Your OSR Setting is a Deathworld

 

Art by Cristian Ibarra Santillan; used under CC license

Your OSR setting is a deathworld. This may not seem obvious - indeed, many settings appear to have an expansive and relatively safe countryside - but an examination of the encounter tables and monster descriptions of popular Old School Revolution (OSR) games speaks otherwise.

A "deathworld" is a term popularized (or maybe coined) by the Warhammer 40K universe. It refers to a world which is inimical to Humanity, be that due to climate, atmosphere, or biosphere. Such worlds require a major effort to survive on, and, in Warhammer 40K, typically breed elite warriors forged by the world's overall hostility.

Encounter tables in various OSR games, if you examine their implications, depict a world not unlike these deathworlds. Even in the perfect fantasy environment, with a temperate climate and pleasant terrain, monsters abound. Not just wolves and goblins, but rather dragons, powerful undead, owlbears, and worse. A sea journey may even be interrupted by a dragon turtle or a kraken - monsters sometimes above the ability of even "Name Level" (level 9) characters to fight without specialized tactics, or even with them.

The encounter tables are laden with powerful monsters. In OSE, for example, on pp.218-222 of the Roles Tome, the encounter tables depict a frightening world. There is a 1-in-8 (!) chance, for example, to encounter a dragon in most biomes, always a tough encounter for characters of any level. While some dragons may be reasoned with, many of these regal beasts would demand tribute, or simply try to eat whomever they encounter. Lycanthropes are common, as are undead, including powerful mummies and vampires. In ACKS, tables are similar to those in OSE, with a 1-in-8 risk of a dragon and a major piracy risk (yarr!) in the high seas. In the Basic Fantasy RPG, 4th Edition, pp.180-181, dragons are a somewhat less common (only encountered on the results of 2 and 16 on 2d8), but still an extant threat in almost all biomes. Giants and rocs in the mountains and giant octopi in the sea are more common.

Note that neither ruleset has a "safe countryside" column. Even ACKS's "Inhabited" column has a dragon in it! It's either cities, with their own criminal and undead problems, or the deadly Wilderness!

Anything PCs can encounter, villagers and even sedentary villages will encounter often. Even if you reduce the encounter rate in "Civilized" areas to once a month, on the long run, dragons, giants, and other monsters will come to your village to raze it or demand tribute. Goblinoid tribes will raid villages on a frequent basis. It's a dangerous world out there! Not your idyllic fantasy countryside. Not the Lord of the Rings Shire, where danger is a rare occasion worthy of an epic saga. It's closer to Catachan of Warhammer 40K fame!

And add to that monsters outside the encounter tables, but present in your typical OSR ruleset's Monsters chapter, such as Cloud Giants in their flying castles.

The implications are numerous:

• The default setting, given the encounter tables and monster chapters, would be Points of Light. That is, most of the world is deadly, and Humanity huddles around the few safer spots - typically city-states as noted below. Outside these safer points - the world is out to get you.
• It is likely that the setting is post-apocalyptic, with a strong Gamma World vibe to it. Maybe the past was safer, with a mighty empire keeping the monsters at bay. Maybe even most monsters did not exist before the apocalyptic event.
• A dispersed population would be at much greater risk than a concentrated settlement pattern. Defending disparate villages is much harden than defending a walled city-state and its adjacent farmland. Thus, settlement pattern will be closer to that depicted in sword & sorcery literature, namely city-states rather than vast expanses of countryside.
• There is a reason Name Level - when characters can become "proper" lords - is at Level 9. Below that, the local lord would be hard pressed to defend his protection ra---- sorry, feudal domain - from roving monsters and humanoid hordes. But even then, remote villages ruled by high-level characters would still be at greater risk than the city-states, with their high concentration of name-level characters, strong walls, and the ability to raise large armies.
• Personal power would equal political power - the ability to defend one's turf against monsters and usurpers.
• Outside Civilized territory, monsters will form their own domains. A dragon may be worshiped as a protective deity, sometimes enjoying human sacrifices from its subjects. A powerful undead monster may be able to carve a domain of death or even construct a necropolis around it. Humanoid tribes are also affected by this - they will often be at the bottom of the monstrous food chain, giving tribute to more powerful monsters, and sometimes serving them as cannon fodder.

So, expect a Points of Light setting with a concentrated settlement pattern, mighty city-states, and a vast, deadly wilderness challenging adventurers seeking danger, glory, and wealth.

Nibiru - Basic Math

For a full-res map

I have previously posted a map for my Nibiru sword & planet setting for ACKS. Now, it is time to do some basic mathematical calculations about this setting, using the ACKS rules.

Nibiru is a dying planet and population is low. In "civilized", cultivated areas such as the city-states, population density is 40 people per square mile, that is, 250 families per 6-mile hex. In desert areas, even with mining and some cultivation, population density is 20 families per square mile, that is, 125 families per 6-mile hex.

Built around city-states with some remnant Ancient technology, Nibiru is an "Advanced, Urban Realm" (2 rows downward on the ACKS p.231 urban population table) and has a very "Centralized Settlement Pattern" (2 rows downward for the Largest settlement).

The city-state of Anurash controls 53x "civilized" 6-mile hexes, and thus has an approximate population of 13250 families, placing it somewhere between a county and a duchy in ACKS terms. Thus, Anurash is a City (Class III market) of approx. 3000 families, out of approx. 4000 urban families in the realm.

The city-state of Ennung controls 42x "civilized" 6-mile hexes, and thus an approximate population of 10500 families, placing it somewhere between a county and a duchy in ACKS terms. Thus, Ennung is a Small City (Class IV market) of approx. 1500 families, out of approx. 2500 urban families in the realm.

The city-state of Erida controls 63x "civilized" 6-mile hexes and thus an approximate population of 15750 families, placing it somewhere between a county and a duchy in ACKS terms. Thus, Erida is a City (Class III market) of approx. 3500 families, out of approx. 5000 urban families in the realm.

Desh is a fortress-village controlled by Erida. It has a population of 200 families, making it a Village (Class VI market).

Kur is a fortress-village controlled by Erida. It has a population of 250 families, making it a Village (Class VI market).

