Savage Marches

[nDervish]

Eastmere was a remote town of a few thousand centered around a mithril mine. Then the Silence came - not simply a physical quietness, but a mind-numbing, soul-crushing, total... Silence. It arrived on an utterly black night. Madness swept through the population by morning.

Within a week, Eastmere was reduced to a pale shadow of its former self. Just over a hundred had survived, the rest either dead, missing, or fled into the wilderness. Tightly grasping the last shreds of their sanity, the few survivors became aware of a faint Song, driving the Silence from their minds. Seeking it out, they found that the Song originated from a human-sized wooden doll lying in the fields north of town. Tracks leading to the doll suggested that it had walked there, then collapsed.

The doll was brought into the town. As the procession approached the mithril-laced statue in the center of town, the doll dissolved and flowed into the statue, with two immediately obvious effects. The first was that the Song had also been absorbed into the statue and became stronger in the joining. The second is that a part of the Song entered the person who had been carrying the statue, transforming her into the first Deva, safe from the Silence and able to protect others nearby as the mithril statue now protected the town.

In the following days, strangers began to arrive in Eastmere, many of them coming from places unlike any that were close enough to travel in so short a time and telling tales of wonders undreamed or horrors unimagined by the people of Eastmere. But the strangers were all alike in that each had been drawn by the town's Song and each bore an item with a Song of its own. They brought their items to the mithril statue, and the items were absorbed by it, strengthening the town's Song and transforming the bearers into Devas.

Now a month has passed. The dead have been buried and the town's Song carries far enough to protect the nearest fields. Several Devas have gathered and the time has come for them to secure those fields, seek out other survivors, find additional artifacts to further strengthen Eastmere's Song, and push back the Silence.

-----

Savage Marches is a sandbox Savage Worlds campaign in the general style of the West Marches campaign:

West Marches was a game [ben robbins] ran for a little over two years. It was designed to be pretty much the diametric opposite of the normal weekly game:

1) There was no regular time: every session was scheduled by the players on the fly.

2) There was no regular party: each game had different players drawn from a pool of around 10-14 people.

3) There was no regular plot: The players decided where to go and what to do. It was a sandbox game in the sense that’s now used to describe video games like Grand Theft Auto, minus the missions. There was no mysterious old man sending them on quests. No overarching plot, just an overarching environment.

The "overarching environment" of Savage Marches is based loosely on the PC/console game A Valley Without Wind: A magical apocalypse has shattered the timeline, bringing different historical periods into direct contact with each other. While the game will start out in a generic fantasy-themed era, it will become cross-genre as the player characters explore further out from Eastmere and discover regions which are in the past or the future - but, on the other hand, the immediate area is large enough and dense enough that players who prefer to stick with a regular fantasy game will be able to explore and adventure there indefinitely. Visiting other eras will not be mandatory.

The player character Devas will each consist of two symbiotic characters, the person who has become a Deva and the Song which transformed them. The person is mortal and will likely die in the course of the game. The Song is immortal and, when the Deva's body is killed, the Song will immediately transfer to a nearby friendly NPC henchman, allowing the player to remain in the game without interruption. However, deaths of Devas and henchmen will harm the reputations of those leading the expedition, making it harder to recruit henchmen in the future. Also, Eastmere's population is very limited, so it would not be wise to sacrifice bodies without good cause.

I'll follow up soon with a map of Eastmere's immediate area, but some of the town's more pressing needs are:

• There are four farms close enough to the town's Song that non-Devas can safely work their fields, but first they need to be checked for other threats and verified to be safe.
• There has been no contact with any other population centers since the coming of the Silence. The neighboring town of Brassport is the closest, but there are about a half-dozen others within a day's travel. Any of them may be home to survivors and there are surely supplies to be scavenged.
• Ardenkeep, the regional capital city, lies about three days' travel to the west. Someone should report to them on the situation in Eastmore - assuming there's anyone left there to report to.
• The wooden doll which provided the first Song remains a mystery. It came from the north, but nobody knows where in the north it might have come from.

If you're interested in visiting the Savage Marches, either reply here or PM me. If you're unsure of the game or summer scheduling, part of the reason I decided on the West Marches approach was to keep it flexible and low-commitment - if you're gone on semester or just have an unpredictable schedule, that's no big deal, since there's no fixed "party" and sessions will be scheduled ad-hoc when people want to play. Show up when you can and want to, don't worry about it when you can't.

