Yes I’m throwing around yet another campaign idea…
This one based on the ‘Grendel’ comics by Matt Wagner, specifically the 25th Century era stories. With some ‘Dune’ themes thrown in for good measure and artistic license to adapt the material.
Okay here’s what I have so far (ideas welcome), consider this the meta-plot skeleton to hang smaller adventures on:
The PC’s are member of noble CONCLAVE LUNAR (‘the moon’), a governing family that controls a specific region in 25th Century America. This particular conclave controls an area that is on the outskirts of many neighbouring domains, each of which is answerable to an ultimate ruler the GRENDEL KHAN. These various realms often feud with each other. Beyond Conclave Lunar are more disparate territories that do not belong to the United Nations of the World (UNOW).
Conclave Lunar is a fairly righteous House, and yet is involved in some long-term rivalry with its immediate neighbour, ignoble HOUSE SIRIUS (‘the dog’).
The PC’s play the role of warriors within Conclave Lunar. Specifically they are the apprentices to a ‘GRENDEL’. A Grendel is a member of an elite warrior caste, a rank very hard to come by with certain privileges and feared military prowess – comparable with a Samurai in many respects. The PC’s may aspire to achieve the rank of Grendel.
The duties of a Grendel include service to their ‘clan’ (in this case the Conclave), and more general duties including eliminating vampirism (a sometime epidemic) and destroying nuclear technology wherever found.
After initial (Conclave driven) adventures, the PC’s eventually form part of an escort party to accompany the rulers of Conclave Lunar to a meeting with the emperor Grendel Khan. Here certain things become apparent. That the Grendel Khan is insane, that his son Jupiter would be a more level-headed heir but is not of age in any case, and that other senior leaders close to Grendel Khan share his megalomania and are self-seeking, power-hungry and corrupt. The Khan makes demands of Conclave Lunar that are hard to bear.
Soon after this meeting, Conclave Lunar comes under devastating attack by Conclave Sirius rivals. Perhaps a vampire epidemic is engineered and let loose in the City (note: these vampires are mostly psychotic/mindless, more akin to traditional ideas about zombies than Anne Rice characters). The reign of Conclave Lunar is over
thrown; perhaps Conclave Sirius even demand the Grendel Khan destroys the entire territory to contain the plague.
Escaping this calamity the PC’s may find themselves in the wild territories inhabited by little dictators and degenerate Grendel Clans. Here lies the chance to meet with a new mentor, a renegade Grendel who claims he can complete their training (although something of a dark master). He explains that the fighting prowess of a true Grendel comes not from the repetition of martial arts training, but from brain surgery designed to allow the Grendel to access a greater part of the mind’s dormant capacity. However, stranger things may happen to anyone who undergoes such surgery, and a subconscious identity may find its voice and cause the PC to experience a kind of Schizophrenia, thought to be the Devil’s advice.
In time the young Grendels, existing outside the UNOW civilisation, may discover that the Grendel Khan is dead and learn of a scheme to assassinate his young heir before he can come of ruling age. Perhaps they will take it upon themselves to save the hope for the future, in a dangerous rescue and escape journey that would be the major adventure arc… and let's not forget getting revenge on Conclave Sirius.
There will of course be other 'Grendels' in this adventure. For example Grendels allied to House Sirius and the Khan. Tribal Grendel Clans existing beyond UNOW. I would like to explore the idea that these other Grendels are either the servants of their masters, helping the powerful to stay powerful, or self-seeking killers. It would be interesting if the PC's could see they are in a unique position to use their damn formidable skills to act as free and ethical agents, championing those who have no champions... 'helping the helpless' as we say here at Angel Investigations : )
I would like to see your notes on this, what system do you plan to use?
I loved those comics.
BTW IIRC The elite warrior 'Grendel' was called a Paladin.
Yes the Paladin :D The players wil lbe fulfilling his 'War Child' role, hopefully, so I'll likely make him an NPC of some kind. Not sure about system. Glad to find someone else who digs the comics.
These are all my notes so far, just started thinking about this two days ago. Story/adventure/mythology ideas welcome : )
Here's some cool handout fodder (author Wagner I assume;)
A CLASS OF DISTINCTION:
Attaining the rank of Grendel is an achievement to which both men and women aspire. The dogma is one of personal excellence over personal gain, and only the hardiest are considered deserving of the honor. A Grendel's life is one of honor and duty, ritual and denial, action and initiative.
