Double Review: Monkeyblood Design's "Chewer of Fingers" and Professsor Dungeonmaster's "Deathbringer" RPG

A few weeks back, Mr. Jackson and I decided to play a quick one-on-one game to pass a Saturday evening. For the system, we grabbed Professor Dungeonmaster's ultra-light Deathbringer. And for the adventure, Monkeyblood Design's Chewer of Fingers, described as a "grim, old-school introductory adventure intended for The Midderlands setting."

For those perhaps unfamiliar, The Midderlands is a fantasy setting based on a grimdark medieval England, described by the author, Glynn Seal, as a "green and unpleasant land." Fog abounds, as does a thesaurus-full of shades of green, along with an equivalent number of venomous NPCs and critters. Monkeyblood published the original volume, as well as a number of supplements, via successful Kickstarter campaigns. For people following the current Dolmenwood Kickstarter, Midderlands bookends very well with that setting, and both were used within Red Dice Diaries' "CSI Midderlands" campaign for anyone interested in seeing how the two settings mesh. I've seen discussions that the Dolmenwood setting is intriguing, but some people are less attracted to the fairytale tone of the setting. The Midderlands may be worth a look for people who prefer a darker, more grounded, tone.

So here we go:

I made up a 1st level character of each of the five provided classes in the two-page game system, choosing three to pit against the adventure: a deathbringer (fighter), grimscribe (mage), and plague doctor (sketchy healer/alchemist). Chargen took about five minutes each. More on Deathbringer below.

We considered truncating the adventure, but ended up running the full scenario, which we finished in around 3 hours.

The hook is to investigate and (hopefully) capture a serial killer (the eponymous Chewer) who has escaped from a local gaol.

The PCs started their adventure by saving a "mud cow" for an old lady at her decrepit farm.

Mud Cow

After freeing the irascible beast, the party scraped the mud off themselves and accepted a bag of turnips in reward. Clearly going to be a treasure-heavy session...

D10 +1 Hex Denizens

Via Reddit: A group exercise of creating some hexes to share ...

Not so much hexes, as much as those singular features or encounters that may be found within:

ROUBAUD, FRANTS (1856–1928) Caravanserai by Gur-e Amir in Samarkand

1. A decrepit caravanserai sits along an overgrown trade road, its only resident a hill giant named Oblex, who reclines within its collapsed walls, carving rough animal figures from tree limbs using a dull short sword. He raises a few goats and feral hogs that roam the forest, and will trade for casks of ale or wine. For a few extra shinies, he will lead a party to the Caves of the Drumming Ghosts in the cliffs beyond his residence, although he will not enter.

2. A hobgoblin caravan approaches, carrying preserved beast-meats and lead ingots.

3. The village of Shropshire perches among the cliffs of the Heagearth Reach. Its residents are wan and pale, yet the village has avoided the incursions of Chaos in recent years. The lord of the manor is Vitomir Birsa, with his wife Luana Brkiæ, provide their protections to the village. Any villager will explain that they are very busy, but may take an audience after dark. Neither Vitomir or Luana will admit to being vampires.

4. The bronze dragon Aythyd lounges in his lair within the Clarengami Tops. He is 900 years old, and recalls the battles of the Cornryn Flats, as humans and Chaos met at the Walls. Such amusing scrabblings and scufflings back and forth! He doesn't pay much attention to such struggles after all. They have very little of interest, unless great heroes or mages meet and leave interesting artifacts next to their broken bodies.   

5. The Lich-Bride Julija Repar and her legion of thrall-grooms hold the sacred Effinggan Pass against the fanatical battle-nuns of the Wynrey Theocracy.

6. The plains are strewn with iron ships' anchors, 100 miles from the closest ocean. They were dragged there as penance by the crews of a vanquished navy a generation past.

7. Barrows and mass graves line an ancient battlefield. Ghosts of the warring foes arise, their quarrels long forgotten, to exchange tales and commune with one another, or those who dare cross their field of war.

8. Feral, bloodthirsty horses bred by the vivimancer-warlord Gavril Florsech roam among the bluffs and forests, preying on unwary travelers and slower herbivores. Gavril was a adept creator, but a poor trainer...

9. Massive stone golems walk slowly in a circle, marching to the drone of some antediluvian song. Their walk has gone on long enough for them to beat a waist-deep trench into the earth.

10. The forest sports woven branches manipulated by a tribe of druid-goblins. The arboreal macramé is comprised of tree limbs, bones, and detritus from doomed caravans.

11. Bird-folk in their aeries trade raw emeralds for old books and scrimshawed dragon's teeth.

Tomas Honz

38 More "Who Followed the Party?"

 ...Finally bringing the Camp Followers list up to 100.

