Dr Simon
Explorer
I’ve always had something of a love-hate thing for the Dragonlance campaign. Bits of it really appeal to me, and others have never sat right. I originally ran the campaign back around the time it first came out, getting up to DL12 (Dragons of Faith) before the playing group went its separate ways, and I’ve been dancing around it ever since, trying to re-run it with various changes, also using RuneQuest, but still fundamentally the same campaign with some of the same issues that bother me.
Forward to the present day and, late to the party as usual, I’ve recently been “box-setting” my way through the revamped Battlestar Galactica. I’ve also just started season two of A Game of Thrones, and it set me to thinking of ways to reboot the setting and campaign so as to make it more to my taste, more grounded in a kind of harsh realism, less like a the clean-cut Larry Elmore illustrations, whilst still keeping much of the essential flavour. It was a good test in how far I would let myself push things.
The idea is still in flux, but I’m going to dole out some of the concepts so far, for comments and suggestions.
One
Cataclysm as Event Zero
I didn’t want to lard the campaign opening with loads of background. I’m still thinking of the usual start – in or near Solace – but I also wanted the pre-Cataclysm history to be something that the characters discovered as the campaign went on. So all that is known is that before the Cataclysm there was a mighty nation known as Istar; that Istar angered the gods and the gods threw down a mountain of fire to destroy it. The lands were changed, old kingdoms fell and over time, after much strife, new lands arose. Istar was powerful in the magic known as High Sorcery, with which was created many wonders, such as craft, even cities, that floated in the sky and devices for communicating over vast distances. All of this was lost in the Cataclysm, and what remained was broken or lost the magic that powered it.
So far, so Wheel of Time, and there are some interesting truths behind the tale that I intend to let out during the campaign. Note that High Sorcery is implied to be something lost, or perhaps known only to a few, also a slight nod that it might be some kind of super-science technology, and I will return to this later.
Two
No Gods – Ever
The return of the gods aspect of Dragonlance is one of the parts that never sat right with me. I dislike the D&D habit of making religions fit neatly into a one-size-fits all pantheon, and I also wasn’t greatly fond of the way that the campaign starts off with no-one having knowledge of the gods, but as you go on then it turns out that there are still lots of people and places who know about them, diluting the discovery of the Disks of Mishakal a bit.
That is not to say that there would be no religion – in fact, that makes it all the more interesting as it allows for different religion who believe in different gods, and no-one knows for certain who is right (which, surely, is what faith is for). So, no divine spellcasters, and this would impact in system choice which I will discuss more fully later on. The other impact is what would be the reward at the end of the expedition to Xak Tsaroth? (A setting too cool to lose). For that I have some ideas, which will serve to drive the campaign forwards, but for the sake of spoilers I’m not saying what they are. However, any ideas are welcome. I can just neither confirm nor deny!
Also, things might happen that could be classed as “miracles” or the intervention of the gods. Who is to say that they are, or if they are just coincidence, however? To that end, I’m considering some kind of hero point mechanic, but I’m unsure. Also it doesn’t rule out powerful supernatural beings who invite worship as gods, but beyond a few magical powers they have no say in the running of the cosmos.
Three
No Battle for Balance
In other words, no alignment as a concrete thing. Ugh, I hated that whole “too much good” thing in the original saga. I mean, hubris and arrogance, I can understand. Good intentions going awry, yes. Just don’t try to justify it using the D&D alignment spectrum. I want some moral ambiguity. I want people to be able to good for selfish reasons and to do wrong through misguided intentions. By removing the gods, that removes the cosmic battle aspect of things – to an extent. Certainly followers of religions may clash over their beliefs. That’s going to be potentially fundamental to the setting. It’s just that from the objective viewpoint of the GM, there is no one true outcome. Whatever happens over the course of the campaign, happens. If people in the setting want to use it justify one belief over another, they will.
Four
No Non-Humans
I had already decided to trim out many of the non-human races – no goblins, hobgoblins or ogres, for instance – the main/only non-human bad guy race would be the draconians and I didn’t want to dilute them with legacy monsters. Then I thought about cutting the minor races – irda, shadowpeople, kyrie etc., and would the setting really suffer if I replaced them with a variant of the PC races? I didn’t think it would, and in fact removing any of those altogether wouldn’t make too much difference. Comedy gully dwarves were never my thing, so it wasn’t too hard to cut them and replace any appearances with down-trodden (but still basically dignified) hill dwarves or other races.
