I am excited to announce that I'll be running a special Treasure Hunter Adventures scenario for Con of the North 2021 (on February 12-14); it's called The Templar Mystery. Check out the website for more information, and I'll post more information about it as the date approaches.
Available today, this scenario takes the heroes to England for an auction in which the private collection of Egyptologist Mr. Douglass Murray finally comes to light.
-Nate
Here's another preview of Unfinished Business, the fourth full scenario for Treasure Hunter Adventures and the last one for 2020. It focuses on an auction at a remote English manor house, involving items from the personal collection of a Mr. Douglas Murray. What is the truth behind the story of "the American adventurer" who sold him the Death Mask of Hatshesput?
-Nate
Here's the official announcement for the auction.
Here's the layout for the manor house.
Today's post serves two purposes. First, I've added a couple of books abut mythology to Appendix N, which is linked below. Second, one of those books--Ancient Egyptian Myths and Legends--provides some background for the upcoming scenario Unfinished Business, with involves a collection of Egyptian antiquities along with the mystery of the American adventurer.
One of the aspects of working on Treasure Hunter Adventures is that doing research for adventures and supplements helps me learn more about the world in which I live. Listed below are some of the books that I read to provide background for my recent projects.
-Nate
Title: Dungeon, Fire and Sword
Author: John J. Robinson
Publisher and Date: M. Evans and Company, Inc., 1991
Overview:
This is a comprehensive history for the Order of the Poor Knights of Christ and the Temple of Solomon, which starts with the First Crusade, which leads into the foundation of the Templars, and then follows their story all the way through to when they were disbanded, arrested, charged with all manner of heinous crimes, and—for many members—tortured and executed. Along the way, it takes side trips into the history of Islam as well as the Mongols. It is history that reads as well as, and perhaps better than, well-plotted fiction, and is vital to the scenario that I have written for Con of the North 2021. This book does not sugar-coat the events that it describes, but acknowledges the self-righteousness, brutality and greed that motivated many of the story's key participants.
Title: A Popular History of the Catholic Church
Author: Philip Hughes
Publisher and Date: Image Books, 1954
Overview:
True to its name, this book provided a pretty concise overview of nearly two millennia in the history of the Catholic Church. It focuses more on the important ideas (Great Schism and Reformation) than on dramatic events (such as the Crusades and the Age of Discovery), but is still useful for a frame of reference.
Title: The Old North Trail
Author: Walter McClintock
Publisher and Date: Bison Books, 1999
Overview:
In this book the author recounts his time spent among the Blackfoot people in Montana starting in 1886, a time when their lifestyles were changing but they still maintained many of their old traditions and beliefs. Originally part of a U.S. Forest Service expedition, he was eventually adopted by the a Blackfoot chief named Mad Wolf. It is a fascinating story, touched of course with sadness because the reader knows that the coming of white settlers is bringing such upheaval.
Title: Ancient Egyptian Myths & Legends
Author: Lewis Spence
Publisher and Date: Dover Publications, 1990
Overview:
This book provides a good introduction to Egyptian mythology. It is definitely a product of its time, and uses the word race frequently, as reflects being written in the early 1900s. One nice thing is that it has plenty of pictures—something that was helpful as I was working on the scenario Unfinished Business, which involves the collection belonging to the late Mr. Douglass Murray and the mystery of the “American adventurer.” This book has the added benefit of being in the public domain, and so is available for free online, with color illustrations.
Ancient Egyptian Myths and Legends
Title: Gods and Myths of Northern Europe
Author: H.R. Ellis Davidson
Publisher and Date: Penguin Books, 1984
Overview:
This is a slim paperback volume that fits nicely in one's pocket; it is also packed with information about Norse mythology. The details move beyond the familiar stories of Thor, Odin and Loki, digging into the older tales of Thunar and Wodan. There are insights into ritual practices, too—just the kinds of things that one might want to add into Treasure Hunter Adventures that take place in northern Europe.
