[Solo] The Magnificent Adventuring Circus: Introduction

In 2021, I played a solo game, focused on the (mis)adventures of a travelling circus of adventurers. It was a part of a shared sandbox game, The Pit, where participants all played their own solo sessions, then updated the global hexmap with new features. It's a great setup, because you create your own stuff, but also crosscheck the existing map and you can visit stuff that other people generated. You can follow up on rumors that others posted. I don't participate any more, but the game is still going on, and you can join if you are interested! Here's the invite link (Discord server), it's a nice and welcoming community.

Like most people on the server, I relied on

• Basic Fantasy RPG as the ruleset,
• The Hexcrawl Adventures supplement by Luke Kennedy (CptClyde), a very solid framework for soloists and hexmap generation (and there is a tutorial/example of play on youtube),
• an assortment of random tables, like the Tome of Adventure Design,
• & the fate of the dice and my imagination!

I went into the game with no particular expectations. Just rolled up a party of four 1st-level characters, picked a starting point and a destination a bunch of hexes away, and travelled. New hex - check for weather - check for feature - check for encounter, rinse and repeat...

But here's the beauty of old-school play: from this baseline procedure, a cool story emerged! I played 10 sessions altogether, took notes, wrote reports, shared them with the others. It was a lot of fun! 

As I still have these reports, I thought I would share them here on my blog as well. So from now on I will be posting it in installments. 

This is the intro post and "table of contents".

The Troupe:

The Magnificent Adventuring Circus! Their shows are re-enactments of their daring adventures that totally happened. They ride around on a garishly painted stagecoach (still paying off the debt on that one…).

Julia Maxima, the Bearded Lady (Dwarf Cleric 1). Stern leader and cook of the circus.

Pointy Kid, the Knife Thrower (Halfling Thief 1). Sly acrobat with a pipeweed addiction.

Callisto, Master of Illusions (Human Magic-User 1). Archmage of the Highest Order, Keeper of Forbidden Knowledge. Obviously, he has a creepy ventriloquist dummy.

Sheila, the Odalisque (Elf Fighter/Magic-User 1). Exotic dancer and all-around cool girl. She won’t agree to be sawn into two halves.

...and their adventures:

1. Session 1: The Road to Abazar
2. Session 2: Well- or Ill-met in Abazar?
3. Session 3: Wheels & Waterfalls
4. Session 4: Carnies in the Mist
5. Session 5: The Wolfman's Turn
6. ...to be continued!

Simple Rumor Mill

Rumors/clues/hooks are a super important part of RPGs, especially sandbox campaigns. Here's a very simple spark table, inspired by Traveller. Roll d6 & d10, look up the result, if you need extra inspiration just roll twice and combine.

	1-2 Location	3-4 Danger	5-6 Tabloid	7-8 Politics	9-10 Lore
1	Treasure	Urban crime	Love child	Faction conflict	History
2		Highwaymen	Adultery	Secret society	Monster
3	Resources	Wild animals	Inheritance	Impending war	Place
4	Person	Monsters	Rivalry	Corruption	Magic
5		Nat. disaster	Marriage	Diplomacy	Technology
6	Mythical place	DOOM!	Dark secret	Spies	Religion

A couple of quick examples:

1. Location (Treasure) & Danger (Monsters) = either a place guarded by monsters, or, to give it a spin: the location of a VALUABLE MONSTER - to develop this further, let's say a local noble is looking for a unicorn for their park, and the rumor is about the last sighting of a unicorn.
2. Danger (Monsters) & Politics (Diplomacy) = Messenger from neighboring kingdom captured by monsters - peace treaty endangered / messenger from neighboring kingdom is actually a doppelganger!
3. Tabloid (Rivalry) & Lore (Magic) = there is a schism in the Wizard Council, caused by the variant readings of an ancient prophecy - and to add that "tabloid" element, maybe the prophecy is about a "chosen one", and the various wizards now want to influence this person.
4. Lore (History) & Tabloid (Love child) = a classic! Genealogical research reveals heir actually being from a different branch of renowned family or something similar.
5. Location (Mythical place) & Danger (Urban crime) = crime lord found an entrance into the Dreamlands.
6. Location (Resources) & Tabloid (Inheritance) = copper mine inherited by young noble is mismanaged by cunning assistant.

Edit: I was also inspired by the rumor tables over at alea iactanda est, and the rumor mill in Luke Kennedy's Basic Fantasy RPG Hexcrawl Supplement.

Edit 2: I was also reminded of Delta's rumor system.

Three science fantasy locations for weird sandbox settings

Three locations for science fantasy hexcrawls/sandboxes. These are based on output from the generator I put together in Inspiration Pad Pro. I just took the results and fleshed them out a bit, to make more sense. This whole thing took about 15 minutes (and the many hours poured into creating the generator ahahahahah). I will include the original output of the generator below in the comments so you can compare.

Soli

Village, population 150

Ruled by a noble family, the Turquoise Clan

The village used to be surrounded by a stone wall, which is now in ruins. The only part left standing is an archway above the main road, but it isn’t maintained either: the locals think it is a dread memento of an ancient horror, walk around it (never under it), and soil it with garbage and obscene graffiti.

Locations:

• The Atomic Abode of the Electronic Red Dragon, a lively tavern surrounded by standing stones

Seeds:

• The village is plagued by swarms of robotic mosquito – actually blood-collecting nanobots emerging from an ancient laboratory buried under the nearby swamps
• Nefertiry of the Turquoise Clan (a very religious person) is telling everybody that Orges, her identical twin brother, disappeared – actually she killed him because she was afraid that he might replace her completely

 

Corcyra

Town, population 700

Ruled by council of elders

A heavily fortified settlement, with four prism towers that can fire deadly lasers at each corner. The streets are patrolled by the local militia, the Corcyra Rangers. Despite the dry ground, most buildings are on stilts, so that the inhabitants can pull up the ladders at night for extra protection.

