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gridloreA few weeks ago I titled my review of Richard Miles' "Carthage Must Be Destroyed" as "Oh, this book is a campaign gold mine!" and then never bothered to explain what I meant by that statement. Pretty much any good history is ripe with good ideas waiting to be stolen by enterprising gamemasters or writers. There are several authors who are living off such efforts, and they don't even bother to file off the historical serial numbers. I'm looking at you, David Weber. Rob S. Pierre? Seriously?
But anyway, as I was reading this book I was also reading the latest edition of the Runequest rules. Runequest is set solidly in a late Bronze Age environment, and the standard setting feels a lot like the Levant just at the rise of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, roughly the 8th Century BCE. Recast the Assyrians as the Lunar Empire, and consider Boldhome to be a Jerusalem analog, and you can plunge into several really good books about the era and come up with tons of campaign fodder.
But I was reading about Carthage and Rome, which comes a few centuries later. One thing I simply hate about the early modern European historians was their tendency to ignore anything that happened outside their rigidly-defined boundaries for "Europe." Rome fell in 476 CE and that was the end of the Roman Empire, ignore all that Greek Oriental stuff going on Constantinople. Carthage was a city that warred with Rome, Hannibal and his elephants, the rest is not important. Idiots.
The story of how Tyre came to control a trade network that reached as far as modern-day Portugal is amazing, and once again, filled with opportunities for adventure. How Tyre fell up the sway of various empires in the 6th century BCE, and power shifted to Carthage. I won't go into too many details, you really should read the book, it's fantastic, but Carthage and Rome soon began butting heads over Sicily and Sardinia.
Which leads us to the Second Punic War. We pick up the action as Hannibal has already fought his way down the Italian peninsula and beaten every Legion the Republic has thrown at him. In 216 BCE, the Roman Senate sent Quintas Fabius Pictor on a mission to the Oracle at Delphi to discover what prayers or rituals were need to bring Rome victory.
Can you say quest? I knew you could. This is perfect for a fairly new party in Runequest. Word has come that the Lunars are preparing a new army, much larger than before. The players' characters are sent on a quest to learn any possible way to stop the immortal Red Emperor and the Red Moon. Pick a remote place, like Where the Rock Speaks or the Sun Dome Temple on the River of Cradles. Place various obstacles, like hostile tribes, Beastmen, whatever, and make getting an answer out of your chosen oracle a matter of some skills. Hell, have the oracle proclaim that they must go to the Rockwood Mountains and ask at the Throne! Keep them moving, with the knowledge that time is precious.
Along with questioning at Delphi, the Romans were also sending a delegation east to retrieve a sacred artifact of Cybele, called the Magna Mater (the Great Mother.) Do I even need to write this? Send the characters to get the artifact, but it's a diplomatic mission to a touchy temple that demanded a great tribute in exchange. At this point, the characters should be able to attract followers or hire troops, this is a big task. Fighting off bandits and Lunar plots on the way out, protecting a precious artifact on the way home. "There and Back Again" has a nice ring to it.
Finally, go full Hannibal on them. This comes when the characters have reached the point of being Rune Lords or Priests. The Lunars are on the march, and Sartar needs more troops. The players are sent to someplace distant, Corflu or Esrolia, to call in a debt from a Priest-King. This is a grand campaign, as the characters guide their new army to battle, and seek to gain more allies as they go. Culminating in a grand battle against the Lunar Empire and the foul stench of chaos. This is a good campaign climax.
There you go. An entire campaign outline, with three major campaign objectives. Side adventures and the like means this could provide years of gaming, all without being murder hobos or plunging into a dungeon. While I specifically wrote this for Runequest, you can adapt it to any system or setting. Steal from history, all of humanity died so you could plunder it!
But anyway, as I was reading this book I was also reading the latest edition of the Runequest rules. Runequest is set solidly in a late Bronze Age environment, and the standard setting feels a lot like the Levant just at the rise of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, roughly the 8th Century BCE. Recast the Assyrians as the Lunar Empire, and consider Boldhome to be a Jerusalem analog, and you can plunge into several really good books about the era and come up with tons of campaign fodder.
But I was reading about Carthage and Rome, which comes a few centuries later. One thing I simply hate about the early modern European historians was their tendency to ignore anything that happened outside their rigidly-defined boundaries for "Europe." Rome fell in 476 CE and that was the end of the Roman Empire, ignore all that Greek Oriental stuff going on Constantinople. Carthage was a city that warred with Rome, Hannibal and his elephants, the rest is not important. Idiots.
The story of how Tyre came to control a trade network that reached as far as modern-day Portugal is amazing, and once again, filled with opportunities for adventure. How Tyre fell up the sway of various empires in the 6th century BCE, and power shifted to Carthage. I won't go into too many details, you really should read the book, it's fantastic, but Carthage and Rome soon began butting heads over Sicily and Sardinia.
Which leads us to the Second Punic War. We pick up the action as Hannibal has already fought his way down the Italian peninsula and beaten every Legion the Republic has thrown at him. In 216 BCE, the Roman Senate sent Quintas Fabius Pictor on a mission to the Oracle at Delphi to discover what prayers or rituals were need to bring Rome victory.
Can you say quest? I knew you could. This is perfect for a fairly new party in Runequest. Word has come that the Lunars are preparing a new army, much larger than before. The players' characters are sent on a quest to learn any possible way to stop the immortal Red Emperor and the Red Moon. Pick a remote place, like Where the Rock Speaks or the Sun Dome Temple on the River of Cradles. Place various obstacles, like hostile tribes, Beastmen, whatever, and make getting an answer out of your chosen oracle a matter of some skills. Hell, have the oracle proclaim that they must go to the Rockwood Mountains and ask at the Throne! Keep them moving, with the knowledge that time is precious.
Along with questioning at Delphi, the Romans were also sending a delegation east to retrieve a sacred artifact of Cybele, called the Magna Mater (the Great Mother.) Do I even need to write this? Send the characters to get the artifact, but it's a diplomatic mission to a touchy temple that demanded a great tribute in exchange. At this point, the characters should be able to attract followers or hire troops, this is a big task. Fighting off bandits and Lunar plots on the way out, protecting a precious artifact on the way home. "There and Back Again" has a nice ring to it.
Finally, go full Hannibal on them. This comes when the characters have reached the point of being Rune Lords or Priests. The Lunars are on the march, and Sartar needs more troops. The players are sent to someplace distant, Corflu or Esrolia, to call in a debt from a Priest-King. This is a grand campaign, as the characters guide their new army to battle, and seek to gain more allies as they go. Culminating in a grand battle against the Lunar Empire and the foul stench of chaos. This is a good campaign climax.
There you go. An entire campaign outline, with three major campaign objectives. Side adventures and the like means this could provide years of gaming, all without being murder hobos or plunging into a dungeon. While I specifically wrote this for Runequest, you can adapt it to any system or setting. Steal from history, all of humanity died so you could plunder it!
no subject
Date: 5 Jun 2019 03:04 (UTC)The Frankish Crusaders dismissively referred to the Byzantine Emperor as the “King of the Greeks,” which absolutely infuriated him, as you might expect!
no subject
Date: 5 Jun 2019 03:19 (UTC)That would be really -- interesting to work in a campaign with clerical magic.
no subject
Date: 5 Jun 2019 09:47 (UTC)