tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3172699640040089542024-03-20T04:26:24.577-07:00Blog of Exalted DeedsCampaign journals and tabletop RPG-related musingsPeter C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13961433615453003926noreply@blogger.comBlogger70125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-317269964004008954.post-39504182245665868112024-02-26T21:15:00.000-08:002024-02-26T21:15:55.159-08:00Referee screen for Cepheus Engine System Reference Document<p>I'm thirty-seven sessions into a Traveller (Cepheus Engine) campaign with an amazing group of players. We're coming up on our first year anniversary: we began in late March 2023. If you like campaign reports, you can read about the shenanigans <a href="https://classic2d6scifiadventure.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p>Here is the referee screen I created for myself: three landscape panels for use in the Savage Worlds GM screen. The leftmost panel covers personal combat; the middle one, skill checks and social encounters; and the rightmost, spaceship travel and combat. The are many references to page numbers in the SRD pdf and attempts at concise explanation. It's very much set up for someone learning the game, as I was (am). </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKlJs-TzMwmP_QFO_Bkj_VHWbrY6sEzr1TSpNCO83BqxnBQJb4QFhTPrlPlC2V0_UJq6X6fyVuoW5bu0XowqJ2NS-ppFZdTZpnX-uE1bZqkEnZEs85q_Apqn1WzSpAYv37BSKGGaZESKdWG5p3ag35YNU4Nq9VAaYMssXV_0ECRp1K1uxWQ0ukCMushkog/s4032/IMG_6499.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2088" data-original-width="4032" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKlJs-TzMwmP_QFO_Bkj_VHWbrY6sEzr1TSpNCO83BqxnBQJb4QFhTPrlPlC2V0_UJq6X6fyVuoW5bu0XowqJ2NS-ppFZdTZpnX-uE1bZqkEnZEs85q_Apqn1WzSpAYv37BSKGGaZESKdWG5p3ag35YNU4Nq9VAaYMssXV_0ECRp1K1uxWQ0ukCMushkog/w640-h333/IMG_6499.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>I make it available <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SOQ899Z6J9eDrK-j3wBqBQBWFiRWOVDy/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">here</a> for anyone who might find it useful. It's a 1 MB pdf.</p><p><br /></p>Peter C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13961433615453003926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-317269964004008954.post-69272130827397481062023-01-27T22:04:00.003-08:002023-02-02T09:15:59.626-08:00The Eagles are coming<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPDXLgjQfR1HwJyT4zqLt7UTUPmURB46_sS1LPi99MqC9bQNGLIPsuFcFDK0W9c-JDs-zwmA7nYsb3Hf8nqXRc01muoOVgpkDfKzYZBHAIfk2j08Xj8Ga46RKK-G4DEPRtTm1_1Y4WrdSKfX7Ab4olt92uqgl_HtsGBHsv8pNXUXoqjzSMrQAwrNUdUQ/s1492/Slide1.png" style="clear: left; display: inline; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1120" data-original-width="1492" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPDXLgjQfR1HwJyT4zqLt7UTUPmURB46_sS1LPi99MqC9bQNGLIPsuFcFDK0W9c-JDs-zwmA7nYsb3Hf8nqXRc01muoOVgpkDfKzYZBHAIfk2j08Xj8Ga46RKK-G4DEPRtTm1_1Y4WrdSKfX7Ab4olt92uqgl_HtsGBHsv8pNXUXoqjzSMrQAwrNUdUQ/w640-h480/Slide1.png" width="640" /></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1117" data-original-width="1742" height="410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNLwLfovjwv2nvr2WbAf3H4D_mkW4bVI0cmDxNVDlIwcOLpDMRaBvqr6f13Ky8An0hQRzD1fWF3_VXHckaqTHAY_IIMTSb6CPv78QPYDfJXcXrBnH-3nZojMi1a5fUQrDMESa8W6uvNRHBdZsSaBrENe7Y_7uH26vZnGMdT6TWPTGmCVOaGAaSL9F7rQ/w640-h410/Slide3b.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie3vAVH1VL069ObLRPIP_ihXUcj6K2e9yXeJ4Zv-KwhGfSDAz0IYlGKgBrkfPvohvBRtyXQK1B5A0QgnOXA-y3xIUGxsE01GG6mgR_Mm9EyeKrZYBwI_D8vlvhejrtr-Ih9rNbgdM-KIngTD06NLNrduk8NhFGqz9BxShNZ244khktFKJ4Ancjw8y2qQ/s2000/Slide4.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="2000" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie3vAVH1VL069ObLRPIP_ihXUcj6K2e9yXeJ4Zv-KwhGfSDAz0IYlGKgBrkfPvohvBRtyXQK1B5A0QgnOXA-y3xIUGxsE01GG6mgR_Mm9EyeKrZYBwI_D8vlvhejrtr-Ih9rNbgdM-KIngTD06NLNrduk8NhFGqz9BxShNZ244khktFKJ4Ancjw8y2qQ/w640-h360/Slide4.png" width="640" /></a></div>Peter C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13961433615453003926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-317269964004008954.post-82714111366587972992023-01-19T23:14:00.010-08:002023-02-02T09:15:12.734-08:00The new dispensation<p> <br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirAhYwFmBoSQ2kmsL7GONnl_QVWFV_bZRzbZDNAKUBZAQvd--7NM2wz0qHBwlDUi-zOIGOO97UT6gZBBpfLA_KyPRQecnVi08RuQp37lgC5WXJjUeA-d0uQfQ0QNoATHVymheLOiZbaB2CUQCU2lFhGs3qZkFVGOYJOhtpu2z99gZU-fL0XbyOVxNXLQ/s2000/OGL%201.2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="2000" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirAhYwFmBoSQ2kmsL7GONnl_QVWFV_bZRzbZDNAKUBZAQvd--7NM2wz0qHBwlDUi-zOIGOO97UT6gZBBpfLA_KyPRQecnVi08RuQp37lgC5WXJjUeA-d0uQfQ0QNoATHVymheLOiZbaB2CUQCU2lFhGs3qZkFVGOYJOhtpu2z99gZU-fL0XbyOVxNXLQ/w640-h360/OGL%201.2.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWlkonrW_BixpSqBRABEnJsLOxwRRJa8-bxZXFb81Pih_rB5aBEuH6bwi3_OotRtESfl3x1KVyvccYWx9gvIdJhgrV0wiXOv67-vPL4R2GbuIu9-0LFIFMqv1LyEz5nHvz7macn3aVbtIzdlIG_fJspvo2bVzpjz1MLcQOM9G623DxCtpVl6DnCrWSsg/s2000/Slide2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="2000" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWlkonrW_BixpSqBRABEnJsLOxwRRJa8-bxZXFb81Pih_rB5aBEuH6bwi3_OotRtESfl3x1KVyvccYWx9gvIdJhgrV0wiXOv67-vPL4R2GbuIu9-0LFIFMqv1LyEz5nHvz7macn3aVbtIzdlIG_fJspvo2bVzpjz1MLcQOM9G623DxCtpVl6DnCrWSsg/w640-h360/Slide2.png" width="640" /></a></div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHp4C8BQRC9GZsg-qjICYSQD8rGC5YYhmiRz9HYhPbbdVgautvgxEJ71AkHK_VEUER2bJPOwBl76fGtMw267ggxYNkio0HeRmCEspORFYZW290E3hbD0HYF7z0WdSJj0hei-0hs27frCI4ffSUovyWRBHO0QU2S5TjAGD6qUScKxeGkxJya-2c6LncpQ/s1530/Slide3.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1122" data-original-width="1530" height="470" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHp4C8BQRC9GZsg-qjICYSQD8rGC5YYhmiRz9HYhPbbdVgautvgxEJ71AkHK_VEUER2bJPOwBl76fGtMw267ggxYNkio0HeRmCEspORFYZW290E3hbD0HYF7z0WdSJj0hei-0hs27frCI4ffSUovyWRBHO0QU2S5TjAGD6qUScKxeGkxJya-2c6LncpQ/w640-h470/Slide3.png" width="640" /></a></div><p></p>Peter C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13961433615453003926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-317269964004008954.post-6104057470977391582023-01-18T17:21:00.021-08:002023-02-02T09:13:45.121-08:00The path forward<p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiizdyrPYNtSxruRxxbq8MvpZzbypOydGewLze_h_QN4GNYgzIv2N0OAVo283VBiNpUkhJN4GXMB7ED_aHqK8Mbn2LWtFlxqRPhsqImIpInsTpm8BfCt_05B7z79S0jhbAagYsnY5wXhCQO32bMr739CVbEB53arThF6fvai849e2TaPWJx8rTjYV4K0A/s2000/WotC%20apology%20survey.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="2000" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiizdyrPYNtSxruRxxbq8MvpZzbypOydGewLze_h_QN4GNYgzIv2N0OAVo283VBiNpUkhJN4GXMB7ED_aHqK8Mbn2LWtFlxqRPhsqImIpInsTpm8BfCt_05B7z79S0jhbAagYsnY5wXhCQO32bMr739CVbEB53arThF6fvai849e2TaPWJx8rTjYV4K0A/w640-h360/WotC%20apology%20survey.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Mouth of Sauron has a message for you.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p></p><p></p>Peter C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13961433615453003926noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-317269964004008954.post-84513134818065106542023-01-17T21:40:00.008-08:002023-02-02T09:12:52.687-08:00The path of adventure<p> </p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEbO67bQWzdSICXxHO8s0KtaLHZcODWSoPqJgpiGmO3zUCP7gd7VsFGpXqCpnB1pgHvr5J5_kFJKhA7TLeS5hjt6Ole4fme1ynYf_4i-M745MW0x-ArDNqXcomoohaMLgiwwruN5QoibQz5zpXOnPktPrXzYp4mFNxEztC41hkKgjLYG62--T5gvWVcQ/s2000/Future%20of%20the%20game2.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="2000" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEbO67bQWzdSICXxHO8s0KtaLHZcODWSoPqJgpiGmO3zUCP7gd7VsFGpXqCpnB1pgHvr5J5_kFJKhA7TLeS5hjt6Ole4fme1ynYf_4i-M745MW0x-ArDNqXcomoohaMLgiwwruN5QoibQz5zpXOnPktPrXzYp4mFNxEztC41hkKgjLYG62--T5gvWVcQ/w640-h360/Future%20of%20the%20game2.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>Peter C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13961433615453003926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-317269964004008954.post-395958407337686742023-01-17T11:37:00.015-08:002023-02-02T09:12:02.831-08:00A vision of the future<p><br /></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRjXj3HrleWmf99_pnhfMv1CoqWTbOOdWiwYwcGhkiC275eWWonfG2JNtELRNQsNEX17XODT8Fq71xOZZ-eCqWFaS2ulC6c30yQHSv6p9MPWTZc-W3jHjCfQSLVGwVr2wnLsL5kvEaIhf_9vH0S9kqJZLIfGHVY5bSn5_aT8PDWgmJZrtkxWv25sxWCQ/s2000/Future%20of%20the%20game.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="2000" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRjXj3HrleWmf99_pnhfMv1CoqWTbOOdWiwYwcGhkiC275eWWonfG2JNtELRNQsNEX17XODT8Fq71xOZZ-eCqWFaS2ulC6c30yQHSv6p9MPWTZc-W3jHjCfQSLVGwVr2wnLsL5kvEaIhf_9vH0S9kqJZLIfGHVY5bSn5_aT8PDWgmJZrtkxWv25sxWCQ/w640-h360/Future%20of%20the%20game.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stock art from schoolphotoproject.com, robot wizard from Lexica.art.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Peter C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13961433615453003926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-317269964004008954.post-42196964667181365652023-01-10T17:14:00.003-08:002023-02-02T09:11:03.525-08:00OneD&D to bind them all<p> I thought this story sounded familiar:</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhcEjpsHTl-5t6Hl7rz6YnoSlxqtd5Uv5-8L-Aorqq0ckNma-qrOHh-wxUBj4CXBfm2PnZW-Gvn97TNovfAtFZGHe_MPtSfqsbRj-aMiuyM94uBzwV7EL4QDUWXvlSJaUjMPZIprqYQ4q6vP2n24M8Mcc_ZNLRKgzWYzX8DfcLT9KEA3ZQv01O5evUwJQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="606" data-original-width="2061" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhcEjpsHTl-5t6Hl7rz6YnoSlxqtd5Uv5-8L-Aorqq0ckNma-qrOHh-wxUBj4CXBfm2PnZW-Gvn97TNovfAtFZGHe_MPtSfqsbRj-aMiuyM94uBzwV7EL4QDUWXvlSJaUjMPZIprqYQ4q6vP2n24M8Mcc_ZNLRKgzWYzX8DfcLT9KEA3ZQv01O5evUwJQ=w640-h188" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><br /><br /><p></p>Peter C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13961433615453003926noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-317269964004008954.post-73784780317670187242022-08-29T21:55:00.002-07:002022-08-29T21:55:34.418-07:00Role-playing games set in the early modern period (ca. 1500-1800)<p> </p><p>This is a list of 68 role-playing games published since 1975 that are set in, or draw heavy inspiration from, the period between <span style="font-size: x-small;">AD</span> 1500 and 1800. Most are in English, although there are a number of French games and one Spanish example.</p><p>I began this list a few years ago and posted it to Google+ prior to that platform's demise; since then, I've periodically returned to update it and add games as they came to my attention. Many of these games I have not seen in print, but only learned about through online research. The website Le guide du rôliste galactique (https://www.legrog.org/) has been very useful for finding details about many of these, as has Wikipedia. As the list has grown considerably since I first shared it on Google+, it may be worth sharing again. Below is a summary of the list; the full Google spreadsheet (with additional columns of data) can be found <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1gr2nybIqphgaYE5IZB7Kxl9VAxnS4JmvYRzfGAdMGbw/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p>The concept of an "early modern period" referring to the period ca. 1500-1800 is commonplace in scholarly circles but is generally eschewed by publishers of popular histories and may be unfamiliar to many. It's admittedly something of a Eurocentric notion but nevertheless a useful one even outside of a European context, insofar as a key defining characteristic of this early "modernity" was the beginnings of forms of European colonialism and imperialism that have so shaped the world over the past half-millennium. As is the case with all such periodizations, historians will continue to argue about its coherence, its beginning, and its end, but the basic formulation is pretty clear. In general terms, the early modern period is understood to mark a rupture from the medieval era that preceded it due to a number of key developments within Europe: the cultural and political consequences of the rapid spread of the new (to Europe) technology of the printing press; the emergence of black powder weapons; the religious schism within western Christianity with the Protestant Reformation; and the advent of overseas expansion to coastal Africa, the Indian subcontinent, the Americas, and southeast Asia.</p><p>In the context of role-playing games, the early modern period can effectively by summed up by two tropes: musketeers and pirates. The classic literary exemplars of these tropes can be found, respectively, in Dumas' <i>Three Musketeers</i> and Stevenson's <i>Treasure Island. </i>Other minor themes emerge as well, as can be seen by perusing the list: witch-hunting, political revolution, and empire. </p><p>If the earliest games in the list were designed to reflect real-world history, many others involve the importing of selective aspects of the early modern period into fantasy settings, or the elaboration of an alternative history that allows for the incorporation of fantastical elements. My criteria for inclusion were broad: if, for example, a game set in a fantasy world involved pirates with tricorn hats, black powder weapons, and examples of Hollywood "pirate talk" (i.e., the West Country accent popularized by actor Robert Newton in the mid-20th century), I added it, even if the setting wasn't even remotely connected to Earth history. </p><p>I have no doubt that I've missed many games. I would be glad to learn of them! I am surprised not to have come across any RPGs set in sixteenth-century Japan, for example. But perhaps I have not been looking hard enough. </p><p><google-sheets-html-origin></google-sheets-html-origin></p><table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" dir="ltr" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; font-family: arial, sans, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; table-layout: fixed; width: 0px;" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><colgroup><col width="340"></col><col width="152"></col><col width="100"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"En Garde!"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">En Garde!</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Game Designers' Workshop"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Game Designers' Workshop</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":1975}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1975</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Buccaneer"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Buccaneer</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Adversary Games"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Adversary Games</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":1979}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1979</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Skull & Crossbones"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Skull & Crossbones</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Fantasy Games Unlimited"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Fantasy Games Unlimited</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":1980}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1980</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Pirates and Plunder"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Pirates and Plunder</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Yaquinto Publications"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Yaquinto Publications</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":1981}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1981</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Taste My Steel!"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Taste My Steel!</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Phantasy Network"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Phantasy Network</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":1982}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1982</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Privateers & Gentlemen"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Privateers & Gentlemen</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Fantasy Games Unlimited"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Fantasy Games Unlimited</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":1983}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1983</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Flashing Blades"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Flashing Blades</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Fantasy Games Unlimited"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Fantasy Games Unlimited</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":1984}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1984</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Maelstrom"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Maelstrom</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Puffin Books"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Puffin Books</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":1984}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1984</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"High Seas"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">High Seas</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Fantasy Games Unlimited"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Fantasy Games Unlimited</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":1985}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1985</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Games Workshop"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Games Workshop</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":1986}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1986</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"GURPS Swashbucklers"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">GURPS Swashbucklers</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Steve Jackson Games"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Steve Jackson Games</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":1988}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1988</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Aux armes, citoyens!"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Aux armes, citoyens!