Kingdoms of Kalamar

The Kingdoms of Kalamar is a fantasy role-playing game campaign setting created by Kenzer and Company and released in 1994. Shortly after Wizards of the Coast announced the 3rd Edition of Dungeons & Dragons, they announced jointly with Kenzer & Company that Kenzer had acquired a license to produce official Dungeons & Dragons material. The Kingdoms of Kalamar campaign setting would be exclusive setting for that original material.While not as well-known as setting such as Forgotten Realms, the setting has a loyal following and has received praise for it's consistency and realism. [cite web | title = Kingdoms of Kalamar | url=http://www.guildcompanion.com/scrolls/2001/dec/reviewkingdomsofkalamar.html | accessdate = 2008-02-21 | date=2001 | first = D. Andrew | last = Ferguson] [cite web | title= Kingdoms of Kalamar | url=http://www.timewastersguide.com/view.php?id=343 | accessdate = 2008-02-21 | date=2002-11-05]

History

The original Kingdoms of Kalamar material was clearly intended for use with Dungeons & Dragons, while carefully avoiding any direct trademark or copyright infringement. The setting appeared in two books, the "Sourcebook of the Sovereign Lands", and "Mythos of the Divine and Worldly". While distribution was not widespread, fans of the setting continued to support it.

The "Sourcebook of the Sovereign Lands" detailed the people and places of Tellene, the campaign’s continent (and world). It broke the continent down into six regions and examined each one on a large scale.

The "Mythos of the Divine and Worldly" examined the setting’s 43 gods with a great amount of detail, including holidays, descriptions of clerical garb, and common sacrifices. It also described secret societies and the setting’s astrology and calendar.

These products were available individually or together in a box set with a two-part map.

Current Incarnation

The "Sourcebook of the Sovereign Lands" and the "Mythos of the Divine and Worldly" were combined with nearly 100,000 words of new material for the "Kingdoms of Kalamar" campaign setting, which was nominated for the Origins Award for Best Roleplaying Game in 2001. Over 30 different products have been released to support it.

While most of the books have been released with the "Dungeons & Dragons" logo, newer books (starting with "Svimohzia: the Ancient Isle") and pdf re-releases have been without it. On July 11, 2007, Kenzer & Company announced that their license with Wizards of the Coast would expire in August of that year. [cite web
last =
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Wizards of the Coast/Kenzer & Company License Agreements Expiring
work =
publisher =
date =
url = http://www.kenzerco.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32056
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-07-18 ]

Dungeons and Dragons 4e

On July 8, 2008, Kenzer & Company released a compilation of the "Campaign Setting" and "Atlas" as a new PDF updated to "Dungeons & Dragons" fourth edition. Notable about this release, was that it does not use the Game System License and is the first 3rd-party release compatible with fourth edition not under the "GSL".

Future

On July 6, 2006, Kenzer & Company announced that Kingdoms of Kalamar would be the official setting of the next version of their HackMaster roleplaying game. [cite web
last = Kenzer
first = David S.
authorlink = David S. Kenzer
coauthors =
title = Re: Future of Kalamar
work =
publisher =
date =
url = http://www.kenzerco.com/forums/showpost.php?p=377848&postcount=12
format =
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accessdate = 2007-07-18]

Setting

The continent of Tellene is the focus of the "Kingdoms of Kalamar" setting. Inhabitants of Tellene believe it the entirety of the world, although the source-material hint at lands beyond the edges of the map. Due to this, the world is also generally referred to as Tellene.

Tellene is generally divided into several subregions. These include Brandobia, the Young Kingdoms, the Wild Lands, Reanaaria Bay and the isle of Svimohzia. The southernmost tip of Tellene lies at roughly 20° latitude, while the northernmost explored areas rest at about 54° latitude. The climate ranges from temperate to sub-tropical. Citation
last1= Kenzer | first1= David S.
authorlink1 = David S. Kenzer
last2= Jelke | first2= Brian
authorlink2 = Brian Jelke
last3= Johansson | fist3= Steve
authotlink3 = Steve Johannson
last4= Brown III | first4= Lloyd
authotlink4 = Lloyd Brown III
last5= Blackburn | first5= Jolly
authotlink5 = Jolly R. Blackburn
title= Kingdoms of Kalamar Campaign Setting Sourcebook
publisher= Kenzer and Company
date= May 2001
year= 2001
isbn= 1-889182-50-8 ]

Tellene has three moons; Diadolai, Pelselond and Veshemo. These orbit Tellene with an 80, 34 and 28 day Orbital period respectively. Most of Tellene uses a lunar calendar, based around the 28-day orbit of Veshemo. The year consists of 13 months, each divided into four 7-day weeks. The year starts on the first day of spring.

External links

* [http://www.kenzerco.com/ Kenzer & Company]
* [http://www.flash.net/~brenfrow/kk/kk.htm TSR Archive] Kingdoms of Kalamar product list

References