Under the Moons of Mars: Sample Adventure

I rolled up an adventure using the adventure generator that I posted earlier. I doubt that I'll be able to run this for my group, but I may flesh it out to run as a one-shot at a convention.

1-3	Villian   Adjective   Race	Noble   Rich   Red Martian	Nastor Lar - a rich Baltan noble
4	Villian's Goal	Discover	Wants to discover the secret of the Black Sphere, which lies half submerged in water in a cavern deep underground. The water is part of the Last Ocean. The cavern is located underneath the city of Rev Del.   There is a wall full of ancient Martian symbols in the cavern. Nastor hopes that the writing tells how to open the Black Sphere.   Nastor has kidnapped Jad Sorolian, a beautiful red Martian female archaeologist, who is an expert on ancient Martian symbols. The Baltan noble hopes that Jad can decipher the symbols  on the wall.   Jad's work site has been unexpectedly attacked by an invisible enemy.
5	Heroes' Hook	Rumor	The party hears rumors that their friend Jad Sorolian,  has been kidnapped by Nastor Lar, a Baltan noble with a reputation for cruelty. It is also rumored that Nastor Lar has found a Black Sphere, one of the legendary ships of the Yellow Martians.
6	Heroes' Goal	Destroy/Hunt	Hunt for the archaeologist Jad Sorolian, a friend, or destroy the Baltan noble, Nastor Lar.
7-8	Locales and Modifiers	Villain's Lair - NPC hostile	The Green Tower on Mount Jeddum, leads to the Dark Below and the Last Ocean  - Zand Hamek, a red Martian merchant, delusional
7-8	Locales and Modifiers	Exotic Land - Mystery	The Dark Below/The Last Ocean - A mysterious black sphere.
7-8	Locales and Modifiers	Small City - Trap/Ambush	Red Martian city of Rel Dev, mansion belonging to Nastor Lar - Floria will try to ambush the party.
9	Villainous Lt.	Spy/Seducer	A beautiful red Martian woman, Floria Tah
10	Guest Star	Mystic	Borrell, a yellow Martian male. (Yellow Martians are the Atlanteans of Mars: aquatic).
11	Guest Star Goal	Destroy/Hunt or Conquer	Destroy any intruders who seek knowledge of the Black Sphere.
12	Victim	Damsel or Dude in Distress	Jad Sorolian, a beautiful red Martian female. Archaeologist, expert on ancient Martian symbols. Captured by Nastor Lar.
13	Obstacles	Secrecy	Party must maintain secrecy. A war has started between the Baltan Confederacy and the green horde of Kovash Korak. Rev Del lies in Baltan territory. Anyone in the area is subject to conscription (by the Baltans) or eaten (by the green men).
14	Twists and Turns	Shock Revelation	Borrell serves an aboleth/fish god

Under the Moons of Mars: Adventure Generator

Here is an adventure generator for Mars that I put together.

1. VILLAIN
 
The villain is the main nemesis of the heroes. He is the spider at the center of the web and usually only encountered at the climax of the adventure. The villain should be a fully developed Wild Card, at least equal in power to individual heroes, if not the whole party.
 
d10 Result
1 Merchant
2 Priest
3 Noble
4 Scientist
5 Outlaw/Outcast
6 Psionicist
7 Mystic
8 Expert
9 Warrior
10 Roll twice. The first result is what the villain presents himself as. The second is what the villain actually is.
 
 
2. VILLAIN ADJECTIVE
 
d8 result
1 Bestial/Warped/Deformed
2 Bloodthirsty
3 Crafty
4 Delusional
5 Violent
6 Zealous
7 Rich
8 Filthy Rich
 
 
3. RACE
 
2d6 Result
2 Grey Martian
3-5 Green Martian
6-8 Red Martian
9-11 White Ape
12 Synthe or Robot
 
 
4. VILLAIN'S GOAL
 
The villain’s goal represents his primary motivation. His Hindrances should be chosen based on his nature (as determined on the previous tables) and his goal. A villain may have more than one goal, but there should always be a primary goal, which the other goals assist. Think of the others as sub-plots.
 
d10 Result
1 Conquer
2 Corrupt
3 Destroy
4 Discovery
5 Greed
6 Kidnap/Steal
7 Power
8 Revenge
9 Satisfy Honor
10. Subvert/Recruit
 
Conquer: The villain wants to conquer an area: a city, an oasis, or an entire kingdom.
 
