New Amur: Timeline

I continue working on my New Amur campaign that I started several years ago. I'm adding new material and rewriting other, in part, to make it fully compatible with Labyrinth Lord. Below is a time line from a human perspective. I've also included the three adventures I've ran in this campaign. Additionally, I'm compiling New Amur Campaign information in a single Google Document that you can find under the "What I've Written" link list, or by clicking here. Please note that this is, until published as a PDF, a draft in-progress.

Chronology KE (King Elsinor)
342 - Malaxam Dupr’in lands at present day Unlem. Claims and names all of New Amur.
343 - Malaxam returns to Amur.
346 - Malaxam leaves Amur with five boats and 103 humans with King Pulmeron (of Yerud). King orders a town build and promises more ships.
348 - Malaxam reaches present day Mor with 3 ships and 67 men (which is where slang term, “three and sixty seven” is derived, meaning “good enough”).
349 - Of 44 men, Onar, second to Malaxam is leader. First contact with Wild Elves (called Ree, or Ryhee).
350 - Ree generally ignor Yarudians.
351 - 3 boats bearing auplies and 65 men arrive at Mor. King Pulmeron dies, son Pulmeron II assumes command.
352 - One boat returns to Yarud. Colonists begin exploring along Ree River, Gulmer created. Small skirmishes begin with Ree. Onar becomes Duke.
356 - Iron discovered at mouth of Ree near Dragonback mountains. Augustine and Calder created. Small skirmishes continue with Ree. Onar dies in Ree attack.
358 - Ten boats and 250 men and women arrive at Mor. Ripley becomes Duke. Ree raids become a serious problem. Calder is desroyed, Pulmeron II dies, his mother, Queen Selomne’ rises to power.
360 - Campaign against Ree intensifies.
361 - Fort Pullendock is built. Mor, Gulmer, Augustine cleared of Ree. First export of iron to Yarud.
370 - Prince Pulmeron III becomes King and declares war on Ree. Iron shipping fully underway.
375 - Ree irradicated. Fort Geddon built.
376 - Prince Luellenond and six ships, 118 men arrive at present day Orwell and form uneasy treaty with Wanatay elves.
378 - Four Ishnotian boats arrive, with 80 men and women. Yerud continues moving Northward. Yerud/Wanatay skirmishes begin. Riply killed in Wanatay atack. Merlot named Duke.
380 - Wanatay/Yerud conflicts intensify and Ishnot begin secretly supporting Wanatay. Luellenond names Bolmer Duke of Ishnot colonies. Pirsig established.
383 - Polmeron III dies and is replaced by Esfaron. Jacob, Corinth, and Almer formed.
384 - Rumors of a mountain pass confirmed, Mirot created. Yarud and Wanatay/Ishnot battles intensify.
386 - Prince Luellenond killed at Battle of Sycamore. Yarud forces pushed South.
388 - Ishnot fortifies Wanatay basic. Sycamore memorial and Shadow Pass memorials created. Esfaraon dies and is replaced by Rennick II.
389 - Duke Bolmer dies. Jolnur Hemgot appointed. Ruprise raid by mysterious party at iron pits.
391 - Duke Merlot is replaced by Khamer Pers. Another suprise raid at Dragonshadow. Goblins, seeing their enemies, Ree, defeated, have become bold. Midnight raids in cities close to the mountains have increased. Particularly near Cornth.
392 - Now...
392 - (Adventure #1) Yarudian band led by Frilln kill humans in Almer attempting to rise discontent between tribes of Sud and Ishnot. Nimarellan is sent with Belasarian, Jurgen, and Oristen. They discover the Yarudians and kill Frilln. The group join Batavlio’s ranger party to keep an eye on Goblin activities near the Southern stretch of the Dragonback Mountains.
392 - (Adventure #2) Batavlio takes party West, into the forest, to an Elven camp where two human Yarud captives are held. When pushed, they admit to being sent by Khamer Pers to form a treaty with the Noughts, a band of Goblins. One wears a Goblin ring of location. Nimarellan wants to take the humans back to Orwell. Along the way a party of 30 Goblin attacks the party. Goblin leader is found to have a map marking Ree ruins. Batavlio, Nimarellen, and party leave to investigate. In ruins, they discover the “Goblin Eye”.
392 - (Adventure #3) Characters receive erring of protection that also acts as control for Nimarellan. Rumors in Onoch indicate the Yarudian leaders is, himself, in Orwell. Elder council is concerned about Goblin movements and wants “Goblin Rock” or freshly cobbled lava from Dragonsmouth. Party departs and is attacked by bear. Party sees glowing Elven spirit walking into lake near Cornth and disappearing. Goblins attack party on boat ride and discover Stone Giant near Dragonsbreath.

Magical Weapon: The Doppeldrachen

The Doppeldrachen
Forged by Dwarven Mastersmiths, wrapped in Black Dragon hide, and enchanted by Elven Highmasters at Ervir, this battle axe is a powerful weapon built for one target; Black Dragons.

Unable to mine in the mineral rich, but Dragon infested Drachenzurk Mountain Range (renamed "Dragonback" by human colonists), Dwarven prospectors paid large shares in the Dwarven Silber & Eisen Excavating Company (SEEC) to produce the Doppeldrachen Battle Axe.

Designed specifically for Black Dragons, this powerful enchanted axe is +3 against Black Dragons, but -1 for all other purposes. There is a 25% chance of breaking when used against non-Black Dragons, otherwise it is impervious to all physical and magical attacks. It was supposedly lost in battle when the Dwarf Warrior Glorval fell against Arain. It’s assumed to have been added to Arain’s treasures in his lair, thought to be several days journal south of Fort Pullindock. Several Dwarven war parties, funded by SEEC, have attempted to locate and retrieve the magical weapon without success.

