While recovering from a bout of what I believe to be food poisoning earlier this week, I was watching gaming-related YouTube videos. (Okay, "watching" implies a certain active participation that I probably didn't really have, thanks to feeling so lousy. Let's say I was passively absorbing YouTube videos.) One of the channels I subscribe to is that of MaxWriter, whose fun-to-read campaign journals on Yog-Sothoth-dot-com* I used to read voraciously. He has a lot of videos of him unboxing older games and going through his own personal RPG collection that I enjoy watching. (I thought my Call of Cthulhu collection was extensive - his puts mine to shame!)
Anyway, this week I watched a video of him going through his envy-worthy Chaosium Stormbringer and Elric! collection. (Which, of course, outshines mine by a mile.) Looking at those box sets and books got me thinking about my own campaign world. I've mentioned the '90s campaign sessions before, and I revived it in the mid-twenty-teens with a new group of people. (I even included the player character from my '90s campaign sessions as a major NPC patron in the new era, set twenty years later.)
I've loved the game ever since I first laid eyes on that exquisite Michael Whelan cover of the Stormbringer 4th edition book peeking up at me from the racks of B. Dalton Bookseller's role playing game section. I tried once to run it around 1990 or 1991 with my usual game group, but they didn't latch onto it. Fortunately, I was able to get my best friend, Terry, interested in the game some time in 1991. Despite my fumbling a bit with the game - it was a huge divergence from my usual, dungeon-crawling fantasy sessions - our first game session was a rollicking adventure, and our mutual love for the game was cemented. Over the next few weeks/months, we played a series of sessions in a campaign that would ultimately draw inspiration from the atmosphere of Pirates of Dark Water, the Cthulhu Mythos, the works of numerous pulp fantasy authors, especially Robert E. Howard and Clark Ashton Smith, and the art of Michael Whelan, Frank Frazetta, Ken Kelly, SanJulian, and others, as well as Moorcock himself.
It was an unqualified blast, with dramatic highs and lows that were dictated as much by the dice as by character action and game master fiat.**
Later, in 2014, I revived the campaign with my new game group. (Fully switching to Elric! at that time; the campaign with Terry was played almost entirely in Stormbringer. I love Stormbringer - especially the art and atmosphere of that book - but Elric! is the cleaner system and integrates more easily with Call of Cthulhu, material from which liberally finds its way into my Stormbringer games.) The vibe was a bit darker as the group had a more anti-heroic bent, but the sessions were just as enjoyable and packed with dramatic and memorable events.
Those game sessions - in both eras - were some of the most fun I've ever had role playing. It's easy to get sucked down the nostalgia rabbit hole when thinking about them.
Yesterday, when I was starting to feel a little better, I dragged out my Stormbringer/Elric! three-ring binder and started poking through its contents. I realized that even though I've probably only run around three dozen game sessions, I have enough material for the game to rival my supernatural campaign. And, thanks to Terry and his own scanning project, I even have copies of the iterations of his player character (including his wonderful illustrations) and brief notes on many of our '90s game sessions. (More notes than I have myself, in fact. I kept track of the titles of the sessions and have the collateral game materials like NPCs and maps, but unfortunately I didn't have the foresight to make any notes on the sessions themselves.)
