Topic: Rolemaster One-shot set in Sanctuary Thieves' World.

[Druss_the_Legend]

I agree with MisterK.  You might be better off as doing this in four or five sessions, than as a one shot.

Yes. Agree. Quite ambitious to get through all of this in one session, esp if a few in the playgroup have not played b4.

[EltonJ]

A few in my play group. yes it's also their first time.

[Druss_the_Legend]

"The Hellhound’s Handbook: Tips for Avoiding a Swift Kick of Justice"

Sanctuary has laws against killing. City guards, armed escorts and the princes hounds will make murder difficult to get away with. Plan meticulously—have your alibi ironclad and your escape routes mapped out. Be ready with a safe house or a disguise complete with a fresh alias, because if things go south and someone ends up dead, you'll need more than just a quick getaway.

Prince Kittykat's crusade to cleanse the city of crime is no mere rhetoric. The Hellhounds, ever vigilant, have a hair-trigger response to criminal activity and might decide to deliver their own brand of justice on the spot. Their motto seems to be "strike first, ask questions never," so don’t expect any leniency.

Attacking a city guard is a sure way to meet a grim end. The nearest guard post is never far away, and eyewitnesses will be eager to point fingers and identify you as the culprit when the authorities come calling. Simply standing by while a crime unfolds could get you tagged as the lookout. In this town, if you look like a criminal, you probably are one.

Bribery is an art form. There’s a fine line between palm-greasing and making a "donation" to a soldier’s retirement fund. The latter is not only accepted but often a requirement when being questioned by the authorities. The most common language spoken in Sanctuary is money.

The Maze is barely patrolled by the authorities. And for good reason. It has its own laws - anarchy and disorder. Mugging and murder are acceptable pastimes here. Urchin gangs will welcome visitors with open arms and offer bargain rates for a guided tour and safe passage into a waiting ambush.

Updated version of adventure setting blurb.
"The Hellhound’s Handbook: Tips for Avoiding a Swift Kick of Justice"

There are laws against killing. City guards, armed bodyguards and the Princes Hounds will make murder difficult to get away with. Have a plan to cover your tracks and cover story at the ready. A place to lay low or a disguise with a new alias could be required if an encounter goes south and someone gets killed.

Prince Kittykat's crusade to cleanse the city of crime is no mere rhetoric. The Hellhounds, ever vigilant, have a hair-trigger response to criminal activity and might decide to deliver their own brand of justice on the spot. Their motto seems to be "strike first, ask questions never," so don’t expect any leniency.

Attacking a city guard or captain is a sure way to meet a grim end. The nearest guard post is never far away, and eyewitnesses will be eager to point fingers and identify you as the culprit when the authorities come calling. Simply standing by while a crime unfolds could get you tagged as an accomplice. In this town, if you look like a criminal, you're likely to be treated as one.

Bribery is a dangerous game, but there’s a fine line between that and making a "donation" to the barracks or a soldier’s retirement fund. The latter is not only accepted but often welcomed with open arms. The Maze is barely patrolled by the authorities and for good reason. Mugging and murder acceptable pastimes here.

[EltonJ]

Updated version of adventure setting blurb.
"The Hellhound’s Handbook: Tips for Avoiding a Swift Kick of Justice"

There are laws against killing. City guards, armed bodyguards and the Princes Hounds will make murder difficult to get away with. Have a plan to cover your tracks and cover story at the ready. A place to lay low or a disguise with a new alias could be required if an encounter goes south and someone gets killed.

Prince Kittykat's crusade to cleanse the city of crime is no mere rhetoric. The Hellhounds, ever vigilant, have a hair-trigger response to criminal activity and might decide to deliver their own brand of justice on the spot. Their motto seems to be "strike first, ask questions never," so don’t expect any leniency.

Attacking a city guard or captain is a sure way to meet a grim end. The nearest guard post is never far away, and eyewitnesses will be eager to point fingers and identify you as the culprit when the authorities come calling. Simply standing by while a crime unfolds could get you tagged as an accomplice. In this town, if you look like a criminal, you're likely to be treated as one.