The city-state of Edin controls 48x "civilized" 6-mile hexes and thus an approximate population of 12000 families, placing it somewhere between a county and a duchy in ACKS terms. Thus, Edin is a Small City (Class IV market) of approx. 2000 families, out of approx. 3000 urban families in the realm.

Telal is a fortress-village controlled by Edin. It has a population of 150 families, making it a Village (Class VI market).

Zag, an independent fortress, controls 7 desert hexes. Thus, 875 families in total, making it almost a March (or a huge barony) in ACKS terms. Thus, Zag is a Village (Class VI market) of approx. 100 families out of approx. 500 urban families in the realm (most locals live from commerce and a little subsistence farming rather than more extensive agriculture).

Barzal, an independent fortress, controls 12 desert hexes. Thus, 1500 families in total, making it a huge March in ACKS terms. Thus, Barzal is a Village in ACKS terms, and would be a Class VI market by RAW, but I'd making it a Class V market due to extensive mining and trade. Barzal has 200 resident families, out of the realm's total of 400 urban families. Most economic activity here is mining and commerce, and much of the food comes from traders.

Helix is a village controlled by Barzal. It has a population of 75 families, making it a Small Village (Class VI market).

Meshanna, an independent fortress, controls 5 desert hexes, and thus has a population of 625 families, making it almost a March (or a huge barony) in ACKS terms. Thus, Meshanna is a Village (Class VI market) of approx. 100 families out of approx. 150 urban families in the realm (most locals live from commerce and mining and a little subsistence farming rather than more extensive agriculture).

Nibiru - updated Scar's Maw regional map

Full-Res Map

(scale: 1 hex = 6 miles)

I have recently posted the regional map draft for my Nibiru sword & planet setting. I have updated the map, adding a legend for the various terrain types; a few more sites; and domain borders for the various polities.

Eirda, Ennug, Anurash, and Edin are independent city-states.

Telal is essentially Torus Tem - A fortress built by Edin as one of several to protect it from desert raiders. Now, half in ruins. Expect a nasty low-level dungeon in the nearby fungal forest.

Desh and Kur are fortified trade stations controlled by Erida.

Barzal is an independent fortified town on the Eastern Road, engaged in trade and mining, and so is Meshanna.

Zag is an independent fortified trade station.

Helix is a small village ruled by Barzal, now becoming a "boomtown" with the winds exposing the Pyramidal Maze (Barrowmaze).

Udrea and Sag are Ancient ruins, up in the highland, where the cold is harsh and the air is thin.

Barzal mines iron, Meshanna mines copper. They trade for much of their food with Erida, but also engage in some subsistence farming.

Helix used to engage in mushroom-forestry but now gains much more from adventurers and the business they bring.

Nibiru - Scar's Maw Regional Map work-in-progress

Full-res Map

I began designing the starting region for my  prospective Nibiru sword & planet campaign setting. So, without further ado, here is the regional map (scale: 1 hex = 6 miles) of the Scar's Maw region, opening up to the Rusted Sea desert.

Eirda, Anurash, and Edin are independent city-states.

Telal is essentially Torus Tem - A fortress built by Edin as one of several to protect it from desert raiders. Now, half in ruins. Expect a nasty low-level dungeon in the nearby fungal forest.

Barzal is an independent fortified town on the Eastern Road, engaged in trade and mining., and so is Meshanna.

Helix is a small village ruled by Barzal, now becoming a "boomtown" with the winds exposing the Pyramidal Maze (Barrowmaze).

Barzal mines iron, Meshanna mines copper. They trade for much of their food with Erida, but also engage in some subsistence farming.

Helix used to engage in mushroom-forestry but now gains much more from adventurers and the business they bring.

Nibiru - a Sword & Planet setting for ACKS

Nibiru is a dying, ancient world. Once it was the seat of wondrously advanced civilization. But now it is far past its peak. In its hubris and avarice, it became decadent, declined, and finally only a shadow of its semblance is left. Where forests stood, now cold deserts sprawl. Cities lie in ruins. The oceans are dry. Vast polar ice caps trap most water - and not a little of the atmosphere.

The Scar- Nibiru's vast equatorial rift valley - once housed Nibiru's mightiest river, which fed the Old Sea to the south. Now it is far more slender and feeds the Scar's own small, salty sea. The Old Sea dried; it is now a cold, salty plain called the Rusted Sea. But at least one can easily breathe the air of the Rusted Sea. Unlike the Northern Highlands, where the air is thin, hardly breathable on the Highlands proper, and utterly unbreathable on the Northern Mountains.

Eons ago, Nibiru was a warm, humid world with significant jungles. Ruled by reptiles of all kinds. Dinosaurs. A reptiloid civilization. For some reason, potentially something nasty the reptiloids did (technomagical war? an experiment gone astray?), the world started to begin to cool and dry out. This stabilized for a few eons, though the jungles were gone. The reptiloids were mostly extinct, as were most dinosaurs. The survivors migrated underground, where it was still warm and humid.

Eons passed. The Ancients rose. They were slender and intelligent to begin with; at their technological pinnacle, their physical prowess declined while their intelligence rose (think hairless elves growing into shorter and thinner Gray Aliens). The Ancients built a massive civilization of sorcery and superscience.

Their eldritch might grew to a degree that a sizeable percentage of their population had at least some sorcerous abilities.

The ancients, in their final form, were unsuited for war and labor. Initially, they used machines for these ends, but as they grew decadent and sorcerous, breeding servitor races was cheaper. They crossed themselves with White Apes to create Men - versatile servitors better suited for labor and war. They then crossed Men with White Apes once more - to create the far less intelligent Ape-Men as heavy laborers and shock troops. They crossed Men with surviving Reptilians to create Lizardmen and shock troops. They then crossed themselves once more with Men to create foremen and officers for their servitors, the Nephilim.

The Ancients' decadence knew no end. As they turned to Black Magic for raw power, Nibiru's already fragile Ishtar, the world-goddess, began to die. Their technology and sorcery already declined to such a low degree that they could not resurrect Ishtar.

As the world began to die and dry out once again, the Ancients dug canals, fed by vast machines on the polar ice-caps, to bring water to the dry equatorial regions, where the climate was still bearable.

But the Ancients died out themselves. (technomagical war? summoning the wrong demons?).

Now, only their former servitors remain to fend for themselves.