In short, I realized that I had enough content to warrant a Stormbringer-related counterpart to My Supernatural RPG Campaign Lexicon. So, here we go:
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Alysaria Swiftwind
Type: Person
Chapter(s): unknown
Description: Purple Townian burglar
Meta: Stormbringer NPC
Argoz the Quick
Type: Person
Chapter(s): unknown
Description: Aflitainian ship captain; assisted Lars, Xia, and Xyklos in returning Baroness Strom to Pan Tang
Meta: Elric! NPC
Baron Crastis Norn
Type: Entity
Chapter(s): The Triple Cross (intro); others
Description: Corpulent "baron" who was later discovered to be a demon; recurring nemesis of Drovis; thought slain by Drovis but reappeared decades later as a patron of Lars, Xia, and Xyklos; a truly evil and manipulative creature whose true goals are still unknown
Meta: Stormbringer NPC
Beasts of Maal-Dweb
Type: Entity
Chapter(s): Maze of the Enchanter, Part I (intro)
Description: Humans who were transformed into terrible, ape-like beasts by the sorcerer and forced to act as his palace guards; all slain by Lars, Xia, and Xyklos
Meta: Elric! creatures
Bellenarius
Type: Person
Chapter(s): The Horned Tower; others
Description: Mad scientist/inventor; created a diving bell and gear that allowed Drovis to travel to the Sunken City in search of the Ebon Shard
Meta: Stormbringer NPC
Bregg Wanderfoot
Type: Person
Chapter(s): Strong Arms Shanghai (intro); others
Description: Purple Townian storyteller and gossip
Meta: Stormbringer NPC
Countess Lucretia
Type: Person
Chapter(s): Dagon's Revenge (intro)
Description: Melnibonean noblewoman; encountered by Drovis when his ship and her barge were attacked by Father Dagon, who was seeking revenge for their previous encounter (and his defeat at Drovis' hands); Drovis drove him off by impaling him in the back with The Ebon Shard, but Drovis could not pull out the blade and lost it when the sea god swam into the depths
Meta: Stormbringer NPC
Dalsharra
Type: Person
Chapter(s): Maze of the Enchanter, Part I (intro); others
Description: Princess of Pikarayd, twin sister of Palsharra; taken by Maal-Dweb and added to his "collection"; rescued by Lars, Xia, and Xyklos and eventually returned to Shalidem; she is a skilled warrior
Meta: Stormbringer NPC
Drovis Longstem (aka The Crimson Serpent)
Type: Person
Chapter(s): Horror at Fang Rock (intro); others
Description: Starting out as a simple sailor from the Purple Towns, Drovis quickly amassed wealth and glory, rising to become a self-made Sea King of the Purple Towns
Meta: Stormbringer, later Elric! PC played by Terry Z in the First Era sessions; Elric! NPC in the Second Era sessions
Ebon Shard, The (aka The Doomshard, The Obsidian Blade, The Black Doom)
Type: Object
Chapter(s): The Isle of Cre (intro); others
Description: A magical dagger - bronze-handled with an obsidian blade and bearing the eight-pointed star of Chaos; taken from Serina Dym by Drovis; later lost after Drovis stuck it in Dagon's back and the god fled, the blade still lodged in his flesh; sought by Drovis (under duress) and found in the Sunken City - still stuck in the now crippled and emaciated Dagon
Meta: Stormbringer NPC
Ebon Shard, Order of the (aka The Black & Reds)
Type: Group
Chapter(s): Norn's Return/The Mystery Women (intro); others
Description: A mysterious cult that were searching for The Ebon Shard; tracked it to Drovis and placed everyone in his Crimson Palace on the Isle of Purple Towns into a mystical paralysis until he found and returned the weapon to them; presumably, Drovis returned the item to them after Baron Norn's death
Meta: Stormbringer NPC group
Eye of Obkdy
Type: Object
Chapter(s): Conversation with Obkdy (intro); Audience with the Oracle
Description: Magical stone (held within the Diadem of Obkdy) that is used by the demon's priests to travel to and from his palace
Meta: Stormbringer NPC
Grendlor Redcheek
Type: Person
Chapter(s): unknown
Description: Purple Townian slave trader
Meta: Stormbringer NPC
Gryff Goldmane
Type: Person
Chapter(s): Dagon Rising (intro); others
Description: Purple Townian sailor, Drovis Longstem's best friend and first mate
Meta: Stormbringer NPC
Kazarvus Tret
Type: Person
Chapter(s): Kirin-Ki's Island (intro); others
Description: Melnibonean lord who coerced Drovis into using his ships to transport slave troops to fight for the Xian K'Haarian sisterhood against the Traal on the Sorcerers Isle
Meta: Stormbringer NPC
Kevril Waverider
Type: Person
Chapter(s): unknown
Description: Purple Townian sea lord and freebooter
Meta: Stormbringer NPC
Kirin-Ki
Type: Person(-ish)
Chapter(s): Kirin-Ki's Island (intro); others
Description: Humanoid cat-bird-man, believes himself to be the last of his kind; encountered by Drovis on the island he lived on in the Oldest Ocean and joined the crew of his ship; later became good friends
Meta: Stormbringer NPC
Kozor
Type: Person
Chapter(s): The Spire of Woes (intro)
Description: Pan Tangian, torturer of the Spire of Woes; killed by Drovis while escaping
Meta: Stormbringer NPC
Larstrom ("Lars") of the Black Doom
Type: Person
Chapter(s): Maze of the Enchanter, Part I (intro); others
Description: World traveler and knowledge seeker born in Jharkor
Meta: Elric! PC played by Dave F in the Second Era sessions
Queen Lesyra
Type: Person(?)
