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Showing posts with label Gamma World: Legion of Gold GW1 Exploration Module 1981.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gamma World: Legion of Gold GW1 Exploration Module 1981.. Show all posts
"Far-Go is dying... the people are afraid... the animals are wasting away... the crops are withering the fields. No one, even Arx Skystone, the high priest, knows what has caused Far-Go's misfortune. YOU are part of a group of young adventurers about to begin the sacred Rite of Adulthood. The last hope of survival for Far-Go rests with your party. On your journey to the Forest of Knowledge, you must search for clues to the origin of the mysterious plague. This quest may led you into great danger... and great knowledge. As you travel through the savage wilderness, all you have are your companions, your wits, your strength... and your dreams!!"
Way back down the annals of Eighty two, 'Famine In Far-Go' by Michael Price was the Gamma World adventure to really get into. This is a series of segment adventure encounters centered around the rite of passage bit in old school adventures. The PC's are part of the agricultural community of Far-Go, preparing to embark on the Rite of Adulthood. They must quest for the Forrest of Knowledge and experience the One Truth after eating certain sacred berries. I never really cleaved to the heart and soul of the rail road plot line of GW2 and instead focused on letting the players wander from one hex to another. This is quite deadly module in its own right, add to this the meteor that's fallen from the sky which I think gave the whole adventure a weird Lovecraftian quality ala the Colour Out of Space. The alien mutant life form is in its own right a fully functioning faction/monster with abilities that could transcend time & space.
Colour out of Space artwork by Virgil Finlay.
There are several factors to remember when dealing with 'Famine In Fargo' in conjunction with old school adventure campaigns. The PC's gain the advantage with a fully functioning Preholocaust chicken factory. The La Prix Industries Automated Chicken Processing Factory and its army of mutated machine gun wielding chickenoids are nothing to sneeze at. The fact is that the Egg of Coot could in fact be angling in its forces to take over the entire facility.
It will be a cold day in Hell when any faction on Gamma Terra is going to let a fully functioning Holocaust facility fall into the hands of a Stone Age level tribe of motley mutant humanoids. Arx Skystone, the high priest, might have more then he bargained for unless there are others aiding him. The Egg of Coots forces gated in from Greyhawk may be far more hassle then the PC's realize.
The big deciding factor that no one ever discusses about Gamma World is actually Greyhawk! Greyhawk is intimately tied to the events world of Gamma Terra. There have been numerous adventure cross overs between my Greyhawk adventurers & the forces of Gamma World. The divine forces of Greyhawk pantheon are going to take a very keen interest in the goings on Gamma Terra. They are very aware of the disasters that befell Gamma Terra & have no wish for a repeat of the Time of Colorless Rain. Mystara is another unknown to both St.Stephen of the Rock & The biomechanical/magical forces of the Egg of Coot. The magics of both of these worlds are quite capable of moving the destiny of worlds. Blackmoor is both the past of Mystara & a world campaign setting in its own right. The other factors that no one is going to be counting on is the fact that both St.Stephen of the Rock & the Egg of Coot have been spreading their influence to other worlds. Some of these worlds are in the midst of a Pulp & super hero era. The Amazing Adventures Book of Powers for the Amazing Adventures RPG is an excellent tool for using both super heroes & pulp adventurers into the mix without compromising the balance of play.
The battle for human history is just heating up across the planes & the factions are starting to assemble their forces. The winds of chaos are blowing across the planes as horror breaths down the necks of a band of desperate adventurers.
That's what old hands call the Great Dismal Swamp. For centuries, this tangled maze of sluggish watercourses, stagnant ponds, and festering marshes has defended Blackmoor's southwestern frontier. Large armies and smaller parties have disappeared altogether inside its vast, dripping, claustrophobic corridors. Among those who have dropped from sight in the arboreal hell is young Risa Aleford, one of Blackmoor's most important leaders. Carried off to the sinister City of the Frog, she is now being held by the eccentric Monks of the Swamp. By making the baroness captive, the deranged monks have seriously weakened Blackmoor at a time when enemies already threaten it from all sides. Yet, even as the froggies gloat, the king of Blackmoor dispatches a small band of bold adventurers to the rescue. Deep into the Great Dismal Swamp they must go - far from sunlight and sanity - there to seek and save the captive baroness from the foul Monks of the Swamp. There to find - the Temple of the Frog."
Froggies are the most dangerous & yet highly underrated cult of villains ever to come out of original Dungeons & Dragons. These mind bending bastards are the evil ying to the cosmic horror of the Egg of Coot's yang. The Beagle is one of the most important ships ever to fall from the skies of Blackmoor.
Yet the froggies are only the tip of the spear when it comes this cult's influence. Their influence is everywhere throughout the Dismal Swamp but the Lovecraftian elements don't end there. Straight up over the years the legacy of both the Beagle & Dave L. Arneson and David J. Ritchie creation is the world wrecking horror of the Froggies. They use the technologies of the Beagle to transform the surroundings into cult holdings. There's one character whose influence is behind everything in DA3 & well beyond. That's Saint Stephen of The Rock, all of his machinations behind the scenes & around his holdings of the temple.
