Review & Commentary On 100 Random Encounters for on the Road or in the Wilderness (C&C) By Neal Litherland For The Castles & Crusades Rpg

 "Characters will not be the only people, or beings, travelling along roads or through the wilderness, and both may also have various hazards, natural, constructed or creatures. Instead of quickly passing over journeys to and from different places, this is a list of 100 different random encounters for characters to have."

"Some of these encounters are beneficial and some are harmful. Some are just odd, and may cause confusion, muddy the waters or be a possible source of hooks for adventures or side quests, if a GameMaster wishes to develop them further. A number of results have the names of NPCs, groups and locations; these can be replaced with ones that are more appropriate to a campaign setting if desired."

100 Random Encounters for on the Road or in the Wilderness (C&C) By Neal Litherland is a really good set of encounter tables for one of the areas that players and DM's alike need to fill. And this is the roads & wilderness of a campaign.  100 Random Encounters for on the Road or in the Wilderness (C&C) clocks in at about fourteen pages and really hit the spot when it comes to populating the wilderness and road of C&C adventures. 

Examples from the pages of  100 Random Encounters for on the Road or in the Wilderness (C&C) are as follows: 

• The party sees a field full of deep holes. They're dug at random, though all of them appear to be at least six feet deep. If the party goes to a local inn or tavern and makes a CL 4 Charisma check, they find out there was a treasure buried around here fifty years ago by an infamous bandit, and every year there's a day where everyone goes out hunting. Thus far, no one has found the loot.
• The party walks past a pauper's field. There is a small group of people paying respects, and setting up a wooden marker. Those who stop find a widower, and his two children. His wife was killed by a sickness that has been running through the countryside, and they did not have the money to seek aid.
• The party sees several, strange talismans hanging from nearby trees. They're in the shape of poppets and wicker men, hung by the neck with hempen cord. A CL 8 Intelligence check reveals these are meant to ward away dangerous spirits.
• While walking down the road, the party finds large boulders with directions chiseled into them. There is a compass rose, along with mile markers, and which towns lie in what directions. These stones are far too big to be moved or shifted, making them ideal markers. They provide a +2 bonus on any checks to navigate the roads.
• The party comes across a group of five men making camp. They welcome the party to share their fire, and to camp with them if they wish. If the party has a reputation, or is clearly not an easy target (displays of magic, armed and armored, etc.), then the five bandits remain friendly and respectful. However, a CL 10 Intelligence check reveals the leader has a distinctive black raven tattoo just peeking out from beneath his clothes. That brand is worn by the Scavengers, a group of dangerous highwaymen. If confronted, the man attempts to proclaim his innocence, but a CL 8 Wisdom check sees through his lies. The bandits scatter if the party gets aggressive, and unless all of the men are killed or captured, they will come after the party to free their brethren and/or exact revenge.
  
  

And what's really nice about  100 Random Encounters for on the Road or in the Wilderness (C&C) is that this set of tools really lines up nicely with  Castles & Crusades Monsters & Treasure. Now while this might not seem like much this is really important for both the experienced DM and the budding newbie whose just getting started with C&C. Because of this line up the  100 Random Encounters for on the Road or in the Wilderness (C&C) also fits other books within the C&C line of products. Let's dive deeper. 

For our own Borderlands campaign  100 Random Encounters for on the Road or in the Wilderness (C&C) is going to come in very handy for detailing the wilderness and wilds. The only way across the terrain is by foot or horse. And if your really lucky these areas are crossable due to weather, conditions, bandits, or worse. The roads & wildernes are something we see time and again as minor but within our own campaigns these are major factors. And  100 Random Encounters for on the Road or in the Wilderness (C&C) lines right up with encounters, tables, etc. that we find in the Castle Keeper's Guide. Another fact is that the road & wilderness aspect of campaign construction is a major part of the Castle Keeper's Guide. So  100 Random Encounters for on the Road or in the Wilderness (C&C) offers up another great resource for the expanding tool box of the DM. 

Foul Deals in N1: "Against The Cult of the Reptile God" By Douglas Niles - An Alternative Timeline Adventure Set Up For Using The Siege Engine System

"Terror by night! The village of Orlane is dying. Once a small and thriving community, Orlane has become a maze of locked doors and frightened faces. Strangers are shunned, trade has withered. Rumors flourish, growing wilder with each retelling. Terrified peasants flee their homes, abandoning their farms with no explanation. Others simply disappear. . .

No one seems to know the cause of the decay -- why are there no clues? Who skulks through the twisted shadows of the night? Who or what is behind the doom that has overtaken the village? It will take a brave and skillful band of adventurers to solve the dark riddle of Orlane!"




German agents have been messing around on the coast of Spain in the village of Orlane. Back in '82 the N1: "Against The Cult of the Reptile God" was perfectly suited for mid level adventures but everyone knows this history; 
"N1: "Against The Cult of the Reptile God" (1982), by Douglas Niles, is the first adventure in a novice-level series for AD&D. It was written in February 1982, so it was probably published in the first half of the year." But for my alternative World War one campaign which takes place in a world where the Martian invasion of 1897 marked official end of super human kind among most normal human society.




 In  N1: "Against The Cult of the Reptile God" the German government has sent agents to Orlane to track down the ruins of a serpent men cult. They got far more then they bargained for with them becoming the brain washed foundation of a part of the reptile cult. I chose Spain for a good reason because of their position of neutrality;

"Spain remained neutral throughout World War I between 28 July 1914 and 11 November 1918, and despite domestic economic difficulties,^[1] it was considered "one of the most important neutral countries in Europe by 1915".^[2] Spain had enjoyed neutrality during the political difficulties of pre-war Europe, and continued its neutrality after the war until the Spanish Civil War began in 1936.^[2] While there was no direct military involvement in the war, German forces were interned in Spanish Guinea in late 1915.