Chapter(s): City beneath the Sea (intro)
Description: Queen of the Sunken City, a submerged city near the Serpents Teeth; she and her apparently human retinue turned out to be deep one hybrids, and the city a deep one city; Drovis found Father Dagon there and retrieved The Ebon Shard from his back, then killed Lesyra with it
Meta: Stormbringer NPC
Lucaris Midar
Type: Person
Chapter(s): Isle of Cre (intro); others
Description: Wealthy merchant/smuggler first encountered by Drovis in (and rescued from) the dungeons of Cre
Meta: Stormbringer NPC
Maal-Dweb
Type: Person
Chapter(s): Maze of the Enchanter, Part I (intro)
Description: Hyperborean sorcerer stranded in the Young Kingdoms; had a penchant for using his magic to locate the most beautiful women in the lands and transport them to his palace, where he kept them in stasis in his "collection"; murdered by Lars, Xia, and Xyklos
Meta: Elric! NPC villain
Man-Eating Plants
Type: Entity
Chapter(s): Maze of the Enchanter, Part I (intro)
Description: Giant plants that protected the garden of Maal-Dweb; based on the Zytil Qaefrom Chaosium's "Ye Book of Monstres"
Meta: Elric! creatures
Matira
Type: Person
Chapter(s): Horror at Fang Rock (intro); others
Description: Young woman rescued by Drovis from an angry mob; accompanied him on his adventures from the start; eventually, they fell in love and became inseparable; she was critically injured during the Battle for Xian K'Haar and forced Drovis - against his will - to leave her with the Xian K'Haar sorceresses to heal, and while doing so, she learned to wield powerful magic; later, she was kidnapped from the sisterhood by Baron Norn and taken to his island refuge, where she was reunited with Drovis (after which, believing Norn to be dead, they resumed their eternal love affair and Drovis retired from adventuring)
Meta: Stormbringer NPC; she is not encountered with Drovis in the Second Era sessions - what became of her?
Obkdy
Type: Entity
Chapter(s): Conversation with Obkdy (intro); Audience with the Oracle
Description: Giant, many-mouthed demon that possesses oracular abilities and trades supplicants for his "sights"
Meta: Stormbringer NPC
Obkdy's Palace
Type: Location/Entity
Chapter(s): Conversation with Obkdy (intro); Audience with the Oracle
Description: Giant demon that serves as the living palace to the oracle-demon Obkdy
Meta: Stormbringer NPC
Palsharra
Type: Person
Chapter(s): Maze of the Enchanter, Part I (intro); others
Description: Princess of Pikarayd, twin sister of Dalsharra; taken by Maal-Dweb and added to his "collection"; rescued by Lars, Xia, and Xyklos and eventually returned to Shalidem; she is a music lover and courtier
Meta: Stormbringer NPC
Sajar Roftis
Type: Person
Chapter(s): Horror at Fang Rock (intro); others
Description: Captain of the first ship young Drovis Longstem served on; after that ship sank and Drovis rescued Roftis and Lucaris Midar fromt he dungeons of Cre, Roftis went to work for Midar as captain of his ship, The Crimson Blade
Meta: Stormbringer NPC
Sela
Type: Person
Chapter(s): Passing through Troos (intro); others
Description: Jharkoran enlsaved by Pan Tangians as a child; captured by Thariks while with a Pan Tangian delegation traveling through Troos and tied up to be sacrificed; rescued by Drovis
Meta: Stormbringer NPC
Seliphé
Type: Person
Chapter(s): Battle for Xian-K'Haar (intro)
Description: Leader of a sorcerous sisterhood that had created a small haven on the Socerers Isle; when a native Traal army rose and threatened to destroy the community, she reached out to her old lover, Melnibonean lord Kazarvus Tret for help; Tret brought his slave army in Drovis' ships to defend the sisterhood; when the charming and beautiful Silphé begged Drovis to also assist, he did; Drovis' actions won the battle, but his love, Matira, was nearly killed; Seliphé - in honor of Drovis's deeds - used the sisterhood's magic to heal her, and offered not only to keep her safe during her long rehabilitation but to teach her their mystical ways
Meta: Stormbringer NPC
Serif Darim
Type: Person
Chapter(s): The Ship of the Black Sails (intro); others
Description: Argimiliaran shipbuilder based in Cadsandria; known for his unsurpassed craftsmanship; retained by Drovis as his personal shipbuilder
Meta: Stormbringer NPC
Serina Dym
Type: Person
Chapter(s): Isle of Cre (intro)
Description: High-priestess of Goshta on the isle of Cre near the Isle of Purple Towns; offered shelter to Matira and Drovis and his fellow sailors when they were shipwrecked off her island, but betrayed them and locked them up; tried to sacrifice Matira to a large aquatic demon, but Drovis escaped, stole her ceremonial dagger (see The Ebon Shard) and knocked Dym into the sacrificial pool (where she was killed by the demon)