If you have any questions, please ask them here. I'll still answer if you ask by PM, but it's better if everyone can see the answers.

[God45]

You already know that I am on-board and exited about this game but I just wanted to make my participation official. You have my axe

[bladerunner_35]

I've been meaning to pick up roleplaying again during the summer and this sounds like a good opportunity. I work odd hours (and got three kids) so it might be difficult to find a good day for me to participate but I have wanted to try out Savage Worlds a long time and am interested.

[nDervish]

I've been meaning to pick up roleplaying again during the summer and this sounds like a good opportunity. I work odd hours (and got three kids) so it might be difficult to find a good day for me to participate

Agreed, this does sound like it could be a good fit for your situation. In keeping with the West Marches idea, you can post a time that works for you along with an objective that you'd like to pursue and we'll see if anyone else is interested and able to join in. (For example, "Does anyone want to go scout out Brassport for threats on the 25th?") My evenings and weekends tend to be pretty open, so most any time should work for me, as long as I have a few days advance notice to prepare the area you're headed for. If nobody else is available, I'm still fine with running one-on-one if you want to.

I'll have a map image up Sunday, or maybe tomorrow, which should suggest some additional options beyond random exploration and the things I mentioned the town needing in the original post.

I have wanted to try out Savage Worlds a long time and am interested.

Do you have access to the Savage Worlds rules? If so, you can make a "host" character normally and post/PM it, or I can give you a few randomly-generated NPCs to choose from if you either don't have the rules or if you would just prefer something random.

The Song character is pretty straightforward to create, even without the SW rules:

1. Pick a name. Preferably the name of an actual song, but that's not required. (My solo PC's song is "Veteran of the Psychic Wars" and God45 has "The Bloody Verdict of Verden".)
2. Pick an Arcane Background, either Magic, Miracles, Psionics, Weird Science, Alchemy, Sorcery, or Ritual Magic
3. Depending on your choice of Arcane Background, you'll be able to select 1-3 powers/spells to start with; I can either give you a list to pick from or you can describe the general effects you want and I'll find a good way to model them in the game
4. There is no step four. You're done!

[God45]

I've been meaning to pick up roleplaying again during the summer and this sounds like a good opportunity. I work odd hours (and got three kids) so it might be difficult to find a good day for me to participate but I have wanted to try out Savage Worlds a long time and am interested.

I will also be working odd hours this summer but I will also have alot of free time. So I if you post a time that you are able to play I have a high probability of being abel to play

[Raktskjutarn]

This one is very interested in participating. I love the...upplägg. ^^
Is there a date set for the first session?

[nDervish]

Is there a date set for the first session?

Not officially, no. I wasn't going to point it out explicitly until after I get a map posted, but that's pretty much up to you guys. The first session will be whenever the players decide they want to have one.

At this point, I'm ready to go as far as game mechanics and have my GM-overview map of the starting area/era nearly finalized along with some general ideas for the eras that are adjacent to it. I just need to make some final adjustments to my overview map and draw out a player version to post here, then all my high-level preparation should be complete. After that, it's up to the players to decide what tasks you want to pursue and I'll fill in the necessary details based on that.

[God45]

I am working midsummers eve and midsummers day but I am free this entire coming week and I am free the entire week after midsummer. What do you guys, Raktskjutarn and bladerunner_35, say about forming the first adventuring party one of those weeks? I can anytime during those weeks so why don`t one of you guys suggest a time and then we can play

If the two of you can`t find a time that both of you can play I can play with both of you on the different times even.

And does that work for you nDervish?

[nDervish]

And does that work for you nDervish?

I'll be unavailable the entire Midsummer weekend, but should be free any time in the next two weeks aside from that. I'll also need a couple days for prep once you decide where you want to go and what you want to accomplish there, so try to work that out as soon as possible, even if you haven't settled on a time to play yet.

Also, I'd like to get host characters set up in advance for anyone who wants to build them themselves, so we won't have to do that before playing. (Song characters should only take a couple minutes, so doing them on the day shouldn't be a bit deal.) Do you want to give a brief description of Alaric's abilities, God45, so that the others know what's already covered?