Corrupt: This villain usually wants to replace one thing for another thing. He tends to work through subversion rather than brute force. For example, a cultist who wants to overthrow a Red Martian kingdom and reestablish worship of the old gods.
 
Destroy: The villain seeks to bring someone or something to a permanent end.
 
Discovery: The villain seeks to discover something of value. This may be a lost technology, a weapon, a Lost City, or even forbidden knowledge.
 
Greed: There’s more to greed than money. Seeking political favors, rare minerals, or knowledge can just as easily lead to villainous activities.
 
Kidnap/Steal: Kidnapping involves an abduction -- taking someone as a hostage or to interrogate them. Stealing usually involves an object rather than a person. The object the villain desires is usually a means to another goal. Roll again on the Goal table, ignoring any further kidnap/steal results.
 
Power: Gaining a political position or acquiring sensitive information can bring a villain power as easily as conquering a kingdom or discovering an ancient artifact.
 
Revenge: The villain seeks to avenge a perceived wrongdoing either against them personally or against their cause or beliefs. Revenge takes many forms, from simple humiliation to murder. It usually involves methods similar to one of the other goals, but is aimed at a specific target for a personal reason.
 
Satisfy Honor: The villain feels that he has been dishonored in some fashion. The goal usually calls for the death of whomever offended the villain.
 
Subvert/Recruit:  The villain hopes to undermine someone's allegiance or draw them to the villain's side.
 
 
5. HOOK
 
The Hook determines how the heroes get involved in the adventure.
 
d6 Result
1 Caught up in Events
2 Mistaken Identity
3 Motivation
4 Old Friend/Enemy
5 Patron
6 Rumor
 
Caught up in Events: Through no fault of their own, the heroes find themselves thrust into the action. Starting this way may leave the heroes confused as to what is happening, thus encouraging them to investigate.
 
Mistaken Identity: The heroes are mistaken for someone else (including the possibility of being accused of some crime they did not commit), or mistake someone else.
 
Motivation: Heroes have Hindrances and sometimes those Hindrances drag them into adventures. A villain might be a Foe of a PC.
 
Old Friend/Enemy: An old acquaintance seeks out the heroes, for good or ill.
 
Patron: Someone approaches the heroes with a job offer. The patron could even be the villain!
 
Rumor: Rumors circulate quickly on Mars. A rumor can come in the form of an overheard conversation or a piece of evidence.
 
 
6. HEROES' GOAL
 
What the heroes are trying to accomplish.
 
d12 Result
1. Assist/Gratitude
2. Destroy/Hunt
3. Discover/Solve Mystery
4. Escape/Rescue
5. Explore
6. Liberate
7. Money/Reward
8. Prevent/Protect
9. Retrieve/Steal/Acquire
10. Revenge/Thwart Villian
11. Survive
12. Win Battle/Contest
 
 
7. LOCALES
 
Exciting locales make interesting battlegrounds and scenic backdrops. Roll three to five times per episode.
 
1d12 Result
1  Small city
2 Villain’s Lair
3 Small Ruin (aerodrome, observatory, etc.)
4 Lost City
5 Isolated Building (laboratory, temple, tower, etc.)
6 Large City
7 Settlement or outpost
8 Exotic Land
9 Large Ruin (an abandoned city, a citadel, etc.)
10–11 Wilderness
12 The Dark Below
 
Exotic Land: An exotic land might the jungles of the north pole, the Dead Seas of the southern hemisphere, or a deep canyon full of exotic plant life.
 
Ruin, Small/Large: This is a building, or a complex of buildings, that had a single purpose. While the ruin might be inhabited, the people there no longer pursue the building's original reason for being built.
 
Lost City: Mars is a dying world, and there are countless lost cities.
 
Isolated Building: Like a ruin, but this building is occupied and still used for its original purpose.
 
Settlement: The adventure takes place among the comforts of civilization -- and where there are lots of innocents.
 
The Dark Below: The adventure takes place in the caverns below the surface of Mars.
 
Villain’s Lair: This is the villain’s headquarters. Roll again to see where the base is located.
 
Wilderness: An adventure set in the red deserts or the dry sea bottoms of Mars.
 
