Topic: The adventures in Shadow World

[craggles]

Hi All.

I've been loving all the Shadow World detail in the Master Atlas and it's inspired me a lot (hence a few images uploaded) and I'm currently doing an Eidolon illustration (which I may need some help on certain details that I'm not too clear on ...and more on that another time).

My question today is related to all the adventure modules available for the Shadow World:

Are all these adventure modules designed to be played by a group until that adventure finishes and then the next adventure module will need new characters generated in order to play that?
As opposed to having the same adventure party tackle the next module and then the next etc?

The whole world is designed to be isolated from each other through un-passable mountains, treacherous seas and constant essence flow storms etc, and as such, makes travelling beyond your starting point on the Shadow World very difficult (intensionally so) without the aid of Navigators or passage on the sky ships which are prohibitory expensive.

Is there a feasible way to jump from the completion of one module to the start of another and if so, would there be a particular order to play them?

Thanks!

[cdcooley]

No, they certainly weren't created with the idea that you would use all of them for any particular group, but you also don't have to treat them individually.  It's better to think of each of them simply as a resource that you might want to use for any particular gaming group. Which ones and which order is something that you should decide based on the type of story you and your group would enjoy.

There was once a Kulthean Gazetter that demonstrated one way to progress through all of the modules.  It was a simple 4 page supplement in one of the boxed sets.  Two of the pages gave a narrative from "The Journals of Kalen Avanir" (not to be confused by the more modern Shadowstone Chronicles) showing one possible sequence and the justifications for the jumps.  The other two pages gave a brief description of each module and suggestions about how to relocate the module to a more convenient location or get the players to the original location.

You mentioned intentional travel, which would include ships, sky ships, Navigator Jumps, caravans, etc.  But don't dismiss the possibilities of accidental travel.

A ship could be blown far off course by a storm.

There are dormant (and a few active) Portals scattered around the planet that can allow instant transport. But those could send you anywhere, and most of them aren't stable enough to ensure an easy way back. Sane people avoid them but adventuring types do lots of crazy things.

There are ancient underground and underwater transport networks that run under and between the continents that explorers might stumble into.

The Flows of Essence which divide the planet can also be your friend. A Flowstorm could engulf the characters (or an entire ship) and transport them to another continent (or even another time).

And of course there's the option of insulting a Navigator who might decide to teach you a lesson in manners by giving you a "free vacation in a far-away land".

If the characters want to get somewhere it might be hard, but if the GM wants them to get there it's incredibly easy.

[craggles]

If the characters want to get somewhere it might be hard, but if the GM wants them to get there it's incredibly easy.

Excellent! Lots of possibilities there - thanks!

There was once a Kulthean Gazetter that demonstrated one way to progress through all of the modules.  It was a simple 4 page supplement in one of the boxed sets.

If anyone happens to know what the boxed set or ICE shop PDF this is in and I'll add it to my ebay watched list or buy the ICE Shop PDF if it's available there.

I'd like to see what it says regarding module progress. It won’t hurt to use both processes in new adventure modules as the random jumps may get contrived if I use them all the time. Although, all the other methods will certainly work well for the first half a dozen modules without any repetition.

Perhaps another one could be by the hand of god - a Lord of Orhan may have an agenda himself and is righting wrongs (a la Quantum Leap/Journeyman)

There are ancient underground and underwater transport networks that run under and between the continents that explorers might stumble into.

I've not encountered these in my versions of the Master Atlas (v1), Emer box (also v1) or any Modules I own. Are they mentioned in a specific Atlas/Box/Module version? (The Shadow World Master Atlas & Powers of Shadow and Light books current versions are on my personal wish list already)

Thanks for all the great ideas!

[egdcltd]

If anyone happens to know what the boxed set or ICE shop PDF this is in and I'll add it to my ebay watched list or buy the ICE Shop PDF if it's available there.

It's from the Emer boxed set which is unfortunately not available as a pdf (and pretty hard to find also). I do have the supplement and could scan it in and upload it, but I'll only do that if ICE doesn't have a problem with it. Although it's largely a product list, it would still be breaking copyright.

[craggles]

Oh my word - you're right! I had it folded in with the map. :O

I assumed it was a map key or something when I first got the Emer box from ebay and ignored it until it was time I needed an Emer adventure.

I was glued to the Master Atlas when I first got it and I'm loving the Atlas Addendum in the Emer box too but this little Gazetteer could have gone unnoticed forever. I'm happy now though.

I have one more question that's been on the back of my mind since looking at the Shadow World - What's with the 'East'? Do we ever find out what's there?

[darksilver]

A short description of the powers at work in the east is in The Master Atlas 4th edition on page 108. Each of the notable realms in the east is ruled by a member of the K'ta'viiri, who are awaiting the moment when they are freed from imprisonment due to Ondoval's crazed activities.