Bribery is a dangerous game, but there’s a fine line between that and making a "donation" to the barracks or a soldier’s retirement fund. The latter is not only accepted but often welcomed with open arms. The Maze is barely patrolled by the authorities and for good reason. Mugging and murder acceptable pastimes here.

I guess there is a reason why I like heroic and high fantasy, and stayed away from gritty fantasy.  This is too gritty for me.  But I hope your players enjoy it.

[Druss_the_Legend]

Updated version of adventure setting blurb.
"The Hellhound’s Handbook: Tips for Avoiding a Swift Kick of Justice"

There are laws against killing. City guards, armed bodyguards and the Princes Hounds will make murder difficult to get away with. Have a plan to cover your tracks and cover story at the ready. A place to lay low or a disguise with a new alias could be required if an encounter goes south and someone gets killed.

Prince Kittykat's crusade to cleanse the city of crime is no mere rhetoric. The Hellhounds, ever vigilant, have a hair-trigger response to criminal activity and might decide to deliver their own brand of justice on the spot. Their motto seems to be "strike first, ask questions never," so don’t expect any leniency.

Attacking a city guard or captain is a sure way to meet a grim end. The nearest guard post is never far away, and eyewitnesses will be eager to point fingers and identify you as the culprit when the authorities come calling. Simply standing by while a crime unfolds could get you tagged as an accomplice. In this town, if you look like a criminal, you're likely to be treated as one.

Bribery is a dangerous game, but there’s a fine line between that and making a "donation" to the barracks or a soldier’s retirement fund. The latter is not only accepted but often welcomed with open arms. The Maze is barely patrolled by the authorities and for good reason. Mugging and murder acceptable pastimes here.

I guess there is a reason why I like heroic and high fantasy, and stayed away from gritty fantasy.  This is too gritty for me.  But I hope your players enjoy it.

One of the Amazing things about the hobby of role-playing is the varied worlds you can play in. Even when using the same rules system, the experience can vary tremendously based on the GM, the setting and the tone of the game and the players themselves. I have kept Sanctuary gritty and dark. The world has evolved and has been heavily influenced by my favourite author David Gemmel and films like Conan the Barbarian. Gemmel based his style on Robert.E.Howard and it shows in the brutal and realistic narrative they both use for combat. Since moving to playing online 11-12 years ago I have been deliberate about what images for NPCs and locations I use. What began as a low magic campaign based in a single city has expanded into a more far reaching epic campaign. The themes of betrayal, good versus evil and power and corruption have remained. Gemmel was a master of writing anti-heroes - legendary fighters and swordsmen who were fallible and often had a darker side or were haunted by their past.

[EltonJ]

One of the Amazing things about the hobby of role-playing is the varied worlds you can play in. Even when using the same rules system, the experience can vary tremendously based on the GM, the setting and the tone of the game and the players themselves. I have kept Sanctuary gritty and dark. The world has evolved and has been heavily influenced by my favourite author David Gemmel and films like Conan the Barbarian. Gemmel based his style on Robert.E.Howard and it shows in the brutal and realistic narrative they both use for combat. Since moving to playing online 11-12 years ago I have been deliberate about what images for NPCs and locations I use. What began as a low magic campaign based in a single city has expanded into a more far reaching epic campaign. The themes of betrayal, good versus evil and power and corruption have remained. Gemmel was a master of writing anti-heroes - legendary fighters and swordsmen who were fallible and often had a darker side or were haunted by their past.

Ah, yes this is true.  The worlds you can play in is infinite -- and the style of the GM and the players will show through as well.  Just because I don't like Thieves' World, doesn't mean that someone else won't like it either.  And you like Thieves' World, so you do run your games in it.  I happen to like Greyhawk (a lot), and I sometimes like the high fantasy hi-jinks that come with it.  I also like Eberron, and I know Dark Sun has a lot of potential if developed right.

I bet other game masters have their own style figured out.  Whether their worlds are Thieves' World, Lankhmar, Conan, or Shadow World; that would show through.

