Checking Interest: 2E Forgotten Realms Adventures

[Distorted Humor]

I don't know how you'd run it but i've always wanted to play a tabletop game based on a world like Dwarf Fortress. It would be hell, and death would be common but I think it would be loads of fun.


Nothing like angry carp killing your comrades and tantrum spirals leading to near fortress annihilation.

Don't tempt me, or i will write the houserules

[mithrandir138]

I don't know how you'd run it but i've always wanted to play a tabletop game based on a world like Dwarf Fortress. It would be hell, and death would be common but I think it would be loads of fun.


Nothing like angry carp killing your comrades and tantrum spirals leading to near fortress annihilation.

I haven't played Dwarf Fortress in a few years, the last memory I have of it was that I wanted to see how sadistic I could be and I remember messing with my dwarves so much one of my blacksmiths (or something) got depressed (or something) and killed himself. It's a great game, but very addicting.

[Vargr1105]

Could someone provide a link to what this "Dwarf Fortress" product is exactly? You've caught my curiosity.

[Distorted Humor]

Could someone provide a link to what this "Dwarf Fortress" product is exactly? You've caught my curiosity.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwarf_Fortress

[mithrandir138]

Could someone provide a link to what this "Dwarf Fortress" product is exactly? You've caught my curiosity.

Beware, it will destroy you: http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/

[mithrandir138]

This was also a helpful resource IIRC: http://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php/Main_Page

[Vargr1105]

Oh, it's one of those games. Interesting stuff, but too much of a time-sink for my personal predilections.

[AQuebman]

I don't know how you'd run it but i've always wanted to play a tabletop game based on a world like Dwarf Fortress. It would be hell, and death would be common but I think it would be loads of fun.


Nothing like angry carp killing your comrades and tantrum spirals leading to near fortress annihilation.

Don't tempt me, or i will write the houserules

Consider it like the Big Red Button your mom said not to touch...

[AQuebman]

Oh, it's one of those games. Interesting stuff, but too much of a time-sink for my personal predilections.

It's like some other games but much more sadistic and unexpected. I had a fortress that used to eat Forgotten Beasts for lunch but an angry woodcutter who went into a fey mood and couldn't get what he wanted wiped out 3/4 of my military before he was finally brought down.

I honored him with his very own tomb because that guy was badass and I totally underestimated his military potential lol.

[Distorted Humor]

I don't know how you'd run it but i've always wanted to play a tabletop game based on a world like Dwarf Fortress. It would be hell, and death would be common but I think it would be loads of fun.


Nothing like angry carp killing your comrades and tantrum spirals leading to near fortress annihilation.

Don't tempt me, or i will write the houserules

Consider it like the Big Red Button your mom said not to touch...

I think it would be fun, but thankfully i have a full plate on my hands to prevent me from doing too much with it

[mithrandir138]

Any ideas on what kind of game this will be yet? Just trying to get an idea of what kind of character to make. No pressure.

[Hoondatha]

Well, it wouldn't be exactly Dwarf Fortress, but we could do an all-dwarf game in a besieged/danger-prone dwarven, ah, fortress. Or something more traditional; I'm open.

[hedgeknight]

Any ideas on what kind of game this will be yet? Just trying to get an idea of what kind of character to make. No pressure.

From the replies so far, it seems I'm pretty much open to do whatever works...as long as I throw in a couple of +3 Hammers of Dwarven Throwing, maybe the Axe of Dwarfish Lords, and some wild and wooly dwarven women! You know, just to keep everyone happy.

Or maybe there's just a big pile of gold and treasure being guarded by a dragon somewhere in far away in a lost, lonely mountain...
http://youtu.be/mCOUkpsYmsA

Looks like we have the following on board thus far:

mithrandir138
Brund
rtdersch
Hoondatha

With maybe a couple more undecided. That's enough to continue the conversation.

The setting would be somewhere in the Western Heartlands of the Realms, most notably the Savage Frontier and the North, although things could swing south if needed. Here are some of my notes taken from another site:

Magic - I want to get away from the typical "wizardry" arcana to a form of magic that is more elemental - more driven by gods/powers that are connected to the earth. Wizards have been somewhat rare in my past games. In fact, I would like to regulate them to lone, scholarly types who are rarely seen. Many of them have been mind-bent and twisted by ages of magical study and thus, could end up as powerful villains or masterminds behind plots. Sorcerers are more prevalent as they can "tap into" the inherent magic in the earth. Same for divine magic - I want to see more druidic power than your standard cleric power. Think elemental versus arcane magic. Thoughts?
Cultures and creatures - I'll tell you what I like > Uthgardt barbarians, small farming or port towns, islands, wilderness, lizards, lycanthropes, snakes, feral critters, giants, gnolls, and lots of animals or animalistic folk. Most of my games feature these types prominently. I also dig dungeons and cavernous adventures that can lead to deeper exploration. Did I mention dragons and beholders? Vampires or witches? Drow or demons?
Other random thoughts - don't expect to see the various Realms personalities popping up in the game. Elminster, the Harpells, Khelben Blackstaff, and other god-like creations of Ed Greenwood have no place in my games. NO PSIONICS! Sexuality is always a good thing! I love when the party splits up! No, seriously.

