DCC: Tales of the Fallen Empire

Tales of the Fallen Empire is a setting book for Dungeon Crawl Classics, and it is an ambitious one. This tries to rebuild DCC into a savage setting, much like the Conan books. The art is consistently good, we get classes, races, gods, spells, equipment, and a world to adventure in. This is a great starting point for brutal and savage barbarian adventures, and it hits all the right notes.

I wanted more! Especially the art of the world, those lost temples, crowded cities, maps, and the inspirational pieces that get our imaginations flowing. This book could have easily been twice the size, packed with art, and I would have loved every bit of it.

The back lists Roger Corman as an inspiration, well-played. There are many more in Appendix N of the book as well, including Elric, Lemuria, Leiber, Xanth, and many others. We even get a music list, which isn't always done in these inspiration sources.

It suffers somewhat from the "also-isms" of similar savage settings, such as Savage Thule, which offers much more in terms of campaign support, maps, lands, and detailing a compelling world. I prefer Thule over this setting, even though it is DCC and has rules support. Thule has more to the world, and I want to dive in and explore these places. Both would equally work well together, however.

They are also both "not-Conan" settings, and if you want me to play in your world, you need to give me more than just the original inspirations. Thule does this by giving me a complete world with all the nooks and crannies to explore, lore, lands, and maps. Tales is a good setting, but it lacks the delivery and power that make it truly effective.

It is strange, as Hubris gives me less in terms of describing a world, but it makes up for it in the tools I would need to run the land, especially in the encounter charts. Hubris is also more its own thing, a mess of demonic and dark mechanical overlords in a twisted hellscape which could also double as a plane of Hell.

Hubris is very close to Heavy Metal as a setting, and a shade less Conan. It is more a feeling than a setting, and it succeeds in delivering a world primarily through random charts.

Dark Sun is another setting in a similar vein, succeeding in both the number of adventures and the strength of the world. It succeeds because of all it delivers, not just rules and classes, but in a sandbox (literally) to explore and play in, with built-in villains (if you do not play in the revised setting).

Hyperborea is also a great game and setting, and it is a solid choice, too, outside of DCC but still in the old school genre.

Tales of the Fallen Empire is a good book, full of lots of DCC "stuff" and a solid base for what you need to have a savage campaign using the DCC rules. I wanted more, but the book remains handy and worthy if you are willing to put in the work to bring the setting to life. Some of the games and settings on this list are easier than others, and Tales sits on the lower end, but you can't replace the DCC-specific support for the genre in this book.

It is great, but I wanted more.

A recommendation, especially if you like to DIY and make the world your own place.