</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Cubic 6"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Cubic 6</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":1988}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1988</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Swashbuckler"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Swashbuckler</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Jolly Roger Games"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Jolly Roger Games</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":1988}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1988</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Lace & Steel"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Lace & Steel</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"The Australian Game Group"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">The Australian Game Group</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":1989}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1989</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Pirates (campaign supplement for Rolemaster and Fantasy Hero"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Pirates (campaign supplement for Rolemaster and Fantasy Hero</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Iron Crown Enterprises"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Iron Crown Enterprises</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":1990}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1990</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Capitaine Vaudou"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Capitaine Vaudou</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Casus Belli / Jeux Descartes"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Casus Belli / Jeux Descartes</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":1991}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1991</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"GURPS Scarlet Pimpernel"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">GURPS Scarlet Pimpernel</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Steve Jackson Games"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Steve Jackson Games</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":1991}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1991</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"A Mighty Fortress (AD&D 2e Sourcebook)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">A Mighty Fortress (AD&D 2e Sourcebook)</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"TSR"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">TSR</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":1992}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1992</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"At Rapier's Point (genre book for Rolemaster)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">At Rapier's Point (genre book for Rolemaster)</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Iron Crown Enterprises"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Iron Crown Enterprises</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":1993}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1993</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Extraordinary Adventures of Baron Munchausen"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Extraordinary Adventures of Baron Munchausen</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Hogshead Publishing"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Hogshead Publishing</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":1998}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1998</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Furry Pirates"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Furry Pirates</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Atlas Games"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Atlas Games</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":1999}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1999</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"7th Sea"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">7th Sea</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"AEG"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">AEG</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":1999}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">1999</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Ravenloft Campaign Setting (D&D 3e)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Ravenloft Campaign Setting (D&D 3e)</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Arthaus/Sword&Sorcery [White Wolf]"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Arthaus/Sword&Sorcery [White Wolf]</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2001}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2001</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Juego de rol del Capitán Alatriste"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Juego de rol del Capitán Alatriste</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Devir Iberia"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Devir Iberia</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2002}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2002</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"50 Fathoms (Savage Worlds)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">50 Fathoms (Savage Worlds)</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Pinnacle Entertainment Group"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Pinnacle Entertainment Group</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2003}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2003</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Pavillion noir"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Pavillion noir</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Black Book Éditions"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Black Book Éditions</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2004}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2004</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":1632}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">1632</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Battlefield Press"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Battlefield Press</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2004}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2004</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Mousquetaires de l'ombre"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Mousquetaires de l'ombre</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Phénix Édition"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Phénix Édition</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2004}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2004</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Northern Crown: New World Adventures"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Northern Crown: New World Adventures</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Atlas Games"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Atlas Games</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2005}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2005</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Te Deum pour un massacre"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Te Deum pour un massacre</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Éditions du Matagot"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Éditions du Matagot</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2005}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2005</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"d20 Past (d20 Modern supplement)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">d20 Past (d20 Modern supplement)</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Wizards of the Coast"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Wizards of the Coast</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2005}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2005</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Witch Hunter"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Witch Hunter</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Paradigm Concepts"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Paradigm Concepts</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2007}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2007</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Savage Worlds of Solomon Kane"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Savage Worlds of Solomon Kane</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Pinnacle Entertainment Group"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Pinnacle Entertainment Group</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2007}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2007</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Pirates of the Spanish Main (Savage Worlds)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Pirates of the Spanish Main (Savage Worlds)</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Pinnacle Entertainment Group"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Pinnacle Entertainment Group</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2007}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2007</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"PIrates (Runequest supplement)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Pirates (Runequest supplement)</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Mongoose Publishing"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Mongoose Publishing</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2007}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2007</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Colonial Gothic"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Colonial Gothic</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Rogue Games"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Rogue Games</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2007}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2007</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Poison'd: A Pirate RPG"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Poison'd: A Pirate RPG</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Lumpley Games"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Lumpley Games</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2007}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2007</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Khaos 1795"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Khaos 1795</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Les 12 Singes"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Les 12 Singes</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2008}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2008</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Beat to Quarters"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Beat to Quarters</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Neil Gow"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Neil Gow</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2009}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2009</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Lamentations of the Flame Princess"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Lamentations of the Flame Princess</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"LotFP"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">LotFP</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2010}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2010</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Clockwork & Chivalry"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Clockwork & Chivalry</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Cubicle 7"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Cubicle 7</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2010}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2010</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"All for One: Régime Diabolique"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">All for One: Régime Diabolique</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Cubicle 7"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Cubicle 7</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2010}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2010</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Backswords & Bucklers"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Backswords & Bucklers</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Tied to a Kite Games"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Tied to a Kite Games</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2011}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2011</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Renaissance Deluxe"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Renaissance Deluxe</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Cakebread & Walton"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Cakebread & Walton</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2012}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2012</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Honor + Intrigue"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Honor + Intrigue</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Basic Action Games"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Basic Action Games</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2012}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2012</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Terra Incognita - Voyages aux pays de nulle part"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Terra Incognita - Voyages aux pays de nulle part</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Les XII Singes/Respell"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Les XII Singes/Respell</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2012}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2012</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Sabres & Witchery"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Sabres & Witchery</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Beyond Belief Games"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Beyond Belief Games</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2013}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2013</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Tenebrae"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Tenebrae</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Les XII Singes"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Les XII Singes</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2013}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2013</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Solomon Kane 4e édition"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Solomon Kane 4e édition</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Olivier Legrand"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Olivier Legrand</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2013}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2013</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Pirates & Dragons"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Pirates & Dragons</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Cakebread & Walton"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Cakebread & Walton</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2014}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2014</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Blood Tide: Black Sails and Dark Rituals (BRP)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Blood Tide: Black Sails and Dark Rituals (BRP)</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Chaosium"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Chaosium</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2014}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2014</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Les lames du cardinal"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Les lames du cardinal</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Sans-Détour Éditions"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Sans-Détour Éditions</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2014}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2014</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"XVII, au fil de l'âme"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">XVII, au fil de l'âme</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"JdR Éditions"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">JdR Éditions</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2015}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2015</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Leaves of Chiaroscuro"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Leaves of Chiaroscuro</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Bennett-Burks Design"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Bennett-Burks Design</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2016}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2016</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Mordiou!"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Mordiou!</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Chibi"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Chibi</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2016}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2016</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Buccaneer: Through Hell and High Water"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Buccaneer: Through Hell and High Water</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Yellow Piece Games / Fabled Environments"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Yellow Piece Games / Fabled Environments</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2017}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2017</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Freebooters"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Freebooters</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Night Owl Workshop"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Night Owl Workshop</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2017}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2017</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"LexOccultum"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">LexOccultum</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Riotminds"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Riotminds</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2018}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2018</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Miseries & Misfortunes, 2nd edition"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Miseries & Misfortunes, 2nd edition</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Luke Crane"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Luke Crane</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2019}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2019</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Rapscallion: Ashcan Edition"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Rapscallion: Ashcan Edition</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Magpie Games"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Magpie Games</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2019}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2019</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Sea of Thieves Roleplaying Game"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Sea of Thieves Roleplaying Game</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Mongoose Publishing"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Mongoose Publishing</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2019}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2019</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Forts & Frontiers - Feast of the Dead quickstart"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Forts & Frontiers - Feast of the Dead quickstart</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Campaign Games"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Campaign Games</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2019}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2019</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"17th Century Minimalist"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">17th Century Minimalist</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Games Omnivorous"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Games Omnivorous</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2020}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2020</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Flames of Freedom Grim and Perilous RPG"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Flames of Freedom Grim and Perilous RPG</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Andrews McNeel"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Andrews McNeel</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2021}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2021</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"The Dee Sanction"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">The Dee Sanction</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Just Crunch Games"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Just Crunch Games</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2021}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2021</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Nations & Cannons"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Nations & Cannons</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Flagbearer Games"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Flagbearer Games</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2021}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2021</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Gran Meccanismo: Clockpunk Roleplaying in Da Vinci's Florence"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Gran Meccanismo: Clockpunk Roleplaying in Da Vinci's Florence</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Osprey Publishing"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Osprey Publishing</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2022}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">2022</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Iron Kingdoms: The Nightmare Empire"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Iron Kingdoms: The Nightmare Empire</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Privateer Press"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Privateer Press</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2023}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;">coming in 2023</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>One thing the list suggests is the perennial interest in the period and its tropes. In 47 years, 68 games have been published, an average of 1.4 games per year. Pirates, it seems, have always been popular, even before the success of the <i>Pirates of the Caribbean</i> franchise. </div><div><br /></div><div>Above all, the early modern period is the locus par excellence for swashbuckling adventure. Folks try to shoehorn it into their medieval fantasy games, but it doesn't really fit, does it?