Laws of The Safe Hut

LAWS OF THE SAFE HUT

All Laws and Decisions made by the Leadership of the Safe Hut are to follow these three guiding rules:

ALL MEN AND WOMEN ARE FREE

In the ruins, all men and women are free to do as they like, but when one man meets another, all bets are off. A man cannot be truly free if he is not truly safe.

The Leadership of the Safe Hut must provide for the safety of the citizens so they may be free. Let no man impede another's freedom.

ALL MEN AND WOMEN ARE EQUAL

Regardless of age, gender, or job, all citizens are equal in the eyes of the law. The protections and privileges of the Hold must apply to the Weakest, as well as the Strongest.

ALL MEN AND WOMEN MUST WORK

All who take advantage of the Hold's benefits must labor towards its success. Everyone must contribute to the Hold, but may contribute in their own way.

This Hold recognizes two types of crimes: MINOR CRIMES, and MAJOR CRIMES. All citizens and visitors to the hold are expected to obey and understand the laws.

A MINOR CRIME is to be punished by IMPRISONMENT in the hole, not to exceed 30 days. With the approval of the Council, FINES paid to the Hold or to the Victim, or a PUBLIC BEATING may replace this punishment.

MINOR CRIMES INCLUDE

BRAWLING

A fight between two or more citizens, unless in a clearly designated fighting pit. Sometimes a good fight is needed, but it must be kept safely out of the way of innocent bystanders.

MINOR THEFT

Theft of items worth Jingle. Theft threatens the right of all citizens to own property.

PUBLIC NUISSANCE

Excessive noise, harassment, or annoyance, especially after being warned by a member of the Guard.

LABOR STOPPAGE

All citizens must work towards the Hold's success. Refusal to participate in work or in preventing others from working threatens us all.

UNAUTHORIZED WEAPON POSSESSION

All citizens may own weapons to protect themselves, their homes, and the hold, in time of need. Heavy weapons are to be owned by the Hold and used for the Hold's defense. Visitors are not allowed to bring weapons inside the Hold.

LAPSE OF MARTIAL DISCIPLINE

Discipline is Strength. All members of the guard must maintain Marital Discipline at all times. They must keep themselves and their weapon in good condition, uphold the laws of the Hold, obey the orders of their superiors in the Guard of the Warcouncil and Hardholder, and be free from corruption.

If the hold is under attack, for their own protection, Citizens must follow safety instructions given to them by members of the Guard.

MINOR ASSAULT

When one man or woman strikes another in anger, and no lasting damage is done, a minor assault has occurred. Citizens must resolve their differences fruitfully.

A MAJOR CRIME is an act that threatens the fundamental safety and security of the hold, and of those in it. One who commits a Major Crime cannot be allowed to remain in the society of the hold. The only sentences are DEATH or EXILE.

REPEATED AND DELIBERATE MINOR CRIMES, OR THOSE WITH SIGNIFICANT CONSEQUENCES

If a man or woman persists in his or her crimes, or if a minor crime has additional consequences, that crime may be treated as a Major Crime by the council, and he or she shall receive trial for such.

MAJOR ASSAULT

When a man or woman attacks another as part of a plan, or does so with a weapon, or does lasting harm, or a man strikes a wife under his protection, that individual shows total disregard for the safety of the victim, and does not respect the laws of the hold.

GRAND THEFT

Theft of items worth Barter. Theft of such items threatens the prosperity and security of free citizens.

MURDER

Only the Leadership of the Hold may declare someone an Enemy of the Hold and worthy of death. Let no man or woman kill another without consent of the leadership of the Council and Hardholder. Those that murder show no regard for the lives of others, and are Enemies of the Hold.

It is no crime to kill those who attack the Hold in war, nor is it to kill in self defense. All citizens have the right and responsibility to defend themselves, and the Hold.

RAPE

It is of the greatest crimes for a man to disregard the safety of another so totally that he chooses to take that person's body and forcibly do what he likes with it for his own pleasure. Let no one rape; and let no rapist live.

THEFT OR DESTRUCTION OF ESSENTIAL HOLD PROPERTY

The property held by the Hold exists for the benefit of all. In damaging the property of the Hold, one damages us all. In stealing from the Hold, one steals from all.

SLAVERY

Let no man or woman own another. No citizen may be held against their will unless charged with a crime by the Hold. No citizen may be forced into a particular work detail. No citizen may own the body or soul of another, or force another into servitude.

TREASON

Action taken against the security of the Hold, to overthrow its Leadership or collaborate with its Enemies, or the planning of such, threatens all. Those who act in this way declare themselves Enemies of the Hold.

ENFORCEMENT OF THE LAWS

The GUARDIAN ANGELS of the Hold are charged with the duty of protecting the Hold's citizens and upholding and enforcing the Law.

Any member of the Guard may arrest a citizen or visitor, and imprison them in the Hole. Anyone arrested must be informed of the crime they are accused of. An officer of the Guard will determine the duration of the imprisonment based on the severity of the crime. Those imprisoned lose their rights and freedoms for the duration of their imprisonment.

Only an Officer of the Guard, member of the Warcouncil, or Hardholder may arrest a member of the Guard or a Member of the Council.

FOR MINOR CRIMES

Anyone accused of a Minor Crime may demand to take their punishment in a PUBLIC BEATING. Let them be struck once for each day remaining in their sentence, then be sent free.

Anyone accused of a Minor Crime may demand a TRIAL BY THE COUNCIL.

