Interlude: The Political Content of the Red Sands Campaign

The player characters are already aware of the shadowy Brotherhood of Luxor that stands opposed in some way to the Explorer's Society, or stands opposed to their aims, or ... well, the rumours in the Reading Room of Mayberry House¹ fly thick and fast. The Brotherhood of Luxor, often referred to as just "The Brotherhood" is an unknown quantity that is believed by many to be working on some nefarious scheme that could very well threaten the British Empire. Reliable information about The Brotherhood is regarded as a high priority by the Explorer's Society board of directors³. The players may reliably assume that The Brotherhood will be a recurring motif in the campaign .

In Kalamir we see someone working against the best interests of the players. Why? He represents the Royal Family of the independent city of Thoth. To the West of Thoth lies the network of cities now under British Protection. To the Southwest lies the city state of Shastapsh, now in open revolt against that same British influence. Kalamir is a diplomat, which means he is neck deep in the local political situation. Does he have a personal agenda, and if so is that agenda at odds with his allegiance to Thoth's ruling elite? We may find out as events play out, we may not. Perhaps it is merely a simple case of jingoistic xenophobia, a personal intense dislike for the Earthmen in the party. Perhaps he took insult from one of them in some way as yet unperceived by the player characters.

And are things only that simple? Are we, on Mars, in a simple situation of personal loyalties and Grand Villainies, or is it a place where plots boil just under the surface, waiting for some unwitting action to precipitate reactions completely unexpected by the players? Are there subterfuges and conspiracies anywhere one cares to look?

These are questions that may or may not be answered by Matt and Chris, assuming they can navigate their characters through events and draw meaningful conclusions from what they see, hear and read about in the newspapers⁴.

1. The London Headquarters of The Explorer's Society. The Dining Room at Mayberry House is open to all members of the Royal Geographical Society², The Reading Room is not, being reserved exclusively for those members holding membership in the Explorer's Society↑
2. Itself headquartered at 1, Savile Row↑
3. Rumoured to include members of the peerage and possibly a member of the Royal Family↑
4. Once they can get their hands on one↑

Episode Four: A Lucky Escape/At Court in Thoth/An Exotic Expedition

The Shastapsh cavalry had formed their firing squad and were marking targets with their muskets when they were enveloped in some sort of invisible force field that literally tore all but the two soldiers at the far right into pulp. Before anyone could properly process what had happened, it happened again, killing the final two soldiers in the firing squad. Waldmont thought he could see something but couldn't properly make it out. Then the air shimmered and a bizarre figure materialized seemingly out of thin air.

Dressed in a long coat, a top hat and odd, oversized-goggles with mirrored lenses, and carrying a large and very menacing weapon, still sizzling with lambent green lightning, it was obvious that here stood their saviour.

He inspected the dead, or what was left of them, and identified them as Shastapsh household cavalry. He also cast a jaundiced eye over the astounded party of Earthmen and Thoth soldiery, then threatened the Martians in a heavy Welsh accented English, using the most uncouth language laced with vile epithets at the Martians' expense. He demanded to know who the Earthmen were and where they came from, introducing himself as Roderick LLewelyn. Wilhelm attempted with little success to assess the weapon using his own not inconsiderate knowledge of modern science and engineering as the Welshman ranted at the Martians.

Mr LLewelyn finally mounted a small machine somewhat like a bicycle with stubby wings and a small boiler, began peddling, rose into the air and vanished. A few minutes later Wilhelm and Waldmont both made out the sound of chugging and could see a faint steam trail, though the flyer and rider were still invisible.

Gathering the Shastapsh gashants, helped by the Martians, the group of ten rode furiously back to the air raft, still carrying the two women and two wounded men. After transferring cargo and people, six of the gashants were hitched to the raft and the party made for the Royal Barge Pride of Thoth where they overcame stiff opposition by means of a daring night assault, retaking the barge and rescuing Princess Aramaranda and her General Factotum, Kalamir. The Princess invited the Earthmen to meet her father, the Prince of Thoth, who would want to properly reward them all for their role as rescuers.