Their prime directive - aside from being a peace-keeping force — is to search out and destroy any instance of both nuclear technology and vampirism. They are forbidden to own more property than they can carry and are expected to die for their failures at any time.
A Grendel's word is accepted as law in any dispute. As a symbol of their office, they are required to retain a piercing weapon of some sort and in fact most Grendels prefer handheld weapons as a form of public testimony of their skills.
For applicants to be marked as Grendels, they must undergo a rigorous battery of testing in addition to presenting many examples of personal valor in the field. Only then will they be granted both their ceremonial blade and the right to publicly bear arms. Then, usually receiving the tattoo/branding of their chosen clan, they join for the first time in reciting the Grendels' sacramental oath.
THE OATH OF OBEDIENCE
WITH ORIONS SWORD
THE HUNTER AROSE
AND CONQUERED THE WORLD
WITH FURY AND GRACE
IN HIM WAS I BORN
IN HIM SHALL I DIE
IN HIM SHALL I LOSE
NAME, STATION, AND FACE
DEATH OVER WEAKNESS
DEATH OVER DESPAIR
DEATH OVER PERSONAL GAIN
DEATH OVER DISHONOR
DEATH OVER UNDEATH
DEATH OVER THE FIRE WITH NO FLAME
ALL THIS I PLEDGE THEE
O GRENDEL, GREAT KHAN
TO SERVE AND PROTECT
OVER DEATHS ENDLESS TIDE
WITH YOUR WORD UN MY HEART
YOUR EYES IN MY FACE
AND YOUR TOOTH IN MY HAND
BY MY SIDE.
Okay I've been re-reading some of the comic-book source material and I'm getting really stoked about running this...
I may yet change some of this but new thoughts at present are...
The Grendel-Khan is an incredible figure, a man of great intellect and a warrior. An inspiring, charismatic figure whose presence should be felt from afar from the outset of the campaign. A kind of 'Charlton Heston' personality, conveying many 'manly' qualities but sometimes controversial. The Khan has overthrown a former Theocratic State, organised worldwide nuclear disarmament (finally destroying the only non-compliant nation with the SUN DISC, a solar weapon of his design) and fought back the immediate threat of the Vampires* through an ongoing project ORIONS SWORD. Ideally, the PC's should find this character inspiring.
The Khan's wife and Generals have the self-seeking, tyrannical personalities, held in check at present by the Khan's presence and authority. Hence the later death of the Khan should be felt as a real loss to the world, even to ordinary citizens like the PC's.
Yes.. the PC's will begin as regular workers for Conclave Lunar. Possibily opening with an official Conclave aptitude test to determine ideal job roles. From here point the PC's get a taste of regular work and social life in 25th Century America. While out in the field 'working', the PC's mundane work operation is sabotaged by a Conclave Sirius attack team, and the PC's are thrown into a combat situation (all the more interesting if some or all of the PC's are not now professional soldiers).
Now we all know that clever role-players can really strategise their way out of a hole and this should be a chance for them to shine. A spectacular defeat of the saboteurs will bring them to the attention of a House Conclave 'Grendel' seeking students... (back to post 1 for more story from this point).
*Actually the Vampires were a lot smarter and better organised than I had recalled, and this seems the way to go.
SO have you considered a system for this yet?
System - This will be primarily a combat based campaign. My feeling is that the concept could plug into most gaming systems, with certain considerations:
1. Miltary retardation or acceleration?
Wagner's world includes common use of both melee weapons and firearms. Melee weapons seemed to be the favoured of Grendels, so there needs to be an appropriate balance to reflect the severity of such weapons in the hands of master. Whereas Wagner introduces us to some exotic weaponry such as lightsaber style weapons and sci-fi guns, one could just as easily apply the anti-nuclear philosophy to a more widespread anti-technic (weapons) theme (ala Gene Wolfe 'Book of the New Sun') and remove firearms entirely from the equation for extra flavour.
2. How good is a Grendel?
How to reflect the prowess of a Grendel beyond the combat capacity of a regular fighter. I have no answers to this question at present.
Suggestions most welcome.
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Excellent campaign idea. Don't feel bound by Wagner's source material, come up with your own future history that feeds into the adventure path.
