239:, notably the idea of humans colonizing a distant planet and subsequently losing contact with the rest of humanity (a dimensional rift in Tekumel's case, civil war in Jorune's) leading to the regression of the colonists' society and war against the planet's native inhabitants. The barbaric fantasy world populated by sword-wielding heroes who encounter strange alien beings and technologies is also somewhat comparable to the
597:(Issue #45), Edwin King admired the setting of Jorune, calling it "an alien world that is both believable and entertaining without being so much of a personal creation that no one but its designer can play it." However, King criticized the combat system, pointing out the unfairness of some rules, and several internal contradictions. He also pointed out the many typographical errors, saying, "
206:
space-faring immigrants, including the insectoid Cleash, the bizarre
Thriddle, and the broadly humanoid Ramian; the final colonization was by humans. Following an unexpected and permanent severing of communication with Earth, misunderstandings between the "stranded" human colonists and the Shanthas resulted in a devastating war that eventually reduced all societies on the planet to an
570:. He praised the quality of the game system and components as well as its artwork. Wieck stated that, "Overall, Jorune is an excellent game. I have played almost every major game on the market, and Jorune is the classiest of them all. It is rich with life and action; it's a classic. The price is high, but the game's worth it." He rated the game overall at 9 stars out of 10.
633:, Paul Reid called the game "a wonderfully complex world where the fantastic, the futuristic and the simply bizarre mingle to create a richness of opportunities for adventure." He especially liked the illustrations, calling them "the most striking feature they add to a high overall standard of presentation." Although Reid didn't like the lack of an index, he concluded, "
602:
captions are often intriguing." He concluded by giving the game a rating of 3 out of 4, saying, "I think that more care could have been taken with elements of the rules, but the joy of Jorune is in the conception of its environment, rather than the elegance of its system. I highly recommend Jorune to anyone who wants to step into a really different fantasy world."
40:
692:, RPG historian Stu Horvath called this game "one of the most relentlessly strange and difficult to pronounce RPGs ever made." To its detriment, Horvath pointed out "The system is clunky and skill-based, full of inconsistencies, and peppered with reference charts that border on terrifying." But Horvath set that aside, commenting, "What
696:
succeeeds at, better than any other RPG setting, is an aggressive pursuit of alienness ... The layering of details creates a kind of self-reinforcing veracity out of the collage of fictional facts." Horvath concluded, "This approach to world design is most rewarding when building worlds that are far
650:
called this a "bad news, good news" game: The bad news was that the game mechanics were "adequate at best ... and ambiguous at worst", and the game was "playable, but not without effort, and I suspect the fuzzy rules will discourage most beginners." The good news was its "remarkable fantasy setting,
213:
By the time gameplay begins, more than 3000 years after the Human-Shanthic War, the human race has evolved into three subspecies differentiated by size and facility with Isho (the magic-like energy of the setting): regular humans; the small, Isho-adept Muadra; and the large, Isho-resistant
Boccord.
205:
role-playing game. The
Skyrealms are the game's main setting - floating "islands" levitated by mysterious crystals in the crust of an alien planet. Following the evolution of the native life forms ("Jorune creatures") and the sentient indigenous Shanthas, Jorune was colonized by successive waves of
258:
Conflict and interaction between the various alien species on Jorune drives some of the drama of individual adventures, as does the exploration of the planet's surface, which is littered with powerful prehistoric artifacts originating variously with the initial human settlement (typically blaster
601:
cries out for better proofreading." On the other hand, King liked the visual aspect of the game, commenting, "the art in Jorune is excellent and goes a long way towards creating the appropriate atmosphere. The illustrations of monsters and intelligent species are particularly well done, and the
615:
admired the second edition of this game, saying, "Boy is this good, and it's different from most other ." However, Rolston found the rules imprecise and badly organized, and the combat mechanics "involved and clunky." He also noted the lack of pre-generated characters, and found tips for
657:
in originality, details and texture." Swan concluded by giving the game a solid rating of 3 out of 4, saying, "the setting is startlingly different from those typical of fantasy RPGs, making it well worth the purchase for anyone who's bored with endless variations of medieval Europe."
674:#33 (September/October 1992), rating it a 4 out of 10 and stated that "For those diehard fans still playing the second edition, the third edition doesn't really offer much that's new beyond more description of the cultures of Jorune's intelligent races and some new Earth-tec."
587:
is a worthwhile addition to the gaming field. Apart from a distinct need for its GM to have played other rpgs beforehand, and a lack of introductory adventure, it has few faults, and these are outweighed, to my mind, by the depth of detail on the truly fascinating background."
273:
begin with the life goal of becoming Drenn (citizens). Needing the support and sponsorship of other Drenn to realize this goal, the player characters must accomplish tasks that will prove them worthy of becoming Drenn.
214:(Players can also choose to be one of four additional races: the Blount, Crugar, Bronth, and Woffen, all bipedal, genetically engineered descendants of Earth animals — toads, cougars, bears, and wolves, respectively.)
