****UPDATE****

What started off as a replay (and live recording) of The Enemy Within has now turned into a fully fledged live play podcast. So I shall post regular session notes/journal entries from our adventures here. While the focus shall be on the narrative here I may include particular game mechanics and conversion notes where applicable. If anyone has any specific questions on how and what I converted I will try and recall what I did convert but as others suggested much of the conversion work was done on the fly.

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So i've just kicked off GMing the classic The Enemy Within Campaign 1st edition which i'm running using 3rd edition rules. So far i've pretty much converted all of Mistaken Identity with few problems (I'll share the notes once finished if anyones interested) Anyway I just wanted to see if anyone's got any advice and suggestions to help with both the general running of this classic campaign as well as any suggestions for things they'd definitely include from 3rd edition rules.

Oh and if all this sounds like something exciting that you'd like to be a part of we'll be offering all subscribers who wanna join in the fun to apply to join the Order of Chaos Team for one-off cameo appearances.

visit http://theorderofchaosgamers.com

Check out my video promo for the campaign here:

Thanks for your time

GM Noely

We have played the whole 1ed Enemy within with 3ed rules. Most of the converting I did "on the fly". For combat I prepared by getting appropriate creature cards while reading the adventures. Some creatures in 1ed enemy within doesn't exist in 3ed, then I used creature cards that I felt was similar. Or you could just swap out the creatures from the old campaign with new, fitting, creatures.

And the same for location cards, picked out the appropriate ones while reading through the adventures.

I felt that 3ed is easy enough to convert most checks and handle difficulties on the fly, so basically I prepared as I'd prepare any 3ed adventure, with little or no converting.

The Order of Chaos Gamers Presents:

The Enemy Within Revisited: Episode 1 - Wanted! Bold Adventurers

http://www.theorderofchaosgamers.com/podcast-home/title-episode-1-wanted-bold-adventurers

The Order of Chaos Gamers Presents:

The Enemy Within Revisited - Episode 2 Blood on the Tracks

http://www.theorderofchaosgamers.com/podcast-home/episode-2-blood-on-the-tracks

Cast:

Gustav the Minstrel (Davy White)
Athos the Wood Elf Hunter (Shane Martin)
Grimmir the Dwarf Runesmith (Dan)

As suspected our encounter with the mutant was just the beginning of the horrors.
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No sooner did we round the corner to search for the horses, than we were met with a gruesome sight more blood churning than the last. An overturned coach lay across the road and while the horses struggled desperately to free themselves there was no such chance for the coach occupants whose bodies lay scattered across the road and were currently being dismembered or devoured by a quite grotesque bunch of mutant creatures.

Before any of us could react the Wood Elf had loosed an arrow and dropped a strange Siamese Twin-like, multi-headed mutant and it was dead before it hit the floor, and more importantly before it could warn it’s companions.

According to Gustav “Those Elves talk to their bows, and tell them exactly where they should fly”. Having witnessed Athos in action I can well believe it.

With him down and the rest of the mutants not yet alerted we took the opportunity to charge these hideous parodies of once human beings. The pitfighter is a blur as he cuts through the mutant flesh of even the scaly-skinned leader, like butter.

Remind me not to argue with this fellow. Nor for that matter the Dwarf Grimmir, who wields his hammer with an almost gleeful enthusiasm for enemy blood as he sets about bursting several of the eyes of this Multi-Eyed Mutant. Even Gustav the chunky chap with the beard is it seems no pushover when it comes to handling a blade as he splits the head of an already Cleaved Headed Mutant in twain.

Anyway it seems the mutants were already somewhat injured (particularly a grotesque Pointy Headed mutant whose leg is pumping blood from a huge open wound on its leg. It seems the coach occupants did not go down entirely without a fight.

With the creatures now despatched we surveyed the full horror of the scene. Half a dozen humans had been slaughtered by the mutants most of them in the most horrific manner. The half-eaten remains of a small child lying splayed across the ground in a cruelly contorted doll-like manner was enough to send a chill through the bones of all but the most bloodthirsty of our party. I noticed that the Pitfighter fellowAlbrecht didn’t even flinch.

Speaking of blood the Elf’s keen eyes spotted a trail of blood that lead off into the brush. It leads to another body who had dragged itself away from the carnage before succumbing to it’s wounds. When he returned the usually placid features of the Elf had been replaced with a look of confusion and concern. He insisted we should come and look at this body and when we got there and inspected the body it soon became apparent why the Elf was perplexed. On the ground, and having been punctured by a couple of crossbow bolts lay a portly bearded corpse that looked like the spitting image of our very own portly, bearded comrade Gustav. Curiouser still Gustav claims no such twin sibling to his knowledge.