Title: Ludwig II of Bavaria: The Man and the Mystery
Author: Katerina von Burg
Publisher and Date: Windsor Publications, 1989
Overview:
I picked up this book about fifteen years ago during a visit to Schloss Neuschwanstein, as a souvenir if nothing more. After reading the story of the late king, however, I knew that I wanted to write an adventure involving the many paintings of legendary tales on display in his castle. The book does a good job of telling the king's story, including his complicated relationship with Richard Wagner, and makes a strong case that he was betrayed by people in government around him and then murdered. In this way it reads almost like a whodunit, in addition to providing a glimpse into an interesting part of German history.
Author: Julius Desing, with photography by Klaus and Wilhelm Kienberger
Publisher and Date: Foto Studio Verlag Kienberger GmbH, 1998
Overview:
This book is another souvenir from visiting the castle; it presents the history of its construction, and then gives an overview of artistic highlights. Those pictures include many of the paintings that present stories from legends, including two—Tannhäuser and St. George—that are featured in the scenario The Mad King's Secret. It was, of course, invaluable in writing that adventure.
Title: The Vikings
Author: Else Roesdahl
Publisher and Date: Penguin Books, 1992
Overview:
As one might expect, this book is a comprehensive overview of the Vikings, including how they lived, where and when they ruled, much of what they did, and how the Christianization of Europe brought this period to a close. There are maps and pictures, too, which help make for a thorough and detailed yet very readable text.
Title: The Vinland Sagas: The Norse Discovery of America
Author: Magnus Magnusson and Hermann Pálsson
Publisher and Date: Penguin Books, 1976
Overview:
Although it is only a small and slim volume, this book provides two substantial and curious stories of Viking explorations in North America, involving Erik the Red, Leif Eriksson, and others. There is a lengthy introduction, but a reader can even skip that and then go back to it after reading the sagas themselves.
Title: Pirate Hunters: Treasure, Obsession and the Search for a Legendary Pirate Ship
Author: Robert Kurson
Publisher and Date: Random House, 2015
Overview:
This book tells the very interesting story of two real-life treasure hunters, John Chatterton and John Mattera, and their search for the lost pirate ship the Golden Fleece. It provides a detailed look at the process involved in searching for and recovering a wreck from the sea floor. The story does take side trips into the history and activities of pirates in the Caribbean area, which might seem like a distraction for a reader who is already familiar with that topic, but even so one is eager to continue with the primary narrative.
Title: Thieves of Baghdad
Author: Matthew Bogdanos, with William Patrick
Publisher and Date: Bloomsbury, 2006
Overview:
This book tells the story of Colonel Matthew Bogdanos, USMC. He had retired from military service, and was working as a prosecutor in New York City; that put him close to Ground Zero when the World Trade Center was destroyed by terrorists on 9/11. As such he was recalled to active duty, serving first in Afghanistan before heading to Iraq to help investigate looting at the national museum in Baghdad. The bulk of the tale focuses on those efforts, and it is a very interesting story indeed.
The PDF Treasure Hunter Adventures 4: Mercenaries & Magic discusses the idea of Downtime, the time between adventures when the members of a party pursue their own activities, goals and dreams. Building on that, this article examines how the movie National Treasure: Book of Secrets uses details from the characters' Downtime to add customized details and complications to an adventure scenario. Here are a few examples.
At the start of the film, Ben Gates and his dad learn that their ancestor, Thomas, is accused of being a conspirator in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. This contradicts their tradition that he tried to expose the Knights of the Golden Circle, and creates a stain on their family's honor that they must work to expunge.
We also learn that Riley published a book, but still has run into financial difficulties. As he says, his accountant set up a “corporation” on an island that doesn't exist, because “that's what rich people do.” Somehow he has been penalized for more than he earned from the discovery in the previous adventure, and now is in debt. Also, he wants to establish his reputation.
