(TFT) Rough and Ready Campaigns 2

["Jay Carlisle" <selfinflicted_wounds@boardermail.com>]

Rough and Ready Campaigns

Style 2

Using a premade gameworld.


This is straight forward in its application and needs little elaboration from me.
A few points of interest, using Warrior Lords of Darok as an example.
(I am not trying to disparage Gamelords products. We only have two of what was meant to be many supplements, and it's been a long time. I'm obviously using tastes that have been refined through the years...) 

First the geography bugs me greatly.
The Borders make little sense to me, I rough out the borders of Darok @ > 500km, not counting the Asenburg Mountains.
The coast thing is niggiling too.

Now we are told on page 4 that the majority of the population is centered around the Capital Shaylle, and six other Freeholds with 3 to 5 villages apiece.

Further on page 8 we are told that each Freehold is responsible for fielding a Company/Unit of 300 to 1000 men.

Army of < 7000 men?



Also of note in the Background, there are only 25 generations form Mikarth the Venturesomes' seven score expedition,  till the present.
I assume additional emigration over the years, but if the lands were empty for so long then an explosion of population seems unlikely.
Having no figure for population is a bit frustrating.

Just how busy is the Bloody Road?
If it's like the Silk Road then this means problems for the idea of few magic items in Darok.
Maybe they have a Fundamentalist government?
Still, there's no description of "customs" or any other method of controlling Items.
Also, what is being traded and who is doing the trading, and where?
Things like this require addressing.

Speaking of page 8.
Resolving Challenge Combat states;
It is extremely unlikely that any of the player characters, particularly in the early years of a campaign, will themselves seek to win dominion over Hold or County in challenge combat.

I've always wondered if this was for real.

At least the power structure is better defined than Dihad.


Now this next one may just be me, but things like Treasure Factors on page 3 drive me nuts!
Tell me how much money there is in Darok and who has it.
This isn't too hard in a medieval economy.
It kinda sucks to have to pre-roll all the treasures so I can add them to the economy.
I'm not concerned about the location of every last sue, but a random range of 2000 to 12,000 bucks plus a better than 50/50 shot at a significant treasure needs to be accounted for. 
A strike like that is gonna upset the powers that be.

Random tables for Encounters and NPCs are similarly limited.
If nothing else, slots (like 7) should be open to change. 


Jay 


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