Monday 26 August 2019

Frozen Skies: The Phantom Skyship

OK, something a little different this week.

This is a piece of in-setting fluff, usable as an adventure hook or a red herring in a campaign. It may or may not be used to fuel the plot of the Frozen Skies setting. Depending on how well it is received, I may do more like it.


FROM: HMAS MACHA, PERSONAL FROM W/C O'MALLORY
TO: VICE AIR ADMIRAL CUNNINGHAM, HQ RAF ALYESKA COMMAND
REF NO: 5035, 14 MALDUN 1836

SIR,

AS PER YOUR ORDERS, TOOK THE MACHA ON AN EXTENDED PATROL ACROSS THE WULFLANDS TO THE MALLETT'S RIFT REGION. SUPPLEMENTARY TO YOUR ORDERS, WE PUT IN GOODWILL VISITS TO A NUMBER OF WULFLANDER SETTLEMENTS, THE RELEVANT DETAILS ARE INCLUDED IN THE ATTACHED REPORT.

WE REACHED THE MALLETT'S RIFT AREA ON THE FIFTH DAY SINCE LEAVING CALHALLOW, I SET THE CREW ABOUT SPOTTING WULVER MIGRATION ROUTES TO AID OPERATIONS ELSEWHERE AGAINST THE BEASTS.

IT WAS A QUARTER WAY THROUGH THE FIRST DOG WATCH WHEN PORTSIDE LOOKOUTS REPORTED AN AERIAL OBJECT DUE WEST OF THE MACHA. THE OFFICER OF THE WATCH SOUNDED ACTION STATIONS AND I WAS SUMMONED TO THE BRIDGE. THE OBJECT WAS IDENTIFIED AS AN AERIAL CRAFT, THOUGH ORIGINS UNKNOWN. ATTEMPTS TO HAIL THE CRAFT VIA RADIO AND SIGNAL LAMPS WERE TO NO AVAIL.

THE CRAFT CLOSED TO WITHIN HALF MILE OF THE MACHA, BUT MADE NO HOSTILE MOVES AND FLEW PARALLEL WITH US FOR SOME TIME. WE WERE ABLE TO GET A GOOD LOOK AT THE STRANGE CRAFT, CERTAINLY A DESIGN THAT I DID NOT RECOGNIZE. WE DID NOT SPOT ANY WEAPONS, NOR ANY OBVIOUS MEANS OF PROPULSION.

WITHOUT WARNING, THE CRAFT ABRUPTLY CHANGED COURSE HEADING WESTWARDS. THE CRAFT EASILY OUT-RANGED THE MACHA, EVEN AT A SPEED OF THIRTY-TWO KNOTS. THE CRAFT ALSO PROVED TO BE EXCEPTIONALLY AGILE, SEEMINGLY RAPIDLY ABLE TO COME TO A NEW HEADING WITHOUT DIFFICULTY.

THE WULFLANDERS WE QUIZZED AFTERWARDS REPORTED THAT THE CRAFT, AND MANY LIKE IT, HAVE BEEN SPOTTED IN THE MALLETT'S RIFT REGION OVER THE PREVIOUS FEW MONTHS. ATTEMPTS TO ESTABLISH CONTACT WITH THE CRAFT HAVE REPORTEDLY BEEN UNSUCCESSFUL.

SEAN O'MALLORY
CAPTAIN
O/C HMAS MACHA

Monday 19 August 2019

Frozen Skies: The Gardaí Aeir (Air Guard)

I've mentioned a few times already, part of the process of updating Frozen Skies to SWADE is making some revisions to the setting's lore. I've already revisited the Commonwealth with the intention of giving it a more Irish/Celtic flair, including having a national police force called the Garda. This week sees some changes to Alyeska, chiefly renaming the Royal Alyeskan Air Police to the Gardaí Aeir Alyeska.

Guardians of the Air


Compared to the Garda in the Commonwealth's Home Isles, the Air Guard of Alyeska is very much a colonial force. The Air Guard has more of a military feel, its officers being routinely armed in addition to being able to pilot an aircraft. Air Guard officers are expected to fly a wide range of aircraft, from scout aircraft to patrol remote areas to fully fledge fighter squadrons to help defend larger settlements.

The Air Guard divides Alyeska into Regions for command purposes, each Region roughly matching an geographical region. Regions are typically under the charge of Assistant Commissioners.

Directly subordinate to the Assistant Commissioners are Chief Superintendents, most of whom supervise what are called Divisions. Each Division contains a number of Districts, each commanded by a Superintendent assisted by a team of Inspectors. Each District contains a number of Detachments, which are usually commanded by Sergeants.

