New Map

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"New" might not be the most appropriate word since I designed the first draft of this one while on my Might & Magic kick.  Still, I have repurposed it to serve as a map of the area surrounding Ilion.  I'm still not entirely happy with it, but thought I'd let you guys have a look at it.

Unfocused Thoughts on Greyhawk Folio

I've been sitting on these half-hatched ideas for over a week and I thought I needed to get them out in some form, so here they are.  Some of them will be elaborated on in more coherent and better formated posts as I continue to develop this project.

• Based on the names on the map and a cursory skim of the book itself I've picked out a few places I may want to focus on.
• The Shield Lands immediately jumps out at me due to its name, the fact that it neighbors the similarly awesomely named Bandit Kingdoms, and the description itself.  The Horned society sounds kinda lame, but I like anybody whose religion is described as "deviltry."
• I also like the Hold of the Sea Princes, which I imagine as a combination of Venice and King's Landing as portrayed in the Game of Thrones HBO series.
• On that note, I essentially want this setting to be one part Hyboria, one part Newhon, and one part Westeros, with some middle ages thrown in for flavor.
• My other choice for the focal point of the setting is Greyhawk itself.  One thing I've been missing in my current campaign is urban adventures, which I'm a big fan of.    I'll likely be using Zak's urbancrawl system to flesh it (or any other city I have to detail) out.  Not sure yet what to do about the infamous ruined pile if I pick this location, but we'll see.
• The Sword Lands is the one that is most obviously in my wheelhouse (knights fighting Satan), but that may be the best reason not to do it.  Still, I like knights... a lot.
• Religion is proving to be an issue.  The original folio lacks any details on the Greyhawk pantheon that I know through the 3e core books.  I don't want to use those because that strikes me as lazy, but when reading the folio I get a very clear image of a society with a pseudo-Christian dynamic.  Theocracies, intolerant of old religions, sacred orders of knights who oppose the Adversaries, and so on populate the folio.  Unfortunately, I already have that setting.  I want something with paganism.
• Maybe I could do some kind of old gods vs new gods thing a la Game of Thrones, where it's much less confrontational than the pseudo-Christian idea.
• I also want to use some of the Newhon stuff from DDG in my campaign.  Kos, God of Dooms, is awesome.
• Right now my rough equivalents for the different ethnic groups are as follows: Suloise = Phoenicians, Oeridians = Indo-Europeans (particularly Latins and Greeks but the farther from Aerdy you get the more they look like Germans), Baklunish = Turkic peoples, and the Flanae = Finno-Ugric peoples.  This breaks down in certain areas, particularly the Yeomanry, and I probably need to think about it a bit more.
• I imagine The Great Kingdom as being rather like 6th century Byzantium, but more evil.
• I may steal some ideas from my Might & Magic project, including making Oerth really be some kinda spaceship.  Not 100% on that, or really anything else on this list, though.

Well that's about it.

Sorry about the light posting recently, but I kinda went into a coma after the semester was over.  It should pick up more in the coming days before returning to normal.  

Next week I'll be in Hattiesburg running another quick side game.  Not sure what it's going to be yet, but I need to figure it out shortly.

More Thoughts on M&M Inspired Setting

• Definitely going with IRASS.
• I would probably use Labyrinth Lord and the AEC plus the DMG and no other sources.  I thought about using the RC instead, but M&M definitely has a race/class split.
• Three point alignment: Good, Neutral, Evil.
• I like how small the map is.  The whole world is only 1250 miles across.  I think it makes it a great deal more fantastic than most of my worlds.
• The Demons are totally modeled after the Slayers and the Beast from Krull.  Some may look like more typical demons.
• The Realm was only recently unified by a strong willed lord.  He recently died of old age (or perhaps he was poisoned...) and his two sons are gearing up to fight eachother over the throne.  Various lords have used this as an excuse to assert their indpendence.
• Some of these lords are warlocks and necromancers.  Most of them are just plain old knights.
• The Demons live in a pyramid made out of a bizarre, cobalt-colored metal.  It is impervious to magic and mortal weapons.
• Clerics venerate the Star Lords as a big group rather than individual deities.  I won't be describing the religion much more than that.
• Druids worship a strange entity which taught the first sorceress the arts of magic.  It claims to be the deity that even the Star Lords worship.
• Some clerics get their powers from demons, or various petty gods.
• The elemental planes are actually strange generators created by the Star Lords.  Elementals and various other such creatures evolved inside of them.
• The Star Lords are pale, hairless humanoids of enormous stature.  Their eyes appear to be fields of stars.  None of the clerics know this.
• Cyclops are the degenerate descendants of another star-faring race.
• The horrible monsters the Warlocks employ are actually summoned from the dark side of the planet.
• There was a Roman style empire that existed long before the realm but was destroyed by some sort of catastrophe/invasion.
• Wizards still dress like they're members of the empire, only with more pointy hats.
• Most elves have skin colors similar to humans, but this is due to inter-breeding.  True elves from this side are blue with white hair, while ones from the dark side are red with white hair.
• Mixture of passive and active sandbox: there are several baddies pursuing badguy goals, but the only one who threatens to destroy everything is the one the PCs get tangled up with.