Here's the first-pass players' map. Terrain, settlements, roads, and rivers are all marked. I'll probably blow it up to a larger size at some point and add other locations (caves, roadside inns, etc.) at some point, but I'm not in any hurry to do that.

[God45]

you want to give a brief description of Alaric's abilities, God45, so that the others know what's already covered?

Alrics basic concept is that he used to be a great barbarian warrior and adventurer... 60 years ago. He settled down in his late 20s and have been running a bakery since then. The song have called him back into the killing things business now that he is in his late 80s. He also might have slight suicidal tendencies since he would prefer a glories death in battle to dying from old age.

Alaric is an offensive powerhouse. He have an gigantic axe, a d12 in using it and an edge that gives him the ability to attack several people standing around him (this ability does have friendly fire...). His song gives him berserker ability's that makes him faster and stronger.

Alarics big weakness is that he don`t wear any armour since he is old, wants do die and it is uncomfortable (but mostly because I couldn't afford any...) and have a pretty crap defence.

His only other real skill other than murder is picking locks which he is okay at.

Oh, and this is his song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvKRbi2ovDY


I vote that we head for Brassport and that if we have time we should check out that little crossed hammer symbol near it. It looks interesting but is still close enough that we can run away if we need to

[nDervish]

I vote that we head for Brassport and that if we have time we should check out that little crossed hammer symbol near it. It looks interesting but is still close enough that we can run away if we need to

Ah, sorry... I assumed the location icons would all be clear without needing to include them in the map legend. The crossed hammer icons are mines. Specifically, Eastmere is near a mithril mine, Brassport is near a copper mine, and Marston is near a marble quarry.

I was also thinking as I went to bed last night that I should post a list of settlements on the map with a few details about each, so:

• Adanur's Arbor
  This was once a holy site of Adanur, goddess of the forests, but businesses sprang up to service the visitors and the local forest became farmland. Pilgrims still visit, though many believe that Adanur has forsaken the area.
• Alcott's Grave
  Either a well-fortified lighthouse or a castle with a lighthouse, depending on how you look at it. Either way, it has been home to a garrison of 200 men (and their families) defending the sea approach to Eastmere and Brassport. The fortifications were built 400 years ago after Sea-Lord Alcott, the Grey Wolf of the Seas, ran half his fleet aground while attempting to intercept a fleet of pirate raiders.
• Ashcliffe
  A cluster of farms built below a waterfall coming off the mountain cliffs to the southwest.
• Axdale Temple
  Home to 40 templars of Elrak, God of Battle. The temple was established several centuries ago by victorious templars after they defeated the dragon Hispion.
• Bitterwood (not actually shown on the map; it's on the north shore of the lake near Scargrove)
  Known primarily as the producer of the best mead in the region, brewed from honey produced by the village's unique breed of battle bees.
• Brassport
  Originally settled by Kherada colonists from the far southeast, then captured in an ancient war. Brassport's citizens are somewhat insular and have preserved many Kherada customs, but gave up any ill feelings over the war long ago. Aside from trade, this town of 1800 supports a copper mine, brass foundry, and several skilled goldsmiths.
• Drakov's Tower
  Originally settled by servants to the wizard Drakov and their extended families. Drakov himself hasn't been seen for at least a century, but his tower still stands on the coast to the south of the village and receives few visitors aside from boys trying to prove their bravery to their friends. Most of the boys even return.
• Eastmere
  This was the largest settlement in the immediate area with a population of 2500 before the Silence came. Today, there are 134 survivors. The Mithril Quarter, on the northeast riverbank, is well-fortified to protect the mithril refining and crafting facilities, while the remainder of the city, on the other bank, is largely unprotected. Aside from the mithril industry, Eastmere also supports a strong trade in furs from the forests to the west.
• Elrak's Abbey (off-map; about another 10km west along the road from Marston)
  A monastery dedicated to the warrior-monks of Elrak, masters of all weapons. They are supported by the region's best weaponsmiths and great heroes who fall in Elrak's service are brought here for burial.
• Emerald Haven
  Smaller and more exposed than Brassport, Emerald Haven passed its peak long ago, but it is still known for its expert jewelcrafters and smiths.
• Gilcross
  At first, the Gilcross Tavern was merely the first stopping point for those fortunate enough to escape Drakov's service. As time passed and it became apparent that he couldn't be bothered to pursue those who fled, they began settling here and farming the area.
• Hangman's Point
  This is the only settlement on a moderately-sized (the section shown on the map is about 1/4 of the island) and mostly-swampy island. It was settled 150 years ago by exiled followers of a heretical death cult.
• Marston
  Marble is Marston's primary business and reason for existing, but the village has had problems producing enough food recently, as the northern fields have started to go bad. The wizard Modoc erected a tower in the hills north of town about the time this famine began, leading many in Marston to suspect that he may be the cause.
• Rivenmoor
  More a guardpost than anything else, Rivenmoor serves mainly to house 20 scouts and their families as they observe an evil chasm to the southwest and ensure that nobody goes in - and that nothing comes out.
• Santise Glen (off-map; on the western shore of the small lake on the map edge southwest of Marston)
  Temple to Santise, goddess of knowledge and magic. There is a very small permanent population of priests, but any sage or wizard in the region will attempt to make at least one extended visit if they are able to do so.
• Scargrove
  This village was originally named for scarwort, a potent medicinal herb which grows among the rocks in the area. However, in the last few decades, the ground has begun to crumble, opening large "scars" in the ground and giving the name a double meaning.
• Serpent's Cove (in the southeast, location uncertain)
  Legend has it that Serpent's Cove lies near the south road from Emerald Haven and provides a safe gathering place for pirates, rogues, and scoundrels of every description.
• Stilham
  This village was constructed at the end of a pass through the hills, near a site holy to Afghar, God of Earth and Sea. The site is marked by seven great stone figures which could almost be statues, though legend claims they are naturally-occurring.
• Yewdell
  After the last great war with the Anjai Empire, a group of Anjai defectors settled here, as they were unable to return to their homeland. The traditional arts of Anjai bow crafting have been kept alive since then and Yewdell remains the source of the region's best bows.