 
8. Locale Modifiers
 
Each location has something that the heroes have to interact with to advance their goals.
 
1d12 Result
1 Beast
2 Robot
2 Trap/Ambush
3 Mystery
4 NPC - ally
5-6 NPC - neutral
7-9 NPC - hostile
10 NPC - Spy/Seducer
11 Natural Hazard
12  Farmers / Settlers / Innocents
 
 
9. VILLIANOUS HENCHMEN
 
Villains sometimes operate with henchmen. Roll once per adventure.
 
1d12 Result
1 Corrupted Hero
2 Robot/Synthe-Man
3 Beast
4 Combat Veteran
5 Mystic
6 Psionicist
7-8 Right -Hand Man
9 Mad Scientist
10 Spy/Seducer
11 Thugs/Criminals
12 Soldiers
 
Beast: The villain has one or more beasts at his disposal.
 
Combat Veteran: Combat veterans are masters of warfare andmight be able to take down any individual hero in a fair fight. They may not be capable in other areas, but they are deadly duelists.
 
Corrupted Hero: A former champion, now fallen.
 
Psionicist: The villain’s henchman is gifted with strange powers of the mind.
 
Right Hand Man: The villain’s most trusted lackey is usually a jack-of-all-trades. He can fight, talk, and get his way out of trouble. He is also fanatically loyal to his master.
 
Mad Scientist: The villain has a master of Weird Science at his disposal.
 
Soldiers: The villian has a group of trained soldiers at his disposal. These might be raiders mounted on jalfs or sky pirates on a skyship.
 
Spy/Seducer: The villain’s henchman is a master of deception. Blackmail, bribery, control, seduction, and secrets of all kinds are the tools of this servant.
 
Thugs/Criminals: Low-grade lackeys, a criminal gang, or smugglers.
 
 
10. GUEST STAR
 
1d12 RESULT
1 Criminal
2. Military Officer
3 Expert/Scholar
4 Explorer/Scout
5 Friend/Relative
6 Love Interest
7 Scientist
8 Warrior/Mercenary
9 Merchant
10 Official/Bureaucrat
11 Priest
12 Mystic
 
 
11. GUEST STARS GOAL
 
Roll once on the Heroes' Goals Table and once on the Villain's Goal Table. Pick the best one.
 
 
12. Victim
 
1 Soldier
2 Damsel or Dude in Distress
3 Decent Folk
4 Deserving
5 Hero associate/friend/family
6 Inanimate/Infrastructure
7 Innocents
8 Historian/archaeologist

9 Marginal Types
10 Politician/Bureaucrat
11 Noble
12 Roll twice on the Villain Table. The first result is what the victim presents himself as. The second is what the victim actually is
 
13. OBSTACLES
 
1d12 Result
1 Accused
2 Bandits/Criminals
3 Beast
4 Natural Disaster/Bad Weather
5 Rampaging Robot
6 Mystery
7 Official Opposition
8 Rival
9 Secrecy
10 Social Opposition
11 Trap
12 War
 
 
14. TWISTS AND TURNS
 
A good sword and planet adventure should have a few twists in it. Ideally, there should be one or two twists and turns per episode. To increase the length of an adventure, make extra rolls.
 
1d12 Result
1 Deadline/Ticking Clock
2 Double-Crossed
3 Unexpected Foe
4 Trap/Ambush
5 Rescue Ally
6 False Flag
7 Escalation
8 Beast
9 Natural Hazard
10 Unexpected Ally
11 Shock Revelation
12 Discovery
 
Beast: Some sort of creature makes a sudden appearance in the adventure at any unexpected time.
 
Deadline: The heroes discover that they are in race against time.
 
Discovery: Many secrets lie buried across Mars. Maybe the heroes find a document revealing the villain’s plan or discover an inscription that leads to another adventure.
 
Double-Crossed: At some point, a key figure in the adventure switches sides. This works both for and against the heroes, depending on who it is performing the double-cross.
 
Escalation: The villian escalates the situation. He might hire more thugs or he might decide to destroy the city instead of overthrowing the rightful king.
 
False Flag: Someone is not whom they seem.
 
Natural Hazard: At some point in the adventure, the characters are hampered by the forces of nature. Rockslides, sand storms, marsquakes, electrical storms.
 