685:
was ranked 30th. Editor Paul
Pettengale commented: "Bonkers. Okay, so it is a good game in terms of atmosphere, system structure, presentation and the depth of the background, but it's bonkers."
637:
offers a wealth of material for your money, and presents a setting which is both unusual and convincing in its imaginative richness. A really striking game that every roleplayer should try."
697:
outside the bounds of what genre conventions teach players to expect ... Details have the power to transform worlds that should be baffling into worlds that are endlessly intriguing."
817:
Actually the game is entirely the work of Andrew and Miles. My time at San
Francisco State University was spent organizing their ideas into a form salable to investors and gamers.
620:
to be inadequate. Rolston did like the magic systems and campaign background, and called the illustrations "superb". He concluded with a strong recommendation, saying "
1143:
529:
1205:
229:, and is quite different from other role-playing games of the time. However, as reviewer Edwin King noted, it has some features in common with
128:. The game is set on the fictional alien planet of Jorune above which float levitating islands. The second edition was published in 1986 as a
519:
492:
138:
1115:
1215:
1210:
304:
747:
1008:
642:
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is a wonderfully original and inspiring FRPG campaign setting. On that basis alone, it is certainly a worthwhile purchase."
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437:
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262:
Some game terms were derived from the language of Jorune, such as the use of "Sholari" ("teacher") for the
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were made available at conventions in 1989 and 1990, respectively, but were never published by SkyRealms.
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was published in 1994. The various editions received positive reviews in game periodicals including
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weapons and other "advanced technology") or
Shanthas instruments designed to manipulate Isho.
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248:
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53:
8:
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39:
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Pettengale, Paul (Christmas 1996). "Arcane
Presents the Top 50 Roleplaying Games 1996".
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222:
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A number of third-party products based on the world of Jorune have been published:
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549:
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118:
104:
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307:, was released as a 176-page perfect bound book. featuring artwork by Teves.
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334:: information for the players about character generation and playing the game
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in order to turn a high school
English assignment into the first edition of
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226:
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342:
303:. The result, written by Teves and Leker, and edited by Leker's sister
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425:. Over the next two years, Chessex released a number of resources:
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351:: information about Jorune for both the players and the gamemaster
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240:
230:
133:
57:
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to determine the 50 most popular roleplaying games of all time,
371:
From 1985 to 1988, SkyRealms published a number of supplements:
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886:
310:
Later the same year, Skyrealms produced the 46-page adventure
677:
In a 1996 readers' poll conducted by the UK games magazine
1080:. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. pp. 130–131.
322:
The following year, SkyRealms published a second edition
831:
Heroic Worlds: A History and Guide to Role-Playing Games
251:, and has elements of the intricate fantasy worlds of
719:#42 (July 1988; "The Critical Hit: Exploring Jorune")
394:
Pre-release versions of two additional sourcebooks,
1144:"Australian Realms Magazine - Complete Collection"
201:is the fictional planet used as a setting for the
1012:. New York: St. Martin's Press. pp. 183–184.
986:Reid, Paul (July 1989). "The Realms of Fantasy".
358:: a beginning campaign setting for the gamemaster
1187:
772:King, Edwin (March–April 1987). "Game Reviews".
564:reviewed the game in the October 1986 issue of
573:Robert Neville reviewed the second edition of
792:Neville, Robert (October 1986). "Open Box".
493:Alien Logic: A Skyrealms of Jorune Adventure
139:Alien Logic: A Skyrealms of Jorune Adventure
1060:
38:
1078:Monsters, Aliens, and Holes in the Ground
969:(December 1987). "Role-playing reviews".
690:Monsters, Aliens, and Holes in the Ground
536:Journal of the Tansoor Historical Society
416:Skyrealms of Jorune: The RolePlaying Game
124:that was first published in 1984 through
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1009:The Complete Guide to Role-Playing Games
852:
850:
643:The Complete Guide to Role-Playing Games
1075:
965:
791:
748:Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine
458:, Sourcebook, Adventure, Screen, 1994,
132:, and a third edition was published by
14:
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1206:Role-playing games introduced in 1984
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925:
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809:Leker, Amy (August 1986). "Laundry".
808:
364:1 loose-leaf resource reference sheet
1069:
1002:
996:
985:
802:
771:
217:The role-playing game is based on a
992:. No. 20. Enfield. p. 66.
979:
782:
762:
591:In the March–April 1987 edition of
266:or "Isho" for the system of magic.
24:
1216:Science fiction role-playing games
1211:Science fantasy role-playing games
583:#82, and stated that "All in all,
361:2 loose-leaf combat summary sheets
269:At the start of the campaign, all
25:
1227:
1168:
833:. Prometheus Books. p. 281.
822:
317:
27:Science fantasy role-playing game
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605:In the December 1987 edition of
502:, fanzine from UK by Alex Blair.
