Classic: Fantasy II

Classic: Fantasy II (1992) is set on a different world from Yrth (which first appeared in Man to Man, got more detail in GURPS Fantasy (1st edition) and was exanded in Classic: Fantasy and later GURPS Banestorm).
"This place is too close to the gods, or too close to the wrong sort of gods."Gods exist, though they are not recognizable in terms of any real mythology. These gods appear to be insane and sadistic, and most of the inhabitants are deathly afraid of whoever these gods are.for the Patrol, information on the Madlands is scant, so take these with a grain of salt
== Madlander Culture ==
"This is nothing, compared to what will kill me." --Madlander proverb
=== Zo Do Wabda and Vidigi ===
All stories of great heroes in the Madlands tend to be folded and melded into the long, living canon of Zo Do Wabda and Vidigi, the Madland Everyman-Everywoman power couple, respectively. Traditionally, Zo Do Wabda is said to be triumphant when he is clever, humble, and suspicious. When he is not, Vidigi is often his counterpoint, correcting him--although he apparently dies in many tales.
== Gods of the Madlands ==
* See Gods of the Madlands
== Creatures of the Madlands ==
* See also: Creatures of the Madlands
=== Dakip En (Seal) ===
The southern fjords have intelligent life--seals. In fact, in Madlander culture, the dakip en are often regarded with more humanity than humans from other lands. They closely resemble leopard seals, with the spots, fins, and teeth to match, and adults can weigh 800-1,000 lbs! Unlike your Homeline leopard seals however, they can speak, negotiate, make art, and haggle about the price of meat. While they're known to be tricksters and shrewd negotiators, they also follow their commitments to the letter. Classic: Fantasy II p. 76In a world dark fantasy, the pun of "seal the deal" is certainly a cosmic coincidence.
== Outside the Madlands ==
General 
Direction 	Land 	Term for People There	Quirks
North 	The Whiteness / Dal Wiim	Sap Cid 	Sentient-snow god
East 	Togeth 	Togethians 	TL3 society, feudalism, lots of sharecroppers
Northeast 	Nothern Tribelands 	Exgryen / Questers 	Individuals have spirit guardians that assist them in fulfilling a key quest.
East, across the sea	Savarginia 	Savarginians 	Tons of people, tons of city-states, uses magitech to achieve TL3+1, possibly TL3+2. Entire cities are constructed from the wills of two supernatural entities in an eternal wager to create "unlikely societies". A sociological goldmine... or minefield.
South 	(fjords) 	-- 	No major group lives in the fjords, but it's important to know the coast is here. See also the Dakip En.
== Fanon: Meta Classification ==
From the outside looking in, World Madland is a sword-and-sandals, dark fantasy world, where barbarians do battle with monsters, nature, and other barbarians. But just as myths evolve, myth parallels may evolve too.
=== Low-Reality Worldline ===
Due to the strength of genre and the potency of supernatural forces on this worldline, the Hume levels (or "reality level") of this world are relatively low. 
* Madlanders themselves seem to openly eschew history, making narratives blend together. Classic: Fantasy II p. 24
* Mad gods seem to alter the Madlands, but the lands outside it are chaotic for entirely different reasons Classic: Fantasy II p. 3
* The metal cities of the Soulless have only one road that supernaturally connects all buildings that the Soulless wish to enter. Classic: Fantasy II p. 82
==Reviews and Comments==
Falconier111's GURPS Fantasy II: Adventures in the Mad Lands review goes into great detail concluding that, while he loved the book, that the more he read it, the more convinced he become that it’s borderline impossible to run a campaign in the setting as is.
OSSR: GURPS Fantasy II goes into as much detail as Falconier111 does while the main reviewer does more ragging on the book's lapses into crazy town then Falconier111 does.
Rick Swan's review for the October 1993 Issue 198 of Dragon commented that the setting was much more goofy than the dark fantasy setting he had initially assumed, but complemented the graphics, editing and especially Robin Laws' writing.
The work has been summed up as "Basically low-tech paranoid hunter-gatherers vs. Winnie the Cthulpoo"
I might add the reviews of it have been somewhat consistent - as a story setting it is quite interesting (if you ignore the fact the 'gods' are warped and nutty versions of Pooh and friends) but as a RPG setting it leaves a lot to be desired. 
The 1999 rec.games.frp.gurps thread "So, what's the *worst* GURPS book you own?" thread commented on the book. 
In summery Madlands "looked great but was impossible to RP in. That the whole freaking world seemed like one giant Tomb of Horrors didn't help. But it got worse as Clerics are nonexistent as the gods are insane deranged homicidal nutjobs that would soon kill anything in their path as have anyone worship them; this is assuming the natives don't kill the would be Cleric first becuse they do tend to attract aforementioned kill happy dieties. Wizards are in much the same boat, and with property communicable being something akin to a thief is imposable. Also who wants to play in a world that one person described as like a D&D campaign where simply going around a corner could result in you meeting Orcus?"
It is effectively a real world example of Terrible Writing Advice's Grimdark with a host of other horrible ideas thrown in for good measure.
== Notes ==
==References==
*GURPS Infinite Worlds p.130
Category:Classic
Category:Infinite Worlds
Category:Fictional Settings
Category:Quantum 4
Category:Madland
Category:1992
Category:High Mana