FOR MAJOR CRIMES

Anyone accused of a Major Crime must be given a TRIAL BY THE COUNCIL. No one man may decide another's guilt or innocence in these matters.

A TRIAL BY THE COUNCIL

A TRIAL will occur for any Major Crime, or for Minor Crimes where the accused demands a trial. The Council will hear evidence and testimony from the ACCUSED, the ARRESTING OFFICER, and any VICTIMS or WITNESSES. The ACCUSED may call upon others to speak on their behalf.

The Council will determine if a crime has been committed, and if so, which one. If the accused is found to be innocent of any crime, they shall be compensated for their time spent imprisoned. If the accused is found to be guilty, the Hardholder will declare a punishment. The Council may recommend leniency or severity in its sentence.

EXILE

Anyone Exiled from the Hold is not allowed to return. They are forever banished. At the Hardholder's discretion, an individual Exiled may be offered an opportunity to perform an EXTRAORDINARY SERVICE to the Hold in exchange for their PARDON. An Exiled individual who performs such an EXTRAORDINARY SERVICE will be forgiven of all crimes and welcomed back as a Citizen of the Hold.

SO I DECLARE, AS HARDHOLDER, THESE SHALL BE THE LAWS OF THE SAFE HOLD.

-DUTCH

Shadow Beasts

Youths growing up around the Two Towers are told stories of the Shadow Beasts. The stories of these monsters are used to teach children caution and the dangers of the world around them. Here are some of the stories told about Shadow Beasts.

• They say that the Jackalope has captured the souls of children who died during the apocalypse.  That he has commanded this shadow army to protect his stronghold, deep in the Two Towers.  These shadow beings attack the psychic soul stuff of trespassers, destroying the mind and leaving the bodies as ravening beasts.  These also become part of the Jackalope's protections.....
• Shadow beasts can be calmed or placated, allowing one to safely pass.  In order to do so, one has to recall the shadow beast to its former self.  
• They say that the city was cleansed in the Fires, that old people and old things were purged so new people and new things could emerge.  This Fire was not red or orange like you might huddle near for warmth on a chill evening, but a dark fire, all cold purples and blues and blacks.  And burned not just the flesh of those it touched, but their souls as well.
• The Fires did not leave ash in their wake, but something else, something worse.  When the Fires are finished with you, all that's left is a Shadow, hungry, lurking, angry, remembering nothing of its old life but hate, hate it bears towards you.
• Deep in everyone's heart, no matter how brave they are, lurks a fear.  And that is the truth of the Shadow Beasts: stray too close to the Towers, and you will catch their attention.  They have no form, but gazing into them, they gaze into you, and they reflect the fears they see.  Perhaps it is Spiders you fear, or Lizards, or Clowns, or something worse.  Whatever it is, the Shadow Beasts know, and that is the form they will take.
• The Shadow Beasts were a legendary biker gang that terrorized the area for years with brutal night time raids. Eventually, the members grew old and few, and went their separate ways. Some settled in and founded what is now known as Night Shadow.
• Shadow Beasts are the ghosts of pets that have succumbed to starvation or radiation poisoning. They guard the last known dwelling place of their masters, attacking anyone who may threaten their owners' eternal slumber.
• Shadow Beasts can be burned by light, but only if it's artificially-produced from a light bulb or an old neon sign, otherwise they have no fear of torchlight, handheld lighters, or bonfires.
• Shadow Beasts ride other creatures and feed on their emotions. You can tell if a human has a Shadow Beast riding them because they will seem emotionless and even humorless, and their shadows will display frills and edges as if quills and fur were growing out of their body.
• Eating human flesh can protect you from the Shadow Beasts.

Some of these are true. Some are merely legends.

Two Towers - Sessions 1 - 8

We have played several sessions of Apocalypse World. I've fallen woefully behind write-ups. I started full write-ups but transitioned to bullet points later on. Some of the sessions blurred, and some I've had less time to work up. I'll flesh this out as time and memory permit. Here is a brief rundown of the action so far.

Here is the cast of characters and established background through the first session:Character List

Session 1
Safehold had set camp in an old park that had been the hunting grounds of a pack of feral dogs which they chased off. They are being scouted by the Jackelope and his gang, a vicious group of slavers looking for prey. Angela and Batty decided to set a trap to catch a couple of the gang members to get intelligence on the Jackelope. They would go out into the ruins under the guise of foraging and use Safire as bait. Things started badly when a group of Squirrels tried to ambush Batty in his overlook. He fought them off, but in the confusion of battle, Safire was left alone on the street. Two bikers came screaming out of an alley right for her. She was able to jump through a plate glass window and avoid the bikers, getting cut up by the shattered glass. The bikers didn't stop. In the aftermath, one of the Squirrels was questioned.

The Squirrels were getting paid by the Jackelope for information of the area including the comings and goings of people. Angela made a deal with the Squirrels for shelter in Safehaven in exchange for notifying Angela the next time the Jackelope's men showed up.

While they waited for the Squirrels, Echo, who had been acting disrespectful to women, was severely warned by Angela to shape up. He told her what she wanted to hear, but then disrespected her again. Angela shot him in the head.

Session 2
The next day a Squirrel showed up indicating the Jackelope’s men were at their home. A crew was quickly put together to capture them. One was successfully subdued, but the other was killed. While being questioned, he let out that Safehold was being attacked while the crew was with the Squirrels. They double timed it back home to find that three women had been captured including the doctor.

