Category Archives: Maelstrom

UK Games Expo 2012 – Part 1

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Day One at the UK Games Expo – the last one to be held at the Clarendon Suites, somewhere (I think) in the West Bromwich sort of area of Birmingham. I travelled down here today from Manchester at about 6.30AM, and made solid time until I got within a mile of the venue, when I decided to make a detour that took about 20 minutes to correct. That O2 decided to completely pack up leaving me without my phone for sat navigation really didn’t help at all.

When we did arrive, we immediately bumped into Graham Bottley, from Arion Games – the very person we had hoped to help. He had returned to the car park for his final box, so we failed completely to be any help at all. The Suite seemed to be busting with tables, with some rejigging of traders and tables at odds with previous years. We ended up in the Green Zone in a good spot not too far from the door, and not too far from the RPG room where I would be running an Advanced Fighting Fantasy game at 10AM.

We, my youngest son and me, assisted Graham with extracting books from boxes and arranging the piles into something bordering on, but probably not really related to, proper merchandising. Graham sells a lot of standard solo Fighting Fantasy books as well as the coffee table format Advanced Fighting Fantasy roleplaying game volumes.

All prepared and topped up with a cup of coffee, I went off to the RPG room at 9.55AM and found a table (the only one left, as it happened). I found one pre-booked player already waiting for me, another soon followed, and a new signing came not too long after that. I started going through the mechanics of the game, then co-opted my son (just passing) to bulk the party out to four players (not for fun, I may add, but for the good entertaining of the paying pundits).

We played Fighting Fantasy until about 1.30PM – playing a variant version of the classic adventure ‘The Wishing Well’ (one included in the new edition of Advanced Fighting Fantasy). The game involved a dungeon crawl, complicated by a necromancer with world domination in mind and the neat complexity of time travel. Having faced the necromancer in their first ever adventure together and failed to defeat him outright, the characters had to return to the same place and time – using a variant of the sorcerous ZED spell – and put right their mistake without – most importantly – bumping into themselves. The first 20 minutes or more covered some fairly indepth planning, then when they arrived they very cautiously followed themselves into the dungeon and took an alternate root. They passed through a furnace funnel, faced off against a ghoulish monk, discovered an animated skeleton production facility, stumbled across the bones of a Black Dragon, then finally reached an underground river – just after their earlier selves completed the crossing. Trying to follow, three of the four almost got swept down the river – saved by the stalwart adventurer Jack – and then struggled to the shoreline just as part of the cavern collapsed revealing a very angry and now thoroughly animated Undead Black Dragon Skeleton. Setting a trap to stop the necromancer escaping – which he managed to do last time, though mortally wounded – they spent several tense moments fending off the necrotic flames of the dragon before the villain died. The future saved, the spell collapsed dragging them back through time – to a world that didn’t even know that it had been in a danger…

For the rest of the day, I supported Graham in selling stock from the stall. Largely, this involved chatting with people about their first experiences with Fighting Fantasy and Maelstrom, the other game for sale on the stand and the one I contribute to. I love hearing about how people got into gaming, their experiences with solo adventures, and their favourites out of the series. Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone attended the event and gave a talk at 2PM, and a little after 3PM a queue formed in front of our stall and their co-authors soon followed. Ian and Steve signed various books for loyal fans – and I got Steve to sign my copy of Fighting Fantasy (the original roleplaying version of the solo games and the place where ‘The Wishing Well’ adventure first appeared).

By 5PM we felt tired and relieved to pack up. We – my son and me – had a slightly uninspiring buffet dinner in the hotel restaurant (a ‘one trip’-only affair where we didn’t quite make the most of the plate-based real estate), then played a game in the lobby. He then went on to play Shadows of Camelot, while I sloped off upstairs to type this…

Tomorrow – more from the stall and a Maelstrom sci-fi adventure at 10AM (sold out three weeks ago during pre-booking).

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Maelstrom Beggars Companion Appears

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A year ago, I set about writing a Beggars Companion supplement for Maelstrom. Having struggled to write PARANOIA: The Underplex, a process that seemed to span a whole year and still turned out a product that felt a little wayward, I wanted to set myself a clear goal. At a minimum of 1,500 words a day, I wanted to have a completed text ready for the end of December 2010.

I had spent a good while before reading source materials, histories, reference work, and sociological accounts. I hit the writing from day one with enthusiasm, but cannot claim to have kept to it. However, if I slipped during the week, I made up for it at the weekend. I kept plugging away, sketching out the high level structure, filling in the high level pass, then homing in on the detail. I created the main descriptions of the various types of beggars, roughed out the new rules for referees, and, last of all, wrote the adventure; ‘The Long Road‘ adventure would add up to a fifth of the length of the final work, and flowed surprisingly easily. By the New Year, I had about 25,000 words complete and very little more to add (so I thought).

Alas, complications arose in respect of publishing the work and it languished for much of the rest of the year. I didn’t give the text too much attention over that time, but another 7,000 words crept in somewhere, and a couple of thousand crept back out before the end. I swear I read through that thing six or seven times, but I know my blindness left many elements I plan to correct. Just yesterday I noticed a quote from another work repeated within a couple of pages of the first reference – and can’t account for just how I might have missed that!

