RPG Campaign Tour: Day 21 - What Are the Major Organizations of the Campaign?

Day 21 of the #RPGCampaignTour for my Gamma World campaign "This Is Not a Test", and we're finally back to questions that I can answer better as the GM:  "What are the major organizations of the campaign"

Covering only the organizations/secret societies our party, the De Facto Explorers known about. 

Restorationists: The dominant group of Restorationists is, of course, the large collective in Riverbend. They tend to keep the regular rhetoric the restoring the world to the way it was... before mutantkind, to a minimum, so they've recruited a much larger base of altered humans, plants, and animals.  Their focus is so much the town of Riverbend but the caches of Ancient artifacts on the other side of the Big River.

Restorationists 

The Iron Society:  The society of altered humans had a significant enclave across the Big River from Fair-Town.  The town of Jainus and the facilities of their leader, the "Mutant Master" by Koto Dam focused on altered human superiority.  It was destroyed by the help of devasting Ancient artifacts which may have poisoned the air and water 

Brotherhood of Thought:  There was a time awhile back that the Brotherhood of Thought, the mental mutants who wandered the wastelands keeping their own form of justice, stretched far behind the known borders.  When the Iron Society fell in Jainus, their group took over to rebuild.  But the poisoning of the air and water has devastated Jainus, and many in the Brotherhood have fled to the four winds.  

The Knights of Genetic Purity - These Pure Strain humans who believe in the superiority of the unspoiled man and not hard to miss and usually don't last long in an area.  Most Knight believe that mutants of all kinds will eventually die out and some are not adverse to enslaving them to getting all use out of them before they die.   The Traditional KOGP?  They will actively hunt altered humans  to slaughter, and there are whispers that there are cities downriver run by the Knights. 

KIA Academy:  KIA should be a powerhouse, with their depth of knowledge of the ancients.  but it's all about transportation, and spreading their roads and services simply invites more trouble.  They are having their own issues keeping their populace in check, with the limited technology everyone is relying on day after day.  

Brotherhood of the Magi:  Rumors of actual wizards are whispered up and down the Big River.  They seem to perform fabulous deeds, and have battled the Pharoah to a standstill.

The Pharoah:  Rumored to be further downriver, the Pharoah's forces, bedecked in ancients power armor have attempted to make inroads .  They can't seem to make a foothold beyond the river, but they are working their way up. 

The Ranks of the Fit:  A Zoopremicist group focusing on animals controlling everything.   The actively engaged in might makes right, and a well organized military.  Their kind populate the ranks of the Parr. 

Next: Day 22 -  

(Kickstarter) Monsters and Hunters by Macrocosm Miniatures

Another quick and fun Kickstarter by Macrocosm, Monsters and Hunters is a small collection of monsters and some sci-fi hunters to track them down.

Monsters

I went with the complete bundle with 2 monsters, 2 hunters, and a swarm, with shipping across the pond, it will be roughly US$35 with shipping across the pond.  

Hunters

With delivery scheduled for April (and Macrocosm is great on their delivery dates), these might kick-off a continuation of our Death Planet Iota Fistful of Lead game.

Swarm

RPG Campaign Tour: Day 20 - Are There Any Mysteries As Yet Unsolved?

Day 20 of the #RPGCampaignTour for my Gamma World campaign "This Is Not a Test"  and I continue asking my players their interpretation of the question.  They have a very good memory in remembering "Are there any mysteries as yet unsolved."

Squiggles the mutant earthworm was first, blurting out.  "Finding out who [redacted] Squiggles!"

Our furry six-foot earthworm was hooking up with his former partner, Ubenda, when they were attacked and kidnapped.  Their bodies were discarded outside the downriver gate of Fair-Town and there were no witnesses.   Squiggles had considerable fluids removed from him, and barely made it through.  Ubenda was not so lucky.  There were rumor and nightmares of scary dogs and evil scientists.  There has been little resolution 20 episodes later.

Sonny, the mutant sunflower:  The aftermath of the destruction of the Mutant Master  and the town of Jainus.....  

The De Facto Explorers' first adventure culminated in the destruction of the "Mutant Master" and a mutant secret society hidden under Koto Dam.  It did involve an atomic device, and the Explorers never returned to the region.  They only heard poor rumors of the fate of the nearby town of Jainus, and the members of the Brotherhood of Thought who filled the power vacuum.  

Sneaky Pete,  mutant weasel: The dish not meant for cooking, and the intentions of Parr

The group investigated a Hisser community under the shadow a giant satellite dish atop a mesa, known as "Rho Base".  It's chock full of technology, and rumors that the Hissers has allied with the animal confederation of Parr... and may have even abandoned their village after everything. 

Lathar, the pure-strain human:  What's really up with the Kirothians? 

The blue-skinned Kirothians arrived mysteriously, and the surviving refugees have quickly adapted to Gamma World questions.  Lathar has learned a lot about them.... some of it extremely intimate, but they are an unknown faction in the world... especially if more of them start showing up.  