By opening its brain to the psychic maelstrom, the Macaluso found the way to the Jackelope’s hideout. Angela’s gang however felt it wasn’t worth risking their lives to get the three women back. Batty killed one of the gang for cowardice, and the other gang members quickly returned to Safehold. Batty, Angela, Spector, Azaz, and two recruited soldiers from another hold, Nightshadow, stormed the hideout. They decimated the slavers, but the Jackelope managed to escape. Angela and Azaz lost their lives in the raid along with Doc.

Angela, however, is not completely dead. Batty opened his brain to try to find a way to save her. Her psyche is now an inhabitant in Batty and can influence his actions. No one else, however, is aware of this.

Session 3
The group returned to Safehold and found two previous acquaintances had arrived: Errol, a skilled driver who has a powerful limo, and Fox, a resourceful woman who was always working some scheme. While trying to sort out new leadership for the hold, word came from Nightshadow that food supplies were desperately low. Safehold needed to get there as soon as possible to prevent food riots.

Safehold arrived at Nightshadow and prevented disaster. Ripper, the leader of Nightshadow, was concerned about Angela’s death. He needed a secure and reliable source of food for his hold. He wants to make sure that whoever leads Safehold will continue to do regular business with Nightshadow.

Meanwhile, it was determined that the Jackelope might be at The Hut, a hold on the northern side of Two Towers. The Hut, run by Blood, used slaves and is a producer of biodiesel. Fox, Safire, Spector, Errol, and Batty went to investigate. A Squirrel named Clark tagged along, and no one stopped him. Fox and Batty waited outside the fortification rather than surrender their weapons to enter. The others entered unarmed. They started to ask questions in the tavern. Soon they were approached by guards and were asked to come with them. The foursome was escorted into an office where Blood and the Jackelope waited for them. There was a brief scuffle but the proponents were subdued. Outside, Batty and Fox saw the Jackelope’s new gang leave in the direction of Safehold. They opened fire and took out a few. Over a PA system, they were ordered to surrender or their friends inside would be executed. They did not. The next announcement was a gunshot. Fox surrendered. Batty jumped into the driver’s seat of Errol’s limo and took off.

[Breaking the narrative and talking about what happened at the table here. There was a time gap between the gun shot and finding out what happened to the characters inside. When we cut back inside, I had to decide who got shot. I am not such a softy as to have the shot be a bluff. I had each of the players roll on die. Low roller takes the bullet. All three of them rolled a 4. At that moment I remembered Clark was still there. Bye-bye Clark. It was a somewhat random fortuitous event for me as a MC, but I loved the way it turned out, and I think the tension worked well for the game.]

Session 4 – The Nightshadow’s plight

• Batty is able to out run the Jackelope’s gang back to Safehold. He finds that Nightshadow’s troops have surrounded Safehold. They set up a perimeter to fend off the Jackelope’s gang.
• Spector tries to make an escape in an elevator, but is shot as he leaves. He is thought dead and carried out to the raw material pile for the biodiesel generator. He wakes up and makes his escape on a motorcycle towing an improvised trailer with 150 gallons of biodiesel.
• Fox seduces Blood and convinces him to move her to special quarters where she can see to his needs.
• Errol remains in his cell for this session as the player is unavailable this week.

Session 5 – The escape from the Hut

·         Errol is offered the opportunity to become one of Blood’s slaves. He will be injected with a colony of parasites that will infect his skin visibly marking him as a slave. His body will fight off the parasites over time. When they are gone, he will be granted his freedom. He reluctantly agrees.

·         Spector is approached by his assistant Pamming. She has developed a genetic based serum to stimulate his body’s healing process. He agrees to participate. After the injection, she informs him that he will need regular boosters or the serum could become unstable causing deterioration to his DNA and normal cell function.

·         Blood assigns Errol a task to drive a transport van to deliver Safire for the Jackelope to the Green Falls hold. Before getting far, Errol stages an escape for Safire and himself

·         Fox negotiates with Blood to give her a chance to scavenge in the ruins to bring valuable items back to the Hut. She, however, falls into a Squirrel trap and is captured with her guard escorts by cannibals. These particular cannibals are all women and don’t eat other women. The guards are butchered, but Fox is spared. In fact, the women attempt to tend to her health. The cannibals, however, carry an infectious disease and end up infecting Fox before she is able to sneak away.

·         Batty gets the services of a gang from Nola, the head of the Other Hut.

·         Dutch/Asso negotiate with Lovelace, Ripper’s second in command, to sell control of Safehold to Nightshadow. When they meet the new assigned leader, Scarface, who has an apparent colony infection like Errol, they get a bad feeling about the deal. Rather than going to the rendezvous point to hand over Safehold, they decide to go invade the Hut instead.

          

Session 6 – The capture of the Hut

·         Love letters are written for the players

·         The Hut is captured with minimal injuries to the player characters

·         Amnesty is offered to Blood along with a seat on the governing council for his surrender, which he accepts.

·         At the end of the battle, Tango radios in that Safehold had been attacked by the Jackelope. Apparently the Squirrels in Safehold had been stealing and hording supplies and had been providing the Jackelope with information regarding the operations in Safehold. Tango was surprised, and found that his armament and ammo was much worse than expected due to the Squirrels who had now abandoned Safehold. Safehold was overrun. Many people lost their lives; others were scattered in the ruins; and more were taken as slaves. Asso’s daughter Ki-Yan was one taken as a slave.

