AD&D Campaign Discussion Post

 It's been suggested that I post my ideas for the upcoming campaign somewhere rather than a long email thread to make it easier to keep track the plans and discussion. I've posted it here and to the Facebook group, and will update each location on an ongoing basis as I get new ideas, change my mind on others, and respond to questions and suggestions from the peanut gallery potential players. Feel free to add thoughts and pose questions in the comments to avoid the ungodly email string these things sometimes turn into. Note that you have to be logged in to a Google account to comment; that's the only way to keep the spam-bots under control.

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Below is a short summary of my thoughts at the moment, subject to change between now and whenever we start playing. For those of you not re-living your 1980's AD&D nerd-dom, feel free to tune the rest of us out for the foreseeable future. Rest assured, once we actually start play, there will be monsters to slay, treasure to steal, and Terry's character(s) to mock for their short lifespan(s).

In no particular order:

- Working title of the campaign is "Gygax & Greyhawk". I'll be using Greyhawk (focused in one area TBD) as the campaign setting, and we'll hit as many of the old modules as we can. This will be a regular campaign, not just a 'greatest hits', so their will be other things mixed in with the old school AD&D modules.

- The goal of the campaign is to get you guys to name level (i.e. 9th +) or higher and let you run rampant against one or more of the cool AD&D end game monsters and locales. Fight Drow and mindflayers in the Underdark, Asmodeus in the Nine Hells, or Orcus in the Abyss. Or something like that. To make sure we get there before we all (i.e. me) burn out, the pace of character advancement will be faster than in past campaigns. But I still intend this to run a 'full' campaign of 50-80 sessions or so.

- Of the modules you guys have mentioned the following are likely out: Pharaoh, Lost City, Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh, Slaver series. They don't quite fit with what I have in mind. The others (along with a lot of other stuff) are fair game. Agree with Jon that TOEE might be a bit much for the speed at which we play; but I might mine it for ideas and themes and bits and pieces.

- Rules will be 1st Ed AD&D, with the retroclone OSRIC (and houserules etc) as a backup for those esoteric bits in the original rules that are a wee bit obtuse. But as much as possible, we'll play rules a written.

- No Unearthed Arcana. Sorry, no barbarians, cavaliers, drow, or deep gnomes. I reserve the right to mine UA for magic items, spells, and bits of rules, but for players you are following the Players Handbook for everything you need character wise. I will entertain specific UA requests on a case by case basis.

- From a character perspective, if it's in the PH, it's game legal. Yes you can be a half-orc assassin if you so wish. And we're not using the psionics rules.

- Although character selection is entirely up to you, keep in mind these old modules are written for a well balanced party i.e. a good mix of fighters, clerics, magic users, etc. Sounds like most of you are leaning towards the fighter/cleric area; except Terry's werido options. I think Mary is also leaning towards elf fighter/magic user or something similar. But I'd suggest being flexible with your choices just in case a particular 'role' needs to be filled.

- Speaking of characters, we'll roll them all together at the first session. We'll use 4d6, drop the lowest and arrange as you like. So should be no trouble to get whatever race/class you want unless it's got some silly ability score requirements like paladins, monks, etc.

Pulp Cthulhu - The Two Headed Serpent (New York Part#5)

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Zeke Broda (Grease Monkey / Mechanic)

Ivy Guinness (Outsider / Nurse) 

Oz the All Knowing (Mystic / Entertainer)

Nigel Thorne, VC, DSC (Thrill Seeker / Explorer)

The team spent the next week laying low in the cheap hotel to which they'd relocated their centre of operations. Zeke did slip out to make contact with some old friends, returning with a resupply of weaponry, ammunition and dynamite. Oz locked himself in the bathroom with the two fearful tomes liberated from Joshua Meadham's library. But otherwise they waited for any hubbub arising from their gunfight at the Meadham Building to die down, and discussed what to do next. They decided to make contact with the Bonanno crime family, who'd been making efforts to connect with the team over their last few visits to New York. Ivy dropped some hints to he friends on the streets, and she was not surprised to find, a few days later, a large car pull up in front of the hotel, driven by Lucio and Filemone Casale, their erstwhile Mafia contact. Casale bundled the team into the car, and by a circuitous route, drove them deep into Brooklyn, stopping in front of the Green Garden Cafe. 

Although the sign said the restaurant was closed, all the tables appeared to be full, and Casale led them inside. There, leading them past tables of rough looking men in bad suits, he introduced them to four men at a large table in the rear: Giuseppe “Joseph” Bonanno, Phillipe Rappa, Francesco “Frank Caroll” Garofalo, and  Giovanni “John” Bonventre. Ivy recognize Bonanno as the head of that crime family, and the others as his highest advisors. After some polite banter and good Italian cooking, they get down to business.  Bonanno questions the team about their role with Caduceus, experiences, and their recent falling out with their employer. The team is pretty forthcoming without getting too far into the details of 'the Mythos is coming'. Impressed by their candor, Bonanno has an offer for them. The family has gotten intelligence that Caduceus is edging into the illegal drug market in New York, a market which the Bonanno family currently dominates. Using a cover story of ensuring the drug supply is 'clean', Bonanno makes the team an offer. They help Bonanno find out what Caduceus is up to drug-wise, and he will help them find the Serpent Scepter (which he seemed to know all about). He directs them to a pair of warehouses in the Redhook district, both owned by Caduceus. One is obviously used for supplies related to Caduceus' humanitarian cover. The other they do not know, but suspect it is related to the drug trade.  Bonanno send the team on their way, and lets them know “John” Bonventre will be their contact going forward. 

Deal made, the team takes a taxi down to Redhook to scout the location. The two buildings lie in a maze of other warehouses. One is quite busy, but poorly guarded. The other is largely silent, but the guards appear much more active. Both are surrounded by fences, with a vehicle gate facing the road and large cargo doors facing the docks on the East River. The team crosses over to Manhattan to size up the docks, and decide their best bet is to approach from the water late at night. That night, they obtain a small rowboat and row with muffled oars to the seemingly inactive warehouse, timing their arrival to avoid the guards walking the perimeter.  Once on the dock, they listen at the bay doors, and hear voices inside. At least 4-5 men by the sound of it. They then split into two parties (Ivy & Zeke, Oz & Nigel) and move into the shadows on either side of the warehouse, in the hopes of surprising and chloroforming the two outside guards they'd seen on their earlier scouting trip. Ivy & Zeke pull it off with ease, but Oz & Nigel stumble a bit in the dark and have to clobber their guard with a pistol butt to knock him out. Thankfully before he can call out for help. 

Tying them up and stripping them of their uniforms (one of which fit Oz nicely, Nigel with the other not so much), they move towards the front entrance. Seeing and hearing nothing inside, they use the guard's keys to get into the building, finding themselves in the office area.  They silently sift through paperwork, finding the warehouse seems to hold lot's of construction related equipment and supplies, as well as some other undisclosed 'special' items. They also learn there are likely 10 guards on site, which definitely points to something of value and great danger to the team. However, they carefully open the door at the end of the office area which leads into the rest of the warehouse. And are confronted with a maze of wooden packing crates, large and small, blocking their view. They grade a small one by the door, and carry it back into the office to open. It contains a mix of tools, just as the contents painted on the side suggests.  Hoping to find one of the 'special' crates, they head back into the warehouse and carefully move their way down the passages between the rows. But turning the corner, Nigel runs headlong into a security guard. He tries to take him down silently, but the guard dodges, and turns to run. Presumably for help. Nigel raises his revolver to shoot the fleeing man in the back ...