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René said:
This is great news and long overdue as far as self-contained single adventure's go. I like the price and the format.
As for the setting and the fact that hero's have already been established in those settings, the new Age of Conan paperbacks are tackling that same issue. These are stories of hero's other than Conan in the Hyborian world. Like the King, I like to use familar settings as a base and then create settings/worlds (Star Wars) after the players are comfortable. In the Conan RPG, there hasn't been a emphasis on being a Hero to the world - more like living for the adventure.
This is the problem.
As the GM I try to show my players Conan's 'footprints' from time to time. I avoid placing King Conan as NPC in my adventures, but leaving a hint here and there makes the scenario a little more flavourful IMHO. Redoing Conan's adventures with my PCs means erasing Conan from the background of the whole story, which I really don't want to do.
Yeah, I think so too. By the way, the TSR Conan RPG of the '80s had the adventure for "The Tower of the Elephant" included in the boxed set, and I remember running it with a couple players who started out in the tavern looking for the bold drunk slaver to kill, etc - 'cause Conan did it. From that experience I started adapting adventures written from established material like stories to make them "different" enough from the source material so players are doing their own thing.Zeus said:
Jason Durall
Mongoose
Zeus said:
I don't know... the James Bond 007 game managed to have adventures based on the exploits of Bond, though written for the player-characters, and still have Bond as a character within the setting. Similarly, the game Darkwood puts the characters as the equivalents of the Merry Men in old Sherwood Forest, and assumes that facts gave way to legend in the creation of the Robin Hood myth.
In this case, one might just assume that maybe Conan's exploits aren't always accurately depicted, or that he never undertook that one adventure.
The new Age of Conan novel, Blood of Wolves, has its protagonist a Cimmerian outcast named Kern, during the time of Conan's regency in Aquilonia. Some of the characters joke that their own exploits will probably get attributed to Conan even though he hasn't been in Cimmeria in years, and even spin a more outrageous version of their recent battle, featuring the famous expatriate.
As a GM, the Hyborian world is what you make of it. I applaud your attempts to keep the tone consistent, and to maintain the presence of its most famous resident, but don't let that be a straightjacket to creativity.
My GM style tends to take the philosophy that the PCs are the most important people active in the world right now - at least to them and those around them. There may be other heroes or NPCs who're more powerful or influential, but at no time should my players get a sense of not being as cool or significant as an NPC. They're the heroes of the story... let them take the reins, and shape the background to fit their presence.
slaughterj
Mongoose
Bregales said:
Heh, funny you should mention that, because I used to run Star Wars d6 a lot many years ago, and the PCs were in the Battle of Hoth, where they encountered Luke who was quickly asking for someone to be his co-pilot to battle the AT-ATs. Well, of course all the players knew the story, but one stepped up to do it, Luke's ship was shot down, Luke thought the co-pilot was dead and fled, but the PC survived wounded and unconscious, and was just pushed down by the AT-AT, not crushed to death - made for a VERY entertaining game session! Especially because I had the movie playing at the same time, and the player stepped in the kitchen briefly for a drink, only to overhear Luke say the co-pilot's name, which sounded remarkably similar to his character's!
Thus, from my experience, I say, weave Conan and his exploits in as you like, and if something changes because of the PCs, oh well, it's just a game, but things may well work out anyway. I minimize the inconsistencies by running "similar" situations, e.g., PCs in the Zamboula temple at a different time with a different evil priest - works great and no consistency issues.
slaughterj
Mongoose
Zeus said:
Understandable enough. But as I noted above, make the slight changes (e.g., a different wizard, the wizard is gone and the apprentice is there, etc.) yourself so that the adventure is still playable with minimal effort and doesn't affect your consistency. Works great!
Sure, but it would be hard for some players to believe that they can actually do anything important in the Tower of the Elephant.
It is impossible to visit the Tower after Conan, because it doesn't exist anymore. It is also almost impossible to visit the Tower and live, as Conan was the first one to return alive. The GM has very little space for himself.
I'm not saying tTotE is useless - it just doesn't fit my style of GMing Conan and I would prefer a module that expands original stories instead of making your group 'rewrite' it completely.
It is impossible to visit the Tower after Conan, because it doesn't exist anymore. It is also almost impossible to visit the Tower and live, as Conan was the first one to return alive. The GM has very little space for himself.
I'm not saying tTotE is useless - it just doesn't fit my style of GMing Conan and I would prefer a module that expands original stories instead of making your group 'rewrite' it completely.