Once in Thoth the Prince received the party in great pomp, Kalamir acting as translator between the Prince and the Earthmen. It gradually became apparent over the course of the next few hours, particularly at the feast that evening, that Kalamir was representing the Earthmen in less than their best light, indeed was colouring everything he translated so as to represent the Earthmen in as poor a light as possible. The rescue had been mainly possible thanks to the Martian forces acting on a plan he, Kalamir, had formulated in advance, with some superficial help from these boastful Earthmen who would like to take all the credit for the Princess's safe return to her beloved Thoth.

The Prince, somewhat put out by the picture he had of the Earthmen's motives, nonetheless asked them to travel with a diplomatic caravan that was bound for Meepsoor, from where the Earthmen could get transport to Syrtis Major with ease. For acting as guards he would pay them 100 pounds each. The team accepted this deal.

Thus is was that a few days later, Waldmont and Wilhelm found themselves on the long, thirsty trek across the Nepenthese-Thoth Steppe and the southernmost tip of the Isidis Desert, in the company of more Thoth soldiery, a caravan of flunkies and menials and ... Kalamir! Kalamir was the diplomat being conveyed to Meepsoor, and he had already begun to poison various members of the caravan against the Earthmen, including - apparently - Wiiso, the captain in charge.

Seven nights into the journey, Waldmont awoke. He didn't know what was wrong, but years exploring and hunting on Earth had given him some sort of sense about things, and things were wrong. He grabbed his rifle and crept stealthily from his tent, checking all around but seeing nothing, hearing nothing.

He might have gone back to his bed if he had not discovered one of the four night guards lying dead, badly mauled by what looked like some sort of feline, a big one.. He raced to the next guard post and was in the process of raising the alarm when he and the Martian were attacked by a dreaded Steppe Tiger, one of the most dangerous animals drawing breath on Mars. The cat-like creature attacked, but chose the Martian as its first victim, giving Waldmont time to aim his rifle. The Steppe Tiger turned to attack Waldmont and was sent to Martian Hell by an amazingly accurate and telling shot, which killed the foul beast outright.

The rest of the camp came racing out into the night, weapons waving hither and yon as their owners searched frantically for the source of the noise. Order was soon restored and Wiiso and Kalamir came to marvel at the kill, and the man responsible for saving everyone.

Interlude: Maps and Glossary of Some Setting Terms Used

Martian Climate
Mars is a dying world, slowly dehydrating from its original water-rich state over the thousands of years in which Martian civilization has existed. Mars was once covered in seas, and the Martians commanded a technology level Earth has yet to achieve when the leading Earth civilizations were still in the Bronze Age. It never rains on Mars. The water sources from the poles in "summer", where it freezes out during "winter". The water evaporates from the canals and is carried back to the poles on the prevailing winds.
Martian Canals
In the setting the canals of Mars come in three types:
Grand Canals
These canals are about a mile wide, contain water which varies in level by season (they are currently full almost to the brim), and are a major navigation route where they run. Grand Canals also act as major irrigation sources and provide a green belt along their water-bearing length. The network of Grand Canals was once much wider than it is today. Like everything on Mars, they are falling slowly into decay.
Petty Canals
These smaller canals are also water-bearing and serve as navigation routes and irrigation sources. These canals are sized about the same as their Terran counterparts.
Dead Canals
These canals no longer have open water in them, being silted up and full of drifted desert sand. They do, however, often hide subarean* water, support sheltered areas of vegetation and can be used as perfectly good roads through the desert.
Martians
Martians come in three general types:
Canal Martians
Canal Martians are typically between six feet and six-foot six-inches tall. They have fine dark hair and pale ocher skin. Their ears are big and somewhat pointed and their hands have three fingers and opposable thumbs. They have only three toes. Princess Aramaranda and Kalamir are Canal Martians as are the soldiers from Shastapsh.
Steppe or Hill Martians
Steppe Martians, such as the Martians who ambushed the Earthmen, are of smaller stature than Canal Martians. Steppe Martians have fanned pointed ears similar to those of the High Martians, and a fair but darker ocher complexion that is more golden brown than Ochre. Steppe and Hill Martians live a more tribal life than the "more civilized" Canal Martians.
High Martians
High Martians are reportedly savage, of more primitive appearance than other Martian races and they are said to be able to fly. We have not met High Martians. Yet.
Liftwood
Mars' big surprise, the wood of the liftwood tree is buoyant and can be used to build aerial ships. Such ships have plied the Martian skies for thousands of years. Liftwood is also used in Aetherships, to allow them to take off and land on planets. Buoyancy is achieved by mounting slats or planks of liftwood in a frame reminiscent of a Venetian blind. Tilting the slats with respect to the ground alters the amount of lift experienced by the vessel the frame is attached to. The task of adjusting the liftwood is performed by the Trimsman. Lack of a trimsman of sufficient skill was a significant factor in the wreck of HMS Glorious Dawn in Episode 2.