It turns out that Ben and Abigail are having difficulties in their relationship, which adds a wrinkle to their interactions. Just how this affects the party depends on whether Abigail was a hero or NPC during the previous adventure(s). What is more, even thought this conflict does not seem to last long, it informs the roleplaying during this scenario. It also introduces a hopeful new boyfriend for her, who becomes important later.
In this case, the GM also uses NPCs from the previous adventure. Peter Sadusky and his FBI agents have been keeping tabs on Gates, and recognize that Mitch Wilkinson is a bad man with bad intentions, so they become active in the background. In this way, they provide a means for the GM to steer the heroes by revealing additional information when needed.
Like father, like son—Patrick Gates also has a complicated relationship with his ex-wife. They certainly respect each other, and of course have a long history as well as a connection because of their son. This again provides opportunities for roleplaying, and it's easy to imagine players earning bennies due to funny jibes or heartfelt moments.
Finally, there's a big plot hook introduced that sadly has not been explored—what is on page 47 of the President's secret book?
During the pandemic I've been watching a fair number of old movies, since there have been few opportunities to go out and see new ones. Since I've also been working on material for Treasure Hunter Adventures, this list has included National Treasure from 2004. I remember seeing that back when it was released, since I was working on similarly themed material for use with the d20 Modern RPG at that time. While watching it again, I realized that it could provide a good example of pacing in a Savage Worlds campaign. Here's how it would work.
Session 1—Seeking the Charlotte
The movie begins with our treasure hunters seeking the wreck of a ship, the Charlotte. We're not told just how they tracked it to a location somewhere around the Arctic Circle, except that Ben learned about this business from his grandfather, and Riley seems to have created an algorithm for doing so. Whatever the case, this drops our heroes and NPCs into this adventure in media res. They break out some metal detectors, find the ship's bell, and start digging. That leads into exploring the wreck and finding the meerschaum pipe, which brings this session's activities to a head. Ian Howe decides to turn against Gates and Poole, there are tense moments and a big explosion, and then the heroes need to figure out how to make their way back to civilization. After all of this, they are definitely due for an Advance.
Session 2—Stealing the Declaration of Independence
This situation starts with some roleplaying scenes in which the heroes try to warn various government agents about the danger to the Declaration, culminating with a visit to Abigail Chase. When that effort fails, they decide to steal it for themselves. There is a good deal of research—which can be adjudicated through a number of skill checks—and then it's time to take action. While Riley works his technical wizardry, Gates goes to the party to steal Abigail's fingerprint and thus gain access to the document. While this plan is unfolding Ian and his goons arrive on the scene, causing a confrontation that leads into a great chase scene. Once again, by the end of the chase, the heroes have escaped and are due for another Advance.
Session 3—Following the Clues
To learn more about the treasure, the heroes take Abigail and the Declaration to visit Ben's dad. In addition to some good opportunities for roleplaying, they can examine the back of the Declaration and find more clues. That reveals an Attendorf cipher and leads a scene in which they employ a kid to retrieve words from the Silence Dogood letters, and what is nearly a confrontation with Ian. After a bit of thinking and shopping, they head for Independence Hall. They recover the special glasses, but are caught up in another chase scene. Ultimately this ends with Gates agreeing to meet Sadusky's people on the USS Independence, where Howe arranges an extraction. Here again there is time to recover, reflect and take a third Advance.
Session 4—Going Underground
The end of this business requires a visit to Trinity Church, where the characters find an entrance to an underground complex. There is a lot of activity as they utilize a complex, old elevator mechanism, and difficulties erupt while they use it. This leads to what seems like a dead end, and a false clue provided by Ben and his dad send Ian off on a wild goose chase. Next, the heroes solve one more puzzle related to the pipe and find the treasure chamber. After that it's just a matter of convincing the authorities not send anyone to prison, and leading to the arrest of Ian Howe and his associates. There's negotiation of a finders' fee and what to do with the treasure, after which the heroes can take their fourth Advance and thus become Seasoned characters.