So, you have, among other things:

• Men.
• Ape-Men and Lizard-Men (beastmen-equivalents?).
• Sorcerous Nephilim.
• Above-ground (at least partially) ruins of the Ancients.
• Remnant Ancient superscience and sorcerous remnants/
• Deep underground Lost Worlds inhabited by dinosaurs and reptilians!

[ACKS] Lyonesse - Basic Math and Demographics

More work on my Lyonesse setting for ACKS. This time - basic math and demographics.

Below is the (very rough) political map, showing the Ducal-level domains:

So first, let's look at the basic domain alignments and sizes:

• Royal Domain - Lawful - 20x 6-mile hexes. The King of Lyonesse rules this directly.
• The Forest Duchy - Lawful - 82x 6-mile hexes. Vassal domain to the King of Lyonesse.
• Treheim Duchy - Lawful - 112x 6-mile hexes. Vassal domain to the King of Lyonesse.
• Ironguard Duchy - Lawful - 85x 6-mile hexes. Vassal domain to the King of Lyonesse.

Thus, the King's actual kingdom (Principality in ACKS terms but is sovereign and thus its head is a King) - 299x 6-mile hexes.

Now for Chaotic realms:

• Tideborn Duchy - Chaotic - 19x 6-mile hexes in its current, reduced size (County in ACKS terms). Practically independent.
• Swine Kingdom (Orc equivalent) - Chaotic - 67x 6-mile hexes. (Duchy in ACKS terms but is sovereign and thus its ruler is the Swine King)

Population density is relatively low due to the  recent Yellow Death epidemic; 40 people/square mile in Lawful lands, 250 families per 6-mile hex.

Population sizes:

• Royal Domain - 5,000 families, comparable to a County.
• The Forest Duchy - 20,500 families, appropriate for a lightly populated Duchy.
• Treheim Duchy - 28,000 families, appropriate for a lightly populated Duchy.
• Ironguard Duchy - 21,250 families, appropriate for a lightly populated Duchy.
• The King of Lynoesse reigns over 74,750 families, which represent 373,750 subjects.
• Tideborn Duchy - 4,750 families, appropriate for a lightly populated county. The ruler is Blood Duchess Isabella, a Chaotic sorceress who transformed herself into a Grand Vampire.
• Swine Kingdom - a Chaotic domain per AXIOMS II. Population density is 125 Swine "families" per hex - a good population for beastmen, but Swine reproduce quickly. Total population 8,375 Swine "families". Note the Tribal warrior culture - this can field 8,375 Swine warriors at once if the Swine King calls a general muster!

As a side note, the Swine King uses the profits from raids on Civilization to arm and reinforce his forces. The Swine now have arquebusiers (this is an early-modern quasi-apocalyptic setting)! Their guns are crude matchlocks (humans have flintlocks) but they do strike fear into the hearts of their lizardmen opponents along the swamps and the Weald!

How big is Lyonesse?

• 1x 6-mile hex = 32 square miles.
• The landmass is about 700 or so 6-mile hexes.
• So the whole area is approx. ~22,400 square miles.
• About the size of Croatia or Togo! Or half of Greece or England.

[ACKS] Lyonesse Setting Overview

(Map done in Wonderdraft)

This is a setting for the OSR game ACKS, in which I intend to run Barrowmaze, as well as other OSR and Old D&D modules, and a general sandbox.


High Concept
In the millennium since the Elysian Empire withdrew from the island of Lyonesse and, eventually, collapsed, Lyonesse grew into a prosperous kingdom (principality in ACKS terms). However, internecine warfare, followed by plague and famine, devastated its population. Where busy trading and fishing ports once stood, now ruins stand empty. Where fields yielded a wealth of wheat and barley, swamps now sprawl. King Rolf IV at Isenholm, at the southern coast of Lyonesse, holds nominal dominion over the entire island. In reality, he reigns over a half of his forefathers’ kingdom, and even that includes three largely autonomous vassal duchies. Beyond that - abandoned wilderness reigns supreme. And in this wilderness, bandits, Swine, and worse hold sway. Chaos seeps through the cracks of dying Lyonesse and engulfs it from the north. Will heroes arise to turn back this tide of Chaos, or will darkness consume the island?

Inspiration

• Dark European folklore, especially related to fey, undead, and lycanthropes
• Early Modern Europe - especially at its darker times (30-year war, for example)
• H.P. Lovecraft’s (and others’) Cthulhu Mythos
• Thief: Dark Project (video game)
• Darkest Dungeon (video game)
• Grim Dawn (video game)
• Zweihander (Tabletop RPG)
• I6: Ravenloft (D&D module)
• Curse of Strahd (D&D module)

Meta-Setting Concept

The year is EY (Elysian Year) 1666 - an accursed year. War rages in the Mainland. Years of warfare, plague, and famine have devastated the countryside on the Island of Lyonesse. King Rolf IV, who - on paper - rules the island from its traditional capital of Isenholm, reigns over its southern, mostly forested, part. Three dukes owe him fealty, but their coffers and barracks are as empty as his. The rule of Law is weak even in the king’s own domain and disappears completely in the northern half of the Island.

The largest city - the only “proper” city - in modern-day Lyonesse is Isenholm, on its southern coast. It is the King’s personal domain, and where Law holds sway - at least in theory. It grew bloated with refugees fleeing plague and famine in the north, and today extensive slums sprawl beyond the city’s old walls. Petty nobles vie for power with its walls, ever competing with the Wardens - heads of the three competing syndicates. The overworked City Watch is infested with graft and bribery; the Grey Church takes its place, in certain neighborhoods, in enforcing the Law - but is more concerned with hunting Chaotic heretics than with petty theft and gang rackets.

The two Churches of Law tend to the people’s spiritual needs. The Bright Church, led by Archbishop [the term replaces Patriarch for the Bright Church in this setting], offers solace and promises of salvation. However, rumors abound of corruption among its ranks and even infiltration by Chaotic clerics. Matriarch Vindicta heads the Grey Church, worshiping the same Divine with an austere zeal. Ever distrustful of temporal nobility and royalty, the Grey Church rallies the faithful against Chaos and its many agents - actual or imagined. The peasantry, however, while faithful to the Church’s Conquering Sun - which the Grey Church calls the “Divine” - also seek the aid of the old Pagan [Neutral] gods, who sometimes offer concrete guidance where the Churches only pontify about Divine Wrath or distant Salvation.

