Spoiler warning: This FAQ contains information that is for the DM's eyes only. If you are a player in a Mystara campaign, by reading further you may spoil the fun of having to figure things out (especially if you read most of section 3 and part of section 4). If you intend to read the FAQ nonetheless, I advise to not read the answers before asking yourself whether you should know the answer in-game or not, and skip it if need be.
Q: What is Mystara?
Q: What is a roleplaying game?
Q: I never heard of Mystara, but I know a setting called the Known World
which looks pretty the same. What's the difference?
Q: So, what's Mystara? The Known World and what else?
Q: A Hollow World?
Q: And the Outer World?
Q: Why is Alphatia part of Mystara only up to AC 1009?
Q: What exactly is Wrath of the Immortals?
Q: On the continental map published in the Master DM's book, there are
some empires I've never read anything about in other products and on the
list, like the Empire of Dorphin IV or the Empire of the Great Khan. Do
they exist? Where can I find information about these?
Q: I've already heard of the Known World, and of the Hollow World
too, but never as Mystara. What does all this mean?
Q: Blackmoor? I know a Blackmoor, but it's part of Greyhawk, isn't it?
Q: Where is it located?
Q: Ok, and now what's Red Steel?
Q: I have a player of the Church of Karameikos, and I want to give him an
Immortal, I suppose that it's a church with many Immortals (like the
Greek / Latin church) but in Gaz 1 I didn't find any list of Immortals...
Q: You spoke of Immortals, what are they? Are they Gods? Powers?
Q: Is Jaggar von Drachenfelds the Star Dragon?
Q: Is Rad gone after Wrath?
Q: So is Rad back after Mark of Amber?
Q: Does the Radiance draw from Energy or Entropy after Wrath?
Q: Where is Teldon? Is he dead?
Q: And Bargle, where is he?
Q: Is Kol a Shadow Elf or a Kobold?
Q: You mentioned something about D&D not being AD&D. What does
that mean?
Q: When I read stuff about Mystara I keep seeing acronyms I cannot
understand like WotI or PWA. What do they mean?
Q: I heard that the Mystara line was canceled. Is this true?
Q: But I saw in TSR's 97 preview that there would be Red Steel modules
released as online exclusive. What does this mean?
Q: So, if TSR has dropped the line, how can I get new material for
Mystara?
Q: Where can I find the old messages of the Mystara mailing list?
Q: Where can I find the old messages of the Mystara message board?
Q: Where can I find a complete list of the material published for Mystara?
Q: And where can I buy those products?
Q: Where can I find the FAQ for the Mystara mailing list?
Q: Is there a Mystara chat?
Introduction to Mystara.
A: Mystara is an imaginary world created by TSR as a campaign world for
roleplaying games using the rules of Dungeons and Dragons.
A: Roleplaying games are games in which people play the role of
imaginary fantastic characters like warriors or wizards and try to complete
an adventure under the guidance of a game master.
A: Mystara got a name as a world only recently; before that, it was
often referred to as the Known World, although Mystara is more than
just the Known World.
Geography and History of Mystara.
A: Mystara is basically composed of 2 main parts, the Outer World and
the Hollow World, plus 2 moons, and some other exotic settings.
A: Yes. Mystara, unlike our earth, is hollow, an empty sphere. It has an
internal sun that lights the interior world, making it inhabitable. It
holds old civilizations that are now extinct on the Outer World, placed
there by the Immortals with strong magic preventing them from evolving
much or dying away. The only entrances to the Hollow World are through
underground passages between the two worlds, and through the holes that
stand in place of the north and south poles.
A: The Outer World is mostly like our Earth. It comprises:
A: Because Alphatia, which is a large continent east of the Known World, sank into the ocean in AC 1009, at the end of the major event called Wrath of the Immortals. It is now a floating continent located in the Hollow World.
A: Wrath of the Immortals (or WotI) is an epic campaign that TSR published to update the Known World. It deals with the Great War that involves the major countries of Mystara and that was caused by the Immortals to obtain control of the Nucleus of the Spheres, a powerful artifact located under Glantri. At the end of the war, Alphatia sinks, Glantri and Thyatis have suffered dramatically from the conflict and three new powers enter the political scene of Mystara: the Heldannic Territories, the Hagiarchy of Hule and the "revamped" Kingdom of Karameikos.
