Campaign Stuff

[Eosin]

I am trying to get a timeline geled for my world and thought that I might run it by strange eyes to see what they spot that I missed. It is a little different in that it only spans around 2,000 and much of that is lost in the shodowy recesses of a dark age.

Note1: Celestine are angelic like beings. Ennwrathi are demonic like beings.
Note2: Entries in this color pertain directly to the campaign area.

Prehistory: The Great Search.
Prehistory: The Valarium, an Eden like state.
Prehistory: Contact with the Jann.
Prehistory: Numator, the capital of Numeria built by the Aeser.
Prehistory: Mention of the White Brotherhood

-950 B.C.E Peak of Celestine Society.
-890 B.C.E. Death of Vanya
-825 B.C.E. Vanya returns through the Veil of Night.
-810 B.C.E. The first war with the Ennwrathi.
-635 B.C.E. End of the First Enwrathi War.
-540 B.C.E. Collapse of Celestine Society.
-490 B.C.E. Celestine withdraw beyond the lands of men.
-475 B.C.E. Celestine teach men the use of Elan through the Foundation Stone.
-450 B.C.E. Age of Men begins
-442 B.C.E. Invention of coinage by Numerians
-415 B.C.E. Muldegian Wizards use the Foundation Stone to hold society together and protect men fromthe Creatures of the Ennwrathi.
-400-100 B.C.E The Dissolution of society.
-80 B.C.E Founding of the Dracian Schools.
-55 B.C.E. Start of the Second Enwrathi War
-28 B.C.E. Muldegian Battlemages command magic powerful enough to bring death even to the Celestine.

0 C.E. Founding of Vintria.
26 C.E. The Foundation Stone is broken in battle.
30 C.E. End of the Second Enwrathi War
86 C.E. The Statue of the Immortals is built in Vintria after 42 years of work. A Wonder of the world.

109 C.E. Founding of the Celestine Faith.
162 C.E. Vintria establishes the Northern Marchlands.
195 C.E. Muldegian Herecy in Vintria, the Order is destroyed.

280 C.E. Tribes from the decaying city of Numantia begin expansion.
295 C.E. Battle of Illu Plains between Numantia and Vintria.

330 C.E. Founding of Redbourne, Vintrian Civil War.
350 C.E. Founding of the Theocracy of Massandre.
352 C.E. Sojen slays the dragon Dayhock. Danmorland Formed.
367 C.E. Tulkan established as a trading port.
378 C.E. Disappearance of Sojen.
395 C.E. Vintrian Empire is reformed.

402 C.E. Khaylish appoints the Five Consuls, becomes a state.
438 C.E. Clairvaux invaded by a Glacian tribe.
450 C.E. Establishment of "liberal arts." Decline of Celestine Worship. Scale and leather armor in use.
490 C.E. Two Celestine sects are established from the remains of the church.

511 C.E. Trolls invade/migrate in to the northern Glacian nations, displacing the barbarians.
512 C.E. King Gronican of Clairvaux declares the founding of the Independent State of Clairvaux.
541 C.E. The Sleeping Fever ravages the continent until 560, during which the population is halved.
560 C.E. Founding of the Great Fellowship.
580 C.E. The Great Building of Tulkan.
584 C.E. Emissaries of the Jann make contact with the Vintrian Empire.
593 C.E. Founding of the Nyth Monestic Order in Tulkan.

600 C.E. First printing of a book. Cotton clothing introduced.
629 C.E. The Great Fellowship recognized in Vintria
630 C.E. Enchantress of Navorn surrenders city to Vintria.
632 C.E. Enchantress is tried as a Muldegian Wizard and found Innocent.
640 C.E. First mention of the Re of Erenn.
672 C.E. Jann conquest of Southern Kith lands.
690 C.E. Glass windows invented

700 C.E. Waterwheels are in use. Stirrup invented.
715 C.E. Three-field soil rotations introduced.
725 C.E. First newspaper produced in Vintria
742 C.E. Middea under the Hegemony of Vintria.
743 C.E. Khaylish falls under the flag of Vintria.
745 C.E. The Free Nation of Erenn founded.
750 C.E. Gronican Kings of Vintria establish hegemony over continent.
760 C.E. Founding of the Bryndal Dynasty in Numeria
770 C.E. Migration of Glacian Tribes into Western States.
785 C.E. Building of the Black Keeps of Clairvaux.
795 C.E. Synod of Magic Formed in Vintria.

