CM1 Test Of The Warlords Hybrid Campaign Actual Play Event Using Adventurer, Conqueror, King

A great game was had in my buddy Steve's on going Adventurer, Conqueror, King/Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea game campaign

This blog entry is a wee bit late for a Saturday because I spent the night on my friend Steve's couch. We had some rather nasty weather hit last night & it got a bit dicey to go home such as it is playing D&D in New England.Anyhow I got involved in Steve's Adventurer, Conqueror, King/D&D B/X hybrid game! It was on his recommendation that I get involved from the player side of the screen! We were playing at the conqueror level embroiled in the events of Test of the Warlord during the establishment of Norwold. The players had already run through Red Arrow/Black Shield X10. So there were six players in last night's event and we were running at Conqueror level. There were six players (each of whom was an experienced DM in their own right) this actually helps & we've know each other for thirty plus years.


So I was the johnny come lately to this hot mess of a campaign. 'The Master' had been defeated & his head was resting on a spike someplace outside on of the cities of the campaign. Steve had used ACK's to create and flesh out the city states, towns, villages, etc. Even though he was using modules such as X10 & CM1the campaign was his own creation. He's drawn it from both existing public domain sword & sorcery fiction, pulp magazines, B/X D&D, & ACK's. Does this formula sound familiar? Anyhow we had six players last night & took on most of the PC aspects in stride but the heart & soul of CM1 Test of the Warlord is the establishment of domains of their own for the players. The regular adventure has a bit of everything some dungeoneering, a bit of war fare, political intrigue, etc.  That part was kept but this bit;

"The fame of the players' heroes have earned them the right and title to run a realm of their own, under the supervision of the king of Norworld, a newly colonized region to the north of Mystara. But even from the start, with all the troubles of establishing your own pockets of civilization in as yet untamed wilderness, Norworld has become the center of attention in the struggle between two old enemies: The sorcerous empire of Alphatia and the war-mongering realm of Thyati"

Yeah that was almost completely gutted & revamped for last night's game using ACK's. While there was still the sorcerer's empire & a warmongering nation both had far weirder twists to them. What we had instead was the sorcerous empire of  Whraru's who had found the ancient war technologies of the Serpent Men. The nation of Tirurs who were the demonic humanoid remains of the 'Master' who were united under a banner of war & conquest. This was an empire of necessity that had its back to the wall & now a black wizard of Lovecraftian aspect had taken over! Oh did I happen to mention the fact that the PC's nation were caught in the middle of all this? Did I also happen to mention that I helped Steve construct this campaign over two years ago with suggestions after I reviewed CM1? 

 Yeah the campaign was constructed using a combination of Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea & ACK's. This was done using K Slacker's rules on PC generation & Domains of War.
Bare in mind that this game has been on going for the past two years.
So why CM-1? "Test of the Warlords" also claims that Alphatia is secretly the empire of Atlantis, something that's repeated nowhere else in the literature on the Known World." Yes that's right you have a prime back door to connect the old world of the Known World with the Old Earth of AS&SH 's rules to round out certain aspects of the campaign." The game went very well for the other players! They routed the enemy's strongholds but my PC's fate was far less grandiose. 

So while the thundering clashes of armies happened & PC's were blowing away demonic orc warriors my PC was busy dissolving in a pit of Green Slime. Yeah that's right kids Duke Isenthral The Light of Eternal Wellness died in a pit of Green slime that took rider, horse, and all into it. My PC opened the way for the others to get in the arrow they needed. In other words I had a great time! The players mopped up the resistance they needed. The dice gods were not kind to me.


Will I join again? Perhaps as the son of Duke Isenthral The Light of Eternal Wellness! Who as soon as he puts his father's house in order will be joining his compatriots in the realms of adventure! Yes, I died but I had a great time!