A: The map in the Master set is "wrong, wrong, wrong!" In the series of
articles written by Bruce Heard in Dragon Magazine, the first in the
series (Dragon #153) explains this all. The map was released by
a very imaginative Thyatian, and wrongly accepted for the truth. There
is no Empire of Dorphin IV, no Empire of the Great Khan, etc. Also, as
you probably guessed, the size of the Thyatian Empire was largely
exaggerated on this map...
A: This is because Mystara is a very old world, one of the oldest
created by TSR, and, as TSR grew, so did Mystara. All of these product
lines are relevant to Mystara:
Also, some products bearing the label First Quest are related to
Mystara.
A: Blackmoor was, like Greyhawk, the campaign world of one of TSR's
founder, Dave Arneson. It was later placed in both Greyhawk and the Known
World (as a past kingdom in the later), effectively making three Blackmoors
exist. It seems there is no further relation between the two Blackmoors of
Mystara and Greyhawk, however, although some people made the assumption;
on the other hand, Judge's Guild's Blackmoor likely has much in common with
Mystara's, as the DA series for the Known World was also written by Dave
Arneson (so that JG First Fantasy Campaign is considered Mystara-relevant).
A: Blackmoor was a techno-magical kingdom that blew itself up a few millennia
ago. The event shifted the planet's axis and Blackmoor is now the north pole.
Sources are contradictory as to where Blackmoor stands; some place it on Brun,
some on Skothar. Arguments in favor of Brun are the position of the Inn
Between the Worlds and the Nucleus of the Sphere, and the fact that the
Known World stands there; this is the solution proposed in some Gazetteers.
Arguments in favor of Skothar are its sort of canonical status, and the
feeling that all civilizations should not systematically come from the Known
World; this is the solution proposed in the Hollow World box. Note that, if
you consider the Hollow World solution to be the truth in your campaign, the
map in the box does have a typo : the names of Blackmoor and Thonia have
been reversed (Blackmoor was north of the Empire of Thonia according to all
other sources).
Bruce Heard's opinion on this matter :
<< Blackmoor -- the travelling legend. If there were archaeologist on Mystara,
they would have a devil of time figuring where the darn place was really
located. Officially, it's supposed to be up there by the Thonian Marches.
Unfortunately, conflicting info has crept into several products, getting in
the way of the Thonian theory. The best thing is to assume evidence of
Blackmoor's presence elsewhere is the result of later colonizations and
outposts. Other communities were also magically displaced (such as a certain
ancient tavern in the Broken Lands of the Known World).
Definitely a messy development of the World of Mystara! :) >>
So officially the answer is Skothar.
A: Red Steel is a setting that is part of Mystara (west of the Known
World), although it was released as a stand-alone setting.
Personalities and Immortals of Mystara.
A: These are the immortals of the Church of Karameikos, as told by Bruce Heard
in an old Dragon Magazine:
Asterius (Eternal of Thought), Leader
Kagyar (Eternal of Matter)
Ilsundal (Hierarch of Thought)
Valerias (Hierarch of Matter)
Vanya (Empyreal of Time).
Also, although Chardastes is a native Traladaran Immortal, he is
venerated through the auspices of the Church of Karameikos, not the Church of
Traladara. This is extrapolated from info in B1-9 In Search of Adventure.
The Immortals of the Church of Traladara are:
Halav
Petra
Zirchev.
A: Mystara has a different pantheon when compared to other D&D settings.
Most notably, it has no gods, but beings called Immortals. Immortals are
mortals who, through their deeds, have reached a higher status granting
them more power than mere mortals. Basically, however, Immortals are not
very different from Gods of other settings.
A: No. According to Bruce Heard's article in Dragon #170
http://dnd.starflung.com/immguard.html
he became the Star Dragon for a brief period but relinquished the title for
absolution.
A: No, he's been absorbed into the Radiance, and some of his life force
was used to lessen the drain of the artifact on Mystara's magic (thus
there is only a Day of Dread each year, and not a week as in Wrath). Rad
is not dead though, but he has been put into a slumbering state to
reflect on his deeds (and hopefully change). This is covered in detail in
the module Mark of Amber.