Then the radical thought – what if everyone was human (except, of course, for the draconians and some supernatural creatures)? It was a wrench, since kender and minotaurs are two elements that I do like about the Dragonlance setting. However, the more I think about it, the more I think it could work.
There could still be racial/cultural differences, but there are no racial bonuses or ability packages. Using a system with traits of some kind, common traits could be seen in various areas but not limited to those. It wouldn’t necessarily mean removing all the elements associated with the Dragonlance races, but it did have the feel of making it more than a Terry Brooks style vanilla fantasy trip, where you have to have elves and dwarves because otherwise it “wouldn’t be fantasy”.
Mountain Folk
The mighty kingdom of Thorbardin once ruled the southwestern corner of the continent, its craftsmen built great halls underground, greatest of which was the Delve of Thorbardin. When the Cataclysm came, the Delve closed its doors. Those left outside fought to get in, leading to the kinstrife known as the Delvegate Wars. The mountain folk left outside the Delve called themselves the Aghar – the Abandoned. The descendants of Thorbardin are a proud people, with a fine tradition in craftsmanship, mining and smithing. The men commonly wear beards and they favour axes and hammer in war. They have a tendency towards a stocky build and many still bear a grudge against the Delve, although what became of the inhabitants, nobody knows, since the doors have never been opened.
Goodlunders (also Goodlendings)
The people of Goodlund, in the east, are easy-going and adventurous. They are wanderers and traders, travelling across the land by road or sea, buying and selling, and have enclaves across the continent. More warlike cultures say of the Goodlunders that they “Use words as a weapon”, meant pejoratively to mean that they have no stomach for a fight, but the Goodlunders take it as a compliment, saying that a well-placed word can do more damage than a dozen swords. In fact they prefer to use words as a means to peace, preferring talking to fighting any time, probably due to their generally small and slight build. It seems to some that they use trade more as a game than as a means of making money, since amongst themselves Goodlunders have a sense of communal property. This, coupled with sharp trading practices, makes them open to accusations of being thieves, something they strongly deny.
Qualinesti
After the Cataclysm, the Qualinesti came from the East. They are a tall and fair people, wise in many of the High Sorcery of old Istar. They brokered peace in the Delvegate War and helped the shattered remnants of the survivors to rebuild a civilisation. They were, however, protective of their magical secrets and this eventually led to a falling out between the Qualinesti and their former allies. The Qualinesti retreated from the world at large to the depths of their forest havens, and are rarely found abroad these days. They are kin to the Silvanesti, a large nation that once occupied most of the southeast of the continent, a part of Istar. The Silvanesti used the High Sorcery of Istar to work in concert with nature, and built wonderful cities amongst the trees. Much was destroyed in the Cataclysm, leading to a civil war for diminished resources that saw the expulsion or exodus of the Qualinesti, and the formation of Goodlund. Like the Qualinseti, the Silvanesti guard their knowledge of the magic of old Istar jealously.
Sea Folk
These dark-skinned folk come from islands far to the north, and since the Cataclysm have claimed many of the newly formed islands for their own, particularly around the Blood Sea. They are largely traders who prefer the sea to the land. Most notorious amongst the sea-folk are those who have settled the islands of Mithas and Kothas. These are reavers and pirates, with a culture that favours strength in battle over trade. They worship the bull, and their most feared captains will wear the head and pelt of a bull that they have killed themselves in bullfights that they hold as part religious rite, part contest of prowess and part entertainment. Usually tall and powerful, these bull-warriors will sail into battle daubed in warpaint.
Forest-folk
Remnants of northern Thorbardin and southern Solamnia, these are descendants of the people who took counsel from the Qualinesti, and their towns are built in and around trees in the Qualinesti fashion. Qualinesti and mountainfolk bloodlines have intermingled as well, and the forest folk are a widely varied group, bred with independence and spirit.
Plains-folk
From a similar background as the forest-folk, the plains-folk rejected the learning of the Qualinesti, seeking a simpler life free from what they saw as the taint of High Sorcery that brought about the Cataclysm. Like their kin, they are vigorous and independent, but they shun the trappings of a “civilised” life as decadent and weakening.
There are, of course, others who would be traditional “human” cultures” of Dragonlance – Solamnia, Lemish, Nordmaar, Khur etc. I’d consider that the hobgoblin “nation” of Throtyl is a lawless land of bandits, the ogre nations of Kern and Blode are also just humans, ruled by particularly nasty warlords.
