Saturday Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea Campaign Ho Down & Actual Play Event Catch Up

So last night I was talking with a friend whom I haven't caught up with on Facebook about my Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea first edition campaign. Its been my preferred 'go to OSR game' for quite a while now. There are quite a few reasons for this:

1. Self enclosed system I don't keep having to buy a ton of add ons or other sets because AS&SH plays well with other retroclones and adventures. If I want to do an Adventurer, Conqueror, King campaign that's on the table or say add in more B/X D&D flavor its there.
2. It hits that Clark Ashton Smith & Lovecraftian circle button without tears which is a big plus 
3. Its the far future of Earth & I can add or subtract science fantasy elements as necessary.
4. Its a slimmed down AD&D clone without the tears. 

Because this is a Swords & Sorcery themed table top game whose really tied in to its campaign world there's lots of things that can be done here. So what's happening in my own home game? Crabmen are on the move, the Deep Astral & Outer Darkness god's cults have been carrying out a shadow battle with the PC's caught in the middle. The crabmen are one of the only Hyperborean races still producing magic items & technologies but very alien technologies. On the Outer edges of Hyperborea there's a brand new ether ship that's crashed & now its a race to get to it.


Part of what's fueling this up tick in divine cult activity is the knights of  Nodens who are anything but squeaky clean. The party has caught them several times after certain magick artifacts with deep underworld connections. Why? 'Because  Two inscriptions from Lydney Park appear to equate Nodens with Mercury.' This has put the party's teeth on edge several times over the last couple of weeks not to mention the fact that they've discovered the Rump family connection. The Rumps have actually been involved with tributes and support for the Hyperborean knights going back to the foundations of the temple of Nodens in the capital. The Rumps of course are the family from Tegal manor, the deed of which will be coming back to the hands of one of the PC's very soon (in fact this weekend). Tegal is a location that wanders across the face of Hyperborea where it wills by the other dimensional Borea winds!

 

The other thing that's happened is that the PC's are trying to find Sir Trisken a minor knight/noble & adventurer from Dark Albion. What they don't know is that he's actually gone in search of the fabled Tegal manor for his own master for the impending War of The Roses. Time is funny on Hyperborea & the French Frogman sorcerer Sercus Cro'k the murderous rival of Sir Trisken has already made contact with the reptile god cultists of Hyperborea.Cro'k arrived before the knight ever even gated  from Albion.



I'd like to point out here that foxroe of the OD&D forums made a very nice free resource for AS&SH a Unofficial AS&SH Character Creation Reference Sheet which you can down load here. 

Meanwhile another NPC has been tracking the PC's party across the face of Hyperborea for his own royal master. The ranger Sharms Trench is in service to the Hypeborean house of Roe is trying to find one of the PC's because he is in possession of certain artifact that could mean certain death to his master.



All of this will be coming full circle in tonight's game & several reveals will be happening! Stay tuned for more!