In April 2018 we presented the Mythras Bundle featuring Mythras, the acclaimed Design Mechanism version of one of the greatest fantasy RPGs ever published, the classic skill-based percentile system RuneQuest.
Lawrence Whitaker and Pete Nash of The Design Mechanism originally published their rules set as RuneQuest 6, one of the best editions of this classic game; we presented it in February 2014 and again in December 2014. In July 2016, after the RQ license lapsed, Design Mechanism rebranded the game as Mythras. The renamed and updated Mythras core rulebook has new interior artwork and layout, along with some new Special Effects, small tweaks to the rules, and Spirit Combat Effects — though if you bought the original RQ6 rulebook, you don’t need this rebranded version.
The company explained the new name on Tapatalk: “Why did we choose ‘Mythras’ as a name? First, the game has always been about adventuring in mythic landscapes, with characters shaping their own stories, creating their legends and forging their own myths. It comes from the authors’ deep love of real world myths and ancient stories and so is the natural starting point for a new name. Next comes Mithra or Mithras, a deity found in Persian, Greek, Roman, and Celtic mythologies. Mithras is a god of warriors, a divine protector of oaths and covenants, a protector of cattle and of waters. In the Zoroastrian Avestas, he is described as Mithra of Wide Pastures, of the Thousand Ears, and of the Myriad Eyes. Bringing these two sources together gives us Mythras, a game concerned with myths, protectors, oaths, great deeds and wonderful stories — the perfect name for our game system.”
Today Mythras enjoys a wide range of supplements and adventures featuring swords and sorcery, history and myth, science fiction and urban horror. (Last week The Design Mechanism announced a new license to adapt Jack Vance’s Lyonesse trilogy as a new standalone RPG based on Mythras.) This bargain-priced collection covered everything from classic dungeon-crawling fantasy to mythic history to science fiction.
There were five titles in our Starter Collection (retail value $47) as DRM-free .PDF ebooks, including the 304-page Mythras core rulebook, three adventures — Madness & Other Colours, Xamoxis’ Cleansing, and A Gift From Shamash (that last one is even science fiction!) — and the 336-page Classic Fantasy supplement (Old School dungeon crawls in Mythras!).
Those who paid more than the threshold (average) price also got our entire Bonus Collection with eight more titles worth an additional $57, including Mythic Britain (and the Mythic Britain Companion), Mythic Rome (and the Mythic Rome Maps), and three Classic Fantasy adventures: G1 These Violent Delights, M1 The Terror of Ettinmarsh, and N1 Tomb of the Mad Wizard. After launch we added the Classic Fantasy Expert Set, with high-level spells and Cthulhoid psionic monsters.
Ten percent of each payment (after gateway fees) went to the charity chosen by Lawrence Whitaker and Pete Nash of The Design Mechanism, the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
