This new campaign really got my creativity running. I pulled off prepping the tables for this setting in two days, and we were ready to play. Since we’re far from the experts in Britain’s history, the players warmly greeted the possibility of randomly generating their characters. In our session zero, they decided only broadly what their characters’ professions would be, and that was all. Next week, we’ve met to generate characters and establish some basic lore. I introduced them to the rules (Forbidden Lands hack), and the fun began. I wrote some time ago about why I love random generation of player characters in RPG, and it worked even better in the case of Sub-Roman Britain. We had a lot of fun this time. Today, I’m going to only briefly introduce you to the ones who will brave the precarious ex-province of Britannia.
Mirvelius Galerianus
He’s a presumptuous Briton who has ranged across Britain, herding cattle for sale with wealthier merchants. Through that, he’s learned quite much about the island, its inhabitants, and travel routes. Now, when the trade worsened even more and the world grew smaller, he used that knowledge for his profit. He poses himself as stemming from a more Roman lineage than he actually does. The idea of him sticking with the party was that due his many voyages, he’d be their guide.
Bladus
A rugged tracker that mainly stays in the woods. His only friend so far was his hunting hound. He would live somewhere close to the starting settlement and be hired as another guide and hunter. As Mirvelius would know the directions and the peoples on the way, Bladus would provide the food and knowledge of the wilderness.
Aldhelm the Lauder
Saxon mercenary, born in Britannia before the Legions left it for good. He is an able horserider, even trained in the rare art of horseback fighting. His mount is called Roach, which tells you something about the player. And while certainly not all Saxons are typical crude barbarians, you may say that about Aldhelm. In the party, he’s the main armed enforcer, assigned to protect the rest.
Thadgán the Hungry
Lastly, the characters is one of yet another ethnicity present in the Sub-Roman Britain in our RPG. He’s a Gaelic bard-in-training. He holds that he was with his master on a grand voyage and has seen as far lands as the Rome itself. I’m not sure if he tells the truth. I guess we’ll establish that in the sessions to come. Meanwhile, it’s sure the Thadgán deserves his nickname as the lad devours all the food he can grasp. Besides meals, he sought a way to his homeland but crossing numerous countries furthered his appetite for new places and peoples so he’s eager to carry any tidings with the help of the rest of the PCs. His skill and insight during meetings, as well as a friendly nature, were why he was assigned as a messenger.
Story of the characters begins – and so does an RPG in Sub-Roman Britain.
We leave Britannia for now. But there’s one thing I wanted to ask you – just 2 mouse-clicks, I promise. Despite prepping all the tables essential to run the game, there’s still a lot of work in front of me. A very inspiring and rewarding work. One that we, GMs, probably all love – worldbuilding and homebrewing the rules. I aim at issuing the complete Forbidden Lands/Mutant: Year Zero engine overhaul later this year. Thanks to Free League Workshop, I’ll be able to make it an actual product you may purchase. Awesome, right?!
I’m very keen to knowing your opinion about this project. I know there’s very little on the RPG market about Sub-Roman Britain with non-fantasy setting. Most often, the available systems include fantastic elements in a way that’s hard to remove. I’m going to fill that gap. If you’re interested in any way in such a game, please, click the button below and let me know, what you think. That’ll help me enormously, thanks!
