ron poirier
09-10-1999, 08:24 PM
Some time ago people were discussing Birthright PBEMs. I have been running
one since August and it has been pretty fun. The players do not know
Birthright at all, so I have had to water down some of the rules for them a
bit -- there are no Bloodlines, for example, and the BR human races and
deities are not part of the campaign. Likewise, the various nations of
Birthright do not play a role in the campaign.
The campaign is set on a large island / small continent called Gurathandria,
which was originally inhabited by elves and dwarves. Centuries ago, the
elves and dwarves were overrun by invaders from caverns deep beneath the
earth -- goblins. After the goblins took control of the land, the elves and
dwarves endured a generation or two of slavery before dying out altogether.
Goblins ruled the land for centuries, fractioning into many squabbling
kingdoms and fiefs.
Eventually, human explorers reached Gurathandria by boat across the Bayardic
Ocean. Various human nations saw the potential value of the land and began
sending troops to wrench it from the goblins, setting up colonies when
things became relatively safe. Of course, this earned them the hatred of
the goblin nations, but these were so many and fractured that they were not
able to pose much of a threat to the powerful mainland armies. Over time,
nearly a third of Gurathandria fell to the humans, who continued to push
further into goblin lands with their mainland armies. Elves and dwarves
from the mainland began to arrive, intent on regaining ancestral lands now
that a beachhead had been established by the humans.
Then the Sea Dragons came. No one knows from whence, why, or how, but they
came. Ships could no longer safely cross the Bayardic Ocean, for fear of
these aquatic juggernauts who chewed through hulls and pulled even mighty
frigates into the deeps without allowing them to defend themselves. Ships
from the mainland arrived with less and less frequency, finally ceasing to
arrive altogether. The colonists were alone in a land infested with goblins.
One of the colony leaders, Uther Drakkar, seized the opportunity that this
crisis presented almost as soon as possible. Soon after ships from the
mainland nations stopped arriving, he assembled an army of great power, and
began conquering the other colonies, both human and demihuman. Before this
time, Uther's desires for conquest had been stayed by the leaders of his own
mainland nation, which did not wish to become entangled in a war with its
neighbors over colonies while there were still goblin lands available.
Within two years, his war was over, and the colonies were under his control.
To his credit, his military genius and the strength of his armies did save
some of the border colonies from being completely destroyed by the goblins.
After executing the former colony leaders, Uther set up baronies in each
colony, appointing locals he felt he could trust more than others to manage
his new lands. These Barons are, of course, the PCs (and a couple of NPCs).
The game itself is based more on Domain Turns and such, rather than
adventuring. However, adventuring is certainly an aspect of the game. In
addition to King Uther (a Lawful Evil fighter and a humanocentric bigot,
although not all of the Barons have caught on to this yet) and each other,
the player Barons must deal with Taren the Grey (an iconoclastic archmage
who dwells high upon Bald Mountain, and is part of no nation), Soral
Elandraith (the NPC elven fighter/mage Baron, who dislikes humans almost as
much as he dislikes goblins), Thoss Khan (the native Lizard Man baron, who
had previously united all the lizardman tribes of Saltmarsh and agreed to
pledge fealty to King Uther in hopes of becoming more "civilized").
Unbeknownst to the Barons just yet (though some are starting to catch on),
two powerful goblin nations have recently formed in response to the human
conquest of goblin lands -- these are led by a goblin witch (necromancer)
named Black Sycorax and a barghest named El Carcajou (I treat him as a
fighter). Black Sycorax controls a great deal of swampland and some
forests, while El Carcajou has carved out a fair empire in plains, hills,
and tundra. Black Sycorax also has a son, dubbed "The Spider", who is a
cambion (fathered by his mother's demonic tutor) and the best assassin in
the land (one Baron has already felt the bite of his daggers).
If anyone would like to see one of the turns from this game, let me know and
I will post it here. I don't want to trouble people with it if this is not
the appropriate place though.
Thanks!
