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The
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Uresia Articles & Extras
by S. John Ross
I enjoy writing about Uresia more than I should ever admit (it's not
just a world I publish and support, it's a world I've been campaigning
in for years, now) so this list just keeps on growing. Hope you find something
you enjoy; there's a bunch!
- Cartography: A step-by-step
"how-to" article demonstrating the most important digital technique
used to make the Uresia maps into maps I could be happy with.
If you're happy with them, too, and you like fiddling in Photoshop, this
little trick will serve you well.
- Spider
Meat (PDF): Giant spiders, mercantile espionage, celebrity
chefs and courtly romance collide in this glance at the Boru blacklands
and some strange characters you might meet there.
- Cast
From Paradise (PDF): a brief glimpse at the history of Shadow
River, from an unusual perspective: patrons who've been banned from Nectar's
Garden, the city's beloved Elvish brothel.
- Scott's
Landing (PDF): it's kind of an article about the titular town
(down the river from Rogan's Heath), kind of an article about kick-butt
magical chimney sweeps, kind of an article about Prince Yoma, kind of an
article about Rinden nobility and the stains of the Koval War, and kind
of an article about a disease that drives Slimes insane.
- Toast
of the Town: The Saint August series of fantasy adventures
are for Risus, specifically, but they're set in heaen's grave, in Rinden.
The first of these is currently available, with more on the way.
- Navigation
Map (PDF): A simple graphic tool: a map "gridded"
to typical day-travel on land and sea (provided travel is going smoothly
which, in fairness, it seldom does).
- The
Uresia Master Index: One index to rule them all, one index
to find them. This expanded version of the book's regular index includes
all the supplementary material (including the articles on this page, when
applicable).
- My DeviantArt
Gallery: If you enjoy Uresia's maps, you can find them in web-friendly
and wallpaper form (along with other Uresia images) on DeviantArt, where
I'm known (appropriately enough) as "Temphis."
- Blind Geoffrey's Barberie & Cauterie:
This isn't a Uresia article at all, really. It is, however, part of Uresia's
origins in some ways; it's one of three such pieces I wrote for CityBook
7: King's River Bridge from Flying Buffalo, and some of the earliest
examples of the writing approach I'd later use for Uresia. As far as I'm
concerned, Geoff lives somewhere in the Rindenland; if you visit, tell
him I said hi!
- Make Your
Own Temphis Runes: This article, over on the Cumberland Games
website, is a hidden bonus piece attached to the Temphis Runes font
set (the offical rune fonts of Uresia). You don't need the font set to
enjoy Make Your Own Temphis Runes, though - it's a crafty technique
for making a cool set of physical "runestones" to use as game
props, for about the price of a cheap combo meal at Taco Bell.
- Uresia:
Lore & Curiosities: A collection of Uresia freebies
(including several of the items above) collected into a single catalogue-item
at DriveThruRPG, also available at RPGNow.
- Uresia: Icarnations:
An explanation of the three "flavors" Uresia comes in. Combine
all three for a delicious, Neapolitan version!
Game-System Adaptation Notes
Uresia doesn't have just one game system; it has
all of them. If you've got notes you'd like to share for your Uresia
system of choice, send 'em in!
- Uresius: Grave of Anything:
This adaptation of Uresia to my freebie RPG, Risus,
even includes a few sly setting references to add to the stew in the book.
Plus, stick-figures!
- Uresia: OVA: Notes for using
Uresia as a ready-to-play gameworld for OVA – the Open
Versatile Anime Role-Playing Game from Wise Turtle.
Right now, I have just these two adaptations here (and a stray language
chart for Hero System) but I hope to have more, someday.
The Elder Archives
The following articles date from the setting's 1st Edition (the BESM2
and BESM d20 versions), and many of them have been
absorbed in some form into the current, All-Systems Edition ... but I couldn't
bear to just delete them to oblivion (and if you're still using the earlier
books, these articles still hold their own)!
- BESM-Edition Designer's Notes:
This is where I drone on and on about the general philosophy, background,
and design approach to Grave of Heaven, from the early days
when it was a "warm-up project" between David Pulver and I through
to the final stages as a finished Guardians of Order title.
- Troll Hands and Slime Buckets:
How many paces to the long stride? How many heads in a bellweight, how
many bells in a ton, and does Uresia take this sort of thing seriously,
anyway? I'm pretty sure the answer to the last question is a resounding
"no," but for a telling look at the rest, proceed at your own
risk to this article. A version of this article
was included in 2nd Edition.
- Reeling in the Years:
This article begins innocently enough, as a brief look at the Uresian calendar.
Want to know what they call the days of the week in Sindra? When Orgalt
rings in the New Year? Gotcha covered. But while it's easy to let the time
slip by, examining it too closely may open doors best left shut
. . . A version of this article was included in
2nd Edition.
- Mastery: A strategy game played
across heaven's grave. Koval and the Dwarves both claim it as their native
invention. Orgalt considers it the "puzzle of the ancestors,"
a game Dwarf kings played before the sky fell. Laöchrians attribute
it to a legendary rogue of Laöch, Vulsdon Rhune. Most west-islands
Uresians think of it as Kovali, and even in Koval they can't miss the irony
that, in Mastery, the darkest forces make the first move. A
version of this article was included in 2nd Edition.
- The Ecology of a Crossover:
Uresia's original BESM incarnation was (perhaps appropriately)
something of an island in a tiny sea of BESM2 fantasy material.
While BESM Dungeon and BESM Fantasy Bestiary
were designed to be cross-compatible for classic-dee-and-dee style gaming,
Uresia is an anime-style funhouse twist on those classics,
so this article will help you get the most out of the Fantasy Bestiary
as a BESM Uresia resource (and provide new insights
into the world as a bonus)! BESM specific,
but groovy.
- The Geography of a Crossover:
What's good for the beast is good for the beast motel! This article is
a companion to the one above, providing notes and thoughts on seamlessly
integrating BESM Dungeon into BESM campaigns
in Heaven's Grave. As before, it was also a handy excuse to slip in some
Uresian lore. Groovy, and BESM specific.
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