A new campaign with new set of characters.

https://the-awkward-companions.obsidianportal.com/adventure-log/prelude-meeting-at-the-crossed-keys

The timeline accepts prior events of previous campaigns we have played and the year is now 2523.

Enemy Within backgrounds used and custom questions created to tie PC's into campaign and to each other. Players stepped up and created quite a bit of interesting stuff to use.

I am cannibalizing some work by Mad Alfred (Grim Pursuits) and reskinning another older edition adventure for the first adventure.

As it is set after the Storm of Chaos, I'm very interested in this campaign. Great read!

Thanks, if you click through the "end of war in north" link you see my version of Storm of Chaos.

It's a streamlined version in which greenskins, vampire counts and tomb kings do not figure - the 'battle royale' of a wargaming community not having to be incorporated.

I like the 'enemy within' theme and the Empire of the 1000 Thrones adventure for example, those are the sorts of things that attract me to the setting.

Each player who knew one of the missing also can see a "Player secret" section of the post (a feature of Obsidian Portal) with some added "what you know about xxx" information. This will be important as if they look for tales of the missing having passed, they will detect atypical behaviour from one of them.

Next game session is not until end of March.

Well excluding the WFB mess from WFRP is a nice move, altough I do incorporate it in my games - as a far away background. Of course, I tend to concentrate more on things like politics and social problems. "1K Thrones" is probably the best campaign that I've ever GM'ed. "The Enemy Within" is kind of a legend among the WFRP community, but I don't think it aged that well.

Another session up.

Used the Ravenloft Tarokka deck for the reading. I actually gave the interpretation afterwards and did not slow play for it.

https://the-awkward-companions.obsidianportal.com/adventure-log/the-road-to-grenzstadt

We next play in 2 weeks.

I should add, re "missed clues" reading (really that is what the reverse abjurer is about a missed clue, was so perfect), they have already missed a couple of things.

The most obvious is that they are following the same route the missing trio followed. They are stopping at same coaching inns etc. - but they have not been asking anything about what is recalled about the trio, anything out of ordinary, etc. etc.

In terms of "people went somewhere and vanished", though the most obvious explanation is "something there caused it" there are also possibilities of "they caused it", "something they brought with them caused it", "something that followed them caused it" etc. Treasure of the Sierra Madre - it's not the bandits that do in the trio, etc.

Another session up and revision to previous one.

A Player called a noblewoman a "skank" in front of another noble whose sister is friends with the insulted one. I had first thought it was table banter (inappropriate in any case) and in deciding how to respond learned it was in character.

http://the-awkward-companions.obsidianportal.com/adventure-log/unexpected-revelations

By good luck they managed this time to find a "clue" they were actually expected to learn only later (asking around after Vilmar at temples). The clue is that "Vilmar is an extremist Sigmarite who questions the legitimacy of the Grand Theogonist".

Some time was also spent airing some concerns about the style of player above - he's good at playing a "flawed character who brings trouble on self" and accepting consequences but he's brought consequences on party too often and its grating others. He got a "talking to" about "not spoiling others' fun"

Calling a noblewoman "Skank" would be grounds for immediate termination, unless the PC in question is a noble himself. Then it's a duel. With a big, burly champion.

Yes, well he was lucky to not be in Alptraum lands and dealing with a noble family "just installed", also the player had screwed himself over with this move already.

As I explained in our own private board how this part of adventure was constructed at least on one point.

The Lutterberg family was given water and grazing rights by the Alptraums in territory 25 miles south of Beiswang (a Leitdorf allied town) and 25 miles east of Heideck. Heideck was moving into the Alptraum camp with the change to Mecklenburg family taking control.

In the coach to Heideck, Andreas von Mecklenburg being Gold tier was not going to initiate chat but if spoken to, could have revealed all that ahead of reaching Heideck. If asked he could also have given a “Gold tier view on what’s going on in Averland at the moment” and revealed his family’s connections etc (my older sister and Clothilde, my brother just returning from the war in north, badly wounded but distinguished himself so well he was directly accepted into the Order of the Broken Sword).

Essentially “Otto, the town with the cattle market your family sells through is being taken over by a family allied to the Alptraums instead of Leitdorfs, this could be very good news and lead to better things for your family and here’s a chance to get a briefing on the people your family is going to have to deal with and impress them.”

The “thing up for grabs” comes when there’s a Mecklenburg – Leitdorf shouting match in Heideck. That was the real point of that whole encounter, if Otto or persons seen to be associated with him supported the Mecklenburgs (or at least kept Andreas safe) that was the chance to “move a piece on the board in your favour” and have the Lutterbergs go from “the two nearest communities are hostile” to “one of them is friendly”.

Not chatting Andreas up meant going into that encounter blind (how many times have I said that NPCs are the Rooms in the “dungeon”, chatting to Andreas was “listening at the door” of the next dungeon room). Asked who Otto’s relatives in town would be supporting, Otto's player said Leitdorfs (those who had been in power, okay). However that means they will have to work to be “in good” with the new boss in town.

So instead of “moving a piece forward” this has become about “how far backward does it move”, as the Mecklenburgs now look to have little reason to hear “Lutterberg” and think kindly.

