This weekend I visited Montreal for the first time and spent most of it wandering around aimlessly looking at the sites. Overall I was very charmed. At times I was overwhelmed.
I thought a lot about Electric Bastionland.
I thought about the different routes we took, the strange and wonderful encounters we had, and when I got home I decided to work on a Montreal-inspired, mountain borough for Electric Bastionland.
Montstatique
Of course, this Mountain Borough will be based on a hazy weekend impression of a major city, not the city itself. But I think that’s how the designer intended the game to feel.
For now, all I have are my routes.
Subway (to Bastion). Leads deeper into the city, a starting point (or exit).
Subway & Streetcar. Fast, unreliable, and mostly underground. Easy to get lost. Connects to borough’s underground.
Broken Gondola & Bike Path. The gondola used to get you up the mountain pretty fast, but now people bike below it.
Canal. Runs throughout the borough, connects the mountain lake to the coast.
Highway Tunnel (to Deep Country). A claustrophobic, noisy tunnel lined with crumbling tiles.
I never made it to the top of Mount Royal in real life, so I can’t say for sure what’s there, but in this borough its an abandoned museum (abandoned because the gondola is broken, of course) and clubhouse for loud youths.
Artist Unknown
I want to define some factions before I commit to any locations on my map. I’m thinking there’s 3 big players in this so-far-unnamed mountain borough.
Mountain Broadcasting Company. Revolutionary youths broadcast weird hypnoses over radio waves. Recently they stole machine parts from the Union. They’re funded by the Syndicate through fronts throughout the borough.
Machinists’ Union. Consultants ritualistically rearranging the tangled wires of the broken-down gondola and interpreting divine providence from their everchanging conduction patterns. They’re contractually funded by the City of Bastion for another half-century.
Canal Syndicate. The Canal is ruled by subterranean monsters hoarding treasure in the Underground. They deal in hallucinogenic river eels and smuggled goods. Recently they sabotaged the Highway Tunnel to seize control of the borough.
So each faction probably has a headquarters on here somewhere. The Mountain Broadcasting Company obviously operates out of the abandoned museum at the top of the mountain, the radio tower is built on the roof.
It seems only natural that the Machinists’ Union would have their headquarters near the gondola? Well, it was probably cheaper to rent offices further from the canal and they’re in no hurry to get the gondola working so I’m going to put them in the bottom left corner of the map in some distant warehouse and they commute on bike each morning with all their equipment on their backs.
The Canal Syndicate will operate at the northernmost intersection of the subway/streetcar and the canal, giving them access to both the canal and the underground. I’m thinking most of their territory will be sketchy storefronts with hidden stairs to the underground.
For a great one-shot all I really need are three things: (1) a compelling hook, (2) an open-ended problem with no obvious solution, and (3) lots of danger on all sides of the player characters. Bonus points if it all fits on one page.
The gold standard is Moonbase Blues, which manages to meet all of my criteria. Here’s the pitch: the characters (space truckers) wake up on an unfamiliar moon base with (1) no memory of their arrival, (2) no obvious way to get off of the moon, and (3) a number of eerie astronomy enthusiasts eager for them to stick around and see what’s coming over the horizon in a couple of hours (no spoilers).
It even fits on single, double-sided piece of paper.
It was such a great hook I decided to steal it for my own one-shot adventure for Into the Odd.
This was my second time playing Into the Odd, and when I ran the Iron Coral before I walked away loving the rules but feeling as though the monsters went down too fast to be impactful.
I made a note to focus on making more threatening monsters for my sophomore outing.
So, these new characters are heading to Hopesend after hearing about the Iron Coral and hearing about the gold and Arcana inside. They secured passage from Bastion on the Fogburner, an eccentric engineer’s icebreaker. Despite noticing suspicious workers loading a large crate, they have an uneventful first night drifting away from the smog-shrouded city.
We cut to the characters waking up barricaded within the Captain’s Quarters of the Fogburner with no memory of their journey so far. Carved into the wall (in familiar handwriting, perhaps one of their own): “Escape before you forget again!”
The Fogburner is trapped in ice, adrift amidst the Polar Ocean. It has been for months.
So yeah, I stole the concept from Moonbase Blues. But I also stole the setting from the Terror (Season 1) and all the proper nouns from a Cairn adventure I had hoped to run but never found the chance to (the Crypts of Crimson Ice). I even stole the name of a local coffee roast for the titular ship.
I tend to steal the parts of my game prep I don’t enjoy so I can focus my creative energy on the parts I do enjoy prepping. It’s why I prefer to run pre-published adventures most of the time (that, and because there’s something about it all being written down in a book elsewhere that makes it easier for me to believe in).
Below you can see my notes for this adventure (they all fit on one double-sided page, by the way).
In the end, the characters sacrificed themselves to destroy Father Ixtab and end the cycle of forgetting, but only one of them managed to survive and finish his journey to Hopesend.
