The adventures in Dunkilwald take on the flavors of traditional D&D and those in Vildessette are often swashbuckling fun. Our third and final domain takes its flavor from investigative and gothic horror like those of Shelley or Lovecraft with some small hints of our current popular culture: zombies and the beginnings of steampunk technology. Several of our players were big fans of the RPGA’s Living Death campaign set in the Masque of the Red Death campaign setting. Sullenworth gives us the opportunity to play similar adventures where half the fun is the investigation into horrors incomprehensible to the mortal mind.
The domain of Sullenworth is similar to Victorian England suffering a plague referred to as The Unpleasantness, which results in the reanimation of the dead shortly after their demise. The spread of this curse has led to a land of walls that segment off portions of cities, road, fields; anything to prevent hordes of animates from spreading. This separation from your neighbors and the dense fogs of this land lead to a feeling of isolation. In addition, the rise of the walking dead and strict values of propriety has nearly eliminated religion from this domain and instead the advancement of science has become widespread. Gas lamps, medical science, and rudimentary steam engines are found throughout the cities, while the southern fishing villages remain backward bastions of the old ways.
Real World Influence: 19th-Century England
Theme: Corruption
Sullenworth
Cultural Level: Renaissance (9)
The Land: Sullenworth is more civilized than Dunkilwald, but less of it has been given over to farming than Vildessette. Most of the domain is flat or covered in low hills dotted with small villages. True forests are few, though bogs with spindly conifers are seen along the northwestern shore where runoff from the mountains of Dunkilwald flows out to the sea.
Sullenworth is rainier than its neighbors, and frequent mists come in off the shore to cover its fields, light forests and northern moors with deep fogs. The moisture and fertile soil make Sullenworth the breadbasket of Teuralia. The southern shores have all manner of natural harbors which also create a profitable fishing industry in the south.
Travelers to Sullenworth will note that it is covered in walls. Walls surround villages, cities, homes, even fields. It is not that the people are less friendly than other domains, though that may be true, but rather the walls are a practical response to the Unpleasantness. While not discussed in respectable company, Sullenworth suffers from a terrible plague of undeath which natives refer to as the Unpleasantness. Walls and gates surround everything, both to keep out the Unpleasantness, but also to contain it, should infection be found within.
The Folk: Population—30,500; Humans 98%, Other 2%. Languages—Sullen*, Vildissetian, Dunkilspecken, High Teuralian, Low Mordentish, High Mordentish. Religions—Primarily none, various cults.
Humans from Sullenworth display a wide array of complexions and hair colors, though gingers are more common in Sullenworth than the other domains of Teuralia. They tend to be of an average build, shorter then Dunkilwald men but taller than most from Vildessette. Fashion in Sullenworth tends toward black, grey or brown and simple adornments such as a brooch or ring. Ostentatious displays of wealth are seen as unrespectable efforts to appear as above ones station. The wealthy may carry a cane, umbrella or wear a top hat while the commonfolk content themselves with shapeless hats and many layers to keep out the damp.
The men and women from Sullenworth are more egalitarian than other domains with a belief that while birth is important, one can advance oneself through hard work and an adherence to one’s duties to society and family. Sullenworthians have a reputation for prudishness and observance of conventionalities, and abhor displays of poor behavior which leads to most initially displaying a cold demeanor until close relationships are formed.
Traditional gender roles are the strongest in Sullenworth. Women of society in Sullenworth are generally expected not to work, though this is not always possible among the common folk who must take in laundry, sewing, or other such tasks if their families are to survive. Women who flaunt their nonconformity however, are generally considered a blight upon their family's reputation and are avoided by those of good breeding.
The Unpleasantness and its spontaneous reanimation of the dead has resulted in packs of roaming zombies and other animates which must be contended with as part of daily life. How the Unpleasantness spreads is not well understood, though it is general believed that contact with animates is related. This constant horror has led to a disappearance of cemeteries. Interment has been outlawed, though does sometimes still occur among wealthy families steeped in tradition. Religion has disappeared all but for the most corrupt of cults centered mostly among the fisherfolk in the south or hermits in the moors. In its place mystical societies devoted to the advancement of scientific exploration, most generally little more than gentlemens’ clubs, have replaced religion. In Sullenworth, logic and learning are the new gods and an ordered understand of the natural world is their commandment.
For those of breeding or wealth, education at university is part of the Sullenworthian culture. Due to the Unpleasantness and the need for a proper health system, medicine and its study is well advanced beyond other domains of a similar cultural level. Common infections rarely claim lives except among the most poor and sanitation in hospitals rival the best in the Core. The study of the human body and its manipulation is a much honored profession and many young men have taken it up both for the glory of expanding knowledge and the increase in suitable prospects for marriage.
The Law: Sullenworth is governed by a parliamentary body whose members are made up of wealthy landowners, guildmasters, and those holding hereditary titles from the defunct monarchy. While the parliament is host to all manner of lively debates, it is rare than it accomplishes anything or passes any laws. This is generally considered to be for the best by most Sullenworthians. Of the few topics upon which measures are routinely passed are those of public health and safety. Maintenance of the roads, walls, and sanitation are key to the survival of the domain, as is the occasional culling of animates that plague the cities. Funding for these issues is never contended and debate is always short.
Laws in Sullenworth are generally straightforward with only a slight bias towards the wealthy in the courts through rules regarding decorum and respectability in public. Punishments usually include fines for reparations either to the wronged party or the State, or for capital crimes, assignment to a culling team for some period of time. As Sullenworth is primarily mercantile society, few are trained in the arts of war and few survive their first encounter with a horde of animates, much less see the end of their sentence.
Since the folk of Sullenworth are straightforward and avoid overt displays of emotion, it is difficult for them to deal with the less civilized, violent people of Dunkilwald and the frivolous Vildissetians, however Sullenworthians are practical and their merchants see these interactions as a necessity of business. Sullenworth regularly sends ambassadors to the Marquis at Méshoiendous in Vildessette, though the endless follies there often mean the ambassador rarely attends court.
Encounters: Due to the Unpleasantness, the most frequent danger in Sullenworth are packs of roving undead; especially zombies. Fast horses and stout walls offer sufficient protection against these dangers. Stranger creatures, with glowing eyes, dripping tentacles and mouths of sharks teeth are rumored by fisherfolk to plague the shores of Sullenworth; though stout men discount such wild tales. There are also wild tales of dangerous hermits in the moors who live among the animates without fear.
Native Player Characters: You might consider playing a character from Sullenworth if you like an unflappable, solidly respectable PC. Characters from Sullenworth are often well educated and illiteracy is rare. Men or women of overt faith are atypical. Rogues and Wizards are most common and Clerics are nearly unheard of.
Natives of Sullenworth must weather the difficulties of the Unpleasantness while still going about the calling of their daily lives and thus gain a +1 bonus to Fear and Horror checks made against corporeal undead. The domain is home to logic and decorum, where the disruption of etiquette is anathema. Characters from Sullenworth suffer a -2 penalty to Horror and Madness checks caused by violations of respectability.
As we have seen from last week’s post, the stories we set in Dunkilwald, while making the most traditional D&D adventures, do not leave much storytelling space for those players who are interested in courtly politics or the chance to be a traditional freedom fighting hero. Some of our players are looking for role-playing or strategizing experiences that involve more high heroics where they get the chance to outwit their foes in social settings, play artistic characters, or just help the little guy. For this type of play, we have the domain of Vildessette.
Drawing its influence from swashbuckling stories such as The Three Musketeers, Vildessette is a land of high society where art, culture and politics strongly influences everyday life. Unfortunately for the people of this domain, a fungus known colloquially as “The Blight” destroys two thirds of its crop production annually, turning this otherwise fertile land into one of famine. In order to combat this problem, the Marquis Henri de Partandous has instituted large state farms where debtors, criminals and all gnomes and halflings work as slave labor, growing food that is shipped to the rich of the cities while the commonfolk starve. This slavery and inequity in the face of famine provides the opportunity for heroic opportunities and the chance to politic against master manipulators.