[craggles]

A short description of the powers at work in the east is in The Master Atlas 4th edition on page 108.

All the more reason for me to buy the newest version!

Looking through the Gazetteer, it lists some of the current (back then) adventure modules but it doesn't talk of the Loremaster Series which came before the Master Atlas. I have the Cloudlords and Vog Mur (thank you ebay) that were a part of the Loremaster Series (and they're also available as a PDF on the ICE store). From the text in those modules, it's clear it's in the Shadow World and the Master Atlas also corroborates their backgrounds (well, to my short knowledge of the history anyway). But those publications aren't listed in the Gazetteer as being modules that have been released so far.

Is it simply because ICE were going to re-release these in the improved layout (serious eye strain on those older ones) or is it that their stories are fundamentally wrong and possibly contradict the updated Shadow World events?

Interestingly, when I first started in roleplaying, I bought a few Shadow World modules but I was put off by the large history and stories and the very small adventures. I've seen the light now - and i was obviously missing the Master Atlas which means everything makes a lot more sense now. The modules I'd originally bought perhaps 15 years ago were the same modules the Gazetteer is telling me that they're the 'big history setters' and that they 'didn't have a lot of actual adventures in them'.

It seems that all I had to have done is to have picked up a different module which had a short background and lots of pre-made adventures and the rest of my life would have changed forever. It's those little decisions of youth that make the biggest difference in life. 

[egdcltd]

Cloudlords was revamped and updated, which is the pdf currently available in the store. Worth picking up if you can, as it's a lot newer (2006 I think).

Vog Mur has some differences to the more recent setting. Much of the relevant stuff is now available in Emer II.

[Kurgath]

Craggles (love your sketchpad by the way........)  

It depends on where you want to set your campaign but just to share my experience, the first 'module' I bought back (ahem) years ago was Jaiman, which provides a really great chain of adventures in the form of the Sea Drake quest. Including what could be considered a precursor to that, to get introduced to Gryphon College, seek out teh Gryphon Sword, etc. it makes Jaiman a fantastic starting place.

I started that campaign back in something like 1997 and my characters are only now concluding it!

This is because they have had diversions in between each element of the main story which have been a combination of things I have written myself and real Shadoworld modules, such as Norek (Temple of Cay for example), Tales of the Loremasters, Quellbourne, Eidolon, etc.

If you consider the wider range of available resources on top of that there are further opportunities - my campaign is now integrated with the ShadowStone Chronicles so that my characters know Kalen & Jad, interface with Randae, etc. (need the next Chapter Terry!!!)

And next, although it was originally written for low level characters, my group will be embarking on a turbo-charged version of the Grand Campaign (available for download on Terry's website or the ICE website I think) as they go on to seek more of the Crown artifacts.

So to echo much of what other people have written all of the modules and resources are not linked together but as the GM you should feel free to do exactly that to serve your own purposes and fuel your creativity!

Two notes to finish:
1)  Not all the moduels are considered 'canon'!  ther eare various discussions about this on the forums
2)  Each new module tends to extend the timeline therefore each new module tends to be set a little later than the previous ones - something to watch out for!!

K

[vroomfogle]

As I've been working on the SW Player Guide(s) Terry and I have put together a list of what is considered SW 'canon' material.   It's off-topic from the original question, but you may find it useful.    Products marked with an * are written by someone other then Terry.

World
o   Shadow World Master Atlases, Editions I – IV
o   Master Atlas Addendum (from Emer box set)
o   Powers of Light & Dark

Jaiman
o   The Iron Wind
o   The Cloudlords of Tanara (Editions I and II)
o   Jaiman: Land of Twilight
o   Quellbourne: Land of the Silver Mist*
o   Norek: Intrigue in a City-State of Jaiman*
o   Haalkitaine And the Imperial Court of Rhakhaan
o   The Land of Xa-ar and Northern Saralis
o   Watchtowers of U-Lyshak (free pdf download)
o   Rose Petals and Snow Lions (from The Guild Adventurer #2)
o   The Keeper of the Thorn (from The Guild Adventurer #3)

Emer
o   The World of Vog Mur*
o   Emer (from Emer box set)
o   Eidolon: City in the Sky
o   Curse of the White Wood (free download)
o   Dagger of Jade (from White Wolf #25)
o   Emer Book I: Hæstra And the History of the Emerian Empire
o   Emer Book II: The Northeast
o   Temple of the Three (from The Guild Adventurer #1)

Other
o   The Grand Campaign
o   The Shadowstone Chronicles


Also note that while Norek and Quellbourne are considered canon the names of rivers and descriptions of the layout of the land don't always jive with other sources so consider them as secondary sources.

[egdcltd]

I'm curious as to whether some of the books set outside of Emer/Jaiman are considered canon, mostly those that are referenced in SWMA4, eg Nomads of the Nine Nations, Star Crown Empire and the Sea of Fates, Islands of the Oracle and Kingdom of the Desert Jewel.

