Destination Hommlet - Mark Taormino's Maximum Mayhem Dungeons #0 Village of the Borderlands Kickstarter & The Hyperborea rpg

 "The Village of Hommlet has grown up around a crossroads in a woodland. Once far from any important activity, it became embroiled in the struggle between gods and demons when the Temple of Elemental Evil arose but a few leagues away. Luckily of its inhabitants, the Temple and its evil hordes were destroyed a decade ago, but Hommlet still suffers from incursions of bandits and strange monsters.." 

So let's pick this campaign up right from July 3rd on the blog here! 

The village of Hommlet itself is an enagma for two reasons one is the fact that the village is a neglected area now. And two is the way that it went from a cross roads of commerence into sharp decline. Now let's look at adventure plot summery of the Wiki entry on T1-4 Temple of Elemental Evil;"In the module T1 The Village of Hommlet, the player characters must defeat the raiders operating out of a ruined fort nearby, and thereafter the characters can use Hommlet as a base for their adventures.^[1] The adventure begins in the eponymous village of Hommlet, situated near the site of a past battle against evil forces operating from the Temple. The adventurers travel through Hommlet and are drawn into a web of conspiracy and deception.

"The module is intended for first-level characters, who begin the adventure "weary, weak, and practically void of money".^[3] They travel to a town with a reputation as having a great opportunity to earn fortunes and to defeat enemy creatures, but also to lose one's life.^[3] While the town initially appears hospitable, the characters soon learn that many of its inhabitants are powerful spies for minions of evil" " For the Hyperborea rpg this changes nothing at all because of the fact that it wasn't the decline of the Temple that caused it to go dormant. 
And in point of fact it's the Green Death that caused all of Hyperborea including the Borderlands region to go silent on Hyperborea. And this is true for the entire whole of Hyperborea itself. 

As humans took over the Borderlands region after the Green Death abaited centuries ago. These same humans who loved the artificial landscape. The Hyperboreans who took over the Borderlands fell under the influence of the Cult of Elemental Evil. 

And now the cycle continues with the humans who have taken over Hommlet and the surrounding lands. The village of Hommlet & the moathouse  serves as another gateway into the Borderlands. And its these same lands are now the place where the forces of Chaos are breeding from centuries old generators ala the video game Gauntlet. 
The temple itself hasn't even come to full life.. yet. But it's demonic influence is felt on the surrounding environs ala the Caves of Chaos from B2. And the fact that there are dozens & dozens of humanoid tribemen who are under the Elemental Evil's influence and don't tear each other apart. 
How does  Mark Taormino's Maximum Mayhem Dungeons #0 Village of the Borderlands fit into the backround of Gary Gygax's B2 Keep on the Borderlands & T1 The Village of Hommlet? That's simple really these places are part of the spy network that is in place as the armies of Chaos are set to take over! 

B/X Dungeons & Dragons Nostalgia & Mark Taormino's Maximum Mayhem Dungeons #0 Village of the Borderlands Kickstarter & The Hyperborea rpg

 B/X Dungeons & Dragons is once  once again on my . The Dungeons & Dragons Basic Rules (1981), by Tom Moldvay seems like its still the 'new' set for me. For me the magenta box sets are the standard for Dungeons & Dragons set to a certain extent. For me Moldvay/Cook is just a continuation of original Dungeons & Dragons warts & all. This blog entry is going to tie back into our July third one here!

The Drivethrurpg entry on  the D&D Basic Set Rulebook (B/X ed.) (Basic) by
by Shannon Appelcline, the author of Designers & Dragons breaks down the differences between Holmes & Moldvay cleanly;
"Whereas Holmes' Basic D&D was mostly a matter of organization and explanation, Moldvay's Basic D&D also engaged in simplification. Thus, for example, there were no longer separate character classes and races. The twelve race-and-class combinations of Holmes' Basic D&D (including things such as the elven fighter/magic-user multiclass) became just seven classes in the new Basic D&D: clerics, dwarves, elves, fighters (which had still been "fighting men" under Holmes), halflings, magic-users, and thieves.
Moldvay's second edition also cleaned up character alignment, constrained spell choice, and even improved the layout of the book. All around, every effort was made to upgrade the game for starting players. As for the results, even former editor Holmes said, "I think the new Basic Set rules are an improvement over the first edition. Not a big quantum jump ahead, but better in a number of minor ways."
Moldvay's Basic D&D was enough of a change from the previous edition of the game that it was actually a "new edition" as it's understood in the modern roleplaying market, which was a pretty rare occurrence in the 70s or early 80s.
The Basic Set was (as planned) released simultaneously with the new Expert Set by David "Zeb" Cook, which expanded Basic D&D to levels 4-14. Gary Gygax mentioned a "Masters Set" around the same time, which was to cover levels 15-36, but that wouldn't appear during Basic D&D's second edition."