As you can see, there’s only a wafer-thin difference between a “mountainfolk” and a dwarf, for example, so you don’t lose any of that traditional fantasy flavour but at the same time it frees up the characterisation of each race somewhat. You could just as easily have somebody from a mountainfolk background who is tall and skinny and doesn’t know the first thing about mining. It makes it less of a fantasy zoo and also ties a lot of these cultures more closely together. I’m already pondering some sort of “Five Kingdoms” thing for Istar, of which Thorbardin (capital The Delve), Silvanesti (capital Silvanost) and Solamnia (capital Palanthus) are three.
What I have planned for the gnomes, and the kagonesti, I will keep to myself for the moment. As for aquatic elves, I may just ignore aquatic races altogether but I haven’t decided just yet.
Five
Gotta Have A System
The above gives some considerations to bear in mind when choosing what system to use. Most notably, it needs to work without clerical healing being freely available. It would help if it had some kind of traits system. Also I’m looking for something that allows for heroes to do heroic things, but to also have a slightly gritty feel – not so much that characters die at the slightest touch, but something where they are not immortal.
Some considerations:
D20-based
Pathfinder – could work without clerics (and maybe some other classes that don’t fit). It has a lot of traits so that human characters are not all the same, and the oracle might work well as a pseudo-priest. Clerical healing, however, is still quite important.
Iron Heroes – is based on a humans only, low magic premise. I find some of the concepts, such as the token system, a bit clunky in play, but the idea of reserve points might be useful.
Arcana Evolved – I’m not sure all the classes fit, but it does put magical healing in the hands of any spellcaster. That, however, detracts from the gritty feel I’m looking for. Some of the spellcasting concepts, particularly the magister, might work well though.
Non-D20
RuneQuest – I’ve run this before using the Avalon Hill edition. It works okay, but I have already tried it, so I might rule this one out.
Savage Worlds – could work, although I’m not that used to the system. Fairly toolbox-y, so it looks like it could be adapted to give a different feel depending on need.
So far, I’m leaning towards the D20-based because, as a D&D adventure originally, the scaling and style suit it better. Also, although I used to love RQ over all other games, I am pretty fond of the d20 mechanics, particularly when you tweak them a little like in the Malhavoc games. Currently, I’m considering PF, but with a houseruled variant of the Iron Heroes reserve point mechanism (of which more anon). However, there are also consideration for arcane magic that need bearing in mind; again, more next time.
Forward to the present day and, late to the party as usual, I’ve recently been “box-setting” my way through the revamped Battlestar Galactica. I’ve also just started season two of A Game of Thrones, and it set me to thinking of ways to reboot the setting and campaign so as to make it more to my taste, more grounded in a kind of harsh realism, less like a the clean-cut Larry Elmore illustrations, whilst still keeping much of the essential flavour. It was a good test in how far I would let myself push things.
The idea is still in flux, but I’m going to dole out some of the concepts so far, for comments and suggestions.
One
Cataclysm as Event Zero
I didn’t want to lard the campaign opening with loads of background. I’m still thinking of the usual start – in or near Solace – but I also wanted the pre-Cataclysm history to be something that the characters discovered as the campaign went on. So all that is known is that before the Cataclysm there was a mighty nation known as Istar; that Istar angered the gods and the gods threw down a mountain of fire to destroy it. The lands were changed, old kingdoms fell and over time, after much strife, new lands arose. Istar was powerful in the magic known as High Sorcery, with which was created many wonders, such as craft, even cities, that floated in the sky and devices for communicating over vast distances. All of this was lost in the Cataclysm, and what remained was broken or lost the magic that powered it.
So far, so Wheel of Time, and there are some interesting truths behind the tale that I intend to let out during the campaign. Note that High Sorcery is implied to be something lost, or perhaps known only to a few, also a slight nod that it might be some kind of super-science technology, and I will return to this later.
Two
No Gods – Ever
The return of the gods aspect of Dragonlance is one of the parts that never sat right with me. I dislike the D&D habit of making religions fit neatly into a one-size-fits all pantheon, and I also wasn’t greatly fond of the way that the campaign starts off with no-one having knowledge of the gods, but as you go on then it turns out that there are still lots of people and places who know about them, diluting the discovery of the Disks of Mishakal a bit.