Real World Influence: 17th-Century France
Theme: Famine and Excess
Vildissette
Cultural Level: Chivalric (8)
The Land: Vildissette is a covered in rolling grasslands, light woods and thin streams. Much of the land is pastoral, filled with poor farming villages and the grand estates of the nobility. The climate is warmer and dryer than the greenwood of Dunkilwald or foggy shores of Sullenworth. This suggests that the farmers of Vildisette should have little trouble feeding the domain, but the thin soil, dry conditions, and frequent crop failures due to Blight means that the many bellies in the capital of Méshoiendous are often empty.
The Blight, a fungal plague, claims more than two thirds of the domain's yearly crops and seems so far to be entirely contained to the borders of Vildissette. With no way to combat the Blight yet discovered, the Marquis de Partandous has enslaved most of the demihuman population and converted nearly all arable land not owned by the rich or powerful into great farms managed, poorly, by the crown. Great care is taken to separate and burn any crops that show signs of the Blight, but infection is still common and spreads rapidly. Most of the edible food harvested is shipped to the cities where the rich feast and the free poor starve, much like their enslaved countrymen.
Major Settlements: Méshoiendous (pop. 18,700), Touelle (pop. 8,600), St. Micheln (pop. 7,150).
The Folk: Population—42,810; Humans 68%, Halflings 16%, Gnomes 11%, Other 5%. Languages—Vildissetian*, Gnomish, Halfling, Sullen, Dunkilspecken, High Teuralian, High Mordentish. Religions—Ezra, Hala.
The people of Vildissette have the darkest complexion of Teuralia and black hair is almost universal. Vildissetians have round faces, and large noses are widespread in both the human and gnomish populations. Extensive facial hair is rare, though slim mustaches or goatees are sometimes worn. The rich wear loose fitting clothes made from the finest silks and decorated with cloth of gold ribbons fastened with pearl buttons. This fashion is aped by the poor, though they must settle for loose fitting **** and baggy trousers decorated with scarves and colorful armbands. Women in Vildissette do not normally serve in the Gendarmes or in heavily physical labors, though a woman with a keen political mind might still rise to power in court or be appreciated as a great artist.
Famine and hunger is a way of life in Vildissette where bravos and highwaymen are far more likely to draw steel over a loaf of dark bread than a bag of coins. This has led to rampant crime and a casual disregard for life. The Gendarmes are corrupt and care little for such crime among the commonfolk other than as an excuse to press the violators into service on a state farm. However, should the slightest inconvenience cross the nobility, they respond harshly. Corpses are usually disposed of by dumping into the sewers or used for fertilizer on the Crown’s farms.
The people of Vildessette gloss over the corruption and famine by creating works of art. Painting, sculpture, architecture, poetry and music are powerful distractions from everyday woes and culture flourishes in both the cities and farming villages. In Sullenworth there is a saying, “In Vildesette, even the slaves sing,” suggesting that the Vildissetians are so vapid as to be more concerned with entertainment than their own predicaments.
The Law: Vildessette is nominally ruled by the Marquis Henri de Partandous, though much of his power is dependent on the consent of his nobility who are major hereditary landholders. The Marquis throws lavish balls to keep his court amused, much to the dismay of the populace who suffer from hunger and poverty. Whispers of revolution are brutality crushed by the Marquis’ Gendarmes and anyone speaking against the monarchy is sent to the farms to toil alongside debtors and demihumans in slavery. The grasp of monarchy weakens the further one travels from the cities and work farms, such that it is almost only a memory near the domain’s borders.
Vildessette is desperate to import fresh meat and timber from Dunkilwald and grain and seafood from Sullenworth. The domain's demand far outstrips the other countries ability to supply. It is this frantic desire to buy that keeps the otherwise Vildissetian superior attitude from clouding interactions with their otherwise more stoic neighbors. Méshoiendous in particular is sometimes seen as a destination for scientists from Sullenworth seeking to study human anatomy without the threat of reanimation or hoping understand the problems associated with the Blight before it spreads even further. Rich members of Court regularly sponsor such enlightened men or women as a status symbol, and their decadence keeps them from paying too close of an eye on how their money is spent. Indeed, the attitudes of the Vildessettian court allow Sullenworthian women seeking enlightenment a far greater chance for advancement than they would find in their own country.
Encounters: With the domain being so heavily populated, most encounters will be with humanoids: starving bandits, bravos looking to prove themselves, escaping gnome and halfling slaves, or corrupt Gendarmes. In Méshoiendous, there are a few families of wererats, though word on the street suggests they are rapidly losing a war for the sewers against something even more horrifying than the lycanthropes.
Native Player Characters: You might consider playing a character from Vildessette if you like a flashy, cultured or artistic PC. Characters from Vildessette are often skilled in the arts to some extent. Even the lowest farm hand plays an instrument or has tried his hand at poetry. Bards, Fighters, and Rogues are most common. This is also the only domain that possesses native Gnomes or Halflings.
Natives of Vildessette witness the dreadfulness of starvation regularly and as such receive a +2 bonus to Horror checks made against scenes of starvation or famine. However, the domain is well-civilized and monsters are few and far between. They suffer a -1 penalty to Fear checks caused by nonhumanoid monsters.
One of the difficulties in running for a diverse group of players is making a variety of countries/regions that has something for each of your players, but still work together in a logical way to form a functioning world. This is one of the attractions of Ravenloft for me, in that is inherently diverse, with each domain being potentially separated by culture, time, the mists, and most importantly the ability of the Dark Lord to seal the domain entirely if necessary. When designing a new domain, I took the approach of influencing it with a real world culture and dashing in a flavor of a particular theme.
The first of the three domains the Teuralian cluster is Dunkilwald, a land loosely influenced by early medieval Germany. This domain is sparsely populated and is brutally violent. It is the most like a traditional D&D world with the potential to run into orcs, giants, or faeries. This provides a home for those who want a normal D&D PC, as well as a place to set more standard D&D adventure. If you have a player that would rather be playing “regular” D&D instead of an investigative horror setting, this is probably the best place for them.
Real World Influence: Medieval Germany
Theme: Savagery
Dunkilwald
Cultural Level:Medieval (7)
The Land: Dunkilwald is a land of mist shrouded hills, ancient gloomy forests and swift, deep rivers in northern Teuralia. Ruins of ancient men and elves sometimes top the hills, but these are generally avoided by both man and beast, with a reputation as places of dark magic. On clear nights, strange lights can sometimes be seen moving through the ruins and those who investigate are not heard from again.
The further north one travels, the taller the hills rise, until they can truly be called mountains along the northern shore. Their steep faces provide no natural harbors, and make approach by sea from the north virtually impossible. Melting snows and natural springs in the mountain highlands give birth to three tributaries that flow south to join and become the domain’s largest river, known as the Drakkenklau. The Drakkenklau runs swift and cold, cutting deeply through the stony soil, causing great canyon walls to rise up to either side until it empties into the Tabllyn; the lake that forms the central border with Vildissette and Sullenworth.
The domain is more heavily populated by raptors, bears and deer than humans, but the rugged beauty of Dunkilwald hides a savage brutality. The depredations of the goblins and orcs are frequent in the hills. It is not uncommon to find burned down cottages or tribal effigies of bones, gnawed upon and painted in the blood of their victims. Perhaps more disturbing are those small forest communities that now stand empty; abandoned for no obvious reason. The populace avoids these desolate places, claiming they are cursed by the dark fey that are said to dwell in the wood.
Major Settlements: Falkensalz (pop. 1,200), Frischaft (pop. 620), Ringel (pop. 370). Dunkilwald is sparsely populated and has few settlements of note.
The Folk: Population—17,260; Humans 56%, Dwarves 13%, Elves 8%, Half-Elves 2%, Half-Orc 1%, Other 20% (primarily goblins and orcs). Languages— Dunkilspecken*, Sylvan, Dwarven, Elven, Goblinoid, Orcish, Sullen, Vildissetian, High Teuralian, Falkovnian. Religions—Belenus, ancestor worship, The Wolf God.