Beyond the Royal Domain lie three Duchies. There used to be six. Two have fallen to Chaos and to the Swine [this setting’s porcine Orcs], one - Tideborn - is now far from its past glory and in the firm grasp of Chaos under the Blood Duchess Isabel - who is rumored to bathe in the blood of virgins to remain eternally young. But Treheim, Ironguard, and the Forest Duchy still stand on the side of Law - even if tenuously so.

Civilized rule extends from the southern shore to the southern branch of the Spine Mountains, encompassing the entire Forest Duchy and the southern half of Treheim Duchy. Beyond this are the Borderlands - extended as far north as Castle Treheim itself on the western coast and Bogtown on the eastern coat. Further north is wilderness, infested with Chaos, bandits, Swine, and all sorts of vile monstrosities. There lie the ruins of the one-great cities of Myrholm and Northport - abandoned due to plague and Chaotic attacks and now the province of Swine and vile men.

From the central Spine mountains, the Swine Prince - the fattest and vilest of Swine - leads his miniature but growing domain. The Swine hordes are, so far, content with harassing Ironguard and Treheim, but their numbers are growing with the years, and Men fear their desire for conquest and plunder. An independent Swine band is no match for a proper military force, but, led by their Prince, the Swine Horde strikes fear into the hearts of Men.

From Myrholm, the Lizard God - rumored to be a dragon or dragon-spawn - terrorizes the Marsh Cove. Two years ago, Bogtown endured the Scaled Legion’s onslaught, saved, at a great price, by Duke Ironguard’s army. The wildest lands, however, lie to the north of Myrholm, Tideborn, and the Central Spine - infested with the vilest of creatures who took up residence in the abodes of Men when the latter fled southward following the Plague and the Famine Year.

Darkness gathers. The one-proud Island of Lyonesse no lies in shambles. For the prospective adventurer or mercenary, opportunities abound. Opportunities to gain vast wealth by exploring ruins, by allying with any of the many factions - or, eventually, by rising with an iron will to fulfill dreams of conquest and lordship.

Back to Kanahu!

I have decided to run my next (PbP) ACKS game not my Elysian Empire setting but rather in my older, and published, Barbarian Conquerors of Kanahu setting. Why? because I find myself more inspired to use this setting, despite Elysia and Camalynn being fun to write as well; and because, well, I did more prep (70,000-word manuscript!) for this setting than for anything else I have written for a fantasy world. So I have so much stuff ready and at hand! Even a full adventure of my own writing, featuring Visitors! (which was published on the Autarch Patreon for backers of a certain level and above only).

I am using the default Harat region, with a twist: the game will take place 20 or so years before the default setting date. This will mean that the Sorcerer-King Nabu-Ram still rules Harat, challenged by rebelling slaves, led by the lizardman former gladiator Mazatel of Sitali. The rebels control certain eastern parts of Harat's former sphere of influence, and war rages. The game will not begin on the front lines, and the players may ignore much of the military action t, but, on the other hand, could dive right into it if they want. But the War will always be there in the background.

The catch - players start in rebel territory and most of the highest-level Divine spellcasters around work for the rebels and use the limited healing resource for the benefit of rebel leaders and heroes. So allying with the rebels (Lawful) might get you such Divine favor; but on the other hand, in the rebel territory, taxes are high to fund the War and the rebels are always short on cash. The Sorcerer-King (Chaotic) has deep pockets with which to reward mercenaries, even lower-level ones.

This will mean re-creating ruler NPCs, especially as some towns have new rebel rulers and some of loyalist rulers.

The centerpiece of the game, at least where the players start the game, will be Barrowmaze (by Greg Gillespie), which on my map is located in what was once in independent territory but is now under rebel rule. I'll have to adapt Barrowmaze's Helix to BCK's Gesher-Zur; NPC names and even races will have to change (no elves, dwarves, or halflings in BCK, but rather lizardmen, geckomen, and bugmen).

Should be great fun

Elysian Empire Redux

I have redone my Elysian Empire setting for ACKS, focusing on the "Early Dark Ages"-inspired version of the setting rather than the "Early Modern" variant. I have also changed the map so that (almost) all the Elysian Empire will fit into a single ACKS "Campaign Map" (i.e. 960x720 miles).

---

Lysandrus of Elysia conquered the many city-states of old and defeated the Sorcerer Kings in the name of the Conquering Sun. He founded the Elysian Empire and crowned himself, by the Grace of Sol, the first Emperor. 517 years later, his empire lies in ruins.

At its height, the Elysian Empire stretched from coast to coast, unifying the continent under the Emperor's might. It was a civilization of Law. Some say it was the greatest civilization since the dawn of Man. Its wealth, beyond any dream, streamed from the many provinces to the shining city of Elysia. Its magnificence is now a matter of fables. Fought over by pretenders, claimants, and would-be Emperors, it is now a dead, burnt-out shell of its former glory. In the place where one Emperor ruled, now several compete. In a land once shepherded by a single Bright Pontifex, five Pontiffs claim the title, each endorsing his own usurper to the throne.

The Empire is dying. It can barely rule the Imperial domain of Elysia, let alone the provinces. Many aspiring tyrants fight over its throne. In the outer provinces, the locals have not seen an Imperial Legion - or tax collector for that matter - for decades. Local Tribunes and other officials now became de-facto sovereign lords. Their armies are depleted by years of war. Beastmen and bandits besiege their impoverished domains. Some would say that the land calls for heroes - but politics calls for another thing.

Conquerors.

---

So here is the work-in-progress map and geographical overview.

Primary provinces:

Inner Kvenland - cold, forested land. Known for its fierce warriors and expertise in seamanship. (inspiration: Germania or Denmark). Now under Chaos control.

Camalynn - once a fertile province on the Empire's northern border. Now mostly borderlands with the forces of Chaos coming from the west. (inspiration: Arthurian Britain).

Rayanes and Leoneis - twin breadbaskets of the Empire; two rich lands where the vast forests of the past were cut down in favor of bountiful fields and light woods. (inspiration: late Roman Gaul/Iberia).