That is not to say that there would be no religion – in fact, that makes it all the more interesting as it allows for different religion who believe in different gods, and no-one knows for certain who is right (which, surely, is what faith is for). So, no divine spellcasters, and this would impact in system choice which I will discuss more fully later on. The other impact is what would be the reward at the end of the expedition to Xak Tsaroth? (A setting too cool to lose). For that I have some ideas, which will serve to drive the campaign forwards, but for the sake of spoilers I’m not saying what they are. However, any ideas are welcome. I can just neither confirm nor deny!
Also, things might happen that could be classed as “miracles” or the intervention of the gods. Who is to say that they are, or if they are just coincidence, however? To that end, I’m considering some kind of hero point mechanic, but I’m unsure. Also it doesn’t rule out powerful supernatural beings who invite worship as gods, but beyond a few magical powers they have no say in the running of the cosmos.
Three
No Battle for Balance
In other words, no alignment as a concrete thing. Ugh, I hated that whole “too much good” thing in the original saga. I mean, hubris and arrogance, I can understand. Good intentions going awry, yes. Just don’t try to justify it using the D&D alignment spectrum. I want some moral ambiguity. I want people to be able to good for selfish reasons and to do wrong through misguided intentions. By removing the gods, that removes the cosmic battle aspect of things – to an extent. Certainly followers of religions may clash over their beliefs. That’s going to be potentially fundamental to the setting. It’s just that from the objective viewpoint of the GM, there is no one true outcome. Whatever happens over the course of the campaign, happens. If people in the setting want to use it justify one belief over another, they will.
Four
No Non-Humans
I had already decided to trim out many of the non-human races – no goblins, hobgoblins or ogres, for instance – the main/only non-human bad guy race would be the draconians and I didn’t want to dilute them with legacy monsters. Then I thought about cutting the minor races – irda, shadowpeople, kyrie etc., and would the setting really suffer if I replaced them with a variant of the PC races? I didn’t think it would, and in fact removing any of those altogether wouldn’t make too much difference. Comedy gully dwarves were never my thing, so it wasn’t too hard to cut them and replace any appearances with down-trodden (but still basically dignified) hill dwarves or other races.
Then the radical thought – what if everyone was human (except, of course, for the draconians and some supernatural creatures)? It was a wrench, since kender and minotaurs are two elements that I do like about the Dragonlance setting. However, the more I think about it, the more I think it could work.
There could still be racial/cultural differences, but there are no racial bonuses or ability packages. Using a system with traits of some kind, common traits could be seen in various areas but not limited to those. It wouldn’t necessarily mean removing all the elements associated with the Dragonlance races, but it did have the feel of making it more than a Terry Brooks style vanilla fantasy trip, where you have to have elves and dwarves because otherwise it “wouldn’t be fantasy”.
Mountain Folk
The mighty kingdom of Thorbardin once ruled the southwestern corner of the continent, its craftsmen built great halls underground, greatest of which was the Delve of Thorbardin. When the Cataclysm came, the Delve closed its doors. Those left outside fought to get in, leading to the kinstrife known as the Delvegate Wars. The mountain folk left outside the Delve called themselves the Aghar – the Abandoned. The descendants of Thorbardin are a proud people, with a fine tradition in craftsmanship, mining and smithing. The men commonly wear beards and they favour axes and hammer in war. They have a tendency towards a stocky build and many still bear a grudge against the Delve, although what became of the inhabitants, nobody knows, since the doors have never been opened.
Goodlunders (also Goodlendings)
The people of Goodlund, in the east, are easy-going and adventurous. They are wanderers and traders, travelling across the land by road or sea, buying and selling, and have enclaves across the continent. More warlike cultures say of the Goodlunders that they “Use words as a weapon”, meant pejoratively to mean that they have no stomach for a fight, but the Goodlunders take it as a compliment, saying that a well-placed word can do more damage than a dozen swords. In fact they prefer to use words as a means to peace, preferring talking to fighting any time, probably due to their generally small and slight build. It seems to some that they use trade more as a game than as a means of making money, since amongst themselves Goodlunders have a sense of communal property. This, coupled with sharp trading practices, makes them open to accusations of being thieves, something they strongly deny.