The people of Dunkilwald tend to be extremely practical and resigned to the cruelty of their lives. A home built over the course of years may be burned to the ground by goblins in one night. All one can do is struggle on, plant, hunt, and care for one's family.
The humans of Dunkilwald tend to have milky complexions and sharp features framed with blonde hair worn long by both men and women, although darker hair is common among the hill tribes. Clothing tends to be warm, supplemented with furs and cloaks for most of the year with lederhosen and tall socks in the brief summers. Nearly all folk, child or otherwise, carry a weapon; from a simple knife or woodsmen's' axe to the well-balanced longswords of the knights of Falkensalz. Due to the violent, tragic life of Dunkilwald, women are often called on to take over families or lead settlements. Traditional gender roles, more common in Sullenworth or Vildessette are blurred in Dunkilwald and armed women in chain or plate do not cause a stir.
Tiny communities of dwarves and elves exist in Dunkilwald, as they have without change since history began. Both races tend to stay isolated, trading with men once or twice a year at most and watching for raiders the rest. While the crafts of dwarves and elves are prized, particularly dwarven clockworks, men remain suspicious of their long-lived neighbors and ascribe all sorts of foul practices to them. Oldwives tales say that the dwarves digging in the earth causes crops to fail and cows to produce less milk and it is commonly believed that elves will steal young children to be used as slaves, or worse.
No matter the race, all of those in Dunkilwald take great pride in their elaborate craftsmanship. While the goods produced in Dunkilwald may not exceed the steam-powered wonders of Sullenworth or the elaborate artistic beauties of Vildessette, they are always sturdy, functional, and intricately detailed, with natural themes of flowers and birds commonly used as decoration. Even the monstrous orcs and goblins that come down out of the mountains or the deep wood raise terrible but complex totems to dark spirits and paint their bodies with complicated woad.
Druidic traditions run strong in Dunkilwald and the worship of the sun god Belenus is common. While his worship is generally not well organized among the rustic folk, the center of his worship is most focused around the fortress of Falkensalz where Lady Agenthe and her knights bring his light to all within reach. Other faiths will not find much tolerance from the paladins within her lands.
Belneus is not the only religion that has found purchase in the dark corners of Dunkilwald. Ancestor worship is frequent in the highlands and the feral Wolf God is popular among the orc and goblin tribes.
The Law: The folk of Dunkilwald tend to think of themselves as free men who volunteer their fealty to lords that earn it. That said, in most cases that obedience is earned at the point of a sword. The hill tribes raid from the north, the forest folk hide in small settlements with their own strange rules, and only the shining of beacon of Falkensalz brings any true stability. For several miles around the cliffside fortress, Lady Agnethe and her knights strive to push back the darkness of the wood and the Lady rigidly enforces the tenets of Belenus’s faith. This is truly the only place with significant stability in the land and her court is perhaps the only place one might expect to find justice, even if that justice is sometimes final.
Trade and Diplomacy: Resources—beer, clocks, copper, furs, iron, meat, metal goods, nuts, timber; Coinage—dragon (pp), hawk (gp), owl (sp), dove (cp).
Vildissette and Sullenworth prize the natural resources plentiful in Dunkilwald, but the danger in bringing those goods to market and the small population of the domain mean that trade with Dunkilwald is infrequent at best. Instead most of the natural bounty of Dunkilwald rarely travels more than a few dozen miles between neighboring settlements where the local populace crafts it into beautiful furniture and intricate metal jewelry. Dunkilwald's neighbors tend to think of its folk as living in a savage backwater and ignore it. That tends to suite the people of Dunkilwald just fine.
Encounters: The paths and streams of Dunkilwald are a dangerous place where friendly meetings with other humanoids are rare. Animals are likely to be the most common encounter, with bears, wolves or various raptors being most common. Raiding hill men from the highlands or monstrous humanoids, primarily goblins and orcs with the occasional troll, are also not uncommon. Though rarely seen, legends persist that creatures of old still dwell in seldom traveled places. Evidence of the feyfolk and even dragons, is however hard to substantiate and it may be that such creatures died out long ago.
Native Player Characters: You might consider playing a character from Dunkilwald if you like a fiercely independent or primal PC, or prefer a character from a more traditional D&D setting. Nearly all character classes are found here though Rogues and Wizards are uncommon. Barbarians, Druids, Rangers and Sorcerers are extremely common. This is the only domain that sees native Dwarves or Elves.
Natives of Dunkilwald are used to violence as part of their daily lives and receive a +2 bonus to Fear checks made against scenes of brutality such as mutilated corpses. However, they are a simple, superstitious people used to things being as they appear and suffer a -1 penalty to Horror checks related to magic and the unnatural.
Our playtest group has been trying out D&D Next for quite some time now, but we are a bit of an eclectic group that met mostly through the RPGA. Many of us began with OD&D or the red box (I played my first game at the age of 6), while some of us came in at the end 3rd edition with the heyday of Living Greyhawk. These diverse experiences have led us to a play style that focuses heavily on role-playing with some expectation that most of us are also power-gaming min-maxers. We sometimes jokingly say that you might want something for everyone in an adventure, we want everything.
It is with this in mind that our group has decided that most of our playtesting will take place in the world of Ravenloft; a favorite of many of us. However, not everyone in the group has the loving past experiences of this horror-filled world while others know every detail. All of us are also familiar with the problems seen in LFR when a lore-keeper of Realms minutia sits down to play with those who have never read word one about the Realms and just want to play their warforged vampire from Elturgard. In order to deal with this, we decided to create our own Ravenloft cluster, cut off from the rest of the demi-plane in the Sea of Sorrows. Called Teuralia, this cluster is socially and scientifically advanced to increase our chances for drama and role-playing and so far has steered us to some great stories.
In this blog entry I will give a very brief overview of the cluster that you may use your own games, and in the coming weeks I will detail each of the three domains of the cluster.
Teuralia
The Teuralian cluster has only recently appeared in the demiplane, though its inhabitants believe it to have been there all along, simply cut off from the rest of the lands of the Core. In the last three years, intrepid sailors braving the mists have crossed upon Teuralia's temperate shores and found it to be a relatively advanced triad of cultures, rivaling that of most domains in the Core. This has brought a new influx of languages and trade but still, those visits have so far been rare and outlanders are nearly unheard of within its borders.
Each of the three domains in the cluster, Dunkilwald, Vildessette, and Sullenworth; remain civil toward each other with small amounts of trade, but each with their own significant troubles causing such interactions to be limited. When rare events require the domains to come to some sort of an accord, each country sends a delegation to the island in the middle of Lake Tabllyn, which is central to the cluster where the three domains meet. This has not happened for more than a century and now few visit the lonely ruins that dot the isle. The ruins and others found throughout the cluster are covered in complex writing referred to as High Teuralian and suggest that the three domains may share a common ancestry.
Conflagration 13 runs February 22-24, 2013. Like our other quality Cold Iron Conventions offerings, we will be at the Sheraton Hotel in Brookfield Wisconsin with all games in the Wisconsin wing on the first floor. The address and phone number are 375 South Moorland Road, Brookfield, WI 53005 – (262) 364-1100.
We will have plenty of Pathfinder and Living Forgotten Realms gaming scheduled for the weekend. Pre-Reg is OPEN NOW! Look for pre-registration information at wiscons.roseocon.net/index.php.
Those interested in judging should email skerritthegreen@yahoo.com to gain access to the judge’s mailing list, in addition to filling out your pre-registration.
See you at the show!
Greg Marks LFR Global Administrator Wisconsin Highfolk Triad Emeritus Cabal of Shadows Factionmaster Emeritus D&D Championship Coordinator Emeritus Cold Iron Conventions skerritthegreen@yahoo.com
As we playtest DnDNext, I have been pondering what makes me happiest about a setting and which D&D setting I prefer. Without a doubt I like Ravenloft best because of its storytelling and ability to change the local setting so easily while still maintaining tight edges to your campaign world if you wish. Greyhawk is probably a close second because I like gritty world war settings, though I also enjoyed FR before it got so cluttered.
