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[BMX2] The mysteries of Cootswatch Docks
#1
Here is my proposal for the BMX project!

Setting and background: this game is set in a future Blackmoor, on an age that reminds of England '20s-'30s and is a lovecraftian one-off adventure (I'm not planning for any sequel).
It is fundamentally the conversion and adaptation to Blackmooe of an amateur gamebook adventure that I love: http://www.ffproject.com/bodies.htm its original title is The Strange Case of the Bodies in the Docks, by Simon Osborne.
Originally I was planning to run it as a play by post, but I'm growing more and more bored of play-by-[distance] games: face to face is so much better (and faster), so turning it into an adventure module sounds perfect to me.
Of course I obtained the full permission to do it by Simon Osborne first.

Ruleset: the basic ruleset will be Advanced Fighting Fantasy 2nd edition ( here http://www.arion-games.com/downloads.html you can find the quickstart guide), but I'll make a tailor made work on Talents and Special Skills available, in order to adapt it better to the setting.
I'm still unsure if leaving the game as solo game or allowing multi-players.

Adventure plots: they are mostly already done by Simon Osborne. I won't add too much.

What I do need:
- I have a half decent idea of the time when I would like to set this adventure within the ages of Blackmoor, but I'd like some help from Blackmoor historians, so that, at least, I will know which bits strictly adhere to canon or almost-canon and which I completely made up and are actually diverging from it.
- I will need some help putting together the disclaimer: I'm not good at all wity that stuff
- despite several years lived on this part of the world, my English is pretty rubbish, so I will need some proofreader
- it would be fantastic having proper betatesters, but at least some people willing to read properly the drafts and coming back with observations will help
- I need somebody doing the layout for me or at least guiding me closely in doing that, as I haven't got the sligtest idea (never mind skill) for doing that

Timelines: Extremely flexible... starting from a gamebook already existing helps speeding up the work, but... I don't have much spare time, these days, so don't expect very fast progression.... at least writing up this post created some kind of informal committment on my side.
He's a real Nowhere man, sitting in his Nowhere land,
making all his Nowhere plans for Nobody.
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#2
The timelines that I'm looking at for setting something alongside the situation in Europe around the 1920s-30s (including the sadness and confusion about the horrors of the war that is becoming more an industry that hit civilians as well as soldiers) are more or less the following:



Quote:3400 through 3300 BC

By 3400 BC the cities and states of Thonia had nearly caught up with the technologies of Blackmoor. Blackmoor and its masters, more concerned with trade, exploration and wealth, had more or less ignored the developments on Skothar over the last century, and had allowed the development of new technologies to fall to the wayside. Thus, when in 3370 BC the major cities and states of the Thonian Empire rose in rebellion against their Blackmoorian overlords, the Blackmoorians were surprised to discover that their technological advantage had evaporated, and were hard pressed to maintain their own kingdom, let alone their empire. Defence of the Kingdom was bolstered by Elven, Dwarven and Skandaharian mercenaries. For forty years the Thonian Wars consumed the continent of Skothar as each different city and state pressed for advantage within the failing Holy Thonian Empire. Blackmoor, meanwhile, had closed its borders and was furiously working on re-establishing its technological advantage. The remnants of the FSS Beagle were once again brought from their vaults and their secrets were studied in detail. Each decade the Blackmoorians leapt forward a five decades in technological development. When once again the armies of Blackmoor coursed from their homeland, they were unlike any forces ever seen across the whole of Mystara in Human history. Skandaharian Hussars were armed with repeating rifles; Horseless Carriages, powered by Steam Engines, were mounted with Gatling Guns and Rocket Batteries; the Dwarven LandDrakes were armed with a massive-bore cannon and flame throwers; Elven SkyShips were armed with all manner of bombs and cannons (Castle Falkenstein meets Warhammer 40K meets Flintloque). Even with the incredible leap in war technologies, it was a close thing, as the Thonians outnumbered the Blackmoorians by more that eight to one, and had somehow gained access to incredible and unusual magics the likes of which had been unknown until then. But Blackmoor again established its dominance over the Holy Thonian Empire (the Battle of Marban Green, 3335 BC). It took another five years to reign in the remaining armies and factions, and by 3330 the wars were over. The Concordance of Mohacs (3330 BC) re-established the supremacy of Blackmoor, but unlike previous centuries, the Thonian princes, nobles and merchants would have a voice in their rule, as the Holy Thonian Empire was dissolved and the Fourth Republic of Thonia, aka the Principalities of the Republic of Thonia, was founded.