Obi & I

I didn't receive any gaming books for Christmas, though I did receive a life-sized Obi-Wan (from my mom, no less). My basement is shaping up!

Old School Apology

Introduction

Nostalgia is, without doubt, an important and driving factor in what is commonly called the Old School Renaissance (OSR). One is remiss, however, in failing to address the complexity and other costs of various role-playing game (RPG) systems in selecting a game to play today. I’d like to take some time to explain why I choose Labyrinth Lord (LL), a nod to an old-school system in today’s new school variety of offerings, as my game system of choice. Aside from nostalgia, there are four main reasons I choose LL as my fantasy mechanic; complexity, cost, conversions, and community. I hope to outline each, in brief, here.

Complexity

Simpler isn’t always better when it comes to game mechanics. There is something to be said, however, for a time-tested game system stripped down and fine tuned so any referee can transport a party through a dungeon crawl or campaign smoothly. Most modern games are far more complex than Moldvay’s Basic and Expert (B/X) and other old school inspirations, even if they offer a “core mechanic” system with ascending complexity. There are counter examples in regards to complexity, so I offer this premise, not as a rule, but generality.

Cost

Nowhere is the bifurcation between the Old School and New School so clear as in cost. I can download the rules, creatures, and many modules, largely, for free for old school systems such as LL, Basic Fantasy (BF), Swords & Wizardry, White Box, and Dark Dungeons. Wizards of the Coast (WotC), as a for-profit company, charge for their online services and most books retail between thirty and fifty dollars, of which several are required. Furthermore, many speculate about a future where Dungeons and Dragons becomes an amalgam of World of Warcraft (WoW) and the Sims, bearing only a passing resemblance to the books we held as kids in the 80’s.

Conversion

Obviously, I can easily convert my ample Basic, Expert, Companion, Master, and Immortal Dungeons and Dragons (BECMI) materials to LL. Because of relatively simple mechanics, however, LL is also easily converted to other systems, especially other retro-clones. Additionally, there are several other systems such as BF and White Box which offer enough similarity as to be largely and easily compatible with LL. The growing resources compiled for these and other systems are, essentially, increasing the resources for LL as well. However, I can make this same argument, only slightly weakened, for 4^th Edition Dungeons and Dragons (4e) and Pathfinder.

Community

I’ve always been a gamer, but I haven’t always played games with consistency. There was a five year period after I graduated from college in which my time spent actually playing games was practically zero. I was, however, still reading, creating, and attending convention such as Gen Con and Origins. After a 200 mile move and marriage I found myself drawn back into playing through a series of coincidences which I won’t bore you with here. After a year of gaming with this brand new cadre of gamers and system (Dark Heresy) I started seeking out gaming blogs. I quickly discovered a thriving series of communities, including the OSR through blogs such as Grognardia, B/X Blackrazor, and Beyond the Black Gate.

While there is no doubt that modern games such as 4e and Pathfinder have substantial online communities and resources, because older systems and books, such as Moldvay’s B/X, are effectively out of print, it is the gamers themselves, armed with the Open Game License (OGL) who are creating large amounts of modules, creatures, and modifications. It is this philosophy of ownership, creativity, and sharing that illuminate some of the best OSR qualities, if I may generalize.

Conclusion

There are several weaknesses with my argument above, so I return to where I started; appeal to the past. Some of my fondest gaming memories are from the 80’s and D&D, so it is unlikely that I can objectively analyze my options for the “best” game to use today. This is because “best” includes, not only my objective analysis as outlined here, but my subjective memories and feeling regarding a wonderful hobby. I can conduct a blind experiment to test the efficacy of my teaching or which lager I really do prefer, but I can’t do this with gaming. Or can I? Sounds like a good topic for another post.

OSR, Thank You!

It's been a week or two since I've sifted carefully through Google Reader. It's been just enough time for me to appreciate, again, my fellow gamers and the internet. New, player-generated, products continue to arrive in my inbox with regularity of both quality and quantity.

Recently I've skimmed through Adventures Dark and Deep and Stars Without Number, both of which are very impressive. While I continue to play and enjoy Dark Heresy, I have a growing desire to return behind the screen for some Old-School fun.

Cyberpunk 2020 Character: Cassandra

While reorganizing my basement I found a battered and frayed folder. Inside was one of my most cherished characters, Cassandra Malino. I ran and played Cyberpunk 2020 for several years, especially during my Bubblegum Crisis stage (1991-1993). That said, it makes sense why I chose the Rocker role and Cassandra had a motorcycle. Though, in my defense, I did add fang and smartgun implants. My friend Aaron ran Cassandra's campaign and unfortunately I remember very little aside from that it was usually just him and I and we had a blast and a few cryptic notes on my character sheet such as "Simon Finch - Texas" and "Mark No-Chrome Chuck".

I can, however, recall a specific session in his cold, but awesome basement in which Cassandra was very near death. Those of you familiar with 2020 and Friday Night Firefight mechanics understand that, in a nod toward realism, characters can die very quickly in a gunfight. Anyway, I came very close this one night and I still remember Pet Shop Boys Very album playing in the background (don't ask).

Cassandra was one of my first female characters and I'm glad to have found her again. It may be time to dust off some Talsorian rules, reread Snowcrash, and put on some mirrorshades.

Game Design Questions

Some questions to ask when designing a game.

• What is the game about (what's the reason to play)?
• How do you do that?
• What behaviors does the game reward, and thus encourage?
• What are the incentives?
• Is there competition?
• How do I reward?