Baresh Stories - A new Campaign

The Times of Turmoil campaign continued for a good 5 more sessions, but sadly the group had to split after that. Before splitting up, the group managed to rescue the expert on Portal magic from an alternate dimension and, with his help, dispel the stasis field holding the Emperor and the Terror. The magic power to dispel the field had the unexpected side effect of merging the two prisoners into one combined entity which now rules the Empire of Baresh, causing a division among the nobles and ruling council in the realm. This is where the party disbanded, though not without making a permanent mark on history and setting the Empire on a new perillous path led by an Emperor who embodies both its saviour and its enemy.

Baresh Stories - A new Campaign

The campaign setting managed to interest new players looking for a Kingmaker experience; that is, a story about going from Rags to Riches and become rulers of an area.

The new group started of with six players all part of the same military outfit destined to be paid off after the war, however, attrition whittled down the numbers to a solid core of two players. These two players did exceptionally well, however, and the campaign survived. We now follow the dwarven warrior Dagarin and the sneaky thief Quinn .

The assassination attempt in Walldew

The group found themselves waiting for what seemed like an eternity to be paid off, but managed to get "first in line" as a reward for heroically saving the caravan transporting soldiers wages from a band of deserters. Having received their back wages, they set off towards the city of Walldew where they hoped to be able to find a work or a ship to take them somewhere their skills would be valued.

On their way, they joined a caravan as guards and discovered large quantities of drugs hidden on the wagons and reported it to the authorities at the castle on arrival. On entering the city they found that a curfew was in place and that the whole place was closed due to an assassination attempt on the Captain of the Guard. Being soldiers, they were allowed in and allowed to leave, but since no ships were allowed to leave they quickly decided that it was in their interest to find out what was going on and resolve the situation.

Over six sessions the group explored both the criminal underbelly and the more polished political arena of Walldew to find out who's behind the assassination attempt and if it's connected to the drug smuggling. Their investigation took them on all kinds of adventures, including discussing smuggling with a crime boss in a pit fighting bar, dressing up as nuns to shadow a suspect, making friends with a man from the assassins guild and identifying a man through his tailor. Eventually they managed to gain entry to the castle of St. Elmo where the comatose, would-be assassin was kept under close watch by the Castle Physician. In the end, it turned out that the physician was paid by one of the gangs to keep the assassin in a coma to prolong the curfew so that they could outcompete rival gangs with their greater stores of drugs.

The resident lord saw fit to reward them for rooting out the corrupt physician and the group asked for a title. The lord obliged by giving them the title to the Barony of Telic, far to the north in a part of the realm that had become overrun by orcs. Such is the generosity of Lords...

The future

After some discussion we have decided to expand the group again and next session there will be three players. We will continue recruiting until we can manage a steady minimum of four players per session, but probably no more than six.

In the coming sessions the group will gather money and resources with the aim to travel to reclaim their barony which is almost 2 months away by foot.

GURPS - Times of Turmoil: Session 2

14 April 2017

Characters:
Thorm - Dwarf with a big two-handed war hammer and blood lust (around 160 points)
Rowley - Sergeant, now with a squad (around 160 points)
Arakasi - Mystic monk with psi-abilities (around 170 points)

We left the party having just cleared the ground floor of the library in the western wing of the palace. After bandaging and healing the injuries, the group was relieved by a second party of soldiers who would continue clearing the first floor. They headed out to camp to rest up and have some lunch.

After about an hours break the group is asked to assemble on the training ground and Sergeant Rowley is assigned a squad of men:

Rowley, Sergeant
Thorm, Corporal
Eric, Private
Fredric, Private
George, Private
Malice, Private
Arakasi, Healer
John, Torch bearer and cook

They formed up at the training ground, next to a squad led by Sergeant Rick, the man who showed them the ropes in the Library previous session. There congregation was large, with most of the camp assembled. A short while later they saw the captain and the Arch-wizard Auralus ascend a wooden platform at the end of the field. Auralus looked old and withered, raising his bony arms to ask for silence. He then began to speak with a magically amplified voice, relating how their work in reclaiming the blasted lands and cleansing the Imperial Capitol had now reached the throne room, in which it was hoped that the remains of the Emperor and his advisers be located. A large contingent of soldiers and mages were going to unseal and enter the throne room in the afternoon and the results of the investigation would be proclaimed in the evening.