And, once again, that's turned out to be a lot longer than I was expecting...

[God45]

After having seen the I need to change my vote to Drakov's Tower. Wizards always have the best loot

[bladerunner_35]

Alright. Here's some thoughts:

- Do I understand it correctly that this is a classical sand box fantasy/mystery adventure with strong dungeon crawling elements but also a lot of world building and resource management aspects?

- I do have Savage Worlds Deluxe, how many points per character and are there any restricted eges or specific campaign edges I should know about?

- I can't play any of the two coming weekends but can play between 18-23 or so on both tuesdays and wednesday next week. I can play both coming mondays the entire day.

- If this is a world building sand box I will probably make a pretty rational character that wants to secure the community first and foremost. Meaning to secure the farms, possibly by sending men to one farm while we go to another. After securing the farms Brassport seems like a logical option but it's also vital to find out if central government still stand. So no fools errand to wizards towers! At least not yet...

- We should sit down and get the social contract out in the open

- I can probably not stick to the campaign after the summer.

[God45]

Then I am in support of going to Brassport first and finding wizard treasure later

You said you needed a couple of days to prepare nDervish, do you think that you are ready to play Wednesday at 18 since bladerunner_35 could play at that time? Oh, and can you play at that time Raketskjutarn?

[bladerunner_35]

Just a clarification; I can't play this coming wednesday (I work until 22 then) but the next wednesday on the 26th.

Since nDervish needs a couple of days to prep I say we shoot for monday the 24th as a starting day. I can't play very late (23-ish) but can begin at any time (I'm free from work that monday).

Also, I've been doing some Savage research and found this tip (among others):

Fifth, let every PC have the Common Bond Edge as a free Edge and they don't have to have the minimum requirements for it at all. In fact, don't bother to have them write it down because they can just use the Edge. Players have the opportunity to engage in each others' PCs more directly when they hand out their own bennies, which keeps them involved in the action!

From this page: http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?691 ... orldsDon't

I'll try do finish my char today or tomorrow.

[nDervish]

- Do I understand it correctly that this is a classical sand box fantasy/mystery adventure with strong dungeon crawling elements but also a lot of world building and resource management aspects?

I think I would say more "open-ended classical sandbox fantasy/exploration". While the question is out there in-world of what caused the Silence and (eventually, after it's discovered in-game) why the past, present, and future are being crowded together, that's really just a backdrop element, not a mystery meant to be solved.

