For anyone who isn't aware, MonkeyBloodDesign ran a successful Kickstarter campaign to bring the world of The Midderlands to the world. The books are in from the printers, and once the custom pledges (special one off covers) are all sorted, they will be shipped. The Midderlands is compatible with the Swords and Wizardry rules, which makes it an easy convert to a huge array of OSR systems. Or you can just take the setting and ideas and maps and use those. I was fortunate enough to be allowed to write a brief introductory adventure that is included in the book, a disclaimer I should make sure is nice and early in this post!
If you read this, and would like more information, please contact MonkeyBloodDesign directly, just google for them, or search on g+ you will find them! My understanding is that once the Kickstarter backers have the book in their hands that there will be copies available to purchase (they come with an awesome map), but you would need to contact MonkeyBloodDesign for more information.
However this isn't a review, I will leave that to others. This is all about our game last night. So without further waffling; at the table we had:
GM: MonkeyBloodDesign - Glynn Seal
Horatio: A Human Magic User played by Lee
Jerry: A human thief played by Pete
Chopper: A human cleric played by Phil
Quinn: A dwarven fighter played by Scott
Kesh: A human ranger played by Dunc
Monkey: A human monk played by me
Before we started there were a few items we needed to cover. The GM gave us an overview of The Midderlands environment. Our cleric selected the God Mephistophael (P.19 in the book) for his deity (lets just say he isn't like on the "nice" side of things). It should be noted that the Gods in the Midderlands are apathetic towards the populace, so don't go expecting large deity interventions. We were all started as level 3 characters which had been pre-rolled. Finally for this adventure were were using the Swords and Wizardry complete rules.
As the sun set, the murky green day, darkened into a murkier greener evening. The party found themselves drinking in The Juicy Carp Inn, in the town of Tamewort. The party settled in to drink as much beer as they could, figuring this was as good a job as any other. Horatio made a bet with Jerry to see if he could steal beer from the bar. Jerry accepted and headed purposefully towards the bar. Kesh went to use the outside shitter and bumped into Donald Fairbairn who exclaimed, "Yowl not b'lieve tis, I foond a Centidemonpede in the shitter". Kesh agreed to meet him inside the inn for a game of Centidemonpede Racing .. a game that is as likely to get you dead as rich.
As Jerry returned to the Inn, bowels evacuated, a skull masked Gloombugger walked past the window. Gloombugs are used in lanterns in the Midderlands to light specific streets during the night. The party decided, after more beers were quaffed, that seeing how many gloombugs it would take (eaten) to make your piss luminescent, may be the way to pass the evening.
At this point Jerry reached the bar, ordered 6 beers, and as Boris the Barkeep's back was turned, put one under his cloak. Horatio yelled, "Yow theivin b'stard, ee swiped a beer" pointing at Jerry. Before Boris could really complain the door opened, allowing a little Midderfog to roll into the inn, followed by a rotund man with a tricorn hat and tarnished bell. His girth stretched his green coat to bursting, patches of shirt visible between the buttons.
Our arrival introduced himself to the inn at large as John Hitchcock, an employee of Lord Ebben, who wished to hire mercenaries to sort some trouble in the nearby countryside. Speaking to John revealed that cows and people had disappeared, and that a pack of dogs had been seen in the vicinity. Obviously the more worrying was the cows as they are worth a lot more when bartering! The barkeep asked John to make the party take the job just to make sure they wouldn't spend the following day in his establishment. John squeezed one fat hand inside his jacket … not something the party needed to see … and retrieved documents that could be turned in, with proof, to claim the bounty on the work. The job itself was worth 25 gold quids, 2 sheep, and a barrow of turnips. As everyone knows turnips don't grow on trees, so the party accepted.
The following day we departed the town, and following the directions provided by John, made our way slightly North East of the town (to Hex 3111 if you have the map/book). The day was green, damp, dark, and drizzly. Or was Midderlanders would probably describe it "Nowt tay bad".
Eventually after plodding through the damp morning we discovered a cave opening in the side of a mound. Although the entrance looked natural in origin, it had the look of being enlarged by some animal or other.
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| Game in progress ... just look at that map! |
Being a bunch of suspicious buggers, we held back eyeing the cave entrance nervously. Eventually Kesh, who really wanted to tame "the dogs", approached the cave entrance with a rope lasso in hand. As they got closer the ranger could discern animal foot prints in the mud in the cave entrance. Given the size of the prints they drew their sword. Quinn, seeing Kesh draw their sword barrelled forward making a lot of huffing, puffing, jingling, and thudding noises. Kesh turned to make him be quiet, and they spent the next few minutes arguing over why Kesh had drawn their sword when there was no fight to be had!
Further inspection allowed Kesh to identify several sets of what looked like human heavily clad boot marks in the mud. The party decided this was either a sign that someone was in "cahoots" with the dogs, or another adventuring group had gone in, and not returned. There were also a variety of bones littered around; most of the bones were larger than human size so could well have come from cows, however they were all very definitely gnawed.
Only Quinn could really see in the cave, so he headed in first, followed by the rest of us, who as humans were a little poor with bad lighting. Jerry fortunately had a lamp, and after agreeing with the GM, angled it downwards providing light for the humans to see by, but not ruining Quinns dark vision.