The King
Cosmic Mongoose
You still can expand the initial material and have it happen in Tarantia, Messantia or somewhere else. Yara can be renamed Raya (for instance) and Yag-Kosha wasn't the only rebel being coming on earth.Zeus said:Sure, but it would be hard for some players to believe that they can actually do anything important in the Tower of the Elephant.
It is impossible to visit the Tower after Conan, because it doesn't exist anymore. It is also almost impossible to visit the Tower and live, as Conan was the first one to return alive. The GM has very little space for himself.
I'm not saying tTotE is useless - it just doesn't fit my style of GMing Conan and I would prefer a module that expands original stories instead of making your group 'rewrite' it completely.
Then you don't need to explain your players: "tonight the adventure is called the Tower of the Elephant".
With added and modified info your players could even not notice the link between the original Howard's adventure and this one.
Think of the Conan movie where the serpent towers are inspired from the tower of the elephant but the design is totally different.
Not that I'm aware of, but check out Mongoose's subsequent releases - September 2005 releases; or the Conan page. It's listed as a Conan product, maybe an adventure?.bolen said:
red_herring
Mongoose
There are a couple of nice write ups for Heretics and Tower on the site...
Heretics of Taranita
Not all battles take place in the open. Not all hatreds are settled by the sword.
In Tarantia, the princely capital of Aquilonia, dark plots and insidious schemes are afoot. King Conan is gone from the throne, adventuring in foreign lands. His seneschal, Count Trocero, has been called back to Poitain, leaving the administration of the government in the hands of Publius, the chancellor.
It is in this fertile ground that evil schemes first begin to bear fruit, beginning with the murder of a respected priest of Mitra in the streets of Tarantia itself. His last, gasping words hint at something darker, that his death was but the tip of a spear intended to plunge through the very heart of King Conan’s reign. Whether that spear strikes home depends upon the Player Characters.
Unraveling the plots and intrigues threatening to set the entire city aflame will take more than a strong sword-arm; it will take wits, intuition and luck. If the Player Characters succeed, the city, as well as Conan’s rule, will survive. If they falter, it could mean the beginning of the end for Aquilonia, the Flower of the West.
‘If they are black magicians,’ he had said, ‘how will they suffer you to harry them? If they are not, there is no evil in them. Crom’s devils! Let men worship what gods they will.’
Robert E. Howard, The Hour of the Dragon
Heretics of Tarantia is a Conan Roleplaying Game scenario of a different breed. Rather than hunting through a plague-ridden jungle in search of a city so old it has been forgotten by history – and would best stay that way, or tracking a corrupt sorcerer to his demon-haunted layer, bringing him to bay and slaying him to prove the might of metal over magic, Heretics of Tarantia is a story of intrigue, backstabbing, politicking and murder in that most princely of cities, Tarantia, capital of Aquilonia, the Flower of the West.
A foully murdered priest of Mitra sets the Player Characters upon a course of investigation and adventure, searching for the culprit in a quest that takes them from the greatest halls of the city to the lowest dregs. At first glance, the answer seems clear, but as the Player Characters uncover more and more information, they will learn that not all is as it seems, and that they have stumbled upon an intricate plot that could very well spell doom for Tarantia, even for Aquilonia itself.
Games Masters who are concerned that an intrigue-based scenario may not have the fevered pace and clashing of desperate sword blows so integral to the Conan stories need not worry – there is action aplenty for the Player Characters within these pages. Heretics of Tarantia, however, exercises the strength of the Player Characters’ minds as much as it does their sword arms. Those Player Characters who attempt to solve all their problems with a furious war cry and a leap into the fray may find themselves out of their depth, as there are enemies within this scenario beyond the immediate reach of sword or bowshot. Strong sword arms are needed here, certainly, but Player Characters who are to succeed must recognise there are times a carefully laid plan, or a few questions asked of the right person, can be stronger allies than a thousand blades. The time for bloody work will come at the end of the scenario, but to get there, the Player Characters must rely on cleverness, guile and intellect.
Heretics of Tarantia takes place in Tarantia, as mentioned above. It is not necessary for the Games Master to own Aquilonia – Flower of the West in order to run this scenario, but it is highly recommended. Not only will the sourcebook provide a great deal more background information than can be included in this scenario, it will serve the Games Master well by giving him the information he needs to weave Heretics of Tarantia into the larger tapestry of his campaign world.
Heretics of Tarantia is intended for a group of four to six Player Characters of approximately 5th to 7th level, though since much of it relies on the Player Characters’ problem-solving abilities, it can easily be adjusted to accommodate groups of higher or lower character levels.
