Spes Magna Games

In a comment to this post, krys remarked, “Only 4 dragons eh? I was hoping there’d be more with different factions, orders (both secret and open) and sects of followers. I like what I’ve heard though.”

I felt this comment deserved some clarification. Yes, Tiamat’s Throne as a campaign setting has its astropolitics dominated by four dragons, but Tiamat and her dukes are more like plot devices than monsters. Each one is roughly equivalent to a planet-smashing interstellar battleship.

The presence of Tiamat and her dukes does not preclude the existence of lesser dragons more suitable for use as challenges for the PCs. I envision these dragons working more or less the way such monsters did in Old School RPGs. Sure, they’re apex predators, but a sufficiently experienced and well-prepared gang of adventurers could take one on and win.

When it comes to factions, which is a topic I’ve barely addressed in blogposts, rest assured that there will be a major faction dedicated to the worship of Tiamat and her dukes. I’m thinking of this faction being a cross between the Templars and the Gestapo. Splinter dragon cults are also likely. What’s more, since I want Tiamat’s Throne to be a science-fantasy space opera sandbox, customization from individual GMs is not only to be expected but encouraged. The sector is a huge place with 18 known, inhabited worlds. There’s easily room for any number of additional factions, orders, et cetera.

Work on Tiamat’s Throne has slowed down a bit lately, due in part to one of my seasonal funks, but I can feel the itch the write more building up in my brain and fingers. My self-imposed playtest release date of February 2013 is still in effect. I’m also considering going Kickstarter, but I don’t want to do that until I have the playtest document(s) ready for release.

Tags: Stars Without Number, Tiamat's Throne