- Ron ^*^
To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.imagiconline.com
with the line
one since August and it has been pretty fun. The players do not know
Birthright at all, so I have had to water down some of the rules for them a
bit -- there are no Bloodlines, for example, and the BR human races and
deities are not part of the campaign. Likewise, the various nations of
Birthright do not play a role in the campaign.
The campaign is set on a large island / small continent called Gurathandria,
which was originally inhabited by elves and dwarves. Centuries ago, the
elves and dwarves were overrun by invaders from caverns deep beneath the
earth -- goblins. After the goblins took control of the land, the elves and
dwarves endured a generation or two of slavery before dying out altogether.
Goblins ruled the land for centuries, fractioning into many squabbling
kingdoms and fiefs.
Eventually, human explorers reached Gurathandria by boat across the Bayardic
Ocean. Various human nations saw the potential value of the land and began
sending troops to wrench it from the goblins, setting up colonies when
things became relatively safe. Of course, this earned them the hatred of
the goblin nations, but these were so many and fractured that they were not
able to pose much of a threat to the powerful mainland armies. Over time,
nearly a third of Gurathandria fell to the humans, who continued to push
further into goblin lands with their mainland armies. Elves and dwarves
from the mainland began to arrive, intent on regaining ancestral lands now
that a beachhead had been established by the humans.
Then the Sea Dragons came. No one knows from whence, why, or how, but they
came. Ships could no longer safely cross the Bayardic Ocean, for fear of
these aquatic juggernauts who chewed through hulls and pulled even mighty
frigates into the deeps without allowing them to defend themselves. Ships
from the mainland arrived with less and less frequency, finally ceasing to
arrive altogether. The colonists were alone in a land infested with goblins.
One of the colony leaders, Uther Drakkar, seized the opportunity that this
crisis presented almost as soon as possible. Soon after ships from the
mainland nations stopped arriving, he assembled an army of great power, and
began conquering the other colonies, both human and demihuman. Before this
time, Uther's desires for conquest had been stayed by the leaders of his own
mainland nation, which did not wish to become entangled in a war with its
neighbors over colonies while there were still goblin lands available.
Within two years, his war was over, and the colonies were under his control.
To his credit, his military genius and the strength of his armies did save
some of the border colonies from being completely destroyed by the goblins.
After executing the former colony leaders, Uther set up baronies in each
colony, appointing locals he felt he could trust more than others to manage
his new lands. These Barons are, of course, the PCs (and a couple of NPCs).
The game itself is based more on Domain Turns and such, rather than
adventuring. However, adventuring is certainly an aspect of the game. In
addition to King Uther (a Lawful Evil fighter and a humanocentric bigot,
although not all of the Barons have caught on to this yet) and each other,
the player Barons must deal with Taren the Grey (an iconoclastic archmage
who dwells high upon Bald Mountain, and is part of no nation), Soral
Elandraith (the NPC elven fighter/mage Baron, who dislikes humans almost as
much as he dislikes goblins), Thoss Khan (the native Lizard Man baron, who
had previously united all the lizardman tribes of Saltmarsh and agreed to
pledge fealty to King Uther in hopes of becoming more "civilized").
Unbeknownst to the Barons just yet (though some are starting to catch on),
two powerful goblin nations have recently formed in response to the human
conquest of goblin lands -- these are led by a goblin witch (necromancer)
named Black Sycorax and a barghest named El Carcajou (I treat him as a
fighter). Black Sycorax controls a great deal of swampland and some
forests, while El Carcajou has carved out a fair empire in plains, hills,
and tundra. Black Sycorax also has a son, dubbed "The Spider", who is a
cambion (fathered by his mother's demonic tutor) and the best assassin in
the land (one Baron has already felt the bite of his daggers).
If anyone would like to see one of the turns from this game, let me know and
I will post it here. I don't want to trouble people with it if this is not
the appropriate place though.
Thanks!
- Ron ^*^
To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.imagiconline.com
with the line