Mythic Bastionland - Starter Guide
What is Mythic Bastionland?
Mythic Bastionland is a tabletop roleplaying game by Chris McDowall - the designer behind Into the Odd and Electric Bastionland - published by Bastionland Press. Where his earlier games were weird, industrial, and urban, Mythic Bastionland pulls in a very different direction: this is a game of knights, myth, and a dying realm.
The setting is a mythic pre-medieval Britain, not quite historical, not quite Arthurian romance, but somewhere between the two. Think less Monty Python, more the raw, strange Britain of early legend - where seers speak in riddles, omens hang over every valley, and the land itself feels old and hungry. Players take the roles of Knights riding out into a realm mapped in hexes, seeking glory, confronting myths made flesh, and trying to hold together a world that seems determined to unravel.
It is a game with genuine atmosphere and clear mechanical conviction. McDowall does not write sprawling rulebooks - he writes tight, purposeful systems - and Mythic Bastionland is no exception.
How does the system work?
Mythic Bastionland runs on a streamlined, d6-based system in the OSR lineage. Characters are Knights, chosen from a large roster of knight archetypes. Each archetype comes with its own flavour, starting equipment, and special ability - a Knight of the Marsh plays very differently from a Knight of the Flame.
The core resolution mechanic uses saves: when something could go wrong, a player rolls dice and compares the result to a relevant attribute. Combat is fast and brutal. Knights have Vigour - a measure of their physical resilience - and when that runs out, things get dire quickly. The system does not reward attrition warfare. It rewards cleverness, positioning, and knowing when to ride away.
Seers are a central mechanic that sets the game apart. These are NPC figures scattered across the realm, each tied to a specific Omen - a mythic threat or truth that shapes the adventure in their territory. Engaging with Seers is not optional flavour; it is how the game's scenarios are structured. The Omens give Referees (the GM equivalent) a framework for generating meaningful, connected adventures rather than random encounters.
The game is built around a hex map of the realm, which players explore ride by ride. The structure favours emergent storytelling: you ride out, you discover things, the Omens escalate, and the realm changes around you.
What do you need to get started?
The core book is all you need. Mythic Bastionland is a complete game in one volume - setting, rules, knight archetypes, Seers, Omens, and guidance for the Referee are all included.
Bastionland Press has made SRD material available online, and McDowall has historically supported his games with accessible online resources. It is worth checking the official Bastionland website for any free introductory materials before buying, though the core book is the real experience.
You will need standard six-sided dice, pencils, and paper. No specialist dice, no proprietary tokens, no app required.
Who is this game for?
Mythic Bastionland is a strong match for players and groups who:
- Love Arthurian myth, Celtic legend, or dark pre-medieval fantasy
- Enjoy exploration-focused, hex crawl play
- Appreciate lean, purposeful rules over large mechanical systems
- Are comfortable with a game where the GM structures scenarios rather than follows a published adventure module
It is less suited for groups who want deep character customisation, granular tactical combat, or the kind of mechanical progression found in games like Dungeons & Dragons 5e. Knights grow in reputation and in the stories told about them - not through experience points and level-up menus.
If your group thrives on emergent narrative, discovery, and games where the world feels genuinely alive and dangerous, this is a very good fit.
How does it differ from other systems?
Compared to Dungeons & Dragons 5e, Mythic Bastionland is radically simpler mechanically. There are no spell slots, no feats, no attack rolls cross-referenced against armour class. The learning curve is gentle - most of the rules fit in your head after a single session.
Compared to McDowall's own Electric Bastionland, the tone is completely different. Electric Bastionland is urban, weird, and tragicomic. Mythic Bastionland is grander, more solemn, and rooted in myth. They share DNA in their mechanical efficiency, but the play experience is distinct.
The Seer and Omen structure also sets it apart from most OSR games, which tend to present tools rather than scenario frameworks. Mythic Bastionland gives Referees something closer to a built-in adventure engine.
Where do you start?
Start by reading the core book from the beginning - it is written to be read in order and McDowall's writing is clear enough that the rules and setting unfold naturally together.
For your first session, do not try to use the full hex map. Pick a starting area, introduce one or two Seers, and let the players ride out. The Omens will do the work. Keep early sessions focused on discovery rather than resolution - let the myth breathe.
Online, the Bastionland community (Discord, Reddit's OSR communities, and the Bastionland itch.io page) is a good source of actual play reports, Referee advice, and custom content. McDowall also has a newsletter and blog with design notes that deepen understanding of how and why the system works the way it does.
Recommended products at Netherbook
The Mythic Bastionland core book is your starting point and the only essential purchase. It is a complete, self-contained game.
If you enjoy McDowall's design philosophy and want to explore adjacent territory, Electric Bastionland and Into the Odd are both worth having on your shelf - different in tone, but recognisably from the same creative mind. They work well as companion volumes for understanding the lineage of the system and for running one-shots in a different register.