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A Judges Guild OD&D Wilderlands Adventure Day

Recently, I accepted an invitation from the Notre Dame RPG Club to run an original D&D adventure. So last weekend I packed up my minis and books and dice and did the short road trip up to South Bend. The  Club has a long history, and often hosted game days, and I even knew a couple players who hailed from that club who played D&D in our group out in Colorado many, many years ago. In recent years though, the club had languished, perhaps eclipsed for a time by the progress of technology and the shiny new tech. However there is now a renewed interest in playing tabletop pen and paper adventure games. Part of that is definitely the social aspect, where friends sit down together to enjoy each other’s company, as well as to share the interactive stories that they spontaneously create together.  

 We called our event the Notre Dame Old School RPG Day. The RPG club at the Uni had disbanded a few years previously. Last year it was re-chartered by a completely new group of young players and GM’s who have  dedicated themselves to bringing tabletop gaming back. The gracious Amanda Gray, who coordinated this event for us all, polled the players and asked them what kind of campaign they wanted to play. They all agreed that they wanted to try out the Original Judges Guild Wilderlands campaign setting, so I obliged them, and we took over one of the conference rooms of the student center.

For those of you that don’t know, The Wilderlands Campaign Setting was the first (and largest, ever…) published D&D campaign setting, a grim sword & sorcery setting  created by Bob Bledsaw at Judges Guild ( a company he founded) in the latter half of the 1970′s. After Wilderlands was published, Bob agreed to also publish Dave Arneson’s First Fantasy Campaign. This was called the First Fantasy Campaign, because it was actually the oldest D&D campaign setting in existence at the time, but it actually ended up being the second published D&D campaign setting. TSR eventually ended up publishing a D&D campaign setting as well, Greyhawk, but that was released almost four years after the first two campaign settings. Most GM’s in the early days simply created their own campaign setting  …Anyway, back to the Wilderlands.

This particular adventure began in the remnants of a recently constructed frontier fortification in the Wilderness of Barbarian Altanis in the Springtime. Captain Malina of the Red Blades, a freebooting mercenary company, had decided to retire, and return to the City State of the Imperial Overlord. He divided the loot they had all previously obtained, and paid the players (who were members of this mercenary Company) a share (300 GP each) of the proceeds, and promptly rode off to the North leaving the players in their recently built crude frontier stronghold. The stronghold was actually just a few low quickly dug berms with some sharpened timber embedded into the elevations, so it doesn’t really qualify a stronghold in the traditional sense, however the Red Blades had used it as a temporary base of operations for the last few weeks.

The Players

Viconer of Myrcr – lvl 5 Cleric – Andrea

Metellus, Devotee of Nephtlys – lvl 5 Cleric – Andrew

Tithidriel, the Wood Elf – lvl 5 – Amanda

Tame Aleki, lvl 5 Thief/Ranger – Ben

Nu Javiata the Hero, Fighter lvl 4 – Tony

Pyro the Wizard, magic-User 5th lvl – Michael

The players decided after a short council to make South for the nearby Elven town of Ohnnir. Tithidriel, the Wood Elf, was looking forward to visiting with kinsfolk and Tame was especially interested in getting there as well. In lieu of using his starting monies to pay for a magic item, Tame had opted to roll on the random magic swords chart, taking the risk of getting a cursed sword, but also possibly gaining a better magic blade. So he rolled and said “What Did I get?”

GM: “I don’t know… what did you get? …and where exactly did you acquire this blade?”

Tame: ” I filched it shortly before the company disbanded.”

GM: “…From one of the Other Red Blade Mercenaries?”

Tame: (no answer)

GM: “Well, you know for sure it’s magical. You’ll have to figure out what it is, and what it does.”

After discussing it with the others, Tame decided it would be a good idea to consult an expert on magical blades to uncover the properties the blade had, so heading for the nearest outpost of civilization, Ohnnir, looked like a very good prospect.

GM’s note: He never did say exactly how that blade was acquired.