[craggles]

Cloudlords was revamped and updated, which is the pdf currently available in the store. Worth picking up if you can, as it's a lot newer (2006 I think).

Is this just updated NPC stats for RMFRP or has any of the core story/adventures been altered too?

Much of the relevant stuff is now available in Emer II.

Is this the Emer II you're referring to? [Dead Link Removed by Admin]

(love your sketchpad by the way........)

Thank you!

but just to share my experience

I'm after as much experience that is available particularly as I'm incredibly un-creative when it comes to writing - hence my need to have all adventures written out for me.   

available for download on Terry's website or the ICE website I think

I'm on my way right now - thanks!

Two notes to finish:
1)  Not all the moduels are considered 'canon'!  ther eare various discussions about this on the forums
2)  Each new module tends to extend the timeline therefore each new module tends to be set a little later than the previous ones - something to watch out for!!

1) Are there any modules that could be ignored in your opinion? 
2) I'll look out for that - thanks

1) Are there any modules that could be ignored in your opinion? 

It looks like you don't need to answer that - the official list has arrived!

Thanks Vroomfogle - it may have been off the original topic but it was exactly where it was heading.

[egdcltd]

Is this just updated NPC stats for RMFRP or has any of the core story/adventures been altered too?

Here's an excerpt from Terry's forward to the new edition that explains the changes. I can't compare it to the old edition because I don't own a copy (although I may pick one up from ebay at some point):

Basically for the Second Edition, I decided to leave most of the original text as it
was, but added in some notes (generally at the end of a section) updating the status
of the culture or location. The biggest addition is possibly the timeline, which I have
extended to the present and filled in a bit pre-2500 as well, hopefully closing some
gaps in the history of Tanara.

Is this the Emer II you're referring to? [Dead Link Removed by Admin]

Yes.

[Rasyr-Mjolnir]

It's from the Emer boxed set which is unfortunately not available as a pdf (and pretty hard to find also). I do have the supplement and could scan it in and upload it, but I'll only do that if ICE doesn't have a problem with it. Although it's largely a product list, it would still be breaking copyright.

Please go ahead and scan it, and then upload it to the Vault.

[vroomfogle]

I'm curious as to whether some of the books set outside of Emer/Jaiman are considered canon, mostly those that are referenced in SWMA4, eg Nomads of the Nine Nations, Star Crown Empire and the Sea of Fates, Islands of the Oracle and Kingdom of the Desert Jewel.

By and large, those aren't really considered canon, although since they take place outside of Emer and Jaiman they don't really interfere with anything official.   There are some references in the timeline to the cultures in those regions, but those references are minimal and there's no interaction between them and the cultures on Jaiman.   

If Terry pops in here he may be able to give you a better answer.

[egdcltd]

Please go ahead and scan it, and then upload it to the Vault.

Okay, done.

[Rasyr-Mjolnir]

And the Gazeteer is now in the Vault

http://www.ironcrown.com/ICEforums/index.php?action=tpmod;dl=item712

Many thanks to egdcltd

[ob1knorrb]

Ahh, missed one of the most important changes, the font is bigger, so I can actually read the new one without getting eye strain 

Is this just updated NPC stats for RMFRP or has any of the core story/adventures been altered too?

Here's an excerpt from Terry's forward to the new edition that explains the changes. I can't compare it to the old edition because I don't own a copy (although I may pick one up from ebay at some point):

Basically for the Second Edition, I decided to leave most of the original text as it
was, but added in some notes (generally at the end of a section) updating the status
of the culture or location. The biggest addition is possibly the timeline, which I have
extended to the present and filled in a bit pre-2500 as well, hopefully closing some
gaps in the history of Tanara.

Is this the Emer II you're referring to? [Dead Link Removed by Admin]

Yes.

[craggles]

Thanks for the help guys!

(Nomads of the Nine Nations and Kingdom of the Desert Jewel were 2 Shadow World products that I purchased many years ago and found them very history heavy - but I'm interested to know how they fit in with the 'Cannon')

The biggest addition is possibly the timeline, which I have
extended to the present and filled in a bit pre-2500 as well, hopefully closing some gaps in the history of Tanara.

On the subject of the Cloudlords module, is it worth buying the PDF if I already have the original printed product? Obviously good additions there to warrant the PDF purchase over the printed version but I already own the original version.

Ahh, missed one of the most important changes, the font is bigger, so I can actually read the new one without getting eye strain 

I know what you mean - those original Loremaster Series wanted to squeeze as much type in a page as possible ...but then left HUGE margins. 

[Terry K. Amthor]

Regarding the eastern hemisphere, there is a basic map at my site you can download. Go to www.eidolonstudio.com, click on Library, then on Download Archives. The map is called: East_Hem.pdf