Rescue Ally: At some point during the adventure, an ally of the heroes ends up in the villain’s clutches. Kidnapping the ally may be a distraction to cover the villain’s actions elsewhere, or it may advance the villain’s main goal directly.
 
Shock Revelation: Something important is revealed during the adventure. Such Shock Revelations do not have to be bad—though they often are! Perhaps an NPC declares her undying love for a hero or maybe the group discovers a clue that suggests an old and trusted friend is secretly in league with the villain.
 
Trap/Ambush: Traps range from simple pits to complex traps involving moving walls. This could be set by the villain, or merely an ancient device stumbled upon by the heroes. Ambushes are fairly self-explanatory (again, this may be an ambush completely unrelated to the villains plans).
 
Unexpected Ally: Maybe the natives rise up against the villain and join the heroes, or perhaps the old man they met earlier in the adventure turns out to be a retired swordsman who just can’t sit back and watch the villain get away with his foul plot. Either way, someone or something comes to the heroes’ aid at a crucial moment.
 
Unexpected Foe: Maybe the villain turns out in fact to be someone the heroes weren’t expecting (“The old man was the villain all along!”), extra henchmen join a desperate battle at a crucial time, or some innocent looking animal turns out to be a vicious killing machine.
 

Cultural Archtypes for Legends of Steel: Shadows of Yar

Legends of Steel: Shadows of Yar

Cultural Archetypes

The first step of character creation is to choose a cultural background.

Savage

Savages include warriors from the frozen north and witch-doctors from the snake-infested jungles of the south. Savages tend to have a close connection with nature, but are easily spooked by things outside of their normal expectations.

Savages have the following racial traits:

·         Strong: start with a d6 Strength

·         Feral: start with a d6 in Survival

·         Superstitious: You suffer -2 to Fear checks (as the Doubting Thomas Hindrance)

Example starting areas:

·         Green Death Jungle

·         The Great Forest

·         Erendor Forest

 

Nomadic

Nomads roam the empty wastes beyond the civilized cities; quick to strike and bound by no laws. Nomads live with their animals and usually ride into battle with them; they feel ill at ease without them.

Nomads have the following racial traits:

·         Agile: start with a d6 Agility

·         Horselord: Start with a d6 in Riding

·         Bowlegged: Base land speed is 30 feet per turn (5” or 5 squares)

Example starting area:

·         Sikkar Plains

 

Rural

Rural folk have the following racial traits:

·         Healthy: start with a d6 Vigor

·         Hunter: Start with a d6 in Tracking

·         Luddite: -2 to Repair rolls

Example starting areas:

·         Belsa

·         Taurus

 

Civilized

Civilized peoples cultivate the land, build great cities; develop trade; and study medicine, mathematics, languages, and other areas of knowledge. In the civilized lands dwell noble knights, wise kings, and learned sages — as well as greedy merchants and cunning thieves.

Civilized people have the following racial traits:

·         Smart: start with a d6 in Smarts

·         Professional: start with a d6 in a Knowledge skill

·         Frail: -2 to all Fatigue checks (as the Anemic Hindrance)

Example starting areas:

·         Albena

·         Emesa

Ascendant

Some civilizations rise above others. These nations dominate the area around them or even the entire world. People of ascendant cultures are builders of cyclopean monuments, explorers of distant lands, conquerors of neighboring lands, delvers into esoteric knowledge, or sorcerers of great power.

Ascending cultures have people with the following racial traits:

·         Wise: start with a d6 in Spirit

·         Imposing: start with a d6 in the Intimidate skill

·         Conceited: -2 Charisma outside of your society

Example starting areas:

·         Akkar

·         Yar

 

Decadent

Great civilizations reach their peak and eventually start to decline. Such fallen empires are ruled by jaded nobles, corrupt priests, and self-serving bureaucrats. Drinking, drug abuse, and the need for entertainment are all too common in these cultures. The bureaucracy expands to dominate the government.

Decadent people have the following racial traits:

·         Tempting: +2 to Charisma

·         Insidious: start with a d6 in Persuasion

·         Corrupt: Decadent people cannot resist a good time and have the Quirk Minor Hindrance related to a need to party, drink, have a good time, and be entertained.