This grace and generosity to the conquered was an odd note in Blackmoorian history, and was in fact owed to a single man: King Uther VII Andahar, "The Red". Uther was so named not for any predilection for slaughter, rather he was so named for his shockingly red mane of hair, which he had gotten from his mothers side, his mother having been a Princess of one of the most powerful Skandaharian Kingdoms. Uther had spent his childhood living amongst his cousins in Skandaharia, and there he learned of their ancient democratic traditions: the Elder Council, the Thing and the Trial by Peers (traditions that had fallen to the wayside in more "civilised" realms). When he ascended to the throne in 3360 BC (at 20 years of age, for which he earned the epithet "The Boy King"), he reformed the laws and codes of the Kingdom of Blackmoor to fit his own ideals of justice (the laws and codes of Blackmoor had long fallen into ill repute as an ossified, tyrannical system). The reinvigoration of the Technomantic Curriculum at the University of Blackmoor was also his doing, and the development of the new technologies was a direct result of his own interest in Technomancy (he was a dual classed Fighter/Mage). A new age dawned in Blackmoor (called the Reformation, 3350 through 3270), and many believed that Uther the Seventh was the First Uther reborn; Uther did little to stifle this belief, as it was good propaganda. He even reinstituted the King's Companions as an Order of Knighthood, and its membership was made up of all manner of peoples, including Elves, Dwarves, Halflings, Skandaharians and even an Oltec.

Over the course of the Thonian Wars Uther discovered that many of the rebel princes were being surreptitiously aided by the Serpentines, from the far south, and in fact, that many of the rebel organisations had been infiltrated by Serpentines and their various servants; he also discovered that many of the Old Guard among his own Nobility had been infiltrated by the Serpentines. The resulting invasion of Thonia in 3335 was not so much a war against all Thonia, rather it was a crusade against the Serpentine-corrupted rebels, who were wiped out without mercy (there was also a purge of the Nobility in Blackmoor at this time, which rarely made it into the history books). The other rebels were treated more humanely, and were given terms of surrender. Thus, when the Fourth Republic of Thonia was formed, Uther created a government that would be more open and thus less susceptible to Serpentine infiltration. Uther then took the war to the Serpentines in their own home, quietly, for he had never openly revealed the nature of the Serpentine conspiracy. Uther battled the Serpentines until his passing in 3300, at the ripe age of 80 (Uther actually attained Immortality in the Sphere of Thought as an Epic Hero with Odin as his Patron; he has not been overly active on Mystara in the last millennia, as he is more interested in pursing the Serpentines and their allies, who are very active villains throughout the Multiverse). He was succeeded by his grandson, Uther VIII Andahar, who was the elder Uther's protégée, as dedicated to the elimination of the Serpentine threat as his grandfather (and wielder of SnakeBane, a sword forged by his grandfather in the flames a Gold Dragons breath, and wielded by him during the end of the Thonian Wars; like his grandfather, Uther VIII was a dual classed Fighter/Mage).

Another social development at this time was the schism in the Thonian High Church. The Patriarchate in Mohacs had been led by a cadet branch of the Royal Family of Blackmoor for over a century at this point, and had become thoroughly Thonian, and corrupt, in that time. From the beginning of the Thonian Wars the Church in Blackmoor severed ties with the Church in Mohacs; during the Reformation, the Church in Blackmoor adopted many of the philosophies of the King, several of which were anathema to the Thonian High Church (paralleling many of the forms of the RW Reformation, especially as regards the power of the Priesthood and the selling of Indulgences). By the founding of the Fourth Republic, the Church in Blackmoor had severed ties completely with the Thonian High Church and had formed its own organisation, the Church of Blackmoor, with the King of Blackmoor as the Patriarch (3330 BC). Over the past decades the Northern Provinces of Thonia had undergone a similar evolution, and together they formed the Reformed Thonian Church (3320 BC), with the Patriarchs from each Principality forming a Theocratic Council in place of a single, overpowering Patriarch. Except for their united positions on the Second Beastmen Crusade (3220 through 3200 BC, see below), the only cooperation between all three Churches was the Canonisation of King Uther VII as Saint Uther the Red in 3280 BC (who then became Saint Uther the Elder upon Canonisation of his grandson in 3220 BC by the CoB and the RTC).

