where it can lead you.


Cults of the Young Kingdoms

Description – Supplement
Author – Lawrence Whitaker
Stock Number – MGP8151
Published – 2009
Page Count – 154
ISBN – 978-1906103613

Cults of the Young Kingdoms details the cults offering pacts with the Lords of Law, Chaos and the Elements. Expanding on the cults presented in the Elric of Melnibone rules, characters have greater scope for worship, more Gifts and Compulsions, and additional powers – if they are prepared to enter into a Pact with the higher forces. The Elemental Lords and several new, personality and ancestor cults are also detailed, deepening and widening the scope for worship and dedication, and fueling the need for adventure.

Each cult is provided complete: history, purpose, religious rites, forbidden knowledge and special notes regarding their place in the cosmic hierarchy and in relation to each other. This is the most detailed treatment of Young Kingdoms religions ever presented, and offers a treasure-trove of possibilities for characters and Games Masters alike.


Dream Realms

Description – Supplement
Author – Joshua Cole
Stock Number – MGP8154
Published – 2009
Page Count – 96
ISBN – 978-1906103712

The Dream Realms – at once the most alien and most familiar of the myriad facets of the Multiverse, visited nightly by the slumbering masses of the Young Kingdoms yet little understood by even the Sorcerer-Emperors of Melniboné.

Whether the worlds of dreams lie within the dreamer or across the million spheres, they are home to strange creatures and stranger inhabitants.

Dreamthieves, those few with the skills and daring to brave and chart these alien climes, impose a certain order upon them- however such order goes only so far and even an experienced dream traveller may fall prey to the slightest flaw in his character or the first failing of his skills.

Yet, from these mutable and dangerous demesnes, solid reality of treasure and power can be brought back to the Young Kingdoms. The bold, the desperate and the selfless risk much to make dreams come true. Follow in the footsteps of Elric of Melniboné, the dreamthief Oone and countless adventurers and unfortunates who have confronted their dreams and others’.

Within this book, you will learn to:

  • Defend your own dreams against assault from home-grown nightmares and external sorcery.
  • Enter the dreams of others as a dreamthief, either ignobly as a purveyor of pilfered hopes and aspirations or nobly to rescue dreamers from their slumberous curses.
  • Experience the Thousand Year Dream practiced by the Sorcerer-Emperors of Melniboné, visiting distant, perhaps imagined realms and gaining unparalleled experience of the Multiverse.
Elric of Melniboné - 2nd Edition (Click to Expand)

Initially written by Lawrence Whitaker and Pete Nash, this short lived 2nd Edition revised the game mechanics to match the Runequest II ruleset, while looked to expand the Young Kingdoms setting to more remote locales.

Elric of Melniboné – 2nd Edition

Description – Core Rule book
Author – Lawrence Whitaker & Pete Nash
Stock Number – MGP8196
Published – 2010
Page Count – 216
ISBN – 978-1907218705

Fully updated and revised for RuneQuest II, Elric of Melniboné will transport you to the Young Kingdoms, an eldritch setting providing a wealth of strange places, deadly foes and potent spells for your games. Sail the seas of fate into a demon-haunted world where dragons ride the storm-racked skies and the price of dreams is above rubies. Walk the streets of fabled Elwher, steal the lore of Pan Tang, and cross the Sighing Desert as you quest for eternal Tanelorn.

Starting the new Eternal Champion line, Elric of Melniboné takes players to the Young Kingdoms where dragons fly the skies and chaos reigns!


Elric of Melniboné Games Master’s Screen

Description – Games Master’s Screen
Author – Lawrence Whitaker
Stock Number – MGP8197
Published – 2010
Page Count – 4
ISBN – 978-1907218712

With stunning Eternal Champion artwork facing the players, and every vital table for the Games Master, the Elric of Melniboné Games Master’s Screen is the perfect complement to a well run Young Kingdoms campaign.

With all the important tables and charts, the new Elric of Melniboné Games Master’s Screen is constructed from quality heavy-weight cardstock that will stand the ravages of many years’ gaming.


Cults of the Young Kingdoms

Description – Supplement
Author – Lawrence Whitaker & Pete Nash
Stock Number – MGP8201
Published – 2010
Page Count – 120
ISBN – 978-1907218804

Cults of the Young Kingdoms expands upon the material found in the Cults chapter of the Elric of Melniboné rules. Herein you will find more information concerning the natures of the Lords of the Higher Planes, new cults, new Gifts and Compulsions, new religious approaches and new professions related to them.

Essentially, this book is for those Elric Games Masters and characters who wish to immerse themselves in the ways of Law, Chaos, Elements and other supernatural forces abroad in the Young Kingdoms. It aims to extrapolate material from the Elric saga, adding depth to the intrigue Michael Moorcock has created, allowing Games Masters and Players to become greater exponents of the higher powers as they characters struggle to make sense of the world around them.