Two of the player’s had trained warhorses, and the rest good riding horses, So they all made their way in good weather steadily South through the low foothills of the Eastern Ered Perack Mountains until they came to the Mageven Plains, a day and a half of uneventful riding. Making camp the second afternoon, Tame decided to go hunting and found a rather large cat (Tiger) some distance lazily sunning itself in a low clearing. Returning and consulting with the rest of the group, they decided not to pursue the hunt as most of the players didn’t really much like the idea of eating cat, even a large one. The cat, being a cat, just eyed the players with the some indifference as they discussed the merits and risks of hunting a large predator. Eventually the Tiger became bored and wandered off into the deeper grass of the plains that offered better concealment, protection, and more opportunities to surprise unsuspecting prey.

Metellus, not quite content to give up the hunt so easily, went out into the plains at dusk himself in search of game only to manage to get lost. Just about the time the rest of the party started organizing a search party, he turned up. Being quite lost, he had decided to use the locate object spell to find his saddle (Which was with his horse back at camp), and so found his way back to the party much to the relief of the other players.

Day three on the plains also went by, without much ado. The weather was good, and the players encamped once again on a low rise in the sea of tall grass that makes up the Mageven plain. Some of the players did hunt, but no suitable game was found, so they retired to camp and worked off some of their supply of iron rations. This led to a long discussion of what exactly constituted iron rations. The Elf wasn’t enthusiastic about the fare, but managed. Early in the evening an Altanian barbarian SuperHero unexpectedly showed up, inquiring about whether or not the players had any ale. They players not having any, sent him on his way. (The Superhero thought they were a rather poor party not carrying common booze, and deemed them unworthy of any challenge.)

Shortly after midnight a traveling party of eleven Dwarven warriors with ponies also passed near the camp. TheWizard, Pyro was on watch, along with the Elf, and they approached the dwarves hailing them, and then began a parley which went something like this:

Frordurn leader of the Claris Clan: “Hail and well met. Would you care for some Dwarven Ale?”

Pyro: “Well Met, Indeed!  Just how much would that cost?”

The Dwarves were surprised, and the elf quickly intervened after the Wizard managed to get in yet another minor insult.

Tithidriel the Elf: “Please forgive me friend, he is not wise in the ways of the world. What he meant to say was, if you meant to trade your ale, what would you say would be a fair exchange?”

Frodurn: “Well, ….ahem… it is the custom of the Claris Clan to offer hospitality and an opportunity to rest in our company without requiring any compensation.

Tithidriel: “We accept.”

So the Dwarves proceeded to camp within sight of the players camp, and they brought out a pony keg. Pyro returned to the players camp and woke up the other players informing them of the late night encounter, and they all proceeded to join the dwarves to exchange news and stories.  The ale flowed, and their tongues all loosened (Well mostly), as an inquiry on the name and location of the Dwarven stronghold was met with a stoney silence, and a second inquiry into this matter was also refused.

Recognizing the healer, the Dwarven clan leader changed the subject and asked that the Viconer of Myrcr, to look over the pack ponies and bless them for the coming journey. The Cleric obliged, and took the opportunity to cast a speak with animals spell on one of the ponies to learn the name and location of the Dwarven stronghold. She learned that the Dwarves were being hard pressed by an influx of nearby goblin clans that have been steadily reducing the number of Dwarves, and that the overall situation for the Dwarves was quickly deteriorating.

The thief, busied himself flirting with some of the dwarven women in the company, and was returned the compliment, only to be overcome by the strong dwarven ale (Con check fail!) and promptly pass out much to the amusement of all.

The players exchanged news with the dwarves, informing the dwarves of hunting prospects and the large cats, and the Dwarves relayed that they were traveling North to the City-State to meet a boat that carried more of their kin who were scheduled to return to the clan homelands and rejoin the clan. As the fires grew low, the players bid the dwarves a good night and returned to their camp. The dwarves took comfort in having another group of allies nearby in case of trouble, and the players were also encouraged by this.