800 C.E. Chain mail invented. Development of pole arms. Music cultivated.
810 C.E. Middea and the Western States are converted to the Great Fellowship.
822 C.E. First known use of Heraldry
837 C.E. Kaylish regains independence.
835 C.E. Founding of the Exile States of Umbria and Eharon.
842 C.E. Vintrian Civil War.
850 C.E. Crossbow in use. Candle clocks
852 C.E. Enchantress of Narvorn granted title of Duchess Navorn.
860 C.E. The Archon's Edit regulating magic is issued by the Synod.
871 C.E. Vintrian Military Forces withdraw from Western States.
875 C.E. Expansive castle building programs.

900 C.E. The Longbow introduced in Middea. Linen manufactured
925 C.E. The Great Fellowship division between Mendicants and Patriarchs.
930 C.E. Erenn subjugated by Middea.
960 C.E. Innsmarch falls to routed Trolls.
974 C.E. Future Emperor of Vintria, Leto Mooreland is born.

1000 C.E. Earliest manufacture of paper. Soap refined.
1005 C.E. Founding of the Lorn Dynasty in Numeria.
1014 C.E. Yellow Eye Fever sweeps through the west.
1015 C.E. Patriarch Traegan V condemns the Mendicant Faith and the Theocracy of Touren.
1020 C.E. Demonfever kills millions in the West and Middle Kingdoms.
1025 C.E. Platemail developed in Khaylish.
1037 C.E. Baron's War in Eadon
1039 C.E. Order of Divinity formed in Eadon.
1042 C.E. Beginning of the Prince's War in Middea.
1046 C.E. End of Baron's War in Eadon.
1050 C.E. Annex, a game of skill using small stones is widespread. First Trade Ventures Formed.
1057 C.E. Battle of Blackbridge in Middea.
1065 C.E. Middean King annuls marriage. Declares bastard son Rafn to be Heir.
1066 C.E. School of Peers formed in Middea
1070 C.E. Block printing of books
1075 C.E. The current year.

[Killer Shrike]

Dont forget:

1066 William the Conqueror lands near Hastings and ruins a perfectly good barbaric island.

jk -- looks good. Im not going to lie and say I read every single line, but it looks good on a scan.

[Killer Shrike]

But no chess. Make up a game

Maybe something based on non 6 sided dice. Then your players could actually play it

[Eosin]

I aint shy bout admitting this is a "fantasized and romantisized" England/Ireland amalgamation. 1066 fits right in there.

Hummmm. A game to replace chess. It has to be one of skill and not luck....too bat Stregos is taken.

Let me google for a minute to come up with something.

[Killer Shrike]

Originally posted by Eosin


I aint shy bout admitting this is a "fantasized and romantisized" England/Ireland amalgamation. 1066 fits right in there.

Hummmm. A game to replace chess. It has to be one of skill and not luck....too bat Stregos is taken.

Let me google for a minute to come up with something.

Consider a variant of Pente. Its a great but simple "minutes to learn decades to master" kind of game. Plus you can play it with rocks and dirt, making it ideal for the Irish.

Heheh. That was low blow, but I couldnt help myself.

[Eosin]

How about Annex a game using flat stones, 10 each of 3 different colors on a checker like board. Simple to learn difficult to master. Must defend against the opposing color while capturing the neutral color.


That picture looks awful Irish to me. I'm mostly german but I got enough Irish in to count


PS - I need to write up that last Omega battle for Eddie. It was literally hair teeth and eyeballs. Some of the hair of my chinnee-chin-chin stuff that occured was amazing.

[tkdguy]

Actually why not chess? It was around in the middle ages, except the pieces moved a bit differently. Change the rooks to chariots and bishops to elephants, or something like that.