Rowley and his squad were instructed to join in the effort and were assigned the right flank. They were to report anything they found, hold the line and defend the mages from anything within. Tension within the camp was mounting along with the excitement at the possibility of revealing the fate of the Emperor and the probable locus of the disaster that had been brought on the capitol region.

Entering the throne room

The squad led by Rowley jogged through the corridors, joining up with more groups of soldiers. As they arrived at the large double doors barring the way to the throne room the sheer scale of the operation started to dawn on them. In the halls, hundreds of soldiers were lining the walls with clusters of wizards interspersed here and there. As soon as the group reached the doors they heard the signal to advance. The doors opened and the massive circular throne room appeared before them, dark and brooding.
In the middle of the room a dome of a glimmering translucent amber-like material framed the shape of two men, concealed inside.
They did not have long to stare at the two in the middle before lurking ghouls shrieked down from the rafters and the corpses of long dead soldiers reached out to steal the warmth of the intruding living, however, both threats were soon defeated with sword and fire and the room secured.
Before the dust had settled, a murmur rose among soldiers and wizards alike as they approach the amber like dome and see its contents.

In the middle of the dome, face to face , stood the Emperor and the Terror.

Rituals gone wrong

The wizards immediately set to scrying and examining the dome and soon a party of 14 of the most experienced mages formed to attempt to break what was deemed to be a Stasis Seal, free the Emperor and capture or kill the Terror. Soon, the ritual was under way, with flashing lights and sparks of many colours dancing around the room. The air became charged with unfathomable energies and despite their long years of facing magic on the battlefield every soldier was soon growing nervous.

As soon as the ritual was completed, the very fabric of the universe seems to bend and everyone in the room experienced vertigo. While the dazed men and women around the room regained their faculties an electric blue gash tore through the air above the dome and a magical swirl 15 metres tall appeared. Inside a blue creature seemed annoyed to be dragged from whatever dimension it came from and started to lash out with arms and electric arcs at the wizards and soldiers surrounding it.
A hard battle ensued with many casualties, but in the end Rowley and his men managed to distract it for long enough that a group of wizards managed to banish it in a crash of electric discharge which felled everyone to the floor.

We're off to see the wizard

After everyone had a rest and healed their wounds, Rowley and his group were commended for keeping cool in the faceless face of the unknown monstrosity. As is common in the army, their reward is more work: To protect the envoy which would be sent to the foremost expert on stasis magic to ask for help in solving the mystery of this arcane dome.

GURPS - Times of Turmoil: Session 1

The Beginning

2 April 2017

Characters:
Thorm - Dwarven exile enlisted in the Imperial Army (around 160 points)
Rowley - Human sergeant in the Imperial Army(around 160 points)
Arakasi - Human monk with mystical abilities and a mysterious past (around 170 points)

The adventurers started out in a caravan bound for the ruined Imperial Capital with bringing supplies and and a company of soldiers to replenish and relieve some of the troops active in clearing the city. The caravan contains an equal number of civilians, some of which are settlers who will be continuing north with the caravan. The caravan stops to rest for a while and our adventurers gossip for a while, hearing rumours of a particularly horrible sergeant being present at the City, that you can't sleep at night around the City because of shrieking ghosts and that someone has been found drained of blood one morning, hinting at vampiric ghosts. Before setting off again, the commanding officer addresses the troops and civilians, telling reminding them that they are here (conscripted) to assist in cleansing the Imperial Capital and surrounding lands and to expect a devastated landscape, dangers, sweat and toil. He finishes with and a warning not to stray from the caravan or the road once they leave the forest.