Metallus the Cleric  dragged the unconscious thief back to the players camp. Before putting the slumbering thief to bed however the Wizard Pyro took the opportunity and removed the thief’s boots and magic sword and artfully concealed them in the players traveling gear. The remainder of the night went by.

Dawn broke and the Dwarves waved goodbye to the players at their camp, and then continued on their journey to the North. The players broke camp as well bidding the dwarves farewell. Their departure was

delayed however, because the thief could not find his boots, or his sword.

So he asked the others in his company what had happened the previous night, and was met with indifferent stares and shrugs. It so happened that during his earlier journeys Tame had also acquired a crystal ball, and meeting with no response from his fellow players, he began to grow angry. He determined to find his magic sword, and his boots, and so put in considerable effort to scrying out just what had occurred the evening before… and after a time was successful at last seeing all that had occurred the night before…

Tame stormed angrily over to the Wizard and threatened him with a horrible fate unless his belongings were immediately returned. The Wizard complied, and returned the magic sword, but only returned the boots after the thief had brandished the enchanted sword ranting on and threatening the wizard once again.

…And so the company departed a bit later than usual… with Tame debating with himself, whether or not to turn and ride North to join up with his new Dwarven friends on their  kin quest.

For the fourth day the company rode hard, determined to reach the Elven town of Ohnnir located at the Northern reaches of the Fogbound forest. Riding right up until dusk, they eventually reached the forest boundary about 15 miles west of the Elven town and set up camp just inside the tree line. While the party prepared camp, Pyro wandered out to hunt, and Tame decided to climb the tallest nearby tree to see if he could sight the nearby elven town. With a 91% chance of successfully climbing the tree, Tame naturally rolled a 92 and fell some forty feet coming within a split hair of killing himself instantly and further requiring the services of both clerics for a time. Black and blue with bruises, and with a few aches that would last for days, Tame thanked the clerics, and they all resumed making camp with the thief making up his mind, if he tried the climb again, he would wait and try that climb with better light.

About this time Pyro the Hunting Wizard unexpectedly found himself Pyro the Prey. With his senses keen for hunting he had no trouble spotting the approaching pack of werewolves and beat a hasty retreat to camp which was just a couple of hundred yards off. Going doubletime (and then some) he made it back just in time to warn the other players with the Werewolves right on his heels. At least they were all forewarned when the werewolves came.

With the wolves coming from all directions Metallus opened with a hold person spell ,and three of the four werewolves failed their saving throw, freezing in place. The fourth Werewolf made a beeline for the cleric and tore into him, biting and raking his shoulder where there was a gap in the armor plating. The thief and elf used their supply of silver arrows and began shooting the closest frozen werewolf, The Wizard cast a fireball in between the other two frozen werewolves completely incinerating one and burning the other, While the Fighter, Nu Javiata who had been content mostly with observing up until now, sprung into action at last, coming to aid the wounded Cleric and attacking the ferocious Werewolf. The Viconer of Myrcr cast a Bless spell on the party to strengthen their saving throws and attacks.

As the battle continued The Elf, Thief, and Wizard finished off the first remaining held Werewolf and the Cleric and fighter beat down the ferocious one until it collapsed. The Viconer of Myrcr immediately cast a Remove Curse spell on the wounded Cleric to halt any possible spread of the dreaded Lycanthrope disease, and tended his wounds. The Wizard taking one of the Fighters trained Warhorses, went off to recover the other horses that had broken their tethers and fled in terror when the Werewolves had attacked. The other players then approached the wounded, but still conscious, and held, Werewolf. The Viconer cast another Remove Curse, and the Werewolf returned to human form.

The players bound and dressed their new captive, and then they all questioned him, finding out little except that the man had last remembered being at a Summer Festival in the City-State of the Imperial Overlord. Meanwhile, …unnoticed, the ferocious werewolf had recovered, and slipped off back into the depths of the  Fogbound Forest without being spotted. It was only while setting the watch for the remainder of the night that the players noticed the strongest and most fearsome of the Werewolves had escaped.