Example starting areas:

·         Crascia

·         Pyrani

·         Tyros

 

Degenerate

The last survivors of decadent civilizations start to feud over dwindling resources, or are driven away by stronger cultures. Fleeing into the wilderness, or deep underground beneath their ruins, they start to inbreed and devolve into something no longer entirely human. Degenerates may outwardly resemble savages, but they carry the evil taint of fallen empires.

Or

Inbred cannibal hillbillies are fun!

Degenerates have the following racial traits:

·         Tough: start with a d6 in Vigor

·         Nocturnal: Degenerates ignore penalties for Dim and Dark conditions.

·         Unwholesome: Degenerates always have a physical deformity, usually caused by inbreeding, which sets them apart from other humans. This unwholesomeness can never be fully concealed. Choose one of the following Hindrances:

o   All thumbs (misshapen hand)

o   Anemic (pox ridden)

o   Bad Eyes (Minor) (pus filled tumors over your eyes)

o   Hard of Hearing (pus filled tumors over your ears)

o   Slow (misshapen leg)

o   Obese (hideously bloated)

o   Ugly

o   Stinky (-2 Charisma)

Example starting areas:

·         Jandahar

·         Radu

 

 

Major source (d20):

http://xoth.net/blog/2010/03/cultural-archetypes/

 

More inspiration:

http://www.peginc.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=30599

 

 

Dio, Magic Swords, and Savage Worlds

I found a great article on heavy metal swords on Jeff's Gameblog:

http://jrients.blogspot.com/2013/08/heavy-metal-swords.html

I'm a fan of Ronnie James Dio, so I've taken some of his songs and Savaged them.

Master of Insanity

- Scimitar

- Cast Confusion, Arcane d10, 20 Power Points

- If you roll a 1 on the Arcane die, you are Shaken.

Country Girl

- Scimitar

- The pommel of this scimitar is plain and unadorned. The blade is highly polished.

- Taunt die is increased one step when the sword is drawn and in your hand.

- 1d10 on a Raise.

- If you roll a 1 on your Fighting die, you are Shaken

Scream

- two-handed sword

- Intimidate die is raised one step

- mass Intimidate check: Place a Medium Burst Template adjacent to your character. Make an Intimidate roll. All creatures within that template, enemies and allies, make an opposed Spirit check against your roll.

- If you roll a 1 on your Fighting die, you are Shaken. In addition, you gain the Hard of Hearing Hindrance (Minor) for 2-5 days.

Time to Burn

- Long Sword

- Cast Quickness, d10 Arcane, 10 Power Points.

- If you roll a 1 on the Arcane die, you are Shaken.

Turn to Stone

- Short Sword

- Any creature Incapacitated by the sword is turned to stone instead.

One Foot in the Grave

- Rapier

- The blade is rusted and pitted, and appears to be of no use. However, the blade is quite sharp, durable, and usable.

- Any creature hit by the rapier with a Raise must make a Vigor roll or suffer a level of Fatigue.

Straight through the Heart

- Long Sword

- The pommel of the sword contains a heart-shaped ruby. "Straight through the Heart" is inscribed in Latin on one side of the blade.

- AP 3

- If you roll a 1 on your Fighting die, you are Shaken.

Rainbow in the Dark

- Long Sword

- The blade is forged of some unknown metal and sparkles with the many colors of the rainbow.

- +2 vs. Fear checks

- Permanent Light spell when the sword is drawn.

- If the lighting conditions are Dim or Pitch Dark, the blade can Cast Prismatic Spray (Stun), d10 Arcane, 20 Power Points. If you roll a 1 on the Arcane die, you are affected by the Stun spell.

- If you roll a 1 on your Fighting die, you are Shaken.

Heaven and Hell

- Two-handed sword. One side of the blade has images of angels and devils cavorting together. The other side is inscribed with the words, "You Have to Bleed for the Dancer"

- Cast Dispel Magic, d10 Arcane, 10 Power Points. If you roll a 1 on the Arcane Die, you are Blinded for 2-5 rounds.

- If an ally adjacent to you takes damage, you automatically take the damage instead.

- You deal an extra d12 damage to anyone who has ever lied to you.


Tim

Mars: Campaign Concepts and Themes

Mars!