Nysa - mountainous land dominated by the Nysan Peninsula. Land of seaman and mountainside farmers. Known for mineral and fish exports. (inspiration: Roman Greece).

Elysia - seat of the Empire (inspiration: Rome and Roman Italy).

Tamaskyra - a fertile, if mountainous, land. Known for olive and wine exports and has a long warrior tradition. (inspiration: Greece and Asia Minor).

Qedem - an ancient, if somewhat dry, land. Has a flat, fertile shore and a hilly and mountainous "back country". Civilized for millennia; played a pivotal role in the Slave War. (inspiration: Judea and Syria).

Erida - Swampy, hot land of rivers and marshes. Alongside Kemet, this housed the first post-Mu civilization. (inspiration: Mesopotamia).

Kemet - a dry desert dominated by the Eternal River, which allows extensive agriculture on its banks. The oldest civilization on the mainland once Mu sank beneath the waves. (inspiration: Egypt).

Non-Imperial lands:

Outer Kvenland - savage mountainous and wooded, cold land. Known for brutal warriors worshiping gods of war and sea; now under Chaos control. (inspiration: Nordic countries).

Muspeland - the dwarves' old homeland, now mostly controlled by beastmen and worse. Used to be the seat of the great Dwarven Empire; now dwarven vaults control only its southern tip.

Valakurask - cold, forested land. Its superstitious peasants live in fear of their fickle Fey overlords. Never conquered by the empire thanks to Fey sorcery. Most elves come from this land - changelings born to human parents but with Fey souls. (inspiration: Slavic lands).

Irem - land of sand and rock. Most of its population are nomadic herders. (inspiration: Arabia and other Near East deserts).

For a high-res map, look HERE. Again, the map is work-in-progress. (mapped in Hexographer).

Rusted Lands

I haven't posted in quite a while - almost two months. My workload was massive, and I had little time for game writing. I had, however, time to teach myself the Scribus  layout software and do a new layout for Cepheus: Faster Than Light, which, hopefully, will allow me to publish it through DriveThruRPG, which is more visible to Stellagama Publishing's prospective customers than Lulu. This is because DriveThruRPG PoD works with Lightning Source, which is far more demanding in terms of layout than Lulu. Fingers crossed, this will clear Pre-Media in a few weeks; if this will work, Cepheus Light: Pocket Edition is next!

Anyhow, I have been thinking about an ACKS post-apocalyptic steampunk-magitech setting. I have toyed with the idea of post-apocalyptic ACKS before, but it was a "modern" or "futuristic" apocalypse, demanding specialized classes and technology rules. However, a steampunk-magitech apocalypse means that I can use existing ACKS rules with significantly more minor modifications: ACKS already has steampunk-ish machinists and automaton rules, as well as Magical Engineering. Most magic will be ACKS-type, especially after the War, with pre-War magic being more common and automatons being much cheaper before the War.

Pre-War society had industry, steam power, and clockwork automatons as the basis for an advanced society. Then, civilization blew itself apart in total war. Now, as the industrial infrastructure lies in ruins, building machines is expensive, as per the automaton rules in ACKS' Player's Companion, and magic is less common (that is, as common as in ACKS Core).

This will use ACKS Core rules for the most part, rather than the Heroic Fantasy Handbook. Pre-War magic was flashy and wondrous; in the War itself, it was highly destructive. Imagine how destructive the Napoleonic Wars, the American Civil War, and WWI would have been with ritual-level spells combined with massive mecha in addition to the usual guns, artillery, and flamethrowers.

I see the WWI aesthetic as appropriate to this setting: ponderous machines (as WWI tanks were), chemical weapons and gas masks, and a long, futile, murderous trench war. Imagine how it would have looked if steampunk technology and magic existed on Terra. Imagine how deadly this would have been.

This is how the Rusted Lands came into being.

Civilization is dead, save several surviving pockets and enclaves. Huge wrecked war machines and industrial edifices stand rusting among the old battlefields. Technology regressed to an almost Dark Ages level - as per ACKS core ("late antiquity" - but I always imagined it as a bit later, along the lines of the early Dark Ages). However, matchlocks are still around - two steps down from the flintlocks (and beyond) of the War.

So, among the ruins, the survivors lead a feudal existence. And you can conquer them and restore a piece of the past's Glory.

Camalynn 1666 - County of Aerik (Barrowmaze)

As you may have noticed, I have integrated Greg Gillespie's Barrowmaze into my own Camalynn EY1666 setting.

Barrowmaze's Duchy of Aerik becomes Aerik County. It is one of the four counties ruled by the city-state of Surabka (to the north of this map). The map also shows the neighboring Mersic County (administered from Mersicton) and lands (to the south) controlled by Surabka's rival city-state, Igorburg (to the south of this map). There is also an autonomous Dwarven colony, the Krum Tok Vault, nominally a vassal of Igorburg.

Between EY (Elysian Year) 1647 and EY 1651, Surabka and Igorburg fought a bitter war. The main battlefields were in Aerik County and its environs. Krum Tok stayed mostly neutral, only paying taxes to Igorburg to finance the war effort; fighting destroyed the fortified Igorburgian town of Blackfort. Bogtown was the site of another battle, and two battles occurred inside Barrowmoor itself - the First and Second Battles of Barrowmoor. Remnants of battle and bodies - some say, also spirits - of the fallen are common in Barrowmoor, both near Bogtown (where the First Battle of Barrowmoor took place) and directly to the south of the Old Dwarf Bridge (where the Second Battle of Barrowmoor took place).

Worse still, the Yellow Plague swept through the County in the fateful year of EY1659, further depopulating the area and leaving many disfigured.

The result is a devastated, depopulated County, on the beginning of its very long road to recovery. It has three things going in its favor: fertile lands in the County's northern edge; the strong - and virtually untouched - mining economy of Krum Tok, and *drumroll* Barrowmaze itself. The horrid barrow-mounds began attracting adventurers and grave-robbers in the post-War years, as deserters from both armies came home with major treasures and rumors of horrid monsters. Helix, once a peaceful peat-digging and farming community, grew into a rich "boomtown" with adventurers, tomb-robbers, and assorted scum flooded it, as roads from Helix to Barrowmaze are better explored than those from Mersicton (which also saw growth in light of this adventuring craze).