More to come...

[hedgeknight]

Morning fellers > here are two (of many) possible starting scenarios - they give an example of my writing style and a hint of the type of encounters and melee to expect.

Scenario 1 – Bored to…Death?

This has to be the most boring job ever!
You think to yourself as you plod along on the Long Road. When you signed on for guard duty in Red Larch you were hoping for some excitement, some adventure on the way to Triboar. It’s been less than a week and you’re already thinking about ditching this job in Westbridge, should you ever make it there before you die of old age.
The wagons you are guarding are moving so slow that you really don’t need to ride; you can walk and keep up. And the weather isn’t helping either. Summer is ending with a vengeance – humid days filled with biting flies and long nights with no campfire…except for the scathing tongue of the trail boss. Tripp Ketcham is his name and he’s a sour one. “Weaned on a sow’s tit” is what you’ve heard more than once from others in the wagon train. And it didn’t take you long to believe it – the man never has a kind word for anyone.

Boss Ketcham’s right hand man, Marlowe, a seasoned veteran of many trips up and down the Long Road, is a little nicer. At least he greets you in the morning and bids you goodnight in the evening. He even takes a share of the watch with the five of you who hired on for the trip. Why Ketcham hired five of you to guard a bunch of wagons loaded with ale and beer is beyond your understanding!
“Rare cargo, it is!” he had said when he recruited you. Boring cargo is more like it! Boring cargo, boring wagons, and boring company. Can a person die of boredom? You wonder. But on the fourth day out of Red Larch, the boring duty of being a guard for a few beer wagons suddenly gets interesting.

It is near midday when you hear the unmistakable sounds of battle – steel ringing on steel, battle cries, the screams of the dying – all coming from the hills off to your left, no more than 50 yards from the road.
“Keep moving! Keep moving!” Boss Ketcham yells, attempting to dissuade you from investigating. “It’s none of our business!”
Torn between investigating and following orders, you look at each other for direction and then turn to Marlowe. The man is obviously conflicted too. “Boss,” he begins, but Ketcham won’t hear him.
“I told you to move on, godsdammit!” Ketcham explodes. “This is none of our…ARGGH!”
His words are cut off by a green-fletched arrow that buries in his chest! He topples from his horse and hits the ground hard, unmoving.
“Hells bells!” Marlowe swears as another arrow sticks in the side of the lead wagon. Screams erupt from just over the hill – screams that sound as if they are from the mouths of children.

“Get Ketcham under cover!” Marlowe shouts to the wagon drivers, drawing his sword. Then he looks at you. "The rest of you follow me!” he orders, spurring his horse forward. You hesitate for only a few seconds before obeying and following along. Grateful for the exercise, your horses burst into a gallop and climb the low-lying hill with ease.
Another arrow sails by your head just as you top the hill. You rein in sharply, taken back by what you see.

In a shallow depression between the hills and the woods, a battle rages – Hobgoblins vs. Wood Elves – both sides have taken losses; their dead are spread out among the trees and grasses. The Hobgoblins have formed a circle of steel and the Wood Elves are assaulting them with arrows. To the north of the main group of Hobgoblins is an area where the grasses and vines look to be alive! In fact, four Wood Elves struggle to free themselves from the tangles and choking foliage.

The screams are coming from a spot just below the rise of the hill where you watch from horseback. A group of Hobgoblin females and children is desperately trying to escape a squad of Wood Elves. Four females are protecting the children – two in the rear fighting off the Elves with javelins and rocks, while the other two lead the children up the hill; the bodies of two other females lie still near the bottom of the hill.

Suddenly, the children, who are no more than ten feet from the top of the hill, see you. They freeze in their tracks, not knowing what to do. The two females pushing them along see you too, and for a brief second, a flash of relief almost washes over their faces. Then, a chilling scream shakes your nerves and all eyes look to see that one of the females protecting the rear has been caught. One Elf has her by the hair; she kicks and struggles against him. Another Elf swiftly draws a knife across her throat, slicing it open from ear to ear.

The children begin screaming and crying, their faces contorted in fear. One of the Hobgoblin females looks up at you as arrows sizzle all around, her eyes pleading. “H-help…us! Pl-please!” she manages to say in broken Common.

[hedgeknight]

Scenario 2 – Pack Attack!