</div>Peter C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13961433615453003926noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-317269964004008954.post-76351244120244880182021-03-09T21:26:00.003-08:002021-03-11T07:44:59.617-08:00A Fistful of Credits: Episode Two<p> A quiet descends over your freighter as the ship tunnels through hyperspace. </p><p>Ben and Rell head to the cramped medbay where Tal-Nor-San helps them patch up their wounds. After a bite to eat, Rell spends some time researching Adar Tallon. At Tal-Nor-San's suggestion, her astromech droid, BLU, hacks into the comlink you took from the Imperial officer back on Kwenn Station and develops a program to decrypt everyday Imperial communications sent over regular frequencies. He installs this on your own comlinks: when you get to Tatooine, you'll be able to monitor low-security chatter. You all get some rest.</p><p>Twelve hours later, you come out of hyperspace. Before you, a glowing sphere hangs in space, the rays of twin suns reflecting from the endless sea of sand that covers its surface: Tatooine, a desert planet. Soon, you are hailed by space traffic controllers. Ben's smuggling past allows him to come up with a plausible story and you are directed to docking bay 94 in Mos Eisley, the planet's administrative centre and largest settlement.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsEWYqT2cD1he7VbLNWLTfF6UreSR5cOs2UI7f4JY0mZaRW3i0xHUKZzN5nHRP6ITu7fXtttIVBEjp1UHe-1bKZ8xy2teYBLZZSa4j3XLZEvREun1D5lWxfYFXnbfjz7p-KGbJBHFmOVd1/s1920/Mos+Eisley+birds+eye+view.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsEWYqT2cD1he7VbLNWLTfF6UreSR5cOs2UI7f4JY0mZaRW3i0xHUKZzN5nHRP6ITu7fXtttIVBEjp1UHe-1bKZ8xy2teYBLZZSa4j3XLZEvREun1D5lWxfYFXnbfjz7p-KGbJBHFmOVd1/w320-h181/Mos+Eisley+birds+eye+view.png" width="320" /></a></div><p>After dealing with a gruff customs officer, you make your way into this wretched hive of scum and villainy. Immediately you notice that the centre of town is thronging with well-armed ruffians representing an infinity of species. These bounty hunters are harassing the locals, asking questions aggressively, and buying up local supplies. There's a noticeable absence of Imperial authorities.</p><p>You slip into the cantina to get the lay of the land. Bounty hunters abound here as well, ranging from painfully inexperienced greenhorns to scarred veterans of a hundred chases. The place is also popular with the local toughs. Two tusked and hirsute bullies are bothering an elderly human woman. You intercede, with Ben charming the bullies with banter and generous offers of drinks while Rell and Tal-Nor-San extricate the woman and introduce themselves. She is Edu Harn, and she numbers among the earliest non-Indigenous settlers to arrive on Tatooine in the first colony ships. Only a few of the old-timers remain; life was, and is, hard on Tatooine. She tells harrowing tales of the raids of the Sand People and warns you against going into the desert. You ask her about Adar Tallon and show her the commandant's image from your research; Edu replies that she does not recognize the visage. "She ain't in this town, that's for sure: I know everyone in Mos Eisley!" However, Edu figures if there's someone hiding on Tatooine, there's one creature likely to know about it: Labria, who specializes in selling secrets. He's not in the cantina at the moment, but she tells you he's certain to show up there once the twin suns have set.</p><p>You offer to escort Edu home and let her guide you through a tangle of narrow streets to her humble dwelling. She thanks you. You invite her to join you on your ship for dinner, but she declines: she feels safest at home. </p><p>You make your way back toward the centre of town, thinking to sample some street food and buy provisions at the market while waiting to meet Labria. As you come around the corner of the Mos Eisley general store, you stumble onto the scene of an altercation. Four mean-looking bounty hunters are engaged in a heated dispute with a tall human male. The latter is tall and athletic, with a lantern jaw and prime-time-TV good looks. He stands his ground bravely while his companions, a gleaming protocol droid and a one-metre tall furry biped, look on with growing concern. Fingers, claws, and various appendages jab accusingly; shoulders are shoved; voices rise. Finally, the human raises his hands in a gesture of conciliation and backs away, trying to defuse the situation. The bounty hunters seem to relax. Then the human makes a mistake: he bobs his head dismissively and turns to walk away. A second after his back is turned, one of the bounty hunter draws his blaster in a single smooth movement and fires, once. The man pitches forward and falls face down on the sandy street, a smoking hole between his shoulder blades. </p><p>The locals quickly clear the scene. The bounty hunters level their weapons threateningly at the crowd and back away toward the marketplace. The protocol droid and diminutive furball rush to the fallen man, only to confirm that he is, indeed dead. The small one waves his spear menacingly at the retreating killers, but they ignore him. You dash to the scene just in time to prevent him from launching himself at his friend's attackers.</p><p>Despite your entreaties, none of the locals are willing to help you. Tal-Nor-San gathers up the dead man in his arms while you speak to the protocol droid. He is Q1-A0, and the dead man is Lon Killis. With them is Flitray, an Ewok from the forest moon of Endor. They have been on Tatooine for less than an hour. You offer to take Killis back to his ship, which is at docking bay 92. On the way there, you figure out that Killis was dispatched to Tatooine to make contact with you after Rebel intelligence received your cryptic message sent from Kwenn Station. Realizing the docking bay is secured with a lock, you decide to return to your own ship to get your astromech droid in the hopes that it will be able to open the lock. Leaving the body of Lon Killis aboard, you quickly return to the streets.</p><p>Before you can access the unfortunate comrade's scout ship, you learn that a squad of Imperial troopers has been dispatched to secure it. They are already on site! Listening in on the Imperial frequencies, you hear the squad leader report that they are aboard the ship but have found nothing unusual. The Imperial officer at HQ orders two troopers to return to headquarters to pick up a droid in order to perform a more thorough search of the ship's computers. Fearing the Imperials may discover sensitive information, you resolve to disrupt the plan. Following the two troopers as they make their way through town to the prefecture, you choose your moment: a narrow passage with little traffic. Sprinting forward undetected, Ben gets close to the troopers and, his blaster set to stun, shoots them both. One shot misses, but Ben dodges the return fire and downs the trooper with a second blast. You look up to see a crowd of Jawas staring at you. They've seen everything. You gesture at them to be off and begin dragging the troopers into an alleyway. The Jawas melt away. You pray they don't turn you in...</p><p>Donning the armour of the unconscious troopers, Ben and Rell step out into the street and retrace their steps toward the docking bay while Tal-Nor-San and Flitray bind the prisoners securely before following. The two impostors bluff their way into the docking bay, presenting Rell's astromech droid as the unit designated for the search and informing the other troopers that they are to return to HQ. In short order, BLU succeeds in slicing into the scout ship's computers and removing any compromising information. You contemplate some way of disposing of the ship or disabling it, but before you can attempt either, Ben's and Rell's helmets receive messages from HQ, demanding the reason for their tardiness. You reply reassuringly, but as messages fly back and forth between HQ and the other troopers, your deception is revealed. The four troopers are ordered back to the docking bay to detain you! Ben, Rell and BLU quickly leave the scene, joining up with the others on the streets and slipping into Mos Eisley's web of narrow alleys. Lon Killis's secrets are safe, but the Imperials' suspicions are aroused. And you have yet to pick up the trail of Adar Tallon.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>To be continued...</i></p><p>Rewards:</p><p>2 skill points each</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Peter C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13961433615453003926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-317269964004008954.post-20318219721390240952021-02-15T15:24:00.015-08:002021-02-17T10:42:07.739-08:00A simple, Risk-inspired, mass battle system for D&D-type games<p> </p><p>For the final climactic battle scene in a D&D 5e campaign that concluded late last summer, I wanted a simple mass battle system that would make the PCs' actions count, but that also would also include elements of randomness.</p><p>It was a Pelennor Fields-type scenario, with a big army of bad buys attacking a walled city with a smaller number of defenders.</p><p>The broader arc of the campaign as a whole had acquired a structure similar to that of the story in the video game <i>Dragon Age: Origins</i>, wherein the protagonists endeavour to build a coalition to oppose evil. In this case, the PCs had undertaken various quests to earn the friendship of a city of Dwarves, of the Elves of a particular forest, and of another human kingdom in addition to the trust of the city's inhabitants. I wanted their successes to matter, mechanically, in the final battle where all these allies would show up and fight together.</p><p>But I also wanted to keep things simple and not have to deal with the endless series of circumstantial modifiers and general complexity that plague most mass combat rules. (I had already rejected various TSR-era and recent WotC mass combat systems for that very reason.) At the same time, I wanted something more elaborate than a single die roll.</p><p>I wanted to PCs to continue to be able to shape the circumstances of the final battle up to the last moment, as well as play a role in the battle itself. While I was fine handling some pre-battle action using the normal D&D roleplaying systems, I didn't want the resolution of the final battle to get bogged down in the details of a standard D&D combat. The latter typically lasts seconds or minutes in game time, but tens of minutes or even hours in real time.</p><p>The solution was <i>Risk</i>--with a few elements inspired by the mass combat rules in <i>Savage Worlds</i>. The opposing forces are represented by pools of tokens, as in <i>Risk</i>. One side is attacking and the other defends. As anyone who has played the board game knows, the attacker should enjoy a significant numerical advantage if they plan on winning because the dice-rolling system holds built-in advantages for the defender. This handily modeled the underdog situation of the heroes and their allies. But the key about <i>Risk </i>is that when dealing with sizeable armies, the system breaks the battle down into stages by placing limits on the number of tokens that can be risked with each dice roll. Things can see-saw back and forth dramatically rather than being over in a single cast. And by tweaking the <i>Risk </i>system to create opportunities for the players to gain further mechanical advantages, it serves to model the classic trope of heroes succeeding against overwhelming odds.</p><p>Prior to the battle proper, the PCs had a chance to collectively do one thing to alter the course of events, which we would play out using the usual game systems. Mechanically speaking, the objective was to reduce the strength of the opposing force by lowering its Hit Dice total. At one level, it meant a choice between trying to take out large numbers of low-Hit Dice creatures or one or two "boss"-type creatures. At another level, there were in-world strategic factors to consider. There were three obvious threats: the huge army of <i>gargun</i> (goblinoids) approaching the walls; some black-sailed airships, and a kraken. The PCs chose to deal with the kraken. (A wise choice, since its ability to bring down the city's walls would have made the gargun army that much more formidable and exposed the innocent non-combatants to danger.) After several rounds of normal combat (if you can call fighting a kraken "normal"), the PCs eliminated that threat through a combination of enchantment and physical attacks, driving the sea monster away. In fact, they did it so easily that I felt no guilt whatsoever about then revealing a kaiju-sized automaton that was the bad guys' secret weapon. This enemy was a bit tougher, but they managed to win out.</p><p>When they were done, I quickly determined the relative strengths of the two sides, and we proceeded with the final battle, <i>Risk</i>-style. (I had previously set up a <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/12dljMoxK8aub8wx6TfFdJsV0CpwFpl4pWF-8zoP8H4s/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">spreadsheet </a>to do this. The spreadsheet wasn't absolutely necessary, but was helpful to quickly re-calculate the relative strengths of the armies. One could just as easily come up with a determination on the fly.) In this new phase of action, the PCs could still act, but according to the mass battles rules below, which gave them a chance to affect the outcome of the <i>Risk</i>-combat while exposing them to some danger in the form of lost hit points.</p><p>Despite eliminating the kraken and the colossus as threats, the enemy forces still outnumbered the defenders, but during the mass combat the PCs were able to earn a number of re-rolls that decisively turned the tide. (In normal <i>Risk</i>, of course, no one gets to re-roll anything.) In real time, the entire affair lasted one and a quarter sessions -- a bit over 3 hours of time at the table. (Or, in our case, at our computers, since we were social distancing by necessity.) Most of that time was spent resolving two fights (kraken and automaton) that lasted only a minute in the game world -- such is the reality of D&D 5e with 20th-level PCs. It's slow-ish to run. But in the second phase, the ensuing struggle on the battlefield representing several hours of desperate back-and-forth, was resolved very quickly with fewer than a dozen <i>Risk</i> rolls. PC actions in each round of the mass battle could be narrated as a montage of slow-motion sequences that suitably represented their efforts. </p><p>I felt it was, overall, a satisfying pacing that combined in a meaningful way (1) the long-term consequences of the PCs' efforts over a five-year campaign to cobble together a coalition; (2) the players' mastery of their PCs' individual abilities, deployed according to the game's normal systems; and (3) the uncertainty and peril of a massive battle whose outcome the PCs could shape but not dictate. The d6 <i>Risk </i>rolls during the mass combat segment were full of genuine suspense for us. They <i>could</i> have lost.</p><p>Here are those rules--well, guidelines really--for your perusal, commentary, and perhaps even enjoyment.</p><p><br /></p><p></p><div style="border-bottom: solid #4F81BD 1.0pt; border: none; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 4pt;">
<p class="MsoTitle"><span lang="EN-US">Simple Mass Battle System<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<h2><span lang="EN-US">Setup<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Determine the total strength of each side. (In
D&D, the easiest way of doing this is to add up the number of character
levels or Hit Dice in each army.) Give the force with the larger total 10
tokens and the other force a proportionate number of tokens. Don’t forget about
mounts, animal companions, etc.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Decide which side is attacking and which
side is defending.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Example: Five 8<sup>th</sup>-level PCs join
the city guard to defend against an attack by giants. The guard (most of whom
are 1<sup>st</sup>-level fighters) and their officers have 447 levels among them
and the PCs an additional 40, for a total of 487.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The 52 attacking giants (a combined force of
Hill, Frost, and Stone Giants) represent a total of 571 levels. The giants have
10 tokens, the defenders 9. (Those aren't good odds for an attacker in <i>Risk</i>.)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<h2><span lang="EN-US">Combat<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Play <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Risk</i>.<a href="file:///D:/RPG%20stuff/Peter's%20campaigns/5e%20H%C3%A2rn/Simple%20Mass%20Battle%20System%20v3.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="FootnoteAnchor"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="FootnoteAnchor"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
The following sequence represents one round of battle.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">1.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The attacker announces the
number of dice they wish to roll: 1, 2, or 3. The attacker must have at least
one more token in their<a href="file:///D:/RPG%20stuff/Peter's%20campaigns/5e%20H%C3%A2rn/Simple%20Mass%20Battle%20System%20v3.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="FootnoteAnchor"><span class="FootnoteAnchor"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">[2]</span></span></span></a>
army than the number of dice to be rolled. E.g., the attacker must have at
least 4 tokens to roll 3 dice.</span><!--[if !supportLists]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">The defender will roll either 1
or 2 dice. They must announce their decision before rolling. To roll 2 dice,
the defender must have at least two tokens.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">Attacker and defender roll dice
simultaneously.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">Compare the highest die each
side rolled. If the attacker’s is higher, the defender loses one token. But if
the defender’s is higher, the attacker loses one token. In the case of a tie,
the defender wins.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">If both combatants rolled more
than one die, compare the next-highest dice in each pool and repeat the process.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">If the attacker has at least two tokens
remaining, they may decide to attack again. If they choose to pause and regroup
or withdraw, the defender may decide to counterattack, in which case they
become the attacker during the next round of combat.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Lost tokens represent fighters that are
killed, wounded, or routed. There is no need for a separate system to check
morale; any remaining tokens are assumed to be combat-ready.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Note: because the defender never rolls more
than 2 dice, the attacker can never lose more than 2 tokens on a single roll. For
the same reason, the defender can never lose more than 2 tokens in a single
round of battle.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<h2><span lang="EN-US">PCs during the battle<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Have PCs outline how they will contribute
to the current round of battle and then make an appropriate ability check: STR
for attacking in melee, DEX for archery, spellcasting ability for magic, INT
for a pursuing a tactical advantage, CHA for inspiring troops, etc. (Note: this
is NOT a skill check—this roll abstractly represents a protracted series of
actions of various kinds, not a single action or use of a specific ability or spell. Choose the dominant
ability related to whatever the PC wishes to do.) <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Make an appropriate test according to whatever
D&D system you use. The difficulty should be modified by the relative sizes
of the opposing forces. For example, in 5<sup>th</sup> ed., the target number
or DC could be 10 plus the number of tokens representing the enemy force. In B/X, a PC
rolls under the relevant ability score, which could be adjusted up or down
depending on the difference between each side’s number of remaining tokens.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Failure means the PC suffers bad fortune on
the battlefield and loses 2d4x10 % of their maximum hp.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(This could reduce a previously wounded PC’s