Next: Day 21 - 

(Review) Time Walk Games, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania

Back in July, I lamented the closure of Dragon Knight Games, a local game store just over a mile from my place.  The sign on the door was a cryptic promise of moving to a new location.    Time passed and I thought it was just another game store demise.

Awhile back, I was driving past the local movie theatre, and caught a Pokemon window cling in a door, and an open sign.    It took a bit of time and some research, but it appears Time Walk Games is some semblance of the remains of Dragon Knight.

Location:  The old Evolution Games/Sword in the Stone location was around the corner and parking there was questionable at best for a casual visit.   The corner of E. Northampton and S Main in Wilkes-Barre is even worse, with limited storefront parking, paid parking lots and metered parking around the corner.  

If you're a gamer attending Wilkes University and King's College?  It's perfect. 

Miniatures:  A limited number of Games Workshop boxed set... I did pick up some nice flight bases during my visit. 

Board Games:  Nada

RPGs: Nada

Accessories:   Not a whole lot, the set of official D&D dice that stared at me at Dragon Knight resumed its staring when I walked in the door.

CCGs:  The obvious bread and butter.  They carry Magic, Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh!  and noted Star Wars Unlimited and Lorcana there's a full case of singles. 

Events:  I believe there was a pretty full calendar, with Magic (Wizards Certified) and a host of other CCG and GW wargames.   This is 100% their bread and butter.

Food:  Drinks and snacks! 

I'll be honest, it's pretty sparse, and I showed up on a lull day.    But they circumvented my one pet peeve by saying hello when I walked through the door, so I'm going to root for them.  

With inconvenient parking for an out-of-towner and a general lack of stock, I'm giving Time Walk Games one and a half Gnomes out of five Gnomes.  If you're local, love playing in-store, and can fight against Wilkes-Barre parking, please try them out, and I hope you have fun! 

Time Walk Games is located at 10 East Northampton St in Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701

RPG Campaign Tour: Day 19 - Any "Must See" Sites?

Day 19 of the #RPGCampaignTour for my Gamma World campaign "This Is Not a Test" and like a bad internet survey, I asked my players "Any must-see sites?"  for a tourist visiting Gamma World. 

Lathar and Sonny -  Fair-Town in general.  They enjoy the concept of a town that was built on the premise of a Ren Faire.... (And I secretly now follow Ren Faires to see the rotation in on-site vendors, and change up businesses each time they visit).

Both also agreed that the "Must See" site in Fair-Town would have to be the mutant plant bar, The Wrong Celery. 

 

Sneaky Pete:  KIA Academy - The beacon of technology in this dark world, even if most of the technology they possess is oddly concentrated in road construction.

Despite the sheer size and majesty of the facility, Pete would like you to check out the neglected sub-levels.   It's where the leadership shove those highly mutated and undesirable ... and pull them back when they need to conscript an army.  The first three sub-levels have neighborhoods, businesses, and a salty variety of ne'er do wells.  The lower levels are the substructure of the actual facility.  Most levels are dangerous, yet incredible rewards still come out of it year over year.

GM Choice: For better or for worse, my players don't read the blog, so I'm somewhat safe to drop "The Wall" as my future must-see site that they haven't visited. 

Situated along the Big River, this huge structure with 40 foot high walls the extend out for kilometers (unlike the AI pic I generated), something is keeping the people out of the wall, or is it keeping something in?    We may find out soon enough.

🔰(Georic Gazetteer) The Kingdom of Oliva

The Star-Crowned Kingdom of Oliva

Pantheon: Akana is the state religion (Church of the Divine Light), ,alongside older regional Xellnic cults to Apollo, Aphrodite, and localized nature spirts.

Ruled by: Queen Arseline II (Bolas) with largely ceremonial Arcane Council

Capital: Nicol

Other Cities: Famarra, Limarion, Kyren Vale

Languages: Olivienne (a mixed dialect derived from Ispatlian and Ferasean), Elven, Dwarven, Trade Prythax, Trade Khemmet

Flag/Emblem: Gold galley with a gold shooting star overhead, on a white field.

Coinage: Olivienne Standard

Important Persons:  Duke of Cerynia Malrec Vaelorin, the lord mayor of Famarra, 

Dame Virella Ondros Admiral Lord Jarred Thaynos, and Crown Prince Kaelen Argentis Bolas

Alliances: Nominally supportive of Argivia, Danaan, and the Almond Coast to continue their claim as a free port. 

Hostilities: Simmering threats with Ispatlia over specific targeting by the Corsair Brotherhood, with Oliva refuses to admit is real. 

Open Warfare/Skirmishing: Selective targeting of uncooperative merchant fleets from Myridius and Khemmet, in coordination with the Corsair Brotherhood.

Intrigues: 

Demi-Humans:   Elves (6% Sea Elf, 6% Moon Elf),  Dwarfs 4%, Halflings 3%

Magickal Devices:  Oliva holds the Spheres of Opposition, Miasmal Reeds, and a host of other devices, many as minor gifts from the recent recruited magi.  