Given the range & breath of the events of GW1 Legion of Gold By Gary Gygax it makes perfect sense that The Froggies could have sent a plane hopping strike force equipped with sympathetic Bullywugs mercenary forces to Greyhawk.
Since the crash of the Warden science vessel & the warping of reality because of the engines of the ship there have been a number of interested parties wanting the artifacts of this vessel. Froggies would have prime reason to raid another vessel of superior advanced tech. The warp gates onto Gamma Terra are another rung on the ladder of the chaos & madness that surround this vessel.
The fact is the Egg of Coot has been counting on this & planning far in advance with its own machinations with Reaper's cyborgs quietly planning ambushes in the out reaches of Greyhawk. The fact is that Egg has many forces in reserve waiting to gate into the fray. The egg is very powerful & could overwhelm players with its forces. I still love these figures from the 1/72 Multiverse blog's Egg of Coot miniature post from 2016. The Egg is the real menace right behind The Reaper's forces but PC's can't be counted out from getting caught in the cross fire of this three sided war. Veggie Pygmies forces could be warping into Amazing Adventures! rpg 20's, 30's, or even the 40's! Advanced technologies & fire arms are not going to make a difference. Magick might be the great equalizer for this whole event.
The very nature of the Egg of Coot is to mettle with lots of elements to create as much chaos as possible. This could put the players into mortal danger but what if Saint Steven continues his machinations on Greyhawk? The Warden science vessel is the perfect base for him to expand his empire. Given the very easy access to the cybernetic & medical facilities he would easily be able to create all kinds of followers for Mystara, Greyhawk, & even Gamma Terra. Stephen of the Rock would fit right into a wasteland. The warden offers the perfect opportunity to cement his hold on one of these places.
Saint Steven is one of the most underrated villains in Dungeons & Dragons history. He is one of the most dangerous players in the game of the planes. He's keeps gathers more followers & creates cells of Froggies where & when he feels their needed. But he & his band of followers are only one cult & there are others who are gathering as events unfold. Note that much of this campaign is from notes that I've used in the past & much of it has been gathered from a wide variety of OSR sources. But next is who benefits from the fall out of events from S3 Expedition to the Barrier Peaks By Gary Gygax.
"There is much to
worry about in the mutated world of the future, but Baron Jemmas, Warder
of Horn, has more on his mind than most. In recent weeks several of the
outlying towns of his Barony have been wiped out by a band of
mysterious golden marauders.
These creatures struck from nowhere
and vanished without a trace when their deeds were done. The Warder has
decided that they must be stopped before the entire Barony of Horn falls
beneath their onslaught, and so he is offering a great reward to anyone
who can defeat the Legion of Gold.
'
So to celebrate Gary Gygax day I wanted to do something a bit different so I ran an old favorite of mine with one of the side quests from the Gamma World: Legion of Gold GW1 Exploration Module 1981. Things went off rather smoothly on my side of the screen. Legion of Gold is a mini sandbox of Gamma World goodness, written by Gary Gygax with the help of his son Luke and Paul Reiche III. It remains one of my all time favorite Gamma World modules because its as much Gamma World tool kit as it is adventure.
Legion of Gold has a bit of everything that I love in my Gamma World adventures & sets the tone of how I play and DM my Gamma World adventures post-apocalyptic pulp science fantasy with fictional trappings & settings. The tone in tonight's game was deadly earnest as the 'Bug ems' claimed the lives of two mutant adventurers deep in the bowels of their nests. Wanyne's Books has a good break down of everything included in Legion of Gold;'Legion
of Gold presented the Gamma World Referee with the first official
campaign area (The Barony of Horn) near Lake Michigan. A buggem nest and
an underwater ancient complex await the players. New creatures, new
robots, and new weapons. ' -Wayne There's something really creepy about the whole affair of Legion of Gold, its nonlinear structure presents a setting that is part post apocalyptic fantasy and half classic 50's drive in movie on steroids. The Bug Em lair reminds me of the 1954 film 'Them' especially the end of the giant ant terror inside of the nest.
The pace of the adventure went smoothly with the PC's wandering across the landscape of the post-apocalyptic version of southern Wisconsin setting. The players were worried having played in other Gamma World adventures such as Famine in Fargo which links up and dovetails in with the events of Famine in Fargo. Both adventures are a credit to their authors and designers. Legion of Gold is one of the greatest sci-fi gems of the 70's.A classic adventure that has all of the right elements in all of the right places. Its easy to run & can be used as a one night stand or as a part of an on going Gamma World campaign. The lethal mutant menace under the Earth claimed the lives of more fool hardy adventurers and mutants tonight.
There are enough loose threads from tonight's Legion of Gold adventure romp that at some future date I might pick back up on this classic adventure for more mutant menace action! Happy birthday and Gary Gygax day from Connecticut!