Not Mars as it is – airless, most likely lifeless, with only the faintest hints of what might have once been a damp, if not necessarily lush and living, world billions of years in the past. No, this is Mars as it should be and as it was once imagined to be – an ancient, dying, but not yet dead world, a world where a vast canal network reaches from pole to pole, bringing water and life to vast and fantastic cities. A Mars where albino apes run a vast empire in the last surviving jungle, a world where warrior tribes of Green Martians raid the outlying cities of the canal dwellers, a world where, in places dark and quiet and forgotten beneath the surface, ancient and terrible intellects plan dark and dire deeds.

It is a Mars of sky-corsairs, of duels with blade and blaster, of vile plots, fantastic inventions, daring rescues, arena battles, and spectacular stunts. It is a Mars where ancient cities can be discovered and their lost treasures plundered, a Mars where a trek across the dry sea bottoms can yield amazing discoveries, where terrible monsters roam the rocky wastes.

It is the Mars of pulp fiction and Saturday morning serials. [Mars, p. 7]

It is now ours!

Sword and Planet: The Planetary Romance Genre

Mars is a setting of planetary romance. This genre is also sometimes called ‘sword and planet’.

Heroes and Glory

Mars is a world filled with swashbuckling tales of adventure. Epic heroes stride boldly across all corners of the world, facing impossible odds and coming out on the winning side.

Villains and Vast Plots

Dastardly villains commit deeds most heinous. Madmen want to conquer all of Mars, or at least destroy an entire city. Heroes are inevitably drawn into these sinister machinations.

Ruins of a Glorious Past

Mars once held advanced civilizations that built flying ships, great canals that watered an entire world, and radium engines that powered entire cities. Much of that technology is now forgotten. Yet, despite the passage of time, remnants of the past are still accessible. Many stories revolve around trying to discover knowledge of the past. A ruined city might hold a library with clues to creating great inventions. A ruined fort might contain an ancient, but still functioning war machine.

 A Bleak Future

Mars is a dying world. The seas have dried up and deserts cover much of the surface of the planet. In many ways, it is a post-apocalyptic world, even though the apocalypse has been going on for millennia and is still going on. The end is still more millenia away, but nothing can be done to stop it.

Romance

In the classic, literary sense, a “romance” means a story about ideals and archetypes. In the modern sense, it means erotic love. The planetary romance genre combines these two ideas. A larger than life hero meets a larger than life heroine, sparks fly, and Mars will never be the same.

 Weird Science

The fundamental rule of the genre is that almost anything is possible, if a convincing bit of technobabble can be flung out. [Mars, p. 105]

Weird science and fantastic inventions help make an interesting story. Their overall impact is limited, however. Skyships exist, but most transportation is by land animal. Ray guns exist, but most fights are with a sword. A mad scientist can create a giant, rampaging robot, but he can’t mass produce it. Further, the answer to a giant rampaging robot is not to reconfigure the tachyon emitter; but instead to leap onto its back and drive your sword through its one weak spot.

 

Under the Moons of Mars

The campaign is about the epic adventures of our band of heroes. You will engage in aerial battles in sky ships with vicious pirates, fight with ferocious White Apes in the verdant jungles of the north pole, war with savage Green Martians in the dry sea bottoms, duel with scheming Red Martians in decadent cities on the edges of the great canals, and deal with the schemes of the alien Grey Martians in caverns below the surface of Mars.

The Day After Ragnarok: Campaign Concept and Themes

The Day After Ragnarok: The Good, the Bad, and the Serpent

 

Concept and Themes

Know, O Prince, that between the years when the Serpent fell and the oceans drank America and the gleaming cities, and the rise of the Sons of Space, there was an Age undreamed of, when nations guttered low and flared brilliant across the poisoned world like dying stars – California and Texas each claiming the flag of the West, France torn asunder and facing the desert, harsh Mexico, slumbering Brazil, Argentina where the seeds of Thule lay waiting, ancient lands of Persia and Arabia and Iraq between two empires, the coldly clutching Soviet Union whispering behind its Wall of Serpent, Japan whose warriors wore steel and silk and khaki. But the proudest kingdom of the world was Australia, the last green and pleasant land, ringed around by its dominions and bulwarked by the sea.