405:
282:
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975:. No. 128. pp. 22–23.
367:5 bifold blank character sheets
1065:. No. 14. pp. 25–35.
778:. No. 45. pp. 26–27.
664:reviewed the Third Edition of
13:
1:
1036:. No. 33. p. 72-73.
755:
432:, Beginning adventure, 1993,
556:
136:in 1992. The computer game
7:
1158:"Asimov's v11n04 (1987 04)"
1046:: CS1 maint: date format (
895:. No. 3. pp. 3–7.
482:
414:published a third edition,
341:: information only for the
10:
1232:
1196:Fantasy role-playing games
1026:(September–October 1992).
949:(October 1986). "Jorune".
929:(October 1986). "Jorune".
909:(October 1986). "Jorune".
815:. No. 78. p. 5.
654:Empire of the Petal Throne
236:Empire of the Petal Throne
193:
44:Cover of the first edition
829:Schick, Lawrence (1991).
798:. No. 82. p. 4.
376:Companion Jorune: Burdoth
356:The Skyrealm Kolovisondra
96:
63:
49:
37:
955:. No. 3. p. 7.
935:. No. 3. p. 6.
915:. No. 3. p. 5.
496:(1994), a DOS-based RPG.
382:Companion Jorune: Ardoth
546:Gomo Guide to Thoneport
396:Playing the Iscin Races
430:The Innocents of Gauss
1076:Horvath, Stu (2023).
858:"Skyrealms of Jorune"
548:, fanzine from US by
538:, fanzine from US by
518:, fanzine from UK by
508:, fanzine from US by
471:, Sourcebook, 1994,
469:The Gire of Sillipus
445:, Sourcebook, 1994,
297:SkyRealms Publishing
249:Edgar Rice Burroughs
225:subtype) created by
126:SkyRealms Publishing
54:SkyRealms Publishing
1033:White Wolf Magazine
683:Skyrealms of Jorune
666:Skyrealms of Jorune
635:SkyRealms Of Jorune
622:Skyrealms of Jorune
585:Skyrealms of Jorune
575:Skyrealms of Jorune
526:Danstead's Traveler
500:Sarceen's Knowledge
301:Skyrealms of Jorune
278:Publication history
221:background (of the
203:Skyrealms of Jorune
114:Skyrealms of Jorune
34:
1201:Planetary romances
1130:"Casus Belli #079"
1102:"Casus Belli #033"
400:Shanthas of Jorune
390:, Sourcebook, 1988
32:
989:The Games Machine
735:#9 (Jan/Feb 1993)
732:Australian Realms
688:In his 2023 book
640:In his 1990 book
630:The Games Machine
530:Danstead Traveler
443:The Sobayid Atlas
271:player characters
233:, the setting of
223:planetary romance
181:The Games Machine
122:role-playing game
110:
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16:(Redirected from
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885:(October 1986).
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775:Different Worlds
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751:v11 n4 (1987 04)
594:Different Worlds
512:aka Joe Coleman.
456:The Sholari Pack
388:Earth-Tec Jorune
326:that included:
287:In 1984, writer
163:Different Worlds
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711:#33 (June 1986)
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651:second only to
627:In Issue 20 of
559:
550:Joseph K. Adams
540:Joseph K. Adams
516:Bokelby's Folly
510:Joseph K. Adams
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219:science-fantasy
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105:Science fantasy
101:Science fiction
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1024:Wieck, Stephan
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332:Player Manual
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1146:. June 1988.
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967:Rolston, Ken
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866:. Retrieved
864:. 2017-01-07
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1176:Alien Logic
795:White Dwarf
724:Casus Belli
708:Casus Belli
618:gamemasters
613:Ken Rolston
580:White Dwarf
520:Ray Gilliam
293:Miles Teves
291:and artist
245:John Carter
151:White Dwarf
145:Casus Belli
64:Publication
1190:Categories
1004:Swan, Rick
952:White Wolf
932:White Wolf
912:White Wolf
892:White Wolf
868:2020-10-01
756:References
743:#74 (1994)
716:Polyhedron
671:White Wolf
567:White Wolf
532:(defunct).
343:gamemaster
264:gamemaster
253:Jack Vance
247:novels of
175:Polyhedron
157:White Wolf
50:Publishers
1181:MobyGames
740:Challenge
694:Skyrealms
648:Rick Swan
557:Reception
410:In 1992,
324:boxed set
305:Amy Leker
187:Challenge
130:boxed set
1028:"Review"
1006:(1990).
887:"Jorune"
483:Spinoffs
354:16-page
347:32-page
337:72-page
330:64-page
295:founded
208:Iron-Age
91:edition)
82:edition)
73:edition)
56:, later
1132:. 1994.
1104:. 1986.
506:Sholari
412:Chessex
384:, 1987
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210:level.
194:Setting
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599:Jorune
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184:, and
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812:Games
117:is a
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67:1984
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