World of Dungeons Meets Warhammer Fantasy: Streets of Marienburg

Streets of Marienburg is a very well-done, good-looking Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay hack of World of Dungeons. Not to be confused with Dungeon World. I know it will be though, so here's the difference:

Dungeon World is a fully detailed game that sells for money. World of Dungeons is an extremely simplified, free version that will leave you filling in a lot of blanks.  Streets of Marienburg fills in some of the crucial info missing in World of Dungeons and somehow manages to capture the Old World feel of Warhammer Fantasy.  It has art, color, and a proper font.  You can download Streets of Marienburg here:

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B5K_Bqfr0dqcVUFZeWpsa0E5T0k/edit?pli=1

*For a character example, see my Wizard (Wolfgang) at the bottom of this entry.*

In our first adventure, before Hank the Fighter joined us, I was out celebrating the Festival of St. Rudolph with Urgrim the Dwarf and Behjet the Gypsy when we stumbled on to a Skaven and human Cult plot to kill and enslave the entire population of Marienburg. Because Skaven make no small plans. Through a combination of luck, violence, and detective work we were able to defeat the Skaven and come out ahead. Nobody believes us about the Skaven though.

They enjoy curved swords and firearms. And they are mean. 

In our second adventure, Hank the Fighter joined us but we lost Behjet the Gypsy. Hank, Urgrim the Dwarf Shaman and me were given an actual job to do for money, by the Signaler's Guild. On the way to the job we found out the hard way that the evil cultists had put a price on the heads of Urgrim and Wolfgang because of our previous plot-foiling. We escaped and made a mental note to come back and kill them all.

I'm in a hurry, but I'll come back to kill you, Skaven scum.

Oakwood Cross Tower, a signal tower that used light, had stopped signaling. We ran into a band of Gypsies who finally provided some useful knowledge after Hank and Urgrim applied good cop/bad cop techniques, and investigated the tower. The entire thing--and everything in it--had turned into wood. Including the Signaler Technician. With a massive use of magic, Wolfgang was able to reverse the effects and free the Signaler from his wooden prison. Which he'd caused by his attempt to transmit the contents of a page from a mysterious book which had magnified and executed the spell written on that page.

Like this, but made entirely of wood.

Rushing downstairs because the building was in imminent danger of collapse, we were attacked by nature spirits or elementals from the forest nearby. Hank and Urgrim fought them off with blades and fire, until the spirits disappeared after some help from a mysterious old lady we had encountered earlier on the road. She was much more than what she appeared, like many things in the Old World.

The Signal tower lost but the Signaler saved, we returned to Marienburg and a nice payment for services rendered. We all went drinking, but while Hank and Wolfgang kept things under control, Urgrim drank and told tales of his forefathers deep into the night. At which point he was attacked and robbed! Opportunistic thieves? Or evidence of anti-Dwarf sentiment in Marienburg?

A new and hungover day has dawned for our adventurers and we shall see what is in store for them down the road.


CHARACTER CREATION IS EASY AND FUN.  Here is my 3rd Level Wizard:

Wolfgang, Imperial Human. Wolfgang is pale as the driven snow from a lifetime of studying indoors, and has a tendency to mutter to himself constantly. He is a knowledge and events addict, keeping track of events both within the Empire and without. Over time he's decided that he should not be constrained in his use of magic, as he's sure he can control it and will not suffer the effects of touching the Warp. So far he's been right... Wolfgang seeks to grown in power and find, buy, or steal whatever he needs to that end, preferably without killing others, but whatever.

Str: 0, Dex: 0, Const: 0, Int: +3, Wis: +2, Char: 0

Level  3, Current Health: 10

Stamina 2d6

Power Score: 4 (2 Stamina plus Wis)

Career: Arcanist

Skills: Mysteries, Academics, Awareness

Abilities: Wizardry, Sorcery (Sorcery Spells: Righteous Fury, Ghostly Candle, Deception-Charm)

Money: 96 Crowns 

Armaments and Trappings:

Knife

Whip

Skaven Jazail (long flintlock rifle), d6+2 

Urban clothing, a handful of coins in a purse, lantern on a pole

2 vials Quicksilver

Apocalypse World: Braceburg Leans into the Psychic Maelstrom

I've played Monster of the Week but didn't have a chance to play the game that the system is based on--Apocalypse World--until recently.  The characters in the game are Niles (the Savvyhead), Brother Bat (the Hocus) and Candy Grip (the Angel).

The labels in parenthesis indicate the type of character they are.

Niles is more than just gifted with machines, he can communicate with them, modify them and make them do things that should be impossible.

Brother Bat is a charismatic, spiritual leader; physically and mentally strong with a large contingent of followers in the settlement.

Candy Grip is the settlement's doctor, concerned with everyone's well-being but often aggravated by people in general and worried that something is trying to kill her. Him. Whatever.

They live in Braceburg, so named after the leader of the settlement, Brace Win.

Green square by river is Nile's van. Two long sheds belong to Brother Bat and his people. Infirmary in the middle with a cross on it for Candy Grip. Building of Danger in foreground.

Brace started off as a big, abusive drunk with a small harem of sister-wives.  Thanks to a highly-motivating speech by Brother Bat, he is still big and abusive but also clear-headed and focused on control of the settlement.  Despite this, Brother Bat's power and influence over the people of the settlement continues to grow at an alarming rate.

Niles has had an unfortunate string of contacts with the Psychic Maelstrom, and is barely holding it together as everything from his toaster to his AK talk to him in distracting and sometimes demanding ways.

Candy was attacked twice by large mutant snakes, increasing Candy's paranoia and general irritation.  Later, Candy had a close encounter of the Postman kind which led to an increase in hospital stock. This came in handy when it was necessary to install a hallucinogen drip in Niles to keep him from going completely nuts. 

Highlights from last session:

Wisher, a waste of a human who had stolen a chicken from Fuze the Chicken Farmer, learned just how much Fuze loved his chickens when Fuze blew his brains out at the communal dinner. Candy narrowly escaped death upon attempting to calm Fuze down, but was rewarded with a new pistol when Brace took it away from Fuze.  Candy and minions recovered Wisher's body and spent the rest of the night chopping it up into medical supplies and spare organs.

Brace confronted Brother Bat about who was in charge, but Brother Bat (as usual) pulled out an epic speech and defused the situation. The effect of the speech was so profound that everyone started confessing to everyone else, intimate details of past transgressions. 

The evening devolved into drunkenness and debauchery. Candy passed on the debauchery but indulged in drunkenness, stupidly using a machine Niles had created to maximize exposure to the Psychic Maelstrom. It did allow Candy to see what Niles was seeing, which was useful. The machine told Niles that Candy smells like black licorice, which thankfully Niles kept to himself.

A persistent threat in the basement of a building left over from before The Apocalypse was dealt with, up to a point. Brother Bat was injured when mutant snakes attacked him, and Candy did a crappy job of patching him up. Niles killed the snakes with his AK, and Brother Bat communicated with a powerful entity that does not seem friendly, but seems to have left the town alone, for now, leaving nothing but prophetic warnings and a bad taste in everyone's mouth.