Milwaukee Summer Revel (MSR) 16 runs July 20-22, 2012, with a new/old venue! Our con is moving back to the Sheraton Hotel in Brookfield Wisconsin. The address and phone number are 375 South Moorland Road, Brookfield, WI 53005 – (262)364-1100.
We will have plenty of gaming scheduled for the weekend; Pathfinder, Living Forgotten Realms, plus many other events. Look for the schedule to be out in the next couple of weeks. Plus info about staying at the hotel. Look for more information at wiscons.roseocon.net/
We have added even more great events to our already packed line-up! Check out our website for Living Forgotten Realms, Pathfinder Society, Chronicles of the Shattered Empires, and Boardgamesas we add additional events periodically as they become available. You can change your pre-registration until it closes on 7/19/2012.
See you at the show!
Greg Marks LFR Global Administrator Wisconsin Highfolk Triad Emeritus Cabal of Shadows Factionmaster Emeritus D&D Championship Coordinator Emeritus Cold Iron Conventions skerritthegreen@yahoo.com
So now that WOTC has publically announced the next iteration of D&D, I have been having friends, chums, cronies, acquaintances, colleagues, sympathizers, compadres, associates, contemporaries and well-wishers asking for me to spill the beans about everything in what they hope will be the greatest version of D&D ever. Well, I can't. NDAs can be that way. That said, I can tell you one thing in particular.
I had known it was coming for a few months, but was pleased to get the invite to come visit Seattle on the company dime for a conference that actually had several purposes, but the one of which that we could mention publically at that time was look at WOTC's Organized Play and thinking about what we might do to improve it in the future. So that's what I told people: "OP conference, going to go see what WOTC wants to do in the future and talk about what has and hasn't worked in the past." While that it one of the things we were doing, I don't think many people believed me.
So I got on a plane and looked over the emails I had been given during when we were planning the trip. They were sent to an interesting mix of people: OP insiders, big convention organizers, retailers, and bloggers; nearly all of who I recognized by name if not personally acquainted with. There was an itinerary, which immediately caught my eye, along with some questions to spur discussion. Yup, there it was, right at the top. Looking at the title and the people talking, the first presentation was clearly going to be the big announcement, and later on there was an afternoon set off for us to game. Just for those who were worried, there were also lots of OP discussions on the schedule as well, so we would actually talk about OP in the D&DNext world. This is something I might discuss in a future blog post.
The first thing I notice about Seattle: is its darn cold. Now I am from Wisconsin, but I am from a Wisconsin where it is currently January the 11th and 51 degrees right now, so apparently someone didn't give Seattle the memo that we were supposed to be having an unusually warm winter cause all the shorts I packed (like those I wear when it’s a balmy 50) where likely not going to be as useful in Seattle. A Seattle friend of mine like to call Seattle the Grey Lady, well your lady is downright frigid. Either way, I decided there is no choice but to soldier on, get picked up at the airport by the ever helpful Chris Tulach, chauffer extraordinaire, and go out for the evening with various gaming industry friends and conference attendees so I can be properly prepared for the next morning. If you know anything about gamers, you know there is a stereotype that we are introverted folks who can't get out of mom's basement. Sure there are plenty of introverts in gaming (like any hobby), but the ones that get into OP like the RPGA often tend to be the opposite. D&D is a social game after all, so it is no surprise that the loud, boisterous extroverts tend to be in mix perhaps a bit more than average. So it is every time these folks get together from around the country.
Cut to the next morning following a hearty breakfast, and I am sitting in the meeting where Mike Mearls is telling us about the next D&D, why we should do it, and how it would be done. He starts to tell us about developing a universal rules system that takes from the best of every edition and gets at the soul of what D&D is, how WOTC is going to heavily involve the fans, how there will be public playtesting in the Spring and similar things. He tells us that about the way mechanics will be done combined with story and world building. He and others begin to tell specifics about the new system and it really begins to hit me. These guys are actually getting it right. They know what they are doing.
Now, if you've played with me (and I encourage you to do so, I'm sort of awesome when I'm in the mood), you might have an idea of what kind of gamer I am. I guess the best way is to say hardcore. I love LOTs of role-playing and I often have at least a short back story for my PC along with having worked out one or two quirks that my PC has so I have a shtick to role-play when we get going. I also like a detailed world so I know my place in it and I can make plans for my PC's future. I also can't help min-maxing. If there is clearly an advantage to a particular set of numbers, why not take them, unless you have a good role-playing reason not too; in which case I take the set that min-maxes within my back story. I love complicated: whether its story, puzzles, or details for my PC or my world. I love elegant and streamlined so those complicated rules are very easy to implement. I guess only a scientist (like me) could say they like really complicated things that make a simple kind of sense, but it's how I roll. So when you tell me that we should have an edition of D&D that lets you have it all; as easy or complicated, detailed or simple as you want, and still all play together; be all things to all people and the way they are talking about doing actually makes sense, well I am hooked.
So let's play this thing. I sit down at a table mixed with some OP folks, a retailer (whom I played a few times with during the LG days) and one of the bloggers. Greg Bilsland was running us through an adapted version of Sunless Citadel. He told us that the way the work right now, it's very easy to adapt old material and it seemed like he did a lot of it on the fly and quite seamlessly. Either way he was an excellent DM. Within the first 20 minutes I realized that what edition you play doesn't really matter because we were role-playing our little hearts out so much, that which rules you use don't really matter; from Dave Christ's stupid fighter (a role he plays well) to my cleric whom I had decided worshipped the sun god Butterscotch (and indeed I rewarded other players with candy when they did particularly awesome things). There is something about charging undead while screaming "For the Glory of Butterscotch!" that did seem to have the other tables looking over their shoulders at us, but hey, we were having a blast. Indeed, Greg eventually had to cut us off so we could actually start playing the real adventure part of the mod, rather than role-playing amongst ourselves. Conveniently about this time, Monty Cook stopped by to watch us and to answer questions as we went along and it was very handy to get his input as well as we played.
As we played, I noticed things that I can say felt like 1e, or 2e, or 3e, or 4e or where completely new, but all of them blended very well. Both Monty and Greg stressed that nothing was set in stone and absolutely everything was still on the block to be revamped or cut completely. They were also very open to listen to our feedback and did indeed make notes about what we found during play or had to say. I'm told it was the same at the other tables. Either way, it felt like D&D to me.
So I guess that's what I want to tell you most. It felt like D&D, and I was happy. There were details, but it was simple. There was enough flexibility that you could be as complex, wacky, or simple as you wanted. Everyone should be happy and excited. That's the one thing I want to tell you. It was D&D.
Milwaukee Summer Revel, one of the longest consecutive running gaming conventions in Wisconsin, brings another year of fun and excitement to the Tommy Thompson Youth Center in West Allis Wisconsin this June 3rd to the 5th; brought to you by Cold Iron Conventions (CIC). Come to the land of beer and cheese for a Summer weekend packed full of Living Forgotten Realms and other quality organized play campaigns. We are EXPANDING this year with even more board games and a Magic tournament! We will have the following events... (although space is filling already up, pre-register today!)
Enjoy the RPGA’s premier and largest 4e D&D campaign in the world, Living Forgotten Realms. There is something for PCs of every level!
– AGLA2-1 The Undumor Connection (Level 7-10)
– AKAN2-1 Set Drift (Level 11-14)
– CORE1-11 Drawing a Blank (Level 11-14)
– CORE1-7 Sovereign of the Mines (Level 7-10)
– CORE2-1 Killing the Messenger (Level 11-14)
– CORE2-6 Ripples in the Stream of Souls (Level 14-17)
– CORM2-03 Secret of the Queen of Thorns (Level 14-17)
– CORM2-04 Fury of the Queen of Thorns (Level 17-20)
– CORM2-1 For Crown and Kingdom (Level 1-4)
– DALE1-6 The Vesperin Initiative (Level 11-14)
– DALE2-4 Illsyldra (Level 11-14)
– DRAG1-3 A Stab in the Dark (Level 7-10)
– DRAG1-4 Falling Snow, White Petal (Level 4-7)
– DRAG1-5 White Petal Falling (Level 7-10)
– DRAG1-6 Night of the Fallen Petals (Level 7-10)
– DRAG2-3 Of Wild and Darkened Waters (Level 4-7)
– DRAG2-4 Into the Maelstrom (Level 7-10)
– EAST2-1 Ends and Means (Level 4-7)
– EAST2-3 Nightmares (Level 11-14)
– EPIC3-1 The Glorious Hunt (Level 21)
– EPIC3-2 Cracks in the Crimson Cage (Level 22)
– IMPI2-04 Goblins Strike Back (Level 17-20)
– IMPI2-3 Rooting Out Corruption (Level 14-17)
– LURU1-2 The Gibbous Moon (Level 4-7)
– LURU2-1 Hands that Rock the Cradle (Level 11-14)
–LFR Replay Events: Miss an old event, but have enough people who want to play it? Form a table and we will supply a judge.