[Eosin]

To add a little more to the whole history thing -



Dang...I forgot that for some reason I can't seem to post crap for jpgs on this board. You will need to click through to see the cool [IMO] tapestry.

[Eosin]

You have to look for Maibus buried in here.....



The Chronicle of the Kings
_
_
The Kings of Middea
In a time of darkness, Sojen took up the blade of his father and fought for his people, killing the dragon Dayhock that had laid waste to the Spring Kingdoms. After he had done this thing, the clan leaders and druids came to him speaking of a new Kingdom of Summer, so he took these men to him built his Kingdom of Summer and called this land Danmorland or Land of the River Spirits. Sojen founded the clan on the site of Dayhock's cairn and called it Chandra. His wealth and wisdom was great and many came to him and offered fealty to the Great King, who took all that would serve faithfully and honor the old ways of the druids. He set forth a book of laws called the Nosh Nog Re. Sojen ruled his lands for many years but one day when the castle bestirred itself he was gone. Many are the legends that tell different stories of his disappearance but none know the truth of the matter.

Sojen's son Liagh took his fathers throne. Laigh was a well-loved king, known for his generosity and his courage. After he had ruled for many years and his wife had passed, the good king was beholden to take a bride for the sake of his kingdom's peace, though he loved her not. The good king met his bride to be, Seira, on the border of his kingdom to escort her caravan but they were attacked and overwhelmed by trolls, Laigh escorted the lady and her guards to safety but fell in battle to a black troll named Tuul. His bride to be was so moved by the courage of her betrothed that she refused to return to her own lands and instead married the brave kings brother.

Liagh's son Ben Edar took the throne after his father and was stern man. His rule was strong and his name rivaled that of his grandfather. Under him, the Danmorland's grew to encompass all of the lands of men such that it was one kingdom from shore to shore. But his reign was not without trouble for many of the petty kings served him not from love but from fear of his power and so they plotted against him in secret. Ben Edar was without peer in battle but fell to silent blades and poison.

The son of Ben Edar took the throne as a youth and died before he became a man. Nemed, the uncrowned king was the last of his line.

The maid of Laigh and his brother bore a son named Eolus, who took the throne after the death of his nephew Nemed. For many years Eolus broke the backs of those who had plotted against his cousin and his uncle for they were well loved by him and he was of the old line of his family and was possessed of great strength and courage. The rule of Eolus was long but troubled when he passed his life had been spent reclaiming the lands of his uncle.

The son of Eolus, Oisin the Great, took the throne at his father's death. Oisin made war on the terrible things that lurked in the darkness and brought fire and death to the trolls of the Trollstones. Oisin's name was a bane on the servants of the Adversary and his sword was called the Sun's Flame or Namring and was mightily forged with Elan such that none who dwelt in shadow could stand against it. Oisin's rule was long and he died abed.

Rathin the diseased took the throne from his father but was too sickly too rule and so he gave the throne to his brother, Skarn the younger. Skarn was a mighty warrior like his father and sought to earn a name even greater. He had ruled for less than a decade before he and Namring were lost to a creature called the Mabius.

Skarn's younger brother, Gann took the throne but Gann was a very wicked man and a weak king. Gann found himself under the sway of the enchanter Arleth Crow. The mage beguiled the young king with whispers of power and wealth. Soon, the Crow impoverished the nobles and forbid the teachings of the old ways, expelling the druids from court.

Now Rathin the diseased honored the old ways and sought to dethrone his weak brother. Rathin recalled the knights of Sojen also called the Holy Order of Sheel and so he traveled through the lands of Danmorland calling on knights and honest men to rally to his call. When he had an army, Rathin the Diseased lead them in battle and destroyed the armies of his wicked brother. The youngest brother of Rathin, called Egan, led twelve great knights into the fortress at Nadrak to slay the enchanter and free the kingdom but Arleth Crow was not to be found.

More than thirty years had past, but once again Rathin the diseased sat on the throne of Danmorland and he ruled for another 30 years before his great grandson placed him alongside of his seven wives._

Prince Egan, the king's blade, trained his son to follow in his stead and so the Sheel Knights or Shield Knights as they had come to be called were formed in honor of the king.