hit points to zero, meaning they have fallen on the field of battle.) Success
means the PC suffers 2d6 hp damage and their side is granted a re-roll of any
one die during the next round of mass combat.<a href="file:///D:/RPG%20stuff/Peter's%20campaigns/5e%20H%C3%A2rn/Simple%20Mass%20Battle%20System%20v3.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="FootnoteAnchor"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="FootnoteAnchor"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
This is a huge advantage in <i>Risk</i>, and should motivate the PCs to act
each round, even if it imperils them as individuals!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<h2><span lang="EN-US">Aftermath<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">If the defender runs out of tokens, it
means their forces are dead, wounded, or routed (see below for survivors). The
attacker can occupy their position and pillage their gear, etc. If the attacker
is reduced to a single token, they can no longer attack and may be vulnerable
to a counterattack.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">When one side runs out of tokens, it’s
defeated: that side’s combatants are wounded, dead, or fleeing. If it’s
important, determine the survivors by rolling 1d6 for each token lost during
the battle. On a 1 or 2, that token is lost forever; on a 3-6, the token
represents survivors, included wounded combatants and routed and leaderless
units. Compare the surviving post-combat tokens to the pre-combat figure to
determine how many levels/Hit Dice worth of combatants perished during the
fight and distribute losses accordingly. Whatever the result, the surviving
tokens will not be able to form a cohesive army for a considerable time.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="ftn1" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="file:///D:/RPG%20stuff/Peter's%20campaigns/5e%20H%C3%A2rn/Simple%20Mass%20Battle%20System%20v3.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="FootnoteCharacters"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="FootnoteCharacters"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US"> See full rules at https://www.hasbro.com/common/instruct/risk.pdf.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn2" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="file:///D:/RPG%20stuff/Peter's%20campaigns/5e%20H%C3%A2rn/Simple%20Mass%20Battle%20System%20v3.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="FootnoteCharacters"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="FootnoteCharacters"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US"> ‘Their’ is used here as a gender-neutral singular pronoun.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn3" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="file:///D:/RPG%20stuff/Peter's%20campaigns/5e%20H%C3%A2rn/Simple%20Mass%20Battle%20System%20v3.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="FootnoteCharacters"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="FootnoteCharacters"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US"> This section, along with the idea of ten tokens for the larger force, was inspired by <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Savage
Worlds Deluxe Explorer’s Edition</i>, pp. 106–107.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div><br /><p></p>Peter C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13961433615453003926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-317269964004008954.post-91642713575204473252021-02-12T20:02:00.009-08:002021-02-13T11:15:56.542-08:00A Fistful of Credits: Episode One<p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: helvetica;">A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far, away . . .</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gQQfx-LTGwY" width="320" youtube-src-id="gQQfx-LTGwY"></iframe></div><p>As the music fades, the camera pans down across the starfield and a space station orbiting a blue planet comes into view. A <i>Victory</i>-class imperial destroyer glides toward the station, easing into dock. Its hull is visibly battered and scored from laser cannon fire. </p><p>Note to readers: spoilers follow for the West End Games adventure <i>Tatooine Manhunt,</i> published in 1988.</p><p>INT. STAR DESTROYER</p><p>Twin blast doors slide open and two stormtroopers march in, dragging a manacled human between them. They drop him before a group of imperial officers.</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span>STORMTROOPER</span> </p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"> This is the leader, Commander.</p></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">COMMANDER PARLAN</p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">Pirate scum. Trying to resist this ship was futile. By imperial law I can convene a court here and now. I have little doubt about the outcome. The penalty for piracy is death.</p></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">PIRATE</p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">No -- wait! I have information! (pause) I know where Adar Tallon is!</p></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">COMMANDER PARLAN</p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">Fool. Commander Tallon is dead. Her ship was destroyed by pirate filth like you. (To the troopers) Take him away.</p></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"> PIRATE</p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">It's not true! She's alive. I served on the <i>Battalion.</i> I know what happened. She wasn't killed, she's in hiding. I can tell you where. In exchange for my life.</p></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"> COMMANDER PARLAN</p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"> So. A pirate and a deserter. I'll make no promises, but the court will take into account any verifiable information you provide to the empire. Where is Tallon supposed to be hiding?</p></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">PIRATE </p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">Tatooine.</p></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">COMMANDER PARLAN</p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p>(to a subaltern beside him) How long until the hyperdrive activators are repaired?</p></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p>SUBALTERN</p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p>Five days, sir.</p></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">COMMANDER PARLAN</p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"> Make it four. (pause) We need to make sure that Tallon -- if she's there at all -- doesn't fly the coop before we arrive. Lieutenant Voor, send for the bounty hunters. And take this scum back to his cell. Dismissed.</p></blockquote></blockquote><p>As the officers disperse, one junior officer, a young woman, ducks into an alcove and types furiously on a datapad. Looking about to avoid being spotted, she slips away down a side corridor. </p><p>EXTERIOR SPACE STATION</p><p>A small spaceship maneuvers into a busy docking bay on the far side of the station from the Star Destoyer.</p><p>INTERIOR SPACE STATION</p><p>The spaceship lands and three figures descend the loading ramp, followed by an astromech droid.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifIOs-69i7li0kWvEaMSW8XXRs5-CZOusuzeyV7j141WICVfSiD7jUeRgIPdWCqfY8XDrpb-pW4idAcoi-0pOdis9777vmzQwywkUSy1zdYEdxKoVr6mk2yzyvBI2r7joUhy680DhakJsf/s238/Ben.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="238" data-original-width="187" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifIOs-69i7li0kWvEaMSW8XXRs5-CZOusuzeyV7j141WICVfSiD7jUeRgIPdWCqfY8XDrpb-pW4idAcoi-0pOdis9777vmzQwywkUSy1zdYEdxKoVr6mk2yzyvBI2r7joUhy680DhakJsf/w157-h200/Ben.jpg" width="157" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ben, human smuggler<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyo2gd4ibUo5MwEKsfZ7_aDnMQ2UtKE1547IY1YL_UVekRMKPjJCPz0jkzhn9fu_n7FLUuex8N8jrk59-Vefit76KVgXydXYV1sr79XQ8zKhjtRYUqGyuFW7xI5KObRjigSTkT7l4qzqUi/s531/Rell.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="531" data-original-width="426" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyo2gd4ibUo5MwEKsfZ7_aDnMQ2UtKE1547IY1YL_UVekRMKPjJCPz0jkzhn9fu_n7FLUuex8N8jrk59-Vefit76KVgXydXYV1sr79XQ8zKhjtRYUqGyuFW7xI5KObRjigSTkT7l4qzqUi/w161-h200/Rell.jpg" width="161" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rell, human diplomatic <br />courier</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV_lyrqnvYIo4Cx4gkUHu0TvZfnZ7uiMKHz0gtpkNoqdCW74XcQxw1MgqUS4cNIe9l80EKQQqvVXuUN4NznqRJQJVA2su8aZ7umES3HX6paSwoEYftn_MHSwYOuD4Ze7yIDtCo5krtl_Nl/s177/Tal-Nor-San.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="177" data-original-width="145" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV_lyrqnvYIo4Cx4gkUHu0TvZfnZ7uiMKHz0gtpkNoqdCW74XcQxw1MgqUS4cNIe9l80EKQQqvVXuUN4NznqRJQJVA2su8aZ7umES3HX6paSwoEYftn_MHSwYOuD4Ze7yIDtCo5krtl_Nl/w164-h200/Tal-Nor-San.jpg" width="164" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tal-Nor-San, Korunnian <br />mercenary</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Moving briskly out of the docking bay and toward the main concourse of the space station, you speak in lowered voices as you make your way through bustling crowds of droids, aliens, and humans. You are members of the Rebel Alliance, here to make contact with an intelligence operative named Dana who has been working undercover on the star destroyer <i>Relentless</i> for several months. A short while ago Dana sent a coded message setting up an urgent meet and the Alliance mustered what available trusted personnel it had on short notice. You were the closest crew. You know each other well, having survived together on a desert world after being marooned. To be an discreet as possible, you have come to the station in Ben's ship, a Mon Calamari jump freighter named <i>Alabak's Gold. </i>It has a few subtle modifications.</p><p>The coordinates for the rendezvous lead you to a deserted area of the station. You round a corner to enter a service tunnel and surprise four figures clustered about a fifth lying prone on the deck. They freeze and look at you with a combination of displeasure and malice. One is an Imperial officer -- a navy lieutenant, by the look of it. The other three have the unsavoury look of professional bounty hunters. One, a Kyuzo, swiftly steps through an airlock and activates the control to slam it shut. The two others, a Trandoshan and a human female, level their weapons in your direction...</p><p>A blaster fight breaks out at short range. You have the advantage of better cover and quickly down the lizard-like Trandoshan and the officer. The human manages to lob a thermal detonator into your midst. Tal-Nor-San flings himself away to safety, but Ben and Rell are caught in the blast. Wounded, they struggle to their feet as Tal finishes off the last assailant and blasts a passing mouse droid for good measure. Your R2 unit quickly hacks open the airlock door, only to find the passage beyond empty: the Kyuzo has made good its escape.</p><p>The prone figure is none other than Dana, still in her Imperial uniform. A slender dart protrudes from her neck, evidently fired from some kind of projectile weapon. None of the foes at hand possesses such a device -- it must have been the Kyuzo's. You take Dana's datapad, as well as the weapons, comlinks, and navy badge from the fallen. </p><p>Reckoning that it's only a matter of time before the alarm is sounded, you hasten back to your ship, carrying Dana as she were a friend who's had too much to drink. You hear klaxons blare as you board. The docking bay supervisor refuses your departure request: all ships are to remain at dock until the general alert has passed. Feigning to have misunderstood, you gun the engines and roar away. The frazzled station crew decide to ignore your breach of regulations.</p><p>Safely away, you examine Dana in the medbay. She's beyond help: the fast-acting Serunni poison in the dart is exceptionally lethal. Her datapad, however, contains an encoded message for the Alliance. It outlines Parlan's capture of a pirate who revealed the current location of an war hero of the Imperial navy, Adar Tallon, on the desolate Outer Rim world of Tatooine. Long believed dead, it seems Tallon in fact faked her demise in order to go into hiding, knowing that open opposition to the empire was unwise. Now, with the Rebel victory over Yavin having shown the vulnerability of imperial forces, the re-emergence of a old war hero on the side of the Alliance could help further tip the balance in your favour. Parlan knows as much, and has dispatched bounty hunters to capture and hold Tallon until the <i>Relentless </i>has finished its repairs and can reach the planet. Dana's message concludes with a plea to go to Tatooine and warn Tallon. "You are her only hope."</p><p>You plot a course to the desert world. You have a four-day lead over the Imperials, but the bounty hunters are likely already on their way. You decide to send a cryptic coded message to Rebel intelligence, revealing only that you are alive and on an important errand, and mentioning cargo stored in "krayts" -- a deliberate misspelling that you hope will lead your comrades to the correct conclusion. Then you gather in the cockpit to watch the stars shift into streaks of light as you jump to hyperspace.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqbNpL77-znHi02BHLjy5g8ZYmuAApiZNSHCPztysNVMXC7tyh8aafAHebcOjrYaziAyVcbA-13r9iJRiCuMFF8DewOZ29VmziGCwlYlBYKxYbVnSauOLJesblJqU7YB28DgWCBTw1n0Iy/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqbNpL77-znHi02BHLjy5g8ZYmuAApiZNSHCPztysNVMXC7tyh8aafAHebcOjrYaziAyVcbA-13r9iJRiCuMFF8DewOZ29VmziGCwlYlBYKxYbVnSauOLJesblJqU7YB28DgWCBTw1n0Iy/" width="320" /></a></div><br />Rewards:<div>2 skill points each</div><div>1 Force point each<br /><p></p><p><br /></p></div>Peter C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13961433615453003926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-317269964004008954.post-6357033726030260912020-09-05T21:50:00.015-07:002020-09-06T08:33:53.134-07:00Session 94 (19 August 2020)<div class="separator"><div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img height="354" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/eT7QEh-6rjlbRdkjeHs2SRth8OIsV8zWWzFRy109z0WC_uBJu7Ahu3ONiL2DL5KGp-WFO5LGz4fAFMCg0NH3ygFv_KGBRCpinbrCUTHhpa4DUkty4nGM_coKnkwBdgHAFvYOH82R=w270-h354" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="270" /></div><br /></div><p><i>Note to readers: This is the climax of a five-year D&D 5th edition campaign set in a loosely adapted version of N. Robin Crossby's Hârn. Previous session re-caps can be found on this blog, and an early journal of sessions 1 through 54, beginning in February 2015, is archived <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XbrecFXdvWjIe6B8aqdjbCVxoynCeD1cH_iOBlsYWvU/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">here</a>. </i></p><b><div><b><br /></b></div>In-world dates: 24 Ilvin 720 TR [winter]</b><div><b>Moon: waning crescent<br /></b><br />Having dealt with the threat posed by the kraken, you turn back to the city walls where the guard towers are under attack by the Lengese airships. You can see the automatons aboard the ships carrying bundles to the gunnels and hurling them down upon the hapless soldiers on the parapets below; with each impact, the bundles explode into flames like Greek fire. The screams of the burning are horrible to hear. The handful of Shek Pvar atop the walls harry the ships as best as they can: bolts of lightning, flame, ice, and acid streak skyward. Even as you rush to help, a cry goes up from the garrison: "The eagles are coming!"</div><div><br /></div><div>You look up to see, circling down from above, a score of giant eagles, each bearing a rider on its back. In the van are the druid Reidoth and the Elf Queen Aranath, followed by a company of Sindarin rangers. Already their mighty bows are loosing deadly arrows at the enemies on the field and in the sky. "We will deal with the ships!" cries Reidoth. "Look you now to the thing approaching from the north!"</div><div><br /></div><div>Your eyes follow the line of his outstretched arm. Beyond the ranks of jeering giants and gargun facing the walls, something massive looms. The ground trembles as a great dark form lumbers forward, gaining speed with each step. It is a colossal construct of adamantine and flame, striding toward you like an armoured warrior of nightmare. Led by the fire giants, a rhythmic chant begins and is quickly taken up by your foes: "Vonindod! Von-in-dod! Von-in-dod!" Fully eighty feet in height, it towers above all else on the field. There is no doubt that, like the kraken, it poses a clear threat to Cherafir's walls, behind which thousands of innocents tremble. You must stop it before it reaches them.</div><div><br /></div><div>Swiftly shapechanging into a green dragon, Cade collects the party members and wings his way to intercept the Vonindod. As he does so, you spy a lone ship approach the moorings in the alienage of Cherafir. You recognize the <i>Hynde</i>, the merchant ship that bore you from Thay to Azadmere so many weeks ago. Amidships, the crew are busy pulling away tarpaulins covering a great bulk, revealing a jumble of gleaming metal rods and gears. An engine grinds to life and, amidst great gouts of whistling steam, the shape disentangles itself and rises to its feet: it is the Dwarven juggernaut, Azadmere's answer to the Vonindod. Although only half the height of the Vonindod, the mech has deadly weapons: its right arm terminates in a gleaming axe, the left in a heavy hammer. A ragged cheer goes up from the city as this new ally steps onto the shore and begins advancing toward the battlefield. </div><div><br /></div><div>Dragon-Cade swoops down toward the charging Vonindod, barrel-rolling overhead as Dracul, Izdrel, Gil'Doren, and Galindo leap down and <i>Feather Fall </i>to a gentle landing on the construct's massive shoulders. A sudden fear grips many of you as your proximity to the Vonindod drives homes its immense power: surely it is unstoppable! Galindo, thinking only of getting away as quickly as possible, plunges his sunblade dagger into the metal shell and slides, Douglas Fairbanks-style, down its back. Dracul, similarly overcome by terror, follows his lead. Gil'Doren maneuvers acrobatically around the Vonindod's shoulders, seeking the vulnerable gap beneath the great helmed head and chest—the "neck", as it were—and fires deadly spells inside. Izdrel unleashes an <i>Ice Storm</i> upon the construct's legs, hoping to create a slippery surface beneath its feet, and follows up with <i>Lightning Bolts</i> to the head.</div><div><br /></div><div>Meanwhile, inside the Dwarven mech's cockpit, Klor unleashes an <i>Earthquake</i> upon the ranks of giants and gargun waiting to attack the city. The ground trembles and is torn open by jagged fissures into which screaming gargun plunge; wailing, the giants stagger and lose their footing. Brandishing its terrible arms, the Dwarf mech strides forward to engage the Vonindod.</div><div><br /></div><div>On the ground now, Galindo stabs with his sunblade at the construct's ankle, finding a vulnerable point and stinging it like an angry wasp. Roaring, Dracul faces the colossus head-on, only to find its massive foot descending full upon him. The sun is blotted out as the Vonindod steps on the hapless barbarian, pressing him into the earth even as Izdrel's <i>Ice Storm</i> begins freezing the area. </div><div><br /></div><div>The Vonindod stumbles to a halt, harried about the head by the spells of Gil'Doren and Izdrel, weakened at the ankle by Galindo, and perturbed by a surprisingly strong creature underfoot. With a mighty heave, Dracul wrestles himself free of the construct's stomp even as the blades and spells of his allies pierce the Vonindod's carapace. The ice underfoot finally has an effect: the construct loses its balance. For an agonizing second, the Vonindod seems to hang in space as its legs slip out from beneath it; then it crashes face-down into the icy mud. The Dwarven juggernaut is swiftly at hand, its axe and hammer completing the destruction of the fire giants' engine of death.</div><div><br /></div><div>A roar of rage and vengeance goes up from the foe. Their generals, having committed their forces to the assault, unleash the charge. Giants and gargun rush the walls. The surviving defenders, clutching their weapons with white knuckles, prepare to receive them. You gather yourselves up amidst the ruins of the Voninodod and rush to help them. Unnoticed to many in the anxious seconds before general mêlée, a squadron of ethereal angels flits among the soldiers on the wall, buoying them up with Peoni's <i>Blessing</i>—the fruits of Cleric's final appeal to his deity.</div><div><br /></div><div>The next hours are hard. Your arms rise and fall, your fingers weave arcane symbols repeatedly, your bows loose arrow after arrow. All around you is the chaos of battle, shouts and screams, howls of anger and desperate pleas for mercy. Red is everywhere, the blood of mortals staining the earth and stone. At last it is over: a cry goes up as the enemy ranks waver and break. They are routed. You stand amidst the fallen, watching your foes flee. The field is yours.