Use GAMMA WORLD as a kind of setting template. You can incorporate ultra-tech, mutations and psionic powers into a Grendel campaign, it's all good. Maybe even magic, although this seems like it should be rare.
Keep the personal firearms as well as the lightsabres -- let your PCs sort out what works best and what doesn't.
How good is a Grendel? Assume that Grendels have access to the unrealistic, cinematic combat maneuvers (like the Matrix, Underworld, etc.) Your PCs should have a path to become Grendel warriors themselves at some point in their adventures.
Thanks - Gamma World looks like it holds some great resources for a game of this kind : )
I've begun running this for a single player, and may run another version for a group.
Here's a synopsis of 'THE STORY SO FAR...'
Praecipula is a young person growing up in 25th Century America, in Conclave Lunar, a city on the outskirts of the Grendel Khan ruled area (aka U.N.O.W.).
Play begins after the last day in the educational system. Praecipula selected Biology, Marksmanship and European Long-Sword as her areas of study - so she begins play with some knowledge in these areas. After meeting socially with friends from Biology, (who are hoping for medical career paths and consider Praecipula a little strange) - she attends a mandatory testing day at the Career Centre.
Praecipula's physical capabilities are demonstrably high, but the Career Placement Officer doesn't like her. The computer reveals her potential for a role as elite as the Khan's personal 'Red Devils' unit. However instead she is given a menial security job patroling solar energy generators on the outskirts of civilisation.
After meeting the unusual personalities who work the generators, one night Praecipula walks right into an assasination attempt on local ruler Lady Lunar (who is travelling on a secret mission of her own). Praecipula foils the attack but doesn't realise the identity of the woman she has rescued.
Praecipula also tackles a vampire attack on one of stations, with some help from her devil-may-care co-worker Nadja. (Nadja is male, a flamboyant, androgynous cyber-punk dreamer who styles himself like a Final Fantasy character.)
Soon after, the illustrous Lady Lunar is summoned to a meeting with the Grendel Khan himself. Remembering the humble security officer who had rescued her, she requisitions Praecipula as a personal body-guard for the journey. Praecipula will masquerade as a lady-in-waiting for the trip. Also in attendance is Lady Lunar's personal Grendel escourt Markov (a 'Grendel' being a member of an elite warrior caste).
Praecipula finds the Grendel a bit disturbing. He oftens talks to himself and seems both disturbed and dangerous. Nevertheless he provides Praecipula with some useful training prior to the trip and regales her with some Nietzsche inspired 'Will to Power' philosophy.
The group travel by flight-craft the many miles to meet with the Grendel Khan, Orion Assante. Here they also meet the leaders of neighbouring CONCLAVE SIRIUS, whose behaviour is somewhat akin to that of Frank Herbert's House Harkonnen. Amoral and decadent, the attitude of Conclave Sirus is best displayed when their own Grendel boots a slave from a city rooftop for being too slow.
It transpires that the Grendel Khan is concerned about vampire activity in the Sirius/Lunar region and wants the two conclaves to put aside their emnity and form a local ORION'S SWORD Unit (a vampire hunting force). During this visit Praecipula also meets and forms a friendship with the Khan's young heir Jupiter (an idealistic innocent who has not yet come of age). Praecipula also meets the Khan's self-seeking wife Laurel (herself a Grendel warrior) and gets into some minor trouble with the fascistic leader of the Red Devils. We come to understand that the Khan is a good man, surrounded by greedy people (with the exception of young Jupiter).
Soon after this trip the Alpha unit of Lunar/Sirius ORION'S SWORD is formed. Praecipula and Nadja are both selected to be members. They travel to Conclave Sirius and meet their new partners, who are both military. Captain Kreil (a retired member of the original Orions Sword, with many scary stories to tell) and Private Crook (a singularily annoying ass-wipe with a minor drug addiction). Importantly Private Crook is the nephew of a scientist working on a new designer drug 'Primacin', which has been much advertised but not yet released to the general public.
Together they form a base (from a deserted office block) in the outskirts of the Wastelands and begin their hunt...
Session Two
Patroling the ruined towns on the outskirts of U.N.O.W., the Orion's Sword unit discover that active communities exist beyond the empire they know. Independant-minded people have chosen to remove themselves to these places to live life as they see fit. Things are surprising peaceful.
