Savage Mountains (1991) is pretty typical of third edition Pendragon RPG supplements – details on a region of Arthur’s kingdom (in this case, what we call Wales, though in game it is still referred to as Cambria), details on local events that figure prominently in the game’s unified legend of Arthur (in this case, the Cambrian War, in which two kings rebel against Arthur), and a number of adventures.

The war is interesting, in that it has no set start date in the larger campaign. GMs can just plop it in anywhere in the early days in Arthur’s reign and have it serve as a multi-year event backdrop, transporting the player (who have to serve terms in the army) from home to a new region to explore.

The adventures are pretty great. There’s a lengthy one involving a wishing stone and a dragon that is one of my favorites in the whole line. There is also one that, in shades of the Prydain Chronicles, can end with the players making a pet out of a giganic cat. I love it so much.

James Holloway on cover duty here, depicting a pretty intense battle between a giant and a mounted knight (the giant features in that scenario with the dragon, actually). I like Holloway in Pendragon, I wish he’d done more. Arnie Swekel is on the interiors. I really love his work here, particularly the dragon.