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HR6 Age of Heroes Campaign Sourcebook (2e)

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"Future generations will marvel at us, as the present age marvels at us now."

- Pericles, Athenian statesman

Their names were Achilles, Odysseus, Jason, Heracles, and Alexander. Their deeds pitted them against monsters, men, and the known world. They were Greeks, and theirs was the age of heroes. This supplement, Age of Heroes, transforms this epic time of myth and history into an exciting AD&D setting, with details on spells, magical items, new character kits, maps, pictures of ancient Greek life, and a starting adventure.

The challenge has gone out - let only the heroes heed the call.

Product History

HR6: Age of Heroes Campaign Sourcebook (1994), by Nicky Rea, is the sixth book in the Historical Reference series. It actually does not include the code "HR6" anywhere (since TSR stopped using its old supplement codes in 1994), but it's nonetheless traditionally been recognized as such. It was published in April 1994.

About the Historicals. The later Historical Reference books were a brand-new leatherette line that covered brand-new ground for TSR: historical settings. One of their most important elements was a tight integration of systems and settings that was atypical for TSR, though the depth of this integration would vary from book to book and was never as strong as in the first release, Vikings. The Historical line ran for a short time, from 1992 to 1994.

Not Really Paired. TSR opted not to produce a paired release for Age of Heroes because they didn't think a sourcebook based on the Persians would sell. However, the end of the Greek era of Age of Heroes overlaps with the start of the Roman era in HR5: The Glory of Rome Campaign Sourcebook (1993), and thus the two could (barely) be used together, but it's unlikely that this was an important consideration when the book was produced.

Age of Heroes in D&D. Greek myth was clearly one of D&D's creative influences, with its minotaurs, krakens, medusae, and other Greek monstrosities. The Greek gods have also been around since early days, most notably in Deities & Demigods (1980). Thus, Age of Heroes isn't a big stretch for D&D play. This is supported by the actual contents of the book. Age of Heroes defines two types of gameplay, "historical" and "fantasy," going back to an idea introduced in HR2: Charlemagne's Paladins Campaign Sourcebook (1992). The fantasy style is pretty similar to D&D's core settings, with only paladins, pure mages, and psionicists forbidden.

That said, a Greek campaign could be quite different from a standard D&D campaign because of its more primitive culture and its lower tech - much as was the case with HR3: Celts Campaign Sourcebook (1982). It also includes some ideas about fatally flawed characters, which might allow for somewhat different roleplaying than standard D&D.

Age of Heroes in Other Gaming. Task Force Games' Heroes of Olympus (1981) was an early pseudo-RPG set in Mythic Greece, but a very constrained one where you had to play members of Jason's crew for the Argo. GURPS Greece (1995) and Mythic Greece: Age of Heroes (1988), for Rolemaster and Fantasy Hero, explored the setting in more depth.

Much more recently, AGON (2006) offered a more indie look at the Greek setting, while Mazes & Minotaurs (2006, 2007) suggested what D&D might have been like if Greek myth was the prime inspiration (rather than just one among many).

Future History. "Seeds of Evil" in Dragon #249 (July 1998) describes how to use the Masques of the Red Death (1994) campaign with all seven of the Historical Reference campaign sourcebooks.

About the Creators. Nicky Rea was freelancing heavily for both TSR and White Wolf when Age of Heroes was published.

About the Product Historian

The history of this product was researched and written by Shannon Appelcline, the author of Designers & Dragons - a history of the roleplaying industry told one company at a time. Please feel free to mail corrections, comments, and additions to shannon.appelcline@gmail.com.

We (Wizards) recognize that some of the legacy content available on this website does not reflect the values of the Dungeons & Dragons franchise today. Some older content may reflect ethnic, racial, and gender prejudice that were commonplace in American society at that time. These depictions were wrong then and are wrong today. This content is presented as it was originally created, because to do otherwise would be the same as claiming these prejudices never existed. Dungeons & Dragons teaches that diversity is a strength, and we strive to make our D&D products as welcoming and inclusive as possible. This part of our work will never end.

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Reviews (1)
Discussions (4)
Customer avatar
Simon W April 05, 2021 4:17 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Please make a Print On Demand option for this book. :)
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Michael D April 25, 2019 5:53 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Just got this and the map is on page 98 and 99 and they are incomplete.
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Jacquelyn M April 16, 2019 6:19 pm UTC
PURCHASER
The map at the back of the book is incomplete. I have been unable to find a copy anywhere else either.
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James B October 22, 2014 3:03 am UTC
The poster map for this product was mostly missing as of July 16, 2014.
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Product Information
Gold seller
Author(s)
Artist(s)
Pages
96
Edition
1.0
ISBN
1-56076-814-2
Publisher Stock #
TSR 9408
File Size:
32.77 MB
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File Last Updated:
November 03, 2013
This title was added to our catalog on January 22, 2013.