Kingdoms of Kalamar
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The Kingdoms of Kalamar is a fantasy role-playing game campaign setting created by Kenzer and Company and released in 1994. Shortly after Wizards of the Coast announced the 3rd Edition of Dungeons & Dragons, they announced jointly with Kenzer & Company that Kenzer had acquired a license to produce official Dungeons & Dragons material. The Kingdoms of Kalamar campaign setting would be exclusive setting for that original material. While not as well-known as setting such as Forgotten Realms, the setting has a loyal following and has received praise for it's consistency and realism.[1][2]
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[edit] History
The original Kingdoms of Kalamar material was clearly intended for use with Dungeons & Dragons, while carefully avoiding any direct trademark or copyright infringement. The setting appeared in two books, the Sourcebook of the Sovereign Lands, and Mythos of the Divine and Worldly. While distribution was not widespread, fans of the setting continued to support it.
The Sourcebook of the Sovereign Lands detailed the people and places of Tellene, the campaign’s continent (and world). It broke the continent down into six regions and examined each one on a large scale.
The Mythos of the Divine and Worldly examined the setting’s 43 gods with a great amount of detail, including holidays, descriptions of clerical garb, and common sacrifices. It also described secret societies and the setting’s astrology and calendar.
These products were available individually or together in a box set with a two-part map.
[edit] Current Incarnation
The Sourcebook of the Sovereign Lands and the Mythos of the Divine and Worldly were combined with nearly 100,000 words of new material for the Kingdoms of Kalamar campaign setting, which was nominated for the Origins Award for Best Roleplaying Game in 2001. Over 30 different products have been released to support it.
While most of the books have been released with the Dungeons & Dragons logo, newer books (starting with Svimohzia: the Ancient Isle) and pdf re-releases have been without it. On July 11, 2007, Kenzer & Company announced that their license with Wizards of the Coast would expire in August of that year.[3]
[edit] Future
On July 6, 2006, Kenzer & Company announced that Kingdoms of Kalamar would be the official setting of the next version of their HackMaster roleplaying game.[4]
[edit] Setting
The continent of Tellene is the focus of the Kingdoms of Kalamar setting. Inhabitants of Tellene believe it the entirety of the world, although the source-material hint at lands beyond the edges of the map. Due to this, the world is also generally referred to as Tellene.
Tellene is generally divided into several subregions. These include Brandobia, the Young Kingdoms, the Wild Lands, Reanaaria Bay and the isle of Svimohzia. The southernmost tip of Tellene lies at roughly 20° latitude, while the northernmost explored areas rest at about 54° latitude. The climate ranges from temperate to sub-tropical.[5]
Tellene has three moons; Diadolai, Pelselond and Veshemo. These orbit Tellene with an 80, 34 and 28 day Orbital period respectively. Most of Tellene uses a lunar calendar, based around the 28-day orbit of Veshemo. The year consists of 13 months, each divided into four 7-day weeks. The year starts on the first day of spring.[5]
[edit] External links
- Kenzer & Company
- TSR Archive Kingdoms of Kalamar product list
[edit] References
- ^ Ferguson, D. Andrew (2001). Kingdoms of Kalamar. Retrieved on 2008-02-21.
- ^ Kingdoms of Kalamar (2002-11-05). Retrieved on 2008-02-21.
- ^ Wizards of the Coast/Kenzer & Company License Agreements Expiring. Retrieved on 2007-07-18.
- ^ Kenzer, David S.. Re: Future of Kalamar. Retrieved on 2007-07-18.
- ^ a b Kenzer, David S.; Jelke, Brian; Johansson; Brown III, Lloyd & Blackburn, Jolly (May 2001), Kingdoms of Kalamar Campaign Setting Sourcebook, Kenzer and Company, ISBN 1-889182-50-8
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