Surabka rules an area of 123 6-mile hexes, a little less than 4,000 square miles. In ACKS terms, it is a mid-sized Duchy, though its ruler calls himself a Prince. Following the plague, average population is 50 people per square mile, or 300 families per 6-mile hex, for a total of approximately 37,000 families.

This is an advanced, urban realm, like the rest of Camalynn, technologically similar to the earlier part of Terra's early modern period. It is also highly centralized around the city-state of Surabka. This means an urban population of 7,000 families, with Surabka itself being home to 4,500 of them, being a Large City (Class II Market). The other 2,000 urban families are distributed between the various settlements, primarily the county seats.

The Duchy of Aerik suffered war and plague and is depopulated. On paper, it has an area of 35 6-mile hexes (approx. 1,000 square miles), making it huge for a county. However, it is mostly uninhabitable Moor. Thus, average population density is 30 people per square mile, 180 families per 6-mile hex, and a total population of approximately 6,300 families. Of them, 950 are urban families; 600 of them live in the fortified county seat of Ironguard, which is a Large Town (Class IV Market) 150 in the devastated Bogtown, a Village (Class VI Market), and 200 in Helix, another Village. However, Helix's "boomtown" economics "upgrade" it to a Class V Market.

Mersicton is the county seat of Mersic County, which has an area of 29 6-mile hexes and an average population of 40 people per square mile, or 250 families per 6-mile hex mostly working in forest-related agriculture. The total is approximately 7,250 families, of them 800 live in urban settlements, of which the largest is Mersicton, a small town of 500 families (Class V Market). Mersicton sees some economic growth from the Barrowmaze "industry", but not as much as the more accessible Helix.

Krum Tok Vault, a Dwarven colony and a nominal (though very autonomous) vassal of Igorburg, controls 19 hexes, mostly of mountain and forest country, an average population of 40 people per square mile, or 250 families per 6-mile hex, for a total of approximately 4,750 families. They are centralized mostly in the industrial town of Krum Tok, surrounding the Dwarven vault, with an urban population of 700 families, of them 475 in Krum Tok, making it a Small Town (Class V market).

Camalynn 1666 - On Dwarves

More on my Camalynn setting - and now, on Dwarves. Dwarves build their vaults near underground rivers and/or geothermal vents. This brings a natural power source to the forge's massive bellows and mechanical hammers, as well as other machinery. Thermal vents usually also bring hot spring water for the bathhouse.

The forge is the vault's heart and its temple. The head craftpriest works the forge as part of his sacred duties - he is also the head smith in most cases.(edited)

They tend to be independent; dwarves in my setting once ruled over a kingdom, Muspelheim, which had both a dwarven and a human population. Most of Muspelheim is now the domain of beastmen; only a few independent vaults remain in the south of Muspelheim.

Once they did pay tribute to kings of Camalynn (a human kingdom). Now Camalynn has fallen into a collection of city-states itself, so the vaults are independent themselves

Dwarves worship the Mastersmith - the one Lawful god who forged the world out of stone and the dwarves from steel. Some rogue theologists claim that the Mastersmith and the (human Lawful god) Conquering Sun are one, but both the Churches and the dwarves deny this. The hammer is the Mastersmith's favored weapon, and favored tool.

Dwarves are the most technologically-advanced race of my setting. They have flintlock firearms while humans have matchlocks; they have all the cool mechanical technology inspired by real-world Song Dynasty China medieval tech (even an Alchemist's Fire double-piston flamethrower). And, of course, automatons. And some lost vaults are rumored to have even higher tech.(edited)

Automatons are the sole monopoly of the Machinist's Guild, which is Dwarven. They guard their technology jealously and enjoy legal protection in most human kingdoms and city-states. They also produce superb versions of technology known to Man, such as clocks and printing presses. A city's Dwarven Quarter, dominated by the Guild, is thus a technological wonder.

Camalynn 1666 - Anunaki

More on my Camalynn setting - and now more on lizardmen and anunaki. In 1534 BE (Before Elysia), the Eridan sorcerer-queen Beletseri, ruler of the city of Urun, desired tough, disciplined amphibious troops. She dreamed of conquering entire Erida and the neighboring lands. Since three rivers lie at Erida's heart, the Eridan heartland is swampy - where such troops will grant a significant advantage. Thus she cross-bred lizardmen with men to create lesser anunaki - reptilian soldiers combining lizardman resilience with human cunning and discipline. As their elite shock-troops, she cross-bred lesser anunaki with drakes (sub-sentient relatives of dragons) to create the winged greater anunaki capable of flight.

As things like this usually go, the anunaki soon rebelled, killed Beletseri, and embarked on their own campaign of conquest. They conquered Erida's heartland and extended their empire as far as Qedem. There they ruled with an iron fist for a millennium, until a successful slave rebellion in 470 BE returned Erida into human hands and slew most anunaki.

The remaining anunaki scattered; centuries of inbreeding between themselves, as well as breeding with swamp lizardmen, diluted their blood. Many degenerated into Chaotic lizardmen - twice as tough as ordinary lizardmen, cannibalistic, but lacking the cunning of a true anunaki. A few remained in secluded colonies. Chaotic lizardmen will see a lesser anunaki as a born king and a greater anunaki as a god. Ordinary lizardmen will view both as demons.

In ACKS terms, lesser anunaki use ordinary thrassian stats, with 2 thrassian build points; greater anunaki use 4 thrassian build points.

Camalynn, EY 1666 - Historical Overview

More on my Camalynn setting mentioned in my previous post.

The main question - how do you go from the dying Elysian Empire of EY516 (EY = Elysian Year) to the large city-states of EY1666 Camalynn?

Camalynn, inspired by England and with some inspiration from Russia and the Scandinavian countries as well, at least culturally and in terms of naming conventions, was united in EY534 by the former Elysian soldier, turned popular general Aeron Dragonshield, who became King Aeron I.

Aeron I and his immediate descendants fought against the Wolf Horde - the Chaotic berserker armies of Outer Kvenland and their lycanthrope and beastman allies.