The  Expert Set edited by Dave Cook  is still one of the best continuations of the B/X game out there. Folks are still playing Expert & continuing on with the legacy started by Gary Gygax. To a certain extent I'm waxing nostalgic for B/X. The game seemed more open for customization  totally different then conforming ways of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons first edition. B/X was the choice for many of us who want to run a pick up game.



Just last night I was talking with a friend of mine about a game he ran with a group of new players who were friends of his son's  from school. Taking the free module from Dragon's foot.org HM1 - The Disappearance of Harold the Hedge Mage by Todd Hughs. He had the group set up with PC's, the map laid out, & the players set up in less then a half an hour.



There are several areas that could be used in Harold to hook up with B2 Keep on The Borderlands by Gary Gygax. This also means that HM1 could be used as a buffer adventure on the way to the climax of  T1-4 Temple of Elemental Evil by Gary Gygax & Frank Mentzer.
The mines of HM1 might link up with B2 Keep on the Borderland's Caves of Chaos or some of the other underground works of the moat house of The Village of Hommlet. There would be a series of tunnels that could be used to stretch event into  ZA1: The Temple Of Chaos By Joseph Mohr



The goal of course is for the players to have fun but this sort of an adventure path is going to result in more then a few of the PC's dying by the hands of the humanoids & monsters scattered throughout. I'd make sure I'd have a few extra PC sheets on hand. The set up here is the expanding growth of the cults of Chaos & intertwined elemental evil religion gaining far more then a toe hold in the region of your campaign or Greyhawk. Power is on the rise & the altars of evil will be slick with the blood of sacrifices but only the PC's can stop the blood bath in time! 
And this ties into the fact that these areas are a part of the 'hidden' kingdoms within Hyperborea where the border fortresses are along the valleys tying this back into Mark Taormino's Maximum Mayhem Dungeons #0 Village of the Borderlands

The Monster Manual II -- Mark Taormino's Maximum Mayhem Dungeons #0 Village of the Borderlands Kickstarter & The Hyperborea rpg

 The Monster Manual II remains a favorite of mine for a couple of reasons. Let's get the obvious history lesson out of the way first;" Monster Manual II (1983), largely by Gary Gygax, is TSR's sixth hardcover for the AD&D game, and its third book of monsters. Though Gygax prepared at least an initial version of the manuscript in September 1982, Monster Manual II wasn't published until GenCon XVI (1983), breaking the pattern of a new AD&D hardcover appearing every year, as had been the case from 1977 through 1981." 
Now this is from the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual II Drivethrurpg entry but it's actually the MMI  Wiki entry that has the meat of today's research.

Here's the meat of the MMII wiki entry; "The book included random encounter tables for dungeon and wilderness settings built from the Monster Manual, Fiend Folio, and Monster Manual II,^[1] and a dozen new devils that had been first published in the pages of Dragon magazine. Like the Fiend Folio before it, the monsters in Monster Manual II listed the experience point value for each monster within the entry. The Monster Manual II along with the First Edition Unearthed Arcana book featured quite a number of monsters, races, and places from Gary Gygax's Greyhawk Campaign world. The book featured interior illustrations by Jim Holloway, Harry Quinn, Dave Sutherland, and Larry Elmore." 
Between the experience lists, the random encounter tables for dungeon and wilderness, and the expanded monsters, races, and places for Greyhawk make this an excellent resource for our Borderlands campaign. 

"Open Box: Dungeon Modules". White Dwarf  (January 1984) review of the Monster Manual II by Megan C Evens goes deeper into the relievant areas for game play and according to the Wiki entry; "Monster Manual II garnered positive reviews, receiving a score of 7 out of 10 in a review in White Dwarf magazine.^[3] The reviewer praised the book's standard of clear presentation, and felt that the artwork was of a higher quality than that in the previous monster books. However, the reviewer felt that there were too many high level and overly deadly monsters, and that most of the monsters in the book were inimical to adventures. The reviewer did make note of the fact that there were "many interesting ideas and several well-developed tribes and hierarchies", and felt that, overall, the book is "a good, well presented addition to the AD&D series, with some very useful creatures". The reviewer recommended the book to anyone who likes a wide range of monsters in the game."
For our own Borderlands campaign the Monster Manual II's take on humanoids, expanded races, etc. make this a no brainer to add to the mix. 

The Borderlands is a place under the purview of Chaos & evil. The MMII and it's monsters are not that well known today by the modern player. So this is a feature for us and not a bug. 