Meta: Stormbringer NPC
Tobrac Koash
Type: Person
Chapter(s): The Spire of Woes (intro)
Description: Pan Tangian, head gaoler of the Spire of Woes; killed by Drovis while escaping
Meta: Stormbringer NPC
Valmara Strom
Type: Person
Chapter(s): Strong Arms Shanghai (intro); others
Description: Statuesque Pan Tangian sorceress; daughter of a Pan Tangian aristocrat and a Dharijoran noblewoman; encountered by Drovis when her men shanghaied him and made him a slave aboard her galley, which he single-handedly sank in a storm; later rescued from Maal-Dweb's "collection" by Lars, Xia, and Xyklos and returned to her husband, Baron Istvas Strom - only to find she'd been replaced by a younger woman - who had also been taken by Maal-Dweb, rescued by the group, and returned to Pan Tang with them; the whole group was imprisoned within the Spire of Woes but managed to effect an escape
Meta: Stormbringer NPC
Xian K'Haar
Type: Location
Chapter(s): Battle for Xian K'Haar
Description: A settlement on the Sorcerers Isle where a sisterhood of sorceresses took refuge; when they were threatened by the bestial natives, the Traal, they enlisted the help of Melnibonean nobleman Kazarvus Tret; Tret coerced Drovis to transport a slave army to the isle using his merchant fleet, but Drovis felt for the sisters and joined the battle with Matira at his side; despite Matira nearly being killed by a Traal spear, Drovis won the day by beheading the Traal warlord, Wotar
Xia Seastrider
Type: Person
Chapter(s): Maze of the Enchanter, Part I (intro), others
Description: Purple Townian foundling raised in Oin and unaware of her relation to a fallen Sea King house
Meta: Elric! PC played by Lili B in the Second Era sessions
Xyklos
Type: Person
Chapter(s): Maze of the Enchanter, Part I (intro), others
Description: Pikaraydian and escaped Melnibonean slave
Meta: Elric! PC played by Michael M in the Second Era sessions
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The Lexicon encompasses about 80% of the material I have to go through. I'll do my best to finish it up and keep it up to date as new game material is discovered/added.
* Interestingly, it appears that YSDC has scaled back significantly from the site I recall. And it appears that you can only access it if you're a registered member. More's the pity - it used to be a grand resource for Call of Cthulhu gamers.
** This campaign marked two changes in gaming for me.
First, I adopted a more improvisational approach to game mastering. Instead of planning game sessions, I made tons of NPCs, demons, magic items, etc. I relied on my trove of preexisting materials from Dungeons & Dragons as well as other role playing game sources for specific locations. Essentially, I let Terry guide the direction of the game, placing people, things, and events in his path to challenge him as befit the story he was creating. I might prepare something more specific if I had a sense of where he was heading, but the direction of the campaign was almost entirely up to him (and his dice, which were notorious for injecting unexpected drama into the game). I've found that to be the best way to approach running most games (with investigation-type games needing a bit more planning to execute properly) and have used it ever since.
Second, Terry trusted me as a game master. He knew that we shared the same desires as far as role playing went, and therefore he could trust me to allow him room to play the kind of character he wanted to play. He knew that if he attempted risky actions in the name of heroic adventure, I'd support him (and not take advantage of the situation to try to annihilate his character). It was all about crafting a well-told, fun-to-play story for both of us. He got to enjoy the challenges and twists I threw at him, and we both got to enjoy the story that unfolded along the way.
As a game master, fostering that sort of trust with your players is paramount. Find out what they want from their games and help them help you create the adventures you both want to play.
While recovering from a bout of what I believe to be food poisoning earlier this week, I was watching gaming-related YouTube videos. (Okay, "watching" implies a certain active participation that I probably didn't really have, thanks to feeling so lousy. Let's say I was passively absorbing YouTube videos.) One of the channels I subscribe to is that of MaxWriter, whose fun-to-read campaign journals on Yog-Sothoth-dot-com* I used to read voraciously. He has a lot of videos of him unboxing older games and going through his own personal RPG collection that I enjoy watching. (I thought my Call of Cthulhu collection was extensive - his puts mine to shame!)
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