Gloranthan Campaign Ideas/Pitches

[Eff]

Blue Moon Brothers

The player characters are secret operatives for the Blue Moon Assassins/Blue Army in disguise as a group of traveling musicians, or they were, until they ended up involuntarily joining the Danfive Xaron cult to protect the secrets of the Blue Moon cult. Released from prison into a world that's rapidly changed, they learn that in their absence the Blue Army has lost so much ground to the Unspoken Word, Great Sister, etc. that the Blue Army secret training center where they were raised as orphans to be musician-spies is in imminent danger of having the Tax Demons unleashed against it!

Can they put the (hero) band back together and save their beloved brainwashing center, that is, orphanage, and figure out just who keeps trying to kill them? 

(One campaign where Drive Chariot will rarely, if ever, go unused...)

Edited October 3, 2020 by Eff
Clarification

[Akhôrahil]

On 10/4/2020 at 1:22 AM, Eff said:

Blue Moon Brothers

”There's 106 miles to Glamour, we've got a full sack of oats, half a pack of hazia, it's dark out, and we're wearing obsidian lenses.”

”Hit it!”

[Akhôrahil]

(Let’s not play Broo Brothers, though.)

[Sir_Godspeed]

15 hours ago, Akhôrahil said:

(Let’s not play Broo Brothers, though.)

It's-a ME! Horrible goat monstrosity! Wa-HOO!

[pachristian]

It's funny...

Dozens of original, clever, involved, campaign ideas. And the one that my players like best is still:

"You have come to Pavis, to raid the big rubble and find gold and glory!"

 

[Storm Khan]

I have a "cut the Lunar supply lines around Nochet" game in the works.

Dragon Pass, 1623: Agile, Mobile, and Hostile.

Likely pre-gens include a Babeester Gor initiate / light Infantry, an Eurmal initiate / thief from Dunstop, a Duck Shaman (as I am advised not having a Duck is unacceptable), a bandit of unknown deity, and . . . others?

 

 

[Nozbat]

On 10/11/2020 at 11:34 PM, Akhôrahil said:

(Let’s not play Broo Brothers, though.)

In my (very short) Broo interlude adventure there was a two headed Broo called... Jake and Elwood Broo.. they did hate Illinois Nazis though

[g33k]

On 10/3/2020 at 4:22 PM, Eff said:

Blue Moon Brothers

...

Best yet (IMHO, YGMV, yadda yadda ... we know it IS the best, we just gotta go through the motions)

[Oracle]

On 10/4/2020 at 1:22 AM, Eff said:

Blue Moon Brothers

...

"We are on a mission from the Goddess!"

[jenh]

My next game might well be about resolving the conflict between the Lunar Empire and the Orlanthi, maintaining the heroic and epic feel of the standard Hero Wars while eschewing the relentless focus on violence. Rather than hitting things, and undergoing heroquests and learning secrets in order to be able to hit things, or have others hit things, more and better, I'm interested in a game where: people talk with each other; change their own minds and those of others; gain understanding as an end in itself; learn and create new things; show others what they know and see; listen to others; learn to walk joyously in this life, and how to leave it with equal joy; discover ways to act gently and kindly.

In other words, a total repudiation of Harrek, Argrath (and that only two or three of his 13 companions are women is reason enough for me to want him irrelevant), and the endless history of battle of place X, battle of place Y, use left-handed dragon magic in order to win at battle Z.

Edited November 2, 2020 by jenh

[Leingod]

3 hours ago, jenh said:

In other words, a total repudiation of Harrek, Argrath (and that only two or three of his 13 companions are women is reason enough for me to want him irrelevant), and the endless history of battle of place X, battle of place Y, use left-handed dragon magic in order to win at battle Z.

Or in other, other words, go the Sartar Larnsting route.

[jenh]

6 minutes ago, Leingod said:

Or in other, other words, go the Sartar Larnsting route.

That's certainly one approach that could be taken by PCs/explored in the game.

[Darius West]

On 5/17/2020 at 10:12 AM, Crel said:

I've wanted to play a clan-based game for a while. But the players are a bloodline of ogres, trying to avoid getting caught by their clan.

While chaos are the bad guys and not really recommended for play, having something approaching a "bad guys" campaign available would be interesting.

[Joerg]

"The Old World Is Over, and..."

Riding the apocalypse, and possibly furthering it on, could be the theme of a campaign where the protagonists are the servants of a dark prophecy. Possibly an extended "Summons of Evil" concept, where the big evil has to happen in order to save the world, or possibly a suicidal "let's bring about the final Utuma" style of sect.

This latter concept may tread on the real world religious concept of people, though, and may cut too close for some players with sectarian experience or trauma, so you might need some X-card or similar convention dealing with such a concept.

But then, the entire setting of Stormbringer is just this, so this isn't exactly new.

[French Desperate WindChild]

12 hours ago, Darius West said:

While chaos are the bad guys and not really recommended for play

that's a true point but, after 30 years, I still not understand why.

 

Why playing one ogre (or a group) , thanatari or some chaos + illusion follower is less recommended than playing a tree (elf), a baboon, or a centaur in Sartar or Prax ?

It seems  to me that playing a bluemoonist or a lunar religious fanatic * is the same that playing chaotic guys who try to hide their true nature and want to be seen as integrated in the local  society.

