Spears of Glory

Spears of Glory is a Serrielan fantasy tabletop roleplaying game, produced since 1988 by GKO Games, in which small groups of players take on the role of adventurers in fantastical adventures narrated by a final player known as a "Storyteller". The series has been in existence for over three decades and has achieved great commercial success and in translation abroad, as well as spawning tie-in movies and video games.

History

Spears of Glory was created in 1987 by Balaban Özsoy, Mesut Kaynarca, and Bülent Gökmen, three unemployed graduates of Pasimit Technical University who were enthusiasts of foreign-produced tabletop roleplaying games. The trio used borrowed printing supplies to produce an initial run of 75 copies of Spears of Glory to sell through magazine orders and at the local university student union, which sold out in a matter of days; the three incorporated GKO Games (the name produced by the first letters of their surnames) the following year.

The game's increased popularity stemmed in large part from its spread among young men throughout the 1990s during their period of compulsory military service, with many military commanders turning a blind eye to conscripts playing Spears of Glory, seeing the game as harmless fun compared to riskier diversions. In 2001, at the urging of Serriel's Prince Baran, the game was officially promoted to troops during compulsory military service, with soldiers able to purchase gaming components at military commissaries. Some critics have noted that the game's increased visibility and its association with the government and Serriel's royal family led to an increase in nationalist themes in game products.

Spears of Glory was first sold abroad beginning in 2007, with the game's updated New Spears of Glory ruleset, through partnerships with local affiliates. Laeral, Darya, and Eiria (where the game is known as Lanšei dei Kasla) have proven to be particularly successful markets for the game. The game has undergone two successive rules updates: in 2007, the New Spears of Glory edition aimed to update the game for ease of play, while 2015's Spears of Glory Revised (known internationally as Spears of Glory Third Edition) is the definitive modern ruleset. GKO Games continues to produce content for previous editions of the game, available on the company's webstore.

Gameplay

Spears of Glory takes place in a fantastical version of medieval Serriel, as the breakup of the Usman caliphate leads to a period of banditry and warlordism between the ascending Ismaili caliphate and rival princedoms and tribes. Players take on the role of wandering fighters and monster hunters, wielding both historical weapons or magic to defeat foes. The outcome of challenges in the game, whether combat, exploration, or social interaction, is determined through players' statistics in a variety of traits alongside chance, simulated using twelve-sided (d12) dice.

Players can create characters of a variety of different types (classes) who grow in ability after surmounting challenges. Original character classes include "warrior," "thief," "dervish," "alchemist," "shapechanger," and "mage," with further supplements introducing classes such as "corsair" and "raconteur."

Products

In addition to the basic rules, Spears of Glory products include pre-generated adventures and volumes containing details on new settings or foes. "Blade of the Corsairs" and "In the Sultan's Service" provided information for Storytellers seeking to tell swashbuckling adventures taking place on the high seas or intrigue tales in the court of the Ismaili caliphate, while books such as "Book of Fiends and Djinn" and "Threats of the Frontier" provide information on supernatural enemies.