By 3300 BC Blackmoor's general level of technology had reached a level commensurate with that of the late 19th century of the RW, while they were even more advanced in some military aspects, notably the rare Dwarven LandDrakes (tanks) and Elven SkyShips (biplanes). The Principalities of the Republic of Thonia were not that far behind in general, but they had no access to the higher-order military technologies (which were state secrets of the Kingdom of Blackmoor). The Skandaharian Kingdoms had also entered the new age, as they were by this time closely tied with the Kingdom of Blackmoor through marriage and trade. The Tangor Kingdoms had moved more slowly into the new technologies, but they were more concerned with magical and clerical development than technological development (The Tangor had their own battles being fought, silently, between the Priesthood of Korotiku and the Priesthood of Thanatos, who was assisted by the Serpentines. Neither side was eager to add higher levels of war technology to the fight, as the battle was for dominion, not for destruction).

On Brun, the Oltecs and the Azcans were continuing their genocidal war; the war was at a stalemate during this entire period, as the Azcan's weapons trade with the Thonians had dried up due to the Thonian Wars. The Oltecs that had fled northwest across the "Black Mountains" were evolving a new nomadic society among the Beastmen of that land, and near the end of the century a trading post called Yazak was founded in the middle of the steppes by several adventurous Thonians from New Thonia. The New Thonians had begun advancing into the various independent Oltec and Azcan Kingdoms south of the free Dwarven Principalities (which was purportedly the "Protectorate" of Blackmoor due to the Treaty of Gandhar, not that any of the locals were aware of the fact), claiming and settling lands as new colonies of Blackmoor or the various Thonian Principalities; this region came to be known as "New Blackmoor", though there were Skandaharian, Dwarven and Elven colonies in that region, and many Blackmoorian colonies actually claimed independence from the motherland. The New Thonians and New Blackmoorians continued to deal in the slave trade with the Oltecs, Azcans and Draconians (whence came the Neathar slaves) (Slavery was never really considered evil in that time, and was one of the few less civilised cultural traits that remained during the entire Age of Blackmoor. The Dwarves of the Free Dwarven Principalities had outlawed slavery, of course, having escaped from slavery themselves. There was an organisation founded against slavery in 3340 BC. Based in the Free Dwarven Principalities, the Brotherhood of Freedom was dedicated to the eradication of slavery everywhere; while it was in general a peaceful and scholarly organisation, some splinter groups turned to terrorism starting in the mid 3200's BC). The Neathar entered into a new phase of their development as several tribes formed into three major kingdoms. Warfare was kept to a minimum, as the greatest threats were not from other Neathar but were rather from the slavers out of the Draconian Empire and the Azcan Empire. Near the end of the century a new Blackmoorian colony was opened up south of New Thonia, among the numerous isles of the southern seas. Called New Paradise, the isles were colonised initially by the outcasts of New Thonia, who returned to a more simple existence. Later, expatriate Thonian Nobles arrived and claimed the various isles or portions of isles for themselves. The New Paradise colony was annexed by Blackmoor in 3310 BC.