Locations:

• Smithy. An ancient laboratory that was repurposed as a workshop. Mostly produces regular tools and weaponry, but for the right price the blacksmith (Lightning Ape is his name) offers equipment made out of the weird alloys that remain in the laboratory’s repository
• Corcyra Rangers’ Station. A seedy-looking building, stinks like a gym, this is where the local militia hangs out and trains new recruits.
• Church of the Giggling Goddess. This temple is almost in ruins now, as the worship of this deity is discouraged by the council & militia. A single priestess (Thelma) struggles to keep the church in shape.
• Fane of the Awful Goddess. This temple is favored by the council members. “Yes, the Awful Goddess is Awful, but only an Awful power can protect us in these troubling times!”

Seeds:

• Trechus the sell-sword wants to burglarize the rich rat-catcher’s mansion (Oeobazus the rat-catcher is a council member and has monopoly on vermin control).
• It is rumored that there is a sealed-off dungeon under the Fane of the Awful Goddess, where the essence of the deity resides – the rumor is true, but the Awful clergy tries to suppress it.

 

 

Kallipolis

City, population 2250

Governed by Gotarzes, Bastard of Uhhaziti, a prominent & paranoid merchant

Clouds of fumes emerging from rotating chimneys hang ominously above the city. The main industry is a bunch of chemical factories, most owned by Gotarzes or his associates. Many of the locals are poor and suffer from the poisonous fumes emerging from the factories. The city feels crowded and is full of seedy establishments and dark back alleys.

Locations:

• Temple of the Blazing Cape. A radiant piece of cloth, which belonged to the mythical founder of the city, is venerated here. Worshippers who spend many nights kneeling before it attain a phosphorescent glow (they are known as the Brotherhood of the Blazing Cape).
• The Hexman Sisters’ Mortuary is the best place to get a proper burial; and ask about their family discounts!
• City Library. And old establishment, with stacks as dark, labyrinthine and smelly as the city’s back alleys.
• Sleaze & Heal Music Hall. A popular establishment with live music and deadly drinks.

 

Seeds:

• The most popular person in the city is Paris, the hairy wrestler, undefeated champion. Many would love to see him leading the city in Gotarzes’ stead…
• Ex-crime lord nicknamed the Pro-Consul is hiring assassins to kill Gotarzes. Pro-Consul used to be an important man, but the current mayor’s machinations led to his downfall and the gang war left him shell-shocked.
• The Brotherhood of the Blazing Cape want to embark on a sacred mission to a ruined castle. They think the soul of the city founder is imprisoned there.
• Some say there are valuable books hidden between all the trash in the City Library.

Art by Rich Longmore

[LotFP] Napoleon's Egyptian campaign as a sandbox setting?

I have this idea in the back of my mind. A pseudo-historical exploration/adventure sandbox game.

Take Napoleon's Egyptian campaign (1798-1801).

The player characters are soldiers, officers, personnel in Napoleon's army. They learn about the riches of the land - the tombs to plunder, the treasures to find. Henchmen/replacement characters are local guides, guards, workmen, and lower ranking soldiers and camp personnel.  Each night, they sneak out of the encampment, risk being shot as a deserter, to reach the Valley of the Kings and get some of the sweet ancient gold. Avoid guards, Mamluk patrols, sandstorms. Gather information from locals, try to decipher hieroglyphics. Or perhaps the players choose the "legal" route, and get an official commission from Vivant Denon.

Monster-wise, as much as I like Hammer Horror/Universal Monsters, I'd like to break away from the standard "fantasy ancient Egypt" routine. Mummies and scarabs are tried and true, but perhaps some other things can be introduced. This is a hard task. Something to think about.


So, I'm not working actively on this. Just slowly accumulating ideas...

1d6 Rumors

1	Napoleon entered the Great Pyramid and came out pale and shaking. He’s seen a vision of the future.
2	One of the officers found a gold bracelet, but the next day, he was found dead, strangled, in his own tent.
3	All the nearby tombs are already robbed. You need to venture deep into the desert to find riches.
4	Scrapings of mummies have healing properties.
5	A man named Vivant Denon is researching the tombs on Napoleon’s behalf. He knows more about these monuments than anybody else, and is ready to pay for artifacts.
6	The ancient tombs are always bigger than they seem!

And some standard spells, now noted down as Egyptian incantations (pulled from historical sources):

1d3 Spells

1	Unseen Servant O shabti, allotted to me, if I be summoned or if I be detailed to do any work which has to be done in the realm of the dead, if indeed any obstacles are implanted for you therewith as a man at his duties, you shall detail yourself for me on every occasion of making arable the fields, of flooding the banks or of conveying sand from east to west; 'Here I am', you shall say.
2	Speak with Dead My mouth has been given to me that I may speak with it in the presence of the Great God. My mouth is opened, by mouth is split open by Shu with that iron harpoon of his with which he split open the mouths of the gods.
3	Protection from Evil May I have power in my heart, may I have power in my arms, may I have power in my legs, may I have power in my mouth, may I have power in all my members may I have power over invocation-offerings, may I have power over water ... air ... the waters ... streams ... riparian lands ... men who would harm me ... women who would harm me in the realm of the dead ... those who would give orders to harm me upon earth.