As the caravan clears the forest, they all see the black and ash grey plains, void of life, stretching towards the City. Some members of the caravan become visibly downcast at seeing the city with its once shining towers now more resembling a burnt shipwreck with broken, stumpy masts. The caravan continues moving onto the blackened plains and does not stop until it reaches the large camp outside the walls. The camp is full of a bewildering number of tents of different shapes, colours and sizes, but the clearly marked roads.

Thorm, Rowley and Arakasi find themselves directed to make camp together with some of the other travellers in an area next to the straight lines of military tents. After setting up their tents and being ordered to help with chores, they finally find themselves sharing dinner and a fire with a number of civilians and soldiers and gossip, brag about old battles and finally settle down to some gambling. Thorm does well, winning some brandy as well as a few coppers while Rowley just about manages not to loose anything. Arakasi sits by the fire, meditating. After a while they all go to their tents to rest, sleeping undisturbed until morning. Seems that the rumour of shrieking, blood sucking vampire ghosts where all a pack of lies!

After breakfast Thorm, Rowley and Arakasi are assigned to go with a long-serving sergeant, his aide (a veteran soldier) and two torch bearers to start clearing out the first floor of a library in the western wing of the palace. They set out through the empty city and arrive at the palace unmolested. Everywhere they go they see soldiers on guard. Arriving at the palace they are directed towards the western wing and get to work.

The Library

The group enters the library which is set on three levels. The ground floor has a main "aisle" leading deeper into the library flanked by rows of book shelves. The levels above are in the form of galleries or balconies which line the room. The stairs are located further inside the room. The sergeant quickly divides them into two groups and have them start searching the rows of book shelves on the ground floor, keeping only a single book case in between the groups, in case of trouble. Our three adventurers go together with one of the torch bearers down one of the aisles, but find nothing of interest. The books are all old, but seem to be in good condition. The group clears a few aisles more, but the dwarf Thorm soon spots something through the gloom (Night Vision 5). It's a dark pile which upon closer inspection turns out to be a chain mail and a sword. As they approach the two items stir and float eerily into the dusty air. The floating sword strikes, but is blocked and quickly shattered by a might blow from Thorms two handed warhammer. The sergeant asks them if they are all right and receives enthusiastic answers.

The group continues to sweep the ground floor and soon come upon two more dark piles. This time Thorm charges one of them before anything can happen, and strikes a pile of chain mail before it has a chance to move. The other one, joined by a helmet, an axe and a sword, attack the fierce dwarf who is soon accompanied by Rowley who starts chopping at the enemy. The torch bearer and Arakasi are guarding the rear. With little warning, a mace comes flying through a book shelf, scattering books as it aims for Arakasi. He is too surprised and does not have time to move before the mace strikes his shoulder. Arakasi is spun around, but manages to strike at the mace with his staff. The mace vibrates from the strike, but goes to attack again. A second strike sends it flying and shatters it against the paved floor. Meanwhile, Rowley and Thorm have made quick work of the other possessed items.

Traversing the aisles, the group defeats more animated weapons and pieces of armour and soon finds that they have cleared half the library. They meet up with the sergeant and his team in the middle and are just about to start clearing the other side, when a swarm of weapons and what looks like small dust devils come at them. Rowley is sucked into a dust devil and is spun around and disoriented. The others start attacking the assortment of animated weapons, chain mail and helmets. Rowley soon manages to get his bearing and break free from the dust devil and attacks a nearby floating sword. Suddenly Thorm sees something moving towards them at great speed. It's vaguely human shaped, but larger and coarser. They guess that it is some kind of golem and Thorm charges with a battle cry. Arakasi clears his mind and starts to focus on the quickly approaching shape and a moment later a burst of flame appears around it and implodes. The brick coloured thing reels a bit, but keeps coming. Right then, Thorm reaches what is now clearly a golem, and strikes it square in the stomach with his warhammer. Big cracks appear all the way along its torso and the creature stumbles backwards. The rest of the group are now quickly approaching, but not before the creature can strike at Thorm who takes a heavy clay fist to his chest. This only serves to make him angry though, and with a massive over head strike he finishes the golem which bursts into shards.