* - subarean: under the Martian soil. cf subterranean.

Sources: Space 1889 (GDW), Space 1889:Red Sands (PEG), The Campaign in Progress. Copyright is held by individual publishers. No challenge is intended.

Episode Three: Crossing The Nepenthese-Thoth Steppe

The PCs gathered their wits and assayed the wreckage of HMS Glorioous Dawn, recovering enough food and water for three days. They found charts and from them determined their position. They were in what was marked on their charts as the Nepenthes-Thoth Steppe, about halfway between the city states of Thoth and Shastapsh, approximately 30 miles from a Grand Canal. Knowing that Shastapsh was in open revolt against the British occupation of Syrtis Major, and guessing that Thoth was independent, the group decided to make for the canal, then turn north toward Thoth.

Accordingly, the wreckage was scavenged and a raft incorporating some of the Glorious Dawn's liftwood was constructed, providing a cargo platform that would hover a few feet off the ground when laded with the three day's supply of food and water they had managed to find, plus the ladies and a few other sundries. All this took some hours to arrange, and so night fell before they were ready to set out.

Judging the journey over unfamilar terrain with unknown hazards to be far too dangerous to contemplate - each was on his or her first trip to Mars - a defensible camp was made inside the wreckage field. After a good meal, the party set watches and attempted to get as much sleep as possible in the terrible unknowable dark of a Martian night on the steppe.

In the early hours of the morning the watchman was alerted by furtive movements in the pile of stores. Arousing some others, that worthy led an ambush of the interloper, who turned out to be the lone surviving pirate, grubbing for rations. The thief realized he was cornered and offered a deal; he would trade three day's worh of water and food for himself for information about the route to the canal, including a valuable pass-phrase that would, in his words, guarantee the user safe passage with any of the roving tribes of Steppe Martians hereabouts. The party members agreed to this deal and the pirate was seen off the camp with his supplies.

The next day the party, half the men harnessed to the raft with ropes, began the tedious crossing of the steppe toward the grand canal. After a few hours, in the early afternoon, the party was surprised by a group of Steppe Martians. The pass phrase was used but only seemed to amuse the Martians, who attacked. The party gave a good account of themselves, killing their attackers to a man, but there were casualties - one severely wounded and another, a german nobleman, who died. His wife insisted on immediate burial and so precious daylight was used interring the unfortunate baron. There was nothing for it but to make what camp they could and tough out another night on the Martian steppes.

The second day brought another encounter, another parley, but again the Martians sneered when the passphrase was used and attacked without mercy. This resulted in two more wounded, another death of a brave Earthman, and worse, the escape of at least one Martian thug. There was nothing for it but to bury the dead, load the wounded that couldn't walk onto the raft, and press on as fast as possible. Yet there was no sight of the canal when darkness forced a halt, and those in harness collapsed exhausted to the cruel Martian soil for yet another night's broken sleep in the cold of an alien night, serenaded by unEarthly sounds.

At approximately noon the next day (no-one had a watch calibrated for the Martian day and they only had the haziest notion of their latitude by which to judge the position of the strangely shrunken Sun) their scout crested a small rise and excitedly reported that they had reached the canal. However there was a complication in that the bank of the canal was currently occupied with a battle between two forces of unknown Martians. One side seemed to be a party of cavalry, which was attacking the other, consisting of a caravan with what looked to the uncertain eyes of the Earthmen as ceremonial trappings and banners. The caravan was about to be taken. The Earthmen immediately positioned themselves for effect and let fly with their rifles against the cavalry.

