max_vale Posted January 14, 2023 Share Posted January 14, 2023 Hello all! I got into Pendragon about 5 or 6 years ago and played a cool campaign with a couple of friends that was largely ended due to COVID (maybe one day, we'll get back to it....we had JUST gotten to about Year 514).....and I got the GORGEOUS Paladin book and Adventure Book Kickstarter when it was launched.... Recently, I've dusted off the old books after a move and decided to see if I could find anything about actual play sessions and campaign reports, etc. for Paladin....but all I could find was a guy on Youtube running a Solo Campaign with Paladin rules but in his own world....which is fine....but I was wondering if anyone had any session reports, could tell some tales of playing the Paladin Campaign 'as is' (House Rules are fine, I just mean the adventures/setting).....as I can't seem to find anything. I DID just find this site and haven't had the chance to dig thru it much.....just curious. Thanks all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
max_vale Posted January 18, 2023 Author Share Posted January 18, 2023 So.....I guess everyone just got it, but hasn't run it like me eh? Rats....I was afraid of that.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted January 18, 2023 Share Posted January 18, 2023 Many have run games, just not not published anything. Try asking over at the Pendragon Discord: https://discord.gg/cGqBRMgj. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kilgs Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 (edited) I'm running a Pendragon/Paladin game using the rules but in a homebrew world. A long time goal of mine and the pandemic made it happen. Its been great fun! Here's the link but we built the setting from scratch which has taken up far more time than I've been able to devote to write-ups. The Empty Throne Clicking on the SWORD COAST CHRONICLE is where the writeups are located but I'm about 3yrs behind (game years). The Sword Coast Timeline goes a bit further but is missing massive chunks. Just been too busy trying to keep ahead of the campaign to do write-ups! You can also check out Larkin's podcast where he aired the entire Great Pendragon Campaign. A decision that will haunt him forever as the lead editor on Pendragon 😆 Esoteric Order of Roleplayers Edited January 19, 2023 by kilgs 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
max_vale Posted January 19, 2023 Author Share Posted January 19, 2023 Thanks to both of you for your replies, but sadly, it's just confirming what I've already learned in my own searches.....while there are many, many Actual Plays of Pendragon (which I love reading/listening to); there seems to be no actual play of the written Paladin adventures/campaign (i.e. 'Paladins of Charlemagne').....which is sad to me, but as the kids say, 'it is what it is'. 🙂 Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dissolv Posted January 20, 2023 Share Posted January 20, 2023 Not so fast! In fact my latest gaming session with the "old guard", was Paladin. They are a group of experienced RQ and Pendragon gamers, and they took to the mythology of Paladin easily, but also with an incredibly positive reaction. So far we have only run the first three years of the campaign, so I have -- as is my GM'ing style -- been setting up a lot of the cast and situations. First of course, they had to save the Pope from the combined Saracen/Dane alliance (the adventure of the Humble Squires), followed by the introduction to the yearly court intrigues, most specially dominated by the Frankish split between Charlemagne and his jealous brother, Carloman. This schism was made worse when their liege lord, Lord Thierry wound up in the Carloman camp. It took a while for them to realize that in this game, the Frankish nobles are frequently at odds with each other (and the big Roland vs. Oliver duel was foreshadowed, as well as the ominous potential for a catastrophic civil war between the Kings of the Franks). They sort of plowed through that, doing a garrison stint at la Roche before doing the adventure of the King Thief (from the Paladin adventures). The Ardennes was a rough time for the group, and nearly the entire group was majorly wounded by Ogres before they realized that the solution to that quest was not necessarily to battle their way through it. (They had been set up by unscrupulous locals who didn't like the land holding Knights). Then they turned back to Italy, to settle with crude Lombard knights who were denying trade to the Vatican, and spoke (un)surprisingly like guido's. After some marketplace hi-jinks they settled with the "it's only business" knights, asserting their Frankish might of arms against the locals on behalf of the Vatican. Now they are trying to wrap up whatever is causing the food shortage in Vatican City/Italy so that they can get back north and participate in some of the ugly wars of Saxon pacification that Charlemagne gets into. After all, one player already has holdings in Saxony..... Overall, the players enjoyed the heck out of it, despite my "Pendragon rust". Some of the minor differences in rules turned out to be pretty big, when you get to playing, but nothing that could slow down players who had gone through the entire Pendragon cycle -- twice. One thing that surprised them greatly was how all of the main Paladins are killed.......extremely early on in the cycle. Then they realized how much freedom that this gave them, and they started salivating over the possibilities. My preparation for playing the game was to skim the rules, especially character creation, listen to an audiobook Song of Roland, which is HIGHLY recommended. Nothing like a diplomatic exchange where Bishop Turpin strikes down an enemy knight emissary "because you have told a lie". Also the enthusiastic cries of "Montjoie!" are extremely catching. However, I have had to buckle down and really read the full chronology, as well as pick up a copy of Bulfinch's Mythology: Legends of Charlemagne. (And three hearts and three lions -- a must read!) There is vastly more material there than I had ever realized, and it does have a distinctly different flavor than the Arthurian cycle. The mobile nature of the Franks, and the fact that they have to rush around all over Europe, definitely has a bit of a "take on all comers" feel, as well as being nearly hopelessly outnumbered, so the tone is a lot more dire than with Arthur, who heroically raises the Bretons out of the Dark Ages. In Paladin, the players have to do the civilizing themselves, and by the sword, more often than not. It feels like the Franks themselves are on the knife's edge, and that only the valor and honor of the players can set Europe back to rights, with a new Roman Empire...only a more....Holy .... one, this time. God speed player Knights. Those berzerkers hit hard, and for some reason they keep rolling the Giant on the Battle encounter table. I have another session with the gang scheduled, and they are all pumped. Montjoie! 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Roman Posted February 11, 2023 Share Posted February 11, 2023 On 1/18/2023 at 10:29 AM, Scotty said: Many have run games, just not not published anything. Try asking over at the Pendragon Discord: https://discord.gg/cGqBRMgj. I tried this link, but it doesn’t work… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted February 11, 2023 Share Posted February 11, 2023 1 minute ago, Roman said: I tried this link, but it doesn’t work… The links are only valid for seven days, here's a new one: https://discord.gg/AV4VD3TN Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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