A: The outcome of the module may vary from campaign to campaign, as the
actions of the PCs decide his fate. The module's three outcomes are: 1.
He returns as a mortal with no chance of being sponsored back to
Immortality and no access to the Radiance (failure); 2. He returns as a
mortal but can become an Immortal again sometime (normal success and most
likely outcome); 3. He returns as a full Immortal (complete success).
Later products avoid the issue, and the general consensus is that he
should return but be left in the background, keeping low profile for some
time, either rebuilding his following (if an Immortal) or attempting to
reach Immortality again (if mortal). Few favor him becoming a mere mortal
as most love him as an NPC.
A: In Wrath, the Radiance is altered to draw from Entropy instead of
Energy. Yet in Glantri: Kingdom of Magic, the rules for the
Radiance are exactly the same as in Gaz3, stating that it drains from
Energy. This is a mistake in G:KoM; the authors overlooked that event in
Wrath and forgot to update the info from Gaz3. Thus the new rules for
the Radiance are undefined, as are the effects of Entropy-draining.
Various suggestion have been made on the MML, though.
A: This is a short excerpt from Dragon Magazine #207 about Teldon's fate:
"One of the attractions of the Magicians' Guild, its location in
Karameikos' largest city, was its downfall. Such a collection of powerful
(and often egotistical or secretive) mages in one location created great
potential for conflict. The final straw was the creation of a mechanical
beholder by one of the more advanced apprentices, powered by an Immortal's
artifact. The resulting creation was turned loose in downtown Specularum,
leveling a good section of the South End. The creation was defeated by the
head of the Magicians' Guild, Teldon, but at great cost. Both mage and
monster disappeared in a pure white ball of fire, and while they are
assumed to have both been destroyed, they may instead have been teleported
to some far-off location. The fact remained that the Magicians' Guild
proved itself too dangerous to remain in Specularum, and lost one of its
most valuable supporters."
A: After the fall of the Black Eagle Barony, Bargle is an itinerant
villain that pops up here and there. He can easily be used as a recurring
villain who the PCs bump into way too often (to their taste). He has been
spotted in various place, including Esterhold and Serraine (always helping
the evil guys, of course), but can have business just anywhere you wish.
Well, good ole Bargle.
A: Earlier sources always presented Kol as a kobold who, using the rules
from Gaz10, could cast spells. In Glantri: Kingdom of Magic, he is said
to be one of the deformed shadowelf babies raised by the humanoids, thus
explaining both his high intelligence and spellcasting abilities under the
AD&D rules. It is both an interesting plot, and a disappointment to
many, as it removes again the humanoids any glint of chance that they can
achieve something by themselves. Many people ignore that sentence in G:KoM
(or ignore the box altogether, preferring good old Gaz3), and some love the
potential of that plot. As always, use whatever version suits your campaign
and your taste best.
Miscellaneous.
A: Mystara was the world designed to be used with the rules of D&D
(often called OD&D to better distinct it from AD&D and from the generic
term D&D which could mean both; OD&D stands for Old D&D or Original D&D)
- note that some few people call it BD&D for Basic D&D to distinguish it from even
older rules).
It appeared in the old boxed rules: the Expert box, the Companion box and
the Master box. Most of the earlier modules designed for D&D were set
in this world. Recently, however, Mystara has been converted to AD&D
(along with Red Steel), but many people who play in Mystara do it with
the old rules (or their reediting, Rules Cyclopedia).
A: There is a list of Mystara relevant acronyms at
http://www.oocities.org/hmusseau/Mystara/acronyms.html.
A: It is unfortunately true. And Red Steel is canceled too. Some novels pertaining
to Mystara may be released as part of the First Quest line, and modules may be
part of the Odyssey line. AFAIK, there is no such products in preparation however,
though Wizards of the Coast (which bought TSR) has expressed its willingness to
publish material for dead worlds, but never namely mentioned Mystara. D&D3 may do Mystara good, or not. Keep faith.