1. Small circus, including a trained bear named Bobo, who is a surprisingly adept pickpocket.
2. Halfling Cultists, frighteningly cheerful.
3. One of more of a PC's alleged illegitimate children.
4. Crows, lots of crows.
5. One very irascible possum.
6. "Influencer" half-elf, constantly painting self-portraits of themselves holding meat pies and ales at various taverns.
7. Dungeon Dietician: Making the best use of your rations and foraging for fun and profit.
8. A hermit just off a five-year vow of silence. Very talkative.
9. A pair of harpies attempting to kick off their singing careers.
10. Five elves trying to promote a new sport, "hööpentossen."
11. A halfling gambler of some renown, Two-Thumbs Bogwillow.
12. A monkey with a knife.
13. A gnome alchemist brewing sketchy potions. Best to camp him downwind.
14. A vampire wearing a welding helmet.
15. A bewildered WWI Tommy equipped with a gas mask, entrenching tool, and Lee-Enfield with 50 rounds of .303.
16. Claustrophobic minotaur.
17. Someone's mother: Constantly fussing over everyone to wash their hands and have dry socks.
18. Two Spartan warriors. Very disciplined, but a bit self-important.
19. Halfling-driven chuckwagon. You are the envy of adventuring parties everywhere.
20. An intelligent swarm of bats. Communicate by flying formations to play charades.
21. A poncy Landsknecht wearing bright motley and wielding a two-hander.
22. A Witchhunter with a portable library of anti-heretical literature. Completely ineffective at recognizing spellcasters and heretics.
23. Bounty hunter with a repeating crossbow, a bloodhound, and a sheaf of "wanted" posters.
24. Killer automaton, nigh-unstoppable. Keeps asking for "Sarakonnor" in every town.
25. A pair of siege engineers. "Trebuchet is the solution to everything."
26. A gnome artisan specializing in erotic woodcarvings.
27. The tabaxi cheerleading team.
28. Knight-errant, constantly affronted, will periodically challenge duels at crossroads and bridges.
29. A hill giant named Toby. Wears a very revealing macramé breachclout.
30. Doom-saying fortune-teller. Constantly followed by a small raincloud.
31. A platoon of gnoll halberdiers. 30% chance of changing sides in the middle of battle.
32. An aranea with several charmed minions, may abscond with one of your porters.
33. Birdwatching elf. Makes random stops and shushes party to make observations. Not amused by people giggling at "greater tit."
34. A wandering monk, a master of seven styles. Occasionally attracts vengeful ninjas.
35. Vengeful ninjas.
36. Explorer claiming to be from the center of the earth. Fascinated by nightfall.
37. Mage with a collection of magic staves carried in a golf bag by a goblin caddy.
38. Seven dwarves. Become very cross when you call them by adjectives.

Updated Chartopia roller

Campaign Journal: On the Road Again

 The Usual Suspects last Sunday:

• Frederick
• Slick
• Bonk
• Stumbleduck
• And a Player to Be Named at a Later Time

(Jax got introverted and went flower hunting, Rondel stayed to babysit 'his' gnolls, and Fulvus was suddenly absconded with by some extended family).

The gang stood at the town gate of Mithlonde as dusk fell. One of the guards asked them business and chatted about recent fires and increased humanoid raids in the area. He gave them the quick run-down of the town's amenities, and welcomed them in. Mithlonde is a modest walled town situated around a 'Y' in the trade road. 

The party approached the town square, where a number of caravans were parked. They recognized a certain odiferous wagon, that of the peddler gnome Hugo. Hugo greeted them and was relieved to find out that his potions had mostly worked, and no harmful side effects had occurred. He sold a few remaining healing potions to the gang for a slightly inflated price (most had been bought out, demand was up). He also had a few smoke bombs available to experiment with. Fred bought these for later use.

Campaign Journal: Knowledge Found, and Treachery Most Foul

"Slave, thou hast slain me. Villain, take my purse.

If ever thou wilt thrive, bury my body,

And give the letters which thou find'st about me

To Edmund Earl of Gloucester. Seek him out

Upon the British party. O, untimely death! Death!"

 - King Lear, Act 4, Scene 6

Foreshadowing...

At the conclusion of the last session, the party had retreated from the ruin and barricaded themselves in the annex building, hoping to retreat east to the trade roads in the morning. They spent a rough night being harried by many legs scratching and testing the spiked doors and a spider's voice in their heads warning them of their impending dooms for intruding upon her lair.

Frazzled, the party gathered their gear, preparing to break out and face the threats. While gearing up, Mareth noticed that the flagstones below the electric trapped plinth were mis-matched, hinting at a passageway. Some cautious prodding and levering tipped the stone off the hidden door. Mareth just had to touch it anyway in his ongoing quest to collect rubbings of etchings and carvings found. Fortunately the trap was 'mostly' discharged, and he took only minor damage from a weak shock.

As the party pried open the passage, and exterior door gave way, and this unfortunate monstrosity lumbered in:

Inured to the appearance of various Chaos mutations, the party focused fire on the creature, quickly putting it out of its (and their) misery. Fortunately, it was not able to spread its disease to its assailants, although Slick did dip a dagger into its bodily fluids for later use. Eww.

Hearing more spiders approaching, the party re-barricaded the door and descended into the dark.