Tales of Gor: Gorean Roleplaying — Hardback Edition

Enter the Counter-Earth in a durable hardcover edition.

Tales of Gor brings John Norman’s long-running Gorean Cycle to the tabletop using the accessible Open D6 roleplaying system.

Gor is a world of contradictions:

• Freedom and slavery.

• Science and fantasy.

• Primitive violence and advanced technology.

• Powerful city-states and dangerous wilderness.

• Human ambition and alien manipulation.

Two extraterrestrial powers—the Priest-Kings and the Kurii—vie for control of the Solar System. Their plans play out across both Earth and Gor, while the people caught between them pursue power, freedom, survival and their own competing ambitions.

Will your characters choose a side in that hidden conflict—or attempt to carve out futures of their own?

The Core Rules of Gorean Roleplaying

Tales of Gor is the rules volume of the two-book Gorean roleplaying line.

It contains:

• The Open D6 rules used to create and play characters.

• Character templates suited to Gorean roles and castes.

• Enough introductory information about Gor to begin playing.

• Material for running science-fantasy adventures on the Counter-Earth.

• Original black-and-white illustrations by Michael Manning.

The companion volume, World of Gor: Gorean Encyclopaedia, provides the much larger reference work covering the people, places, creatures, cultures and customs found throughout the novels.

Together, the two books provide the rules and wider setting detail for an extensive Gorean campaign.

Powered by Open D6

The game uses Open D6, descended from the system used in West End Games’ classic science-fiction roleplaying games.

Characters are defined by attributes, skills and templates. Actions are resolved by rolling pools of six-sided dice, providing a system that is direct enough for newcomers while still supporting heroic and larger-than-life adventures.

Gor’s caste system lends itself naturally to character templates, giving players an immediate place within the setting while leaving room to develop characters beyond their original roles.

High Adventure on a Controversial World

Gor is notorious for its treatment of slavery, sexuality and relations between men and women.

Tales of Gor does not pretend those elements are absent, but neither does it reduce the setting to them. The game places the emphasis upon the broader science-fantasy adventure offered by the Counter-Earth:

• The secret struggle between the Priest-Kings and Kurii.

• Political conflict between powerful cities.

• Dangerous animals and hostile wilderness.

• Swordplay and personal ambition.

• Pulp adventure in a decadent and highly developed fictional world.

Each group remains free to decide how closely its campaign follows the assumptions of the original novels and which aspects of Gor it wishes to emphasise.

Illustrated by Michael Manning

The book is illustrated by fetish and comic-book artist Michael Manning, creator of works including The Spider Garden and Tranceptor.

His bespoke black-and-white illustrations interpret Gor, its inhabitants and its creatures in a distinctive style created specifically for the roleplaying line.

The artwork has been repeatedly praised by reviewers for capturing the exotic and decadent qualities of the setting.

Positively Reviewed

A detailed review from Emma of Gor awarded the game five stars.

The reviewer praised:

• The sleek and accessible presentation of the rules.

• The focus upon high adventure.

• The suitability of Open D6 for new players.

• The handling of Gor’s controversial material without allowing it to overwhelm the game.

• The flexibility offered to groups creating their own interpretation of the Counter-Earth.

• Michael Manning’s original artwork.

A separate customer review praised the way Open D6 works with the setting and described the book as packed with detail and striking artwork.

The Hardback Edition

This edition presents Tales of Gor as a durable case-wrap hardcover.

It contains:

• 170 pages

• A black-and-white interior

• A large US Letter format

• Dimensions of approximately 8.5 × 11 inches

The larger hardback presentation provides a substantial physical edition for regular play, reference and collection.

Carve Out Your Future on Gor

The Priest-Kings watch from their hidden domain.

The Kurii advance their own plans.

City-states compete for wealth and power while warriors, traders, outlaws, spies and adventurers pursue their destinies across the Counter-Earth.

Choose your loyalties.

Take up sword and shield.

Enter Gor.

This listing is for the physical hardback edition of Tales of Gor: Gorean Roleplaying, written by James Desborough. It is a 170-page, black-and-white US Letter case-wrap hardcover. Several six-sided dice and ordinary gaming materials are required and are not included. The game contains artistic nudity and complex adult themes, including slavery, sexuality and violence. Mature audiences only.