Qualinesti
After the Cataclysm, the Qualinesti came from the East. They are a tall and fair people, wise in many of the High Sorcery of old Istar. They brokered peace in the Delvegate War and helped the shattered remnants of the survivors to rebuild a civilisation. They were, however, protective of their magical secrets and this eventually led to a falling out between the Qualinesti and their former allies. The Qualinesti retreated from the world at large to the depths of their forest havens, and are rarely found abroad these days. They are kin to the Silvanesti, a large nation that once occupied most of the southeast of the continent, a part of Istar. The Silvanesti used the High Sorcery of Istar to work in concert with nature, and built wonderful cities amongst the trees. Much was destroyed in the Cataclysm, leading to a civil war for diminished resources that saw the expulsion or exodus of the Qualinesti, and the formation of Goodlund. Like the Qualinseti, the Silvanesti guard their knowledge of the magic of old Istar jealously.
Sea Folk
These dark-skinned folk come from islands far to the north, and since the Cataclysm have claimed many of the newly formed islands for their own, particularly around the Blood Sea. They are largely traders who prefer the sea to the land. Most notorious amongst the sea-folk are those who have settled the islands of Mithas and Kothas. These are reavers and pirates, with a culture that favours strength in battle over trade. They worship the bull, and their most feared captains will wear the head and pelt of a bull that they have killed themselves in bullfights that they hold as part religious rite, part contest of prowess and part entertainment. Usually tall and powerful, these bull-warriors will sail into battle daubed in warpaint.
Forest-folk
Remnants of northern Thorbardin and southern Solamnia, these are descendants of the people who took counsel from the Qualinesti, and their towns are built in and around trees in the Qualinesti fashion. Qualinesti and mountainfolk bloodlines have intermingled as well, and the forest folk are a widely varied group, bred with independence and spirit.
Plains-folk
From a similar background as the forest-folk, the plains-folk rejected the learning of the Qualinesti, seeking a simpler life free from what they saw as the taint of High Sorcery that brought about the Cataclysm. Like their kin, they are vigorous and independent, but they shun the trappings of a “civilised” life as decadent and weakening.
There are, of course, others who would be traditional “human” cultures” of Dragonlance – Solamnia, Lemish, Nordmaar, Khur etc. I’d consider that the hobgoblin “nation” of Throtyl is a lawless land of bandits, the ogre nations of Kern and Blode are also just humans, ruled by particularly nasty warlords.
As you can see, there’s only a wafer-thin difference between a “mountainfolk” and a dwarf, for example, so you don’t lose any of that traditional fantasy flavour but at the same time it frees up the characterisation of each race somewhat. You could just as easily have somebody from a mountainfolk background who is tall and skinny and doesn’t know the first thing about mining. It makes it less of a fantasy zoo and also ties a lot of these cultures more closely together. I’m already pondering some sort of “Five Kingdoms” thing for Istar, of which Thorbardin (capital The Delve), Silvanesti (capital Silvanost) and Solamnia (capital Palanthus) are three.
What I have planned for the gnomes, and the kagonesti, I will keep to myself for the moment. As for aquatic elves, I may just ignore aquatic races altogether but I haven’t decided just yet.
Five
Gotta Have A System
The above gives some considerations to bear in mind when choosing what system to use. Most notably, it needs to work without clerical healing being freely available. It would help if it had some kind of traits system. Also I’m looking for something that allows for heroes to do heroic things, but to also have a slightly gritty feel – not so much that characters die at the slightest touch, but something where they are not immortal.
Some considerations:
D20-based
Pathfinder – could work without clerics (and maybe some other classes that don’t fit). It has a lot of traits so that human characters are not all the same, and the oracle might work well as a pseudo-priest. Clerical healing, however, is still quite important.
Iron Heroes – is based on a humans only, low magic premise. I find some of the concepts, such as the token system, a bit clunky in play, but the idea of reserve points might be useful.
Arcana Evolved – I’m not sure all the classes fit, but it does put magical healing in the hands of any spellcaster. That, however, detracts from the gritty feel I’m looking for. Some of the spellcasting concepts, particularly the magister, might work well though.
Non-D20
RuneQuest – I’ve run this before using the Avalon Hill edition. It works okay, but I have already tried it, so I might rule this one out.
Savage Worlds – could work, although I’m not that used to the system. Fairly toolbox-y, so it looks like it could be adapted to give a different feel depending on need.
So far, I’m leaning towards the D20-based because, as a D&D adventure originally, the scaling and style suit it better. Also, although I used to love RQ over all other games, I am pretty fond of the d20 mechanics, particularly when you tweak them a little like in the Malhavoc games. Currently, I’m considering PF, but with a houseruled variant of the Iron Heroes reserve point mechanism (of which more anon). However, there are also consideration for arcane magic that need bearing in mind; again, more next time.