The primary metagame purpose of the Silence is to provide a reason why the PCs are the only ones going out and doing things (direct exposure to the Silence drives people insane, so they need to either remain in town or stay close to the PCs), a reason for other towns to be largely deserted, and a reason why you can't immediately reclaim the entire map.

- I do have Savage Worlds Deluxe, how many points per character and are there any restricted eges or specific campaign edges I should know about?

For the host character, standard point totals (5 attribute, 15 skill, up to one Major and two Minor Hindrances), human only. At your option, they can be from another time period, but resupplying could be an issue in that case, and also see Setting Rules below.

For the Song character, pick an Arcane Background (any except Super Powers). The Song starts with the AB's associated skill at d6 and the related attribute at d6, all other attributes at d4, and no Edges or Hindrances.

There are no specifically restricted Edges/Hindrances, but keep in mind that you're going to be the heroes of a small band of survivors, so everyone will know everyone else and money will not be a significant factor.

If you have the Savage Worlds Fantasy Companion, the Edges in that book are available, including all racial Edges except for Adaptable (which doesn't apply because its only effect is to unlock other racial Edges).

If you have the Savage Worlds Horror Companion, all of those Edges and Hindrances are available except Visions, but note that many of the Edges will be less useful than in a proper horror campaign. (Orcs are not "supernatural evil".) Note also that Horror Companion modifies the Doubting Thomas Hindrance (+2 starting Sanity, but Sanity losses due to failed Fear checks are increased by 1).

Setting Rules:

• Skill Specialization: Specializations are by era, not by equipment type, and you are specialized in your home era automatically.
• Sanity (Horror Companion): Starting and maximum Sanity score is 2 + (Spirit die / 2). Gain a temporary minor Habit if Sanity drops to 2 or less. Gain permanent psychoses if Sanity drops to 0.
• The Silence (custom): NPCs exposed directly to the Silence must make periodic Spirit rolls (daily if in the company of a Deva, hourly if not), losing 1 Sanity on failure. Devas (including the PCs) are immune to this effect.
• The Song (custom): PCs are two characters in one, a Song and a host. All abilities are considered to be at the higher of either the Song's or the host's level. Players are not required to play out the host's psychological Hindrances, but you'll get more Bennies if you do... Any game-mechanical effects of the host's Hindrances will be in effect regardless.
• Chord Progression (custom): A player's Song and host each receive full XP awards. The host advances normally in all respects. The Song may not advance abilities beyond those of its current host with the exception of Power Edges and its arcane skill (e.g., the Song can always take the Power Points Edge or increase its arcane skill, but cannot advance beyond d8 Fighting if the host's Fighting is d8).
• Musical Bodies (custom): When a player's host dies, their Song immediately transfers to a nearby friendly Extra, who becomes its new host. The new host is automatically Shaken by the experience (but does not take a Wound if already Shaken). The Song itself is immortal and cannot be killed, but it can't take any action without a host.
• Reputation (custom) - Each PC starts with a Reputation score of 0, which will be increased as they do things to benefit the community of survivors and reduced if there are deaths on their expeditions or if they take equipment without paying for it.
• Henchmen (custom) - When each expedition is organized, a random group of survivors will be willing and available to accompany the PCs as henchmen. The number of NPCs in this group will be directly affected by the average Reputation of the PCs taking part - if they're great heroes, more people will make time to assist them; if their henchmen tend to die, then nobody will want to take that risk. These henchmen do not require any payment, but generosity towards them will also help your Reputation.

- If this is a world building sand box I will probably make a pretty rational character that wants to secure the community first and foremost. Meaning to secure the farms, possibly by sending men to one farm while we go to another. After securing the farms Brassport seems like a logical option but it's also vital to find out if central government still stand. So no fools errand to wizards towers! At least not yet...

That sounds eminently reasonable.

- We should sit down and get the social contract out in the open

Are there any particular points you want to establish?

The two primary social contract sticking points I tend to see are PC death and intra-party conflict. My feelings on them are:

- As a GM, I do not and will not go out of my way to kill PCs, but I don't pull any punches (unless it's in-character for the attacker) or fudge rolls either, so PCs do die from time to time. I tend to use software dice rollers because I have all my reference materials on a laptop, but I'm happy to roll in the open with physical dice if anyone wants me to.