Aeron III struck the killing blow against Chaotic Kvenland in EY 591, slaying the dread Werewolf King, Rolf Redtooth and routing the Wolf Horde. This led to an uprising of the Kvenlander population, which was Neutral for the most part, against their Chaotic overlords.

Camalynn was always a bastion of the austere, zealous Grey Church, as the power behind Aeron Dragonshield's rise to power was the Grey Church's Matriarch Vindicta (nothing makes a 9th level fighter's life easier than alliance with a politically savvy, highly popular 13th level priestess). The older Bright Church was, and is, always present but always as a secondary power.

Fast forward several centuries, and Camalynn began developing as an imperial power of its own, eclipsing its neighbors Leoneis and Rayanes. Around EY1200, it even began conquering offshore lands to the far west, and at its height, it reigned over Leoneis as well.

But all fell apart in the Bastard War.

King Alfred II of Camalynn died in EY1388 without legitimate issue. He had, however, two illegitimate sons - Gunnar the Bastard, born from his unlawful relationship with a kitchen maid, and Albert the Hunchback, born from incest between the King and his sister.

Albert the Hunchback was the eldest, and with better pedigree (born from the union of a King and a Princess, no less), but incest is considered an abomination by the Grey Church, so Matriarch Gloria III refused to anoint him and instead blessed his half-brother, Gunnar the Bastard.

Albert, with his eyes set on the throne, traveled all the way to far Elysia to be blessed by the Bright Church's Pontifex.

Each claimant to the throne had several prominent noble houses behind him, as well as the blessing of a Church.

Thus began the fratricidal Bastard War. It combined religious strife with personal and family ambitions, a deadly combination for the kingdom and many of its residents.

This also spilled over into a religious conflict in neighboring kingdoms.

Both Gunnar the Bastard and Albert the Hunchback fell in the Battle of Darkford in EY1399. Legend has it that they struck each other in an epic duel, but in reality, Gunnar the Bastard was killed by a cannonball - a recent innovation - while Albert was slain by an errant arrow. Both died without issue.

The remaining noble houses tried to claim the empty throne but none had a strong legitimate claim to it. Thus, they continued the war for half a century. This war engulfed Camalynn, Kvenland, Leoneis, and Rayanes and had, in addition to the machinations of nobles hungry for thrones, a strong sectarian religious element.

The war ended with the exhaustion of all belligerents, and wide devastation of the lands, with the Peace of Mont Rayenn in EY1444, signed by the remaining noble houses and both Churches.

Each House retained its holdings, but none gained the throne. All parties agreed not to crown a king over Camalynn except by agreement of a majority of the noble houses. The other kingdoms, where there were legitimate heirs to the thrones, were restored. Both churches recognized each other's legitimacy and were allowed to operate without restriction across Camalynn and its neighbors.

Recovery, fueled by recent technological advances, focused on Camalynn's major cities, each a seat of a Great House.

Thus, contemporary (EY1666) Camalynn is a land of city-states, most ruled by Princes, and one by a Senate after overthrowing its Prince.

And the Throne sits empty. None has a strong enough legitimate claim to it to convince the noble houses to enthrone him.

But "someone" (read: power-hungry PCs) could, "theoretically", force the noble houses to elect him/her as a Monarch by force of arms!

ACKS - Camalynn (tentative map)

I've started working on my setting for ACKS, in which I intend to run various modules from Barrowmaze to Stonehell (and my own Dark Inheritance mini-campaign). The basic concept is an Early Modern-ish former kingdom now broken into several warring city-states following a nasty succession struggle.

As this is a strictly non-commercial setting, I can borrow from any source I want, with attribution, of course. So the setting has a Barrowmoor and a Stonehell Dungeon on its map, where I intend to run these respective dungeons.

So, without further ado, is the first work-in-progress of the Camalynn map.

You can find its full-res version HERE.

"The Lost Islands" goes commercial!

I am pleased to report that I have signed a contract with Autarch LLC for writing my "The Lost Islands" campaign setting for ACKS as a commercial freelance project!

I'm already working on several very cool ideas, which would make this a prehistoric sci-fantasy romp to remember!

It will also be set in the official Auran Empire setting, offering a change of pace from the Empire's late-antiquity milieu.

Tentative ACKS Psionic "spell" list

In the previous post, I presented my take on psionics for ACKS.

As noted, these are the psionic spell type categories:

Blast - unavilable
Death - as cleric
Detection - half cleric!
Enchantment - half cleric!
Healing - 1.5 cleric (i.e. slower progression)
Illusion - as mage
Movement - as mage
Protection - standard as cleric and mage
Summoning - unavailable
Transmogrification - unavailable
Wall - unavailable

So:

* denotes a reversible spell

(note that a spell and its reverse are separate spells for a psychic and must be learned separately)

Italics denote a spell from the ACKS Player's Companion,

Level 1:

Charm Person

Command Word

Detect Chaos*

Detect Charm*

Detect Danger

Detect Invisible

Detect Magic

Detect Secret Doors

ESP

Find Traps

Locate Object

Protection from Chaos

Read Languages

Remove Fear*

Sleep

Speak with Animals

Trance

Ventriculism

Level 2:

Choking Grip

Clairaudience

Clairvoyance

Cure Light Wounds*

Enthrall

Hold Person

Hypnotic Patterns

Inaudiability

Invisibility

Levitate

Mirror Image

Phantasmal Force

Telepathy

Level 3:

Charm Monster

Chimerical Force

Confusion

Command Animals

Command Person

Command Plants

Delay Poison

Dispel Magic

Fly

Invisibility, 10' Radius

Locate Object

Nondetection

Protection from Chaos, Sustained*

Protection from Normal Missiles

Speak with Plants

Tongues

Wizard Eye

Level 4:

Control Animals

Control Undead

Cure Moderate Wounds*

Fear

Feign Death

Dimension Door

Divination

Feeblemind

Hallucinatory Terrain

Hold Monster

Panic

Remove Curse*

Strength of Mind*

True Seeing

Level 5:

Control Plants

Cure Blindness

Cure Disease

Cure Serious Wounds*

Enslave

Neutralize Poison*

Passwall

Telekinesis

Teleport

Geas*

Level 6:

Anti-Magic Shell

Dispel Chaos

Project Image

ACKS: psychic build

Psionics. Ever since I first watched Babylon 5 in the mid-late 1990's, I was fascinated by them - by the powers of the mind. I wrote some rules for them for the Cepheus Engine, not being satisfied with how it treats psionics in its core rules. However, in fantasy, things are a little different. For what are psionics, but science-fiction magic? So I was, in the past, on the fence about their inclusion in fantasy settings. However, in more "gonzo" quasi-science-fantasy settings such as my (published) Barbarian Conquerors of Kanahu (BCK), or my prospective Blighted Lands post-apocalyptic setting for ACKS, they should fit well.