 

Of course playing a scorpion ** or a gorp *** is not recommended but an ogre ? that is just a human who eats human in secret and must sometimes, resists its passion of blood

 

 

 

* in fact any fanatic is hard but lunar religion can "touch" chaos so that why I m focus here

** except if you play a campaign where all players are broos scorpions, etc... and try to survive in sun county, following a girl nammed Muriah. The main issue is there is no (or few ?) published material

*** I am honestly not able to imagine any campaign based on gorp players, but some could ?

 

[g33k]

2 hours ago, Joerg said:

"The Old World Is Over, and..."

Riding the apocalypse, and possibly furthering it on, could be the theme of a campaign where the protagonists are the servants of a dark prophecy. Possibly an extended "Summons of Evil" concept, where the big evil has to happen in order to save the world, or possibly a suicidal "let's bring about the final Utuma" style of sect.

This latter concept may tread on the real world religious concept of people, though, and may cut too close for some players with sectarian experience or trauma, so you might need some X-card or similar convention dealing with such a concept.

But then, the entire setting of Stormbringer is just this, so this isn't exactly new.

There's a pretty deep current of "things not only probably will, but absolutely must, get horribly worse before they can get better" running through Glorantha.

So that "extended Summons of Evil" concept looks very very Gloranthan.

That said... I'm kinda over grimdark play.
 

[Grievous]

22 minutes ago, g33k said:

There's a pretty deep current of "things not only probably will, but absolutely must, get horribly worse before they can get better" running through Glorantha.

So that "extended Summons of Evil" concept looks very very Gloranthan.

That said... I'm kinda over grimdark play.
 

Indeed, if your PC's work for/with Argrath, then you are already part of this (at least for the Lunar Empire and the Red Goddess).

[soltakss]

2 hours ago, French Desperate WindChild said:

Why playing one ogre (or a group) , thanatari or some chaos + illusion follower is less recommended than playing a tree (elf), a baboon, or a centaur in Sartar or Prax ?

It seems  to me that playing a bluemoonist or a lunar religious fanatic * is the same that playing chaotic guys who try to hide their true nature and want to be seen as integrated in the local  society.

 

Of course playing a scorpion ** or a gorp *** is not recommended but an ogre ? that is just a human who eats human in secret and must sometimes, resists its passion of blood

It's probably something to do with game companies not wanting to promote such behaviour.

As a Player or GM, I have happy for these kinds of PCs to be played.

[French Desperate WindChild]

8 minutes ago, soltakss said:

It's probably something to do with game companies not wanting to promote such behaviour.

Yeah probably 😢

that 's why we have now a lot of vampires and werewolves in our streets, thanks to White Wolf 😱

and so many ducks, carrying a sword, too, they are the worst, I cannot buy quietly my foie gras, now !

[g33k]

7 hours ago, French Desperate WindChild said:

Yeah probably 😢

that 's why we have now a lot of vampires and werewolves in our streets, thanks to White Wolf 😱

and so many ducks, carrying a sword, too, they are the worst, I cannot buy quietly my foie gras, now !

I'd like to request/suggest we steer away from this tangent, as we're veering into real-world socio-politics.

Not that vamps & were's & ogres & anthropomorphic sword-ducks are a real-life / real-world concern, but that there really *IS* a non-trivial "dark underbelly" in the gaming community, q.v. "gamergate" & "sad puppies" & Varg Vikernes &c.

Edgelord-y RPG-themes & similar online posturing is where that sort of thing gets traction.  The majority of mods-shutting-down-a-topic (that I've personally witnessed) on this board have been when this kind of debate got too heated.
 

[French Desperate WindChild]

13 hours ago, g33k said:

I'd like to request/suggest we steer away from this tangent, as we're veering into real-world socio-politics.

ok then

[coffeemancer]

next time i start a campaign from scratch I think I want to start the game with the characters being initated right after the lunar occupation starts.

early game will then be about getting enough dough to pay taxes and try to shield your clan from abuse and tax demons.

before finally the PCs are declared outlaws

[Storm Khan]

On 11/2/2020 at 3:05 PM, jenh said:

In other words, a total repudiation of Harrek, Argrath (and that only two or three of his 13 companions are women is reason enough for me to want him irrelevant), and the endless history of battle of place X, battle of place Y, use left-handed dragon magic in order to win at battle Z.

I am curious how this will work out / is working out. The Lunar weaponization of Chaos will be very hard to discuss rationally, especially involving PC's that have had their grandparents and/or parents obliterated spiritually and physically by the Red Bat.

Is play in-process? Please share!

 

[jenh]

2 hours ago, Storm Khan said:

I am curious how this will work out / is working out. The Lunar weaponization of Chaos will be very hard to discuss rationally, especially involving PC's that have had their grandparents and/or parents obliterated spiritually and physically by the Red Bat.

Is play in-process? Please share!

 

Sadly this is a game I'd like to run, but isn't at the table yet. Given that the dramatic core is overcoming two cultures of violence, one backed by a corrupting influence, I envisage that a lot of the conflicts will involve the PCs struggling against their own passions. To remake the world, they'll need to remake themselves. That's what will make them heroes.

Part of my prep will be finding and creating a variety of myths that deal with reconciliation, abdication of power, and working to right wrongs. I'm keen to see what alternatives players can come up with to the monster-slaying hero who is not fit for the civilisation they serve.

[Storm Khan]

3 hours ago, jenh said:

Sadly this is a game I'd like to run, but isn't at the table yet . . . I'm keen to see what alternatives players can come up with to the monster-slaying hero who is not fit for the civilization they serve.

Yeah, I am in the data-creation / world-building stage myself. With Covid, it is ok to go slow. Not many tables will be opening soon. Your last sentence reminds me of the "murder-hobo" style of play I have seen referenced on other threads. It is something hard to avoid.