</div><div><br /></div><div>Though nearly drained from your exertions, you immediately set about helping the wounded. Almost two of every three defenders is a casualty, but your magic and healing arts save the lives of many that otherwise would have been lost. Amidst your labours, there is time for a reunion with Klor: bittersweet it is to meet an old friend on the field where so many have been slain.</div><div><br /></div><div>As the light fades from the western sky, you confer with your dwarven, elven, and human allies on the mopping up. A commotion at the door draws your attention: it is Omthal and Leniqua, the parents of Wentiua. She has gone missing, leaving behind only a cryptic note. It seems she overhead her parents talking and realized that Malevix had offered to spare the city if she were turned over to him; her note expresses the intent to prevent harm coming to the city because of her. Alarmed, you set about <i>Scrying</i> the young mage. Through the spell's power you discover her peril. You see Malevix, clutching Wentiua by the arm, standing before a magical portal situated amidst the recognizably oversize architecture of an Earthmaster complex. Through the portal you see a blasted, desolate landscape, all rocks and sand burning beneath an angry red sun. "Behold the future of Hârn—the future that <i>you</i> are destined to create," growls Malevix, dragging her through the shimmering doorway. They disappear from your sight. </div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div></div>Peter C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13961433615453003926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-317269964004008954.post-82520630993637952012020-08-28T21:02:00.008-07:002020-08-28T21:34:55.803-07:00Ishgadona sells magic mushrooms<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9RLP2Ze5Ghs3nohdbyClO9oY09uMLcZG5ukPMFJl1Qbp0BBm5UQQDHSBzxh00GSz82EsMFgLV1NVy285u7hpwUPYeoHbAfYuqMVjsZsMdPs8JKgVRZfFFjdVRjy8_7LqQNPgc5_GC9Ih_/s1003/IMG_0533+%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="567" data-original-width="1003" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9RLP2Ze5Ghs3nohdbyClO9oY09uMLcZG5ukPMFJl1Qbp0BBm5UQQDHSBzxh00GSz82EsMFgLV1NVy285u7hpwUPYeoHbAfYuqMVjsZsMdPs8JKgVRZfFFjdVRjy8_7LqQNPgc5_GC9Ih_/s640/IMG_0533+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Ishgadona dwells in a large mound or hummock in a mist-shrouded swamp in the wilderness northeast of the kingdom of Kaldor. She and her sisters, Bokruga and Quonga, refer to themselves as "the ladies", but the local tribesfolk call them witches. Bokruga, a lover of animals, befriends and commands the creatures of the swamp. Quonga grows mushrooms deep within the mound. And Ishgadona profits from the labour of both by using talking crows to advertise her wares: magic mushrooms. When visitors enter the swamp, the crows announce the presence of intruders and shortly thereafter Ishgadona teleports from within the mound with an audible 'pop', arriving within 20 feet of the newcomers, beginning her sales spiel with irrepressible enthusiasm and verve. If met with aggression, she teleports away; if prevented from doing so, 2d4 giant toads and 2d4 giant rats will arrive within 1d3 rounds to aid her. Crows will alert her sisters, who will arrive in 1d3 rounds to do the same. They are powerful magic-users.</p><p>At any given time Ishgadona typically has two or three dozen magical mushrooms available for purchase. There are seven varieties. She charges 50 gold pieces for a single mushroom and is willing to contemplate volume deals for large purchases. As an honest merchant, she warns buyers of the possibility of side effects, which she tends to downplay ever so slightly.</p><h4 style="text-align: left;">MUSHROOM DETAILS</h4><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #364347; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Might of the Bear shroom: increases STR by 1d4 points for 1d4 turns.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #364347; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Quick as a Cat shroom: increases DEX by 1d4 points for 1d4 turns.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #364347; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Eagle-eye vision shroom: you can see objects up to a mile away as if they were next to you. Lasts 12 turns.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #364347; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Owlsight shroom: gain infravision within a 60-foot radius. Lasts 12 turns.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #364347; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Berserker shroom: gain +2 bonus to hit with melee weapons and -1 penalty to (i.e., worsened) AC for 1d4 turns.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #364347; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Casanova shroom: +2 CHA and +2 bonus to reaction rolls for 1d4 turns</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #364347; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Healing shroom: recover 1d4 hp.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #364347; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The whole mushroom must be consumed to gain these benefits.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #364347; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">ALSO: each time you consume a shroom, roll on the table below to determine what side effect may occur. The side effect manifests as soon as the mushroom is consumed and has the same duration as any beneficial effect.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #364347; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1. Loud, noisome flatulence.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #364347; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2. Waves of disorientation: always act last each round during combat.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #364347; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">3. Bothersome rash: -1 penalty to delicate tasks requiring concentration.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #364347; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">4. Bad breath: -3 to CHA checks and most reaction rolls.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #364347; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">5. Ringing in the ears: -1 penalty to Hear Noise.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #364347; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">6. No side effect.</span></p><p><br /></p>Peter C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13961433615453003926noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-317269964004008954.post-23070362867977266332020-08-14T22:07:00.006-07:002020-09-05T19:42:31.589-07:00Sessions 89 to 93 (June-August 2020)<p><i>Note to readers: This is a session re-cap of an ongoing D&D 5th edition campaign set in a loosely adapted version of N. Robin Crossby's Hârn. Previous session re-caps can be found on this blog, and an early journal of sessions 1 through 54, beginning in February 2015, is archived <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XbrecFXdvWjIe6B8aqdjbCVxoynCeD1cH_iOBlsYWvU/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">here</a>. </i></p><b><div><b><br /></b></div>In-world dates: 22-24 Ilvin 720 TR [winter]</b><div><b>Moon: waning crescent<br /></b><br />War approaches: the attack on Cherafir seems imminent. The city's defenders are brave but few. </div><div><br /></div><div>You decide to sent word to your allies. Cade awakens a dolphin and sends it in search of water genasi; ravens are deputed to make contact with Reidoth the druid, Juan the thief, Galindo the spy, Izdrel the Quick-Thinking, and other adventurers.</div><div><br /></div><div>Learning from Countess Curo that the royal army of Kaldor is marching to the aid of Cherafir, you realize that unless something is done this relief will come too late. You propose a daring plan: you will seize control of Telumar, the Earthmaster site in the Anadel Mountains, and use its teleportation dais to bring the army of Kaldor directly to Cherafir. Curo agrees to divert 200 cavalry to Telumar immediately, trusting that you will succeed. Having made your plans, you use <i>Wind Walk</i> to swiftly cover the miles to your destination. As you go, you see the signs of war everywhere: devastated farmlands, roving bands of gargun, desperate refugees fleeing hither and thither... even the dread black-sailed airships of the Lengese. As tempted as you are to intervene, you keep your eyes on the greater mission and continue to Telumar.</div><div><br /></div><div>Four Frost Giants guard the entrance, but through the use of invisible and shape-changing magic you sneak inside. The Nadralix, a sentient energy snake imprisoned within a conduit running throughout the complex, welcomes you and begins its familiar, creepy telepathic solicitation, alternating between pleas and threats. You ignore it. For the next several hours you prowl through the mysterious complex, methodically eliminating its defenders, gargun and giant alike. Drow appear and are similarly dispatched, including a priestess bearing a magical cat-of-nine-tails. At one point, in desperation, your enemies deliberately free the Nadralix: it immediately begins careening madly through the corridors, attacking and blinding every creature it meets, hungry for the "sight" its victims lose. Several Fire Giants, blinded by the Nadralix, fall quickly before you. And when the energy snake catches up to you, Cleric uses <i>Banishment </i>to send it to its home plane.</div><div><br /></div><div>The teleportation dais is now yours (once you deal with the Gelatinous Cube that your enemies had imprisoned atop it to prevent your access). But other challenges await: some powerful foe sends an Invisible Stalker to kill Dracul, while in a remote section of the complex you find two Lengese and their robo-servants protecting themselves behind a force field. Grox and Iblix (their full names are too complex for you to pronounce) agree to negotiate with you: you set a meeting five days hence. Before departing peacefully, they tell you about Malevix's obsession with Gedan, an Earthmaster site in the far north that may contain the secret of how Malevix was able to travel into the future. </div><div><br /></div><div>Now the masters of Telumar, you have but to await the arrival of the Kaldorean cavalry. Scouts soon arrive, and soon after the main body led by Marshal Sabeth, a grizzled woman of many campaigns. You begin the tedious process of ferrying them through the portal to Cherafir. When at last they are all through, you go yourselves and begin planning your next move. Mada is sent to infiltrate the local Thieves Guild, while you consult with Cherafir's leaders. One of the generals reveals that bounty notices offering a hefty reward for your deaths have been found circulating in the city: your foes are getting desperate. You decide to spend the night in Telumar, its ancient chambers now so many tombs for the many giants, drow, and gargun that you have slain. Each of you dreams strange dreams, but in many there is the suggestion that the goddess Peoni holds you in favour.</div><div><br /></div><div>On the morrow, you receive word that the enemy is approaching Cherafir. You immediately teleport there and find that Galindo is already on hand, as is Izdrel, who had accompanied the Kaldorean forces incognito. From the city walls you can see the forces arrayed against you: thousands of gargun and several scores of giants well-supplied with boulders, walking siege engines that will batter down the walls. They begin their advance, shadowed by three airships. As they approach striking distance from the walls, a shout goes up from the seaside defenses: the ocean is roiling as a massive creatures emerges from the depths. A kraken appears, its mighty tentacles tearing at the walls near the Erebir Gate. Realizing that the city's curtain walls are the only thing keeping a multitude of gargun from flooding into the city, you are determined to prevent any breach. Racing to the scene, you engage the leviathan with blade and spell. Izdrel is swallowed but through enchantment you convince the monster to cease its aggression and release the hapless thief. You have gained some time, but now another crisis looms: the airships have begun dropping incendiary bombs on the guard towers! You turn back to deal with this new threat, even as, at the edge of your vision, you see a new deviltry emerging from the battlefield...</div><div><br /><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div></div>Peter C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13961433615453003926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-317269964004008954.post-37955296047774638392020-06-02T21:41:00.003-07:002020-06-02T21:45:19.459-07:00The unexpected pleasures of running two campaigns in the same settingFor over a year now, I've been running two different D&D campaigns in the same setting. The first of these, a 5E game that began in 2015 as a test of the new rules and run-through of "The Lost Mine of Phandelver" (the adventure included in the Starter Kit), has seen the player-characters rise to high levels (reaching the fourth, or epic, tier of play) and assume central place in a planes-hopping struggle to prevent an unholy coalition of Drow, giants, goblinoids, extraterrestrials, and vampires from toppling the human kingdoms of the world. The second campaign is a B/X game that unfolds on a smaller scale; here, the player-characters have made their mark within a smaller area (about 60 square miles) as protectors of a threatened shrine and general solvers of problems for the local authorities. Even so, word of their deeds has reached the attention of distant figures.<div><br /></div><div>The setting is Hârn, a creation that mashes up a pseudo-medieval take on the British Isles with some very Tolkienesque borrowings, the whole underpinned by a unique cosmology and history that opens the door to a much wider multiverse of sorts. From the outset, I told the players in both groups that this would not be canon Hârn: I had no intention of using or even consulting the vast amount of material produced for the setting since the 1980s. Having picked up a used copy of the second edition of <i>Hârnworld</i> a decade ago, I was mostly interested in adopting its geography -- the beautiful full-colour hex map of the island is a joy to behold and to use in play -- and the general cultural and political context as a convenient backdrop to whatever shenanigans the PCs got up to. As a resource, <i>Hârnworld</i> provides only the broad strokes of the place, and even these I have not yet fully digested. I have not, for example, read anything close to the majority of the entries in the Hârndex, the dictionary of place-names on the map and general encyclopedia of key concepts. Nor did I make much of an effort to fill in the gaps myself in the spirit of what is sometimes referred to as "worldbuilding". </div><div><br /></div><div>The great, and somewhat unexpected pleasure, of running these two campaigns concurrently has been that the players emerged as the principal engine by which the setting has come to life. Their questions, desires, and needs were the prompts that pushed me to transform a general <i>sense of the setting</i> into concrete <i>details about the setting</i>, to dig more deeply into the motives and agendas of NPCs, and to resolve key questions about the nature of the world and the forces at play within it. No doubt this is often the case anyway, even when a referee makes use of fully fleshed-out setting material; but having <i>two </i>groups of players mucking about at two different levels of play and in different places has repeatedly provided the incentive and stimulation needed to make the world come alive in my mind. This in addition, of course, to the satisfaction a referee receives from having friends that are happy to return repeatedly to a place of shared creation that I've had the privilege of convening for us. To the players: a most sincere <i>thank you.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>And now, due to the pandemic, a new possibility is raised. The 5E game has of necessity gone online, where the B/X game has always existed. A number of important NPCs have met both parties, and the actions of both groups have shaped events for the other. Might they one day cross paths in the digital spaces to which we all must resort for the time being? We shall see.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the meantime: the exploits of the 5E group have long been available on this blog, while the chronicles of the B/Xers have been hidden away behind barriers on the Roll20 site where that game unfolds. No more! They are now compiled <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iT-LETN69l7NesnpIXyrcTtkhWb2BHVn1pSq2RLwOb0/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>Peter C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13961433615453003926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-317269964004008954.post-69439081558533397692020-05-31T21:42:00.002-07:002020-05-31T21:42:56.319-07:00Sessions 85 to 88 (April-May 2020)<i>Note to readers: This is a session re-cap of an ongoing D&D 5th edition campaign set in a loosely adapted version of N. Robin Crossby's Hârn. Previous session re-caps can be found on this blog, and an early journal of sessions 1 through 54, beginning in February 2015, is archived <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XbrecFXdvWjIe6B8aqdjbCVxoynCeD1cH_iOBlsYWvU/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">here</a>. </i><br /><i><br /></i><b>In-world dates: 20-21 Ilvin 720 TR [second week of winter]</b><br /><i>Daylight hours: 9</i><br /><i>Moon: third quarter (one week until the new moon)</i><div><br /></div><div><b>The Players</b></div><div>Cade, a water genasi druid and awakener of creatures</div><div>Cleric, a secretive celestial magic-user</div><div>Dracul, a haunted dragonborn warrior</div><div>Galindo, a well-connected halfling spy</div><div>Gil'Doren, a vainglorious elf evoker</div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Events</b></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>You are at Pesino, an Earthmaster site on the western borders of the Sindarin kingdom of Evael. A massive ziggurat rises in the midst of a vast clearing in the forest, giant-sized stairs marching up its southern face to a sheltered gallery at its summit. A massive set of double doors is set against the wall at the far end: the only visible entrance to the structure. Leaving your auxiliaries concealed in the woods, you make your way up the stairs and into the gallery. </div><div><br /></div><div>On the floor before the doors you find an elongated shape wrapped in black silk. Tugging it open reveals a note and a long black metal stick, about 24 inches in length. At one end of the stick are two prongs, each about six inches in length. Spaced along the shaft are six studs or buttons, each of a different colour: orange, blue, green, yellow, red, and black. The note reads:</div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div>Black opens the doors.</div></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div>Red brings you within.</div></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div>Flame lights your path.</div></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div>Blue admits you to The Dwelling.</div></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div>Find me there.</div></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div> --Malevix</div></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><div></div><div><br /></div><div>Knowing that Dracul's malevolent father, a dragonborn vampire, awaits you within sets you on edge. Examining the door, you notice an oval depression on the wall to the right, with two circular holes near its centre. The two-pronged keystick fits perfectly. Pressing the black stud causes the doors to slide open silently to reveal a square chamber approximately fifty feet across. It is empty and unlit. On an inside wall near the doors, another pair of holes allows you to insert the keystick again. This time, the red stud causes the doors to slide shut and the chamber to begin to plummet downward at an alarming speed. As your stomachs climb into your throats, you begin to fear some disaster, but in time the speed of descent slows and the chamber comes to a gentle stop. The doors open to reveal that you are in a vast subterranean shaft whose walls you cannot see with your limited darkvision. A walkway of metal surrounds on all sides the column through which the chamber descended, and at intervals bridges or catwalks of the same material stretch out into the darkness. One of these catwalks is illuminated by a series of burning braziers set at regular intervals along its length. Judging by the number of fires you can see, this catwalk clearly extends hundreds of feet away from you.