[Druss_the_Legend]

One of the Amazing things about the hobby of role-playing is the varied worlds you can play in. Even when using the same rules system, the experience can vary tremendously based on the GM, the setting and the tone of the game and the players themselves. I have kept Sanctuary gritty and dark. The world has evolved and has been heavily influenced by my favourite author David Gemmel and films like Conan the Barbarian. Gemmel based his style on Robert.E.Howard and it shows in the brutal and realistic narrative they both use for combat. Since moving to playing online 11-12 years ago I have been deliberate about what images for NPCs and locations I use. What began as a low magic campaign based in a single city has expanded into a more far reaching epic campaign. The themes of betrayal, good versus evil and power and corruption have remained. Gemmel was a master of writing anti-heroes - legendary fighters and swordsmen who were fallible and often had a darker side or were haunted by their past.

Ah, yes this is true.  The worlds you can play in is infinite -- and the style of the GM and the players will show through as well.  Just because I don't like Thieves' World, doesn't mean that someone else won't like it either.  And you like Thieves' World, so you do run your games in it.  I happen to like Greyhawk (a lot), and I sometimes like the high fantasy hi-jinks that come with it.  I also like Eberron, and I know Dark Sun has a lot of potential if developed right.

I bet other game masters have their own style figured out.  Whether their worlds are Thieves' World, Lankhmar, Conan, or Shadow World; that would show through.

The one-shot I created is based on a larger campaign that uses Thieves World as its primary setting. I started using the setting in 1986 and we played for 2 years before the group disbanded for a while but reformed 11 yrs ago to play the same campaign again. Since then we have added two more players and the group meets up online every summer for around 3 months of Rolemaster. We are about to start Season 8 this summer. Each season is 10 sessions and each session is about 4 hours. Thats a lot of adventuring! I intent to conclude the campaign after Episode 10. I have kept detail records of each season (especially the last 3-4) an will probably write a book about the adventures of Ugh and Fleck in the future. Those two foundation characters have been there from the start.

[EltonJ]

There seems to be a whole roleplaying product based of Thieves' World.  It was put out by Chaosium of all places.  The product was to be used by any game system.

[Druss_the_Legend]

There seems to be a whole roleplaying product based of Thieves' World.  It was put out by Chaosium of all places.  The product was to be used by any game system.

Correct. Its the setting I use. I bought it around 1985. At the time i didnt know it was based on a series of novels or that there were graphic novels. The boxed edition is a stand alone rpg game and has stats for a range of other rpgs. it comes with maps of the city, common locations, NPC descriptions and enough details about the gods and cultures in Sanctuary. What really brings the setting to life is the encounter tables that complement the rich background material. I found two modules made for the setting around 1988 (The Spirit Stones and Traitor). I picked up the Companion book for the setting in 1989. Around 2010 I picked up the Thieves World Gazetteer and another module I was missing (Assassin). Each Thieves World module adds more maps and NPCs from the city. TW Companion has a really cool detailed map of the Dungeon. It also adds MERP stats which are compatible with Rolemaster.

The crime-lord Jubal is detailed in one of the modules and it explains how to play him and what motivates him (wealth and information). The city is the perfect size for adventuring in and under. There are sewer maps provided also and you can add in details to the template they give you so that your version of the city of Sanctuary is unique. There are tables to populate each district with shops and merchants. Despite adventuring there for close to 30yrs there are still shops and areas my players havent been yet.

I still own the first 3 Thieves World Novels and use them as source material for people and places in Sanctuary.

[Druss_the_Legend]

There seems to be a whole roleplaying product based of Thieves' World.  It was put out by Chaosium of all places.  The product was to be used by any game system.

I have this, plus 3 modules for the setting, Companion rulebook, Thieves World Gazetter and Shadowspawns Guide to Sanctuary hard cover^
https://grognardia.blogspot.com/2021/04/retrospective-thieves-world.html

[Druss_the_Legend]

I am wrapping up my main Roelmaster campaign this weekend. This will free me up to run this one-shot with a few diff groups before the end of 2024.
I'll post up how it goes