"Once upon a time, east of the sun and west of the moon, there was a different place, but not too different..."
So begin many of the oldest folktales of Russia. A land of icy winters and fiery passions, where the warrior who was trying to split you in half with his axe an hour ago may be swearing eternal friendship in an hour’s time (a jug or two of vodka might help).
A land just now throwing off Mongol rule and yet still not a country in its own right, in which princes scheme and bicker as they seek to make themselves tsar.
A land torn between the new teachings of Christianity and the old, pagan ways of the wilds and the household spirit.
A land where saints walk the day and mighty spirits of the forest walk the night, where the fish you catch may offer you three wishes for its life and the twinkle of light in the night might be the Firebird himself, leading lost children back home, or a stray moonbeam shining off the iron teeth of Baba Yaga, the man-eating witch.
A land of deep, dark woods, in which humanity has still made few inroads, huddled in towns and around campfires in clearings and along rivers.
A land of legend and folktale, history and myth, of triumph and tragedy.
A land ready for adventure.
Mythic Russia is a game of roleplaying with the HeroQuest game system in the ancient Russia of legend and folktale, a land of glittering onion-domed churches and dark, dangerous forests, home to heroes, fiends -- and the flame-feathered firebird.
Mythic Russia is an extensive, 320-page standalone book, including all the rules necessary for play, as well as information on the setting, maps and scenarios. It was released as both a regular, full-size softback and also a limited edition hardback, but the latter sold out very quickly. Click on the Mythic Russia: the Game button to the left for details on the book.
Mythic Russia was written by Mark Galeotti. As well as being an academic specialist in Russian history, he has a long association with gaming and a particular understanding of the HeroQuest system, having been one of its developers and also Acquisitions Editor for Issaries, Inc. In his words, "this is unapologetically a labour of love: I have always wanted to see the magic, whimsy and horror of Russian history and folklore brought to life, and I think in HeroQuest we finally have the game system able to do it justice."
Mythic Russia uses the core game engine, adapted for play in this setting. However, it is entirely compatible with HeroQuest.
This is a new site, relocated from firebird-productions.com - it is still very much in construction, so do please bear with us while previews, etc are added.
Products
Mythic Russia core rulebook: hardback sold out; softcover still in stock through selected game stores and directly from the Firebird -- details here.
Birchbark Chronicles: an irregular series of companions exploring particular aspects of the world of Mythic Russia -- more information here.
Birchbark Chronicles 1: The Golden Horde -- adventures and background on the Golden Horde, including a detailed analysis of the Bashkort people, a scenario and information on cities and peoples of the Horde. Available now, in hardcopy and PDF download, from Lulu.com.
Reviews
Know of an online review? Then please let the Firebird know.
"Mythic Russia provides a truly unique experience, combining history and mythology to create a fantasy world unlike any other. Whether you want to play it as a fairy tale game or a historical game with a bit of fantasy added in the rules will support you all the way. Cultural upbringing and personality are at the forefront of play, entertaining history lessons are sprinkled throughout the book, and an incredible amount of information is packed into this product. If you like fantasy but want something different than a traditional sword and sorcery game then pick this one up. " Review by Chris Richeson on RPGnet here.
"a Russian FRPG that stands admirably as a very complete and appealing game with a nice, broad internal library of resources." Comments by S John Ross in CGnD, reproduced in this thread.
"a very impressive and surprisingly professional effort for a one-man production, and if you have any interest in the setting, it's money well spent." Review by Peter Svensson on RPGnet here.
HeroQuest is a registered trademark of Issaries, Inc, which has licensed its game engine to Firebird Productions. All content throughout this site relating to the Mythic Russia game and setting is copyright © Mark Galeotti 2004-8.