That night, they all rested uneasily.

The Morning brought clouds, and the players wasted no time in making for the Elven town with their captive in tow.

Arriving mid-morning to the town located high in the treetops of the Fogbound forest, Tithidriel the Elf approached one of her kin and inquired about a place to stay, as well as where they could locate a sage who could shed some light on Lycanthropes, relaying the tale of their encounter the day before to the east.

Being kinsfolk, the elves of Ohnnir gave Tithidriel and her company a warm welcome, and offered up a place for them to stay while they were visiting. The Clerics and The thief went to consult with the Wizard/Sage Cuchulaiin, and learned that their captive was still infected with the dreaded Lycanthrope disease. The Thief learned about the properties of his enchanted sword and also learned that it was a soul blade which held the spirit of a renowned neutral Wizard.

With the help of Cuchulainn, The Viconer of Myrcr conducting a remove curse ritual, freeing the unlucky captive of his curse of Lycanthrope, and he was then released to make his way back to the City-State. Metallus, made arrangements to open up a church for his diety in Ohnnir.

Underneath the ground, beneath the trees, Ohnnir is blessed with an abundance of not so easy to reach gems. The other  players were offered an opportunity to mine with the wood elves, and each took some treasures from the fabled and wondrous gem mines, with the promise that they would not reveal the location of the mines to outsiders. Metallus, the Cleric, and the others when they completed their tasks, joined the rest of the players and mined gems for a time. The Cleric of Wealth, Metallus, managed to lose his holy symbol at one of the mine entrances however.

…We all looked up, six hours had gone by almost instantaneously it would seem, and it was time to conclude our adventures for the day, as the players had to prep for finals at Uni, and I had to return to home to spend some time with the family to get in some of our Christmas shopping. We concluded with dinner at a nightclub named Legends. My hosts for the day then provided a nighttime tour of the beautiful campus at Notre Dame including the awesome Basilica, as well as a shrine, the sacred Grotto of Lourdes.

As I lit a prayer candle (From someone else’s prayer candle… and prayer mind you.), and gave thanks for our awesome day of gaming, good weather, and safe travels, my cell phone went off. My wife had invoked her spell of summoning, calling me home.

A few notes for the Players, and anyone else interested in old school style gaming:

Our gracious coordinator and photographer, Amanda, has probably got around to uploading some more photos of this game day on her tumblr, which you can find here:

http://americanamanda.tumblr.com/

For Andrea - 

When Pearls are used as a spell component -Pearl grants extraordinary foresight, protects from risky commercial transactions, and from the evil eye. Pearl’s magical properties depend on its color: white Pearl brings freedom, brownish – wisdom, yellowish – wealth, greenish – happiness… so they would enhance new spells of divination, wealth, happiness, freedom, and luck.

For any gamers interested in Old-School type games who don’t have the time or inclination to hunt down and acquire the Original D&D books ,

 I would recommend Swords and Wizardry, which you can purchase at a very reasonable price. To get started right away though, a free copy of the rules in PDF form is available for download at the Mythmere Games website.

 http://www.swordsandwizardry.com/

For old school style character sheets, you can’t go wrong with the mad Irishman’s Character Sheet site:

http://www.mad-irishman.net/

Thanks again for a great day of gaming! If the Notre Dame RPG Club wants to host another Old School RPG Day, or a two-day RPG event when the snow breaks in the spring, count me in!