At Dragonmeet on Saturday, I handled a printed copy of the work and watched as the pile on the Arion Games stand slowly halved in size. Yesterday evening, the PDF version went live at RPGNow and I’m happy to say at least another half dozen sold within the first few hours.

I believe I’ve written a decent overview of beggars and their historical tricks. As I mentioned to someone at Dragonmeet, I believe many of those tricks survive to this day – including an early variation of the Nigerian scam carried out by a fellow called the Ring Feller. While I wrote the book for Maelstrom and had the Tudor period in mind, the quantity of system specific content remains sleight. You will find a lot of generic material here and the option to apply it either as material for character creation or ideas for non-player distractions. The end of the book includes a fiendishly unpleasant table for determining random ailments for those sleeping rough; and a small extension to the classic herbal section of the original Maelstrom rules (oft referred to as a seminal aspect of the game system, along with it’s freeform approach to magic).

I’m happy I managed to write it to deadline, and happier still it finally made it out as both a physical book and a PDF. I hope many people will read it and find something useful or interesting. I certainly found it a very interesting book to research and write. And now I plan the next couple of projects with a spring in my step and just a pinch of excited enthusiasm.

Our Lady’s Mantle

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Available: Su, Au 60%
Preparation: none
Cost: 1s. 6d./3s.
Uses: 2
Effective: 65% / 30%

A perennial plant, with rounded leaves and small green flowers growing in loose clusters. Found in damp places, such as meadows and shady woodland.

The clean, fresh, green leaves of the Lady’s Mantle may, if taken as a tea, settle the stomach and the bowel, reducing the symptoms of poor appetite, stomach upset and diarrhoea. The extract of the plant may also, when applied externally, aid in coagulation of the blood – reducing bleeding.

The influence of the herbal remedy over the blood has also led to a reputation for returning ‘bigness and hardness’ to the otherwise sagging or over large breasts of a woman by the application of the bruised leaves to the bosom. Use the second Effective rating in determining the success rate of the herb for this purpose. The effects are temporary.

Maelstrom Herbal Overview

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Not the most exciting post for many, but I don’t care. I have compiled a ‘complete’ herbal overview for Maelstrom, and uploaded the result at Scribd.com. I did say this would very likely not excite many people.

The herbal overview includes all the information from the original rules, broken down into a succinct and common language. So, you will find all prices in pennies and all timings in days, for example. I have also appended the short herbal expansion included in the as yet unpublished Maelstrom: Beggars’ Companion. Anything new I have shown the name in a green-tinted cell and there should be a ‘X’ in the New column at the end of the row.

For slightly extended information on, and illustrations of, the herbs you will need to refer to the original rules (or wait patiently for the release of the Beggars’ Companion).

The Anvil

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An adventure for Maelstrom, or other fantasy/historical games, featuring the supernatural. The following represents an overview only and requires some work by the Gamemaster to flesh out characters, expand plot threads and map out locations. While currently very linear in plotting, the Gamemaster should attempt to be as flexible as possible in supporting the characters’ investigation of the situation.

The Hook

The blacksmith in the village has lost his anvil.

Well, not so much lost it, as someone has seen fit to steal it. The blacksmith can’t account for how this might have happened, given the weight of the thing. He invites the characters to find the anvil, in return for which he will shoe their horses, make repairs to their metal goods and offer them a favourable discount on any purchases they care to make.

The Smithy

Searching the smithy reveals the foundation stone on which the anvil stood, the spot a silhouette of cleanliness amidst metallic globules and dark charring. The ground around the anvil shows no signs of extreme disturbance, just the prints from feet – like those of the ‘smith or his apprentice – from before the disappearance of the anvil. Moving the anvil would require a hoist of some kind and a cart, for certain – but no evidence exists of either. A cart laden with an anvil would definitely leave tracks.

The blacksmith (good strength and persuasion, keen perception) indicates he has received no threats nor unwanted attentions from local thieves. He owes no money nor harbours any vice likely to leave him indebted to anyone.

The Village

Questioning the villagers, the characters discover the ‘smith to be a god-fearing man of considerable faith. He supports the local church and contributes to the alms for the local poor. He aspires to greater things, hoping to gain an appointment in one of the larger towns or in the service of nobility.

More thorough discussions with the older members of the village, combined with copious bribes of the local brew, reveals that the ‘smith took over the forge 5 years ago after the death of the previous incumbant. The old ‘smith lived in the village for his whole life and followed the ways of the old religions, believing more in the powers of nature than the Christian way. The village pastor tolerated the ‘smith because he did such a good job. The villagers appreciated him because he claimed to bring them good fortune because of his anvil, forged from faerie metals, so he claimed. Indeed, the old villager questioned will confide that during the time of the old ‘smith no harvest failed and no plague befouled the settlement.

