The Valley, of course, is part of a much larger world. This is a short version of the history of that world, according to the Archivists of Parn Tandalorn.
Once, a long time before there was time, the world had no music. Without music, there was no magic. Without magic, there were no numbers. But one by one, through the strength of their will, the elemental gods of the Old Ones awoke. Their names are now long forgotten, but in the course of things, each of them had a number. The first, the lord of fire, helped to bring the rest into being. They came in order, the Lord of Fire, the Lady of Air, Earth Weaver and the One beneath the Waves. From them the rest of the gods of the Old Ones came, each after its own element. Now their numbers were many, and from this they could wring out all manner of magic.
The magic allowed the gods to create, each after his or her own fashion, the things that would live on the earth. Plants, Animals, Fish, Birds. Even the Old Ones. They were created by the Lord of Fire and the Lady of Air directly, and held sway over all other things. Through their ordering, the magic gave way to music, and now the world was complete.
After a time, a king arose amongst the Old Ones named Ba'a Zarn the Builder. Ba'a Zarn and his people built all manner of fantastic cities and wonders. Some still stand - the Sky Lake of Cittar and the Great Block. Some are long gone. Many were deep under the earth, still more were among the clouds. One of the amazing feats of Ba'a Zarn was the construction of the Great River, which completely crosses the face of the world from one end to the other. Along with the Great River is the King's Highway. Much of the King's Highway is still in existence, and these two wonders - the River and the Highway - run through the middle of the Valley of the Old Ones.
It is said that the Valley itself was once a garden of the Old Ones, where they would come to take their ease and talk with all of the creatures of the gods. Certainly they left behind some fantastic structures in the mountains and on the plains of the valley. Many these days shun such spots, as they are the home of amazing creatures and inscrutable magic, but others seek them out as spots of adventure and fantastic treasures.
Nov 20, 2010
Nov 18, 2010
Forest Abbey of the Hedgehog People (part 2)
Here is the basic area map for the countryside surrounding Finch Abbey. I am planning a more detailed version, but the details are not meant for the eyes of the scenario players, so it will remain safe and secure in my GM notebook.
The key to the map is as follows:
1.Finch Abbey – former abbey of St. Brigid – Hedgehog people monastery
2.Trevor Landing – Out of use boat landing
3.Kliban Tower – Tower of a dead wizard
4.Village of Nosh – Western most village of Gorrem Castle
5.Tozen Quarry – flooded stone quarry
6.Raifhome Keep – Home to the retired mercenary, Raif the Spear.
7.The Red House – Very old marble villa, now a nest to a clan of ogres.
8.Haunt of the Spider – Tower of a dead wizard
9.Ruins of Fernrush – Once a wealthy trading town, now ruins.
Although the scenario of the game centers around the player-characters starting out at the Village of Nosh (in a tavern called "The Happy Lute" no less...) and then traveling to Finch Abbey, I wanted to populate the map with other interesting locations that could be of use later on for other gaming sessions.
The key to the map is as follows:
1.Finch Abbey – former abbey of St. Brigid – Hedgehog people monastery
2.Trevor Landing – Out of use boat landing
3.Kliban Tower – Tower of a dead wizard
4.Village of Nosh – Western most village of Gorrem Castle
5.Tozen Quarry – flooded stone quarry
6.Raifhome Keep – Home to the retired mercenary, Raif the Spear.
7.The Red House – Very old marble villa, now a nest to a clan of ogres.
8.Haunt of the Spider – Tower of a dead wizard
9.Ruins of Fernrush – Once a wealthy trading town, now ruins.
Although the scenario of the game centers around the player-characters starting out at the Village of Nosh (in a tavern called "The Happy Lute" no less...) and then traveling to Finch Abbey, I wanted to populate the map with other interesting locations that could be of use later on for other gaming sessions.
Forest Abbey of the Hedgehog People (part 1)
One of the keys to the old school adventure I am dreaming up for MarsCon is the peaceful fantasy race known as the Hedgehog People. Their own name for themselves is the Roikkitikki, but everyone else just calls them the Hedgehog People, or just the Hedgehogs.One of the very sad aspects of the Hedgehog folk is that they, like all of the Forest Folk, are a created race - dreamt of and given life by some long forgotten mad magician. Because of this, although they move through the world as other sentient beings, they have no soul.
For visual inspiration, I take my cues from the marvelous artwork done for the Ironclaw rpg, especially the hedgehogs.
In my setting of "The Valley of the Old Ones" the hedgehogs usually inhabit relatively peaceful forests,near (but not too close) to the civilized lands of peaceful people. When encountered outside of their forests, they are usually in small groups consisting of monks and clerics of St. Brigid. They don't usually deal in magic, get along well with halflings and gnomes, admire humans of the better sort, but distrust the elves. Hedgehogs are excessively fond of feasting, and usually tend towards the pacifistic.
