And now for something completely different: a solo campaign using the second edition of Five Leagues from the Borderlands with the following options.
- Default "war band" challenge level (p. 14)
- Unusual backgrounds (p. 63)
- Contracts (p. 81)
- Village events (p. 86)
- Consistent threat (p. 121)
The game state is tracked on this spreadsheet [Google Sheets].
War band
Start with four heroes and four followers (p. 60). All begin with the same base profile (Agility 1, Speed 4, Combat +0, Tough 3, Armour 0, Dash +2, Luck 0, Will 0). In each case, I'll roll 1d6 to pick the character's name from a set of five random names, with a roll of 6 causing me to generate a new set and roll again. Using chaosgen.com dubs the party "Scions of the Mark."
Heroes
Roll 4d20 and consult the relevant tables on p. 60 for each hero. Roll d100 and consult the table on p. 61 for each skill. I'll also roll d100 for an unusual background (p. 64) for the first hero, who will also be the Avatar (p. 67). The second hero will be the Retainer.
- Lleucu: 11, 18, 12, 20, 29 = +1 Speed, +1 Luck, 4£, Blessed, Avatar (+1 Luck, +1 Will).
- Surya: 13, 8, 16, 18 = +1 Tough, Quality weapon, Retainer.
- Elli: 14, 15, 18, 6, 46 = +1 Tough, Fine weapon, Parry skill.
- Henrik: 7, 9, 2, 18 = +1 Combat, 1£.
As Surya and Elli rolled a Quality weapon and a Fine weapon, respectively, the remaining two heroes also receive Quality weapons (p. 61). At most two may be missile weapons, and anyone with a missle weapon also receives a Light weapon.
As there are eight Quality weapons listed on pp. 49-50, I'll roll 1d8 each for Lleunu, Surya, and Henrick: 4, 7, 6 = Fencing sword, Pistol and dagger, Crossbow and cudgel. (I had to reroll once as the first set of numbers indicated three missile weapons.) Elli receives a Fine spear. [The Fencing sword adds +1 Agility if combined with a Light weapon, so I should try to get a dagger for Lleucu ASAP.]
Going back to p. 61, there's one set of Full armour and one set of Partial armour for the heroes; the other two may have Light armour or no armour. There is also one Helmet and one Shield.
Reviewing what these do on p. 51, I think it makes the most sense to give the Shield to Elli, Full armour to Henrik (Armour 3), and the Helmet and Partial armour to Surya (Armour 2). Lleuca and Elli will both have Light armour (Armour 1, +1 Dash).
Followers
Roll d100 and consult the table on p. 62 to determine the nature of each follower. The first follower also receives a random skill (p. 61).
- Ásvaldr: 50, 23 = Former soldier, Barter skill.
- Léonce: 85 = Outcast drifter.
- Payne: 57 = Hopeful youth.
- Chariclea: 71 = Deranged wretch.
According to p. 62, one follower may have a Self-bow with a Light weapon; the others either Standard or Light weapons. One may wear Light armour; the others either Militia armour or no armour.
After reviewing the information on pp. 48-9 and 51, I think it makes the most sense to give the Self-bow (with a dagger) to Payne and Light armour to Ásvaldr. The others carry short swords and wear Militia armour.
Resources
Finishing up (p. 63), the party have an additional (1d6=) 2£ for a total of 7£, plus two doses of Medical herbs. The campaign begins with (1d6=) 2 story points.
Region
Referencing p. 71, there are (1d6=2) two villages in the Hinterlands, which is where the campaign begins. Using name-generator.org.uk dubs them Hol and Plympbridg. Rolling as directed on p. 72 gives the following threat levels.
| Outlaws | Border Tension | Dark Secrets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hol | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Plympbridg | 4 | 4 | 4 |
(I assume that I need only establish villages for the current region and that others may be generated as/when the party travels to those regions.)
Campaign turn 1
The Scions of the Mark arrive in the village of Hol.
Village events
Unfavourable stories (d100 = 33) have circulated about the Scions prior to their arrival. True or not, they won't be welcome at the local drinking establishment and cannot Carouse this turn. That's fine.
There is no upkeep required, nor is anyone in need of healing.
The party decide to Labour (p. 76) to help the local villagers, perhaps hoping to improve their reputation, earning 2£ (total 9£) in the process. They also Scout (p. 77) the area (1d6=2) but they find no signs of enemy activity.
They visit the local market (p. 85) and barter (2d100 = 6, 25) over a Fine weapon but the price is just too high. Instead, they purchase a dagger (1£) for Lleucu and a War hammer (6£) for Surya. The Scions have a mere 2£ remaining in their collective purse.
Encounter
The Scions embark (p. 89) on an adventure (d100 = 60) and have a combat encounter (p. 92) with (1d6 = 4) Outlaws—the highest threat in the area—specifically (d100 = 24) Brigands. The encounter situation (p. 93) indicates (d100 = 97) that they've located the enemy's lair.
Opposition (p. 94-5, 98) consists of (2d6 = 2, 2 = 2 + 4 Number + 2 in Lair =) 8 Brigands (Speed 5, Combat +0, Tough 4, Armour 1), plus a Captain (+1 Combat, +1 Tough, +1 Armour) and a Lieutenant (+1 Combat, +1 Tough), all armed with Standard weapons such as short swords, except for one Archer armed with a Self-bow and a dagger.
That's a heavy amount of opposition for a first encounter. The Scions are outnumbered and the Brigands are individually faster and tougher than most of the war band. The prudent thing would be to retreat.
I'll let the dice decide, rolling 1d6 with 1-3 meaning they withdraw and 4-6 meaning that they engage. Here we go: it's a 1—they beat a hasty retreat.
Aftermath
According to p. 94, we also roll 1d6 to determine if the threat level increases: the result is a 3, which is less than the current threat level of 4, meaning that it remains unchanged.
The Scions quietly return to Hol, ending the campaign turn. They did not hold the field, of course, so there's no loot, but neither were there any casualties, so no need to check for injuries either. Following the Consistent Threat optional rule on p. 121, the next time they engage with Outlaws, they'll be Brigands.
The section on experience points (p. 122) states that each hero who "survived the encounter" receives 1 XP. I assume that running away counts as surviving, so that's 1 XP each for Lleucu, Surya, Elli, and Henrik. (According to p. 123, followers must "remain on the table at the end of the battle" to have a chance of improving.) At least everyone comes back alive and unharmed!
Thoughts
Well, that was… interesting. Not quite as eventful as it might have been—I have the feeling things would have gone very badly for the Scions if they'd engaged the Brigands—but certainly educational.
There was a fair bit of page-flipping, especially when connecting up certain rules with the corresponding tables, and a few things weren't spelled out quite as clearly one might wish. Possibly the third edition addresses such issues. Automated tools, such as a war party generator, would be welcome—I'd think they'd be fairly simple to make.
Let's see what the next campaign turn brings…
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