Slowly edging into the cave system, Quinn quickly came to a junction, the tunnel branching off to the right, and continuing roughly straight on. Deciding to forge on into the depths of the system, Quinn headed straight on. We hadn't gone much further when a second branch presented itself. After a quick discussion we decided that heading back, and avoiding anyone coming up from behind, was the best course of action.
As we approached the original tunnel, that forked off, a ratdog (P.134 in the book; barrel chested, with horns where ears should be) charged out of the shadows directly at Kesh narrowly missing them with a headbutt. Spinning around the ratdog snapped at Chopper, just missing his leg, but tearing a huge gash in his trousers. Looking in indignation at the gash, Chopper swung round his mace and crushed the ratdogs head against the tunnel floor with one massive blow.
We debated how to prove they had killed the beast when back at town, and decided that taking back paws would suffice, so removed the deceased ratdog's paw.
Moving forwards carefully, the tunnel opened up into a large cavern. To the left was some form of bed the ratdog had made from scavenged bits of clothing, hair, and skin. At the back of the room was a large hole. Peering in we could just make out a faint dirty green luminescent glow, somewhere in its depths. Lowering the lantern on a rope still didn't let us see the bottom … that is a very very deep hole!
After finding nothing else of note in the room, we returned to the original corridor and the second junction. Taking the left fork, the tunnel opened up into a second large cavern, with three ratdogs staring straight at us.
Springing to the attack I let fly with two arrows, both spectacularly missing their intended targets. However Horatio wiggled his fingers and all three ratdogs fell to the ground asleep. The party quickly dispatched them, taking a paw off each as evidence. While heartlessly hacking off paws from the beasts three more ratdogs surprised us from behind. Seeming to come from no-where two ratdogs headbutted Jerry and me leaving us both prone on the floor. A third ratdog tried to bite Horatio, but missed flesh, as his billowy robes robbed it of a good solid bit of leg.
The ratdog standing over me bit my leg, infecting it with a nasty disease. Quinn managed to distract the ratdog attacking Jerry and dodged its snapping jaws as it tried to bite him. Horatio was not as lucky, as the ratdog, getting wise to his billowy robes, found a good bit of thigh and bit in, also leaving Horatio with a nasty disease ridden wound.
While his ratdog was distracted with Quinn, Jerry managed to land a good blow on its flank, before Quinn finished it off with a solid strike, leaving several parts of the animal no longer attached.
I struck a ratdog on a nerve bundle and rendered it stunned for 9 rounds, allowing Kesh to move in and finish it off with a deft thrust of their sword.
Chopper swung at the last ratdog, which despite trying to dodge at the last minute, was caught a glancing blow on its shoulder. Spun around from the glancing blow the ratdog leapt forwards biting my throat and leaving me twitching on the floor. While distracted with my jugular Jerry leapt forward and skewered the ratdog on his sword.
Taking in the bloody scene Chopper quickly stabilised me, and muttering words to his god, healed me back to 6HP.
While searching the room we found:
Onions (good for Rat Dog Broth)
9 Brass Tuppences
A hand sized Old Hob Idol carved on bone (Summarily crushed by Chopper)
2 Potions, after a quick sniff, and taste, Chopper declared them Potions of Health (Extra Healing 3d8+3 HP)
Scroll of mirror image
98 gold quids.
We discussed whether we should just cut our losses and run at this point, having found a small fortune in onions! However the adventuring spirit won out, and we returned to the unexplored corridor, which opened up into a cavern with 3 normal rat dogs and a double sized Alpha.
The ratdogs charged the intruders, however in their eagerness to rip them to shreds, the alpha slipped on faeces and bones temporarily losing its footing, however recovering it swiped one large paw, leaving great gashes along Quinns arm.
Up close we could see the Alphas horns were longer than normal and slightly twisted, they also seemed to be twitching and giving off a faint green glow.
Jerry darted in with his thief quick reflexes and skewered a ratdog killing it outright as his sword appeared out the other side of its ribs. Kesh followed up with smashing another ratdog killing it outright, and Quinn, outraged at the Alpha raking him with claws, hit him back, leaving a great cut against the alphas flank. I dove in and totally missed.
Unnoticed by the dogs Horatio stood at the back of the cavern, beads of sweat on his face as he concentrated, his lips moving silently as he repeated an incantation. Successfully casting Phantasmal Force, Horatio created a ratdog bigger and meaner looking than the Alpha. Diving forwards the remaining ratdog sank its teeth into me rendering me unconscious on the floor. As I kindly held the ratdog in place with my throat, Chopper swung his mace in a great arc and smashed the ratdog off my unconscious form, killing it. The Alpha now besieged on all sides, and quite nervous of the Phantom ratdog didn't notice Jerry sneaking around behind it, allowing him a successful backstab. The Phantom dog finally diving in and finishing off the alpha.
Muttering prayers to his God, Chopper healed me (again).
A search of the room revealed:
Armoured boot prints leading into a tunnel leading off from the back of the cavern.
93 gold quids.
A small green glowing stone containing a small gloombug, just visible inside the hard green gem.
We had to call it there due to already being close to midnight.
The game was fantastic fun. We spent a good hour in the inn at the start making general Midderlands comments and really enjoying the scene.
I look forward to more Midderlands adventures in the near future! If you don't have it winging its way to you soon I really would recommend buying a copy of the book, you even get a fantastic map which shows the Midderlands in all its glory.