This is where we had to break off as it was getting late.

GURPS - Times of Turmoil: Session 0

I'm starting a new GURPS roleplaying campaign with some friends and thought I'd record the sessions for posterity. Both so that it will be easy to look up what we've done previously and to help us remember.

Session 0 - Characters and setting

The group consists of four people:
The Game Master - Myself
Thorm - Dwarven exile enlisted in the Imperial Army
Rowley - Human sergeant in the Imperial Army
Arakasi - Human monk with mystical abilities and a mysterious past

The world is a Fantasy world with magic, races such as elves, dwarves and orc, is around Tech Level 2-3, which means somewhere around the Iron Age, and the events take place in something akin to the real worlds Roman Empire called the Empire of Baresh. The Empire is slightly more technologically advanced than the Roman Empire and has the added advantage of employing organised magic users in the form of a Collegium of Magic

The Empire of Baresh has been the major power in the area for centuries, enjoying a long heritage of strong rulers aided by capable advisers and ambitious noblemen. Its power is based on three pillars:

• Might, in the form of its disciplined and professional, but expensive, army  
• Money, mainly supplied by its cunning merchants who have secured a monopoly on the export of items from the northern realm of the dwarves; and finally
• Magic, provided by the Imperial College of Magic. 

Province, by province, a great part of the known world (known to the Empire, that is) has come under the rule of the Empire and found life good under imperial protection based on the great Code of Baresh which dictates the rights and obligations of all subjects in the realm.

Times of Turmoil

However, the Empire has seen better days. About 25 years before our heroes come into the picture, the town of Roggle Hill was turned to volcanic glass and a foe popularly called the Terror appeared. This Terror summoned hordes of monsters and waged war against the Empire from inside its most central heartland with the assistance of powerful magic. After a while undead creatures were added to this invasion. During the early war, the Dwarven kingdom in the north provided military assistance and supplied the Empire with quantities of weapons, iron and coal, but the King and his council soon had a change of heart and closed themselves inside their mountain homes, severing all ties to the outside world.
The Elves evacuated all their domains but left their greatest heroes behind to support the Empire in the struggle.
Despite the help of the Elves and focusing all the resources of the Empire on this titanic struggle, it seemed impossible to make headway. Soon, the Imperial Capital was besieged and all hope seemed lost. Then one night, the Imperial Capital and the surrounding landscape was devastated by immense magical force which left the city standing, but eradicated all life and left the city weathered as if hundreds of years had passed and full of violent spirits. After this, the Terror was not seen again and the armies of the Empire started to regain lost ground as the monstrosities now lacked leadership and the support of magic.

As the war against the Terror was brought to an end, the impact of over a decade of war is becoming known:
The Empire has spent all its resources on this one task, drawing upon the manpower, supplies and wealth of all its provinces. As a result, the heartlands are greatly depopulated and most now live in the cities. The outer provinces have been less affected, but have still had to pay heavily to support the war effort.
With the Emperor dead and the administration gone, the Empire is weakened and cannot defend all its provinces. Some regions have already banded together into new kingdoms and principalities for mutual protection while others have become snapped up by active neighbouring realms. To the north, the orcs are making inroads, laying claim to abandoned forts and villages. To the east, the Fen Princes are taking possession of all undefended provinces they can without exposing any weakness to each other. In the south and on the islands, ambitious vice-roys and lordlings are proclaiming themselves independent and on the seas, pirates roam unchecked now that the Imperial Navy is no longer able to protect trade.

While there are many veterans in the army, everyone in the Empire is tired of war and there are no resources or leadership which can bring about a reconquest. The people of Baresh are occupied by trying to rebuild and resettle all the lands which have been reclaimed from the reign of the Terror. A major effort is now being made to reclaim and cleanse the Imperial City and this is where we join the players.

