Skyrealms of Jorune is a science-fantasyrole-playing game. It is set among the Skyrealms – floating "islands" of earth levitated by mysterious crystals in the crust of an alien planet. Three editions of the game were published from 1984 until 1992, but all are currently out of print. The buildings, races, and bizarre creatures of Jorune were brought to life by the realistic artwork of illustrator Miles Teves.
Setting
Skyrealms of Jorune was based on a science-fantasy background created by Andrew Leker, initially for a high school writing assignment. The setting was somewhat comparable to the Barsoom of the John Carter novels of Edgar Rice Burroughs, in that it was a barbaric fantasy world populated by sword-wielding heroes who encountered strange alien beings and technologies. It also has elements of the intricate fantasy worlds of Jack Vance.
Books and sourcebooks
First Edition
*Jorune, Core Manual, 1984
*Maustin Caji, Adventure, 1984
Second Edition
*Skyrealms of Jorune, Boxed set with core rules, 1985
*Companion Jorune: Burdoth, Sourcebook, 1986
*Companion Jorune: Ardoth, Sourcebook, 1987
*Earth-Tec Jorune, Sourcebook, 1988
* Pre-release versions of two additional sourcebooks, Playing the Iscin Races and Shanthas of Jorune were made available at conventions in 1989 and 1990, respectively, but were never published by Skyrealms.
Journal of the Tansoor Historical Society, fanzine from US by Joseph K. Adams.
Gomo Guide to Thoneport, fanzine from US by Joseph K. Adams.'
Reception
In the December 1987 edition of Dragon, Ken Rolston admired this game, saying, "Boy is this good, and it's different from most other ." However, Rolston found the rules imprecise and badly organized, and the combat mechanics "involved and clunky." He also noted the lack of pre-generated characters, and found tips for gamemasters to be inadequate. Rolston did like the magic systems and campaign background, and called the illustrations "superb". He concluded with a strong recommendation, saying "Skyrealms of Jorune is a wonderfully original and inspiring FRPG campaign setting. On that basis alone, it is certainly a worthwhile purchase." In a 1996 readers' poll conducted by Arcane magazine to determine the 50 most popular roleplaying gamesof all time, Skyrealms of Jorune was ranked 30th. Editor Paul Pettengale commented: "Bonkers. Okay, so it is a good game in terms of atmosphere, system structure, presentation and the depth of the background, but it's bonkers."