Tower of the Elephant
In the Zamoran city of Arenjun, amidst the cold and gleaming shrines of the city’s temple district, stands a single tower. Surrounded by a pair of walled, tiered gardens, the tower thrusts 150 feet into the Zamoran sky, a perfect cylinder crowned with gems. Unmarred by doors or windows, the tower seems remote, impenetrable and alien, a spire utterly out of place in Arenjun. It is the abode of Yara the priest, and home to the Elephant’s Heart, thought to be the most valuable jewel in the world, and the secret of Yara’s power.
Throughout Arenjun and all of Zamora, rumours of the tower are as thick as flies in the Maul, the rotting slum of Arenjun where thieves, murderers and mercenaries mingle with lunatics, prostitutes and fugitives in a lawless orgy of decadence and revelry. It is said that the tower was built in the space of a single night, and is formed of pure silver, blindingly bright by day but glimmering like water beneath the wan light of the moon. Brave men whisper in fear of the stories of its bestial and alien guardians, ceaselessly patrolling the gardens, and of the legions of guards manning the tower’s lowest levels. Of what lurks in the upper levels, where the great gem lies, the rumours seem more as if they are nightmares given voice than anything which could be real. No matter the verity of the rumours, one thing is absolute truth – the tower and its master are talismans of terror, even to the fearless rogues of Zamora. Despite the fabulous wealth it surely contains, no thief has yet had the courage to assay Yara’s cursed tower – at least, none have tried and lived.
The Tower of the Elephant is the first in a new series of Conan adventure scenarios from Mongoose Publishing. Based directly on the original story by Robert E. Howard, The Tower of the Elephant allows the Player Characters to undertake the very adventures that made Conan the legend he is. In the case of an adventure like The Tower of the Elephant, this will mean that Conan himself did not undertake to scale the tower and steal the gem.
These scenarios give Player Characters the opportunity to test their mettle against the greatest of all adventurers – Conan of Cimmeria. Can they survive the trials otherwise set before him? Have they the courage, the stoutness of heart, clearness of mind and strength of sinew to walk the path trod by the mighty barbarian? The Tower of the Elephant will test not only their capacity for violence, stealth and greed, but for mercy, subtlety and intuition as well. Player Characters who rely solely on the might of their sword arms to resolve problems will likely learn a hard (and potentially fatal) lesson within the bejeweled walls of the Elephant Tower. Have they the mettle and skill to tread where Conan might have walked?
The Tower of the Elephant is intended for a party of four to six Player Characters of 2nd or 3rd level, preferably representing a range of character classes.
Heretics of Taranita
Not all battles take place in the open. Not all hatreds are settled by the sword.
In Tarantia, the princely capital of Aquilonia, dark plots and insidious schemes are afoot. King Conan is gone from the throne, adventuring in foreign lands. His seneschal, Count Trocero, has been called back to Poitain, leaving the administration of the government in the hands of Publius, the chancellor.
It is in this fertile ground that evil schemes first begin to bear fruit, beginning with the murder of a respected priest of Mitra in the streets of Tarantia itself. His last, gasping words hint at something darker, that his death was but the tip of a spear intended to plunge through the very heart of King Conan’s reign. Whether that spear strikes home depends upon the Player Characters.
Unraveling the plots and intrigues threatening to set the entire city aflame will take more than a strong sword-arm; it will take wits, intuition and luck. If the Player Characters succeed, the city, as well as Conan’s rule, will survive. If they falter, it could mean the beginning of the end for Aquilonia, the Flower of the West.
‘If they are black magicians,’ he had said, ‘how will they suffer you to harry them? If they are not, there is no evil in them. Crom’s devils! Let men worship what gods they will.’
Robert E. Howard, The Hour of the Dragon
Heretics of Tarantia is a Conan Roleplaying Game scenario of a different breed. Rather than hunting through a plague-ridden jungle in search of a city so old it has been forgotten by history – and would best stay that way, or tracking a corrupt sorcerer to his demon-haunted layer, bringing him to bay and slaying him to prove the might of metal over magic, Heretics of Tarantia is a story of intrigue, backstabbing, politicking and murder in that most princely of cities, Tarantia, capital of Aquilonia, the Flower of the West.
A foully murdered priest of Mitra sets the Player Characters upon a course of investigation and adventure, searching for the culprit in a quest that takes them from the greatest halls of the city to the lowest dregs. At first glance, the answer seems clear, but as the Player Characters uncover more and more information, they will learn that not all is as it seems, and that they have stumbled upon an intricate plot that could very well spell doom for Tarantia, even for Aquilonia itself.