Session 7 – The remains of Safehold

·         Dutch and Blood work to setup the new leadership in the Hut. Medical supplies are low after tending to the wounded from the battle.

·         Batty takes his gang along with Errol, Zulu, Asso, Safire, Fox, and Spector to the remains of Safehold to find out what is left.

·         At the plaza, the find their two farming semis, the damaged tanker truck, Spector’s workshop semi, the medical van overturned, and an SUV crashed into a nearby building.

·         They fight off some Squirrel looters.

·         In a disagreement regarding how to treat two captures Squirrels, Errol pulls his shotgun on Batty. Batty sucks it up and takes a blast, which his armor mostly absorbs. He is, however, knocked out.

·         Asso pulls her rifle on Errol and tells him to drop his weapon, which he does.

·         Zulu mans the .50 caliber machine gun mounted in Errol’s limo. She demands that Asso lets Errol go.

·         Spector makes a surprise appearance behind Zulu but fails to subdue her.

·         Zulu opens fire on everyone in the plaza. Safire and two of Batty’s gang are gunned down. Asso goes into shock with Safire’s death.

·         There is a momentary standoff, where no one wants to trade fire with the machine gun.

·         Zulu opens fire again, but this time Batty’s gang is ready to return fire. They take her out with minimal harm.

·         Errol takes Zulu’s place behind the machine gun and continues to fire at the gang. He, however, fails miserably and is killed without inflicting any injuries.

·         Spector finds that one of the farming semi tractors has been booby trapped. He is unsuccessful in disarming the trap, but is able to escape to a safe distance before the bomb goes off.

·         The survivors return to the Hut with the remaining working vehicles.

·         Dutch frees the slaves at the Hut. He tells them to pick a former slave to represent their concerns as part of the ruling council. A former slave, Lardass, bullies his way forward and appoints himself as the council member. When another freedman speaks up, Lardass knocks him down. Dutch orders his brother Jinte to take Lardass down. Jinte pulls his pistol and kills Lardass. Dutch is horrified and calls for Jinte’s arrest. Jinte is shot, but not lethally and is taken into custody.

·         Glitch is introduced. She is a brainer who was pulling strings behind the scenes. She controlled Blood as needed to set up a safe and secret hideout for herself. She was now offering her services to Dutch.

·         The spirit of the Macaluso withdraws itself from Dutch leaving him to run the Hut by himself.

Session 8 – Putting it back together

·         Fox and Batty take the required tribute of biodiesel  to Nola. Fox works out a treaty for favorable trading terms between the Hut and the Other Hut. She also buys medical supplies including antibiotics to treat the infection she picked up from the Squirrels.

·         Dutch started organizing the reconstruction of the Hut.

o   Freedman Tbagger started the reconstruction of the front walls and gate.

o   Spector helped Tbagger by repairing the backhoe used during the assault.

o   Pamming was sent out to scavange for medical supplies.

o   The council membership was updated:

§  Pamming replaced Spector

§  Fox and Batty were added

§  BJ, a freedwoman, was added

§  Rolfball, a merchant and father of the slain Echo, was added

§  Lizzie and Franz remain members

§  Blood was added

§  Redskin is the new military advisor

o   Spector added an infirmary to his workspace from the salvaged components of Safehold’s medical van.

·         Glitch and Dutch continue to try to get a sense of one another and how their relationship will move forward.

·         Glitch approached Spector to offer assistance with his research. He spoke of an important device he was building. Pamming returned from her salvage mission while the two were talking. Pamming demanded that Glitch leave and that Spector have no contact with her in the future. 

·         Glitch went to the biodiesel fuel generator and opened her mind to find out more about it. She got a sense that there was one vital component in it that Spector needed for his device and that if he completed the device, it would end the world. Glitch stole this part (the BioPlastic Natural Causal Conduit), took it to the roof and threw it down a ventilation shaft.

·         Dutch, Spector, Pamming, and Dr. Prince were summoned to the generator room as production had stopped. Repair of the generator was beyond their capabilities without the missing part. They did learn that the part had been produced in a place called El Paso. Pamming ordered Spector to go to the roof to use his satellite networked telescope to find this El Paso place. Spector returned and had mysteriously located the BPNCC)

·         Spector attempted to read the BPNCC, but the psychic energy caused an unsafe harmonic that caused the coupling to shatter.

Two Towers - Supporting Cast

Here is current rundown of the NPCs created for the world of the Two Towers. Note that people killed along the way have not been included.

 

NPCs of note

 @ the Hut

• Blood, former hardholder and current member of the council.
• Blood’s elite guards
• Seahawk (F)
• Neo (F)
• Nick (F)

• Lizzie, council member from Safehold who takes care of women and orphans
• Orphans
• JC (F)
• Roudy (F)
• Stan
• Star (F)
• Women
• Sawtell (F)
• Dr. Prince, lead technician of the Hut
• Marge, medic
• Tbagger, freedman and construction foreman
• Asso, member of the Macaluso secret society
• Skywalker, freedman and scavenger
• Dutch’s gang members:
• Jinte, Dutch’s brother. Currently under arrest & awaiting trial
• Redskin (F), 2^nd in command and council member, from Safehold
• Tango, from Safehold
• Rush, from Safehold
• Garlic, from Safehold
• Dawson, from Safehold
• Dildo, from the Hut
• Bubbles, from the Hut
• Bullwinkle, from the Hut
• about 50 others
• Other council members
• Rolfball, merchant and Echo’s father
• BJ (F), freedwoman
• Franz, head of logistics in Safehold
• Pamming, tech whiz and Spector’s boss
• Batty’s Gang (from the Other Hut and under obligation to Nola (F), head of the Other Hut)
• Nuts, 2^nd in command
• Lassie (F)
• Pepsi
• Joey
• Red
• Penzitucky
• Automatic
• Holy Ghost
• Brainiac
• 5 others