</div><div><br /></div><div>Exploring the space, you discover that this vast shaft is over 300 feet in diameter; it is an incalculable distance from the surface and descends an unknowable distance below. Each of the darkened catwalks ends in another massive set of double doors. The keystick opens none, however, and each attempt provokes a damaging shock to afflict the user.</div><div><br /></div><div>Finally you proceed down the illuminated catwalk and, at the doors, press the blue stud to gain entrance. You find yourself in a large circular chamber comprised of two levels: an upper gallery and an open lower space connected via a flight of stairs hugging the wall. Lamps have been lit within. In the chamber below, you see Malevix, a hulking dragonborn warrior, seated on one of several oddly shaped divans scattered about the room. He looks up at you calmly. A number of other figures are interspersed about the chamber, unmoving. They have the appearance of Sindarin rangers.</div><div><br /></div><div>Malevix speaks.*</div><div><br /></div><div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">I have been misunderstood. Dracul, I had hoped you would follow me out of filial duty, out of the loyalty you owe your father. You did not, although you accepted the gift of the Slaying Sword. Where is it now? Are you too timid to use it? No matter. But now I must try to convince you and your allies that you were wrong to reject me.<span> </span></div></blockquote><div><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;">I am not the monster you think me to be. I am not trying to destroy Hârn; I am trying to save it. </div></div></blockquote><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div>The Earthmasters held many secrets. They not only knew how to traverse, in an instant, vast distances in space; they could travel in time as well.</div><div><br /></div><div>I learned the secret of one of their devices and traveled into the future. The horrors I saw there shook me to the core and it was only thanks to my undeath that I was able to survive the experience and return to my own time.</div><div><br /></div><div>I saw that in the future humans would eradicate all the other sentient races on Hârn, along with many other forms of life. I saw the waters poisoned and the forests stripped and burned. The land became a desert. I saw the humans create machines of war so powerful that thousands, even millions, of lives could be destroyed in a single moment. When they had almost killed each other off and made this world unlivable, they built great vessels that allowed them to traverse vast gulfs of emptiness to reach other, distant worlds, where they repeated the same pattern of destruction, destroying in turn all of the sentient races that tried to stop them.</div><div><br /></div><div>I decided that I must be the one to prevent this from coming to pass. With the longevity afforded me by undeath, I was able to travel back and forth in time to search for the roots of this terrifying future. I found them at last in the present. In order to prevent this future, a mage in Cherafir must die. </div><div><br /></div><div>This is why I have joined forces with the Giants and the Drow. They seek merely to raid, to wreck, and to rule. Let them carry out their petty plans for this island; I care nothing for that. But I need their power. With them I can take Cherafir and break through the magical wards that keep me from getting to the mage myself through guile and stealth. Thus can I save this world.</div><div><br /></div><div>But there is another way. You are welcomed in Cherafir; you have the trust of their leaders. You can enter the city, put an end to this mage, and prevent the future that I have seen from coming to be. If you do this, I will abandon my alliance with your enemies and foil their plans of conquest. Many will live that otherwise will die. Do this for them.</div><div><br /></div><div>KILL THE MAGE WENTIUA -- AND I WILL END THIS WAR.</div></blockquote><div><br /></div><div>Taken aback by Malevix's intensity and apparent sincerity, you debate what to do; but Dracul has heard enough. Slipping down the staircase, he plunges his sword into the nearest elf ranger, in actuality a thrall of his vampiric father. A battle ensues: a dozen vampire thralls swarm toward the party, allowing Malevix to make an exit through a door at the far end of the chamber. You see a cloaked figure join him as the door closes behind the pair.</div><div><br /></div><div>Hissing and clawing, the bloodthirsty creatures descend upon you but one by one you cut them down. </div><div><br /></div><div>Examining the rent and mangled bodies afterward, you surmise that these were the rangers sent by Queen Aranath to investigate the site a while ago. You identify the leader, Captain Sotar, and realize that she yet "lives", though just. Keeping her bound, you ponder how you might save her from oblivion or, alternatively, endless undeath and servitude. </div><div><br /></div><div>Returning to the gallery at the peak of the ziggurat, you summon your auxiliaries and rest. At dawn, you bestir yourselves and are surprised to see an unusually bright star on the southern horizon. As you look, it brightens: it is coming closer! Inexplicably, you feel no fear but rather an immense peacefulness. On the threshold of the gallery the radiance resolves into a human-like figure: a woman clad in a white robe. She approaches Cleric and introduces herself as Astreas, asking how she may help. Kneeling and removing his robes and mask for the first time since joining the party, Cleric explains the plight of Captain Sotar.** Astreas smiles and nods. "I will grant you the power to remove this curse from her, but be warned: wielding this power is not without cost. You will bear the burden of it for a long time." Cleric agrees. She holds out her hand and a shard of light passes from it to Cleric's. As she turns to leave, Cade steps forward. "I would willingly share this burden with my companion," he offers. Astreas asks if he is certain. Cade is. She nods, and waves her hand. Dracul and Gil'Doren offer to help as well. </div><div><br /></div><div>As Astreas's glowing form recedes into the dawn sky, Cleric approaches Sotar and casts <i>Wish</i>. Within seconds the hateful, hissing vampire thrall is transformed into a weak and haggard, but very alive, elf. The past days, she says, seem like a dark dream to her. Her Sindarin comrades rejoice at her return to the living and thank you profusely for your help. Cleric enjoins them to preserve the secret of his involvement.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now you must decide what to do about Malevix. Seeking further information, you call upon Baba Yaga via the tokens she left in your possession. To your surprise, the mysterious traveller appears almost immediately in her fabled hut. You question her about the vampire's claims of time travel and the future of Hârn. Though she declines to provide details about what the future holds, she explains that there in fact many possible futures: nothing is yet written in stone. Nevertheless, she says, there are currents in space-time that are difficult to fight against. More importantly, however, she tells you that many who travel in time are unable to comprehend what they see and experience; often it drives them mad. Malevix's unyielding certainty, obsession even, about this mage named Wentiua being the root cause of a bleak future strikes Baba Yaga as the sign of a mind that has succumbed to the strains of repeated temporal dislocations.</div><div><br /></div><div>Thanking Baba Yaga for her time, you then use your scrying crytal to contact the mage Andronikos in Cherafir. You ask about Wentiua. He informs you that the only mage named Wentiua he knows of is a young woman, a talented researcher but a notoriously poor magic-user: she is barely capable of casting the simplest cantrips. She spends all her time researching some poorly understood pet project, and in truth is something of an embarrassment to her father, a mage himself and senior member of the local Shek Pvar chantry, and to her mother, a high priestess of the church of Larani.</div><div><br /></div><div>Puzzling over these revelations, you decide to investigate the chamber through which Malevix fled. Descending once again to the circular Dwelling, you use your keystick to open the door: yet another "moving chamber" lies behind. It takes you yet deeper into the earth, depositing you at the end of a long corridor that leads to a great chamber containing a teleportation dais, a wooden shrine of recent manufacture, and an 18-foot tall, four-legged, cyclopean metal construct that looms, unmoving, over the centre of the room.</div><div><br /></div><div>Investigation of papers scattered near the shrine suggests that at some point in the last few centuries, a religious cult had been practised here, focused on the automaton which is referred to as the Angel of Steel. According to the writings, it both protects the faithful from threats that emerge from the teleportation dais, and purges the cult of unbelievers by destroying them with rays from its eye. The cult appears to have ceased some time ago, and there's no indication of what became of its adherents.</div><div><br /></div><div>Wary of the automaton, you nonetheless decide that your best course of action is to make for Cherafir immediately. Activating the teleportation dais, you enter the portal that appears and find yourself deep within Caer Cherafir, the imposing citadel that commands this port city. There, you are reunited with Galindo, who has been running counter-intelligence for the Melderyni for some time. Andronikos soon appears and introduces you to General Vathek, the man in charge of the city's defenses. He explains the strategic situation: although the stone walls are strong and the city is well supplied to withstand a siege, the defenders are too few. Packs of giants and gargun rampage through the countryside nearby, destroying farms and taking slaves. The ocean route is cut off: a storm giant and perhaps even some kind of tentacled sea monster has destroyed every ship that tries to leave or reach the harbour. The noose is tightening and reports suggest that the enemy forces may appear before the walls any day now.</div><div><br /></div><div>While Dracul confers with the generals and Cade explores the city and the waters that surround it, Galindo and Gil'Doren seek out Wentiua. In the company of her father, Omthal, they confront the young mageling in her study, a cluttered space full of books and notes. Pleased to discover that you take an interest in her work, she goes on at length about her invention of a new language, one that will allow her to describe and model continuous change with a precision and universality that frees her from reliance on the esoteric and idiosyncratic modes of current arcane theorization. She calls it, the calculus.</div><div><br /></div><div>Gil'Doren, as much affronted by her dismissal of arcane lore as he is concerned by the possibility that Malevix may be right, challenges Wentiua to reconsider her approach. After lengthy and profound debate, she concedes that she will go back to the drawing board and re-think her efforts to circumvent the magical in her modeling of reality. </div><div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></blockquote><div>Happy at your success in the debate but uncertain of what this turn of events may signify, you gather to consider your next move. War approaches: what will you do?</div><div> </div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></blockquote></div><div>* Note to readers: much of the information that appears here as a monologue was actually delivered in a back-and-forth with the players. The event had, nonetheless, some of the characteristics of the classic super-villain's monologue, as was remarked upon humorously at the time.</div><div><br /></div><div>** Cleric had cast <i>Planar Ally</i> the night before.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Peter C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13961433615453003926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-317269964004008954.post-39730067811160734662020-02-23T10:43:00.002-08:002020-02-24T20:32:53.597-08:00Session 84 (19 February 2020)<i>Note to readers: This is a session re-cap of an ongoing D&D 5th edition campaign set in a loosely adapted version of N. Robin Crossby's Hârn. Previous session re-caps can be found on this blog, and an early journal of sessions 1 through 54, beginning in February 2015, is archived <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XbrecFXdvWjIe6B8aqdjbCVxoynCeD1cH_iOBlsYWvU/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">here</a>. </i><br />
<i><br /></i><b>In-world dates: 18-20 Ilvin 720 TR [second week of winter]</b><br />
<i>Daylight hours: 9</i><br />
<i>Moon: waning gibbous (full moon was on 15 Ilvin)</i><br />
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div>
You are in the Deep Gnome enclave of Djebel (pop. 500), where you meet some old friends: Juan's girlfriend Adompha and the Ivinian warrior Alexandra.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
With Cyrkanosh, Djebel's headwoman, at your side, you use your scrying crystal to place a conference call with your various allies:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>in Cherafir, the Melderyni capital, Andronikos, a member of the Shek Pvar and the Council of Eleven</li>
<li>in Azadmere, the Dwarven spymaster Fjola</li>
<li>in Evael, the Elf Queen Aranath</li>
<li>in Tashal, the capital of Kaldor, the Countess Curo, first counselor to the king</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
You explain to all your plan to seize one of the Earthmaster teleportation daises and set The Operator to work activating the protocol that will cause each site to link randomly with others, with the intention of preventing your enemies from using the teleportation daises to move their army around Hârn. Your allies give their opinions. Andronikos is in favour of the plan, as are Queen Aranath and Cyrkanosh. Fjola is on the fence: the pros and cons seem balanced to him. Countess Curo is strongly opposed: she fears the chaos that may be unleashed by opening connections to places unknown. A stirring speech by Cade focusing on the lives that will certainly be saved moves her, but does not diminish her opposition.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The allies share what news they have. Countess Curo has received reports that a great black-sailed skyship has been spotted northeast of Minarsas; apparently it crashed while under attack. A mage is being sent to investigate. Andronikos states that Cherafir is cut off by land and sea; ships cannot get out and gargun raiding parties are reported nearby. An attack seems imminent. Fjola announces that the Dwarves' Secret Weapon is nearing completion and should be ready for use within a week. Cyrkanosh's scouts indicate that more than fifty Drow guard the teleportation dais on the shores of the Sunless Sea, along with giant lizards and spiders. The headwoman theorizes that reinforcements would be quick to arrive from the Drow city nearby if any attempt were made to seize the dais.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
With all this intelligence in hand, you revise your plans and decide upon a two-pronged approach: while The Operator begins the process of activating the randomized network protocol, you will investigate the teleportation dais at Pesino, on the western marches of the Elf-realm. You teleport to Cherafir, where you leave The Operator in the care of Andronikos, then to Elshavel, where you spend a night in Gil'Doren's home and gather a team for your reconnaissance en force to Pesino: six Elven rangers from Evael, Mada the street urchin-turned-rogue, several awakened animals and plants; four volunteers from Djebel. Adompha joins as well (her parents were killed by the Drow), as does Alexandra. All told, your company numbers 25.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
You <i>Wind Walk</i> to Pesino, arriving in the midst of a winter storm. Rain and sleet lash the deserted landscape. No birds can be seen. You see the massive pyramid of Pesino rising above the plain. What terrors await you inside?</div>
<div>
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<div>
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Peter C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13961433615453003926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-317269964004008954.post-45586289728719236182020-02-08T21:05:00.001-08:002020-02-08T21:18:16.854-08:00Sessions 80 to 83 (November 2019 - February 2020)<i>Note to readers: This is a session re-cap of an ongoing D&D 5th edition campaign set in a loosely adapted version of N. Robin Crossby's Hârn. Previous session re-caps can be found on this blog, and an early journal of sessions 1 through 54, beginning in February 2015, is archived <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XbrecFXdvWjIe6B8aqdjbCVxoynCeD1cH_iOBlsYWvU/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">here</a>. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>This entry marks the FIFTH ANNIVERSARY of the campaign.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><b>In-world dates: 16-18 Ilvin 720 TR [second week of winter]</b><br />
<i>Daylight hours: 9</i><br />
<i>Moon: waning gibbous (full moon was on 15 Ilvin)</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
You are locked in battle with a beholder and several Drow, one of whom holds a knife to the throat of a hostage, Sister Garaele. Suddenly a commanding presence enters the chamber and a sultry, beguiling voice pierces the din. "Dahlings, this struggle is pointless and boring. Accept my offer and your friend's life shall be spared." The Drow priestess Eclavdra swans into view. She's clad in an impossibly form-fitting suit of mail that looks like it was painted on and sports a coiffure of such astonishing intricacy and volume that it could only have been achieved through magic.<br />
<br />
You stop fighting and listen.<br />
<br />
Eclavdra explains that nearby in this jade monolith lies a teleportation dais of the Earthmasters, akin to the ones you have seen in Telumar, Cherafir, and in the Underdark. This one, however, seems to be guarded by monsters of unknown origin. None of her scouts have returned, and a reconnaissance en force was similarly destroyed. She has no more patience. In return for your service in destroying the creatures and opening the passage to the dais, she will deliver Sister Garaele to you safe and sound.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBBCooN_8sEC5YDy-VmeqYYIUn4d7YRdvOkITa_4toWMNiEXO0GJoV__BIbsfnlkniMDUtodNTfjhV7INdLb4yP0Ow8-bpYHdNSZskMaJmt_hcLL4Ov_ZHauCYGPLPjOMFmaSksGgd6Ca6/s1600/Travonis+Ul.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="546" data-original-width="923" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBBCooN_8sEC5YDy-VmeqYYIUn4d7YRdvOkITa_4toWMNiEXO0GJoV__BIbsfnlkniMDUtodNTfjhV7INdLb4yP0Ow8-bpYHdNSZskMaJmt_hcLL4Ov_ZHauCYGPLPjOMFmaSksGgd6Ca6/s320/Travonis+Ul.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Horrible guardians<br />
Source: Numenera Discovery, p. 257.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Although it irks you to no end to serve the Drow, you see no better way to rescue Sister Garaele from the clutches of the vile Eclavdra. Following the latter's directions, you proceed through a series of horizontal and vertical shafts to reach the Earthmaster teleportation dais. The chamber seems empty... until suddenly more than a dozen large aberrations with jagged teeth and grasping tentacles swarm towards you with terrifying swiftness. You are put to the test, but in the end vanquish the things with sword and spell. Their blood is spattered all over the place. It smells, oddly, like bananas.<br />
<br />
Your task complete, you activate the stone given you by Eclavdra. Her voice echoes in your heads, directing you to the place where you will find Garaele. (It seems the Drow priestess has been following your progress the entire time via a scrying spell.) You suspect betrayal, but Eclavdra is true to her word: you find Garaele unharmed, though somewhat traumatized by her captivity. The hostage in hand, you teleport to safety in Gil'Doren's house in the Sindarin (Elvish) city of Elshavel.<br />
<br />
After some rest, you hold council with the Elf queen Aranath. Upon hearing your report, she expresses her fear that the Enemy may be attempting to secure control of Earthmaster sites, perhaps because of the strategic advantages offered by the teleportation daises that are generally found within. They have already demonstrated their ability to use these devices to move their armies around Hârn with incredible rapidity. One such site on the western marches of the Elf kingdom, a place known as Pesino, has recently fallen into their clutches: Elven rangers attempting to reach it have been slain or captured.<br />
<br />
