got Sorcerer & Sword, what next?

[Nick the Nevermet]

Hiya
A few months back, I bought Sorceror, and thought it was a great read.  At the time, I wasn't sure if I'd ever have an opportunity to play in it, but I definitely liked it a lot.

Then I got Sorcerer & Sword.  Golly.  For some reason, that supplement really, really clicked with me, even though I know absolutely nothing about the genre of fiction (unless you count Thieves World, but I'm pretty sure that would be wrong).

Anyways, my question: How compatible is Sorcerer & Sword with Sorcerer's Soul?  Or is the latter directly at the basic Sorcerer RPG?

Beyond that, I'm just kinda fishing for opinions on sorcerer products as they relate to sorcerer & sword (are cross-overs easy, not advised, etc.)

I'd ask about a reading list, but the one in the back of the book is enough for right now, and I seem to remember a reading list thread here a while back.

[Ron Edwards]

Hi Nick,

Opinions differ about the two supplements' relationship to one another, especially in terms of Humanity. The older threads to check out include:
Relating Sorcerer's Soul and Sorcerer & Sword
Premise in S&Sword
Whither the quest?
Sorcerer & Sword? (see my posts especially; some of this thread is irrelevant to your question)

I think the main reason for these different interpretations lies with how a person approaches the Sword-based material. It comes down to two ways: emulating what's been done already (which is fine), or deepening it to taste, as a kind of "forge ahead" or "say your own thing" approach.

If you want to stay with emulation, and if you want to get into Soul stuff as well as Sword stuff, then I recommend some of the deeper, more troubling fiction. Jessica Amanda Salmonson's Tomoe Gozen trilogy is probably the best bet, as well as Robert E. Howard's Kull stories.

If you want to say new stuff or get deeper into ethical or moral issues in a sword-and-sorcery context, then the two supplements are extremely compatible. My own current game represents such a combination.

Best,
Ron

[Uncle Dark]

Nevermet,

'Soul is perfectly compatable with 'Sword.  They're supplements for the same game, after all.  You might not want to use all the ideas from both supplements, depending on what kind of game you're trying to do, but it all works together.

Lon

[Nick the Nevermet]

Thanks for the links; the discussions on variations on the premise were especially interesting for me.

[Gordon C. Landis]

And just so he doesn't have to do it himself . . .

If you're into Sorc & Sword, Scott Knipe's Charnel Gods  (look here) is definitely worth a look.

Gordon