White Box Setting

[The Wanderer]

I am in the process of creating a hexagon map of about 20x20 hexes in size. The idea is that it will form the beginning area for a campaign which can be expanded later.

I know everyone runs their own style of campaign but lets delve into this together. If you read Wayne Rossi's OD&D Setting PDF http://initiativeone.blogspot.com/2013/05/od-setting-posts-in-pdf.html it points out that there was a pretty wide variety in the implied world of OD&D. I think we can replicate that by having contributions by many White Box/OD&D fans.

So here is the idea: if you would like to contribute a hex or hexes to the White Box setting, you can post in this thread. I think a paragraph or two for your hex idea should be enough. This is White Box after all, lets keep it short and sweet. Please indicate the name you would like to be credited with for the final release.

If you want to contribute something larger, perhaps like a town, stronghold or even a short adventure, please send me a PM here or an email so we can work out details.

The final product will all be open content. Anyone can use it for publication (I doubt anyone will, but you never know). This will be a setting for White Box fans, you can help design it by contributing content.

I will compile everything in a couple months time and make a final PDF with art and maps. The final PDF will be free and the PoD will be at cost. I will use what art I have and free maps from Dyson Logos and Steve C to stock it and I'll pay for whatever else might be needed to finish it up (more maps, art, cover). If anyone has an artistic bone and wants to contribute that way, that would be fantastic.

So if you are interested in this workshop project, start posting your ideas!

[foxroe]

Sweet! Is it "anything goes" or do you want to follow a central theme? Will we be including overland adventuring rules?

[The Wanderer]

I think if it's anything goes there may be more people interested. My main job at the end will be to make it all fit together as best I can. Yes, travel rules will be added if needed.

[foxroe]

OK, I'll start. I assume there'll be a few castles in the grand OD&D outdoor tradition, so here's a short description for a hex containing a castle:

Atop an unnatural mesa of granite looms an abandoned, crumbling castle of ebony. The structure is of unknown origin and has been there longer than anyone can remember. At night, strange lights of many disturbing hues can be seen dancing about the upper parapets. The locals say that the dungeons below the edifice sprawl deeply into the mesa and contain treasures beyond imagining.

[foxroe]

Had another idea for the project, but it may be outside the scope (or perhaps it would add too much to the page count).

I was thinking about a simple one-page dungeon map with a one-page key of a "Lost Library" that's full of clues to other things on the map - sort of an impetus for players to want to explore. It could be part of a sub-hex breakdown.

What do you guys think? Too much?

[The Wanderer]

Thanks for contributing Foxroe!

I'm not too worried about the page count on this. I think as long as it remains easy to use with whatever we include in it, then we are good to go. So if you want to develop something bigger than just a simple hex description. All I would ask is that you map out what you think it should include so we can reasonably determine page count and go from there.

But I think we should hold on this idea and come back to it at the end of the project so them we know how much we have to work with and we can determine how many hexes to link to with hints from the library.

[merias]

Count me in, I'll see what I can dream up for hex descriptions. I like the library idea, like a sub-adventure full of hooks. I can see some of the info being out-of-date or partially destroyed, giving tantalizing clues but not much else. You could probably limit it to one page of scroll or book descriptions, one or two sentences each just to fire the GMs imagination.

[foxroe]

Wanderer - OK, sounds good. We can wait on it.

Merias - Yes! Exactly what I was thinking! The hooks don't necessarily have to point to anything existing in the hex descriptions; they can also include rumors and brief historical clues to inspire the referee to flesh them out or treat them as false. Something like:

"In the centuries following the collapse of the Great Eastern Empire, such artifacts of mysterious power have occasionally came to light, usually in the notorious markets of Trismos. Along with these pieces, of course, came the legends of the lost capital of the Empire, reputed to be filled with such creations. Many expeditions were mounted to recover these lost treasures of the Empire, but none returned, presumably lost to the whims of the Desert." - On Arcane Automatons, Amar al-Ahkteph

I suppose something like this can just be put into a hex description though - a dusty tome found in an abandoned mountain monastery infested with harpies or some such.

[ClawCarver]

How detailed do you want the hex descriptions? I know you said just a couple of paragraphs, but what about stats for NPCs and new monsters, treasure, etc? A full list, or just an indication? I'm guessing, this being White Box, that perhaps less is more. Something like:

A neat, pretty cottage, with two unusual features: (1) it is twice normal size, and (2) its roof is thatched not with straw but with a strange material resembling fibrous blue crystal. (It's asbestos.) This is the home of a retired Baalroch couple. Their only son has a job in a dungeon overseas. They worry about him, but to keep their minds occupied she does wordsearch puzzles and he follows the sports news. On a small plot of land behind the cottage they keep pigeons and pigs, and once a month they have their friends the Efreetis over for a barbecue. Buried under the pigeon coop is an iron strongbox containing 2,000 gp and a Helm of Fiery Brilliance.

While I was writing that, I thought of it as a joke example, but now I'm sorely tempted to use it.

[ClawCarver]

I was skimming through my notebook and found an idea that might fit in here. It would need to be in a coastal hex.

A deep bay surrounded by rugged cliffs. This was once the domain of Baron Vaeryg, whose blasphemies so outraged the gods that they caused his lands to be inundated by the sea for 999 years. In all that time, the water hasn't receded so much as a foot, but sages have calculated that the Ebb Tide is imminent. Now bands of treasure-seekers gather in camps around the bay, preparing to rampage across the weedy expanse and loot the barnacle- and limpet-encrusted ruins of Castle Vaeryg.

Expect pools of water containing giant varieties of sea anemones, marine worms, and crabs - lots of crabs. Expect hundreds of thousands of dead fish and huge flocks of wheeling, screeching seabirds. Expect many ghosts, the undead inhabitants of the drowned realm, including old Vaeryg himself. The castle dungeons will still be full of dark salt water and lurking things. And don't forget there are scores (at least) of cutthroats all vying for the same treasure.