In my effort to “put something for each PC” into adventure this was all the “something for Otto”. Otto has left himself unwelcome, damaged his family's economic interests. For someone who was living in Streissen on an allowance from his family - not good.

Next session up, after a bit a pause in playing due to schedule conflicts.

https://the-awkward-companions.obsidianportal.com/adventure-log/tinkers-and-dwarf-stills

The first fight of campaign and in true warhammer style they have to hide the body afterwards.

Next session up.

https://the-awkward-companions.obsidianportal.com/adventure-log/grobi

Averlanders and dwarf get to use their greenskin bonuses.

The most fun I had was when I had a goblin break from the main melee at mine to attack Erasmus the halfling (who was hanging back trying to shoot), "don't worry boyz, i'll take care of the halfling, you handle the dwarfs".

Another player suggested, "really shouldn't all the goblins say that and go for the halfling".

I admitted that would be good goblin logic but decided not to go quite that far.

I fell a bit short GMing as I had wanted to put more location/scenery effects into play "mule pen" at the mine etc. but after a couple of exhausting work days wasn't up to do more than my notes already had ready.

Oh, I should mention the players didn't connect the 8 riders farmers reported with the 8 riders who passed them when they were on way from Grenzstadt to Hammelfels.

Ricther's Cure All is derived from 2nd edition "cure all" in the Old World Armoury - it's a poor man's healing draught with random effects.

Another session

https://the-awkward-companions.obsidianportal.com/adventure-log/goblins-and-puppets-in-the-dark

The goblin fight was harder for PC's due to the poor light misfortune dice (no moon, clouds) and my homebrew rules penalty of one misfortune for "keeping on with activity past normal time to rest in day" (as the first step of increasing penalties for such). I liked this as it emphasized that fighting goblins "on their terms" is much harder than "fighting goblins straight up".

The goblins themselves have some night vision but not perfect so it did mean their archers got in close to shoot so were at more risk.

Players seemed to feel they made progress - saved the farm, defeated the goblins (only 1 goblin and 2 riderless wolves got away) and they found out some information from Yadri etc. Though they also now suspect there is a general coordinated goblin menace - and they have been presented with a valley of 169 people to help defend. Some of the suspicions being spoken about a conspiracy concerning the "hidden library" are on the right track.

The high point of session was Otto's player describing how he raised spirits and entertained children with the puppet show of goblin heads on sticks. A bit macabre but seemed very "old world". Worth a FP into party pool.

Goblins accidentally stabbing each other to the point they were "killable with one hit" by PC's was fun as well (three times in a row a group rolled chaos stars causing self-damage).

So players and system both contributed to fun.

Another session up

https://the-awkward-companions.obsidianportal.com/adventure-log/in-the-army-now

Brun's player will likely be not attending for some months or longer, a shame as he does a good job of backstory and roleplaying but that still leaves 4.

Another great read, thanks for that! It's a shame about your player, but you can always try and fish for more.

Thanks.

We'll be at 4 players which is still fine I think, though they will have to rethink approaches now that Brun their fighty-fight guy is gone and they have https://the-awkward-companions.obsidianportal.com/characters Matthias the bitey bite wizard who heals wounds slowly and can't afford too many crits, Otto the face guy who likes teamwork fighting, and Erasmus and Harek who like to shoot things (only Matthias when in wolf form being Weapon Skilled trained).

It's ironic as I favour investigation-heavy adventures but had gone for "goblin-fest" starting off, though still as you can read with "more than one mystery to solve".

I should add the children throwing stones at crows was a foreshadowing jab at Matthias player who often remarks he is looking forward to the 2nd rank Crow/Raven form (he'll usually be crow). Farmers don't like crows. It's going to be tricky giving him full benefit of that ability and not letting it run amok in terms of scouting and spying too easily.

I know that feeling. Many times I was running an investigation-heavy adventure, when suddendly all hell broke loose and it's fighting time. The joys of running an RPG group, I guess.

Alas, a summer hiatus becomes extended and may be permanent.

Regrettably, this game has collapsed due to a player moving, another player and I having a personal conflict (an ugly thing such as rpg.net threads are made of) and a third player deciding the travel time to participate is no longer worthwhile in light of the forgoing, leaving two players - with feeling that puts too much pressure to "choose x because it's needed, not because it fits character concept".

At a minimum this means a hiatus on my running WFRP and perhaps an end to it if we cannot find replacement Players or develop a remote play option.

If we can't find replacement Players that will be the end of this campaign, though we are exploring a couple of options - we are fussy however so are looking via our networks/known associates etc (no hack and slashers etc.)

As part of 'wrapping up and packing up' I will try to pass on what I can that might be of wider use to WFRP3 games and WFRP games in general.

In that event, I have been creating a gazette of central Averland along the Old Dwarf Road and north-east of Grenzstadt and some maps which I will share after removing adventure specific material or changing it into more generic plot hooks. It’s mostly system-neutral.

I will also consolidate some WFRP3 resources I have created and use such as weather cards etc. and post via dropbox etc.

Woo hoo - IT LIVES

My campaign is resurrected using roll20.net for remote play to let 2 distant players join in (the player's whose conduct precipitated the long pause is no longer part of group).

We pick up and continue!

https://the-awkward-companions.obsidianportal.com/adventure-log

I may start posting at Strike to Stun if folks think these fora too obscure now.