You consider investigating Pesino yourselves, but decide first to consult The Operator, the strange cyclopean giant you rescued from Telumar and left for safekeeping near the Deep Gnome enclave of Djebel. His knowledge of the teleportation daises is unrivaled.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfVQpZXn_1YZWo-eDmOj_E2cQpFwSDoD5r96ZapPBlp6QEhRpZ431owoEysBMj2PVg41A5VDwe3qygedXrIz0PA689t2Fp0B_XLmnfy7K748W7I36R8VdSJBLCXDVZvXNQKwZsrqHsX_nf/s1600/Cyclopean.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="498" data-original-width="433" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfVQpZXn_1YZWo-eDmOj_E2cQpFwSDoD5r96ZapPBlp6QEhRpZ431owoEysBMj2PVg41A5VDwe3qygedXrIz0PA689t2Fp0B_XLmnfy7K748W7I36R8VdSJBLCXDVZvXNQKwZsrqHsX_nf/s320/Cyclopean.jpg" width="278" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Operator<br />
Source: www.chetzar.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Using <i>Transport via Plants</i>, you swiftly reach the Sunless Sea in the Underdark where The Operator (who can breathe underwater) resides in the submerged ruins of a city. From Deep Gnome scouts, you learn that the Drow have seized control of the nearby teleportation dais and guard it with a force of troops, lizards, and spiders. Locating The Operator, you use <i>Regeneration</i> to heal its single eye, cruelly damaged by the vengeful Drow when they overran Telumar.<br />
<br />
In response to your questions about the Earthmaster teleportation daises, The Operator explains that they cannot be "turned off" or disabled by any means known to him. However, he does know a procedure (a "spell") that will activate all the networked daises simultaneously, causing them to randomly link to other daises in rapid succession. Such an occurrence would render the daises useless for conventional, targeted teleportation; instead, anyone entering the dais portals would be transported to a random location. This spell would take days to cast, and to do so, it would be necessary to have access to at least one networked teleportation dais for the duration of the casting.<br />
<br />
You ponder your options. On the plus side, this plan would no doubt cripple any plans the Enemy had of using the daises to concentrate armies of Giants and Gargun on Hârn. On the minus side, it would connect nearly a dozen locations on Hârn with an unknown number of sites scattered across the cosmos. Who knows what poisonous atmospheres, infinite voids, evil powers, demon-infested wastes, and infernal realms might thus gain access to the precious world you inhabit and desire only to protect? Perhaps this solution will create perils even greater than the one from which you wish to escape.<br />
<br />
You must gather information and learn more about the Drow forces guarding the nearby dais. You set out for the Deep Gnome enclave of Djebel, moving swiftly through the tunnels of the Underdark using <i>Wind Walk</i>. Coming upon three robed figures stalking through the darkness and recognizing them as Mind Flayers, you decide to subject them to interrogation. Stopping to transition to corporeal form, you realize your error too late: the 60-second transformation will render you helpless while the Mind Flayers are free to act. Though <i>Wind Walk</i> gives you resistance to physical damage, you remain vulnerable to their psionic mind blasts.<br />
<br />
And so things go badly for you. Most of you are stunned and can only watch with mounting horror as the pitiless illithids hungrily caress your re-materializing forms with their vile tentacles. Those among you fortunate enough to shrug off the psionic attacks mount a spirited defense against desperate odds. The worst comes when one of your foes manages to begin feeding on a brain. Things look dire indeed, but a reversal of fate (i.e., some successful saving throws) turns the tide of battle and you gain the upper hand, slaying your enemies with spectacular gore.<br />
<br />
Reaching Djebel at last, you rest and consult with the headwoman Cyrkanosh. You decide that despite the risks involved, networking the daises is the best option. You will seize the Underdark dais from the Drow and hold it while The Operator casts the spell. But it is only fair to inform your allies in advance. Using the communication crystals you distributed among your allies, you consult with Andronikos in Cherafir, who informs you that the situation there is dire: the city is besieged and an attack seems imminent. You inform him of your plan and advise him to seal off the Earthmaster teleportation dais in the city so that nothing can pass through it. That done, you begin planning your assault on the Drow-held dais nearby.<br />
<br />
<br />Peter C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13961433615453003926noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-317269964004008954.post-32132434205766727002019-11-02T20:13:00.001-07:002019-11-02T20:13:41.951-07:00Session 79 (30 October 2019)<i>Note to readers: This is a session re-cap of an ongoing D&D 5th edition campaign set in a loosely adapted version of N. Robin Crossby's Hârn. Previous session re-caps can be found on this blog, and an early journal of sessions 1 through 54, beginning in February 2015, is archived <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XbrecFXdvWjIe6B8aqdjbCVxoynCeD1cH_iOBlsYWvU/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">here</a>.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><b>In-world dates: 16 Ilvin 720 TR [second week of winter]</b><br />
<i>Daylight hours: 9</i><br />
<i>Moon: waning gibbous (full moon was on 15 Ilvin)</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
After looting the dead Drow -- you find an amulet and ring, both non-magical -- you fly back up to the opening of the tunnel whence he fell and cautiously begin creeping forward. Those with keen senses hear faint snippets of distant noises echoing through the vast, bare corridors and smooth vertical shafts that criss-cross the interior of the monolith. Are they voices? Footsteps? You surprise and dispatch a second Drow guard -- another warrior, with the same sigil on his amulet. You continue your explorations, ascending a shaft and moving stealthily, but perhaps not stealthily enough, for you notice that the intermittent sounds have stopped: you have been heard. Cade, in owl form, flies ahead to scout and, rounding a corner, is suddenly caught in webs slung by two giant spiders! Transforming into a spider, he quickly makes his escape, but not before noting the presence of a beholder and several Drow. Concluding that the enemy is at hand, you gird yourself for battle. A basso profundo voice rings out, addressing you by name: "Gil'Doren! Dracul! Cade! Maslorius! and you, unfortunate straggler who has joined these would-be heroes! I would parley with you, for I have need of your services... and possess something you would like to have." Concerned, you peer around the corner and see the beholder glaring evilly at you, and at his side a Drow holds a blade to the throat of a human hostage: none other than Sister Garaele, the cleric of lost Phandalin!<br />
<br />
Speaking with the foul eye tyrant, you learn that it wants you to destroy several "guardians" that bar the route to a teleportation circle deeper within the monolith. If you do so, it will release Sister Garaele. You ponder the offer and conclude that you can take the group by surprise. Rushing around the corner, you assault the webs blocking the path to your foes; the wizard and barbarian use <i>Dimension Door</i> to slip past the sticky strands and attack from the rear. Roaring in rage, the beholder fights back, pinning Gil'Doren to the war with a telekinetic ray and paralyzing Dracul with another. One of the Drow, meanwhile, pulls the helpless Garaele away from the fighting. Her life hangs in the balance! <i>To be continued...</i><br />
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<br />Peter C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13961433615453003926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-317269964004008954.post-50504131522463762852019-10-20T14:09:00.000-07:002019-10-20T14:10:12.272-07:00Session 78 (16 October 2019)<i>Note to readers: This is a session re-cap of an ongoing D&D 5th edition campaign set in a loosely adapted version of N. Robin Crossby's Hârn. Previous session re-caps can be found on this blog, and an early journal of sessions 1 through 54, beginning in February 2015, is archived <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XbrecFXdvWjIe6B8aqdjbCVxoynCeD1cH_iOBlsYWvU/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">here</a>.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><b>In-world dates: 16 Ilvin 720 TR [second week of winter]</b><br />
<i>Daylight hours: 9</i><br />
<i>Moon: waning gibbous (full moon was on 15 Ilvin)</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
You creep through the vast, deserted chambers and passages of the jade monolith, a world of smooth surfaces and geometrically perfect planes seemingly cut from a strange smooth semi-translucent material that is stone-like and yet... not. The pool of glowing liquid, you discover, turns any object immersed within invisible... but creatures who dunk themselves are also blinded! (Both effects, however, wear off within the hour.) The pulsating mass of green and black coils of energy is a creature, one that reproduces by injecting parts of itself into a living host. You hunt and destroy it; a <i>Greater Restoration</i> spell removes its spawn from Cade's chest. The giant-sized metallic head you find within one chamber is mounted on a platform with the label VOKTOR written in the Earthmaster's script; smaller writing on the back of its neck tells you it was "Made in Voormish." In yet another chamber you find the ceiling and walls melted and twisted into ruin by unimaginable forces. What do all these strange things signify?<br />
<br />
Your explorations lead you to a vast vertical shaft, at least 120 ft in diameter, that cuts through the monolith. No bridge crosses it that you can see, but above and below you detect openings where other passages intersect it. Scouting the lower portion of the shaft on the back of a flying white dragon (the druid, naturally) you come under attack by air elementals and invisible stalkers, but with spell and claw manage to defeat them. Descending further, you can make out the base of the shaft: a tangle of translucent hexagonal columns reminiscent of a giant quartz crystal cluster. But in approaching you pass the opening of a passage wherein is posted a single cloaked white-haired figure who starts in surprise at the sudden appearance of a dragon. A <i>Hold Person</i> followed by a <i>Flamestrike </i>causes the unfortunate Drow to tumble out of the tunnel and plummet 80 feet to the jagged crystals below. Descending after him, you revive the unfortunate Sszdor (for so he names himself) and interrogate him roughly, but he refuses to divulge anything other than his name, his house (Baaenreesz) and his rank (warrior). Realizing that his defiance will cost him his life, he desperately shouts "Eclavdra!" and is quickly dispatched by your hand.<br />
<br />
Eclavdra: you have heard the name before...Peter C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13961433615453003926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-317269964004008954.post-69223198777927015862019-09-22T21:46:00.001-07:002019-12-03T12:26:37.586-08:00Sessions 76 & 77 (4 & 18 September 2019)<i>Note to readers: This is a session re-cap of an ongoing D&D 5th edition campaign set in a loosely adapted version of N. Robin Crossby's Hârn. Previous session re-caps can be found on this blog, and an early journal of sessions 1 through 54, beginning in February 2015, is archived <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XbrecFXdvWjIe6B8aqdjbCVxoynCeD1cH_iOBlsYWvU/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">here</a>.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<b>In-world dates: 14-16 Ilvin 720 TR [second week of winter]</b><br />
<i>Daylight hours: 9</i><br />
<i>Moon: full on 15 Ilvin</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
As you prepare to leave Caldeth's keep with Lady Philisia and her infant in tow, you detect the sound of movement near the entrance; someone has entered behind you! After some prowling about, you come face to face with a robed, masked figure who claims to have entered the keep to investigate trouble after seeing the two gaolers flee in panic from the front gate. Convinced of his good intentions, you outline the treachery afoot in Caldeth's fief. The man, who identifies himself only as "Cleric", decides to join you in your quest to preserve Kaldor from the threat within.<br />
<br />
As these introductions are occurring, a <i>Sending </i>arrives from Klor: he urgently requests a conference, stating that Queen Aranath of the Sindarin realm has important information to convey to the allies. You <i>Transport via Plants</i> to Azadmere, location of one of the scrying crystals lent by the queen to faciliate communication and, after an emotional reunion with Klor, contact the queen. Meanwhile, Cade, traditionally uninterested in palavering, returns to Caldeth's keep: Lady Philisia stumbled and did not succeed in making it through the portal to Azadmere! Requiring rest before he can cast the spell again, he attempts to entertain the lady by introducing her to his menagerie of intelligent creatures, including a recently <i>Awakened</i> crab. For Philisia, it is all a bit too much: the trauma of detention, encounters with fiends and aberrations, violence, and now talking plants and animals begins to take its toll on her mental well being. She becomes listless and withdrawn, wondering if this nightmare will ever end...<br />
<br />
Back at Azadmere, the scrying crystal hums to life and the Elf queen relays her news. The Elves have discovered activity at the abandoned Earthmaster site of Pesino on their western border: it has been sealed against them. In light of your enemies' various connections with other Earthmaster sites in eastern Hârn (Telumar, Cherafir) and the one in the Underdark near Maslorius's home, Aranath suspects there is some evil purpose at work, some link between their ultimate goal and the artefacts or knowledge of the Earthmasters. She provides you with a map of known Earthmaster sites on Hârn and suggests you investigate several to see if the forces of the enemy are active there as well. After some reflection, you turn your attention to one of the nearest: Elkall-Anuz, the famed centre of Ilvir-worship and known source of many of the monsters that walk the lands.<br />
<br />
But now you must rest and await Cade's return. Klor invites you to take part in a test of the Dwarves' secret weapon: a giant metal construct in the shape of a Dwarf warrior. Powered by some mysterious Khuzan technology, the construct is controlled by a team of pilots occupying cramped cockpits in the construct's head and limbs. Each of you takes up your position, with Klor in the "brain" issuing commands through a speaker tube. Your first test run is underwhelming: the construct stumbles over its own feet and executes an ungainly faceplant. "Hrrumph," mutter the engineers as they set to work on the thing once again.<br />
<br />
From Azadmere in the north you teleport to Gil'Doren's home in Elshavel, elven city of the south. Delivering Philisia and her son Quilian into the care of the Elves, you hope for her swift return to health. After another rest, you <i>Wind Walk</i> north toward Elkall-Anuz; here, Izdrel parts ways with you and returns to Tashal to report to Countess Curo and deliver to her the proof of Caldeth's treachery.<br />
<br />
It's a rare sunny winter's day as you float across Hârn, fighting a strong headwind. By the end of the afternoon you find yourselves above a great crater-like depression, perhaps two miles or more in diameter. It is strewn with huge boulders and honeycombed with a maze of caves and tunnels; here and there, strange creatures emerge and scuttle about as you skim overhead. A clearly marked footpath extends from the southern edge of the crater toward the centre where a massive jade-coloured monolith rises 200 feet into the sky. A precarious staircase of sorts, apparently made of giant bones glued to the surface of the monolith, winds up from the footpath's terminus to an opening about halfway up the monolith. As you pass by, you see a procession of robed pilgrims making its way along the path.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFqJg4NK79qKLznuu_lKqpmMaSfKQlu97oU64IDTeoeGstDtnvn9ZO1rQx-g7JC75ZmZILxaCidSIYW5xge9zxps0sacRburRjDs0mhFsIMf5hwOh93fRtSApaqcGKY8sYh5ZG1uFPfxDv/s1600/Screenshot+%252813%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="413" data-original-width="574" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFqJg4NK79qKLznuu_lKqpmMaSfKQlu97oU64IDTeoeGstDtnvn9ZO1rQx-g7JC75ZmZILxaCidSIYW5xge9zxps0sacRburRjDs0mhFsIMf5hwOh93fRtSApaqcGKY8sYh5ZG1uFPfxDv/s320/Screenshot+%252813%2529.png" width="320" /></a>Your elevated position allows you to see what the pilgrims do not: a giant arthropod stalking the procession. Fearing for their safety, you land and interpose yourselves between the thing and the pilgrims. As the alien monstrosity leaps onto the path, the pilgrims flee in fear, knowing neither the creature's intentions nor yours. A battle ensues, but the thing seems to shrug off your mighty blows and potent spells. Finally, a powerful spell from "Cleric" banishes the insect to its own plane of existence. The pilgrims, meanwhile, have begun ascending the staircase, but are forced to leap across several sections where steps (bones) have fallen away. One judges poorly and plummets dozens of feet to the ground. You rush to his side and revive him with healing magic. He thanks you: "I am Somiator," he says, "a follower of Ilvir, the Prince of the Fatherless Multitude. We must make this climb to be worthy of meeting Ilvir within!" When he falls a second time, "Cleric" suddenly sprouts wings and carries him to safety. His fellows rejoice at his safe arrival: "Ilvir wills it!"<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, Maslorius-as-cloud has begun an exploration of the interior of the jade monolith. The passage leading within is a perfectly engineered six-sided tunnel; most curiously, it extends to a distance beyond what seems possible given the outer dimensions of the monolith. (It's bigger on the inside.) The party reunited, you begin exploring a series of strange chambers containing marvelous wonders: a dodecahedral room whose walls are covered in stratified images of incredible realism; a pool of glowing liquid that renders objects invisible; and an eerie mass of green and black coils and strings of energy. What else awaits further within? And what dangers?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Peter C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13961433615453003926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-317269964004008954.post-35538782129515016552019-08-25T11:47:00.003-07:002019-08-25T11:48:18.140-07:00Sessions 74 & 75 (7 & 21 August 2019)<i>Note to readers: This is a session re-cap of an ongoing D&D 5th edition campaign set in a loosely adapted version of N. Robin Crossby's Hârn. Previous session re-caps can be found on this blog, and an early journal of sessions 1 through 54, beginning in February 2015, is archived <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XbrecFXdvWjIe6B8aqdjbCVxoynCeD1cH_iOBlsYWvU/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">here</a>.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><b>In-world dates: 14 Ilvin 720 TR [second week of winter]</b><br />
<i>Daylight hours: 9</i><br />
<i>Moon: waxing crescent (full moon on 15 Ilvin)</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
The beholder introduces himself as Argaphrax to his new "friend" Gil'Doren as he leads the elf into the castle's dungeon. Because of the elf's <i>telepathic bond</i> with the other party members, however, you are aware of the danger he is in. A harsh telepathic ultimatum from Dracul forces Gil'Doren to confront the enchantment fogging his mind; wresting himself free of the beholder's <i>charm</i> spell, he flees back to the main floor, but not before lobbing a potent <i>fireball </i>in his bewitcher's direction.<br />
<br />
Reunited in the main hall of the empty castle, you decide to track Argaphrax into the bowels of the castle where has has taken refuge. Making your way down stairs and into the damp gloom of the tunnels below the keep, you stumble across a room filled with implements of torture – and find you are not alone! Ghostly figures float through the room, emerging from walls and exiting the same way. On edge, perhaps, Cade unleashes a fiery attack at the phantoms. They respond by rushing toward you – and into you! Several of you are possessed and begin attacking your comrades, albeit with considerable clumsiness. It might have been comic were it not for the very real inter-party stabbing that unfolds for a few desperate moments. Fortunately, Maslorius is able to keep some of the ghosts at bay with his holy symbol and engage them in dialog. They are, it turns out, the restless spirits of long-dead victims of the earls of Minarsis, Caldeth's ancestors, who have long maintained their rule over these lands through the ruthless suppression of their political opponents and their families. They will not be at rest until their tormentor is destroyed. Said tormentor is not Caldeth, however: it is one of his ancestors, Lord Carmac, who ruled the fief several hundred years ago. Alarmingly, the ghosts reveal that Lord Carmac is still around: they are bound not to disturb him or his minions, Argaphrax included.<br />