The Spanish prime minister, Eduardo Dato, a Conservative, declared neutrality by Royal Decree on 7 August 1914:^[3]

"Existent, sadly, the state of war between Austria, Hungary and Serbia [...] the Government of His Majesty believes in the duty to order the strictest neutrality to Spanish subjects."

Dato was applauded for this in the Cortes when they reconvened on 30 October. Opinion among the public was divided. The upper classes (the aristocracy and the rich bourgeoisie), the Catholic Church and the Spanish Army generally favoured the Central Powers, usually identified with Germany. Among political parties, the Germanophile tendency was represented among the reactionary Carlists and the conservative Mauristas, followers of Antonio Maura, who himself favoured closer ties with the Allies because of Spain's 1907 pact with Britain and France, which was designed to head off German colonialism in north Africa. Pro-Allied sentiment, which was generally Francophile, was most common among the middle and professional classes and intellectuals. It was common among Catalan nationalists, Republicans and Socialists. A few Liberals, including Álvaro de Figueroa, leader of the opposition in the Cortes, were also pro-Allied."

There are other worldly visitors from across  following the trail of some of the artifacts that were smuggled to the hands of German agents. But there are other mechanisms that the Germans are targeting. The Reptile cult has other plans for humanity around them.



There's definitely some real potential to add in a fair bit of Robert E.Howard Conan story 'The God In Bowl' into this version of  the N1: "Against The Cult of the Reptile God". We get a whole low down on the serpent men in their wiki entry;"The seat of the First Empire of the Serpent People, during the Paleozoic era, is Valusia. Valusia is a fictional country in the Kull stories of Robert E. Howard and his stories tell, among other things, of the Serpent Men trying to conquer the world once again, around 20,000 years ago, where Kull from Atlantis reigned over the Valusia Kingdom, located on the west coast of the main continent of Thuria. The ancient Serpent Empire was based on sorcery and alchemy, but collapsed with the rise of the dinosaurs about 225 million years ago during the Triassic era. The Serpent Men originally ruled over humans in Valusia, but were defeated and almost wiped out in humanity's battle for survival against the "elder things", which predated even them. Over time, humans dominated Valusia and the Serpent Men became a legend. The Serpent Men, one of the few surviving "elder things", infiltrated human society and ruled from behind the scenes for a time, but were again discovered, defeated, and cast out in a secret war. However, they later repeated this tactic. Soon, they added the front of a Snake Cult religion, which gained power and influence within Valusia while the Serpent Men used their abilities of disguise to murder or replace each reigning monarch. Their power is eventually broken by King Kull, formerly an Atlantean barbarian who had recently conquered Valusia, and the Pict Brule the Spear-Slayer, whose society was aware of the Serpent Men's infiltration."



Now the question becomes were do I take role of the serpent men in the midst of WWI? There some clear stats for these entities in the  Amazing Adventures Manual of Monsters, but its where do I take  N1: "Against The Cult of the Reptile God" from here?! We'll have to simply wait for my players from here.  Here's where the Castle Keeper's Guide comes in handy for dealing with multiple genres & systems.

I'm not sure yet if I'll be using my own home brew Swords & Sorcery fantasy campaign setting or Greyhawk from here. But the fill in will be interesting. What secrets are the Germans after?! 

Keep On The Marne - An Alternative Timeline Campaign Set Up for B2 Keep on The Borderlands By Gary Gygax Using The Siege Engine System

German soldiers (wearing distinctive pickelhaube helmets with cloth covers) on the front at the First Battle of the Marne during World War I, taken in September 1914. Possibly staged for the camera due to the wearing of medals, which according to the source was not common practice in battle.

The year is 1918 &  'The First Battle of the Marne' rages as the German forces try to take a small insignificant set of ruins along the ancient French border. The Martian invasion of 1897 marked official end of super human kind among most normal human society. Things in Europe have been heating up with the world slowly but surely forgetting about the Martians. But among fringe elements of society there are dark & disturbing rumors.
Rumors of the Martians working hand in hand with the Germans & even far more  other worldly sinister forces. The rumors among the French resistance are that they are after so called 'Les grottes du chaos'. The grottoes are a source of dark & malevolent legends among the French locals. People disappearing, strange sightings of pig like horrors straight from nightmare, & rumors of sorcerers who cavort with the Devil himself.

Among the small towns & villages that surround the front a party of entertainers & circus like showmen to entertain the battle weary. They pass right in front of Colonial von Schoenvorts (another member of the von Schoenvorts family) the head of the Germany's Spezial Projekte  for the Kaiser. Little does Colonial von Schoenvorts suspect that among these entertainers are a guise for travelers & resistance fighters who are the descendants of those who in the last Ice Age put down the events in Gary Gygax's B2 Keep on the Borderlands.


As you can see I'm thinking of doing a joint game set in an alternative Earth prime material time line during WW1 .If only there was a supplement book that had guidelines for combining & straddling the lines of these books?! Well there is! The Castle Keepers Guide (CKG) by Davis Chenault, &  Stephen Chenault does an excellent job of clarifying the C&C system while giving enough room for the dungeon master to customize their own campaigns. My inspiration here was using some of the newer source book from Castles & Crusades that have recently come into my possession. 

 Gary Gygax's B2 Keep on the Borderlands is perfect for modification long after the dungeons have supposedly been cleaned out ( he,he,) but what is it that the German forces are after?! Part of the inspiration was also going over my copy of  C&C's Monsters & Treasure book & finding some of the notes I made from the older incarnations of my own games. 

So now I've got to see when & where I'm gonna do this game with Connecticut cautiously opening back up this might get very interesting especially with my players getting very beyond frustrated with the quarantine.