RPGs That Time Forgot... Stormbringer

Tag line: Fantasy Roleplaying in the World of Elric
Makers: Chaosium Games, 1st edition (1981), I have the 4th edition (1990) by Ken St. Andre, Steve Perrin and John B. Munroe

What is it?
Chaosium reworked its Call of Cthulhu system into a sword & sorcery RPG based on Michael Moorcock's Elric series. The softcover 4th edition contains the system, information on the world of the Young Kingdoms, its people, creatures, religions and magics, as well as a handful of fairly well developed adventure scenarios.

Neat stuff
-First and foremost, the magic system. Instead of your usual spellcasting, Stormbringer requires sorcerers to summon demons and elementals to create various effects. The more powerful beings will require convincing before lending their help, and the GameMaster is encouraged to bargain hard. I find this a lot more engaging than the usual "learn-a-spell" slot-filling system of D&D, incorporating a measure of role-playing into the dangerous act of using magic.
-Divine intervention is possible, using a cumulative stat called "Elan", for which you curry favor with your gods (or lose favor through your actions).
-No standard "fantasy races" in the world of Stormbringer. Rather, people are divided into cultures, from the noble pre-human civilization of Elric's Melniboné to (my favorite) the lowborn of the City of Beggars to the winged men of Myrrhyn. "Classes" are closer to professions and will probably better appeal to the more advanced player, though of course there are warriors, priests and sorcerers.
-Something I love about Chaosium's core books is that they almost always include a bunch of adventure scenarios. The handful here can't really all be played by the same party of adventurers (not without some tweaking), but instead give you a fair sample of what to do with Stormbringer with different character types and levels.
-There's a cool pull-out map of the Young Kingdoms at the back.

Bad stuff (ish)
-If you haven't read the books, the art (especially the full color plates) will spoil one key plot point. At least it did for me. Reading the entire sourcebook will, of course, do the same.
-Though the introductions to the world talk about Elric's doomed fate, there is no real concerted effort to realize that as a game mechanic. Elan doesn't QUITE do it as far as karmic wyrding goes. Nor is the concept of incarnations (of the Eternal Champion or others) developed.
-There's an odd personal style to some of the sections, with the author speaking in the first person. Things like "This is the adventure I came up with when..." Not bad per se, but definitely odd.

Quote
"[8.1.2.2.] ADVENTURES WITHOUT USING MOORCOCK'S CHARACTERS.
This was my original idea of how the game should be played." (see what I mean?)

How I've used it
I haven't. As long as I had the Elric series on my shelf, unread, I dare not spoil them by cracking the book open for long. Also, I was afraid I wouldn't get the style right. I've had the RPG since the early 90s, but didn't read the books until this summer! My bad! Now though, I sort of have a campaign in the Young Kingdoms somewhere in me. Or if I were to play, I'd feel compelled to create a Beggar, since the City of Beggars was one of my favorite concepts from the books. Still, always a GameMaster and never a bride. I'm sure I'd love to play the role of Elemental/Beast/Chaos Lords and negotiate my magic. Why yes, I WILL take your soul.

In conclusion
If you're a fan of the Elric Saga, then you won't be disappointed with Stormbringer. It does justice to the source material, gives you full stats for all the important characters, monsters and gods (as well as new demons - and a way to make more - to make the magic system more workable), and is QUITE playable. There are five adventure scenarios included, but the way the original books are structured, Moorcock basically gave us three scenario ideas/examples per book! I'd feel quite at ease doing royal politics, raids on fortified cities, battlefield epics, and weird and crazy travel through the planes just based on the original material. Another campaign wish for a future that might never come. Sigh.