For my scenario, the group in question is a community associated with the Abbey of Finch, in the Redsmoke Woods. This small forest lies along the Fernrush River, which is a southern tributary to the Great River. Nearest the Abbey, the Fernrush is about a mile wide, and is home to sporadic trade and fishing.
East of the forest, the rolling hills in the demesne of Gorrem Castle. The lands have been lawless for several years, and most of the villages and holdings have started looking to their own defense, without the castle to protect them. During this period, a number of bands of goblins have worked their way north into the Redsmoke and have been raiding out, threatening outlying settlements that were once under the protection of Gorrem. Finch Abbey has recently fallen to one of those bands, but there must be something more sinister at play, because of the degree of evil coming out of the former peaceful sanctuary. A band of raiding goblins couldn't possibly be responsible for the atrocities committed.
Maps and write-ups coming soon, subject to real life demands, of course!
Introduction - Valley of the Old Ones
This is a setting for fantasy games (wargames, roleplaying games, etc) developed by Me. It draws on a lot of different sources and ideas, but is primarily designed as a fun place to run games.
The Valley exists in a much larger world (much) although I will write about that later on.
For now, here is the original opening description (originally posted on Gaming with Chuck):
The Valley exists in a much larger world (much) although I will write about that later on.
For now, here is the original opening description (originally posted on Gaming with Chuck):
Once, ages ago, before even the dragons remember, the Old Ones held court on the sunny face of the world. At that time, Ba'a Zarn, the king of the Old Ones, ruled a mighty empire. His craftsmen were the source of many things - the stars, music, time - but one of the the strongest things they built was the King's Highway.
This highway is a massive stone lane, large enough for the King's chariots to ride over, built on top of a mound that varies between 100 and 200 feet above the surrounding plains. Periodically, there are ancient guard towers that still stand, and massive stone lined tunnels that go through the mound. There are even tunnels under the mound for the tributaries of the Great River to run through.
The Great River circles the entire world, and the King's Highway generally follows its course.
The Valley of the Old Ones is one spot along the Great River, home to the ancient human city of Narn. The valley measures 3200 miles from end to end. The city is old and crumbling, but was once mighty enough to withstand attacks from the warlords out of the mountains surrounding the valley. Now it is mostly bereft of riches, so is not the subject of attack nearly so much.
In the plains throughout the valley, countless small unknown villages dot the countryside. With the collapse of Narn some generations back, local nobles began the construction of many of their own castles and keeps, to keep safe from the mountain raiders.
Today, Humans, Elves, Dwarves and Halflings dwell in the valley, trying to make a peaceful life. The surrounding ancient ruins and wonderous sites remind them that the Old Ones once roamed here. Those same sites can be the home of adventure and exploration, but can also be the source of great, unnatural danger.
This will be the setting of a number of old school adventures that I am brewing up. I hope to reveal the first at MarsCon (January 2011).
Nov 16, 2010
Classic Fantasy Gaming Monsters
There are some classic monsters that exist almost exclusively because of gaming. You know the sort I am thinking of - the Beholder, the Carrion Crawler, the Shrieker. What is your favorite, and why? Please comment...
Nov 13, 2010
Valley of the Old Ones
A setting for some Old School roleplaying. Drawn using Autorealm.
Once, ages ago, before even the dragons remember, the Old Ones held court on the sunny face of the world. At that time, Ba'a Zarn, the king of the Old Ones, ruled a mighty empire. His craftsmen were the source of many things - the stars, music, time - but one of the the strongest things they built was the King's Highway.
This highway is a massive stone lane, large enough for the King's chariots to ride over, built on top of a mound that varies between 100 and 200 feet above the surrounding plains. Periodically, there are ancient guard towers that still stand, and massive stone lined tunnels that go through the mound. There are even tunnels under the mound for the tributaries of the Great River to run through.
The Great River circles the entire world, and the King's Highway generally follows its course.
The Valley of the Old Ones is one spot along the Great River, home to the ancient human city of Narn. The valley measures 3200 miles from end to end. The city is old and crumbling, but was once mighty enough to withstand attacks from the warlords out of the mountains surrounding the valley. Now it is mostly bereft of riches, so is not the subject of attack nearly so much.
In the plains throughout the valley, countless small unknown villages dot the countryside. With the collapse of Narn some generations back, local nobles began the construction of many of their own castles and keeps, to keep safe from the mountain raiders.