Websites and blogs where old school gamers hang out in no particular order:

Dragon’s Foot

www.dragonsfoot.org

The RPG Site

http://www.therpgsite.com/

Jeff’s Gameblog

http://jrients.blogspot.com/

Grognardia

http://grognardia.blogspot.com/

The Black Gate

http://www.blackgate.com/

Cyclopeatron

http://cyclopeatron.blogspot.com/

Lord of the Green Dragons

http://lordofthegreendragons.blogspot.com/

Not too long ago RPG Players in the some of the forums I frequent asked about seeing all of the original Judges Guild Wilderlands Campaign setting. Thanks to Amanda, I managed to get a shot of the complete Wilderlands Campaign setting. Eighteen 22″x37″maps hex maps. It was the first, and the largest campaign setting ever published for Dungeons & Dragons.

 

 

 

Went to Medieval times for dinner last week. It was the first time the kids went to a live performance of any kind. They were especially pleased when the squire that crowned them counseled them on Royal Etiquette told them to hold up their left and right hand…

When they held up their right hands he said “This is your fork“, and when they held up their left he said “This is your knife, good luck with dinner”.

While dining at the court of the King we were treated to quite a spectacle, including the Royal Falconer unleashing the bird of prey in a hunt, The Princess with the Dancing Andalusian, and the Royal Andalusians performing in unison…

Finally the tournament began with the Knights demonstrating their prowess with mounted spear combat, followed up by tilting at the rings with a lance. All of the Knights excelled at all of these demonstrations concluding a flawless performance.

We were seated in the section of the Green “Dragon” Knight (Chaotic Evil as it turned out…). He was the dark horse villain that had abducted the Prince early on in the show, and made a play for the Princess during the tournament.

Jousting commenced and lances were split, shields splintered, and mounted combat ensued, followed by combat on foot using a wide variety of armament including two-handed swords, battle axes, pole arms, flails, and morning stars. Something new since the last time I had attended, now they put up teflon nets to protect the crowds during melees making photography difficult. Still I got a few good snaps of the show!

Our Dragon Knight hero of course bested the Blue Knight, the Yellow Knight and the Red and White Knight and their squires using a variety of deceitful techniques including: sand in the eyes, backstabbing, taunting, along with various trips and throws… he was actually very good in melee as well, strong and tall with a commanding voice.

He would have defeated the Prince as well, who escaped somehow during the tournament, but all the remaining knights and the prince ganged up on him to bring him to an untimely end…

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome to the Tales from the Wilderlands Adventure. We have a full boat of seven players for this adventure set in the original Judges Guild Wilderlands campaign setting.

PROLOGUE

Gil Jacaig, Curate of Mycr

The Monastary of Mycr in the City State of the Imperial Overlord seemed an unlikely place to find a job, after all, the clerics of Mycr are well known as healers across the realms. usually, you would only find yourself here if one of your own was grievously wounded, for the care and skills in herbology and healing of these clerics is renowned.

 

What else you know of these clerics is that they shun battle, and avoid confrontations. They never kill, and work tirelessly to avoid maiming or injury. In fights they run. They hide. But not today.

 

The young man with dark hair standing before you Introduces himself as Gil Jacaig, curate if Mycr. Standing next to him, His humble acolyte, the young Nyma, the teen that summoned you from the tavern with a promise of gold and adventure. A job he said. A job that involved perilous travel to the Five Holy Cities, but not on a pilgrimage. A quest.

 

The curate simply had this to say;

 

“I’m traveling to the Temple of Mcyr in Shealoh, at the five holy cities. My task is to deliver this sacred text to the Patriarch of Mycr in Shealoh. Upon arrival, you’ll each receive 500 gold coins for escorting me, and the scroll, safely to the Temple.”

 

“My two acolytes will accompany  me, and I have purchased provisions for ten, as well as riding horses for everyone, and two pack horses to carry water and food. We set out from the City-State with the rising sun.”

 

“Are you with me?”

 

Players notes: This is an adventure for up to eight characters of the 4-6th level. Players may bring their own characters. I’ll be using the Original D&D rules as exemplified in the 74′ White Bookset and Rules Cyclopedia. You may bring your own character, Characters generated using Swords and Wizardry are ok as well. I’ll be bringing pre-gens with me as well. Might be a good idea to bring an extra character along as well, unrelated to your primary.