–Playing LFR for the first time? You can find more information on the campaign and rules for generating a character at: community.wizards.com/lfr.
Play the heights of the D&D 3.5 rules system in Paizo’s PATHFINDER campaign:
– PSS2 ADAP-2 Cult of the Ebon Destroyers (Level 7-9)
– PSS2-05 Eyes of the Ten—Part III: Red Revolution (Level 12)
– PSS2-17 Shade of Ice 2: Exiles of Winter (Level 1-5)
– PSS2-18 Forbidden Furnace of Forgotten Koor (Level 7-11)
– PSS2-19 Shades of Ice—Part III: Keep of the Huskarl King (Level 1-5)
– PSS2-20 Wrath of the Accursed (Level 7-11)
– PSS2-21 The Dalsine Affair (Level 1-7)
– PSS2-22 Eyes of the Ten—Part IV: Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained (Level 12)
– PSS46 Eyes of the Ten—Part I: Requiem for the Red Raven (Level 12)
– PSS54 Eyes of the Ten—Part II: The Maze of the Open Road (Level 12)
–Pathfinder replays: Missing an old adventure? Have friends who want to come along? We have the adventures and the judges.
–Playing Pathfinder for the first time? You can find more information on the campaign and rules for generating a character at: paizo.com/pathfinderSociety.
Not a Role-playing fan? Would you rather sit around board with some friends? Want to play some minis? Interested in a competitive board game or card tourney? Want to take a slot off to relax? Enjoy our cards, miniatures and board games. Mil-Cog is teaming up with MRS to provide a full-fledged board gaming experience at the con and our non-rpg section will be dramatically expanded this year! You can come the entire weekend and never play the same game twice! We have both tournaments and games for fun!
– D&D Board Game Challenge: D&D Board Game Challenge Want to play a D&D game without a DM? Like cooperative games? Come take the challenge of our D&D Adventure Games. Pick either Castle Ravenloft or Wrath of Ashardalon, and see if your team can get a high score! Best scores of the weekend receive prizes! 2 hours per game.
– Dominion Tournament: Fill your coffers on your way to victory in this easy to play hard to master deck building game! Winner takes home a prize.
– Get a demo or play a game from the MilCog game library
– Compete in the various other tournaments being run for prizes
– Raffle for prizes
– Silent game auction
– Industry support from some publishers / designers
– If you are interested in running a board game event, submit game events you want to run to milcoggames@gmail.com and include the following information: Your name, Game name, Number of players, Time needed to play, and a brief description.
– Miniatures: Cyprian Rift: Warships: Come learn a fast action cinematic sci-fi miniatures game. Take command of your warships deep within the Cyprian Rift and engage the enemy. In the rift is where your legacy will begin or where your name will be forgotten. Do you have what it takes to enter the rift? RULES TAUGHT! 2 hour event that will run twice during the slot.
– Magic: We are having a sealed Magic tournament. Cards will be sold onsite for this Qualifier!
And Much, Much More, including:
– Replays: Missing some old RPGA or Pathfinder adventures and want to play? Hoping to get in a Midnight Madness slot? We have most adventures for the campaigns we’re running available onsite and will be happy to provide materials and a place to play. Judges available based upon demand.
–Vendors: We will have game stores hawking their wares onsite. Get the latest products or just pick up a handful of new dice. Visit Lon’s Lair and several other vendors. We have more vendor booths than ever before!
– Expect for us to have snacks and soda available onsite!
To register, go to wiscons.roseocon.net/. All pre-registration will be done online, and you will pay onsite! PRE REGISTRATION closes on THURSDAY June 2nd. Hurry, space for some events may be limited. You can find continual updated hotel registration information by going to the convention website, and the Youth Center itself rents rooms. The entire weekend is just $10 admission (walk in is $15) plus event fees (look for specific costs for example RPG's are $4 per slot, board games have no event fees, Magic Tourney will have a cost, etc...). Parking onsite is FREE!
We badly NEED more judges, get in free or at a reduced rate, and get space in our judge rooms if you judge at the con! Judges receive a $10 discount for the first slot they judge at the convention and free admission if they judge four or more slots. Judges will have a chance to win prizes drawn randomly every slot throughout the convention on top of free refreshments during the slots they judge. The more you judge, the more chances to win. For those judges that judge 5 or more slots we try to provide a space to sleep at the Tommy Thompson Center. We give priority to those travelling from afar. Please arrange this ahead of time with Rick Brown so we know what to expect. Prospective judges please email Greg Marks at skerritthegreen@yahoo.com to be added to our judge's list. Approved role-playing clubs receive a $5 discount (email lionsquest2000@yahoo.com for approved club list or to add to the list). Organized Play Campaign Administrators members get in FREE!
To stay onsite for less than a regular hotel, contact Cheri at the Youth Center:
Tommy G. Thompson Youth Center 640 S. 84th Street West Allis, WI 53214 Contact: Cheri Gravitter 414-266-7042 cheri.gravitter@sfp.state.wi.us
See you at the show!
Greg Marks LFR Global Administrator
Wisconsin Highfolk Triad Emeritus Cabal of Shadows Factionmaster Emeritus D&D Championship Coordinator Emeritus Cold Iron Conventions skerritthegreen@yahoo.com
Conflagration 11 is coming to the Tommy Thompson Youth Center in West Allis Wisconsin this March 4th to 6th; brought to you by Cold Iron Conventions (CIC). PRE-REG IS OPEN NOW! This spring weekend will be filled with lots of HOT gaming, with an entire weekend packed full of Living Forgotten Realms, Pathfinder Society, boardgames and other quality gamess. We will have the following events... (although space is filling already up, pre-register today!)
Enjoy the RPGA premier 4e D&D campaign, Living Forgotten Realms:
– ADAP2-01 Monument of the Ancients: Panicked refugees are pouring into the port city of Phlan, fleeing from barbarian attacks in the Moonsea North. Something ominous and ancient drives the horse nomads to attack their neighbors. Poised to shatter the ancient monument keeping him from Faerun, a lost god from Toril's past sends an agent from the Elemental Chaos to herald his long-prophesized return... A Living Forgotten Realms adapted adventure set in Phlan for characters levels 11-14. To run this adaptation, you will need a copy of the adventure, which is found in issue 170 of Dungeon Magazine. Because of this, at least one person at the table needs to have a subscription to D&D Insider. We recommend that you allow a minimum of eight hours of playing time to complete this adventure.
– ADAP2-02 The Spiral Gate: All Faerun's fate is being shaped in Netheril. You can hide behind your belief that this is all about other lands, other people, other lives, but in the end, your lands and your people will be caught up in this struggle like all the rest. So decide now. Which side are you on? A Living Forgotten Realms adapted adventure set in Hillsfar, in the Moonsea region, for characters levels 14-17 (the adventure is written for level 16 characters, so any P2 table can play, but there is no low-level/high-level split in the adaptation). To run this adaptation, you will need a copy of the adventure, which is found in issue 180 of Dungeon Magazine. Because of this, at least one person at the table needs to have a subscription to D&D Insider. We recommend that you allow a minimum of eight hours of playing time to complete this adventure.