Meanwhile, the Southern Continent was heating up. After its long sleep, the Serpentine Empire again began testing the resolution of the Hin with numerous incursions of Lizard Men Legions. These incursions drew the attention of the Elves, Enduks and Metallic Dragons away from developments on Skothar, allowing the Serpentine conspiracy to do its dirty work there. In 3350 BC the incursions became a major invasion, and the Hin were hard pressed to resist. They called upon their allies, the Empire of Evergrun and the Golden Empire, and both lands responded wholeheartedly with military and magical support. The Elves taught the Hin the secrets of Black Powder Weaponry, and by 3340 BC the tide had turned, and the Lizard Men Legions were turned back. A decade of peace settled over the Southern Continent as the Hin rebuilt their shattered land. Then in 3330 BC a huge army crossed the deserts at the same time that a tremendous flotilla of Serpentine War Barges landed on the shores of the Golden Empire. The new Serpentine Legions were armed with fantastic weaponry and mounted on incredible animals, the likes of which had not been seen in millions of years! Lizard Man Legionnaires armed with repeating rifles were mounded on Velociraptors, Gatling Guns manned by Yuan-Ti were mounted on Triceratops, and giant Pterodactyls flew through the skies guided by Yuan-Ti, dropping bombs everywhere. Other new combatants included the Sis'thik, Lizard Men who were able to operate in the desert unhindered, and the Chameleon Men, who were able to blend in with their surroundings, being natural spies, ambushers and assassins. Hin resistance crumbled, and the Hin population fled into the hills or through the "Pass of Brasol" to Evergrun, the land of their allies, the Elves. Assistance from the Golden Empire was not be forthcoming, as they were defending their own lands against the Serpentine invasion. The Metallic Dragons, though they had the knowledge to develop technologies to combat the Serpentine War Machine, no longer had the time or materials to do so.

Apparently, the Serpentines had decided that it was time to reclaim the Southern Continent and conquer their wayward servitors. The chances for the Allies seemed bleak, as the Serpentine technologies and magics were too powerful for them to combat. The Serpentine Empire ran roughshod over the lands of the Hin and the Golden Empire. Then, in 3300 BC, the Serpentine Legions were recalled to their motherland. Civil War had erupted, as the Emperor and the entire population of the Imperial City had been destroyed in a savage attack by the Blackmoorians. Led by Uther the VII in his last crusade, the Blackmoorians brought all their technomantic weaponry to bear. The most advanced SkyShips and Submersibles (a century ahead of anything used in the Thonian Wars, on the level of artifacts in that time) came in close to the Imperial City and unleashed crack squads of Skandaharian and Blackmoorian warriors, armed with the last remnants of the weaponry scavenged from the FSS Beagle. Uther VII himself (in excellent condition thanks to judicious use of Potions of Longevity), armed with Battle Armour, a Hand Blaster and his magical blade SnakeBane, slew the Serpentine Emperor in his own throne room. After finishing off much of the populace of the Imperial City, Uther and his troops retreated, leaving behind one of the last of the Atomic Weapons of the FSS Beagle, modified with Technomancy in order that it would function correctly. And function it did, as the entire Imperial City disappeared in a 10 Megaton blast. The Serpentine Empire dissolved into chaos and Civil War. The Legions were recalled, and the Serpentine menace was ended.


Note that
BC 4000 = Year 1000 in the Blackmoor Calendar
BC 3000 = Year 2000 in the Blackmoor Calendar.

Etc.
He's a real Nowhere man, sitting in his Nowhere land,
making all his Nowhere plans for Nobody.
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#3
Congratulations!

The second module in the BMX series has been announced then! I find it interesting that this module too will be set in Blackmoor's future. Smile

-Havard
Currently Running: The Blackmoor Vales Saga
Currently Playing: Daniel S. Debelfry in the Throne of Star's Campaign
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#4
Damn! I had a good thought about how to progress this, but time passes and I haven't put... fingers to keyboard yet... I still need to clear quite a lot of stuff... :oops:
He's a real Nowhere man, sitting in his Nowhere land,
making all his Nowhere plans for Nobody.
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#5
So the first round of playtesting is under my belt, although the write up is still made up of sparse notes, rather than nicely typed up pages :oops:
From this one off session (played on the very 1st October not by mistake) I hope I learnt a lot and I'll do my best to use this experience to straighten a few things that need straightening. :wink:
He's a real Nowhere man, sitting in his Nowhere land,
making all his Nowhere plans for Nobody.
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#6
Quite a lot of time has passed, but I kept play testing this adventure, although in the real earth of the twenties, as I didn't feel comfortable with the conversion to Blackmoor yet - I'd also need to generate a map, which is one of my many weaknesses...
I also modified AFF, creating a further simplified system.
I think I haven't fully cracked it yet, but getting there.
You can find the latest playltests here: https://www.rpol.net/game.cgi?gi=74000&date=1597432583
He's a real Nowhere man, sitting in his Nowhere land,
making all his Nowhere plans for Nobody.
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