Jhoren, son of Egan, sought glory beyond even that of being the leader of the thirteen. Taking twelve true men and knights they rode forth to rid the land of Arleth Crow. The Shield knight found the Enchanter and did battle with him in his dark tower but when they emerged they had fallen under his sway and laid siege to the small people of Danmorland, killing and burning wherever they rode. The true names of the fallen are lost to men now to hide their family's shame, all except for Jhoren the Forsaken.

Egan the Elder as he was now known, summoned his knights to him and rode out to meet his son. The King's Blade took the life of his son and the fallen were destroyed but the Shield knights were also brought low and at the end of Rathin's reign his great grandson took the throne as the first whispers of the Bregamen [steel men = Vintrians]._

Duran, great grandson of Rathin took the throne but he passed within the year, leaving the throne to his son Etan. The Bregamen brought their armies into the Danmorland and sought to bring the lands of the river spirits into their empire but the Marshall of Middea made war against them and laid their greatest warriors low with his blade called Calibrn. Now Severn fought for more than two seasons against the enemy in the field but his brother grew weary and his courtiers begged him to sue for peace and vassalage within the empire. Etan the abdicator kneeled before the Vintrian general but Severn was too proud to kneel and refused to surrender. He named himself Mark of Erenn and in doing so the Duke of Severn, Marshal of Middea and brother to the king broke Danmorland. In the passing centuries the Kings of Erenn and The Kings of Middea would make war more than any other peoples in the history of men but that is the story of the Kings of Erenn._

Etan lived into old age like his great grandfather and passed his throne to his grandson Sorin who was the first to rule under a Vintrian king. King Sorin had a wandering eye and was known to bed many women. Sorin married his cousin Lamia who bore him two sons and a daughter but such a marriage was an affront to his nobles who demanded that he set her aside and take a proper bride. So it was that the third son of Sorin and child of his second wife, Andris the pious became king after his father._

Talin the usurper, eldest son of Sorin, plagued the rule of Andris and would have taken the kingdom if not for Nestor the middle child of Sorin who sided with his younger brother. Talin the usurper followed in his father's footsteps and married his sister giving rise to a lesser line that still plagues the throne of Middea. The females of the Morglay line are known to practice witchcraft and legend even holds that Lamia still plots against the Ragnerik line.

The crown of Sorin passed to his third born child, also named Sorin who was the only surviving issue. Sorin fathered Tamarak who is favorably compared to Sojen & Oisin and abdicated the throne to his son and retired to a monastery. Tamarak the Mor King, freed his people from Vintrian rule and faced the returned power of the Fallen Twelve, his blade Dirnwyn is said to have brought 3 of the 12 the final death. Sadly, the Mor king died without issue and the throne passed to his cousin, Darig the unready but not before much strife with the daughters of Lamia.

Darig ruled with the consent of the Privy Council. To bolster his claims, Darig married his second cousin; Queen Eletha bore seven sons and three daughters. She ruled by her husband's side and survived him by more than thirty years. The Eleth children transformed modern Middea, and were involved in many adventures and exploits. The eldest of the Eleath, Balor did battle with a beast named Maibus and was never seen again so the throne passed to his brother Balin._

During his reign, a nobleman gained much power within Balin's court and took to calling himself the Blade of Danmor. Fingol Corann was a powerful western nobleman and a skilled bladesman, his parties and festivals were the talk of the kingdom known to provide foods and fare not to be found elsewhere in all of Middea. Corann was little loved in the king's court and had made it know that the king was not welcomed at his own. Words between Fingol and Bresel, younger brother to the king resulted in swordplay and the death of two of the Eleth brothers. The king declared Fingol Corann outlaw and sent his men to take him prisoner but in the ensuing struggle it was revealed that Fingol Corann was one of the Twelve Fallen Shield Knights of legend. After killing yet another of the kings brothers, Bren the broken for he was tortured before being slain, Fingol fled the kingdom with news that the Middean Kings meant to tax the western nobles to pay wereguild on the kings brothers who were rightfully slain. The resulting struggle resulted in the succession of the Western States and the formation of Eadon.

