Iron Kingdoms is a fantasy role-playing game, originally published by Privateer Press on July 1, 2004, for the d20 System, with several supplemental books released in following years. In 2012, Iron Kingdoms was newly released under a unique d6 rules system closely based on the rules for the miniature war games Warmachine and Hordes from which the Iron Kingdoms RPG is derived. The setting combines high fantasy and steampunk genres into what Privateer Press describes as "Full Metal Fantasy". Recently Privateer Press successfully kickstarted a new version based on Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition.
Publication history
The Iron Kingdoms setting was first seen in the first publications by Privateer Press, a trilogy of adventures: The Longest Night (2001), Shadow of the Exile (2001) and The Legion of the Lost (2001), which were supplemented by the PDF-only adventure Fool's Errand (2001). The adventures won Privateer the first of many awards – including Ennies for "Best World" and "Best Art". The next year Privateer produced two more Iron Kingdoms books: Lock & Load (2002), a character primer and The Monsternomicon (2002), a monster manual, and also promised a complete campaign setting book for the Iron Kingdoms. After those first five RPG books, Privateer's next publication was Warmachine: Prime (2003), a miniatures combat game set in the Iron Kingdoms. The campaign setting book was finally published in two parts as Full Metal Fantasy volume 1 (2004) and volume 2 (2005), and these books were released under the OGL rather than the d20 licence that Privateer had used to publish its earlier RPG materials. The Iron Kingdoms world was furthered developed by Liber Mechanika (2005), which provided more information on the mechanical entities, Five Fingers: Port of Deceit (2006), a setting book, and Monsternomicon Volume II (2007), another monster manual. Privateer's No Quarter magazine supported both the role playing and miniatures sides of the Iron Kingdoms for a while, but later became focused on miniatures and Iron Kingdoms fiction.
Setting
Having overcome insurmountable odds and writing history in blood red ink, penned with steel, The Iron Kingdoms stand strong against all opposition. Their name alone is the embodiment of the spirit of the ancestry of the Human kind. The Iron Kingdoms lie on the continent of Immoren consists of the following Kingdoms: Cygnar, Khador, Llael and Ord. Rhul is the dwarven kingdom, and Ios is the elven. The trollkin inhabit the Wild area outside of the Kingdom walls in the Thornwood, and care little for the technology of the new world.
The Continent of Immoren lies in the world known as Caen. Western Immoren is the home of the Iron Kingdoms and the other races. At a time known as the Rivening to the elven kind, the whole of eastern Immoren was desolated by great changes in climate, and what was once a small desert had erupted into a vast wasteland known as the Bloodstone Marches.
Races of Caen
Humans
The Iron Kingdoms is a Human-dominated campaign setting. Though fantasy standards such as Dwarves and Elves exist, the vast majority of the setting is populated by and run by Humans. This is mostly due to the Gift of Magic, a Gift claimed as one given by the deity Thamar. The elves relate this event of magic birth among humans to the dying of their last goddess. The exact correlation or source of the Gift of Magic is unknown, as its study is still in the infant stages.
Khador
Hailing from the central and western areas of Khador, the Khardic people are the most numerous in the Empire. The ancient Khardic Empire took its name from them, and they exhibit a nationalist pride in the old culture. They tend to be dark of hair, rough of features and larger than most ethnic groups in Western Immoren, and are known for their ability to endure hardship. Many claim that Khardic size is due to descent from the Bogatyri, a race of mythic giants that were supposedly wiped out during the Orgoth Invasion.
Culturally, Khards tend to be jingoistic, a fact seized upon by Khador in motivating the country to war. They are also known for their fiery tempers, fierce pride, and unbending tenacity. Due to these traits, Khards are known for the powerful warriors that come from their people, a martial tradition that continues to form the basis of Khadoran society.
Most Khards speak Khadoran.