Excellent work, Clash. Thumbs up!

Big Wow.  Very nice.  Evocative.

Glad you liked it, guys!

Here's the first of two from Klaxon:

Association Name: Roy's Rangers (Arcane Bounty Hunters)
Capital: Scraping By (+16)
Home Base: Sewer System (16)
HQ Location: London
Areas of Interest:
Guards & Security - none
Espionage Assets - Safe House in Edinburgh
Warships - none
Transport - 6 Poor War Horses (4)
Medical - Apothecary (4)
Arcane Library - none
Training - none
Cartography - none
Mercenaries - none
Artificers and Device Development - none
Logistics (2)
Maintenance (2)

2 X Meager (2) available for disbursement

Roy's Rangers are a rag-tag group of warriors who find iliicit spellcasters and monsters, and turn them in for rewards, if they can get them

-clash.

The second one from klaxon, at the other extreme...

Association Name: The Clear Cutters (Secret Society)
Capital: Wealthy (+4096)
Home Base: Pocket Universe (1024)
HQ Location: Nominally London
Areas of Interest:
Guards & Security - none
Espionage Assets - Elite Spy Rings in France(16) & England (16), Elite Highly Placed Agents in France (256) and England (256), Elite Safe Houses outside Paris and Glasgow, 16 Poor Safehouses (exits from Pocket Universe) to be placed as required in play.
Warships - none
Transport - 12 Elite Riding Horses (16)
Medical - Doctor (64)
Arcane Library - 32 Common Grimoires (, 16 Rare Arcane Geometry Treatises (1), 1 Manuscript Arcane Geometry Treatise (256), 8 Uncommon Grimoires (32), 1 Manuscript Grimoire (256)
Training - 4 Savants (256), 4 Esotericists (64), 4 Warlocks (64), 4 Spies (16), 4 Warriors (16)
Cartography - 1 Fairy Map (64)
Mercenaries - None
Artificers and Device Development - Master Artificer (16), 4 Artificers (4), Artificer Laboratory (64)
Logistics (631 - overfunded)
Maintenance (631 - overfunded)

2 X Moderate (128) Available for Disbursement as needed

The Clear Cutters are a group of wealthy Catholic spellcasters - even the warrior-types are spellcasters - who aim to one day control England.

-clash

I finished the Adventure Generator today. it's a linked series of random tables that should produce an adventure seed in the form of a rumor, what is behind the rumor, a reward, and sweeteners added to enhance the deal.

Example adventures:

Rumor: Cattle have been dying in Lancashire.
Behind the Rumor: A Group of Monsters
Reward: Poor
Sweeteners: Bounties Paid for Certain Monsters, A Knighthood for a Deserving Member

Rumor: A Fairy King has asked for our aid in Angelsey
Behind the Rumor: A Coven of Witches
Reward: 2 Poor
Sweeteners: Translators, Liaison with Local Government

Rumor: Suspicious Foreign Gentlemen have appeared in Bristol.
Behind the Rumor: A League of a Foriegn Country and Internal Traitors
Reward: Scraping By
Sweeteners: A Knighthood for a Deserving Member

Rumor: Prodigies were sighted in Spain.
Behind the Rumor: Another Association
Reward: Poor
Sweeteners: Translators, A Bounty paid for Certain Individuals, Travel Included

Very cool. Will you have a computer version of this for download?

Quote from: Silverlion;314018Very cool. Will you have a computer version of this for download?

Hi Tim!

Yep! I'll have it available in pdf too.

-clash

Any comments on either the adventure generator seeds or the example associations? I'm happy with them, but I'm only one perspective. Posting that illo seems to have derailed communications.

-clash

Well, Ok. Moving on...

The Association Creation rules are fairly straight-forward. Klaxon created Associations in about 10-15 minutes without any knowledge of how the rules worked. Now this was for GM-created groups, such as NPC or pre-genned Associations. The process for most PC groups would be different, as the PCs and GM together will be setting up the structure, not just the GM. The reason this is the default process is because the PCs will become invested in the association, rather than resenting a structure that the GM has imposed.