For our purposes the humanoids of B2 The Keep on the Borderlands could easily slide into the random tables of the Monster Manual II. And these tables can easily be used with the Hyperborea rpg. 
And this goes back into the fact that Advanced Dungeons & Dragons first edition monster books inspire as much as supplement  for our homebrew campaigns. 
There's something about the way that the humanoid monster races of the Monster Manual II align with the Pulpy sensibilities of the Hyperborea rpg to mind mind at least. 
Maybe it's the draw of evil that lurks within   Mark Taormino's Maximum Mayhem Dungeons #0 Village of the Borderlands's dungeons & ruins that give me that spin for this campaign. And this goes back to the sort of set up we've talked about," The village is another point take the campaign. These modules could be about a series of forts build along the edge of a fertile series of valleys that were carved or engineered out of volcanos to act as a sort of artificial paradise." 

The village of Hommlet is another part of this puzzle that has it's own secrets. Tunnels connecting to both the Village of the Borderlands & the Caves of Chaos. Could there be other forces of Chaos lurking just below the surface of this campaign that directly come from the Monster Manual II? The short answer is a resounding yes! 

Onward To Hommlet - Mark Taormino's Maximum Mayhem Dungeons #0 Village of the Borderlands Kickstarter & The Hyperborea rpg

 So let's pick it right up from here on the blog. The Borderlands of Hyperborea is an old province and not well known outside of a few Hyperborean minor royals. Mostly the whole area is forgotten in the shuffle of paperwork, incompetence, etc of courtly life. How does  Mark Taormino's Maximum Mayhem Dungeons #0 Village of the Borderlands fit into the backround of Gary Gygax's B2 Keep on the Borderlands?! 

The forces of darkness have sent agents off into the Borderlands to destablize the provental and backwater areas of the valleys & environs. Why?! Because this is what armies have done since the beginning of time. 
And the Keep is especially vulnerable! There's no minor royals, administration, council, or security forces to defend the keep itself. And given the designation of the forces of the Caves of Chaos this becomes obvious. The sheer volume of humanoids under the Caves unholy influence it becomes to a point where the forces of darkness are concentrated getting ready to overwhelm the keep itself. Not to mention to the agents within said keep. 
And this brings us back to Maximum Mayhem Dungeons #0 Village of the Borderlands with it's own villain whose bringing the pain to the locals. The area of the valley is rife with it's own dungeons and ruins. What is the backstory of the Borderlands? Why has it's own history been one of constant conflict. 

And could this near constant warfare be hinting at a greater evil right around the corner?! And given the array of hints and ideas within B2 we get a plethora of rumors and tavern talk that adds to the character of MM#0. 

On Hyperborea this doesn't take much given the fact that we have a fertile strip of land sitting on viable volcanoic soil. This unto iself helps explain the reason why the soil is so suited to farmland. And this is the reason why MM#0 works as a side adventure for B2. 
And another reason why it might be perfect to add T1 The Village of Hommlet into the mix. If the player's PC's survive MM#0 and the following it up with B2 then the DM has set the stage for further conflict. The PC's could attain level five or better given the degree of encounters between these two modules and they might be of a high enough level to deal with Hommlet. 
If the PC's survive the orges, and the viable humanoid army of Chaos. Then it stands to reason that they've made it this far. The village of Hommlet is presented as a refuge after the PC's find themselves penniless and on the edge of starvation. The village is another point take the campaign. These modules could be about a series of forts build along the edge of a fertile series of valleys that were carved or engineered out of volcanos to act as a sort of artificial paradise. The Borderlands are points where humanity clings onto it's forgotten past. The forces of Chaos are encroaching on it fast! 
Why?! Because ancient evils are stirring among the embers of the past. We'll get into that next time!

Events Align - OSR Commentary - Mark Taormino's Maximum Mayhem Dungeons #0 Village of the Borderlands Kickstarter & The Hyperborea rpg 'Borderlands' Campaign

 

"… you speak of Venarium familiarly. Perhaps you were there?"
"I was," grunted [Conan]. "I was one of the horde that swarmed over the hills. I hadn't yet seen fifteen snows, but already my name was repeated about the council fires."

"Beyond the Black River" (1935) Robert E. Howard 

So for our 'Borderlands' campaign  Mark Taormino's Maximum Mayhem Dungeons #0 Village of the Borderlands works very well. And I'll tell ya why. The village is the perfect target for raiders. And let's pick up right where we left off here on the blog. So the valley is completely artificial and everything about the valley in MMD#0 points to the fact that it's a perfect target for raiders. The fact that the royals of the area have dropped the ball on protecting it and a dark influence of Chaos has moved into the area makes me think of B2 Keep on the Borderlands?

That old time religion of Chaos actually. The Caves of Chaos stirring up all of the local humanoids and if combined with MMD#0 Village of the Borderlands  then we've got a real issue. 
And that issue is the fact that the raiders are already within the Borderlands! The Caves of Chaos gives us this fact in spades. 

Now given this fact and the villain within #0 Village of the Borderlands then we have the complete motivation for this. The destablization of the Borderlands and it's environs. 