Art by John MacGregor
The Strong Start The characters wake up barricaded within the Captain’s Quarters (1) with no memory of their journey so far. Carved into the wall (in familiar handwriting): “Escape before you forget again!” The Fogburner is trapped in ice, adrift amidst the Polar Ocean.
Captain’s Quarters. Cold and tilted. Dim light filtered through opaque, frozen windows. The room contains a bed, wardrobe, and desk. The door is barricaded from inside. *Wardrobe. Captain’s uniform (jacket and hat). *Desk. Log detailing uneventful journey for two weeks before crew becomes unreliable, equipment starts to fail, and passengers disappear. Manifest details typical cargo from Bastion (rifles, ammunition, antiquities, pornography) and an iron crate labelled “Ixtab.”
Control Room. Snow drifts beneath shattered windows. Blowing snow swirls around a navigation log left face down open on the tilted floor. Mapping equipment, engine controls, and chronometer are all frozen but otherwise appear undamaged. *Navigation Log. The Fogburner took an erratic course. Among the logs are astronomical charts focusing on unfamiliar constellations. *Mapping equipment. The Fogburner is far north from Hopesend, deep in the Polar Ocean. *Engine controls. Frozen solid. The engine will need to warm up before these controls will work again. *Chronometer. Running slightly out of sync. Apparently, it’s been three months since the ship’s departure.
Observation Deck. Polar winds howl across the crooked observation deck, its metal surface now a treacherous ascent. From the top, you glimpse your surroundings through the flurries (map). There’s something half-buried in the snow, and red symbols on the guardrail. *Something half-buried. A sextant and Arcana (p. 20) *Symbols. Strange runes painted in frozen blood.
Bow. View of frozen ice choppers below and the ocean beyond. It’s early spring. The ice is beginning to thaw. *Ice choppers. Covered in a thick layer of ice and snow (one could scale down the exterior hull to access 9).
Stern. Large chunks of ice press tightly against the hull. A trail in the distance leads to the mouth of a dark cave. Frozen steps lead to the lower decks (to 6), and lifeboats are uncovered and filled with snow and frozen bodies. *Frozen bodies. d4 frozen husks among the dead!
Hold. Warped, crooked floors. Echoing walls. Piles of pilfered cargo. A large iron crate labelled “Ixtab” radiates an unnatural cold. *Pilfered Cargo. Luck roll to find equipment (p. 12). *Ixtab. Filled with solid ice. Something has been carved out from its centre, leaving a gaping hole. An Arcana (p. 20) has been left inside among shards of ice. An ice swarm attacks if the Arcana is taken!
Engines. A slanted, frozen labyrinth of seized pistons and fractured gauges. Someone has carved into the walls: “Trust no one, defend the engines.”Harsh whispers echo across the metal. *Harsh whispers.The Captain brandishes a flamethrower and a pistol to keep outsiders away from the engines.
Crew Quarters. A network of tilted halls and frozen, ransacked quarters. A frightened passenger raids the kitchen. *Ransacked quarters. Check for a wandering encounter. Luck roll for Arcana (p. 20).
Ice Chopper Control Room. A small cave of ice and snow. Light filters in through the gaps between the frozen ice choppers. There’s something crawling in the shadows. *Shadows. The Engineer lurks in the shadows. He holds an Arcana (p. 20).
Ice Cave. *DEX Save while crossing the ice or foot plunges into the frigid water (d4 DEX damage). A dimly lit cave hollowed from the ice. A faint blue glow emanates from within. *Blue glow.Father Ixtab is frozen in solid ice (no limbs, frostbitten and decrepit). His eyes flicker with intelligence. He is guarded by d6 rime-skinned zealots driven to prove their devotion. Ixtab demands to be worshipped (communicates telepathically).
Secrets and Clues Details to be handed out as a reward for discovery. From the Captain’s logs, the characters’ own notes in crew quarters (8), other frightened passengers, newspaper clippings, etc.
❐ The crew of the Fogburner were infiltrated by members of an astral cult known as “the Children of Chalkuk.”
❐ Among the cargo from Bastion is an iron crate labelled “Ixtab.” The passengers report hearing whispers from it in the night.
❐ The passengers and crew report “lost time” and vivid dreams. Some have gone missing (presumably fallen overboard).
❐ “Ixtab” is the name of a man rescued years ago from the Polar Ocean.
❐ Ixtab is a Priest of Chalkuk the Fallen Rime (an entity worshipped by astral cultists). Ice fallen from the stars.
❐ Ixtab spent his life searching for Chalkuk in the Polar Ocean. He has been gifted with psionic powers.
❐ Ixtab and his followers hijacked the Fogburner to find a frozen temple somewhere north of Hopesend.
❐ Each night when the characters sleep, their memories are erased by Ixtab’s psionic influence.
❐ The Children of Chalkuk have been mutated by the cold and Ixtab’s psionic resonance.
❐ The Captain sabotaged the engines to prevent the cultists from reaching their frozen temple.
