Category: Lampblack & Brimstone: Freebooters on the Frontier

I’m thinking about including a mess of tables like this in the Overland & Underworld book, to both illustrate the way random Discoveries and Dangers can be interpreted and to give you some quick-roll options if rolling a bunch of d12s seems like too much.

There would be a two-page Discovery/Danger spread for each common terrain type (woodland, mountains, etc.) and different type of dungeon (temple, stronghold, tomb, etc.), and all of the monsters (noted in smallcaps) would be detailed in the bestiary part of the Beasts & Booty book.

I guess what I’m wondering is: would people find this kind of thing helpful/useable? Or does it seem like a waste of space?

https://www.dropbox.com/s/zrjjixltassuttt/one-roll%20woodland.pdf?dl=0

Looking forward to tomorrow’s session of Junior League Freebooters, a campaign I’m running for half a dozen pre-teens in the neighborhood. Last time they drew the map of the frontier together and this week I’m springing this redrawn version of it on them.

In our weekly Freebooters game, the Scout/Navigate moves are starting to feel too repetitive. J. Walton mentioned this possibility a while back, and I’m sure anyone who has played for more than a few sessions has experienced the same thing.

Thinking about Maezar’s house rule of using different abilities for exploration, I made some changes and tried to consolidate. I also wanted to incorporate a random encounter roll, so I’m going to see what happens when rolling doubles triggers a Danger. there’s a 1-in-6 chance of doubles coming up on any 2d6 roll, which nicely parallels the classic “wandering monster” roll.

VENTURE FORTH

When you set out into dangerous or unfamiliar territory, your starting point is a juncture. Say which way you’re going from there, and what you’re looking for (the next point of interest, a safe campsite, the tracks of your quarry, etc.)—that’s your destination. Then, choose one party member to lead the way, and that person decides to scout ahead, plot the best route, or read the surroundings as you go.

When you scout ahead, roll +DEX: on a 10+, you get the drop on whatever lies ahead, and choose 1 from the list below; on a 7-9, choose 1 from the list below.

When you plot the best route, roll +INT: on a 10+, you’ll reach the next juncture in record time, and choose 1 from the list below; on a 7-9, choose 1 from the list below.

When you read the surroundings, roll +WIS: on a 10+, you discern something useful about the environment—work with the Judge to describe it, and choose 1 from the list below; on a 7-9, choose 1 from the list below.

– You make a Discovery

– You ensure that the route back to the last juncture is safe

– One other party member of your choice must Keep Company

When you roll a 7+ to Venture Forth and get doubles, you encounter a Danger in addition to the above results.

If you’re not waylaid, you reach a next juncture of the Judge’s choosing (which might be your destination, or merely one step closer to it).

We currently have three separate teams of adventurers out adventuring in our West Marches-style Freebooters campaign. All three have made it across the Frightful Sea and are currently exploring the Southern Reach, an icy, crystalline continent once inhabited by the highly advanced Tvinne people. So far, 3 out of a total of 12 freebooters have bitten the dust.

Last week’s session ended with a band of 4 fighters and 1 cleric emerging from a sea tunnel into the midst of an ancient, ruined city. For prep this week I was just planning to roll up a bunch of discoveries and dangers to tailor to the setting, but that got me thinking more about the city until I found myself sketching out what it looked like in its heyday, before it was destroyed by the evil sorcerer Munemut Arnelumé. Then of course I needed to know what it looked like in ruins, since that’s what the PCs will be exploring.

I’ve never really run a lost city as a dungeon before, so this should be interesting!

If you have played Freebooters on the Frontier, I would love to hear how the setting creation stuff (the “See the Frontier” section of the rulebook) has gone for you. In particular, what parts of the process were clunky and which parts worked well? Are there any additions or subtractions to the procedure that you’d like to see?