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Borderland - An Open Table West Marches-style Game

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Stephan Hornick

Community Goblin & Master of the Archive
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Borderland Explorer
I think he means we might not be able to play our Auheim characters in the Tower run.
My problem was that in case that we did not finish all business on May 5, and Jochen would be unavailable on May 12 that he surely could not have GMed for borh groups simultaneously and that this is exactly what he surely wanted to avoid with a West Marches campaign.
But now the ground rules are mostly clear.

So in order to join on May 19, I will ask for the option of another time, specifically like usual 8:30-11:30pm.
But just to repeat: In a typical West Marches campaign one player would determine when and where to go, invite other players and book the GM. Now, with such kind of voting as we do here, this player has little control over who will join. Is this ok for you? Do we stick to first come first play, or is the leading player able to choose (like he/she would do ingame)?
 

JochenL

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In a typical West Marches campaign one player would determine when and where to go, invite other players and book the GM.
I would prefer it this way!

But we are getting it started right now, so we should allow some initial hiccups.
 

JochenL

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Another seat has been taken!

May 5 (Wed) 8:30 pm to 11:30 pm CET - Eremis, Nichuan, Benedikt, and FoxRouge will visit Auheim - One seat remaining!
 

Morvar

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Maybe move this post to the other forum? Under Borderlands - Old Auheim, Norbruck, Black Bear Inn? Could imagine throwing some NPC in the room there ,-)
 

JochenL

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Upcoming sessions:
  • May 5 (Wed) 8:30 pm to 11:30 pm CET - Eremis, Nichuan, Benedikt, and FoxRouge will visit Auheim - One seat remaining!
  • May 19 (Wed) 8:30 pm to 11:30 pm CET - Bausum, Teo, (Morvar), and (Stephan) will search for the Lonely Tower - One seat remaining!
 

JochenL

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@Rohwar will join on May 5 - we are full!

Upcoming sessions:
  • May 5 (Wed) 8:30 pm to 11:30 pm CET - Eremis, Nichuan, Benedikt, FoxRouge, and (Rohwar) will visit Auheim - No seat remaining!
  • May 19 (Wed) 8:30 pm to 11:30 pm CET - Bausum, Teo, (Morvar), and (Stephan) will search for the Lonely Tower - One seat remaining!
 
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JochenL

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Summary of the previous session:

Behind the barricades, the adventurers met Hrgungdvar and Foxrouge who are adventurers themselves, and came to the aid of the suffering population of Old-Auheim. In the Black Bear Inn, Odilon Fußtreu, Constable of Old-Auheim's northern part Norbruck, told them of roaming bands Bleachlings as well as fugitives from Auheim camping south of the river. He believed that they fled from vampires but brought some of these creatures with them - better keep running water between us!

In Sutbruck, the derelict southern part of Old-Auheim, our heroes learned of strange happenings in Auheim. They met Snilkiss Samtstein, brother of the deceased Frundir Samtstein and leader of the refugees. They heard of shaking ground, rumbling earth, black snow, vampiric stalkers in the night, and other foreboding rumors.

On they pressed, marching through the night, fending off leathery creatures descending on them from the dark sky. And finally, well after midnight, they reached Auheim, a town seemingly lying in ruins with pyres burning at several places. Small creatures were burning large ones.

When they decided to end this, they confronted the doomchildren feeding the pyres, but suddenly a loud rumbling and shaking, the earth cracking open and lava welling up, interrupted the fight. In the center of town, a huge demon burst out of the ground.
 

JochenL

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We had a discussion behind the scenes after the above session and decided on some changes/fundamentals:
  • We no longer try to complete one mission in one session
    • We want to keep missions still as short as possible but without hastening through sessions
  • We favor ROLE playing over ROLL playing
    • We like rolling dice in addition to interactive play, though
  • I will prepare fewer scenes and leave more freedom for interaction between player characters
  • Missions are still selected and organized by players, and then prepared by me
 

JochenL

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Summary of yesterday's session:

Our heroes shortly discussed their options and decided that they could not turn their back on Auheim. The young Foxrouge vanished during the discussion and the remaining adventurers shortly wondered if her decision wasn't the right or at least the more clever one.

Eremis Gladis and Hrgungdvar in the front, and Benedikt Von Falkenstayn and Nichuan in the back, they confronted the Pit Master that ascended from the bursting earth. Through disctraction, holy wrath, and focused magic, they destroyed the monstrosity and its doomchildren, freeing Auheim from the immediate threat.

Soon thereafter, they discovered Evil emanating from the lava tube that birthed the demon. While the townsfolk welcomed their saviours, the adventurers prepared their descend into the pit to bring an end to this source of Evil. Down there, an orb of black metal was displayed on a pillar of cooled lava. After attempts of magical analysis and began excorcisms, they concluded that removing the orb was the correct way of treating this danger.

Aboveground, the citizens had prepared to burn their former leader Merwild Dusk Of Amber, supposed to have become a vamipre, and his blood-drained love Matilde - just in case the rising sun would not do this for them. The heroes intervened, questioned them and the leader of the mob. They learned of the background of the Bleaching Plague, the tainted silver, a shrine of Hehl deep in the mountain, and of the purification process that sheds silver from Thaumarium and Abyssium.

After ordering the mines shut, freeing Merwild from accuses, and taking care of personal business, the adventurers took the silver for Holt-Lindeck and ventured home to tell their story...
 

Stephan Hornick

Community Goblin & Master of the Archive
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Borderland Explorer
By the way, Jochen, I was asked now twice whether I will run a game in the Borderland for people. What is your stance on this? Originally, there is only one GM in a west marches campaign, but you said that you may be thinking about publishing this world as a setting to use for other GMs. Would you like to have it to yourself or do you think it would be a great idea to host games with different GMs?
 

JochenL

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Borderland Explorer
By the way, Jochen, I was asked now twice whether I will run a game in the Borderland for people. What is your stance on this? Originally, there is only one GM in a west marches campaign, but you said that you may be thinking about publishing this world as a setting to use for other GMs. Would you like to have it to yourself or do you think it would be a great idea to host games with different GMs?
You can, of course, use it for your private rounds.

But please, don't expect me to integrate your private adventures into the canon of the world. I want to run it and develop it myself. That is the whole point of this experiment for me - improving the Setting Corner of my GM Triangle and Building a Campaign.
 
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