Thumbnail Sketch: 

Oliva is a place where fate dances on a blade’s edge. A realm of shadow courts, forgotten gods, and star-born prophecies. Those who seek glory, gold, or arcane mastery may find it here—but only if they survive the game.

-Caldrin Thesselmoor

Those are the exact words used in the opening page of "An Adventurer's Guide to the Sapphire Island of Oliva" a travel gazetteer published by the esteemed half-elven writer.  He goes on further to claim he composed these lines atop the Argent Spire during a lunar eclipse, although general consensus says it was during one of his long drunken stays in a Famarra winehall with whispering, becloaked nobles and two dwarven females of ill-repute. 

The Kingdom of Oliva lies in the heart of the Mer Med a crossroads of culture, commerce, and conquest. Rich in history and steeped in magic, Olivia balances on the edge of diplomacy and danger. It has long acted as a maritime lynchpin between the Khemmet deserts, the merchant city-states of Ispatlia, and still in the shadow of Barthey, They were one of the early dominions to wrest independence from the Olivia, and with the help of propagandists like Caldrin, they may have done it the wisest.  .

Oliva is a realm of gleaming vineyards, rune-carved cliffs, and perilous deepwater coves. Its nobility still duel over titles, its merchant lords war with coin, and its mystics read the stars for omens and advantage. Though small, and pulled from all sides from nations much more powerful they the island kingdom.  The nobles of House Bolas knew that to maintain their independence and stability, they needed to pull  something most countries craved, a haven of tourism, free trade (especially silk and spices from the East), and winter residences of powerful magi who would be quite put off if mere mortals wanted to start an inconvenient war. 

Oliva a destination for the wealthy, and only a few olive groves, vineyards, and shrines were sacrificed to allow prime territory for the building of arcane towers.   To bolster the purported power of the wizards, the nobles formed the Arcane Council.  The council is largely ceremonial, drawing on the advice and council of the ex-patriate wizards they've recruited to promote an alleged show of solidarity and force for the royal family.  No one has truly tested this shadow force within the government, but after the significant disasters of the Ispatlian-Emron and Senzar-Emron wars, no one has the appetite for it. 

Beyond the clean beaches, worldly cuisine, and a veritable stockpile of wine to lure anyone with coin, Queen Arseline has established the Goldwreath Games, a collection athletic, artistic, and academic displays with awards granted.  Done every year for the past 10 years, one the anniversary of the queen's coronation, it has begun to draw a variety of people, specifically from around the Mer Med.

Geography & Major Cities

Nicol – The capital. A fortified city of marble domes, scriptoriums, and subterranean councils. Here the Star-Court meets and the Astral Heralds plot beneath a dome of enchanted glass.
Famarra – Secretly, the wealthiest port on the Mer Med, where silk pavilions and elemental bazaars rival any mainland city. Famarra's banking houses are international forces, backing foreign wars, kingdom purchases, and arcane expeditions alike.

Limarion – Naval stronghold and base of the Corsair Brotherhood, where pirate lords and royal admirals hold grudging court.

Kyren Vale – Nestled in high cliffs, this mystic city is famed for its floating lantern towers, mirror pools, and vaults of lost lore.

---

Notable Places

The Celestine Vault of Calithea - The old Cathedral to Akana was reimagined under Olivenne sovereignty rededicated to Calithea, a local/naval warden of the moon. Members of the Moonbound Order protect the secrets and artifacts of the crown. 

The Argent Spire – A lighthouse-temple in Famarra that watches the stars, sea beasts, and possible invasions all at once.

The Cursed Hollow of Kition – An ancient ruin where voices whisper from beneath the earth, daring treasure-seekers to dig too deep.

Mentions of Oliva in the blog:  

None

RPG Campaign Tour: Day 18 - Forgot To Ask, How Do We Get Around?

Day 19 of the  #RPGCampaignTour for my Gamma World campaign "This Is Not a Test"  and a casual question asked by a tourist, "Forgot to ask, how do we get around?"

On foot.   Largely on foot.  

Our famed adventuring party out of Riverbend, has had the good fortune of having a loyal and intelligent Stagon, owned by Lathar, since the beginning.

From the Gamma World wiki: 

The Stagon is a mutated whitetailed deer with six legs. It is a little larger and stronger than its ancestors, making it ideal as a riding animal and as a draft beast. Other animals are sometimes used as beasts of burden, such as the Rakoxen, Podog, and Centisteed,

When not being used as a beast of burden, Lathar's Stagon, No-Name likes to joust and simply graze.

The De Facto Explorers, special character in a Fistful of Lead game, Historicon 2023

The Explorers have also been able to travel within the boundaries of KIA Academy with an electric fuel cell powered cart.  Pretty slow, zero armor, but relatively silent, as golf carts go. 

There have been occasions when something large is flying overhead, be it bird, lizard, dragon, or even things that look like living metal, but belching out an obnoxious quantity of smoke as they sail high in the sky...

Next: #19 - Any "Must See" Sites?