This review contains spoilers. I’ve always been a bit skeptical of the Star Wars Extended Universe (with the exception of the excellent Darth Bane trilogy). Timothy Zahn’s Heir to the Empire trilogy (1991-93), however, had proven me decisively wrong - and, indeed, has shown me why so many would have preferred an adaption of Heir to the Empire instead of the sequels we got. The trilogy follows the efforts of Grand Admiral Thrawn, a military genius, to revive the Empire, five years after their defeat at Endor in Return of the Jedi. Thrawn is a refreshing take; rather than a new Sith lord leading a new Empire, Thrawn is a military commander leading the remnants of the Empire five years after the defeat at Endor. There’s no cackling evil, no random acts of violence, and no new superweapons - just a coldly calculating military genius, making intelligent use of the resources available to him. Like Sherlock Holmes, Thrawn is a character whose genius is shown through his companion, in this cas...
One major, but often-forgotten part of medieval history is the monastery; religious complexes inhabited by monks, who dedicated their lives to the worship of god, and the preservation and recording of spiritual knowledge. Monasteries served several important roles in medieval Europe, roles which could be adapted to serve the needs of a D&D game. Firstly, monasteries were incredibly wealthy. At their height, the greatest of monasteries owned more land, and had more income than, the strongest of secular lords; in no small part the result of centuries of religiously-motivated donations. More wealth was held in the form of holy relics - including the likes of thorns from the Crown of Thorns, fragments of the True Cross, vials of the blood of Christ, the bones of saints, and so on. The potential for D&D is clear to see. Monasteries could recruit player characters to track down religious relics for them, which would, of course, found in dungeons and wild places. Less scrupulous playe...