– ADCP3-1 Swarm of Chaos: Cleaning the infestation beneath the boughs of Cormanthor reveals that you have only scratched the surface of the true corruption. Demon cultists have infiltrated Myth Drannor and the ancient land needs your help to stop their nefarious plot. This is a two-round continuous-play Living Forgotten Realms Battle Interactive set in Myth Drannor for characters of the Heroic and Paragon tiers (levels 1-20). We expect the adventure to take about 8-10 hours of play time to complete. This adventure is combat-intensive; players who do not enjoy combat encounters are unlikely to enjoy this adventure. It is recommended, but not required, that at least three of the characters be members of the same Adventuring Company. This adventure takes place following the events of SPEC3-1 and SPEC3-2, and concludes the Roots of Corruption story that began in those two adventures, but the adventures need not be played in any particular order. This adventure is sanctioned for public play only; it is not available for private/home play.
– CORE2-04 Lost on the Golden Way: The Golden Way is one of the longest and most famous trade routes in Faerun. It stretches from the city of Telflamm on the Easting Reach all the way to Shou Lung in the exotic land of Kara-Tur. Many caravans stop at the fortified outpost of Uzbeg, near the Lake of Mists. Uzbeg has a reputation for safety and security -- so why did all of your wagons disappear last night? A Living Forgotten Realms adventure set in the Hordelands for characters levels 1-4.
– CORE2-11 The Sign of Four: Fragments of an ancient, shattered tablet have surfaced all across Faerun. Its origin is shrouded in the prophecies of a dread sorceress, but what little is known of this artifact's power is enough to concern even the Coronal of Myth Drannor. Those who seek answers must embark on a quest into the realm of eternal winter. Your greatest threat may not be the wrath of Thrym the frost titan king, but rather the moral choices you will make in order to find the truth. A two-round Living Forgotten Realms adventure set in the Elemental Chaos for characters levels 17-20. This is the first part of the Shattered Secrets series, which concludes with CORE2-12 The Sschindylryn Heresy (levels 17-20). We recommend that you allow a minimum of eight hours of playing time to complete this adventure.
– CORE2-12 The Sschindylryn Heresy: A death goddess' relic lies shattered across the Realms. The drow from Sschindylryn now seek to rejoin the fragments and uncover its secrets, in defiance of the Spider Queen. But what they will unleash is not an ally against Lolth, but a new blight upon the world. And all it needs to awaken is one word. A two-round Living Forgotten Realms adventure set in the Underdark for characters levels 17-20. This is the second and final part of the Shattered Secrets series, which began with CORE2-11 The Sign of Four (P3). Playing the two adventures in order is strongly encouraged. We recommend that you allow a minimum of eight hours of playing time to complete this adventure.
– CORM2-03 Secret of the Queen of Thorns: The Queen of Thorns is coming to take the throne of Cormyr, but there is still time to bolster the kingdom's defenses. The race against the Queen's gathering forces is on! A Living Forgotten Realms adventure set in Cormyr for characters levels 14-17. This is the second part of the Queen of Thorns trilogy, which began in CORM1-6 Curse of the Queen of Thorns. The trilogy concludes with CORM2-4 Fury of the Queen of Thorns.
– CORM2-04 Fury of the Queen of Thorns: The kingdom of Cormyr is cursed. Prophecy warns that the Queen of Thorns will end the reign of the Obarskyr family and seize the throne for her own. Dare you stand with King Foril in his attempt to defy this terrible fate? A Living Forgotten Realms adventure set in Cormyr for characters levels 17-20. This adventure concludes the Major Quest that began in CORM1-6 Curse of the Queen of Thorns (P1) and continued in CORM2-3 Secret of the Queen of Thorns (P2). It is strongly recommend, but not required, that you play these three adventures in order.
– DRAG2-3 Of Wild and Darkened Waters: A slew of unprovoked attacks on vessels has disrupted maritime trade on the Dragon Coast. Initially thought to be the next move in an escalating war between powerful criminal factions, evidence points to a new, unannounced player in the game. Scrambling to neutralize this hidden threat, the Nine Golden Swords, Fire Knives and Westgate merchants have forged an uncomfortable alliance aimed at re-establishing the status quo. A Living Forgotten Realms adventure set on the Dragon Coast for characters levels 4-7.
– EAST2-01 Ends and Means: Less than a century has passed since the fall of Underhome; by dwarven standards, the sting of that loss is still fresh. A small but vocal group of dwarves actively seeks out confrontations with the local drow, seeking to drive them back into the depths of the Underdark. Vengeance is one thing, but at what point does it cross the line and become a senseless, endless vendetta? A Living Forgotten Realms adventure set in the East Rift for characters levels 4-7.
– EAST2-03 Nightmares: Citizens of Hammergate are suffering sleepless nights, with visions of undead horrors invading their dreams. To one gnome, these nightmares have a special meaning. You must discover the secret of her visions or no one will ever sleep peacefully again. A Living Forgotten Realms adventure set in the East Rift for characters levels 11-14.
– ELTU3-1 Good Intentions: A string of grisly murders has hit the town of Triel. Word on the street is that insanity grips the townspeople and a new cult is to blame. Are these just whispers in the dark or is there something more sinister behind it all? A Living Forgotten Realms adventure set in Elturgard for characters of the Heroic tier (levels 1-10). This adventure is the first part of the Sinister Intentions Major Quest. This is a roleplay-intensive adventure with multiple paths for the PCs to potentially explore. We recommend that you allow 5-6 hours of play time, if possible, instead of the normal 4 hours of a convention slot.
– ELTU3-2 Blue Wounds: In the wake of the recent conflict against the Plaguechanged horde, the paladins of Elturel find themselves and their city pushed to the breaking point. The corruption of the Spellplague yet lingers in many parts of the city, and Elturel's citizens feel overlooked while Torm's faithful focus on vengeance instead of guardianship. In this chaotic environment, hero and villain alike must seek ways to work together for the common good -- or perhaps the appearance of charity merely hides an ulterior motive. A Living Forgotten Realms adventure set in Elturgard for characters of the Heroic tier (levels 1-10). This adventure is the first part of the Controlling Chaos Major Quest.
– EPIC3-1 The Glorius Hunt: Corellon's realm of Arvandor is known for more than its majestic forests and splendid islands. The exalted of Arvandor track down and destroy abominations in an eternal event known as the Glorious Hunt. When Corellon and his exarchs receive more than they bargained for, will you join the hunt? A Living Forgotten Realms adventure set in Myth Drannor and the Astral dominion of Arvandor for 21st-level characters. This adventure marks the premiere of the LFR Epic Campaign. This is a three-round continuous-play adventure and is expected to take about 12-15 hours of play time.
– IMPI2-04 Goblins Strike Back: The death of their leader Ekrilliek was supposed to end the threat of the goblins of Brikklext. Instead, it led to an opportunity for the demon Morthak to seize control of the goblins with promises of sweet revenge for their fallen chief. Now, with the aid of Morthak and his powerful allies, the goblins are preparing to launch a decisive attack against the people of Impiltur. Will heroes rise up to stop the impending invasion? A Living Forgotten Realms adventure set in Impiltur for characters levels 17-20. Characters who have played IMPI2-2 Wetwork and/or IMPI2-3 Rooting out Corruption may find this adventure particularly interesting.
– LURU2-3 Forgotten Crypts, Hidden Dangers: A collapse in the famous Lady’s College of Silverymoon reveals a network of forgotten catacombs. Engineers are sent down to ensure the stability of the university building, but more broods in the tunnels below than wood rot and crumbling walls. A Living Forgotten Realms adventure set in Luruar for character levels 1-4. First part of the Forbidden Lore series, ending in LURU2-4 (levels 4-7).
– MOON2-1 Darkness Falls Over Moray: Only a sliver of light separates those who profit and those who perish on the island of Moray. When that light is extinguished, it is difficult for even the greatest heroes to find their way. A Living Forgotten Realms adventure set in The Moonshae Isles for characters levels 4-7.