So, like the sorcerer, I used the magic type creation rules from Axioms I to create psionics as a custom type of "magic". Yes, you read me right - "magic". I find the ACKS spellcasting rules to be robust, more robust than, say the old AD&D Psionics Handbooks rules, or even the ACKS Heroic Fantasy Handbook's spellsinging rules. So I am taking a similar road to the one I took with BCK's visitor hybrid: my psionics use a variant, custom type of "spellcasting", designed per Axioms I as noted above, rather than the traditional AD&D (or my beloved Traveller) psi-point system.

You can find the psychic magic type design sheet HERE.

Psychics have "inherited" magic with standard (mage-like) progression. Unlike sorcerers, they lack a code of behavior and do not have to fear Corruption, and cannot turn or control undead. They have mage-type saving throws (i.e., the worst) and both INT and CHA as prime requisites. They may use magic items accessible to mages.

Psychics have no access to "sorcerous" spells such as Blast, Summoning, Transmogrification, or Wall spells. However, they receive powerful Detection and Enchantment spells very early and have good illusion and movement spells (as a mage) - all befitting the masters of the mind.

A "full" psychic is at 2 build points and 950 XP, which I may yet round to 1000 XP for convenience sake. "Half" progression is that 450 XP; 133% psionics are at 1900 xp; and 150% psionics are at 3800 XP, which seems a bit excessive.

I have in mind (so to speak!) two psionic classes:

Psychic

The psychic is the master of the mind - yet skilled in survival in blighted lands and barbaric jungles alike. Men fear him (or her!) - as his mysterious mental might can dominate the will of others and penetrate even the deepest, most private thoughts of a hapless "mundane". Unlike mages or clerics, the psychic needs neither spellbooks nor holy symbols; his very presence provides him with power over the minds of others. Playing a psychic means mastering the mind - that of the character himself, and that of his enemies.

Class build would be Psychic 2, Fighting 1b (as thief), and Hit Dice 1 (1d6 per level). This grants full access to psionic powers (with full mage-style progression), as well as decent fighting capabilities. This costs 1950 XP to rise to level 2; I'll round it to 2000 XP (as a fighter) to make the higher level XP values more convenient.

Psionic Knight

Some men (and women!) master not only their minds, as a psychic does, but also the blade and the shield. A keen mind, powerful enough to rob opponents of their most intimate thoughts and bend them to the psionic knight's will, augments a steady sword-arm. If the psionic knight survives long enough to become a mind lord - a psionic warlord - his psychic skills grant him a strategic advantage against his "mundane" opponents, granting military intelligence and providing strategic capabilities beyond the ken of ordinary men.

Class build would be Psychic 1, Fighting 2 (as fighter), and Hit Dice 1 (1d6 per level). This grants half of a psychic's power progression, together with great martial prowess. This also costs 1950 XP to rise to level 2; I'll round it to 2000 XP (as a fighter) to make the higher level XP values more convenient.

I also wanted to add a savant class with Psionics 4 but 3,800 XP to get to level 2 seem like an excessive price for 150% spells.

Next, I will design the psionic "spell" list based on the magic type design I have linked above.

The Lost Islands Regional Map

This is the full (work-in-progress) map of my Lost Islands campaign setting for ACKS.

For a full-res map look HERE.

The main island itself is quite large - approximately 150 miles long by 120 miles wide. As there are no real roads and terrain is difficult, that's a lot of exploration!

The Lost Islands

One thought that has occurred to me is that an "Isle of Dread"-type setting could be a wonderful vessel for bringing Barbarian Conquerors of Kanahu elements into a more "standard" D&D-type fantasy campaign campaign. I am thinking about running it for traditionally-minded players who will want to play dwarves and elves, but I'll introduce them to all the weird Lost World lizardry stuff.

Crashed alien saucer on a "lost world" island with Ancient ruins, lizardmen/geckomen, and dinosaurs. Which "ordinary" fantasy heroes come to visit.

This is not Kanahu transplanted into a generic fantasy world, mind you, but a setting allows importing BCK material into a limited area of it.

This will have a "regional" map (1 hex = 6 miles) with several islands. And yes, with pirates (Arrrrrr! Shiver me Timbers!) too.

I was thinking about the Islands being a small part of a sunken, Mu-type continent, where there was once an Ancient [human] civilization (Mesoamerican-flavored). When the Ancient Land sank, the survivors made pacts with reptilian totems of the islands for protection. This was a blessing and a curse - the Ancients became various types of lizardmen; the Chaotic among them became Serpentmen and Toadmen.

So you get various lizard tribes - you get the Monitor [standard lizardman] Village, the Gecko Village, the Chameleon Village [new class/creature] - and the Serpent Pyramid!

Later, a millennium or so ago, humans islanders from other parts of the world came and settled a peninsula; they fortified the Ancient bridge connecting it to the main island and thus enjoyed some protection from dinosaurs and other dangers of the main island. They settled on a few of the smaller islands as well.

Finally, very recently, the Empire came and set up a trading-post on the peninsula to trade with local humans and with the "Lizard Village" (Monitor Village). Pirates from the Empire also settled on the Islands.

There was also an alien saucer crashed into the dormant vulcano's flooded caldera; possibly damaged by Ancient magics when investigating them.

So you have:

• Dinosaurs and other weird fauna and flora.
• Ancient [Mesoamerican-style] ruins with all sorts of magic (or technology?).
• Lizardmen/geckomen/chameleonfolk, serpentmen, toadmen. May provide henchmen.
• Local human tribes. May provide henchmen.
• Pirates! Arrrrrr!
• Alien ship; aliens; alien beasts/robots. Alien tech.
• Imperial presence.
• Islands just waiting to be conquered and inhabited!

What do you think?