Gods of the Forbidden North Sneak Peek 2.0

Hello Dear Readers! I have another sneak peek for you for the upcoming release from Pulp Hummock Games: Gods of the Forbidden North. I have been given a manuscript of Volume One of this multi-volume set. Good Lord, this is going to be a massive campaign.

The first thing I noticed in my perusal is that Volume One doesn’t assume you are a veteran of the OSR. Indeed, the first few pages walk you through how to read the idiosyncratic text format for monsters, encounters, magical things, etc. This makes Gods of the Forbidden North accessible to new players and not just for grognards like myself.

This opening chapter includes a wonderful explanation of wandering monsters and their importance to the game. (Wandering Monsters is something that is consistently underappreciated in my view, but I digress). Robert Alderman also includes a great “Wandering Monster Activity” chart that can assist referees in putting together interesting encounters. (If you are interested, I have a meditation on the importance of wandering monsters and encounter building here).

What I find quite refreshing in these opening pages of Volume One is that Robert Alderman doesn’t ignore reality. He provides the would-be GM with a breakdown of how to run this as the old-school style of play and the nu-school plot-driven style of play. I find it quite tedious that certain talking heads in the OSR talk about the OSR as if it is an exclusive club wherein if you dare to play a narrative-driven “story game” you are excommunicated. Story games can be fun, you just have to use the right system. Again, I will refrain from getting on a soapbox here…we are talking about elf games here folks. Relax, grab some nachos and beer, and roll some dice!

These opening pages of Volume One provide you with an explanation of how encounters were designed, their difficulty, and the expected total experience points and treasure your players are likely to gain. I’ve never really seen any module do this before. It is like our fearless author is providing a justification for what you have in your hands Or, perhaps he’s trying to get you, the would-be GM, to see behind HIS dungeon master screen. I am not entirely sure it is necessary to do this. However, the fact that page 18 tells you that there is a possibility of your players acquiring nearly 800,000 experience points tells you the scope of just the starter dungeons!

I almost passed out after reading that. I’m not kidding.

Okay…maybe I’m exaggerating, but I was legit shocked at how many experience points and treasures were available in just one book.

Okay, let’s turn to the cosmology. This is not like anything I’ve read in some time. This has elements of Cthulhu and the pulp authors that influenced Arneson and Gygax. I don’t want to give too much away, but there is a giant worm that is devouring all of space and time. Its head is cut off by these cosmic guardians and put in a prison called “The Tesseract of Time,” which is sealed in a giant magical cube. The cube is buried beneath the frozen north of the planet, Magis Terra.

Yeah…this ain’t gonna be Krynn, or the ridiculousness of Faerun.

When we fast forward 30,000 years, the End-Worm (that’s what it is called) is almost freed by a group of cultists. They built a vast underground city leading to the Virescent Cube. Their ritual backfired triggering the Cataclysm of Chaos, which wipes out the magic-using population. Defenseless, the cultist group is defeated by invaders. During this clash, the defenses the Caelorum (cosmic guardians) put on the tower guarding the Virescent Cube are damaged, allowing the forces of chaos to invade. A major villain then tries to unlock the secrets of the Cube…but something goes wrong. This big bad guy and his armies go silent. Now, the rulers of Valkengaard, the major city of the North, need adventurers to go adventuring to keep the bad guy population down.

I can’t summarize it all. I really can’t. However, when you read it, you will see the seeds of all of the adventuring you and your players are going to be doing for many, many years. The background is detailed but not burdensome. It has achieved a perfect balance between being informative and entertaining.

The world-building from cosmology to culture is top-notch. There is an entire chapter dedicated to the cultures and languages of the region, including the religions of the north. You will have common tongues, forgotten tongues, monstrous languages, and decipherable languages. There are three major cultures in the North with three major religions, including a brief discussion concerning the “Problem of Evil” in a campaign, and some good advice for referees of all levels.

But wait! There’s more!

There is another chapter dedicated to the City of Valkengard where the players will be making their homebase. This is more than just a short section of the book. There are approximately 25 pages dedicated to government & politics, population, districts, and notable places.

Rumor charts…the rumor charts are off the hook!

I’m not going to discuss the adventures placed in this book as I’ve already discussed a few of them here. However, there are seven of them. This is before we get into the hex crawl portion of this campaign, the underworld, and Castle Thar Ganon, the campaign’s mega-dungeon.

I do want to mention “The Eye of J’Karaa.” This is meant to be an introductory adventure that ties the players together with a common purpose and goal. Robert Alderman explains that he prefers to use this method (as opposed to meeting in a tavern) as it provides the players with a starting goal that is common to them all. This is entirely optional, but it is recommended for new players. Why? The first section of this adventure “The Voyage of Heroes” walks the players through character creation much like a videogame. This is a great idea that allows the players to be immersed as they make their characters. Again, this makes this massive multi-volume set accessible to new players and provides something new to veteran players.

Finally, there are a series of appendices in the first book to provide options for the referee to add quest completion awards, an alphabetized list of rules, hazards, and traps for quick reference for their function, and, of course, magic items and spells.

I try to keep these blog posts short as I assume that you, Dear Reader, are as busy as I am. This sneak peek into Gods of the Forbidden North has been a challenge as Volume One is 471 pages!

471 pages…just Volume One.

Let me say it again: 471 Pages.

To say that I am excited about this product is an understatement. The art is stellar. The layout is consistent with Old School Essentials, the appendices of which are going to be a major asset for the referee running this massive campaign.

I say campaign because that is what this is. It is not a mega-dungeon, it is not an adventure, it is a campaign. The sheer scope of the Forbidden North will give you and your players years of play.

Do yourself a favor Dear Readers, check this product out!