Step 1 is to determine the resource level (points available for allocation) of the group. This can be done randomly, but a more realistic approach would be to determine it by assessing the groups sponsor(s) and what they can afford to lay out.

Step 2 is to determine the kind of association this is to be. I laid out the different types earlier in the thread. There are a huge range of possibilities, and defining this will define your group to a great degree.

Step Three is allocating resources. This buys things like a home base, espionage assets, a group library, a "Q lab" type artificer lab, guards, soldiers, a private navy, training for young mages or warriors, etc. What the group is interested in dictates how they allocate resources. If the group lays out for espionage assets, they are interested in that side of things, and will expect to use these assets. If they build up cartographic assets, they will be interested in journeying and exploring. If they buy grimoires and bestiaries for their library, they will probably want to do some magic and monster hunting. Selecting assets tells the GM what the players are interested in pursuing.

The group can allocate resources up to the resource level of the group. If less resources are allocated than the resource level allows, the remainder can be banked and used for discretionary purchases as needed.

More resources for the group can be gained by completing adventures. Individuals can also gain wealth through bounties.

-clash

The Adventure Generator

This is a series of random tables. First is a rumor table, with results like "There are no longer any rats to be seen in...." and "The fairies have been sullen and uncooperative in...".

Then  there is a two part random place table, with the main table having results like "York/Scarborough/Tynemouth/Berwick" and "Cornwall/Devon/Somerset". If you roll a 20, there is a second table available with foreign results like "Poland-Lithuania/Prussia/Wallachia/Moldova" and "Edinburgh/Sterling/Melrose/Inverness". This encourages use of areas in England, with the possibility of foreign intrigue as well.

The third table gives what is behind the rumor, with results like "A Witch or Coven of Witches" and "A Fairie Realm" possible. This tells the GM what is causing the rumors.

Lastly is the Reward table, which gives the group's reward for going out there. There is also a sweeteners table, with no random component. These should be used to fit the circumstances. In England, for example, the group won't need interpreters unless they go to Yorkshire.

After that I have a list of possible bounties, including one for the Pope. Hey! It was a time of religious turmoil! There are bounties for a lot of things, not just killing/capturing - things like performing astounding feats, opening new trade routes, and discovering and claiming new lands for the crown.

Of course none of this needs be random. It's all to spur the old creativity nodule.

-clash

Anyone with any suggestions on what creatures need to be covered? I've got a bunch already, like Black Dogs, Red Caps, Ogres, Pixies, Black Annis, Worms - the usual suspects. Anyone have something cool they'd like covered?

-clash

Vampires (always a viable goal for staking&baking) and Ghosts/Spectres/Wraiths/whatever-taxonomy-you-think-of (a must-have in occult Britain, especially in Scotland) come to my mind.

Some Irish stuff like Leprechauns would also make a fair bit of sense.


In German early modern age folklore, various Demon Animals that guard treasure caches (and are tricked or banished by traveling students to get access to those) are also a common trope. (D'you know Mephisto as a black poodle in Goethe's version of Dr. Faustus? That's drawn straight from it, especially if you consider that Mephisto appears himself as traveling scholar when forced to reveal his true colors.)
I guess they also play a role in the folklore in other parts of Europe, although I don't know for sure.

Quote from: Skyrock;314946Vampires (always a viable goal for staking&baking) and Ghosts/Spectres/Wraiths/whatever-taxonomy-you-think-of (a must-have in occult Britain, especially in Scotland) come to my mind.

Vampires are surprisingly rare in English folk tales, much rarer than dragons. I think I'll stay away from them, though if needed, one could import them from Blood Games, particularly if the group goes abroad. Ghosts and their ilk will certainly be covered. They are extremely prevalent in English mythology.

