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Behind The Walls – Available NOW!

Behind The Walls (Adventure)

Now available in digital and print-on-demand softcover versions at DriveThru RPG:
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/261303/Behind-The-Walls

Check out the product in my webstore also (only available to buy through DriveThruRPG, but you might see other nice shinies):
https://monkeyblooddesign.co.uk/product/behind-the-walls/

An old school adventure set in a damp version of the north of England (Havenland) near the Scottish (Scrottish) border. The Romans (Gomans) left their mark on the landscape in more ways than one. Of course, this adventure is compatible with The Midderlands settings, and Swords & Wizardry or other retroclone rules.


Players Introduction

The adventure takes place in the north of Havenland, near to the Scrottish borders by the Kelderwater lake (see Hex M09 of The Haven Isles map).

Ebeneezer Garbett, a local farmer from the mushroom-filled valley village of Otterdale, returned to the hamlet with tales of riches he had found. Now, no-one has seen him since, and he villagers are becoming ill with a strange fungal infection.


Game Master’s Information

A farmer from the small village of Otterdale has discovered the ruins of an ancient Goman fortification. Half-buried in a hillside, it has been revealed by recent torrential rains.

Taking the gold he discovered there back to the village, the farmer is unaware that he has disturbed a dormant fungal creature known as the Mullach Dubh – a mould that grows on the dead, absorbing their memories and re-animating their bodies into a terrible half-life.

Unaware of this, the farmer — Ebeneezer Garbett — returned to his farmstead and succumbed to the toxic spores that he had breathed in. However, his stories had already drawn treasure seekers to the area in search of Goman riches. These adventurers, the Eagle’s Talon Adventuring Company, disappeared into the fortress and were likewise subsumed into the fungal colony.

People in Otterdale who had contact with Ebeneezer have begun to succumb to the spores, growing sick and then returning from death as grim parodies of their former selves. Meanwhile, the controlling colony seeks to use these new ‘workers’ to rebuild the glories of the long-gone Goman Empire.


This adventure is intended for low level play and can be scaled up or down accordingly. It should work best with 4× Level 1-4 player characters.

48-pages, die-drop chart to rear. You can check out the quick flip-through here:

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Dammit!

Oh crap! I might have a new addiction I need to curb. As well as Kickstarters for books I hoard on shelves, I now have a need to buy miniatures I don’t use much.

Thanks Schleich.

For comparison, this critter is non-Schleich. The rust monster in the featured image header above (and below) was one I got in a pack of plastic soldiers or something or other. I think there is a story about this creature, and that the D&D rust monster was actually designed because of the availability of this miniature. I’m sure there is a link on the web somewhere to its origins.

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I deeply suspect the fighter has not encountered one of these before.

To be fair, the mini is shit. Quality was not at the forefront of the manufacturers mind here. I suspect that they envisaged it being covered in baby saliva and getting gummed to death.

Anyhow. Back to Schleich. I’m getting a T-Rex for Christmas. Because I am a 40+ year old man-baby, and it makes me smile. However, not before I garnered two more delightful character-killers…

Octopus

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He’s a sucker for a fight.

And a Crocodile… Yes, a damn, big crocodile.

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It’s a toothed-rotaty-limb-breaker.

I’m feeling pretty pleased with myself about these. I shall attempt to weave them into my setting sessions with as much game-juice as I can siphon.

Behind The Walls

Shit the bed. Proofs have shipped. Getting close now.

Other Things

While I am here. Two crowdfunding campaigns to advise you of (again)… but these are now ending VERY SOON.

1) The Hero of Deathtrap Dungeon

Yes, THE Deathtrap Dungeon. Currently 71% funded at 30hrs remaining mark. I’m on in game maps, so please give it some love:

https://www.fig.co/campaigns/deathtrap-dungeon

2) Lost Halls of Tyr

And I shall be crafting maps for this one, which is already safely funded…

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2101297466/lost-hall-of-tyr-2nd-edition-maps-and-print-run

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The Midderlands meets… ‘Something Stinks in Stilton’

In this series of blog posts, we take a look at possible adventures or scenarios that are a really good fit for use in The Midderlands setting, and how they can be tweaked to make them seamless.

For this post, it’s Something Stinks in Stilton. You can get hold of it by heading over here and supporting the good folks at the MAC… https://www.melsonia.com/something-stinks-in-stilton-8-p.asp

MBD-3.jpg
(c) Melsonian Arts Council.

Levels

This is for low level, and can stay that way – suggested levels 1-3.

What is it?

Something Stinks in Stilton is a great adventure written by Oli Palmer, illustrated by Oli along with Anxious P, and layout, editing and design by Daniel Sell. Chris Lawson and James Maliszewski were consultants. It is published by Melsonian Arts Council. The blerb for the adventure reads…

“In the 13th century, Stilton produced amazing cheese. Then the Church came and suddenly the cheese trade died out. Now it’s 1730 and the village of Stilton has started producing great cheese again.

You intend to find out why.

An adventure into darkest Cambridgeshire, for levels 1-3. Compatible with Lamentations of the Flame Princess and most other old-fashioned Dungeons & Dragons clones.”

To be honest, there really isn’t much to do to make this fit into The Midderlands. So, without further ado, let’s look at how this can be made to be a seamless fit for adventuring in The Midderlands.

Location

The real-life village of Stilton is located just south of Peterborough in the UK.

In terms of The Haven Isles, you can place it in Cameshire somewhere along its northern border with Linkernshire, on the route between Stainford and Came Bridge – see map.

There are a couple of references to other locations, Wymondham and Melton Mowbray.

For the purposes of running the session in the Midderlands:

  • Melton Mowbray can be replaced with Millton (Hex Q19 – just north and east of Wymondham).
  • Stilton (Hex T21) and Wymondham (Border of Hex Q19/R20) can remain the same.
Midderlands Stinks Map.jpg
The Haven Isles

Money

The monetary standard used is silver pieces or sp (as befits LotFP).

  • All references to gold pieces or gp should be changed to gold quids.
  • All references to silver pieces or sp should be changed to silver shillings.

Main changes

  • Gloombug Lanterns: When outside at night, the main high street can be lit with gloombug lanterns.
  • Cows to Mud Cows: The adventures focuses on cows, and it is suggested to change all references to Mud Cows. References to the ‘cow shed’ can be changed to the ‘mud cow shed’ also.
  • Milk: The milk can retain the effects stated in the adventure although a greenish tinge is more fitting. It could be tainted with gloomium accounting for its weird effects.
  • Cheese: The cheese can retain the effects stated in the adventure. Optionally, because of the gloomium-taint amend the table results as follows:
    • Roll on the Gloomtouched Deformities table (The Midderlands, page 11).

 

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Behind The Walls

Some of you may already be aware that John Large over at Red Dice Diaries and I are working on a low level adventure for The Midderlands called Behind The Walls.

BtW Engraved Logo lores for Blog

The manuscript is here and is in layout. Maps are complete. Artwork is in progress. The book is expected to be approx. 48 pages or so, and will be available in PDF and print-on-demand. Expect a few weeks for release.

Hear John and his wife talk about the adventure and a variant used for a Star Trek adventure: https://reddicediaries.com/tabletop-rpg-ramblings/podcast-episode-48-hannah-talks-about-star-trek-behind-the-walls/

The adventure will focus on an area south of the Great Wall of Hadreen and weave some Goman* history into the mix.

Hex M09 FINAL r1 lores for Blog

* Gomans being the Midderlands equivalent of Romans, from Italy (Italica)

#themidderlands #behindthewalls #reddicediaries