Today, Humans, Elves, Dwarves and Halflings dwell in the valley, trying to make a peaceful life. The surrounding ancient ruins and wonderous sites remind them that the Old Ones once roamed here. Those same sites can be the home of adventure and exploration, but can also be the source of great, unnatural danger.
This will be the setting of a number of old school adventures that I am brewing up. I hope to reveal the first at MarsCon (January 2011).
Tags: fantasy role playing
This highway is a massive stone lane, large enough for the King's chariots to ride over, built on top of a mound that varies between 100 and 200 feet above the surrounding plains. Periodically, there are ancient guard towers that still stand, and massive stone lined tunnels that go through the mound. There are even tunnels under the mound for the tributaries of the Great River to run through.
The Great River circles the entire world, and the King's Highway generally follows its course.
The Valley of the Old Ones is one spot along the Great River, home to the ancient human city of Narn. The valley measures 3200 miles from end to end. The city is old and crumbling, but was once mighty enough to withstand attacks from the warlords out of the mountains surrounding the valley. Now it is mostly bereft of riches, so is not the subject of attack nearly so much.
In the plains throughout the valley, countless small unknown villages dot the countryside. With the collapse of Narn some generations back, local nobles began the construction of many of their own castles and keeps, to keep safe from the mountain raiders.
Today, Humans, Elves, Dwarves and Halflings dwell in the valley, trying to make a peaceful life. The surrounding ancient ruins and wonderous sites remind them that the Old Ones once roamed here. Those same sites can be the home of adventure and exploration, but can also be the source of great, unnatural danger.
This will be the setting of a number of old school adventures that I am brewing up. I hope to reveal the first at MarsCon (January 2011).
Tags: fantasy role playing
Nov 8, 2010
Retro-Clone RPG based on the RC of BD&D
Okay, I think that is the most Acronym laden title of any article here at Gaming with Chuck. (The Staff is currently on a Health Improvement Program (HIP) and that means increased levels of vitamins being consumed. So there is a big fascination with letters....)
Okay, a Retro Clone of a Role Playing Game is one of a new-ish batch of RPGs that seek to capture either the specific rules or the flavor of classic RPGs. You know - like Good Old Dungeons & Dragons (or Basic D&D). One of the versions of that game (a pretty good one) was the old Rules Compendium. A great collection of rules. It has everything in it that I usually like in a simple RPG - good distinct classes. Nice list of spells and equipment. Skill system. Weapon system. In fact, for me, the only things missing would be (1) Speed factors on spells and weapons (easy to add in), and (2) Tactical moves for doing combat with miniatures (also easy to add in).
Alright - so there is this great new retro-clone of the RC version of BD&D called "Dark Dungeons" (yes, named after the made-up game in the old Chick comic. If you have to ask, then you are better off not knowing).
It has it all. And in true to form honesty to old Basic D&D (or OD&D - Original D&D, although that is sometimes more narrowly defined as old White Box D&D - again, if you have to ask, you are better off not knowing, although it might be a good plan for the Staff to write a history of versions of D&D) there are only Classes, not the Race/Class combination we have seen in so many other RPGs. This means that if you want to play an Elf - then that is your class. This bodes well for the geek tshirt I once saw that said "I Remember when Hobbit was a Class" - and it was in OD&D. It is again in Dark Dungeons (although, for several legal reasons, they are called Halflings).
How does this race-as-class thing work out? Well it makes the race of non-humans Really important. As in it is a big deal if you say you are an Elf. Unlike in, say, AD&D when you are an Elf MU or an Elf Fighter, or an Elf F-M-C, then there is not too much of a big deal about the Elf Part. Especially in 2E, 3E or 4E (remember the vitamins thing and acronyms). But in OD&D - and in Dark Dungeons - being an Elf is a big deal.
So what are these races as class all about? More coming in a future article but briefly - Elf is a Fighter/Magic User mix. Halfling is a Fighter/Thief mix. And Dwarf is crusty. Like I said - more coming soon.
Also - look for some coming up articles on content for Dark Dungeons. I am inspired . . .
ps- thank you especially to Matt and Braz, whom I saw at Battlefield Band in Williamsburg on Nov 5 - and they got me jazzed up on Dark Dungeons. Previously my favorite retro-clones included Castles & Crusades (which I still love - and the Castle Keeper's Guide finally came out - w00t), and Mutant Futures. Both of those generated a fair amount of press here at GWC.
Tags:
Okay, a Retro Clone of a Role Playing Game is one of a new-ish batch of RPGs that seek to capture either the specific rules or the flavor of classic RPGs. You know - like Good Old Dungeons & Dragons (or Basic D&D). One of the versions of that game (a pretty good one) was the old Rules Compendium. A great collection of rules. It has everything in it that I usually like in a simple RPG - good distinct classes. Nice list of spells and equipment. Skill system. Weapon system. In fact, for me, the only things missing would be (1) Speed factors on spells and weapons (easy to add in), and (2) Tactical moves for doing combat with miniatures (also easy to add in).
