Lamentations of the Flame Princess Core Rulebook: Weird fantasy horror roleplaying.

This core rulebook is very cute, printed in digest size (a tad bigger than A5). It is also completely unnecessary, seeing as you can get if for free here and here. So, why bother? Well, if you like a game a lot, you probably want the book. And it is a fine book: hardcover, stitched binding, nicely illustrated in black & white, with a series of colour plates in the middle. An old-school book for an old-school game. Except it’s much more than that.

Lamentations of the Flame Princess is a D&D B/X clone, and the rulebook reflects that. 3d6 for standard ability scores, a roll-high d20 combat system complete with armour class, and a magic system what will look very familiar to D&D players. Yawn.

What sets this game apart is not the rules. It’s the vibe. No other game can match the vibe. How can you define a vibe? You can’t, but let’s try.

First, the setting. It’s the real world in the 17^th century. You’ve got religious wars, global exploration, witch trials, and guns. Also, it’s not too far off from Shakespeare, and everyone loves Shakespeare.

Next, it’s the theme: weird horror. Sure, it’s the real world, but it the outside universe is very weird indeed. And sometimes the weirdness breaks through. Actually, it seems to happen all the time. Also, magic is an expression of the inherent chaos of the universe. That’s cool. Also, the 1st-level Summon spell is 9 pages long, full of random tables, and capable of manifesting an entity capable of ending a campaign, or a goblin; it depends.

Thirdly, it’s the attitude. The publisher is guided by a certain aesthetic. To do cool, fun stuff without compromise. In the first place, the published adventures cover a lot of ground, encompassing themes that vary from gonzo silliness to realism, standard horror, cosmic horror and weird alien Sci-Fi. And all of this actually makes sense, given the game’s setting (and the vibe). Another component is a placement of tongue firmly in cheek (a detail overlooked by many, possibly deliberately). And then there’s the art: excellently executed, but thematically subversive or provocative, and definitely not for the kiddies.

Anyone who remembers the Satanic Panic of the 1980s knows how religious conservatives convinced a generation of parents that D&D would make kids worship the devil and commit atrocities. D&D responded by becoming family-friendly. Lamentations of the Flame Princess had a different response to that sort of censorship. Think of this game as the smirking extension of a middle finger, in literary and pictorial form.

And lastly, it’s the books. Well-written, beautifully illustrated, great layouts, hardbound with stitched bindings and fine paper. The attention to detail is superb. What can I say about this game? It’s double-plus good.

If you’re interested in Lamentations adventures, take a look at Magic Eater, The Pale Lady, The Yellow book of Brechewold, or Lamentations of the Gingerbread Princess. All dogs go to Hell is free on Drivethrurpg.

Resource books include The Mayhemic Missile Method, and The Works of John Williams.