The result was instant. The cavalry wheeled and made an assault in formation against the party of Earthmen, but were immobilized when Wilhelm fired his Glue Gun with the valves wide open foor maximun effect. He gave them a second shot that would ensure they stayed put for at least an hour or more, and the party went down to speak with the caravan, which proved to consist of a handful of royal guards of Thoth and Princess Aramaranda, together with her advisor and her aging advisor, one Kalamir, who acted as interlocutor between the Earthmen and the princess, through their shared facility with French.

Princess Aramaranda, through Kalamir, let it be known that she and her entourage were traveling to Thoth, and that she required the party of Earthmen to accompany her and act as bodyguards in lieu of the guards lost to the Shastapsh cavalry attack (for indeed, those bellicose Martians had been in the service of the rebellious city-state of Shastapsh). The caravan was to travel about ten miles or so, where it would rendezvous with the royal barge and the Princess, along with her closest guard and her new allies, would sail the remainder of the distance to Thoth. Once there, the Prioncess would intercede with her father the King, who would doubtless reward the Earthmen by arranging safe passage to Syrtis Major and would certainly wish to feast with the brave men who had saved his daughter's life.

The caravan got underway, but was ambushed about halfway to the barge's mooring by a larger party of mounted Shastapsh troops. The caravan was completely surrounded and at a complete disadvantage, and Kalamir went to parley with Commander Neesh, the leader of the cavalry, under flag of truce. He returned with a grave countenance, advising the Princess to order a surrender. Kalamir said that the cavalry would escort the Princess to Thoth. The guard would be held until the Princess was safely in Thoth then released. The Earthmen would be escorted to Syrtis Major by a deputation of Shastapsh diplomats.

The Princess was persuaded and she and Kalamir were taken under guard toward Thoth. The guards and the Earthmen were rounded up and marched back to the place where they had interrupted the original ambush. They were disarmed, but not chained or restrained in any way. Curiously, the Shastapsh soldiers didn't think to confiscate the floating raft tethered to a peg, and so did not find the wounded Earthmen nor the armed Earthwomen hiding behind the cargo.

Upon arriving at the ambush site the Earthmen and Martian Thothian guards were lined up in front of the canal, while their guards drew their black powder longarms.

Things looked bad for the Party.

Interlude: Discussion of Setting

We are using the Savage Worlds Deluxe rules (soon to be made obsolete by the introduction of the next edition of Savage Worlds, but we may stick with what we know). House rules are minimal, currently the only one that springs to mind is the use of Spirit as the default for the Guts Skill (which players can overspend to boost but are advised not to be so silly).

I have individual rules for various Weird Science devices that cause issues, like Matt's goober gun. When fired for 2 points it very obviously uses his Shooting Skill roll, the rules are clear on that, but he can overcharge it to convert it to a burst template effect. I've ruled that if fired in this mode, the hit is guaranteed but the targets get the usual template chance to dodge.

So when he SHOOTS, he rolls a 4 or better, then makes his WEIRD SCIENCE roll to determine the level of effect as per the ENTANGLE spell. If he overcharges the weapon, he "hits" automatically but his WEIRD SCIENCE roll is matched vs the targets' Agility for escape purposes before being used to evaluate the level of gluey entanglement the enemy has suffered. I should probably have just ruled that he had no overcharge ability but I like the mayhem.

The Red Sands setting is a rather thin book that covers some of what's needed to play an enjoyable variation of the game of Space 1889. We also have the legacy GDW book to hand for more in-depth discussion of various in-world matters such as Martian waterway construction and more complete fauna lists. Getting players to reference this book BEFORE the SWD rulebook was a challenge. There are several neat options in the Red Sands book that can be made impossible to achieve after building out a character to SWD rules. A matter of available edges and prerequisites.

