Review and Use of Amazing Adventure Rpg The Brotherhood Of William St John Adventure and Sourcebook

 The Brotherhood of William St. John is a central organization and meta-campaign setting supplement created by Jason Vey for Troll Lord Games' multi-genre roleplaying game, Amazing Adventures (available in both the original SIEGE Engine and 5th Edition-compatible rulesets).

Instead of locking players into a single, restrictive world, the Brotherhood acts as a narrative through-line or "connective tissue" that enables Game Masters to link campaigns across completely different genres, eras, and tech levels.

Core Concept & Purpose

The Brotherhood is a global, long-standing adventuring society dedicated to exploration, historical preservation, the accumulation of knowledge, and defending humanity from supernatural, extraterrestrial, and terrestrial forces of evil.

Because Amazing Adventures is designed to handle everything from classic pulp to futuristic sci-fi, the Brotherhood serves a vital meta-role:

• The Chronological Thread: The group provides a consistent legacy that cuts across centuries. Player characters can belong to the Brotherhood whether the game is set in the gritty 1800s, the pulp-era 1930s, modern times, or a space-faring future where they are known as the Knights of William St. John.

• The Perfect Patron: It acts as a built-in "quest giver" and resource network for characters of all archetypes—providing funding, safe houses, historical archives, and high-tech or magical gadgets depending on the era.

Structure Across the Eras

The supplement details how the organization changes, adapts, and fights its shadow wars as humanity advances.

1. The Victorian Era (The 1800s)

Originating in the 19th century, the Brotherhood begins as a classic, high-society gentleman’s club of scholars, occultists, and wealthy industrialist explorers. They focus on gathering antiquities, translating forbidden texts, and combating early gothic horrors, mad scientists, and hidden cults.

2. The Pulp Era (1920s–1940s)

The definitive playground for Amazing Adventures. During this time, the Brotherhood operates globally against the backdrop of world wars, chasing down relics, stopping occult rituals, and fighting organizations like the Order of the Black Dragon.

Iconic Era Members: Prominent pre-generated heroes represent this era, including Mackie (a wealthy aviatrix philanthropist and direct descendant of William St. John who leads the team), James "Bucky" Newsome (an ace mechanic), Tennessee O'Malley, and "Savage" Steve McDermott.

3. The Modern Era

Adapting to the information age, the Brotherhood morphs into a slick, shadow-corporate agency or highly secretive NGO. They leverage computer hacking, modern espionage, and special forces tactics alongside traditional occult defenses to mitigate global, existential threats.

4. The Sci-Fi Future (Solar Burn)

Tying directly into the Amazing Adventures science fiction setting (Solar Burn), the group evolves into the Knights of William St. John. Operating out of starfighters and dealing with interstellar threats, they guard cosmic secrets and use advanced tech or psionics to fight alien threats across the galaxy.

Campaign Integration & Tools

The sourcebook is designed as a toolkit rather than a restrictive lore dump. It provides GMs with:

• Generational Campaigns: Rules and advice for running a legacy campaign, where players control a character in the 1930s and later play that character's grandchild or ideological successor in a modern or sci-fi era.

• Secret Societies: Profiles, stat blocks, and lore for both the factions allied with the Brotherhood and the ancient evils/conspiracies trying to destroy them.

• Mysterious Locales: A breakdown of cross-era safe houses, hidden archives, and locations (such as the planar Rings of Brass originating from Troll Lord Games' fantasy world of Aihrde) that characters can explore or use as bases of operation

How to Use It in Your Games

The Modular Approach: You do not have to buy into the entire timeline to use this book. If you are running a standalone 1920s Cthulhu-style game using 5e rules, you can pull the modern-era Brotherhood components to give your players an instant, cohesive reason to work together.

If you do want to lean into its true purpose, it works best as a generational anchor. For example:

1. Act I: The players play Victorian scholars who discover a cosmic artifact and lock it in a Brotherhood vault.

2. Act II: The players roll new characters in the 1940s who must protect that same vault from enemy spies.

3. Act III: The players roll sci-fi characters who discover the artifact has finally awakened on a distant colony planet.

Product Details

• Publisher: Troll Lord Games

• System: Amazing Adventures 5e (5e Compatible)

• Author: Jason Vey

• Art/Layout: Peter Bradley

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