Wandering Encounters (d6) Roll d6, 1 = Encounter, 2 = Hint at Encounter
(1) Frightened passenger. Driven to find resources. HP 4 | Pistol (d6) or Club (d6)
(2) Rime-skinned Zealot. Driven to serve Father Ixtab. HP 8 | STR 12 | DEX 6 | WIL 8 Claws (d8) or Icicle Spray (d4, Blast) *Frozen Solid! Advantage on Critical Damage Saves.
(3) Frozen Husk. Driven to sap life from the living. HP 2 | STR 6 | DEX 4 | WIL 8 Frozen Grip (d4 DEX damage) or Death Shatter (d6, Blast)* * Explodes! Frozen Husk is destroyed.
(4) Ice Swarm. Driven to inflict pain on the unworthy. HP 8 | STR 4 | DEX 12 | WIL 2 Slice (d6) *Swarm! Can attack up to three targets.
(5) Psionic Cultist.Driven to bring nonbelievers to Ixtab. HP 4 | STR 8 | DEX 12 | WIL 12 Psychic Sap (d4 WIL damage) or Pistol (d6)
(6) The Engineer. Driven to preserve his creation forever. Armour 2 | HP 12 | STR 8 | DEX 12 | WIL 8 Grab and Bite (d10) or Strangle (STR Save or Broken Neck) *Sticky! Can crawl on walls and ceilings.
The Captain. Driven to defend the engines. HP 12 | STR 12 | DEX 8 | WIL 8 Pistol (d6) and Flamethrower (d10, Blast)* *Immolated on Critical Damage! *Driven! Advantage on Critical Damage Saves
Father Ixtab. Driven to be worshipped like Chalkuk. HP 1 | STR 3 | DEX 1 | WIL 18 Psionic Blast (d8, Blast) and Psionic Domination (d4 WIL damage, head freezes at 0 WIL) *Frozen! Invulnerable while in solid ice.
I always thought I’d see a TPK coming from pretty far away. I thought there’d be time for me to think things through and understand what a party wipe will mean for the ongoing campaign. Will the players even want to keep going? Are they going to be invested enough in the world, the NPCs, and those tasty secrets and clues to make new characters and start over?
During the 12th session of my *Ravenloft Campaign my players walked up to Baba Lysaga’s hut and confronted her face to face without much (any?) preparation.
*A combination of I6 Ravenloft and 5e Curse of Strahd, using Shadowdark RPG and a densely packed hex rosette.
Now, if you haven’t heard of Baba Lysaga that’s ok, the important thing to know is that my players had heard about Baba Lysaga. Virtually every single person they met in the misty valley of Barovia told them to stay as far away as possible, but the Priest (who could talk to animals and therefore understand the vivid cries of Baba’s captured ravens) insisted on being a hero.
Before I knew it, all three PCs were stun-locked by screaming scarecrows and devoured by a magic swarm of insects in less than two rounds.
It was surprising, memorable, and most importantly fun. Luckily, the amazing people I play with also thought it was fun (after an understandable period of shock and horror).
It really changed my perspective on what a TPK can mean for a campaign. I called it the “season finale” and got to work hyping my players up for Season 2.
Instead of turning to r/CurseofStrahd and asking how I can save my game, I looked inward and asked myself “what would make for the most interesting season premiere for the four of us as audience?”
Lifting the hook from The Count, the Castle, and the Curse our second season begins with three new characters waking up in the dungeons of Ravenloft. I wanted to lean on the player’s own fear of the castle and subvert their expectations of it as a “final level” by throwing them into its deepest recesses and watching them flail to get out. It was awesome.
Last night, my players returned to Baba Lysaga with new characters, allies, and a few more Level Ups than they had before. They heard stories about their fallen heroes, enough to give the new characters a believable reason to seek the same justice the players are after for themselves.
The players planned well, but the battle remained tense throughout. In the end, with no casualties, Baba Lysaga was destroyed and the Ruins of Berez will finally be able to rest.
I spent a few weeks this summer laboring over a hot MS Surface Pro drawing sci-fi themed, megadungeon chambers for what was supposed to be a very low-prep style of campaign.
See, when I pitched the idea of a sci-fi campaign where the characters are stranded on an alien moon with no choice but to explore a reality-defying megadungeon, I thought it would be as simple as finding the right map and the right monsters and coming up with a few interesting gravity-themed traps.
Well, it was hard to find the kind of sci-fi looking maps I wanted. I’m sure they are out there, somewhere, but the more I looked the more I became convinced for what I wanted to do I needed to draw my own.
Originally I had planned to draw 60 dungeon tiles, 20 for each layer of a three-level megadungeon, but after designing the monsters and ecosystem of the first level I was convinced there was enough content for our summer of play.
Unfortunately the campaign had to be called off after only two sessions, but I’m thankful I got to playtest the dungeon tiles and sci-fi ruleset based on Into the Odd.
What I’m left with is an open-ended mystery, 20+ handcrafted modular dungeon tiles, and a set of rules for running Into the Odd in an Alien inspired setting.
Overgrown Ruins | Into the Void Available on itch.io
Bath Imaginable 