IRASS Map Take II

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Heres another attempt at a map of the "planet" of IRASS.  This one is more closely based on the World of Xeen maps, with each of the corner being associated with an element.  In this case it's because the Star Lords (what I've decided to call the Immortals) erected gates to the elemental planes there.

I haven't really assigned the locations for the various factions yet, but I like where the map is much better now. 

Xenroth and/or Irass Continent Map

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Heres a map to go along with my earlier idea.  The Volcano in the center is the giant central mountain.  The souther area is the Realm of Man, with the other regions as yet being unassigned (besides the really obvious fairy realm in the West).

I haven't started working on a smaller scale map yet, but I may sometime today.  Each hex is 50 miles in size.

Unfocused Thoughts on Might & Magic Inspired Setting

This has been kinda running around my head for a few days, and I thought I'd get it out of my system.  It's unlikely I'll end up doing much more with it than making a map or two, but it might make a cool place to adventure in if a TPK happens in Nightwick Abbey.  That'd depend on the players of course, and I rather like the Dark Country (obviously).

• The world is flat with two sides that are unaware of eachother.  There is a massive web of underdark style tunnels that ultimately connect the two, but the core is thick enough and the path dangerous enough that it is extremely rare that someone make it from one side to  the other.  The players will most likely do this at some point.
• The world was created thousands of years ago by a group of Immortals using both science and sorcery in order to examine how life ultimately develops and other such inscrutable things.
• In the center of both sides of the world is a giant Mountain that contains two computers (one for each side) that make sure everything is working right.
• The most holy artifact of [insert lawful religion here] is actually a key card that allows access to the computer.  No one in the religion knows this.
• There is one Lawful kingdom of Humans (called the Realm of Man) ruled by a king or queen.  It uses a fantasied up version of the feudal system that still allows for social mobility.  Individual lords are whatever alignment is most appropriate for them.
• At least one lord is secretly working for [insert badguys here].  Most likely it's more than one.
• Other kingdoms include: a fairy realm, a land ruled by wizards, a land ruled by warlocks, a stinking mire controlled by necromancers, and a barbaric wilderness
• The fairy realm is ruled by a (perhaps the) Sorceress.  It includes both Elves and Dwarves as well as a number of other creatures in a manner similar to the way the Narnians are portrayed in the second move
• Humans can be found in all the realms, including in leadership positions
• The Wizards, Humans, and Fairy races will occasionally team up to defeat especially arbaric Barbarians, especially warlock-y Warlocks, and especially dead Necromancers
• Evil lords rarely work together, but they often employ lots of different types of evil minion
• One Warlock knows about the computers and wants to destroy them.  He believes this will cause clerical magic to disappear
• "Demons" are actually invaders from space who want to turn the world into a base from which they can take on the Immortals.  (Thats possibly why the Warlock knows about the computer)
• Halflings are a servitor class for the Wizards.  Many have escaped into the Realm and made hillside villages there.
• Orcs were created by some Wizard who really liked boars before he decided to become a Warlock instead.  The ones who are friendly with the Barbarians escaped captivity.
• Necromancers don't like anybody.
• PCs who are awarded Immortal status get to live on their kickass spaceship.  They have a foosball table.  It's totally rad.  The Demons are jealous.
• The world is positively littered with gates that transport you to other areas, other worlds, or even elemental planes.
• The worlds name is probably Xenroth, but may be Xerathia, or Irass (I.R.A.S.S. -- It's Really a Space Ship).
•  The Realm is possible having a succession crisis when the campaign starts.
• Lands surrounding gates to the elemental planes are obviously affected; covered in lava, crystaline, filled with permanent storms, that sort of thing.
• Most adventure locales will be discrete things, but I might through Stonehell on there for shits and giggles.
• I'd try to do something similar to Jeff Rients's Epic Sandboxery.  Mostly a sandbox, but if your cleric wants to keep their magic it wouldn't be a bad idea to knock that Warlock over the head and take his stuff.
• Possible name for the concept: Steel & Sorcery

Well, there you have it.  Again, at most I'll make a map for this thing, but I thought I'd ruminate on it anyway.