– SPEC3-1 Roots of Corruption: Infestation: Two years ago, the city of Myth Drannor was overrun with vermin. While adventurers were able to purge the infestation, bigger problems at the time ensured the event was quickly forgotten. Now a familiar fungus spreads its tendrils through the ancient woods of Cormanthor, and this time it's proving harder to kill. A Living Forgotten Realms adventure set in Myth Drannor for characters of the Heroic tier (levels 1-10). This adventure occurs at roughly the same time as SPEC3-2 Roots of Corruption: Dark Seeds and is related to the events chronicled in SPEC1-3 Ghosts of the Past: Hive of Corruption.
– SPEC3-2 Roots of Corruption: Dark Seeds: The Coronal of Myth Drannor is deeply concerned by the spread of a toxic fungus in the wilds of Cormanthor. She has asked for volunteers to enter the Citadel of Fungi, a place so toxic none have even approached it in living memory. Can you eliminate the source of this unnatural corruption before it is too late? A Living Forgotten Realms adventure set in Myth Drannor for characters of the Paragon tier (levels 11-20). This adventure occurs at roughly the same time as SPEC3-1 Roots of Corruption: Infestation and is related to the events chronicled in SPEC1-3 Ghosts of the Past: Hive of Corruption.
– WATE2-3 Noble Dangers: In the finale to the Restoring Splendor major quest, you are asked to investigate an earthmote hanging over the Sword Mountains. Although the mote itself poses no apparent risk, it might harbor dangers to Waterdeep. Great heroism will be needed to face and defeat your adversaries in the skies. An ancient threat has returned, and the fates of House Moonstar and all Waterdeep may lie in the balance. A Living Forgotten Realms adventure set in Waterdeep for characters levels 11-14. The previous adventures in this Major Quest are WATE2-1 Gilding a Noble and WATE2-2 Closing a Deal.
Play the heights of the D&D 3.5 rules system in Paizo's PATHFINDER campaign:
– PSS2-01 Before the Dawn—Part I: The Bloodcove Disguise: You are sent to Aspis Consortium-infested Bloodcove to gather supplies for a nearly doomed Pathfinder mission nearby. Disguised as ordinary merchants, you have little time to gather what you need and get out before the Consortium discovers and destroys you. The Bloodcove Disguise is the first scenario in the two-part Before the Dawn campaign arc. Pathfinder Society Scenario #2-02: Before the Dawn—Part II: Rescue at Azlant Ridge is the sequel. Written by Crystal Frasier. This product is a Pathfinder Society Scenario designed for 1st to 7th level characters (Tiers: 1–2, 3–4, and 6–7).
– PSS2-02 Before the Dawn—Part II: Rescue at Azlant Ridge: With supplies in hand, you rush from Bloodcove to the Pathfinder expedition site at Azlant Ridge only to find it under siege. You must brave the newly discovered halls beneath the ridge in order to find the key that might save everyone. Rescue at Azlant Ridge is the second and final scenario in the Before the Dawn campaign arc and is the sequel to Pathfinder Society Scenario #2-01: Part I: The Bloodcove Disguise. Written by Joshua J. Frost. This product is a Pathfinder Society Scenario designed for 1st to 7th level characters (Tiers: 1–2, 3–4, and 6–7).
– PSS2-03 The Rebel's Ransom: The Ruby Prince of Osirion sends you to the Parched Dunes to find what became of a secret Pathfinder expedition sent there to recover artifacts for the Ruby Prince himself. What you find there may very well end the Pathfinder Society as you know it. Written by Jason Bulmahn. This product is a Pathfinder Society Scenario designed for 5th to 9th level characters (Tiers: 5–6 and 8–9).
– PSS2-06 The Heresy of Man I: The First Heresy: For more than 2 millennia, the nation of Rahadoum has lived under the Laws of Man that decreed "let no man be beholden to a god." While this has led to relative peace without religious strife, it has left the nation devoid of divine healing and magical methods to provide succor to those ravaged by disease or injury. When a new and mysterious plague begins ravaging the coastal villages of Rahadoum, you are sent by the Pathfinder Society to escort a cleric of Sarenrae into the heart of the plague in order to protect a secret Pathfinder research project. Getting there means smuggling the cleric in as contraband and when the Pure Legion, Rahadoum's defense against religion, get wind of your arrival, you must fight not only to protect the cleric, but to keep yourselves from being executed for violating the First Heresy. The First Heresy is the first scenario in the The Heresy of Man campaign arc. Pathfinder Society Scenario #2-07: The Heresy of Man—Part II: Where the Dark Things Sleep is the sequel.
– PSS2-07 The Heresy of Man II: Where Dark Things Sleep: When a Pathfinder team in the godless nation of Rahadoum disappears, the Pathfinder Society sends the PCs to investigate. Deep beneath the sands of the small village of Wadi al-Hesr, a long imprisoned evil—responsible in part for the destruction of an ancient empire—now stirs and threatens the entire region with a deadly plague. Can the Pathfinders survive a sinister game of cat-and-mouse and escape with their lives? Where Dark Things Sleep is the second scenario in the The Heresy of Man campaign arc. It is the sequel to Pathfinder Society Scenario #2-06: The Heresy of Man—Part I: The First Heresy and is followed by Pathfinder Society Scenario #2-09: The Heresy of Man—Part III: Beneath Forgotten Sands.
– PSS2-08 The Sarkorian Prophecy: When a novice Pathfinder in the Grand Lodge of Absalom discovers an account of a long lost prophecy which may hold the key to defeating the Shadow Lodge, a team of brave agents heads into the heart of the Worldwound to recover the document. Not only do the forces of the Abyss and the demon-tainted environment stand in their way, but so does a rival team of Pathfinders set on recovering the Sarkorian Prophecy first.
– PSS2-09 The Heresy of Man III: Beneath Forgotten Sands: Beneath the desolate deserts of godless Rahadoum, the Pathfinder Society races against time to beat the traitorous Shadow Lodge to an ancient Jistkan citadel. But their rivals aren't the only obstacle in the PCs' way: the long-lost ruins teem with terrible outsiders set on manipulation and destruction, including a self-proclaimed avatar of the div god Ahriman. Beneath Forgotten Sands brings the three-part Heresy of Man series to a stunning conclusion. Beneath Forgotten Sands is the third and final scenario in the The Heresy of Man campaign arc and is the sequel to Pathfinder Society Scenario #2-07: The Heresy of Man—Part II: Where Dark Things Sleep.
– PSS2-10 Fury of the Fiend: The Pathfinder Society once again sends a team of agents into the deadly ruins of Rachikan in western Cheliax. This time, however, the Pathfinders must infiltrate a Hellknight encampment to gain access to the lost city's lower levels. Can they work their way past the suspicious soldiers and survive the ancient terrors that lurk below? Fury of the Fiend is the spiritual sequel of Fingerprints of the Fiend, though the scenarios can be played in any order.
– PSS2-11 The Penumbral Accords: The daughters of Absalom's mysterious Blakros family have long been among the most pursued maidens in the Inner Sea. Now the family's matriarch approaches the Pathfinder Society to help her break a centuries-old pact with the denizens of the Plane of Shadow to save her twin daughters from a life of servitude at the hands of the Onyx Alliance. Heading into the fan-favorite adventuring location of Blakros Museum, the PCs have only a short amount of time to break the Penumbral Accords and solidify the Pathfinder Society's ties to the powerful Blakroses.
– PSS2-12 Below the Silver Tarn: In the rural Menador Mountains of southern Nidal, the PCs find themselves in a fog-enshrouded mining town facing a terrible fate. Silver Tarn, on the banks of which the settlement of Stom's Claim stands, has grown a mind of its own. Reaching out with strange abominations of the deep to siphon the souls of the stubborn populace, the lake hopes to release a powerful fiend bound centuries earlier by Arodenite clerics. If the PCs can't stop the Silver Tarn Entity, Stom's Claim and much of western Avistan may soon fall to a fate beyond comprehension.