A question of design

We are living in a golden age of Simulation and Sandbox Games during which a wide plethora of games have been published on the most strange and imaginative topics. Today you can do everything from Mining and Crafting to living as a slice of toast. While still in development, Besiege has gathered quite a following, offering the player the ability to construct siege equipment and other mechanisms of destruction
and then unleash them in a series of scenarios designed to test both the players ingenuity and ability. The player might reasonably be expected to draw inspiration from historical designs, perhaps building a ballista (picture, above), a catapult or perhaps a battering ram, however, sometimes players will show a glimmer of creativity and originality. Sometimes, the results are very different from what you were expecting...

In the video below we see a person identifying as Aber Lichthausengof showcase one of his original designs called Omnibox. It's shape is reminisce of a Borg Cube, however, I have never seen a Borg Cube move this gracefully to the music of Franz Liszt. Please enjoy responsibly.

How the mod "A New Dawn" for Civilization IV made me a barbarian

Introduction

A New Dawn

Rise of Mankind: A New Dawn for Civ IV is a total conversion mod which affects almost every part of the game, partly using their own ideas but also adapting ready-made modules such as the Revolutions mod. By adding new technologies, religions, mechanics and nations they have managed to produce an exciting new beast which plays similarly to (Beyond the Sword) BtS, but which adds many more strategical and tactical considerations that the end product feels new and fresh, not to mention challenging.

A tale of three cities

For hundreds of years my mighty kingdom had ruled a significant corner of the known world, keeping both friends and foes at arms reach. However, because of the penalties associated with controlling too big an empire without sufficient administrative technology I was forced to abandon my usual position of Enlightened Despot, honed through many hours of BtS, in favour of the role of the Bad Guy.

Every journey begins with a single step

At first, I felt that my neighbours were keeping at a reasonable distance, leaving me plenty of space for expansion. However, as the centuries passed, their settler voyaged ever closer to my small, but peaceful realm consisting of three cities.

This would not do. A king must protect his borders and ensure that his people live without fear. The kingdoms Sphere of Influence and the peace inducing, neutral borderlands must be preserved. No man in an island, but the people sleep sounder knowing that no armies can sneak up on them unaware. At this point I turned to my Military Advisor and asked where the cutting edge of military research was at the moment. His reply was "horses". The docile animal shown to me was not so impressive while grazing, but when a rider mounted the beast the combined effect was stunning. This would give us an advantage over our enemies both in power and mobility. This would form the basis of a mighty host with which to secure the surrounding plains from encroaching invaders.

Surround and destroy

A new mechanic which is added by the mod is that of encirclement. It goes something like this: The more you can surround your enemy, the greater your attacking bonus. Having units on horseback means that you can take full advantage of this fact. How convenient that our army is made up of almost all cavalry!

As soon as my mighty host rode out onto the plains it was clear that the enemy would not be able to protect their plethora of newly founded cities. Their roads were poor, their defences weak and their soldiers spread out. Feigned attacks would draw the defenders away from vulnerable cities and then the riders would swoop in for the kill.

A desolate landscape

High horses of morality and the fall into depravity

In a normal game of Civilization IV my Enlightened Despotic avatar would benevolently spare the lives of the citizens and Welcome Them with Open Arms to my kingdom built on Tolerance, Equality and Freedom. The only consequence for my ever growing empire would be some temporary financial difficulties due to the increase in administrative costs, while the cities grow enough to pull their weight.

Not so in A New Dawn.

Here, every city has a rebellion-meter which upon conquest would start to rise and rise until the cities break away, spawning huge armies as they do. While I could probably handle the new cities rebellion in the short term, it would put a serious strain on my core cities as well, perhaps enough to make them rebel as well.

Knowing this, my rule took on a much more barbaric and sinister nature. No longer did my cities produce taverns, fountains, scriptorium or any of the other excellent buildings which the mod adds. My once blooming kingdom turned its industry and efforts to just training more and more soldiers with which to scourge the plains and keep my enemies at bay. No stone was left upon stone, no lives were spared. All captured cities were put to the torch in the name of distrust and fear of rebellion. Soon ruins marred the once beautiful country side and only the wind can be heard roaming fields which were once filled with growing crops and blooming orchards. To tread this desolate landscape only leads to a meeting with the veiled riders simply known as The Swift Death.