Typically each Detachments contains only one Garda station. A different number of Gardaí are based at each station depending on its importance. Most of these stations employ the basic rank of Garda, the smallest station consisting of only three men.

Ranks



  • Commissioner.
  • Deputy Commissioner.
  • Assistant Commissioner.
  • Chief Superintendent.
  • Superintendent.
  • Inspector.
  • Air Sergeant.
  • Garda/Airman.

Monday 12 August 2019

Frozen Skies: Mariners of the Air

Aaand we're back to Frozen Skies.

This is an idea that I've been considering for some time, mainly as an alternative way to managing NPC crewmen in the Frozen Skies campaign that I ran but struggle to come up with something at the time. Currently preparing to run a game in a different setting and system, one that involves spaceships and a degree of crew management. This other game prompted a train of thought and I've think I've come up with something that'll work for Frozen Skies.


Mariners of the Air


This is intended to be an optional set of rules that builds upon the Wealth Rules in SWADE, targetted at hose who like a little bit of bookkeeping and wish to have airships with sizeable crews. These rules come in two parts; Wealth Pool and Crew.

The Wealth Pool is a Wealth roll for the character's airship and works in a similar fashion. It starts at d4 but the characters can increase it by 'investing' in the collective wealth pool by transferring a die of their own Wealth to the Wealth Pool. In gameplay the characters can use the Wealth Pool instead of their own Wealth for trying to buy items, though the Wealth Pool is also used to make a once a month Upkeep roll for the airship. This roll represents the general upkeep of the airship, buying spare parts, fuel and supplies for the crew and works the same way when buying things. Though if the Wealth Pool goes 'broke', then the characters must transfer a die each of their own Wealth to avoid a mutiny by the crew.

Crew is, unsurprisingly, the crew of the airship. They start with a collective trait die of d6 for the relevant trait rolls they may be required to make (Shooting, Piloting, Repair, etc). This trait die (or Crew Rating) can be increased one step by reducing the die of the Wealth Pool by one, like downgrading the Crew Rating can increase the Wealth Pool as a lesser crew cost less in wages. The lowest Crew Rating will impose a -1 penalty on the Upkeep roll that will build up over successive months to a maximum of -4 if the Crew Rating stays at this level, representing the increased upkeep costs with a poorly trained crew.

Crew Rating

Incompetent - d4 - Upkeep rolls incur a -1 penalty that increased by -1 per month (to a max of -4) that the crew remains at this rating.

Competent - d6

Crack - d8

Veteran - d10

Elite - d12

Monday 5 August 2019

The Gwentshire Chronicles: Crostwick Combe

A third Gwentshire related in a row? What madness is this?!

On little bit of a roll with ideas for the Gwentshire Chronicles setting, this week it is a location. Since Gwentshire is meant to be roughly located where North Somerset is, it shares some geographical features with its real life counterpart. One of those features is a combe, effectively a small valley through which a watercourse does not run. In Gwentshire there are many combes, the most notorious of which is Crostwick Combe.


Crostwick Combe


Officially, Crostwick Combe does not exist.

It isn't marked on any maps and the scientific refuses to accept that it exist as no proof of its existence has ever been found. It is suppose to be located in the Weston Hills in sight of the Iron Age hill fort near the hamlet of Medbury, but many have searched and have found no trace of the combe. The locals, the older folk in particular, have stated; "To find the combe, let the light of the night be your guide."

Many have gone searching at night with little success, only a handful of people have claimed to have found the combe but have never been able to find it again. The only to actually find the combe is to use the light of the full moon and follow a path highlighted by the moon's glow. In the combe lies a pond up against a cliff, with a inscribed stone on the far side of the pond at the base of the cliff. What is actually written on the stone is unknown as nobody has been able to get close enough to read it and it is also partially obscured by plant growth.

The pond is said to be the residing place of the Old Wise Woman of Crostwick, called a mystic by some and a witch by others. Nobody knows who, or what, she is and it is stated that she's claimed to have been in the combe since "long before the Eagle marched across these lands."

Regardless of the truth behind the Old Wise Woman, many seek her out for answers to their questions. Answers she gives, though despite being truthful they are open to interpretation. She will only answer one question from a person and an ancient ritual is required to summon her in the first place.

Using Crostwick Combe


The only real reason that the player characters would have for visiting the Combe is to see the Old Wise Woman, though finding it and summoning the Woman would be an adventure in itself. Only allow one question per character, though the Woman's answers are a little vague but they will have a ring of truth about them. This can be a way to give big clues to the characters regarding other adventures or villainous NPCs.