Cities of the Young Kingdoms 1: The South

Description – Supplement
Author – Lawrence Whitaker
Stock Number – MGP8210
Published – 2011
Page Count – 128
ISBN – 978-1907702082

Alorasaz: frozen city of fur trappers, loggers and miners, deep in Lormyr’s wintery southlands. A peaceful place on the surface, but beneath lurk tensions and fears as two competing families struggle to control Alorasaz’s wealth. And what of Castle Kaneloon, standing on the very edge of the world? Does the Lady Myshella not exert an influence over sleepy Alorasaz?

Raschil: the bustling, civilised port city of Filkhar, a cosmopolitan place where many nations rub shoulders in the countless taverns and inns. But a city with its own secrets too: why, for instance, has the Queen not been seen for months when, once, she was society’s doyenne?

Ryfel: built from black granite and mud-brick on Pikarayd’s wild and treacherous northern coast: a city of pirates and reavers, and a meeting place for the barbaric clans of the interior. Ryfel attracts the proponents of Chaos and Disorder; sorcerers, murderers and dark cultists; thieves, fugitives and feuding clansmen. Pan Tang holds court here; but are the Pikaraydian chieftains as enthralled as Pan Tang believes them to be?

Volume One of ‘Cities of the Young Kingdoms’ explores three, very different cities of the Young Kingdoms’ southern continent. Each city is described in detail with maps, locations, personalities, game statistics and dozens of adventure hooks. The cities can be used as standalone backdrops for Elric of Melnibone games, bases for adventurers, or as part of the mini-campaign that threads between them and joins them together.

Welcome to the southern lands…


Secrets of the Steppes

Description – Supplement
Author – John R. White
Stock Number – MGP8309
Published – 2012
Page Count – 160 (Digest)
ISBN – 978-1907702969

North, beyond the vast, arid wilderness of the Sighing Desert lies a distant land that is usually only referred to by boasting merchants seeking to add to the price of their wares or else tellers of tall stories in the taverns of the Young Kingdoms cities. Secrets of the Steppes gives details on the geography, flora and fauna of the Dakwinsi Steppe and the regions which border this vast tundra land. In addition, the unique histories and customs of the nations and tribes who inhabit these areas are provided.

Shad is a civilized Ilmioran City-State whose harbour is often the last port of call by those who chance sailing further up the coast into the colder reaches of the Pale Sea. These northern waters are home to huge whales and colossal icebergs, whilst the bleak coastline of the steppe itself is the realm of the Alofians, a savage tribe of hermaphrodites. Inland, the Bastan nomads roam across the countless leagues of wind swept plains which stretch towards the Unknown East, hunting seals and mammoths. Although snow covers most of the region through its long winters, the margins of the steppe have milder climates and are home to primitive tribesmen. The Limnissi people dwell in the mazelike marshlands whilst the elusive Arbanni are a ghostlike, unseen presence in the tall, silent woodlands of their mountain range.

Rules are presented for the creation of adventurers from the lands described in this volume and also include several new background professions for Young Kingdom characters. Game statistics are given for a variety of animals, men and monsters. Finally 10 scenario seeds, tailored to the locations in this book, are written for use by Elric of Melnibone Games Masters.


Talons of Winter (Unpublished)

Description – Supplement
Author – John R. White
Stock Number – N/A
Published – N/A
Page Count – N/A
ISBN – N/A

From the Unpublished Draft – The lands north of the Sighing Desert are a wide country of grassy plains which become tundra to the north. The tundra itself is a region of flower strewn heath riddled with lakes and marshes during the short months which unlock dormant life from the grasp of the long, dark winter months which freeze the ground and cover its surface with snow.

The main inhabitants of the Dakwinsi steppe are nomadic tribes of hunters who call themselves the Bastanissi. On the bleak, rocky coastlands to the west is the territory of the Alofians, a barbaric race of hermaphrodites who tolerate the existence of a few whaling stations and trade warily with Ilmiorans and Tarkeshites. A few bold traders cross the steppe country between the city of Xanardwys and the cold waters of the Pale Sea, every journey requiring a fresh route due to the annual change to the pattern of the lakes and morasses. Ilmiorans from the port of Shad have established a sulphur mine using slave labour in the Poison Peaks.

The forested peaks to the south west are inhabited by a reclusive group of primitive hunter gathers known as the Arbanni by the folk of the Sighing Desert. Northwards the steppe is bordered by the Fire Mountains, reputedly the home of a race of brutal giants. Eastwards a strip of marshlands runs along the foothills of the Grey Veil Mountains where the Limnissi folk make their homes of reeds.