Balin's son, Nestor took the throne after him. Nestor was a distant king, but upheld the laws and rebuilt the kingdom after his father's wars._

Nestor was succeeded by his daughter's eldest boy who was still a minor when he took the throne. Garlon was a good king and continued the work of his grandfather but had his reign cut short by his own son who did not want to wait for the throne.

Liadin was a brutal king and little loved by his people but he was skilled in war and dealing death. His reign lasted more than two decades and saw many improvements within the kingdom. His incessant wars with both Erenn and Eadon did little to help his people who suffered greatly under his taxes.

Liadin's crown passed to his son, who fell from a tower in a drunken stupor while celebrating his father's death leaving the crown to his younger brother Morigan. Morigan spent most of his life in fear of the enemies of Middea most especially Mabius and Lamia. His fear led him to extravagant expenses and bizarre quests. He was reputed to posses a magical mace and trained his men in the skills of fighting ghosts and mages. Morigan was skilled beyond most in personal combat and other than his paranoia he would have been an ideal king. Many say that Morigan was fated to die at the hands of Mabius, since he sought out the creature in the fifteenth year of his reign. He never returned.

The son of Morigan was Bren, who was also a mighty warrior. Bren only survived his father by six years before he was slain by poison in his wine. Bren's youngest brother Talin took the crown and had the lords responsible for his brother's death drowned in wine._

Talin had three sons and the youngest was Brand, who was married to a princess of Lorain to secure certain treaties. When both of Brand's brothers died at the Battle of Breaker's Hold he became the crown prince. Rather than face a dynastic challenge with Bran's offspring being a Numerian prince and the king of Middea Talin annulled his son's marriage and sent the princess back to her people. Princess Amidiss returned home in shame, indicating to her father that she had been despoiled and was with child. War in the southern provinces began shortly thereafter but the affair was mostly a sporadic series of engagements rather than a full-blown conflict. Brand gave birth to Sorin, the current king of Middea. Sorin has three siblings Orin, Tylen, and Gareth who survive, as well as an uncle._

Sorin was married to the sister of the Duke of Wingate but divorced her and disinherited his son Andris in favor of a bastard from the Lind family line who is claimed as his own. Prince Rafn is currently the crown prince._

The year is now 1075 and three men all claim the throne as their own.

[Killer Shrike]

Originally posted by Eosin
That picture looks awful Irish to me. I'm mostly german but I got enough Irish in to count

Nah -- Two of my great great grandparents, one on either side, were full blooded Indian, (which amounts to not much), but otherwise my anceastry is English (Edwin Ray "Killer Shrike" Hastings II), Scottish (Mothers family is Barwick), and maybe a little French (Wimberly).

[AmadanNaBriona]

why not a variation on Hnestafl (I know I'm butchering that...I'm sure I'm missing a bunch of letters in there). It was the main strategy game in pre-chess Northern Europe, and had Irish (fidchell)< Scottish (Ard Righ) and Welsh (Brandubh, I think) variants (Not to mention Saxon, Danish, Swedish and just about bloody everywhere else). Its played on gridded board with an uneven number of squares, with the defenders trying to get the king off the board while surrounded by an enemy force twice the size of the defending one. Working from online resources, any decent gamer can come up with a playable variation. I've spent hours playing our adaptation of it. I still plan on making the Saxon style board....Its on a 19 by 19 grid, with tons of troops, complex layouts, and a special "elite guard" around the king of uncaptureable peices. I figure it should take several hours to play agame out on that spread.
And FYI... The "Magic Chessboard" listed as one of the 13 treasures of Wales in the Mabinogion was most likely a Tafl variation of some sort
And The heros of the Ulster cycle were always playing Fidchell... especially when hungover.

[Killer Shrike]

That sounds really cool Amadan. You think you could write up a document adapting it for gamers and giving us the how to? Might even make a good Digital HERO article if you figure out a way to HEROize it.

[AlHazred]

Hnefetafl was the premier board game in Scandinavia, up until the Viking culture was destroyed/assimilated. Not sure anyone knows exactly how they played it back then, what with the lack of written works...

