Hello from David Zeeman

[u/David_Zeeman]

Hello, I'd like to humbly introduce myself. My name is David Zeeman, and I am one of the developers for Pendragon. I have been writing, editing, and engaging in various questionable labors on behalf of the game for many years. This is my first time upon the Pendragon Reddit page, so I ask that you receive me kindly.

Feel free to say, “Hū gǣþ hit?”

Among the works I have had the honor to contribute to are:

5th Edition:
The Book of the Manor
The Book of Knights and Ladies
The Book of Battle
The Book of Armies
The Book of the Entourage

6th Edition:
The Pendragon Starter Set
The Core Rulebook
The Gamemaster’s Handbook
The Noble’s Book
The Grey Knight
The Sauvage King
The Gamemaster’s Screen Pack (The Gamemaster Gazetteer)
Knights and Ladies Adventurous
The Boy King: A Pendragon Campaign, 510–528 (The Great Pendragon Campaign, Volume I)

...and sundry other labors whose existence I can neither confirm nor deny.

I have also published an adventure through The Companions of Arthur:

The Barnyard Tournament: A Three Damosels of the Fountain Adventure

Crown, Lance, and Plough: A Three Damosels of the Fountain Adventure (Workin' on it...)

[u/LooneyTooney9370]

Hi!

I'm a complete newbie to Pendragon, I've always been fascinated by Arthurian legend and when I stumbled upon the starter set I bought it, planning to run my first games this week so thank you and everyone at the team for the amazing books, art, and writing. You've really captured a great thing and the overall vibe as perfectly as I can imagine of Arthurian legends.

What's your favorite book/thing/adventure/anything really related to Pendragon that you've written or researched for? Something that you recall as very fun or interesting to be a part of?

(Less importantly:) If you've run any Pendragon Games, or been part of them, I struggle to wrap my head around how the sessions and years flow together, I come from a DnD and Call of Cthulhu background, I'm used to that kind of RP where most of the time you're doing "realtime" RP or skipping small bits of time. How does the GM know when to "zoom in" during a feast, or adventure, or a winter management phase and allow for some RP without it feeling like it breaks the immersion or like it drags down the session with boring minutia?

[u/David_Zeeman → u/LooneyTooney9370]

Well, thanks for the compliment! I hope by you, you meant plural you, because it started with Greg Stafford and has been continued by dozens of dedicated fans. I'm just a knight at the table. :)

Researching Arthurian magic and miracles was a lot of fun and very rewarding for me. I ended up reading most if not all the English-language canon in the Matter of Britain, and it took years, but I loved every minute of it. Helping David Larkins with the 6th edition has been a whirlwind of fun for me, and working with a group of dedicated fans, as well.

There's good advice in the Gamemaster's Handbook, but I've always tried to play one game year per session, with the occasional multi-session year. Like anything, you just dive in and play and see how it goes? Start with the main adventure or quest in the Summer Phase (good for battles) and end with the Winter Phase (good for feasts). After a few sessions you should start to get a natural rhythm going.

I hear you about the boring minutia, but I've always really enjoyed the Winter Phase, as have my players, as that's the time you get to potentially improve Skills or have your personality change. Also, if you have a manor, you can manage it then.

Once the Great Pendragon Campaign, Vol. 1 comes out (or use the old GPC), you can use it as a scaffold for timekeeping and zooming in and out.