Tulan of the Isles (Midkemia 1981, Chaosium 1987) feels a bit different from the previous Midkemia city books. Perhaps it is the addition of Raymond Feist’s name to the cover — Midkemia is probably best known as the setting of Feist’s Riftwar novels. Tulan feels a bit more specific than Carse, more in the mode of Gamelords’ Haven or Thieves’ World’s Sanctuary. This sort of specificity, which manifests in increasingly detailed lore for local history and politics, increasingly becomes the norm for RPG cities as the 80s progress.
The book details Tulan, which, as the name implies, is spread across several connected islands. Unlike the other books, though, we also get a lot of information on the surrounding countryside as well as the nearby village of Hoxley. This is a natural step and gives you an idea of where Midkemia’s design evolution was going to go to next.
The Chaosium version has another Day Brothers cover, again depicting the mustache man, this time in an awkward pose on a dock. Taylor Overbey does good work on the interiors, particularly the detailed, pleasantly cluttered maps.