In this specific campaign, I expect the PC mortality rate to be slightly higher than I'm normally used to, both because it's a dangerous setting and because I'm not that experienced with the Savage Worlds system, so I may make things a bit deadlier at times than I mean to. However, between the Song mechanics and the availability of henchmen for Songs to jump to, it should be quick and easy for players to recover from host character deaths on the fly.

- In principle, I don't object to intra-party conflict as a general rule, but serious intra-party conflict just doesn't make sense in this setting. Disagreements are expected and I'm OK with in-character arguments (so long as they're strictly in-character), but anything more serious than that should be avoided.

But those are just my preferences. They're open to discussion and amendment if anyone has problems with them, although I think we'd be better off taking this as a standard fantasy campaign without the complication of Songs-as-characters if PC death is taken off the table.

- I can probably not stick to the campaign after the summer.

Not a problem. It was designed from the ground up to handle players coming and going at any time.

[nDervish]

Since nDervish needs a couple of days to prep I say we shoot for monday the 24th as a starting day. I can't play very late (23-ish) but can begin at any time (I'm free from work that monday).

Works for me. I can be to DMF around 18ish.

Also, I've been doing some Savage research and found this tip (among others):

Fifth, let every PC have the Common Bond Edge as a free Edge and they don't have to have the minimum requirements for it at all. In fact, don't bother to have them write it down because they can just use the Edge. Players have the opportunity to engage in each others' PCs more directly when they hand out their own bennies, which keeps them involved in the action!

Let it be so!

From this page: http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?691 ... orldsDon't

I guess I know what I'll be reading next... Thanks for the link!

[bladerunner_35]

That all sounds very good. I do not own any other Savage products (except stand-alone games) so no companions but I'll make do.

I am not quite sure I understand the exact nature of the Songs. Are they just a game mechanic to differentiate the PC and act as a "save point" for the campaign or are they actual beings with some sort of personality that influence the possessed person?

Are there any particular points you want to establish?

I have no problem with the points you raise. For me it's mostly just to get everyone on the same page:

Player expectation can vary wildy if between "this is a campaign about kicking down doors and taking names" or "dammit Jim, we need those barrels of grain, send in more redshirts!".

Personally while I enjoy a good fight just as much as the next bloke I really like the resource management and roleplay opportunities in leading a rag-tag group of survivors from one day to the next.

I am thinking of The Walking Dead, especially season three.

While it's not going to stop me from joining in I wouldn't be thrilled about dungeon crawling from one place to the next.

[bladerunner_35]

Here's another good link if you are interested: http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?591 ... -questions

[nDervish]

I am not quite sure I understand the exact nature of the Songs. Are they just a game mechanic to differentiate the PC and act as a "save point" for the campaign or are they actual beings with some sort of personality that influence the possessed person?

I see them more as the latter.

If you really want to put a dark spin on things, the Song is your actual PC and host bodies are just equipment. I tend to prefer looking at it more as a symbiotic relationship, but, when it comes down to it, the game demands that the Song must be able to override the host's desires. Otherwise, you could get stuck with massive un-fun by jumping into a host with a set of Hindrances that you don't want to play.

Player expectation can vary wildy if between "this is a campaign about kicking down doors and taking names" or "dammit Jim, we need those barrels of grain, send in more redshirts!".

I lean more to "Dammit, Jim, we need those barrels of grain. Time to kick down some doors and take names!"

Personally while I enjoy a good fight just as much as the next bloke I really like the resource management and roleplay opportunities in leading a rag-tag group of survivors from one day to the next.

Agreed, although another of the West Marches themes that I want to hold to (although I have a feeling it will be difficult for me) is the idea that "adventure is out there; being in town is safe... and boring". Although I'm open to revising my plans, the original intention is to avoid any in-town politics, instead assuming that supplies will be handled appropriately by NPCs once the PCs bring them in.

That said, I do intend to keep resource management front-and-center most of the time, whether the resources in question are how many hours you can travel in a day, how much food and ammo you're carrying (either for your own use or to supply the town), how many redshirts are alive in town, or how many redshirts are sane enough to go out on your expedition...