A check of his person reveals documents identifying him as one Kastor Leiberung, the only heir to a small fortune. 2,000GC no less is the princely sum awaiting collection by this man in Bogenhafen. And since he (being dead) will have little use for such a fortune it’s not long before our party forms a plan to travel to Bogenhafen and allow Gustav posing as Kastor to collect this inheritance. Motivated as much by the well-stocked wine cellar mentioned in the letter as much as the coin Gustav is happy to make sure that such finery doesn’t go unused. Waste does not want not and all that.

Just as we were preparing to dispose of the bodies. It was deemed prudent to torch the mutants as soon as possible. However before we could do so we suddenly saw a gang of road wardens approaching us. Though suspicious of us at first (and given the sight of bodies all around us who could blame them?) Gustav’s winning smile and gift of the gab were enough to convince the Roadwardens that we were innocent of any wrongdoing. With that settled they decided to remove the bodies and what's more, they even assisted us in our search for our missing mounts.

So before long, and with our horses recovered and hitched to the stagecoach (and the complaining whines of Lady Isolde ringing out in complaint about the delays) we are back on the road, heading for Altdorf and thereafter Bogenhafen.

As the coach speeds up to a slow canter, Gustav goes over the plan with the party once more:

“We go to Bogenhafen, claim the inheritance and then fake Kastor’s death. What could possibly go wrong?” What indeed…

The Order of Chaos Gamers Presents:

The Enemy Within Revisited - Episode 3 Forging Friendships in Altdorf

Translated from the journal of Grimmir Lokrison) – scribed by Dan Harthug

http://www.theorderofchaosgamers.com/podcast-home/episode-3-forging-friendships-in-altdorf

Cast:
Gustav the Minstrel (Davy White)
Athos the Wood Elf Hunter (Shane Martin)
Grimmir the Dwarf Runesmith (Dan)
Smof the Ogre Maneater (Sedrick Galamonte)

Here I begin my journey into the realms of Man so it is fitting that I enter my thoughts and experiences upon the Mannish medium of paper with ink instead of on honest lasting stone or metal.

I have been sent forth to start my journeyman’s travel to gain more experience of alternate Dwarven craftings and runic techniques. I travelled from my home to Altdorf and I start these writings when almost having reached the city. The journey prior to these writings was uneventful and little struck me as worth recollecting, merely long and tedious walking that provided no inspiration.

It was at an Inn that things changed. I met a man of civilised appetites and who had even grown a beard as best he could for one not of dwarven folk. His name was Gustav Myrthenbaum.

When I asked about the note from Crown Prince Hergard von Tassenick of Ostland he grew very excited. He pointed out that the title of “Wanted! Bold Adventurers” meant that a band was needed. Before I had fully comprehended we had a small band (or party) wherein he had added a beardless elf named Athos Reil Lorne. I thought that since this task required travel to Altdorf that little was to be lost and perhaps a lot to be gained as there seemed to be a reward of good gold for good effort.

At least now I was upon a carriage, rather than wading through the mud that normally plagued the roads at this time of year, and out of the hellish rain that berated us more than the nobles inside. The carriage was then rudely halted at the sight of a single male being attacked. As it dropped the corpse it was feeding on we all realised that this was some dark chaos spawn that had crept from the woods. With surprising speed it charged forth and was upon us before two missiles flew at it. One of my crossbow bolts missed and flew into the woods. Though it pains me to be outdone by an elf in any situation I must honestly record that the Wood Elf Athos’ arrow shot was straight and true. Speaking of pain as I looked down at my side I noticed the arrow had nicked me on the way to its target. Or was I the target? It was only a flesh wound and he claimed I jumped in his line of sight which may well have been the case in the heat of the battle. But I can see I will need to watch this elf.

After this distraction, we were reminded of the trouble ahead by screams from the woods where our horses bolted dragged off a coachman. We investigated further up from our stranded carriage and found that further mutants had waylaid yet another carriage. Determined to play to my own strengths this time I resorted to ‘banging my shield and yelling’ at the enemy. My armour allowing me to draw the mutant attacks and act as the anvil to the hammer of Athos’ bow. Gustuv was of quicker eye to spot the manner of some of his fallen countrymen after the foul creatures had fallen. He found a himself a doppelganger who had inherited a fortune and he took up the mantle of the unfortunate fellow, one Kastor Lieberung.

After a brief dialogue with road wardens who turned up too late to be of help we proceeded onward and things even improved when half the Empiric ‘nobles’ decided not to accompany our carriage.

We at last found ourselves arriving in Altdorf where we found a compatriot of Kastor. A jovial ogre, named Smof.

