I have been a role-player for longer than I have been a wargamer. Admittedly, as kids in the late sixties and early seventies we didn’t use dice but were more into Live Action Role Playing – fighting off Germans and Japanese invaders in the back yard for the most part. In my teens I discovered what we now call roleplaying – with paper and dice. I was hooked and it has been a hobby that has run alongside my wargaming interests ever since.I have not done much in recent years – much to the chagrin of my RP-friends who keep hassling me to get ‘something going’ again.
So…what to play. I have had a hankering for a simple Sword and Sorcery campaign – something like Conan the Barbarian. I played around with creating my own world (I am an avid map-drawer since I was a kid) but just couldn’t find the time to get my arse into gear and get something created. I also have pretty much used either the Hero System or Harnmaster for most of the last thirty years and decided that a break from those was required. Fortuitously, last year I discovered Beasts and Barbarians, by Umberto Pignatelli.
This is a fully fledged fantasy world set in the Dread Sea Dominions. Pretty much all the classic Sword and Sorcery tropes are included, with some nice touches. Steel is a relic metal from an earlier, more advanced civilisation – most people are using bronze and iron at best. Wildebeast riding Black barbarians from the Ivory Savannah fight scaled cataphract riders, fierce Mongol-like nomads call the Valk swarm in from the unknown East, a large decadent Empire (or two) that have seen better days and are now just corrupted shadows of their former selves, and of course, there are black haired, mightily thewed barbarians with smouldering blue eyes from the cold grey hills of the north (and that is just the women).
The game uses the Savage Worlds rule set – which if you have not played it is a great, simple set of rules that can be adapted for any genre. They are built around ease of play and the fact that player characters are heroes. They easily chop their way through minions until they are standing in piles of reeking gore, leaving them battered and bruised for the final confrontation with the big bad guy of the session.
There are a heap of free adventures available, and a growing compendium of supplements that further flesh out the game world. The entire lot is available as PDF files which is my preferred way of buying roleplaying product now – it takes up a hell of a lot less shelf-space for starters. The artwork is very cool. Some examples.
The game book has a simple hand-drawn map that is pretty cool as far as it goes.
I decided that the world needed fleshing out. In a form of role-playing solitary vice, I decided to expand the original map and add a bit more of the world (well my version of it anyway). I have not even made a character or NPC up for this game and already I am thinking about mapping the other continents as well.
Full Size Map
Now I have to get the guys together to make some characters, fill a flagon and get gaming.
The Woolshed Wargamer 
I am happy you are enjoying the game!
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Savage Worlds has become my primary rpg. However, you could use your fantasy world in Traveller by utilising Magic in Traveller from DriveThrurpg. I’m combing through all SW fantasy genre’s for a fantasy version of Ringworld. You Traveller ships are fantastic, would like to see your take on fantasy skyships or Spelljammers.
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I might try a Space 1889 Steampunk deckplan but I am not sure that I know enough about Spelljammer to do a plan for a ship from that Fantasy game.
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Hi Umberto. I am really enjoying this game world. I recently brought Jalizar and am in the process of pouring through that at the moment. I might do a review of it in the near future.
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Please can you contact me at u.pignatelli@gmail.com?
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Thanks for the pdfs Umberto. You are a champion.
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Just wanted to say I LOVE this map!
Is there ANY chance you would be willing to make an unlabeled version of it? Just curious.
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Hi Andrew
Yes – I can do that. The map is made in layers so I just need to turn off all the labels. Do you want just plain map with geography and nothing else?
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Please and thank you man! That would be fantastic 🙂
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I have posted it in a new post. Check it out.
https://woolshedwargamer.wordpress.com/2013/07/08/beasts-and-barbarians-unlabelled-world-map/
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AWESOME! My thanks sir 🙂
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No problems mate.
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Hi Brian – Just found out your expanded version of the B&B world: I love it! As recent convert to B&B with four games under my GM belt, I can only applaud. Just looking at it sparkled appetite for throwing some long distance travelling at my players 🙂
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Guillaume
I am glad you liked my expanded map. I just figured that those Lhoban monks must have come from somewhere 🙂 I think it gives it more of a Conan-esque feel to the world.
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Agree – and I love the Hyborian age inspiration 🙂
Out of curiosity, did you chose a scale for your map? (I know the official map has no scale on purpose but all those little hexes scream for scale 🙂
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No, I just overlaid a hex map that looked about right. You can assign whatever scale you want 🙂
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Hi,
Just wanted to say I love your hex map !
I feel the same regarding the need of expansion.
Btw, would you mind if I use it as a reference for a color version, home made? I haven’t found any map for B&B of my taste, even if the one from F.Berald is a wonder, artwise ^^
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Not sure my previous message went through…
Just wanted to say I love your hex map.
Would you allow me to use it as a reference for drawing a color version?
The original map needed to be expanded !! well done 😉
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Hi mate. Knock yourself out. Go for it. If you want I can email the layered map file (PAINT.net) to you if you want.
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Thanks buddy,
I’m fine with what you’ve shared here. I’ll be using it for reference purposes and will certainly adjust things here and there. Since it’s really gonna happen (not just those “projects” that never make it for real) I wanted to credit you for the idea of expansion of the continent 😉
I’ll make sure to post a link of the maps (probably 3 of them, for various size and purpose)
Stay tuned!
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Cool – look forward to seeing the finished product.
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What is the scale for the hexes?
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Hi mate. To be honest I have no idea. I just chucked on a hex overlay that I thought looked “ok”. My Beasts and Barbarians book from way back had a poetic map with no real scales so I figure just use what is best for your campaign. Thanks for commenting and I hope you can use this map. Cheers, Brian.
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