– PSS2-13 Murder on the Throaty Mermaid: While on a routine mission to escort a dignitary to the mysterious Mordant Spire aboard a disreputable smuggler's ship, the PCs find themselves embroiled in a murder mystery that could jeopardize the Pathfinder Society's relationship with the isolationist elves who call the citadel home. Can the cunning Pathfinders discover who among the ship's crew of scum and villains is responsible for the crime in time to clear their own names? This murder mystery upon the open sea features a mechanic allowing for a different killer each time it's run to ensure that no amount of word of mouth will spoil the investigation for any team of canny players.
– PSS2-14 The Chasm of Screams: When the Decemvirate sends the PCs on a mission into the desolate Mindspin Mountains to retrieve a much-needed alchemical reagent from a hermitic ex-Pathfinder known as the Phitoness of Axioms, the players soon find themselves deep in the mythical howling caves commonly referred to as the Chasm of Screams. Can the brave adventurers survive the harsh environment and defeat the demented thralls of the powerful, icy master of the oft-avoided cavern? Or will their cries of pain join the chorus of tormented voices that already echoes from the Chasm of Screams?
– PSS2-15 Shades of Ice I: Written in Blood: Description to come. Written in Blood is part one of the three-part Shades of Ice campaign arc. Pathfinder Society Scenario #2-17: Shades of Ice—Part II: Exiles of Winter is the sequel.
– PSS2-16 The Flesh Collector: Description to come. A Pathfinder Society Scenario designed for 7th to 11th level characters (Tiers: 7-8 and 10-11).
– PSS2-MotFF Master of the Fallen Fortress: A dungeon-based adventure for 1st-level characters. The ruined siege castles outside Absalom have long beckoned adventurers looking to make a name for themselves. Now an earthquake has cracked open one of these fabled ruins, and its lost mysteries and fantastic treasures lie exposed for the first time in centuries. But the tower's empty halls once more echo with living footfalls, and a new master has claimed the Fallen Fortress as his own. Can the PCs find a way to get inside its shattered walls? What ancient dangers and fresh threats will they encounter inside its crumbling chambers? And will the PCs be able to defeat the current Master of the Fallen Fortress? Master of the Fallen Fortress is a dungeon-based adventure for 1st-level characters. It also serves as an introduction to Pathfinder Society Organized Play (Paizo's constantly evolving, world-wide megacampaign). The adventure involves exploring an ancient, ruined tower and rescuing the captured Pathfinder held within. This adventure is set outside the great city of Absalom. It also contains a preview of the six new iconic characters from the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Advanced Player’s Guide, available August 2010.
– PSS2-TGH The Godsmouth Heresy: An urban and dungeon adventure for 1st and 2nd level characters. Deep below the anarchic city of Kaer Maga, someone—or some thing—has begun stealing corpses from the city’s most prestigious tomb, the Godsmouth Ossuary. Fearing the worst, the clerics of Pharasma in charge of maintaining the crypts quietly call for aid, not wanting to risk their own members in combating whatever horrors may have crept in from the tunnels and hidden chambers of the legendary Undercity. Yet when the PCs venture below the closed-off sections of the crypt, what they find may be more than they bargained for. For beneath the infamous crypt lies a temple from an ancient empire devoted to sin, and a former Pharasmin cleric who’s weathered his goddess’s wrath to create an army of undead minions, their dead flesh standing ready to support his heretical plans. The Godsmouth Heresy is an adventure for 1st-level characters. It takes place beneath the cliff-top city of Kaer Maga, an ancient prison colony turned den of thieves and refugees, fully detailed in Pathfinder Campaign Setting: City of Strangers. In addition to the adventure, which features ancient tombs, horrifying sin magic, and a crazed alchemist, this module also contains statistics for the new rune guardian constructs and a map and overview of the Godsmouth Cathedral, the city’s primary temple devoted to the Lady of Graves. This adventure is set in the frontier region of Varisia in the Pathfinder campaign setting.
– PSS56 The Jester's Fraud: Pathfinder Society Scenario #56: The Jester's Fraud. Life in Taldor is fraught with peril, especially for the crumbling noble houses of the Taldan countryside. One such house, the Bourtze Family, has fallen on hard times and they've informed the Pathfinder Society that, in exchange for a small sum of money, they'd be willing to part with a treasure trove of lore about Qadira's Grand Campaign, the 300-year invasion of Taldor. On your arrival, things quickly turn for the worse and instead of evaluating the worth of a few scraps of historical paper, you must instead retrieve one of the most dangerous artifacts in the empire. Written by James F. MacKenzie. This product is a Pathfinder Society Scenario designed for 5th to 9th level characters (Tiers: 5–6 and 8–9). This scenario is designed for play in Pathfinder Society Organized Play, but can easily be adapted for use with any world. This scenario is compliant with the Open Game License (OGL) and is suitable for use with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.
Not an RPG fan, don't worry, we lots of board games for you! – Dominion Tournament: Pit you wits against other players in a tournament using all the latest Dominion expansions!
– Betrayal at the House on the Hill: New spooky nights await you and your friends! The creak of footsteps on the stairs, the smell of something foul and dead, the feel of something crawling down your back – this and more can be found in the exciting refresh of the Avalon Hill favorite Betrayal at House on the Hill. This fun and suspenseful game is a new experience almost every time you play – you and your friends explore "that creepy old place on the hill" until enough mystic misadventures happen that one of the players turns on all of the others! Hours of fun for all your friends and family. Designed for 3–6 players aged 12 and up, this boardgame features multiple scenarios, a different lay-out with every game, and enough chills to freeze the heart of any horror fan.
– Castle Ravenloft: The master of Ravenloft is having guests for dinner – and you are invited! Evil lurks in the towers and dungeons of Castle Ravenloft, and only heroes of exceptional bravery can survive the horrors within. Designed for 1-5 players, this boardgame features multiple scenarios, challenging quests, and cooperative game play.
- More boardgame information to come! Watch our website for more information.
– Prizes! For every board game played you will receive a raffle ticket to win a copy of one of your favorite board games; with the drawing held on Sunday.
In addition to the above we will have lots more to keep you entertained and enjoying your weekend:
– Pickup Games: Have a slot off? Want to play a board game? Got enough people to play and bringing a DDM constructed warband? Want to through down a quick game of Dominion? Well square off against each other!
– Replays: Missing some old adventures and want to play? Hoping to get in a Midnight Madness slot? We have most adventures for the campaigns we're running available onsite and will be happy to provide materials and a place to play. Judges available based upon demand.
–Vendors: We will have game stores hawking their wares onsite. Get the latest products or just pick up a handful of new dice.
– Expect for us to have snacks and soda available onsite!
To register, go to wiscons.roseocon.net/. All pre-registration will be done online, and you will pay onsite! PRE REGISTRATION closes on TUESDAY March 1st. Hurry, space for some events may be limited. You can find continual updated hotel registration information by going to the convention website, and the Youth Center itself rents rooms. Entrance for the weekend costs $10 for pre-registration (walk in is $15) plus event fees (RPG's are $4 per slot, boardgames and the comic show have no fee).
We NEED more judges, get in free or at a reduced rate, and get space in our judge rooms if you judge at the con! Judges receive a $10 discount for the first slot they judge at the con, and $5 for each slot thereafter, or will gain free admission if they judge four or more slots. Judges will have a chance to win prizes drawn randomly every slot throughout the convention. Those who judge more than four slots will have more chances to win and also will be given a bed in one of the judge rooms onsite at no charge. Preference for judge rooms will be given to those judges who judge more slots or travel from greater distances. Prospective judges please email Gary Affeldt at gaffeldt@sbcglobal.net to be added to our judge's list. Approved role-playing clubs receive a $5 discount. Organized Play Campaign Administrators members get in FREE!
To stay onsite for less than a regular hotel, contact Cheri at the Youth Center:
Tommy G. Thompson Youth Center 640 S. 84th Street West Allis, WI 53214 Contact: Cheri Gravitter 414-266-7042 cheri.gravitter@sfp.state.wi.us
See you at the show!
Greg Marks LFR Global Administrator Wisconsin Highfolk Triad Emeritus Cabal of Shadows Factionmaster Emeritus D&D Championship Coordinator Emeritus Cold Iron Conventions skerritthegreen@yahoo.com