Welcome to the world at the end of the world. The skies are shrouded with burning, oily smoke, the Earth groans under a poisoned corpse, and the only way out may be deeper into the belly of the beast. It’s a world nearly killed by the death of wonder, although far from all the wonders are dead. Put the “grim” back in “grime” and see the world outside the smeared Perspex windscreen.

See it smolder. See it burn. See if you can save it.

The Day After Ragnarok, p. 1

 

The Elevator Pitch

Two-fisted heroes in a fantastical, post-apocalyptic world, circa 1948; or Conan with a girl in one arm and a submachine gun in the other, facing off against an insane Serpent worshipping sorcerer in a Tiger tank.

 

The Setting

In 1945, the Nazis summoned the Midgard Serpent, heralding the start of Ragnarok. The United States, however, killed the Serpent with an atomic bomb to its left eye. The Serpent's body fell over the earth, covering huge swaths of Africa and Europe, its head resting on what used to be Egypt. A huge tidal wave wiped out the east coast of North America, as the water crashed inland all the way to the Appalachians. Venom and radioactive fallout spread across the world. The Serpent's rotting corpse, 250 miles high, now taints the earth with its ichor.

The summoning of Jörmungandr awoke or created creatures from fairy tales and monsters from nightmares. Magic is real.

The campaign starts in Indianapolis, Indiana, on July 21, 1948: the three year anniversary of the Serpentfall. Most people hope to rebuild a devastated world. Others have a darker agenda. Your characters have a chance to make a difference.

 

Themes

The Good

As with most campaigns, the PCs are heroes. You don't have to be a goody two shoes, but you are most definitely not evil. You don't take advantage of the weak or hurt the innocent.

The Bad

Monsters are everywhere. Giants walk the earth, giant worms burrow below it, and dragons fly above it.
 

It's a post-apocalyptic world. It’s survival of the fittest. Life is nasty, brutish, and short.

Hundreds of millions of people have died in the last three years. Resources are scarce. Bullets and cigarettes are the monetary standards, not dollars.

The Serpent

The rotting, poisonous corpse of the Serpent dominates the world. Governments and soulless corporations use the body parts taken from the Serpent to create strange and wondrous devices that don’t follow the rules of normal science.

Serpent cults are everywhere. Some want to finish Ragnarok. Some use the power of the Serpent for evil and nihilism.

Legends of Steel: Shadows of Yar: the Tone of the Campaign

When I start a campaign, I always create a document for the players that gives them a basic introduction to the tone of the campaign and concepts that they should expect.

In 2011 and 2012, I ran a year long campaign based on the sword and sorcery world of Legends of Steel. We played a total of 23 sessions.

Here is a document that I created for my group at the very beginning of the campaign. It explained the tone of the campaign and what the PCs could expect.

Legends of Steel: Shadows of Yar

Tone
 

Swords and Sorcery

The PCs are all human. Most of your opponents will be other humans.

Treasure and equipment is easy come, easy go. You'll spend more money carousing and gambling than you will on mundane gear and supplies.

Clothing is optional. Loin cloths and chain mail bikinis (yeah, baby, yeah!) provide just as much protection as full plate.

Surrendering is ok. This goes against everything we believe in as gamers, but it works for this genre. Villains don’t kill heroes immediately. They take them back to their lair (which the heroes wanted to find anyway) for sacrifice or torture. This allows for a cinematic escape, complete with a rescue of the kidnapped princess. Oh, and you get to draw a Fate Chip for surrendering.

Elements of the Fantastic

Legends of Steel is a low magic world. Still, PCs can cast spells. Wizards can summon demons. Witches can brew potions in bubbling cauldrons. However, flashy spells that cause damage or powerful spells like those that can raise the dead are almost unknown. Spellcasting is slow and ritualistic.

Magic items are rare and always unique. Do not expect a village priest to have a potions of healing ready for you. Wizards do not have a scroll or wand for every occasion.

Legendary monsters will make an occasional appearance.

Heroes

In Legends of Steel, you should act heroically. You don't have to be “Good,” but you are most definitely not“Evil.” You don’t hurt the helpless or take advantage of the weak.

To quote the author of Legends of Steel, “The heroes of Sword & Sorcery tales were warriors and rogues, but not murderers and violators of the innocent. Such behavior should be for lesser men, and discouraged by the GM as it is eventually destructive to the spirit of the game.”