HoMM for HoTT

Thanks to the magic of Good Old Games I was recently able to repurchase my childhood.  By that I mean the Might & Magic (VI and VII)* and Heroes of Might & Magic (the first three) games each of which I spent much of my prepubescent and adolescent life engrossed in.

They really defined what "vanilla" fantasy meant for me well into my 3e days and my earliest days as a DM.  Anyone familiar with the games will know that this is a strange standard to measure things by.  M&M has about 100% more ray guns than most "vanilla fantasy,"  which may explain my love for the Wilderlands, Blackmoor, and similar settings.  Still it usually stayed in the realm of high fantasy, with the end game being the only place where blaster pistols and such appeared.

Anyway, due to the fact that I couldn't think of something better to do with my time here are Hordes of the Things army lists for the major "alignments" of Heroes of Might & Magic 2.  I've incorporated some material from 3 to fill in gaps, but I've tried to stay as close to HoMM 1 and 2 as possible.   I've provided a variety of possible troop types in order to allow for a wider selection.

Barbarian
Goblins (Horde)
Orc Spearmen (Spears)
Orc Archers (Shooters)
Hobgoblins (Blades)
Wolves (Beasts)
Wolf Riders (Riders)
Ogres (Behemotha)
Trolls (Behmotha)
Cyclops (Behemotha)
Barbarian (Hero)

Example Army
Crag Hack (Hero General) x 1
Goblins x 2
Orc Spearmen x2
Orc Archers x2
Wolf Riders x 2
Hobgoblins x 1
Cyclops x 1

Knight
Peasants (Hordes)
Pikemen (Spears)
Archers (Shooters)
Swordsman (Blades)
Cavaliers (Knights)
Griffins (Flyers)
Monks (Clerics)
Paladins (Paladins)
Knight (Hero)

Example Army
Roland (Hero General) x 1
Pikemen x 2
Archers x 2
Swordsmen x 2
Monks x 1
Peasants x 1
Paladins x 1

Sorceress
Sprites (Hordes)
Dwarf Axemen (Blades)
Dwarf Spearmen (Spear)
Elves (Shooters)
Druids (Magician)
Unicorn (Knights)
Phoenix (Flyer)
Ranger (Hero)
Sorceress (Cleric)

Example Army
Gem (Magician General) x 1
Sprites x 4
Dwarf Spearmen x 1
Dwarf Axemen x 1
Elves x 2
Druids x 1
Phoenix x 1
Gem (Cleric General) x 1


Warlock
Centaurs (Riders)
Gargoyles (Flyers)
Hydra (Behemoth)
Beholders (Shooters)
Troglodytes (Spears)
Minotaur (Blades)
Dragon (Dragon)
Overlord (Hero)
Warlock (Magician)

Example Army
Kastore (Magician General) x 1
Troglodytes  x 3
Centaurs x 2
Beholders x 1
Hydra x 1
Dragon x 1

Wizard
Halfling Spearmen (Spears)
Halfling Slingers (Shooters)
Golems (Blades)
Boars (Beasts)
Rocs (Flyers)
Titans (Behemoths)
Magi (Magicians)
Genie (Flyers)

Example Army
Falagar (Magician General) x 1
Halfling Spearmen x 1
Halfling Slinger x 2
Boars x 1
Titans x 2
Magi x 1

Necromancer
Skeletal Spearmen (Spear)
Skeletal Swordsmen (Blades)
Skeletal Archers (Shooters)
Zombies (Hordes)
Vampires (Sneakers)
Vampire Lord (Hero)
Wraiths (Lurkers)
Lich (Magician)
Death Knight (Knight)
Bone Dragon (Dragon)

Example Army
Sandro (Magician General) x 1
Skeletal Spearmen x 2
Skeletal Swordsmen x 1
Skeletal Archers x 2
Lich x 1
Zombies x 1
Wraiths x 1
Bone Dragon x 1

Well there you go.  Tell me if you have any thoughts on the representation or the balance between armies.

Theres a chance I may have some more thoughts on Might & Magic in the coming days, but I'm still a bit busy.

* The M&M VI pack actually includes I-V as well, which I hope to play also.  I remember seeing adverts for them as a kid and they played upon my imagination.