Alright - so there is this great new retro-clone of the RC version of BD&D called "Dark Dungeons" (yes, named after the made-up game in the old Chick comic. If you have to ask, then you are better off not knowing).
It has it all. And in true to form honesty to old Basic D&D (or OD&D - Original D&D, although that is sometimes more narrowly defined as old White Box D&D - again, if you have to ask, you are better off not knowing, although it might be a good plan for the Staff to write a history of versions of D&D) there are only Classes, not the Race/Class combination we have seen in so many other RPGs. This means that if you want to play an Elf - then that is your class. This bodes well for the geek tshirt I once saw that said "I Remember when Hobbit was a Class" - and it was in OD&D. It is again in Dark Dungeons (although, for several legal reasons, they are called Halflings).
How does this race-as-class thing work out? Well it makes the race of non-humans Really important. As in it is a big deal if you say you are an Elf. Unlike in, say, AD&D when you are an Elf MU or an Elf Fighter, or an Elf F-M-C, then there is not too much of a big deal about the Elf Part. Especially in 2E, 3E or 4E (remember the vitamins thing and acronyms). But in OD&D - and in Dark Dungeons - being an Elf is a big deal.
So what are these races as class all about? More coming in a future article but briefly - Elf is a Fighter/Magic User mix. Halfling is a Fighter/Thief mix. And Dwarf is crusty. Like I said - more coming soon.
Also - look for some coming up articles on content for Dark Dungeons. I am inspired . . .
ps- thank you especially to Matt and Braz, whom I saw at Battlefield Band in Williamsburg on Nov 5 - and they got me jazzed up on Dark Dungeons. Previously my favorite retro-clones included Castles & Crusades (which I still love - and the Castle Keeper's Guide finally came out - w00t), and Mutant Futures. Both of those generated a fair amount of press here at GWC.
Tags:
Apr 9, 2010
Cool free gamnig magazine - Irregular
Recently became aware of Irregular a free (downloadable pdf) quarterly gaming magazine that covers most everything from RPGs to historical miniatures gaming.
Nice, check it out.
Tags: gaming magazine
Mar 17, 2010
Remembering Gary Gygax (at the movies)
Remembering Gary Gygax
This article honors Gary Gygax's memory by reviewing two really bad/good fantasy movies from the early 80s. Those two movies are (stinkers both) "Hawk the Slayer" and "Krull". Wow, I remember them both fondly.
Tags: fantasy
This article honors Gary Gygax's memory by reviewing two really bad/good fantasy movies from the early 80s. Those two movies are (stinkers both) "Hawk the Slayer" and "Krull". Wow, I remember them both fondly.
Tags: fantasy
Jan 19, 2010
MarsCon Gaming - a big success
MarsCon 2010 has just run its course, and it was a good year. There were a couple of personnel snafu's but it all came together nicely. From my perspective, it was a really nice convention.
At the last minute, the senior leadership asked John Desmarais and yours truly to help with the organization of gaming. We did what we could, and organize a few important events (RPGA D&D, Pathfinder, Project:Crusader, Quickfire Starfighters, Delta Files, Visible Dungeon, and demo games from Privateer Press and Steve Jackson Games, among others). This meant dropping our own plans to run a number of roleplaying sessions (Champions, Pulp Hero, Castles & Crusades and Mutant Future - to name the candidates). This was going to be a Neptune City heavy year for us, but alas - it was not meant to be, mes amis.
Even with the lateness of the planning, the room was full almost throughout the weekend. Once, around 2am on Saturday night, the room was down to three games being played (horrors), but for the most part, Friday Evening, and all day and night Saturday the room was full. It was even quite heavily utilized on Sunday. A good year.
In order to contribute somewhat, even though there was little in the way of RPGs or Miniatures being offered by "Gaming with Chuck", there were a number of boardgames. These included:
- Several games of Manhattan - a SdJ winner from 1994, and quite a fun game to play.
- Also tried Small World. A fun little near-wargame. What surprises me about this one is that it was originally based on a map of Europe (as Vinci).
- Jon K, Justin G and I played a game of Carolus Magnus. Vicious!
- Finally, John D brought his new version of Cosmic Encounter. We played a bunch of hands of this game. What a great game - and it has certainly stood the test of time!
All in all - a good convention. I am sure that I will help out (if allowed) with MarsCon 2011 in some way. But more importantly, I hope I can run a game or two!
Tags: boardgames
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