 

@ Nightshadow

• Ripper, leader
• Lovelace (F), Ripper’s lieutenant
• Scarface, slated to be the leader of Safehold
• Cooper & Dairy Queen (F), merchant couple from Safehold who settled in Nightshadow
• Ripper’s known gang members
• Jailbait
• Kirk
• Donnie
• Carl

 
In the Wild

• The Jackelope, slaver
• Jackelope’s known gang members
• Tootsie
• Jackson
• Jackelope’s captives
• Ki-Yan
• Squirrels
• Murray, member of the Macaluso secret society
• KiKi, source for Fox
• Cher
• Fib
• Hickey
• Missing members of Safehold, status unknown
• Quick, Asso’s child
• Limbster, Asso’s child
• Mickey, merchant

Apocalypse World - Two Towers

I started running an Apocalypse World campaign this last weekend. Here's what come out of the first session.

Cast of Characters:

• Angela White - Hardholder
• Angela is the leader of Safehold, a mobile caravan of well armed merchants that move about the ruins of Two Towers scraping out a living trading with the various groups inhabiting the area.
• Batty - Gunlugger
• Batty is a hired mercenary and assassin. He is currently working a contract for Angela to take out the Jackelope, a bandit leader who is targeting Safehold for a raid.
• Spector - Savvy Head
• Spector has a semi-truck, which houses his workspace, in the Safehold caravan. He helps Angela with her problems.
• Dutch / Safire / Azaz - Macaluso
• The Macaluso has three people in its secret society. Dutch is Angela's lieutenant for her gang. Safire is one of Spector's lab assistants. Azaz is a merchant and family man who helps run the mobile market that supports Safehold.

The Hardhold: Safehold

Safehold consists of 8-10 trucks that carries a small group of 50-60 noncombatants and 10-20 well-disciplined and well equipped guards. Its market is well known throughout Two Towers and is welcome most places. They keep livestock and grow crops on gardens on top of their vehicles. Angela has also made Safehold a refuge for women and orphans. She demands that all members of Safehold treat women with respect.

Supporting Cast:

• Angela's gang
• Dutch, lieutenant and part of the Macaluso's secret society
• Jinte, Dutch's younger brother
• Fat Boy
• Squirt
• BBQ
• Echo, young troublemaker
• Spector's assistants
• Safire, another of the Macaluso's secret society
• Pamming, most technically competent of the three
• Azaz's family
• Asso, wife
• Ki Yin, 17 year old daughter, wants to join the guard
• Quick, 12 year old
• Limester, 10 year old
• Safehold members
• Doc, medic for the Safehold & civilian advisor to Angela
• Lizzy, takes care of the orphans & civilian advisor
• Franz, head of food & logistics & civilian advisor
• Rolfball, merchant & father of Echo
• The Jackelope, a bike gang leader, his gang is ruthless and known to torture captives for pleasure
• The Jackelope's gang
• Lovecraft
• Onion

The Setting

Two Towers is a ruined city from before the apocalypse. It currently has a number of strongholds situated throughout the ruins along with a number of hidden pockets of wild communities. These hidden groups are called Squirrels buy the inhabitants of the holds. Even though it has been almost three generations since the apocalypse, there are still salvageable goods available in the ruins. The climate is hot with a wet season and a dry season. The primary wildlife is a large gecko-like lizard that has evolved to a larger size and developed sharp teeth to aid in hunting and eating carrion. These have taken the place of rats in the ecosystem. A mutagen was released as part of the apocalypse. This has cause some rapid evolution among plants and animals, particularly in ones that have gone through many generations. Humans, however, are not immune. The biggest known change has been an 11 foot tall human with extended arms and sharp claws. Plants have become more aggressive in spreading causing an accelerated deterioration of the roads and buildings.

Sagas of the Icelanders - Critique

After playing 5 sessions of Sagas of the Icelanders, here are my criticisms of the game.

1) I read a number of the sagas that the game was supposed to emulate. The game as written does not lend itself to creating sagas. The sagas are about larger than life characters. They achieve great things and deal with large issues. They don't deal with tracking resources. They have successful households that generate enough food and resources that the main characters are free to pursue other parts of life. Having the Man as one of the main playbooks and having most of his moves revolve around generating resources just did not emulate the stories of the sagas. I mostly disregarded resources and let the players have what they wanted if it moved the story along. I could have easily made the characters' lives interesting in having them have to scrounge for food and warmth every season, but that was not what the sagas were about.

2) Handling the passage of time in the game is very erratic. The Man gathers resources at the beginning of each session, but spends resources at every season. We played some sessions that were only part of a season and one session that spanned an entire year. With multiple sessions in a season, it is easy to have enough to survive, but with a single resource roll to survive a year just about guarantees starvation. Along with this, is the advancement that occurs at the end of each winter. If you play out each season with great detail, advancement stalls. If you try to speed the passage of time, characters develop too quickly.