After some Q&A the team finally catch rumours of a long-time vampire community holed up inside a Theatre in an otherwise completely deserted former settlement. From hard experience Captain Kreil knows better than to act rashly and they agree to head back to base to wait for/meet with the Beta Team.
The secondary team have arrived and some uneasy introductions are made. Contentions between the most militant members of Conclaves Sirius and Lunar begin to slowly boil.
Praecipula uses Beta Team's resources to gain a further understanding of vampires. Several points emerge:
1. Well fed vampires are intelligent, powerful and visually almost indistinguishable from normal humans.
2. Unfed vampires are feral, sometimes irreparably brain-damaged and psychopathic.
3. Vampire bites are highly contagious, causing transformation in the victim within the hour if not killed.
4. The vampire lore of gothic horror writers is generally false.
5. Vampires have always existed, they are not a new scientific disaster or such like. In ancient times vampires acted as armies, and then became a silent few on the fringes of society. However various disasters and events have turned most of these stragglers feral, causing epidemics.
Preparations made, the join unit of eight operatives ride down to the deserted town and draw their plans for an attack on the Theatre. Not knowing what secrets it holds...
Session Three
The Alpha and Beta ORIONS SWORD units break into the old theatre, and begin scouting around using military tactics. Entering from the rear towards the stage area, Praecipula on reconnaissance discovers a strange sight...
On the old stage area a ceremony is taking place, which centers on a strange hulking humanoid which occupies centre stage (this being looks something like Baphomet from 'Nightbreed', but not quite as large). People (possibly vampires) on stage are adorned in ceremonial warrior attire and appear to be performing rites to an audience in the shadowed seating area. A priestess strikes the strange figure through the palm with a dagger and begins to sup from the stigmatic wound. Vampires it must be.
Beta Team quietly make their way to the highest seating point at the rear of the theatre where they can look down on the audience, whilst Alpha Team get ready to storm the stage.
Captain Kreil leads the attack, bursting on stage and firing his 'vampire-hunter' rifle at the Baphomet-creature. Praecipula and Nadja attack the warriors, but Crook loses his nerve and hides behind the curtains. Beta team fire down on the stage and on the vampires in the audience.
The theatre layout made this a very interesting battle for both sides. ORIONS SWORD used the layout well, but the vampires were able to navigate it faster. After a very close battle, Captain Kreil was dead, and all of Alpha Team were unconcious apart from Praecipula. Beta Team fought tooth and nail and finished off the remaining vampires and the strange humanoid.
With Kriel dead, Beta Team leader GABRIEL KANE (Conclave Sirius), declared himself the leader of both ORIONS SWORD units for now. Kane decides they should take up positions and wait to see if any other vampires turn up, for as long as he sees fit.
Praecipula is watching the stage area when a concealed trap-door (used for theatrical productions) opens and a strange figure bids her follow them to the understage area. Curiosity leads her down the steps where some dry-ice mist conceals the route.
Here she meets KABAL a six-foot tall female vampire monarch who lifts Praecipula from her feet and half puts her through a wall. With venomous anger she chastises Praecipula for the attack, revealing that this vampire coven were in no way the enemies of Conclave Lunar. In fact since finding 'the God in the desert' (Baphomet) these vampires have no longer required human blood to sustain themselves.
Now Kabal and her mate will dissapear into the wastelands to fend for themselves. But first she promises to reveal the true enemy, an ancient vampire who has long been masquerading as a human, the instigator of the attacks on Conclave Lunar is none other than Lord Sirius (ruler of Conclave Sirius) whose guise as a mortal has fooled even the Grendel Khan!
Leaving Praecipula with this knowledge the last of the coven depart into the receding darkness...
Session Four
Returning to their converted office base, Private Crook is sent to drive the Captain’s body back to Conclave Sirius for burial. Gabriel Kane reports back to the Sirius military authorities via radio and receives a disturbing reply. A few hours later one of the reinforced windows collapses under tank fire and the unit are besieged by Shock Troopers, wielding sonic weapons and rifles.
The battle claims the lives of several of the ORIONS SWORD unit, leaving only a few remaining. Crook returns as the battle ends, somewhat bemused by the massive destruction. Deciding Conclave Sirius has betrayed them, they take the tank and the best of the vehicles and try and make it back to Conclave Lunar for safety.
