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An Anglo-Saxon Chronicle


Nozbat

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As a bit of a diversion for my players and to get them out of their comfort zone, I've decided to run an AS Chronicle. Interestingly, there is some misgiving about roleplaying Saxons, Jutes or Angles at the time of Arthur as they feel they are no longer on the 'goodies' side. 

Anyways, I have both Logres and Waterlands Scenarios but was interested if any other GMs had done something similar with their own material and would be willing to swop information/ ideas?

The PCs are three brothers, each with their own secrets. The basic premise for the first scenario is finding why their father's ghost has not been able to find rest. According to family tradition, he volunteered to act as rearguard and hold up pursuing enemies while allowing his Carls to escape. It was presumed that he fell heroically in succeeding to protect his men. So why does he appear to the PCs' mother in dreams, silently talking to her, covered in gore and blood with fatal wounds on his body?

I want to create a fluid, multi-layered campaign that allows the PCs choice and feel that they are in control of their wyrds but also marks the passing of time in that they grow older, perhaps richer and more powerful, eventually die (maybe even in bed) and are succeeded by their children.  They can then build up a dynasty 

So if anyone would like to collaborate ..I'd be only too happy to join in

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I am currently running a Dark Ages Prydain, set in and around Pengwern, the childhood home of Arthur. The PCs are the adopted wards of the local petty king's stewards and a year or so younger than Arthur. So far, they have been to the Cave of Beasts in the Underworld, helped Arthur find a magical sword in a stone, helped crown Arthur, befriended the old Man in the Marsh and gained the aid of his dead warriors, helped a giant, rescued a princess from a tower, defeated a Saxon wizard, defeated a Fae Queen of the Sea, befriended the sons of Lot, fought battles in Pengwern and Rheged, gained the Lost Eagle from Caledonia, brokered a peace between Arthur and many of the kingdoms and founded a Brotherhood of Man set around a circular table.

We are using a variant of the Revolution D100 skills/traits (+10% per Trait, multiple Traits allowed) with a little magic, but not a great deal. Probably more like HeroQuest in nature than RuneQuest, more combat than I have been used to having, but not a fight every session.

 

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Simon Phipp - Caldmore Chameleon - Wallowing in my elitism since 1982. Many Systems, One Family. Just a fanboy. 

www.soltakss.com/index.html

Jonstown Compendium author. Find my contributions here

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49 minutes ago, Bilharzia said:

you might have some luck on the Mythras discord

Thanks...I'll try that and see if there are people willing to collaborate. I've written a fair amount already.. possibly enough for a number of sessions and did out some maps today... I even went hunting for some colouring pencils

IMG_4821.jpg

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1 hour ago, soltakss said:

a Dark Ages Prydain, set in and around Pengwern

That campaign has obviously been running for a while... I'm introducing a heretical sect of Jötunn worship which has an alternative view on Woden as a self-seeking, psychopathic narcissist only intent on delaying Ragnarok to preserve his own life

and when mine catches up with your timeline maybe we will introduce our PCs to each other and see what they do...😇

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I’d had thoughts for a couple years of a campaign set in Northern Mierce. I’d start on the Continent with the players driven out of their land and taking ship to Britain. Ideally one of the players would be a female laecce and the ultimate goal is to take new lands and establish a new sanctuary to Hertha. 

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22 minutes ago, HierophantX said:

I’d had thoughts for a couple years of a campaign set in Northern Mierce. I’d start on the Continent with the players driven out of their land and taking ship to Britain. Ideally one of the players would be a female laecce and the ultimate goal is to take new lands and establish a new sanctuary to Hertha. 

I suspect that's where my PCs will end up as they are actually a bunch of anarcho-syndicalists who will be rather quickly become Enemies of the State and Mierce is likely to be the only place they will find peace from the various feuds and outlawings that they will be accused of or actually commit.

They have asked to see a laecce to ask some questions of the Spirits so I'll be filling them up with discorporating herbs and while in a chemically altered state they will take the first steps on the path of anarchy (I should utter an evil cackle at this stage but am content with a mere smirk)

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  • 1 year later...

 

10 minutes ago, moonwolf8 said:

Does your local library have anything on the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle that you can use?  Do they perhaps have a copy of "The Way of Wyrd" by Brian Bates?

I have sadly got both of those books..  The AS Chronicle is not particularly useful as a playing aid but there are plenty of commentaries if a chronology is needed. Professor Google is useful too. As long as whatever I write is hÿreborgan ond manigfeald I think it is fun.

The Way of the Wyrd is excellent if you want to know how to play a leæce and gives some great ideas for the spirit world encounters. Oh and great metaphors on warrior hedgehogs!

I have used Mythras' Logres and Mythic Briton as source books and liberally adapted information, been inspired by current news stories for scenarios, let players decide what they want to do, posed moral problems they need to overcome.. they have enjoyed it and we've almost come to the end of the first generation. There will be a hiatus and I'll probably wait a while before I get them to play their children... and so the chronicle will continue

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  • 1 month later...
On 10/15/2020 at 1:53 PM, Nozbat said:

 I'm introducing a heretical sect of Jötunn worship

Interestingly enough there are some Heathens who worship the Jotuns.  They call themselves Rokkatru, those who follow the Rokkr.  If your interested there is a book; "The Jotunbok" by Raven Kaldera, a Peer-Corroborated Personnel Gnosis work.

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  • 8 months later...

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