I think, for many, the exercise of creating detailed, “logical” imaginary worlds just for the sake of it – not for a novel or an RPG – is a deeply rewarding intellectual endeavor. This practice has given us two beloved realms – Forgotten Realms, Glorantha – both of which predate the existence of RPGs. Another is Harn, N. Robin Crossby’s world. Unlike the others, though, when Harn was introduced to the world of RPGs, it wasn’t bound to a set of rules. It was just a world, fit for any system. To my knowledge, it is the first truly system-agnostic setting. Please correct me if I am wrong!

Harn was introduced in the Master Module (1983). This folio, containing two books and a map, is one of three different versions from that year (there was a box set as well as a folio with different cover art). I love how the books in the folder remind me of sales materials from some 80s expo show. The first book – Harnview – is an overview of the continent (Harn is but a portion of a larger world), its kingdoms, religion, history and economies. There is also a set of guidelines for making characters with histories suitable for the world and a suggestion for a pregame session that allows players to make formative decisions (and experience their consequences) for the character’s life before becoming an adventurer. It isn’t robust (and is honestly pretty vague) but it is notable for the time.

The second book, the Harndex, is an alphabetical reference book full of fine grain details of Harn. This is where Crossby’s intricate world comes to life. It is just 64 pages, but packed with information of all kinds. Harn is a low magic Medieval fantasy world unlike any other, largely because of the thought that went into creating a plausible cluster of competing cultures. I admit, I find it slightly dry, but still utterly compelling, because it seems so realistic (even if it does have orcs). More than any other RPG book I’ve ever encountered, this feels like a history book about a region in the real world I’d never previously heard of.