Beyond the Fire Mountains is a vast area of snow clad hills called the Whitelands. No natural life is found here and its short summers do little other than illuminate the barren landscape and the creation of icebergs along the upper reaches of the Pale Sea.

The ultimate north terminates at a seething pole of chaos matter, one of the last areas of the world yet to be tamed and moulded by a Champion of Law.

Elric of Melniboné - Signs & Portents material (Click to Expand)

Between 2003 and 2011 Mongoose Publishing produced Signs & Portents magazine, a monthly periodical that supported the company’s various miniature and roleplaying game lines. During the reasonably short run, Elric of Melniboné (both 1st and 2nd Editions) had a number of articles, adventures and support material appear in this ‘zines pages.

Issue #45 (June 2007)

Article Title – Elric and Hawkmoon
Description – Announcement/Introduction
Author – Richard Ford & Lawrence Whitaker
Page Count – 3 pages

How are the new Eternal Champion games different from standard RuneQuest?

The Eternal Champion! Michael Moorcock’s enduring saga of heroism and tragedy comes to a tabletop near you very soon, as Mongoose plans to release both Hawkmoon the Roleplaying Game and Elric of Melniboné, roleplaying games based on two of Moorcock’s most famous characters. Now you can play in the world of Europe in the Tragic Millennium or the Young Kingdoms (or both), throwing your own characters into the fray as they battle against the Dark Empire of Granbretan or struggle to overcome the foul gods of Chaos.


Issue #50 (November 2007)

Article Title – Younger Kingdoms Explored
Description – Supplement
Author – Lawrence Whitaker
Page Count – 8 pages

This article explores two cities of the Young Kingdoms mentioned in the novel ‘The Dreamthief ’s Daughter’ and the short story ‘A Portrait in Ivory’. The former, Cesh, is nothing more than a name  and a brief reference, which I have expanded here for use in the Elric of Melniboné game. The latter, Séred Öma, is more detailed, and offers a new people, the Na’äne, to complement those already present in the Elric canon. There are other lands and places too, such as fabled Xanardwys, and these will be explored in future Signs and Portents articles.


Issue #51 (December 2007)

Article Title – A Young Kingdoms Digest
Description – Supplement
Author – Charles Green
Page Count – 12 pages

A collection of game stats for the denizens of the Young Kingdoms most likely to interact with a group of player characters. This is divided up to sections for Men at Arms, People of the Sea and  Religious People, and covers seventeen non-player character types.  In addition, some mechanics are provided for modifying the more generic archetypes like Soldiers and Sailors. Each character receives a detailed description, Elric of Melniboné 1st Edition statistics and a variety of special rules.


Issue #56 (May 2008)

Article Title – The Mereghn
Description – Supplement/Teaser
Author – Lawrence Whitaker
Page Count – 8 pages

As a taster for the forthcoming Cults of the Young Kingdoms, we present for you here the Mereghn, a secretive and clandestine group of information-brokers and assassins at large throughout the Young Kingdoms. This article describes the Mereghn in-depth, offers a range of new Advanced skills and defines assassins as a profession for Elric of Melniboné adventurers.


Issue #57 (June 2008)

Article Title – A Created Life is one with Purpose: Automata
Description – Supplement
Author – Charles Green
Page Count – 13 pages

A detailed list of automata and machines created by the Cults of Law in the Young Kingdoms. This includes rules of animating these creations, and range from the simple (such as an automatic abacus) through to war machines (such as clockwork Warhorses).


Issue #61 (October 2008)

Article Title – Love, and Hate
Description – Supplement
Author – Lawrence Whitaker
Page Count – 3 pages

Love, devotion and hatred are a central theme of the Eternal Champion saga: tragically doomed love; unrequited love; passionate love; love across the Million Spheres; lost loves, slaughtered loves and love regained. So too does Hatred figure: Yyrkoon and Theleb K’aarna’s hatred for Elric, motivated by greed and jealousy; Elric’s hatred of his own fate; the beggars of Nadsokor’s hatred for Tanelorn.

Just as the game mechanics for Elric of Melniboné provide a way of dedicating one’s soul to a god (the Pact), so too can Love and Hate be quantified. This section provides an optional set of  mechanics for Games Masters to use to simulate the effects of love and hate in their Elric of Melniboné campaigns (and, equally, in Hawkmoon and the forthcoming Corum game).

3 Comments

  1. Micah

    Aah ok thanks for your reply and advise

  2. Micah

    Do u still supply the Elric of Melnibone RPG are they available for purchase please and how much are they?
    Kind Regards
    Micah

    • Stormbringer

      Hi Micah, no sorry this is just a fan page. Ebay, Noble Knight Games or Waynes Books seems your best bet!

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