3) The game is set in a fixed period of time with a defined culture. This greatly limits a lot of the creativity that is allowed to flow in other Powered by the Apocalypse games. Players either need to commit to knowing something about the culture to play within the assumptions used to build the game or be willing to redefine the history but still keep the cultural norms used to write the playbooks. My players found the playbooks to be limiting to the actions that they wanted to pursue.

4) I did not like the way fronts were presented in the book. The three subthemes presented for each god were disjointed. They did not contribute to making unified fronts that flowed together. Maybe an example of a completely developed front would have been useful. Reading Apocalypse World after the fact made building fronts more clear.

5) Some of the recurring actions in the sagas were left out of the game. Reciting verses, visiting Norway for trade or politics, and resolving issues at the Althing were all left out. Each of these could be addressed by writing custom moves, but since they were key issues in the sagas, I think they should have been included in the core game.

Would I play SotI again? Yes, if others were enthusiastic about it, or if I was trying to introduce new players to RPGs that were not interested in fantasy or sci-fi settings. Would I suggest playing a game of SotI again? Not in the near future. If I were to take up the setting again, I would try my hand at hacking Cortex Plus instead.

Saga of the Children of Ragnhild - Chapter 6

Continued from: Chapter 5

Well despite the build up from the end of the last chapter, a surprise decision was made. As a group we decided to shelve Sagas of the Icelanders. Although the storyline was still interesting, it was decided that system was hindering the enjoyment of the game.  Rather than trying to adapt the game through writing the needed custom moves, we are quitting in favor of starting an Apocalypse World game. A more detailed review of our problems will follow.

Saga of the Children of Ragnhild - Chapter 5

Winter ended with no further incidents. Spring arrived with Steinar launching his first season as a landowner. He found out that raising livestock was not as easy as it appeared as he had only 2 livestock that survived the winter. He was able to bring in 3 hay though. He needed to trade with his neighbors to get some much needed food. Ingvar Shaggybritches was always friendly and an honorable man. Steinar went with Ragnhild to call on Ingvar. They were greeted warmly. Ingvar and Steinar were able to come to terms to trade some hay for fish. Before they left, Ingvar requested Mohammad to come for a visit at his earliest convenience. They agreed to relay the request.

Ragnhild went to visit Brynjolf. Brynjolf greeted her happily. He had news and some requests of her. First, he was planning an excursion to Norway to trade and visit the king. Ragnar was sponsoring him and thought he could earn great honor and expand his wealth with the trip. Brynjolf went on to tell Ragnhild that his wife Godney was pregnant, and that he would like Godney to stay with Ragnhild while he was away. Ragnhild was agreeable to this request. Secondly, Brynjolf requested that on his return he be allowed to foster his nephew Snorri. As his uncle, it was Brynjolf's responsibility to make sure the boy was raised properly. Ragnhild agreed to this as well. Brynjolf would allow Mohammad to come to his farm so he could continue to teach the boy poetry, songs, and fighting. Mohammad was also teaching Snorri to read and write Arabic. Godney accompanied Ragnhild back to Steinar's farm.

Mohammad left for Ingvarstadir when Ragnhild passed on Ingvar's request. In addition to paying his friend a visit, he would ask Thorlaug Whitehair to come back with him and attend to Niall's birthing which was expected in a couple weeks. Ingvar welcomed Mohammad and presented him with two beaver pelts. He explained that his friend Hadd Skulison had a problem that Mohammad might be able to help resolve. Hadd had learned how Mohammad had helpd Ingvar with the outlaw Hrod and thought Mohammad could help with his problem. Mohammad agreed to meet Hadd and hear the problem. He, however, felt that the Hrod incident was not an action that he would casually repeat.

Mohammad traveled to Hadd's home. He was warmly welcomed. After a generous meal, Hadd explained the situation. His daughter Ljufu had attracted the attention of a farm hand, Steinbjorn, on a neighboring farm. Despite his low station, Ljufu was returning his attention. Hadd needed this to be stopped before it went too far. Mohammad agreed to help, and Hadd presented him with a silver armband. The boy who

Mohammad went to the next farm where Steinbjorn lived and worked. He presented himself as a traveling minstrel who specialized in love songs and poetry. He successfully charmed the household and was given many suggestive looks by single women there. At the end of the evening, Steinbjorn approached Mohammad. He asked for advice on how to seduce  his love. Mohammad offered to help. He would meet with Steinbjorn's love and recite love poems on his behalf. Steinbjorn eagerly agreed and said Mohammad should sent the girl to meet Steinbjorn at the shieling after reciting the poem. Steinbjorn went to the shieling, and Mohammad went to meet with Ljufu.

Mohammad confronted Ljufu, and rather than recite poetry, he told her that Steinbjorn was no longer interested in her. He didn't ever want to see her again. She was heartbroken and fled to her sleeping area crying. Hadd witnessed this and asked Mohammad what had happened. He told Hadd about his plan to break up the young couple by telling each of them separately that they were not interested in each other. He had talked to Ljufu and now needed to tell Steinbjorn that even though he had recited his best poetry, Ljufu had moved on to another man. Hadd asked where Mohammad was going to meet with Steinbjorn. When he told Hadd Steinbjorn was waiting at the shieling, Hadd had two of his men get halberds and go to the shieling. Mohammad was rattled that he just set up the young man to be murdered.

