Savage Suzerain: Caladon Falls
Caladon Falls is an epic fantasy plot-point campaign setting for Suzerain (powered by Savage Worlds) written by Vickey A. Beaver, Steve Dean, Curtis Lyon, and Sarah Lyon and published by Savage Mojo.
By Aaron T. Huss
Caladon Falls is a complete plot-point campaign setting within the Suzerain epic fantasy realm of Relic. It places the characters within the middle of a war between the armies of Caladon and the encroaching Wild Army. At its core is a setting designed around the events taking place in the lands of Caladon with a follow-on book that expands the events into nearby lands. It is not a sourcebook focused upon an entire landmass but rather only the lands of and neighboring Caladon for the purpose of running the plot-point campaign.
One last thing should be pointed out, Caladon Falls is not meant for characters to ease into the fray. They are thrown directly into the mix and never look back. It is a fast moving, high action campaign of epic proportions.
FOR PLAYERS
Caladon Falls is broken into two major sections. For Players contains all the additional mechanics for creating characters within Caladon along with source material surrounding the setting and the noble houses. For GMs includes all the information for running the plot-point campaign along with additional savage tales and a bestiary.
Although Caladon Falls is as much of a campaign as it is a setting guide, there is plenty of content and character creation options in the For Players section that many different adventures and campaigns are possible besides the plot-point campaign. Much of this is dedicated to providing character creation options for creating the archetypes commonly found within Caladon including military rank Edges that correspond to the war aspect of the plot-point campaign. There are also new Pulse Paths, Powers, and equipment to go with the new Hindrances and Edges. Along with the Suzerain core rulebook, this is all a player will need.
FOR GMS
For GMs is broken into four main sections: GM background information, plot-point campaign, savage tales, and bestiary. The GM background information is behind-the-scenes info surrounding the plot-point campaign, but also gives a further look at the Caladon Falls setting. The plot-point campaign is 12 episodes that bring the characters from Novice to Heroic with plenty of Savage Tales to sprinkle in-between. The bestiary is a fantastic collection of creatures to throw at the characters with each one being properly described and detailed.
OVERALL
Caladon Falls is far from your standard style of epic fantasy design. For those looking for something more traditional, you’ve got the wrong product. If you want to play fantasy at epic levels, then Caladon Falls is what you’re looking for. Just remember that it uses the Savage Worlds Suzerain core rulebook to get the full effect for creating characters.
RATINGS
Publication Quality: 10 out of 10
Caladon Falls is a beautifully laid out, formatted, and illustrated book with full color and lots of wicked creatures to throw at the characters. The essence of the war is well represented in the plot-point campaign while the essence of the lands are well represented in the source content and illustrations. This includes an in-depth look at the different noble houses and full-page illustrations that depict those characters involved. It should also be noted that the book is extremely well laid out and formatted making it very easy to read and use along with ease of quick reference should the GM need it.
Mechanics: 8 out of 10
Caladon Falls includes plenty of new mechanics to correspond with the setting including new Hindrances, Edges, and equipment. They offer new races and archetypes along with offering new materials for creating armor. Everything is properly described and detailed, although there is one thing missing. The content does not tie the different races to the setting nor does it tie the standard Savage Suzerain races to the setting. While this may be a moot point in many player’s eyes, it doesn’t explain why certain races are available within Caladon. Other than that, all the new mechanics fit the setting and campaign along with giving players plenty of new options.
Desire to Play: 9 out of 10
Caladon Falls is an excellent plot-point campaign filled with action, adventure, and epic combat. It takes Savage Worlds to the highest level of excitement while continually pushing the characters forward. The only drawback, albeit a very small one, is that the campaign is completely serial with little to no room to allow the characters to decide what direction the action follows. The key to that is the campaign follows a very direct storyline development from beginning to end leading into a subsequent follow-on storyline. It’s designed to be fast and fun with adventure in mind while giving the players a taste of epic game play.
Overall: 9 out of 10
Although the Suzerain core rulebook is necessary, I recommend Caladon Falls for those looking for a great epic fantasy campaign using Savage Worlds. This isn’t traditional epic fantasy, it is high action and intense combat following the trail of the epic battle plaguing the lands. It is designed to take full advantage of Savage Worlds, Suzerain, and fantasy warfare with a great overarching storyline.
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