What is Chrysogon’s Coterie? It’s the latest supplement released by the Basic Fantasy RPG project. That’s the group of people led by Chris Gonnerman who collaborate on an open source version of D&D. The supplement collects 288 NPCs for you to drop into your campaign.
Who’s Chrysogon? He’s a 9th level dwarf with a penchant for snooping on everyone around him. Dwarves are known for being suspicious of others and dour of temper. This guy punches all the buttons. You’ll have to read the book to learn more. If you can trust him, that is. Chrysogon isn’t even his real name!
What’s a coterie? It’s an intimate group of associates, in this case a bunch of adventurers with various connections between them, the most prominent being that that a devious dwarf has revealed some of their darkest secrets. It would be scandalous if it weren’t all so imaginary.
Which is to say this book is the product of the fertile and verdant imagination of Todd Lyons. Fertile, because, well, look at the bounty of interesting characters. Verdant, because this is his first go at writing an RPG supplement. It’s appropriate to have bloomed in the Spring. It’s so full of fresh ideas, and not at all a bland rogue’s gallery.
I read through the text and provided feedback in November 2022. (It takes some time to assemble a printed book, especially when all the labor is volunteer). In one aspect, it’s a story. At more than a hundred 8.5″ x 11″ pages, the word count probably qualifies it as a novel. There are plenty of characters with backstories to dive into, but of course, there is little plot, which is exactly what you want from an RPG supplement. The story emerges from the play of game.
The primary aspect of the book is as an aid to the game master. On the fly, you can flip to any page and pull out one of the NPCs. Read a couple of paragraphs and start role-playing the random adventurer your players just met. The description will provide a few mysteries for the the PCs to wonder about as well as a few pointers to other NPCs in the book. You could do this for a long time because there are 288 entries: eight for the four primary classes (fighter, magic user, cleric, thief) over nine levels. That is, if you need a ninth level magic user, flip to the end of the book and there are eight to choose from.
The descriptions of the NPCs are wild. They do not present as thin frosting over a trope cake. These personalities are quirky and true to life. When I first started reading through the text, I had this weird feeling that one of two things was true–either Todd was possibly a little disturbed or else he had a background in psychology. Some of the NPCs have been through serious emotional trauma.
Some kids are exposed to the trade early. An orphan, Tycho was adopted by two thieves posing as a married couple and then sold at a slave auction for a profit. Thus, he has no faith in anyone’s intentions, regardless of how genuine they seem. He had many failed escapes and endured many more beatings before finally fleeing beyond his owner’s reach. Unusually resilient, Tycho learned how to be a successful thief the hard way—getting caught, surviving, and learning to do it better. He is an extreme risk-taker and is very comfortable with improvising on the job. Nothing ever goes as planned anyway.
Tycho Cruscellio, Chrysogon’s Coterie page 75
Yikes! But look at all the flavor packed into that one paragraph. Tycho had a tough life, and you can’t blame him for being pessimistic, but he’s a survivor. Your party would be lucky to have him picking locks and disarming traps hundreds of feet down in the underdark.
Unsurprisingly, Todd has a background in social work and adolescent mental health. The artist reveals a bit of his soul in crafting his work. Todd demonstrates an understanding of the human condition as well as a deep caring for the characters in the book.
These characters have depth. You can understand their motivations, which means they are easy to play. I suspect why we see such innovation in this work is due to a focus first on passion for the hobby rather than a cynical stab at meager profits in an over-saturated market. You can get this book in print for about five bucks. You can read it for free by downloading the PDF. This is the ethic of the BFRPG project.
Aside from the text, you’ll find plentiful illustrations from various artists, including an inspiring cover by Gabe Fua. The production of these works requires collaboration from many different roles. The level of editing poured into these books is phenomenal, ranging from copy editing to technical editing. Plus, a delicate dance must be done with Libre Office to get the typesetting to work. The BFRPG community is singular in its ability to cooperate and produce highly valuable works. Even if you use another flavor of D&D, the Coterie will provide great value. The meat is all in the characters and their relationships. The stats are easy enough to convert.
So, congratulations to Todd on the publication of Chrysogon’s Coterie! I’m grateful for his continuing contributions to the BFRPG project.
One reply on “Chrysogon’s Coterie”
Leon! I was grateful enough to have your attention scrolling through my original manuscript, ferreting out errors and offering helpful suggestions, but this review is very kind. The book is definitely rooted in psychology. As a player it’s a lot easier for me to imagine how a character might look than how they might act, and so the emphasis was to give each of these NPCs instant personality and allow players to imagine them as they wish. Some really prefer the books that emphasize physicality and for them I would agree that The Rogues Gallery or The Shady Dragon is is a better fit. Thank you for joining our community and I am looking forward to getting a copy of Terror in Tosasth once you and Solo are ready to release.