<br />
Further searching reveals a passage with several prison cells in it. There is a living occupant in one: a woman who identifies herself as Izdrel. She is an agent of Countess Curo, sent to investigate Caldeth's nefarious dealings. Discovered and imprisoned by Argaphrax shortly after infiltrating the keep, she has bided her time. Her gaolers are nearby as well: two wretched humans, one evidently specialized in interrogation. They have been fear-stricken and hiding in a room ever since Gil'Doren's <i>fireball</i>. It's one thing to torment prisoners taken by Argaphrax, but quite another to confront determined and powerful adventurers. Despite your threats, they provide little information: clearly they fear Lord Carmac more than they do you! They do, however, reveal where Izdrel's gear has been stowed. Re-equipped, she vows to assist the party in pursuing your common objective: find evidence of Caldeth's evildoing.<br />
<br />
A scribe's room nearby contains what you seek: the records of the gaol. Going back centuries, these scrolls and registers detail the names of the political prisoners seized by a succession of earls and the results of their brutal interrogations. The most recent register documents the current earl's detainment and persecution of several loyal supporters and even officials of the king – irrefutable evidence of Caldeth's unlawful acts. You now have what you need, but you are moved to pity by the deathless plight of the ghosts; you decide to free them from undeath by destroying Lord Carmac.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="400" src="https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/006/801/808/large/maciej-mikolajczyk-knight3.jpg?1501356639" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="261" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lord Carmac<br />
Credit: Maciej Mikolajczyk</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The hunt is brief. Alerted to your presence by Argaphrax and several shadowy demons who pass easily through the dungeon's walls, Lord Carmac awaits you, confident that he will easily snuff out your lives as he has so many others. Once again, Maslorius saves your bacon by holding Lord Carmac at bay with his holy symbol, giving you the opportunity to defeat the beholder and the demons before turning to the skeletal knight himself. It's not an easy battle, and poor Maslorius is blasted near to death by the wicked creature's hellfire before your blades and spells bring it down. Dracul gets the killing blow, severing Carmac's tether to this world for the time being.<br />
<br />
Your task now: to get the incriminating information back to Countess Curo in Tashal. Other questions arise, however: what will you do with Lady Philisia? Is she complicit in her husband's crimes? And what of the infant Quilian? Who, if anyone, will govern Minarsis until order is restored? And how was Carmac connected to Caldeth's plots and the conspiracy behind the Giant uprisings across Harn?Peter C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13961433615453003926noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-317269964004008954.post-63903119587333507542019-06-16T09:56:00.001-07:002019-06-16T09:57:09.331-07:00Session 73 (12 June 2019)<i>Note to readers: This is a session re-cap of an ongoing D&D 5th edition campaign set in a loosely adapted version of N. Robin Crossby's Hârn. A journal of sessions 1 through 54, beginning in February 2015, can be found <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XbrecFXdvWjIe6B8aqdjbCVxoynCeD1cH_iOBlsYWvU/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">here</a>.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><b>In-world dates: 14 Ilvin 720 TR [second week of winter]</b><br />
<i>Daylight hours: 9</i><br />
<i>Moon: waxing crescent (full moon on 15 Ilvin)</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
You consider your options. A beholder stalks the castle's halls, looking for intruders; for the moment, you remain hidden. Moving stealthily, you explore the upper floors, looking for signs of Caldeth's family and for evidence of his plots against the king. When you find a solar and wardrobe, you realize you are near the family's living quarters — and immediately encounter a frightened young woman who identifies herself as Lady Philisia's lady-in-waiting. She claims that for almost a week now, since Caldeth left for court, a monster has kept Philisia and the earl's infant son Quilian confined to one section of the castle. She has no communication with the outside world; servants bring food to the front gates but leave immediately. When you ask her about Caldeth's private papers, she suggests you might find such things in the "war room" below; she also offers to guide you to Philisia and Quilian. To avoid the monster, you will have to find a way through a locked door that she cannot open herself.<br />
<br />
Once at the door, Maslorius sets about knocking the pins out of the hinges. The hammering draws unwanted attention: you hear doors slamming open in the distance. The beholder is hunting you! You prepare yourself, not knowing from which direction it will come. Dracul bars several doors; as he shoves a chair against one, it shudders from some force. He hears a deep grumble of displeasure and then sees the entire door dissolve into nothingness. The creature has found you!<br />
<br />
Battle ensues, and the barbarian's Searing Sword does massive damage to the monster, as do Gil'Doren's spells. Meanwhile, Maslorius succeeds in hammering out the final pin. The route to safety lies open — but the lady-in-waiting is not what she appears. Transforming into a winged she-devil, she rakes Maslorius with her claws. Though gravely wounded, the beholder does not relent. You resist many of its eye ray attacks, but at last some take effect. Dracul collapses into a deep slumber; Gil'Doren suddenly finds himself thinking of the monster as a friendly acquaintance; and Maslorius has his life force sucked out of his body. (Only Gil'Doren's quick use of <i>Life Transference</i> brings the poor gnome back from the brink of death.) The succubus laughs and leaves the fallen heroes to their fate.<br />
<br />
At the beholder's invitation, Gil'Doren accompanies the monster willingly into the deeper reaches of the castle. Meanwhile, the secretly revived Maslorius awakens Dracul; together, they follow the succubus back to a chamber where Philisia and Quilian are kept imprisoned. The succubus quickly falls before Dracul's rage. Ordering them to stay put for the moment, you rush to follow Gil'Doren and save him from whatever vile plans the beholder has for his new "friend"...Peter C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13961433615453003926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-317269964004008954.post-54123116835297002202019-06-08T13:13:00.000-07:002019-10-12T15:33:33.098-07:00A simple Fighting Fantasy hack for roleplaying in Middle EarthIf civilization as we know it were to end catastrophically in my lifetime (as it increasingly seems likely to do), I'm pretty sure the only roleplaying game rules I could reproduce entirely from memory would be the ones from the Fighting Fantasy series of gamebooks that I enjoyed immensely as a kid. I'd be ok with that. (Not the apocalypse, that is — I mean I'd be ok with having only Fighting Fantasy at hand to play.) The system uses six-sided dice, and as these are commonly found in any corner store or pharmacy, they are likely to be easily available in the post-apocalyptic wasteland — and doubly so if you live near a casino. What setting to use, though? One can assume that a fair proportion of survivors, wherever you live (if you call it living), will be familiar with Tolkien's Middle Earth, so that's probably a good one to go with.<br />
<br />
Without further ado, please find below a simple hack with which to wile away the end-times in escapist fantasies about a green and pleasant land that can actually be saved from evil.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u><span lang="EN-US">Character creation<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">1. Choose one of the Free Peoples for your character's origin: Elves, Dwarves,
Hobbits, or Humans. You may also specify their homeland (e.g., Lórien, the Iron
Hills, the Shire, Gondor, Umbar, Harad, etc.).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">2. Roll 4 six-sided dice (4d6). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">3. Assign one die result to your Skill, a
second to your Luck, and the remaining two to your Stamina.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">If you are an Elf, you must
assign your highest result to Skill.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">If you are a Dwarf, you must
assign your highest result to Stamina.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">If you are a Hobbit, you must
assign your highest result to Luck.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">Humans may assign results as
desired.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">4. Calculate your final attributes:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">Skill = 6 + 1 die<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">Stamina = 12 + 2 dice<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">Luck = 6 + 1 die<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">5. Equip your character. Choose one of the
following:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">Potion of Skill<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">Potion of Strength<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">Potion of Fortune<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">In addition, you have one weapon common to
your cultural background, a leather backpack, a lantern, and 4 rations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">6. Name your character, provide a short
description of their personality and appearance, and think about their
ambitions and fears.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">7. Gather your fellowship and go forth!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<u>Method of play</u><br />
<br />
As outlined in <i>Fighting Fantasy: The Introductory Role-playing Game</i>. It's pretty much the same as in the gamebooks. I might consider changing "roll under" Skill checks to a mechanic where one rolls 2d6+Skill to beat a target number (say, between 10 and 20 for most checks). Also, special things should happen when one rolls boxcars or snake-eyes.<br />
<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>References</b><br />
<br />
Jackson, Steve. <i>Fighting Fantasy: The Introductory Role-playing Game</i>. Harmondsworth, UK: Puffin Books, 1984.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="height: 0px;">
x</div>
Peter C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13961433615453003926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-317269964004008954.post-73164791631632471302019-05-23T15:54:00.002-07:002019-05-24T09:48:01.894-07:00Sessions 68 to 72 (20 February - 17 April 2019)<i>Note to readers: This is a session re-cap of an ongoing D&D 5th edition campaign set in a loosely adapted version of N. Robin Crossby's Hârn. A journal of sessions 1 through 54, beginning in February 2015, can be found <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XbrecFXdvWjIe6B8aqdjbCVxoynCeD1cH_iOBlsYWvU/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">here</a>.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><b>In-world dates: 10–14 Ilvin 720 TR [second week of winter]</b><br />
<i>Daylight hours: 9</i><br />
<i>Moon: waxing crescent (full moon on 15 Ilvin)</i><br />
<h4>
</h4>
<h4>
10 Ilvin</h4>
In the royal castle at Tashal, your audience with King Miginath is brief; though polite, he seems distracted and uninterested in what you have to say. He perks up when he spots Cade's fire beetle companion, however, mistaking it for a strange looking dog.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFXZXOTs7jtO57gY9hZg6DgNXZydwhQFMtfh90sxBlMOFJ2J4hx_RTdJJtLTkooZtbnu6CL0y0LwvBVidmpO7wFcXB6A88C_PmY6wRTadTcr-HKuo8-oGwlJi_joFy5hlaQ3WZihlEIgBI/s1600/Curo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFXZXOTs7jtO57gY9hZg6DgNXZydwhQFMtfh90sxBlMOFJ2J4hx_RTdJJtLTkooZtbnu6CL0y0LwvBVidmpO7wFcXB6A88C_PmY6wRTadTcr-HKuo8-oGwlJi_joFy5hlaQ3WZihlEIgBI/s200/Curo.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Countess Curo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Later, in a private meeting with Countess Curo, the king's principal adviser, you get down to brass tacks. The kingdom of Kaldor is paralyzed politically by the scheming of the great noble houses, each of which is jockeying to place their own candidate on the throne once Miginath dies. The current frontrunner, Earl Caldeth, holds the fief of Minarsis on the eastern border. Rumours of the destruction of Thay have arrived in Kaldor, but no certain news comes from the east controlled by Caldeth, who publicly dismisses the idea of a rampaging army of Giants as a fearmongering tactic of his rivals. Until Caldeth's influence over the nobles can be diminished, Miginath cannot act openly to support Melderyn.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbfPPeCFa6d3AFXBIRqwQ1BcdYJflzWEBYhP3da5Y0KTCGVnyG_e9fkUit2kZhrcdupQvIOOZkf1R10Rf79gxS_ZBeKt0RsVu7aYl3b4Tj9xwb3tvLvcQ92i7XIwAX_RqGBo1l1xqNMLk9/s1600/Caldeth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbfPPeCFa6d3AFXBIRqwQ1BcdYJflzWEBYhP3da5Y0KTCGVnyG_e9fkUit2kZhrcdupQvIOOZkf1R10Rf79gxS_ZBeKt0RsVu7aYl3b4Tj9xwb3tvLvcQ92i7XIwAX_RqGBo1l1xqNMLk9/s200/Caldeth.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Earl Caldeth</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Your arrival is fortuitous, however; on the morrow, a royal tournament is to be held. Caldeth and his followers are expected to win many of the events, thus cementing their political influence among the nobles and popularity with the commoners. Curo suggests that if outsiders like yourselves, unassociated with the king directly, were to tarnish Caldeth's reputation, it would go a long way to freeing the king's hands. You decide to take part in the tournament. You take rooms at the Merry Faerie Inn, where you settle in for the night after handling yourselves admirably in a tavern brawl with a half-dozen brash young nobles, supporters of Caldeth, who were bold (or drunk) enough to attempt to intimidate you.<br />
<h4>
</h4>
<h4>
11 Ilvin</h4>
Trumpet blasts announce the beginning of the jousting. Dracul beats Caldeth by 1 point; Gil'Doren loses narrowly to Sir Morcair; and Maslorius, tiny gnome though he is, beats Sir Steinbjorn. (It probably helped that his charger was in fact a shapechanged Cade!) All in all, not the glorious showing that Caldeth anticipated for his faction. Shaking his fist at you, he vows to get even in the mêlée.<br />
<h4>
</h4>
<h4>
12 Ilvin</h4>
Caldeth himself does not appear in the mêlée, but many of his supporters do. It's a mass combat, on foot, with blunted weapons. Magic is strictly prohibited, and there are several Shek Pvar in attendance to make sure that rule is observed. Dracul and Gil'Doren take part, while Cade, in bug form, does his best to distract opponents once the fighting begins. Maslorius, unattended, hits the bottle while observing from the stands.<br />
<br />
From the outset, things go awry. The knights on your side seem slow, hesitant, confused, while the opposition attacks aggressively, ganging up on Dracul and Gil'Doren. Your worries only grow when you realize that when your enemies go down, they don't stay there! Somehow, only seconds later they return to the fray with frenzied energy. Whatever the reason for this alarming resurgence, it is thankfully brief: after a few rounds, each revived warrior collapses into unconsciousness. Meanwhile, the performance of your own allies only worsens, as several faint or fall to vomiting.<br />
<br />
Suspecting foul play, Gil'Doren makes a flashy display of magic and calls on the judges to end the charade. The event ends in chaos and confusion as accusations fly back and forth. Caldeth, affecting to be affronted by Gil'Doren's claims, challenges the elf to a duel. Gil'Doren accepts.<br />
<br />
During the debacle, Maslorius sneaks away to investigate the pavilions of Caldeth and his faction. Inside the main tent, he finds a chest containing two vials of a black, sludge-like liquid. He takes these back to the inn, later giving one to Countess Curo's aide who makes a clandestine visit that night.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, at the archery butts, Galindo handily emerges as the winner, beating Caldeth's representative Astraia the Byrian Amazon. She glowers but concedes defeat in a fair contest.<br />
<h4>
</h4>
<h4>
13 Ilvin</h4>
The duel between Gil'Doren and Caldeth, again without magic, is hard fought and punctuated with appeals to the audience by both adversaries; it is as much a contest to win the hearts and minds of the attendees as it is a test of weapon skill. In the end, Gil'Doren emerges victorious, and magnanimously offers to heal Caldeth afterward. Scowling, Caldeth announces that he will be returning to his castle at Minarsis forthwith.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, Maslorius, having set out to explore the town, becomes the target of thugs. They club him unconscious, but not before he manages to activate a magical alarm. Cade sets out to find the hapless gnome, and does so quickly with the help of further magic. Dispatching the would-be robbers, Cade returns to the Merry Faerie with Maslorius and one of his attackers, a wounded young woman named Mada. An urchin with matted hair, dirty face, ragged clothes, and resentful attitude, Mada inspires <i>Pygmalion</i>-like fantasies in Cade and Gil'Doren, who aspire to remake her into a loyal henchperson. Dracul expresses his doubtfulness at the wisdom of such an endeavour, an opinion that seems confirmed by Mada's initial effort to escape rather than submit.<br />
<br />
Countess Curo herself visits that night in disguise. The upshot of the tournament: Caldeth's reputation has lost some of its lustre, but he still holds considerable support. The black liquid turned out to be a performance-enhancing drug and was probably what Caldeth's knights consumed before the mêlée. Such tactics are frowned upon by the nobility, even though they are not infrequent. Moreover, nothing can be definitely linked to Caldeth himself. She suggests that more evidence of perfidy can be found in Caldeth's castle.<br />
<h4>
</h4>
<h4>
14 Ilvin</h4>
Caldeth and his retinue leave Tashal after dawn on horseback. It will take them three days to reach his castle at Minarsis. You leave as well, using <i>Wind Walk</i> to arrive at the same destination in hours. Noting the absence of birds within a 100-yard radius of the castle, you decide to approach on foot. Cade scouts ahead in bug form and then in human disguise, learning from many of the castle-dwellers (guards, servants, etc.) and regular visitors (traders, artisans, etc.) in the outer bailey that strange things have been afoot lately. Caldeth's family -- wife Philisia and infant son Quilian -- have not been seen in some time, and no one goes in or out of the keep where they reside save for the seneschal Constantius and Philisia's lady-in-waiting, Lady Alekta.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Uzb_qjEwfZ432VBasqRUeb4PjyHIwGdrQnCVAD_l3jnnYGCbm5YpDlMpT1lTGdkLPUyKalBX5zEcfUvx_Q9hFYljXO_iJvi9j2B_P6kGeNZHhW4wjU1ZEg2Kso5DbbutsMBBD0sCRZYA/s1600/beholder.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Uzb_qjEwfZ432VBasqRUeb4PjyHIwGdrQnCVAD_l3jnnYGCbm5YpDlMpT1lTGdkLPUyKalBX5zEcfUvx_Q9hFYljXO_iJvi9j2B_P6kGeNZHhW4wjU1ZEg2Kso5DbbutsMBBD0sCRZYA/s200/beholder.png" width="197" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: Matheus Graef</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Invisible and/or shapechanged, you make your way inside the keep and split up to begin exploring its various rooms. The only creature you spot is unexpected: a floating one-eyed sphere with toothy maw and eight eye-stalks patrols the halls. When it finds a door left ajar, it bellows: "Intruders! Reveal yourselves or face my wrath!" and begins scouring the keep, scanning everywhere with its central eye. From your various hiding places, you telepathically plot a coordinated attack on the strange monstrosity.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />Peter C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13961433615453003926noreply@blogger.com0