The ranchers and farmers of Beliard are hardy folk – they raise cattle and produce and have turned their little village into a popular trading post. Hardy herds of “jersey” cows roam the moors and rolling hills around the town, and potatoes and beans are grown and shipped throughout the Realms.
Blasko Halamar – the stout, white-bearded, retired warrior runs the stables in town where a traveler or local can get a good horse for a decent price.
Ahber Milshoun helps the village out by renting out his stronghouses at high prices. But the folk who rent from him know that their goods are protected by the dozen men-at-arms that he employs.
For a nice place to stay that won’t completely empty a purse, The Watchful Knight is not too bad for an inn. The hostel is run by Arah Calatharr, and is said to be protected by an animated suit of armor, hence the name. It’s a rough place, built with log and stone, and can be a tad chilly in the winter.
But at the end of a long day, most of the hard-working folk of the tree-cloaked village gather at the newest place in town, a tavern, The Cow Bell. A small place, the Cow Bell is usually crowded and although it’s been open just over three months, the proprietor, Henry Rudd, has already drawn up plans for an extension.

The sun is rapidly setting and the cool of the last days of summer has already settled on the village. And it’s at the Cow Bell, sipping on a fairly dark brew and munching on fried “chips” and cheese, that you first hear the horn. All talk suddenly stops and folks put down their mugs or chips and look around with wide eyes. The horn sounds again and suddenly everyone is moving, heading for the doors, either in the front or the back.
Outside, the folk who weren’t in the tavern have come out of their homes and are looking toward the fields. In the distance, wolves are howling and when the horn blows again, it is considerably closer. Then, one of Ahber’s guards, who is stationed atop one of the stronghouses, yells and points to the forested hills just north of the village.
Bursting out of the trees is a score of wolves – a large pack, led by what looks to be a huge black beast.
“God’s preserve us!” one old rancher laments. “That black one be a worg! I’d bet me right arm on it!”
The horn sounds again…and the wolves get closer, and then you are able to see what is leading them – atop the huge black wolf is a rider! And about six of the normal wolves carry riders as well!
“Goblins!” the guard atop the stronghouse shouts. “They’re splitting into three groups! One is going after the cattle in the upper fields! Another swinging around toward Halamar’s stables! And the third group is heading right at us!”
Farmers and ranchers and townsfolk start running in all directions at once. Many of the ranchers grab bows and axes and head for their fields to protect their cattle. A few, including Blasko, head for the stables. While the rest of the guardsmen run up to a very nervous Ahber and await instructions.
Into the chaos another horn sounds, this one loud and long. Standing on the steps of the Cow Bell is Henry Rudd – a sword in one hand and a hunting horn in the other. As the wolves and goblins descend upon the village, Henry puffs his chest out and shouts, “Folk of Beliard, hear me now! We’ve lived and farmed here for many a year! We’ve outlasted blizzards, wolves, Orc hordes, and highwaymen! This is our town and our livestock! Stop running around like chickens with your heads cut off and remember who you are! Gird up your swords and let’s run these bastards back to their holes! To arms! To arms!”
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

[rtdersch]

First off I'd like to say that Hedgeknight, your writing skills are exemplary! I really like both but I'm leaning toward the first scenario primarily because I enjoy moral choices that go against the norm. Save the hobgoblins? Sounds like that would be quite the dilemna for a Paladin, or perhaps not! Both are written very well and I'm anxious to delve into either, so I'll happily go with the consensus.

Anyone have a preference?

Finally I really, really like the setting that you've provided. You're a gamer after my own heart.

C'mon guys, lets get some discussion going so we can go adventure!

-Ray

[hedgeknight]

Thanks Ray - much appreciated.

And bring that Paladin, man! I wanna see him/her!

[rtdersch]

I'm kind of waiting to see what all everyone else is going to play before I commit to a single race/class. I know that a Dwarven party was being bandied about so I'm going to just be patient for now and see where the team wants to take this.

btw: where is Beliard? I can't seem to find it on the map.

also: how would you like characters submitted? Is there an online form so that they're all standard or do you have form you'd like for us to use?

-Ray

[hedgeknight]

Here's a nice little map from Volo's Guide to the North. There are several gaming opportunities on this small map alone. Three towns, the river, the edge of Kryptgarden Forest, and the Halls of the Hunting Axe.

As for character sheet...haven't really though about it to be honest. Still waiting to get some solid confirmation that this game is actually going to happen. That being said, if you have a generic character sheet you want to start toying with, feel free to go ahead and do so. In the meantime, I'll search around and see what I can find. I know that Dragonsfoot has some good sheets, and there are probably some lying around these forums too.

Dwarven paladin?

[Distorted Humor]

I would be in, including the idea that everyone plays Dwarves!