QuoteSome Irish stuff like Leprechauns would also make a fair bit of sense.

I'm staying some distance from Irish folk tales - their penetration into English life was very low at this time. Luckily, most of the best Irish creatures had cognates in Scottish folklore, which had a far greater influence in England
at the time, particularly in the North of England.

QuoteIn German early modern age folklore, various Demon Animals that guard treasure caches (and are tricked or banished by traveling students to get access to those) are also a common trope. (D'you know Mephisto as a black poodle in Goethe's version of Dr. Faustus? That's drawn straight from it, especially if you consider that Mephisto appears himself as traveling scholar when forced to reveal his true colors.)
I guess they also play a role in the folklore in other parts of Europe, although I don't know for sure.

OK, this is fascinating. This is not nearly so common a trope in English folklore. I didn't know that the Mephisto as dog appearance in Faustus drew from such a large body of similar stories. This would be very cool to include in the book if I can justify it in the period folklore.

-clash

From my last session, Saturday July 18th:

We started off by constructing our association. Since we had started play before this - we are already in our second game year - this was a retcon dated back to the beginning of the current year, formalizing the informal relationship in effect the first year. The biggest arguments were over the nature of the association. The first vote went for "Courtier's Henchmen", but an impassioned argument against it by Klaxon after the vote persuaded us to first nominate and second any proposal, and assign a volunteer to argue for that position, then vote again after all arguments were in.

The four proposals which were seconded were for "Bounty Hunters", "Witch Hunters", 'Courtier's Henchmen", and "Secret Society". The players launched into their arguments for each proposal, after which was a period for rebuttal. Gradually Witch hunters got subsumed into the Bounty Hunters position, and the final vote was between those three. Secret Society became the surprise winner. Everyone was happy with the result, even those who had proposed other positions, so I think  it was as the best compromise choice that it won.

Once that was decided, things smoothed out a lot. We settled on Well to Do as the funding base, taking into account the Queen's support for the group already in evidence. There was a spirited debate on where to put their Home Base, with opinion finally settling on a Derelict castle. We talked about where to put it, deciding in the end to take a ruined castle in the Scilly Isles off Cornwall, which actually exists, with the group's Savant volunteering to set up a system of pocket tunnels to various points.

The group decided against any Guards and Security. They were not interested in any espionage assets, except for a system of 35 poor safehouses in every major city in the British Isles, with each one holding an Arcane Geometry tunnel entrance. Again, they decided against any Warships, as they thought a secret society had no business being so ostentatious.

They decided to buy a Cog for transport to and from the island, mainly for cover and supplies. they also sprung for four elite Warhorses for general use. For Medical Assets, they decided on a Doctor and an Apothecary for an assistant.

The Arcane Library was their focus, spending a lot of time and resources on it. They purchased 16 Common bestiaries, 16 Common Grimoires, 16 Very Common Grimoires, 16 rare Arcane Geometry treatises, 16 Common folk tales, 4 Rare Bestiaries, 8 Uncommon Grimoires, 4 Common Mythologies, 4 Rare Folk Tale, 1 Rare mythology, and 1 Very Rare Bestiary. They also opted for a Master Librarian to oversee things.

Training was another focus of interest, with the group opting for training 8 warriors, 2 Warlocks, 1 Savant, and 2 Esotericists. As for Cartography, they felt a Staff Cartographer and a Fairie Map would meet their needs. As with Warships, the group felt they did not need Mercenaries.

The group loved the concept of an Elizabethan Q department, so they funded an Artificer's Lab, with a Master Artificer and four assistant Artificers. Logistics and Maintenance were fully funded as well.

They kept 12 points in the bank for a rainy day, to be allocated if needed, as needed.

Looking at this pattern, you can clearly see what the group is interested in doing, and what they felt uninterested in. Very interesting!

-clash

Oh! that took half the day! The rest of the session we roleplayed!

-clash