Joshuan's Almanac was the last product of Mystara (to be precise the novel
"The Black Vessel" has been released after, and to be even more precise it deals
with the Savage Coast) and the Savages Baronies the last of Red Steel (except for
online exclusives).
A: TSR has released these modules for free on its site of MPGN at
http://www.wizards.com/dnd/DnDDownloads.asp.
Several other Mystaran and non-Mystaran files are available there as well.
A: There are many people on the web who love Mystara and have taken
upon themselves to keep Mystara alive (and well alive).
There is a mailing list dedicated to Mystara (MML) where people discuss
together about it, exchanging ideas, points of view, and more.
To subscribe, send e-mail to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM.
In the body, have the single line: subscribe Mystara-L . It has 224 people, as of June 99. As a comparison, there are 395 people on the Realms
list, TSR's flagship world (April 98).
There is a French Mystara Mailing List (FMML) too, to join go to
http://www.mystara.com.bi/ put your email in the designated area
and you're on.
There is also the TSR Mystara Message Board (MMB) at
cipher.wizards.com (usenet)
where discussion revolves mostly around alternate Mystaras.
There are also many pages around the net dedicated to Mystara, sometimes
with lots of interesting materials. Some of these pages are organized into a Webring,
check http://www.oocities.org/TimesSquare/Dungeon/2967/mystring.html
for info about the Mystara webring.
Now more than ever you should express your views on how Mystara should be
brought back at
http://CWSpot.com/Mystara/SaveMystara
or join the SaveMystara Writer's Group whose goal is to get as many
adventures and articles to the periodicals as we can.
A: The digests are collected at
http://209.67.104.4/archives/mystara-l.html,
the older ones at ftp://ftp.mpgn.com/Gaming/ADND/Worlds/Mystara/MailingListArchive/
and the oldest ones (prior to 1998) can be found at
ftp://ftp.io.com/pub/mailing-lists/mystara-digest/.
However for your convenience the most interesting articles the list has
come up with are collected and sorted on Shawn's page at
http://dnd.starflung.com.
A: There is no archiving of the board. However for your convenience
the most interesting articles the board has come up with are collected
and sorted on Shawn's page at
http://dnd.starflung.com.
A: The most complete list to my knowledge is at
http://dnd.starflung.com/prodlist.html.
It includes rulebooks and modules published by TSR, Mystara-relevant Judge Guild
supplements, a list of various magazine #s that contain adventures, rules or world
description pertaining to Mystara, novels, TSR net resources, and Clark Ashton
Smith stories related to Averoigne. All of these are ranked according to
compatibility with Mystara (explicit, implicit, compatible, etc.) and the type of
product (campaign source, rules supplement, adventure, etc.).
The list of the Dragon magazines that mention Mystara, including the
Voyage of the Princess Ark series, can be found at
http://dnd.starflung.com/dragon.html.
A: Since the Mystara line is out of print, it is difficult to find them.
If you're lucky you can find them in any shop that sells RPG stuff, or buy
second-hand books. Some places where you can find Mystara stuff on the web :
http://www.dragontrove.com/listing.htmlhttp://www.titan-games.com/http://members.aol.com/HitPointe/index.htm
http://www.eskimo.com/~darkh/
http://www.ida.net/users/groverm/sleeping.dragon/sdh.html
http://www.djhobby.com/catalog/index.html
http://www.sagesguild.com/
http://www.crazyegors.com/
http://www.sentrybox.com/
http://members.aol.com/aleeder454/
http://www.cyberdungeon.com/store/catalogue/dungeon.html
http://www.nobleknight.com/
http://www.nyx.net/~epass/dd.html
http://www.dragoneggs.com/
Jason Zavoda (mail him for a catalogue) nemesis@magpage.com
Mike Badolato (mail him for a catalogue) BADMIKE3@aol.com
the newsgroup rec.games.frp.marketplace
various auction sites like http://www.ebay.com/
and I got a special page for all Mystara books at Amazon.com: http://www.oocities.org/hmusseau/amazon.html.
A: Check at http://www.lesbois.com/members/malacoda/mmlfaq.htm
or http://www2.crosswinds.net/~malacoda/mmlfaq.html.
AFAIK there is no plain text version of this FAQ.
A: yes: http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/travelersofmystara.