All the books I mention are available as PDFs from DrivethruRPG, though the PDF of the original GDW Space 1889 rulebook is an optical scan only with no OCR behind it, with no usable chapter index sidebar, which makes finding stuff very tedious indeed. I have yet to find a proper PDF of this book.

Savage Worlds has the significant advantage over all other versions of Space 1889 I've seen in that the system is very easy to pick up and quite straightforward to understand. It has only one way of approaching tests and challenges (unlike the original system which uses different mechanisms for skill checks and combat resolution).

If there's a downside it is that the magic system can seem rather lacklustre when compared to High Fantasy game engines like Pathfinder or D&D. That can be retrofitted by the GM of course, but the SW take offers much and from a small set of "template" spells a vast number of variations can be quickly run up using the concept of trappings. Thus lightning bolts and fire balls can start as the same basic spell with the same basic way of figuring out what happens to who, but the trappings make the effects of each quite different. Those interested might benefit from seeking out the Explorer's Edition which can be had for under $10.

One might think magic plays little part in the Victorian Steampunk world of Space 1889, but Weird Science is actually a pseudo-technological wrapper for the magic system of Savage Worlds. As per the rules that is all it is, but I know GMs who allow all sorts of wild ideas to be floated under the concept. I fall closer to the "as written" camp, at least for now, so as the game progresses you can follow along using the rules to see what's going on "under the hood" without assuming "hand waving".

I'll be coming back to this again in future interlude posts.

Resources:

Space 1889:Red Sands setting rulebook
Original Space 1889 Rulebook (GDW)
Savage Worlds Deluxe Rulebook

All links point to DriveThruRPG but RPGNow also carries the same titles.
PEG carries the Savage Worlds rules on their own site.

The Adventure Begins, and A Trip To Mars

This blog will record the progress (or otherwise) of the Space 1889 Red Sands campaign running on the first Saturday of each month at Legendary Realms' store in Lindenhurst, LI. 

The team has previously survived the ordeal of the crazed, diseased legionaries in Fort Oublié in the heart of the Libyan desert, recovering pages of the commanding officer's diary and a fragment of a scroll case with curious hieroglyphs incised on it. The scroll case itself has been spirited away by the fiendish couple calling themselves Mme and Msr Bourgeois, suspected in the poisoning of the unfortunate legionaries of Fort Oublié.

Professor Bottoms tasked the team to accompany his daughter Esmeralda to Mars, where she will compare the strange hieroglyphs on the fragment of scroll case with writing on sundry tombs and relics.

The trip was tediously uneventful until, with scant few miles to go before the ship would put into port at Syrtis Major - the hub of British influence on Mars - their aethership was attacked, crippled and boarded by dastardly Space Pirates! The pirates boarded in force, subduing all passengers whom they met and dealing violently with the crew. 

The player characters rallied the remainder of the passengers and led them in a brave frontal counter-attack, which was successful in killing all the pirates except for the four on the bridge, who the players corralled by means of a Weird Science entanglement gun before themselves boarding the pirate vessel to recover the kidnapped Esmeralda.

No sooner was the poor girl in safe hands than the pirate ship started to break away, threatening to decompress the PC's vessel and kill all aboard. Luckily, Wilhelm was able to rapidly instruct the passengers in the improvisation of a patch from whatever was to hand - beds, carpet and the like - and the departure of the pirate vessel was not accompanied by a grisly display of floating corpses.

But trouble was still at hand as the vessel had no aether propeller thanks to the pirates' opening shot, and no crew thanks to the boarding party's savage bloodthirst. Thus, the trapped pirates were forced to assume the duties of helmsman and trimsman as the ship plunged into Mars' atmosphere. The pirate at the helm was able to control the ship's direction, but the man at the trimsman console was in a blue funk and fumbled at every opportunity, resulting in the ship striking Mars' surface at great speed, breaking up on impact.

The PC's found themselves battered and sporting numerous minor wounds, as did the surviving pirates who immediately attacked. The PCs were eventually able to kill them all, but were aghast at what they were able to see once the battle was over.

They were standing in the matchwood remains of their ship, passengers lying pitifully on the wreckage, somewhere on the steppes of Mars.