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9/07/2014 12:26 pm  #1


Planning a Conan campaign for friends & wife to play in.

I am planning to run a Conan campaign for some friends and my wife, using the BoL Legendary Edition rules.

The campaign will be loosely based on David Gemmell’s “Legend” book.  I plan to initially run the group through an adventure called “The Lost Garrison” by David Nelson.
 
From there, the players will be joined by other mercenaries hired by the King of Zamora to man/re-organize the Garrison Keep.  Eventually they will be joined by an NPC – an older/ageing Druss type legendary hero.  Hopefully, he will become a sort of mentor to the PCs; then after a glorious passing – they will carry on his heroic works.
 
Possible scenarios for them might be:
     Prepare the keep for the invasion
     Train new recruits (peasants from the nearby village)
     Attack the invaders supply train, to get more food/weapons.
     Scouting expeditions
     Rescue captured allies
     Travel to nearby locations to search for some wonderous - magical item.
     Repel attacks on the Keep (of course)
 
Right now this is what I have planned, in a couple of weeks we are getting together to make up characters and I am going to run them through a mini-adventure, so everyone can try out the BoL rules.  We can also see if they like my house rules or if we want to incorporate any others.

Any thoughts or suggestion?

 

9/08/2014 4:43 pm  #2


Re: Planning a Conan campaign for friends & wife to play in.

It looks like those scenarios would have mostly human antagonists. If that's the case, and you aren't specifically trying to keep it like that, I'd suggest throwing in either a sorcerer(s), some demons, and/or strange beasts, as side enemies if nothing else.

If I recall, Just about every original Conan story had some element of dark magic or time-lost beast/demon/animated statues, this would also vary the combat a little. 

Think about fitting some sort of betrayal in the story. Maybe a mutiny of their (rabble-level) defenders, or a trusted companion (NPC) lets enemies in through a secret tunnel. Esepcially if the betrayal isn't obvious or telegraphed, it can be really fun.

I hope that helps a little.

 

9/08/2014 6:25 pm  #3


Re: Planning a Conan campaign for friends & wife to play in.

Clownus,
Thank you for your reply.

I think that my bad guys are going to be a group of Hyrkanian raiders, led by a Warlord.  I think that he will have a Shaman (Sorcerer type) as an aid/advisor - this guy will summon a demon/monster type beast to attack the keep or PCs specifically at some time.

I also like the betrayal angle, possibly poisoning the keep's well or letting in some assassin types to take out the leader(s). 

Again thanks.

     Thread Starter
 

9/09/2014 4:20 am  #4


Re: Planning a Conan campaign for friends & wife to play in.

You're welcome, it sounds like a fun outline. I might use some of those ideas in my own game. 

 

9/09/2014 10:42 am  #5


Re: Planning a Conan campaign for friends & wife to play in.

Don't forget some echo of the ancient past! Even as just color or set peices, a time-worn stele from old Acheron, or just some unidentifiable ruin can spice up a scene.

 

9/09/2014 11:26 pm  #6


Re: Planning a Conan campaign for friends & wife to play in.

Ah...the time-worn stele....

A nice touch and worth developing. Assuming all goes well, the PCs carry on building up the defences of the keep and training a local local militia, as outlined in Sigulf's post. But there is a strange undercurrent to at least some of the threats to the garrison's domain. A passing scholar could visit the garrison (or a soldier in a new draft sent to increase the garrison is a 'gentleman ranker'  - a man of some education) and notice that some of the worn carving on the stele is in an old, near-forgotten language only used and studied nowadays by scholars...and sorcerors.

Some of the carvings are seen to glow at night/certain phases of the moon/etc, and an attempt is later made to deface the carvings (lucky the scholar made a rubbing). Then the scholar/soldier is killed. And outside the keep, the gathering dark grows. Raiders now avoid the area, as do wild animals, and the horses are always nervy. And the locals become reclusive and now shun the garrison.

Drip feed this slowly into your sessions, and then finally spring the undead mage, dead god cult, vampire, whatever on the PCs and their few loyal NPCs - as the lich's zombie army trys to take the keep to recover the foul treasure within... They must NEVER be allowed to recover it!

More S&S Horror in feel, but that is hardly unusual in the genre. Probably inspired by me re-reading some Kane stories recently.

Last edited by Gruntfuttock (9/09/2014 11:28 pm)


My real name is Steve Hall
 

9/10/2014 7:14 am  #7


Re: Planning a Conan campaign for friends & wife to play in.

Heor and Gruntfuttock,

Thanks for your suggestions.  Lots of possibilities. 

     Thread Starter
 

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