And now for something completely different.
Frequent readers will know that my gaming group has finished a 16-month Call of Cthulhu game, in which they played the Shadows of Yog-Sothoth campaign. Just because that campaign came to an end doesn't mean that the fun has to stop, however, and long before the story of the London Group ended, we were already making plans for the next thing we were going to play.
After some discussion, we all agreed to give Warhammer Fantasy Role Play Second Edition a try. I have been a fan of the Warhammer FRP system since way back, though I have only played it a little bit and have never run it. I also thought that I would stretch my creative muscles a bit more and create a campaign of my own design with which to entertain my players.
It took me a little bit of thinking and making notes, but I eventually hit upon an idea. I still don't know if this idea will work or not, as the game is still in its early stages and I only have a vague idea of what's going to come next, but here's the pitch:
The campaign is set in Bretonnia (land of chivalry, severe class inequality, the Lady of the Lake, and knights!) and the story is based somewhat loosely on Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. My original idea was that the players would be pilgrims, on their way from Brionne (shining coastal city) to Turin to see the Shroud of Gilles, the first true King of Bretonnia.
At least, that was the plan until everyone randomly rolled and got very martial characters. Then I decided that they would be the guards hired to protect the pilgrims.
The campaign does have an overarching plot, but is made up of standalone chapters, each of which are based on one of Chaucer's tales. I also had this absolutely mad idea that the chapters would proceed in order, so they started with the Knight's Tale and are continuing right through the book.
A new (and excellent) player has also joined my old (and excellent) game group, which brings the total number of players to eight. This is a lot of players, and I'm really hoping that I can give each one of them equal time and make sure they all get their fair share of the limelight.
So here we go! With a game system I barely know with a high-concept story idea that I think might work. Ah, I love gaming without a net.
Without further ado: The Introduction!
The Bretonnia Tales
When Nachexen, his showers
sweet with fruit
The drought of Vorhexen
pierced unto the root
And bathed each vein with
liquor that has power
To generate therein and
sire the flower;
When Shallyan also has,
with her sweet breath,
Quickened again, in every
holt and heath,
The tender shoots and
buds, and the young sun
Into the Ram one half his
course has run,
And many little birds make
melody
That sleep through all the
night with open eye
(So Nature pricks them on
to ramp and rage)-
Then do folk long to go on
pilgrimage,
And palmers to go seeking
out strange strands,
To distant shrines well
known in sundry lands.
And specially from every
shire's end
Of Breiton they to Turin’s
Shroud they wend,
The holy blessed martyr
there to seek
Who helped them when they
lay so ill and weak.
Befell that, in that
season, on a day
In Brionne, at the
Surcoat, as I lay
Ready to start upon my
pilgrimage
To holy Turin, full of
devout homage,
There came at nightfall to
that hostelry
Some motley folk, all in a
company
Of sundry persons who had
chanced to fall
In fellowship, and
pilgrims were they all
That toward Turin’s Shroud
they would ride.
The rooms and stables
spacious were and wide,
And well we there were
eased, and of the best.
And briefly, when the sun
had gone to rest,
So had I spoken with them,
every one,
That I was of their
fellowship anon,
And made agreement that
we'd early rise
To take the road, as you I
will apprise.
But none the less, whilst
I have time and space,
Before yet farther in this
tale I pace,
It seems to me accordant
with reason
To inform you of the state
of every one
Of all of these, as it
appeared to me,
And who they were, and
what was their degree,
And even how arrayed there
at the inn;
And with a knight thus
will I first begin.
The Company
Jean-Marc Dubois
A knight errant, who travels about Bretonnia righting wrongs and aiding those in need. Astride his warhorse, Ambrose, he cuts a dashing figure. Garrulous and forthright, he is a friend to all that need one.
Henri Plitt
A squire who serves Sir Jean-Marc. An earnest young man who is eager to prove himself. Alas, in his desire to earn his knightly spurs, he often thrusts himself into the midst of dangerous and awkward situations. For reasons no one can fathom, he smells faintly of onions.
Sabina
A rough and ready woman who was gifted an Imperial pistol by her mother. Such armaments are rarely seen in Bretonnia, which is a bit behind the times as far as sorcery and technology goes. Sabina uses her pistol, as well as her wits, her strength, and her bottomless reserves of sarcasm, to help protect the land's roadways and the travelers that use them.
Garnier Ramoche
A former shepherd of Carcassonne, who has been discharged from his duties and at last relieved of his sheep. He has become a vagabond, traveling hither and yon. To others, Garnier seems to be a lazy, itinerant man motivated solely by his own self-interests. In many ways, this is, in fact, the case. But beneath his rough exterior beats the heart of a man who wishes to make the world better and safer for others.
Maurice Villiers
A tall beanpole of a man, with a face marred by pockmarks. Maurice is quiet and patient--two qualities that are especially useful in his profession as a hunter. He has felled both game and greenskin in the southern reaches of Carcassonne. He has worked with the shepherds of Carcassonne from time to time, and it is in this employment that he met and befriended both Garnier and Magnus.
Pierre Ouilette
A man from one of Bretonnia's many cities, who has made a living for himself as an especially skilled barber surgeon. He is often seen rooting around in midden heap and bog searching for new and better medicines to help him cure his patients. Though he is loathe to speak of it, he is plagued by visions of the future. These visions warn him--oftentimes too late--when evil is about to befall himself and others.
Magnus Cadia
Magnus is a mercenary who has fought in the greenskin campaigns in both Carcassonne and Tilea. A sardonic and pragmatic man, he usually refuses to be drawn into intrigues and conflicts unless he has been paid up front. He sports a rather impressive facial scar and has a missing tooth. Of the company, he is friendliest with Garnier and Maurice, though it is possible that the others may be growing on him.
Renee Docga
A bounty hunter and relentless tracker. She is quiet, but sharp, and her keen eyes rarely miss anything important. She is a deft hand with a net, and is easily capable of bringing down and restraining prey that are both stronger and larger than her. Renee has some rather unique methods of dealing with any ardent suitors that she is not interested in.
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