Lands of Adventure

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Lands of Adventure is a historical-themed, generic role-playing game published in 1983 by Fantasy Games Unlimited. It uses a flexible rules system not tied to a single fantasy game, and its focus is on historical settings rather than pure fantasy. The game comes with two Culture Packs—mythic Greece and medieval England—that provide detailed background for those eras. Players mainly create human characters who improve by learning skills, while magic is organized into types tied to character abilities. A priest must seek a deity’s favor to perform miracles.

The boxed set includes a 32-page rulebook, a 28-page Culture Pack, a sample character sheet, and dice. The game was designed by Lee Gold, with cover art by Bill Willingham. The publisher hoped to release more Culture Packs for different eras, but the line didn’t stay in print long, so the idea wasn’t fully developed.

Reviews were mixed. White Dwarf gave it 5 out of 10, noting the high price and timing as drawbacks. Different Worlds suggested it could appeal to players who like mixing rules from different sources. The Space Gamer praised the Culture Packs as a strong value for fans of historical settings, while saying the core game isn’t perfect. Imagine warned it’s not for beginners, but veterans who enjoy exploring new systems and have a bit to spend would likely like it. In The Complete Guide to Role-Playing Games, Rick Swan found some character-generation rules odd and the combat and magic workmanlike, but praised the Culture Packs for their well-researched historical material, giving the game 2.5 out of 4 overall.