Games Masters who are concerned that an intrigue-based scenario may not have the fevered pace and clashing of desperate sword blows so integral to the Conan stories need not worry – there is action aplenty for the Player Characters within these pages. Heretics of Tarantia, however, exercises the strength of the Player Characters’ minds as much as it does their sword arms. Those Player Characters who attempt to solve all their problems with a furious war cry and a leap into the fray may find themselves out of their depth, as there are enemies within this scenario beyond the immediate reach of sword or bowshot. Strong sword arms are needed here, certainly, but Player Characters who are to succeed must recognise there are times a carefully laid plan, or a few questions asked of the right person, can be stronger allies than a thousand blades. The time for bloody work will come at the end of the scenario, but to get there, the Player Characters must rely on cleverness, guile and intellect.
Heretics of Tarantia takes place in Tarantia, as mentioned above. It is not necessary for the Games Master to own Aquilonia – Flower of the West in order to run this scenario, but it is highly recommended. Not only will the sourcebook provide a great deal more background information than can be included in this scenario, it will serve the Games Master well by giving him the information he needs to weave Heretics of Tarantia into the larger tapestry of his campaign world.
Heretics of Tarantia is intended for a group of four to six Player Characters of approximately 5th to 7th level, though since much of it relies on the Player Characters’ problem-solving abilities, it can easily be adjusted to accommodate groups of higher or lower character levels.
Tower of the Elephant
In the Zamoran city of Arenjun, amidst the cold and gleaming shrines of the city’s temple district, stands a single tower. Surrounded by a pair of walled, tiered gardens, the tower thrusts 150 feet into the Zamoran sky, a perfect cylinder crowned with gems. Unmarred by doors or windows, the tower seems remote, impenetrable and alien, a spire utterly out of place in Arenjun. It is the abode of Yara the priest, and home to the Elephant’s Heart, thought to be the most valuable jewel in the world, and the secret of Yara’s power.
Throughout Arenjun and all of Zamora, rumours of the tower are as thick as flies in the Maul, the rotting slum of Arenjun where thieves, murderers and mercenaries mingle with lunatics, prostitutes and fugitives in a lawless orgy of decadence and revelry. It is said that the tower was built in the space of a single night, and is formed of pure silver, blindingly bright by day but glimmering like water beneath the wan light of the moon. Brave men whisper in fear of the stories of its bestial and alien guardians, ceaselessly patrolling the gardens, and of the legions of guards manning the tower’s lowest levels. Of what lurks in the upper levels, where the great gem lies, the rumours seem more as if they are nightmares given voice than anything which could be real. No matter the verity of the rumours, one thing is absolute truth – the tower and its master are talismans of terror, even to the fearless rogues of Zamora. Despite the fabulous wealth it surely contains, no thief has yet had the courage to assay Yara’s cursed tower – at least, none have tried and lived.
The Tower of the Elephant is the first in a new series of Conan adventure scenarios from Mongoose Publishing. Based directly on the original story by Robert E. Howard, The Tower of the Elephant allows the Player Characters to undertake the very adventures that made Conan the legend he is. In the case of an adventure like The Tower of the Elephant, this will mean that Conan himself did not undertake to scale the tower and steal the gem.
These scenarios give Player Characters the opportunity to test their mettle against the greatest of all adventurers – Conan of Cimmeria. Can they survive the trials otherwise set before him? Have they the courage, the stoutness of heart, clearness of mind and strength of sinew to walk the path trod by the mighty barbarian? The Tower of the Elephant will test not only their capacity for violence, stealth and greed, but for mercy, subtlety and intuition as well. Player Characters who rely solely on the might of their sword arms to resolve problems will likely learn a hard (and potentially fatal) lesson within the bejeweled walls of the Elephant Tower. Have they the mettle and skill to tread where Conan might have walked?
The Tower of the Elephant is intended for a party of four to six Player Characters of 2nd or 3rd level, preferably representing a range of character classes.
red_herring
Mongoose
I'm glad to see that the number of adventures is on the rise, and even happier that they're both listed at $9.95.
Ideally, I'd like to at least two or three published adventures directly supporting every sourcebook. Heretics fits the bill for Aquilonia, and I certainly look forward to additional materials for Messantia, Thunder River, and Shadizar.
-RH
Ideally, I'd like to at least two or three published adventures directly supporting every sourcebook. Heretics fits the bill for Aquilonia, and I certainly look forward to additional materials for Messantia, Thunder River, and Shadizar.
-RH