Mohammad ran from the house and rode hard to the shieling. There he saw the two men dismounting before approaching the building. Mohammad rode past them. He burst into the shieling and warned Steinbjorn to run. Steinbjorn took off on foot, but the men were sure to catch him. Mohammad realized that he would have to draw his sword and intervene or the boy would be killed. He did so, and his fierce appearance stopped the men in their tracks. They were not expecting to have to fight. They slowly backed away. Once they reached a safe distance, they turned and ran back to Hadd's.

Mohammad told Steinbjorn that despite his best poetry Ljufu did not want to see him again. Steinbjorn insisted that he hear it directly from her. Mohammad could not convince him otherwise. The only way he could stop him was to start a fight with him. Mohammad beat the boy senseless. He then threw him on the back of his horse and took him back to Ingvar's farm. From there, he took him all the way back to Steinar's. There he was taken on to help on the farm and was trained to fight so he could go on the summer's Viking raids.

Before Steinar left on the raids, two things happened. First, his wife gave birth to a son. He was healthy and good sized. His only flaw was a birthmark on his shoulder. Depending on how you looked at it, it was either an axe or a monster. Second, a stranger arrived on his farm. His name was Sigurd. He was a skilled warrior and wished to go raiding with Steinar. Atli, Ragnar's nephew, vouched for Sigurd. Steinar agreed to take him on. Unknown to all but Atli, Sigurd is really Sigrid Ragnardottir, a shield maiden. She was setting out to make a name for herself and avoid being married off by her father to Skeggi the Fat.

Steinar, Mohammad, Sigurd, Alti, Steinbjorn, Ottar, and some other men left for the summer. They had a very successful season. They gained a lot of silver. In addition they learned some things going on beyond the shores of Iceland. Erick the king of Norway was starting to get pressure from his brothers for larger inheritances to rule as their own. So far he was able to keep them in place and not give up parts of Norway. They also heard rumors of Brynjolf's successful journey. He was making lots of money and impressing important local people including the king himself. Finally, they heard that Brynjolf was recruiting to get additional boats in his service.

They arrived home and tended to the farm while waiting for Brynjolf's return. He returned with great splendor. He was dressed in regal clothing with gold adornments and a gold armband from the king of Norway. He was accompanied by two additional long boats with Norwegian fighting men who were going to be his guests for the winter. He had earned much honor on his trip and the Icelanders were impressed with his feats. Steinar, however, was apprehensive about his arrival with added troops. He felt that Brynjolf might be plotting to forcefully claim Iceland for himself. Ragnhild talked to Brynjolf and scrutinized him. She realized that her overambitious son could not be trusted to not try to conquer Iceland given the chance.

At the autumn Thing, Ragnar again tried to rally local support against the formation of a permanent Althing. Rules should remain under the control of the local families. There was no need to have people from other parts of the island deciding the fate of his people and his family. He asked his thingmen to swear loyalty to resist the Althing when they met next spring. After his speech, Steinar approached Ragnar. He tried to warn him that Brynjolf might be plotting against Ragnar and all of Iceland. Ragnar swore that Brynjolf was not a threat to him. Steinar need not be concerned. Everyone then returned to their homes to prepare for winter.

In the winter, Ragnhild took ill. She had lived a long life and regretted most that her daughter Bera had been killed before she could find a good husband for her. She was not able to regain her strength as she continued to mourn her daughter. Her strength and honor passed on to here two surviving sons who will be influenced by her memory as will future generations of Icelanders.

Here ends this portion of the saga. We are taking a break for a couple weeks due to real life events. Everyone is still excited though as we continue to play to find out what happens. Will Brynjolf really try to conquer Iceland? Has he earned the backing of King Erick to bring the Icelanders back under Norwegian rule? Can Steinar warn Ragnar and the others before it's too late? Only one way to find out - Play.

Concluded at:Chapter 6

Saga of the Children of Ragnhild - Family Tree #2

Here is an update to the family tree with additional detail that has been added in game play. If you look carefully, there is a spoiler to Chapter 5 which is coming.  Also note that I've decide to name the saga "Saga of the Children of Ragnhild". The main story line has evolved into the struggle between Ragnhild's sons Brynjolf Bardson and Steinar Ormson.

Sagas of the Icelanders - Chapter 4

The biggest event for the game happened away from the table. Our player for Brynjolf (The Man) left the game due to real life issues. So Brynjolf has become a Threat to the other players.

Steinar, his wife Niall, his mother Ragnhild, and Mohammad the stranger went to Orm's farm to investigate the fire and review the condition of the remaining property. It was noticed that the fire seemed slightly unusual in that primarily burned the side of the longhouse with the sleeping area and not evenly spread from the fire pit in the center of the house. This made them suspicious to the origin of the fire.

As they investigated, the servants were burying Orm and his daughter Bera. Steinar noted that they were not being given an honorable burial. He ordered the servants to improve the grave to give Orm a proper burial. The servants grumbled as Orm was a drunk and died an ignoble death but complied with Steinar's wishes.

A group on horseback approached the farm. It turned out to be Brynjolf, his wife Godney, and some men from his farm. He had come to claim shares of the inheritance for himself and his nephew Snorri. Steinar and Ragnhild objected when he claimed the best field for himself. After some negotiation, they were able to convince him to take a rockier field that would be managed by Steinar until Snorri came of age to take over running the farm himself. Brynjolf advised Steinar to take as much from the farm as possible back to his and Niall's farm and then return in spring to begin to work Orm's land.  Brynjolf then returned to his farm.  Steinar and company spent the next couple days packing up what they could for transport.