En route the injured patrol are ambushed by a well-organised group of scavenger-bikers from the wastelands. When they arrive at Conclave Lunar only five of the original eight agents have survived the violence of the last 24 hours.
While they recuperate it turns out that Crook has obtained a sample of the new designer drug Primacin, a few days before it’s official release. Suspicious Praecipula takes the drug and turns it over to her medical friends for testing. When a sample is given to a lab rat it becomes psychotic and attacks the other rats with extreme ferocity.
Praecipula takes her report about the possible vampire nature of Lord Sirius, and the Conclave Sirius sponsored drug Primacin to the Grendel leader of ORIONS SWORD via video-link. The Grendel orders the team to intercept the Lazerus Corp delivery vehicle distributing the drug before it can reach the general market.
The ORIONS SWORD team establish an ambush at the first distribution point, but discover that a Grendel Warrior from House Sirius protects the delivery vessel. The resulting battle well displays the fighting prowess of a Grendel, it takes the entire team to put him down and another ORIONS SWORD team-member is killed in the conflict.
Subsequent instructions turn the team’s attention to Conclave Sirius itself. Clearly Lord Sirius is implicated in this attempt to undermine the empire and more worrying still, young Jupiter (the Khan’s child) is currently a guest at Sirius. Praecipula is ordered to orchestrate Jupiter’s extraction, with help from a more experienced agent, IO, who is sent in to make sure things go smoothly.
Praecipula and Io masquerade as Red Devils from Jupiter’s personal entourage. They remove Jupiter from the main Sirius Halls and forcibly capture Lord Sirius son Sigrid, forcing a confession from him about his father’s true vampiric nature. With this prisoner they fly to the ORIONS SWORD headquarters, confident they now have all the evidence they need.
The leaders of ORIONS SWORD draw up plans for a small war. Using six teams they plan to storm Lord Sirius mansion and eliminate him. Praecipula is chosen as the new Captain of her unit and instructed to locate themselves outside the complex, firing on any Sirius warriors who attempt to escape.
Regrouping her team, replete with the tank they acquired from the Shock Troopers, Captain Praecipula and her unit move into position, while more experienced units attack the interior chambers. They fight at the main entrance while the sounds of battle rage inside the building.
Sometime into the fighting, huge chunks of the structure crash down into the contested clearing and Lord Sirius leaps a hundred feet from the building to make his escape. Whereupon Praecipula’s team blow him away with the tank.
SESSION FIVE
At this point events took an unexpected but not unwelcome turn due to an interesting character choice.
Instead of waiting to receive the honours due to her bravery, Praecipula decided she was unsatisfied with life within the Khan’s Empire and decided to quit ORIONS SWORD and leave.
Taking her hover-bike, Praecipula left conclave Lunar and headed out into the wastelands. She passed through border communities full of people living New Age lifestyles, rode for hours around a sealed-off city patrolled by machines and found herself at a waterfront community called LIBERTY. There she spent the evening with Travalean, a strange intellectual who claimed to have been one of the Khan’s surgeons. Travalean suggested that the reason the Grendel’s were so very capable was due to brain surgery allowing them to tap unused portions of the mind, but sometimes resulting in psychosis and schizophrenia.
Leaving Liberty, Praecipula followed the main highways finally entering a very lively city run by a wide diversity of gangs (see ‘Grendel’ issue # 22). Many were preparing for an event they called Die-Day which would determine who controlled their fuel supply for the next year.
Staying only one night at this city, Praecipula headed onwards, stopping to explore an abandoned 'Latter-Day Saint' temple a few miles off-road. While exploring these grounds Praecipula realised she had stumbled onto a vampire lair, and after a brief violent encounter she was presented before their leader, the vampire queen Calypso whom she had encountered previously in the theatre after the ORIONS SWORD raid.
Calypso thought it strange fate that Praecipula had arrived here. She explained that this coven still sought a way to survive without recourse to human blood, and her belief that the vampires deserved a place in the world, a right to life. It seemed that Praecipula might hold the key to their medical studies as she had been stabbed by the same weapon used to pierce ‘Baphomet’ in the stigmatic ritual. If there were still traces of the ‘Gods’ blood in Praecipula’s, then this might escalate their work.
Feeling finally that this was a cause worth her while, Praecipula agreed to stay with the coven and assist, adding her own medical knowledge to theirs.
To be continued…!