I have a great circle of people to role play with, amazing people, and even better friends. We mostly play DnD 5E which I love, but I've been playing it for a while and sometimes I yearn for running something from the OSR. At the moment we are in the middle of running Avernus so there isn't much room on the schedule to run a one or two-shot. Then it occurred to me that since I run a game store and I could run a demo, so yesterday that is what I did. I only had two players but that actually worked out really well. I used the ASnSH Rogue's Gallery II pdf for pre-generated 1st level characters and after about 30 minutes we were off and running.
I ran the Rats in the Walls adventure which is excellent. One of my players is from the regular RPG group and the other was someone I hadn't met before. We all had a blast and finished the session within three hours. ASnSH is a superb game and heaping with flavor. I truly loved it and so did the players.
I asked about making this a regular thing but it wasn't in the cards and I fully understand that. Afterwards as I contemplated the session and the system something occurred to me, we could have had just as much fun with DnD 5E, Swords and Wizardry, Against the Darkmaster, or Champions 4E. The system didn't really affect how well written and playtested Rats in the Walls was and the flourishes I added didn't rely on the system either.
I've always been a system guy, even when I only had one RPG that I owned or played I have constantly been looking at another game. It has short-circuited way too many campaigns to count and has honestly caused me quite a bit of grief.
I'm not going to say I won't fall for this trap again, apparently, I'm a slow learner sometimes. But I'm going to try to remember that the trap is sitting there waiting for me.
2500 years after the breaking of both the Earth and the Moon humanity faced genocide at the hands of the giant Nephilim, the undead Night Tribes led by Graf Orlock, and the Elfes of I'hiver, and their necromancy. Humanities' only hope was for the nations of Avignon, Ayngland, and Rhinetroff to form an Alliance, using artifacts they were able to recover thanks to the dark tome known as the Cacodex to turn the tide of war. For six years thousands died but with each new discovery, the humans began to push their enemies back until the combined forces of giants, undead, and fae made their last stand at the elfe capital of Ihiver. For four long months, the siege continued until Ayan Starson sought a truce and the Treaty of Ihiver was signed in blood. The terms of the Alliance's victory demanded the Nephilim to be exiled to the wastelands of Brule through the Wychways and the elfes retreating to the Summerlands across the Sea of Night. Graf Orlock and nearly all of the Night Tribes were dispatched by the Zirists and the Kirche of Thul jointly performing the holy rite known as the Mandragora Formula.
130 years ago, Candace Holmes, Prime Minister of Ayngland launched an expedition to the Summerlands to what has now become New Coventry, to great success. The Ministry was surprised to learn that their colony found no sign of the Elfes and a land brimming with resources and opportunities to the bold who were willing to make the journey. Spies for Avignon and Rhinetroff reported these findings to their leaders and soon both would launch their own expeditions to this brave New World.
Papst Unnachgiebig, the leader of both the Kirche of Thul and the nation of Rhinetroff foolishly took the advice of Ritter-Allgemeines Wilhem Schwarts and sought to conquer New Coventry in their initial foray to the Summerlands. Two years later, the Rhinetroff's forces, known as Ironheads, withdrew and signed the Treaty of New Coventry which prevented them from settling a colony for ten years and promised to deliver one-hundred ships to the Aynglish as reparation.
Avignon's Empress Vivain the 16th launched an expedition to the southern gulf of the Summerlands, hundreds of miles to the South of the war, to found and settle Chateau. The Avigno were careful in their explorations of the area and like the Aynglish before them, they did not encounter any sign of the elfes. What they did find was soil rich in nutrients to grow all manner of fruits and vegetables and beyond that marshlands rich in fauna of all kinds.
Today, Chateau is overseen by Compter Antoin Montain whose father went to Academie with Emperor LaFleur the 4th and who gained notoriety during the Pelham War against the Rhinetroff for control of the canal there. Montain seems to have the golden touch as his expansion and development of the region has been met with nary a setback. Some gleefully assumed he would fall out of favor at Court due to the Rugaroo Cult's terrorism over a six-year span but the task force he personally led eventually apprehended and exposed the Wandgrave insurrection that sought to assassinate the Emperor back home. The Compter's eventual triumph not allowed him to save face but to gain the Dor Peregrine from a very grateful LaFleur the 4th.
While the Rhinetroff did settle Festung about one-hundred miles south of New Coventry neither it nor its Aynglish counterpart has prospered in the same way as Chateau. While life on the frontier has some dangers the New World is a promise of a new life, possibly newfound riches, and an escape from the Old World's long history of violence and death that feels like it can drown one in rivers of blood.
Mind Melter for Cepheus Atom & Barbaric!
Some beings are capable of amazing powers of the mind. You may communicate telepathically with a sentient creature you can see even if you don't share the same language. Additionally, as long as you have at least 1 point of Endurance you may telepathically assault a creature's mind, sentient or not, forcing them to make a Knowledge throw of 8+ or they suffer 2d+1 damage.
Dog Boy for Cepheus Atom & Barbaric!
Genetically uplifted canoids created by the Coalitions States to hunt non-humans. They may throw Lore 6+ to sense any sorcery that has been used in the general vicinity in the last four hours. Further, they gain Advantage on Lore throws to track a target, but require a way to gain their scent.
Ley Line Walker: Some sorcerers train their senses to detect the ebb and flow of sorcery along ley lines and the places of power where they converge. If the sorcerer is within 20 feet of a ley line they heal 2 lifeblood points per day. While within 10 feet of a ley line and a Sorcery throw of 7+ a sorcerer may teleport along the ley line up to 30m and attack or move 60m without attacking.