After they parted, Niall approached Ragnhild asking for advice. She had learned from Godney that Brynolf had not been at home the night of the fire. She wanted to know what to make of this and if she should tell Steinar about this. Ragnhild advised her to wait. She was going to consult a seidkona before making any rash moves.

Ragnhild travels to visit Thorlaug Whitehair, Ingvar's older sister, widow, and seidkona. Ragnhild asks Thorlaug to help her find the truth of Orm's death. Thorlaug offers to prepare a potion for Ragnhild that will reveal the truth to her in a dream but warns her that the truth is not always what a person wants to know. Ragnhild decides to drink to potion despite the warning. She had a dream about 4 sheep. The first sheep is a big powerful ram. The second sheep is another ram. This ram is taken to be shorn. The wool comes off, but there is more underneath. As the additional layers are shorn, the ram gets smaller and smaller.  By the time all of the wool is removed, the ram is completely gone. The third sheep is an ewe. It also is taken to be shorn. As the wool is removed, the ewe is black underneath. The fourth sheep is another ram. It is also big and strong.  The first ram and last ram begin to fight and butt heads. As the fighting gets more violent, the ewe gets stuck between the two and gets crushed to death. Ragnhild then wakes up. She thanks Thorlaug, but before she can leave for Steinar's farm, Ingvar asks her to request Mohammad to visit him when she returns.

When Mohammad receives the message, he borrows a horse and sets off to Ingvar's. Ingvar needs help dealing with a delicate situation. His brother-in-law Hrolf is visiting from western Iceland. He arrive midsummer and requested hospitality. Ingvar gladly agreed to his company. He later learned that Hrolf had been declared an outlaw for killing a slave owned by Eid Vermundson. Eid is a close friend of Egil Skallagrimsson, a powerful chieftain in the west. Ingvar doesn't want to violate hospitality to a guest, but he doesn't want to lose honor by sheltering an outlaw.  He asks Mohammad as an outsider to help deal with Hrolf. Mohammad agrees and sets off for the shieling where Hrolf is staying. When Mohammad confronts Hrolf, he tries to convince him to leave Iceland under an alias. Hrolf does not understand who this foreigner is and why he is trying to get him to change his name and leave. Mohammad gets frustrated. When Hrolf turns his back, Mohammad draws his sword and stabs Hrolf. It is a mortal wound. Mohammad returns to Ingvar and relates what happened. Ingvar thanks Mohammad for dealing with the difficult situation and presents him with a decorated helmet and fine cloak.

While Mohammad was away, Ragnhild visited Brynjolf. She confronted him about Orm's death. He confessed to her in private. He agreed that he needed to publicly announce that he had killed Orm due to the insult he received at his wedding from Orm. He promised to announce it at the Thing in the spring. He would then also offer compensation for the killing to Steinar. This placated Ragnhild, and she returned to Steiner's farm.

Steinar, however, was not satisfied with Brynjolf's commitment. He felt that Ragnar would convince Brynjolf to take action against Steinar before spring. Anyone who would set fire to a sleeping man's house in the middle of the night could not be trusted. Steinar and Ragnhild decided they needed to prepare a case against Brynjolf and present it at the autumn Thing. At the Thing, they try to rally godi to their case, but no one is willing to stake their honor on this case. Ragnar has too much influence. Steinar decides to confront Brynjolf directly at first before presenting the case. Insults are exchanged, and Brynjolf is labeled as a coward. Brynjolf attacks Steinar and Mohammad with superior numbers. Steinar and Mohammad prove themselves to be of great skill. They kill three of Brynjolf's men and wound Brynjolf while not taking any serious injuries themselves. Before more deaths occur, Bjarki the Learned has his men separate the two sides. Any fighting here should be done in court and not in the booths. Steinar agrees and prepares his case for the next day.

As the case is presented, it becomes obvious that Steinar has no support. Brynjolf has spread a story that Steinar had killed Orm and was framing Brynolf. Steinar wanted to kill Orm before the old drunkard drove the farm into ruin and drank away any remaining inheritance that Steinar would get. This became widely accepted. Steinar's only hope was to challenge Brynjolf to a duel to settle the case. Brynjolf accepted with the condition of either putting the duel off until spring to give Brynjolf's leg wound time to heal or to allow a champion to fight in Brynjolf's place. Steinar agreed to Brynjolf using a champion. Brynjolf selected Stuf Strongarm to be his champion. The duel would be the first to break three shields. Steinar gets the best of Stuf, but as he breaks Stuf's third shield, Stuf's axe comes down hard on Steinar's left shoulder. There is an audible pop as the side of the axe crashed down. Steinar's arm is dangling useless at his side. Fortunately, a wise man with some medical skills is available. The shoulder is only dislocated, and he is able to pop it back into the socket. With the duel won, Steinar presses Brynjolf for compensation for Orm's death. Brynjolf agrees to pay three cattle and a slave. Steinar accepts and goes off to celebrate. The next day, Steinar and family return to his farm. They settle in for the harvest and winter. Nothing else of note happens until spring. Niall is due to deliver her baby.

This ends chapter 4.  Next week will be the final chapter. I need to take a break after that for family commitments. But at some point we will rejoin the saga of the Ragnhild's family.

Saga of the Icelanders - Family Tree

Here is the family tree from our game.  It will help track some of the main characters introduced to date.  There are some people who exist but have not been named at the table yet.  There are also several supporting characters and one player character, Mohammad (Wanderer), who are not part of the family and are not shown below.