Aftermath

Of course, this is just a game.
No lives have been lost, no real cruelty committed.
What has happened though, is that a mod has given me a new experience in which I was forced to go out of my comfort zone and re-examine how I use a feature which in the Vanilla game were merely a convenience for when "the AI settled in the wrong place" or "the game is nearly over". By introducing limitations, such as the revolution counter, the character of the game changes and controlling territory becomes more difficult. Leaving it at that would of course be fine, if a bit shallow. However, the mod also introduces a set of new rules for forts which enables them to exert control over the eight tiles surrounding it. In addition, soldiers can claim space and will hold it for as long as there is a unit to occupy it. Thus a new layer of strategy is created where forts and armies are placed in order to claim resources, city sites and create buffer zones.

If you feel as excited about this as I do, go check out the mod at their website:http://anewdawn.sourceforge.net/

Development is ongoing and the mod forum is very much alive.

Let's Play Crusader Kings II - The Bosonids Part 6 and Closing words

Closing Words

Sadly, I never got to far into my campaign as the more-or-less good Bosonid-family. Mainly I have been distracted by illness in my family which has affected us all greatly. Thankfully things are getting better although it will continue to be a struggle for my family.

Part 6 - Going Forth

What is in a name?

The unhappy lord of Monaco

After the events of last episode we find ourselves in the position as lord of Nice which has the monastary of Nizza as its capitol. This means that, since we are a duke rather than bishop-prince, we do no collect all the taxes due to us. This quibbling about titles forces us to find ways of remaking it into a proper feudal province by rather unsavoury means, in this case murder. Luckily for us the province contains the castle town of Monaco, unluckily for the lord of Monaco we need his title to convert the province. That means he has to go. The man is childless so upon his death the title will revert to his liege, ie. us. It is with a heavy heart that the Duke signs the assassination order since the man we are about to have killed is a staunch supporter of our reign.

Rebels abroad and abound

While we have been busy ousting useless vassals and ordering assassinations, some vassals in Lotharinga has been grumbling about their liege and his intention of letting his son take over when he dies. This grumbling has now reached a fever pitch and resulted in open rebellion which splits the country into two camps: one supporting the current heir and the other fighting to put an elective monarchy in place. However, this faction is rather small and will find it a difficult and lonely battle.

Lotharinga is not alone in acquiring rebels. A small Christian uprising in the mountains of the Pyrenees threaten the Muslims on the Iberian peninsula. Though small, this might nudge Asturias to declare war on the Umayyad and start the Reconquista.

"Magyars feel hungry, settle to farm."

While one kingdom is in turmoil another is forming: The Magyars have ceased their roaming and have settled around the Carpatian mountains, creating the kingdom of Hungary. The country is precariously positioned between Bulgaria in the south and Great Moravia in the north-west and will have to work hard to survive since they will find no allies in their neighbours who are Orthodox and Catholic, respectively, while Hungary follows the Tengri beliefs.

Hungary

In other news Boson, our heir, has come to us with a request that we find him a suitable bride. The young man is apparently itching to start a family and continue the fine traditions of murder and intrigue of his grandfather! So be it, we shall send out for portraits of the most eligible girls in all the Christian kingdoms and find one to match our young suitor

As the portraits start coming in on wagons, I realise that our king has two daughters one of which would make an excellent wife for my grandson. However, she is only 14 years and my impatient boy will not wait for her to mature and a betrothal would surely mean that the king will come back the day before the wedding and suggest that it be matrilinear and refuse to go through with the original wedding plans. Besides, Italy is agnatic and so there is no inheritance to be gained from marrying them. Still, she could be all right for one of his siblings to establish an alliance... But to find young Boson a mate we shall clearly have to look further afield.