So not only do we have the motive for the forces of Chaos within B2 & MMD#0 but we've got means. 
Whose behind the whole sale grind of these events?! 

"Barbarism is the natural state of mankind. Civilization is unnatural. It is a whim of circumstance. And barbarism must always ultimately triumph." 

"Beyond the Black River" (1935) Robert E. Howard 
For the Hyperborea rpg? There really doesn't have to be a huge big bad persay. If we include events from let's say Adventurer, Conqueror, King's The Sinister Stone of Sakkara. Then things become much more dangerous. How? Because the fall of the royals within such a campaign goes from being merely a coincidence to a full on conspiracy. Here the humanoids are the hand of Chaos & Chaos influence is deadly. 

Such a campaign as this one will carry PC's from level one right on up through to say at least 5th level or beyond. But we are only getting started. 

OSR Commentary - Mark Taormino's Maximum Mayhem Dungeons #0 Village of the Borderlands Kickstarter & The Hyperborea rpg

 So we're coming up on the closing days of my buddy Mark Taormino's Maximum Mayhem Dungeons #0 Village of the Borderlands. But was captcorajus's video review of #0 Village On The Borderland that I watched last night that has my imagination churning for all things the Hyperborea rpg. 

MM#O  Village On The Borderlands doesn't seem like a likely Hyperborea rpg adventure. But in actuality there's more then enough material here to turn 'the Bordlerlands' into a viable Hyperborean campaign  land. How?! Simple put two words volcanic springs. 

That's right the Borderlands sit right on a specific vein of Hyperborean volcanos this enables the Borderlands to be put into Hyperborea easily as it's own stable paradise. But how does such a place even exist? Because the whole valley and the borderlands are actually artificial. 
Who created it? Who knows but fact is that in the harsh environs of Hyperborea this place would be seen as a paradise. 
Combined with B2 The Keep on the Borderlands and MM#0 is beyond a campaign and a viable mini campaign unto itself. 
The fact is that such a land within Hyperborea could help explain the constant attacks by the forces of Chaos. 
And this could help to explain the forces of the Caves of Chaos suddenly having such a push into the surrounding valleys. 

This push may be because it's a matter of survival for the humanoid tribes. 

Winter maybe coming and the forces of Chaos know this by both rote and instinct. 

The valley in MM#0 is a perfect example of the type of adventure  homage done right and yet has the significance to really pull the PC's into a postion of leadership within the volcanic valley. A place of legend where food grows in the ground. Yet I believe there's a lot more happening here then at first meets the eye.  And we'll explore that coming up very soon. 

OSR Commentary On Maximum Mayhem Dungeons #0: Village on the Borderlands Kickstarter For Your Old School Campaigns

 
Alright so Mark Taormino has another "Maximum Mayhem Dungeons" kickstarter up and this one looks like it ties directly into as a homage of B2 Keep on the Borderlands. His Maximum Mayhem Dungeons #0: Village on the Borderlands would be an exceptional companion piece for that classic adventure. Why?! Because of the fact that Maximum Mayhem Dungeons #0: Village on the Borderlands could be used to fill in the gaps for the rest of the humanoid army within B2. Look at the set up that the author has created within his maps & the locations of MMDO. These locations line right up with B2's in a side ways fashion as a very well done tribute to the original module. 

 Maximum Mayhem Dungeons #0: Village on the Borderlands is well done & even though it's for a lower level party of adenturers it hits the high notes within the module's background. And it's this adapability that allows a DM to move the Hamlet of Taldren into thier own version of the Borderlands. 

Now knowing the author as I do I can tell you that he's been busy filling in the NPC's within Maximum Mayhem Dungeons #0: Village on the Borderlands.

The fact is that there is a very well thought out background & adventure plot within Maximum Mayhem Dungeons #0: Village on the Borderlands. Why is this important? Because it allows the DM to slot the whole village and adventure into thier own Adventurer, Conqeuror, King campaign or because there's a fifth edition version into Castles & Crusades. 

For ACK's  Village on the Borderlands would work well as a side quest where the PC's have to save the Hamlet of Taldren from the forces of Chaos before embarking deep into the adventure plot of 

Capital of the Borderlands.  And Village of the Borderlands's plot highlights the dangers of the forces of Chaos that threaten the entire campaign even this small corner of it. 

For Castles & Crusades Village on the Borderlands is going to be much more involved affair as it pits the characters into the role of cannon erm heroes. Yes heroes who must rise up and deal with the forces of Chaos that threaten the entire campaign. And this could well result in an entire party's death and wipe out! Mark does not make it easy on the party within his campaigns. 

Do I think that supporting Dark Wizard Games Kickstarter is a great idea?! Without a doubt in my mind,Mark Taormino has proven himself time and again within his Kickstarters bringing more to the table top time and again. This will be Mark's fourteenth Kickstarter projects and one that I will be supporting without a doubt.