The Church

Talking to the pastor (good local knowledge, fair willpower), the characters can discover a little more about the old ‘smith. The Church certainly would frown on his ways, but tolerance mattered a great deal in Christian faith. The ‘smith brought no harm and seemed to imbue the villagers with considerable strength of purpose and confidence. He might have claimed supernatural intervention, but the pastor saw him as a charismatic leader with considerable influence. Unfortunately, after the death of his wife, he seemed to struggle, old already, and his decline followed rapidly. The new ‘smith bought into the forge as a going concern, including the old ‘smiths apprentice, and has continued the good work of the old ‘smith – at least professionally. He does what he can for the community, but he lacks the same character and guiding will.

The Apprentice

The apprentice (good willpower, weak constitution) can be found in the tavern in the evening, though he doesn’t stay late and never drinks more than a mug or two of weak ale. By day, he spends all his time at the forge assisting the ‘smith. He will not speak with the characters by day, but might be convinced to do so in the tavern, especially if cajoled by good humour, a pretty lady, or a request for assistance on some matter pertaining to the art of smithing.

He will not speak ill of the current ‘smith, but has grave concerns for his own future and the livelihood of his family now that the anvil has gone. With coaxing, he will talk of the old ‘smith with guarded hush in his tones and furtive looks at the other villagers. The old ‘smith, he explains, has many friends in the village still and he owes him considerably. The anvil, he says, came into the possession of the old ‘smith before the apprentice was born; but, he has heard tales of supernatural origins and the old ‘smith certainly supported that notion with his own stories. The ‘smith spent time, each week, in the local woods at ‘the ring’; but, the apprentice never went there nor asked about it. The old ‘smith took his devotions there, so he said, and respected it has a place of natural power.

The Ring

Asking for the location of ‘the ring’ from the villagers will get no response, or may draw warning to stay clear. No amount of coaxing or alcohol will draw the location from their lips. Searching the woods in person could take days (D6+1). If a woodsman or hunter of some form figures amongst the characters, they might attempt to use tracking, but will still take days (D3+1). The character’s might seek out local poachers or beggars, in which case some persuasion and bribery could reveal a little used track into the woodlands, leading to a clearing once used by sturdy men as a hideout. From there, a further track – spotted by the perceptive – leads to the ring.

The characters will find the location in ruin. Most of the stones have been uprooted and tipped over, the earth churned up around them. Anyone entering the ring will find a slight depression in the spongy and torn earth, approximately rectangular in shape – suggesting whoever took the anvil brought it here. Again, no evidence of dragging or heavy cart tracks exist.

After spending only a short time in the clearing, the characters will feel an intense sensation of cold. Anyone trying to leave the clearing at this point finds the location surrounded by a wall of faintly whistling wind. The wind rapidly picks up leaves, branches, stones and dirt. If attempted immediately, passing through the wall requires a considerable act of willpower, but nothing more. Later, willpower alone with not suffice, as the wind threatens to knock the escaping character to the floor and batters them with flying debris. A Sqitch (excellent speed, keen perception) has appeared and summoned the wall of force – a supernatural sprite with a body like a satyr, the wings of a raven, and the face of a bat. Like many creatures of the supernatural, the Sqitch has a taste for blood and an intolerance for the ignorance of humanity.

The local faeries have taken the destruction of the ring very badly, as it has considerably inhibited there access to the material world. The characters might attempt to have a conversation with the Sqitch, but they’ll do so while fighting. The creature has sharp claws and teeth, and the ability to manipulate the air. It will seek to cause characters to slip and fall, with sharp gusts, distract them with clouds of dust, swipe them with wildly swaying branches, and jab them with punches of debris-filled air from the surrounding wall. The Sqitch will reveal a man came here destroyed the ring a few nights ago. While the creature doesn’t know names and considers all mankind to basically look alike, questioning may lead to identification of the new ‘smith.

The ‘smith had heard tales of the forge from the old ‘smith himself and plying him with drink discovered the pact, of sorts, he held with local sprites. After the old ‘smiths wife died, the new ‘smith offered support with food and company, trying to discover more of the old man’s secrets. In the end, having extracted all the detail he could – little as it was – he poisoned the old man and took over the forge soon after. However, his understanding of the supernatural agreement proved flawed and he failed to keep to the weekly ceremonies, despite this detail being amongst those passed on by the old ‘smith. After years of struggling, and gaining some small benefit from the magic of the anvil, he finally snapped, went to the ring and desecrated the site in a rage.

Conclusion

Unless someone reseats the stones and sacrifices blood to the ring, or the Sqitch, the prosperity of the village, and the forge, will not return. Restoring the ring, or defeating the Sqitch, will drop the wall of air. The characters may return and the confront the ‘smith about his actions, or they may accuse the wrong person if the questioning of the Sqitch did not reveal enough clues. Whatever happens, the ‘smith will have actually left already, taking his tools and knocking his apprentice unconscious in a rage. The characters should discover his departure – and have the option to go after him. If they don’t the anvil will never be restored and the village will go into decline. If they do, they must get him to go to the stone ring and sacrifice drops of his blood to the ‘old religion.’ The characters might also work out the need for his blood, but not for his presence – cutting him, perhaps. Restoring the ring, the anvil will return and a Sqitch will appear to the apprentice, telling him to take care of it. The ‘smith will not be allowed to use it again and will feel nausea and revulsion whenever in sight of it.