Anyway, regional variations were the rule, not the exception. Boards have been found in a number of sizes. Pieces were made of every conceivable material (including some really foreign ones that had to have been brought in by far-traveling vikings).

[AmadanNaBriona]

I should be able to cobble together a write up for the how to's of Hnefetafl (thanks AlHarazad for the proper spelling...it was eluding me). We've play tested most of the rules variations I've seen proposed, and come up with a nice fairly balanced way to play. Incedentially... The rules were a big questionmark or a long time, but a historian eventually found a version of the game that was still being played into the relatively modern era, in Sweden, I think...tho don't hold me to it.
I can't see any way of heroizing it, off the top of my head, other than the obvious... contested INT rolls, with Tatics, KS: Tafl (or fidchell, or...?), and or an appropriate Analyze as compimentary skill. Gambling might be appropriate for the base skill, but I wouldn't pay it that way... Like chess, there's no luck involved, unless you consider bluffing, syching or tricking your opponent to be lucky
I could see a magical board providing extra skill levels with tatics, with a trigger for the next battle fought...maybe even Clairsentience, precog applying to the next battle... perhaps only the winner of the match gets the benefits. I like the idea of a commander chalenging his opposite to a game the eve before battle.
OK...maybe I can come up with enough ideas for an article on it...let me get back to it next week when I'm out of crunch time

[Victor]

Originally posted by AmadanNaBriona
I can't see any way of heroizing it, off the top of my head, other than the obvious... contested INT rolls, with Tatics, KS: Tafl (or fidchell, or...?), and or an appropriate Analyze as compimentary skill. Gambling might be appropriate for the base skill, but I wouldn't pay it that way... Like chess, there's no luck involved, unless you consider bluffing, syching or tricking your opponent to be lucky

How about this?

Each player gets a certain amount of BODY pips to represent playing pieces, and starts with an amount of DEF that represents their starting position's strategic value.

Each "turn" they can either attack the other player, or defend their own positions.

If they decide to attack, they can choose to make a PRE-based attack (bluffing, psych'ing out the opponent, or what have you), or an INT-based attack (focussing more on overall strategy, gambits, rule exploits, etc). Roll (stat/5)d6 damage (+1d6 for every 2 points a complementary skill is made by), against the defender's DEF (modified as described below). Attacks, for speed of play, are presumed to always "hit".

If the player decides to defend, they gain a number of DEF points that can be used against either form of attack, perhaps equal to the number of opponents plus 1 per 2 points an INT roll is made by, with appropriate complementary skill roll. These points of DEF are usable individually, but only once, and are only replaced by additional defensive turns.

At the end of their turn, each player must attempt to guess whether their opponent's next attack (if any) will be INT-based or PRE-based. If they succeed, they are at full DEF against the attack, if they fail, they are at half DEF. Using a coin is an easy means of denoting this (heads = INT, tails = PRE). Each player will need one such indicator per opponent (if more than one), or perhaps just one for whichever's turn is currently in progress.

Players alternate turns until one is at 0 BODY (no more pieces) or less, for a prespecified number of turns, until the first one takes BODY, or until whatever condition the subgame defines as the end of the game.


You can add in other factors, like starting one player with more BODY, and the other one with more DEF. Or you could allow better "pieces" to be used, treated as a naked power advantage, with charges recoverable at the end of the game, or giving extra dice of attack or points of DEF. They might also allow both attack and defense on the same turn, or 'Healing', representing a trade-up to a more powerful piece, a Transfer of a BODY pip (you gain control of a captured piece), or the ability to use an opponent's special piece against them.

This should allow for a wide variety of sub-games that (mostly) use existing mechanics, have more depth than just a couple skill rolls, but shouldn't take up too much of a game session's time to play a round or two.

There's no need to stat out point costs of pieces unless you want to, however -- it's just Equipment that comes with the subgame -- although there may even be some powerful pieces that a particular player owns, and retains from game to game (damned collectors). Aquiring these pieces might be an adventure in itself, for the players themselves or for a wealthy patron. A tournament of masters might well be a notable social event, full of intrigue and skullduggery as well.