Gustuv and the huge creature seemed to hit it off and I wonder still if fate had some joke in mind as each member of our band made it more outlandish and strange than the previous one. A Man is a fine companion for a dwarf in a strange place, but I find the presence of these others particularly strange for a journeying.

All of this strangeness had turned my mind to other ways of crafting things in unusual ways. I sought out some fellow smiths where I found some honest toil to focus things in my mind even further. In the red glory of a forge a new glimmer of rune knowledge that I knew but hadn’t understood prior became clearer to me thanks to Grungni.

I returned to find Gustav enjoying the presence of more of his fellows in a tavern. Having negotiated a way to travel to Bogenhafen swiftly we drank heartily to a fine beginning of many travels.

The Order of Chaos Gamers Presents

The Enemy Within Revisited

Ep 4 - Fleeing Altdorf

by Gustav Myrthenbaum (aka Davy White)

Listen to the Podcast here:

http://www.theorderofchaosgamers.com/podcast-home/tewr-ep-4-fleeing-altdorf

Cast:
Gustav the Minstrel (Davy White)
Athos the Wood Elf Hunter (Shane Martin)
Grimmir the Dwarf Runesmith (Dan)
Smof the Ogre Maneater (Sedrick Galamonte)

We were woken early in the morning by our captain and my good friend Josef Quartin. It would seem that the rakes having their “run in the slums” met with a most unfortunate (though not undeserving) end. Talk on the streets was that one of them had his head done in by a most terrible blow. Josef and Grimmir both fearing we had been framed and that the murders were staged to look like they had been committed by our ogre, Smof, we fled for Josef’s boat, evading the Watch at every turn. Once stowed below we made off down the Weissbruck Canal to Bogenhofen.

Smof played a dock hand to a tee, his cover impeccable. He’d have done fine as a mummer in some of Nuln’s playhouses. His mustachio was a marvel and I wear my own in his style these days to remember him…

The Weissbruck Canal

Altdorf is both the Heart and the Bowels of the Empire. One does not miss the stink of that city when on the open water and it takes hours to spit the last taste of the filth from ones lungs.

The trip to Weissbruck was quiet enough and there was plenty of time for observing and note taking. The ogre tried his hand at fishing, literally. Throwing punches and trying to scoop the fish from the river. Athos was inscrutable,but had a hard time ignoring the spectacle. Grimmir was encouraging, I think it was mostly to take his mind off being in the boat. Dwarfs, being made partly from stone make very poor swimmers and tend to sink when placed in water.

Weisbruck

We pulled into Weissbruck and unfortunately Smof lent a heavy hand causing the boat to rock and cracking the railing. As we worked on lashing the boat to the mooring Athos recognized a tough observing us. The same shadowy figure that was approached by a couple of odd toad-lickers making weird motions at my own person back in the Capital. This thug disappeared into a dockside tavern and Grimor decided to see what he might be up to. The rest of our group waited for the all safe signal and joined our companion for dinner.

Athos kept guard, as it is known, though perhaps not commonly, that the Fey Folke can see through wood. See my chapter “On Elfs Seeing Through Wood but Not Grasses. The Benefits of Thatch”

Barge Ablaze

After our dinner in the inn we retired to the Berebelli fed and drunk. Always a wonderful state of being, and as close to the gods as I’ve ever been.

I had a wonderful dream. The air was filled with the smells of cooking goose and roast boar. Suddenly the boar was on fire and the great hall’s laughter turned to the screams of panic. I awoke to a sleeping berth filled with wood smoke and ogre. A nightmare from a child’s bedtime story.

I miss goose immensely…

Smof, hauled me from the boat. Two men were lobbing canisters of oil onto the boat from behind some crates, clearly determined to do us in. Athos was hit and frantically trying to smother a fire that had caught his leg aflame. Grimmir, as well was hit and the crude missile caught fire. I was luckier, being doused with the oil but the flame was extinguished before the missile’s deadly brew soaked me.

Smof, with a roar hurdled himself over the railing and onto the dock. The crates offered no protection from his mighty hammer and one of the men was thrown into the far wall. The other thug dropped his oil and set himself alight. Yelling, I followed Smof, emboldened by his absolute dismissal of, and risk to, his own person. I grabbed the burning man and pitched him into the canal. A bolt whistled through the air and I felt a terrible burning on my neck. Smof had pulled me to him and had I remained in my previous spot I would have shared Kastor’s fate, a bolt buried in my neck. His massive form shifted and shielded me completely from our rooftop assailant. It was at that time I noticed Athos had put out his flaming leggings and stood steady. His arrow loosed, was followed by a shout and the skidding of slate shingles. There was the sickening sound of a body falling from a height.

Exhausted, we took in the bloody scene.