# Gaming in Greensboro, NC



## Aeolius (Jan 27, 2002)

I am giving some consideration to running a face-to-face campaign, once again; the first I have done since moving my games online in 1995. Granted, I am married, have two kids, work full time, have a houseful of animals and plethora of hobbies. Thus the reason I typically DM message-based games via the web. 

   My web-based game, "Beneath the Pinnacles of Azor'alq" (BPAA), is a 3e D&D World of Greyhawk message-based game (Play-by-Post) set beneath the surface of the Dramidj Ocean. The current level of play is between 2 to 5. The campaign, which uses the "core rules of 3e, select supplements from 2e, and the heart of 1e", is designed for those interested in participating in a work of coauthored interactive fiction. With BPAA, I have amalgamated my interests in writing, D&D, and saltwater aquariums. 

   In the campaign, I post a new "Chapter" once a week. During the week, the players respond to events in the Chapter, to NPCs, and to one another. I will add updates as time permits. The next week, I post a new Chapter. While this method of game play requires a degree of patience and the occasional spell-checker, I have found it one of the best options for those with hectic schedules.

   You may be asking yourself "Why, if he complains about his hectic schedule, would he want to organize regular gaming sessions?". The answer is simple. BPAA began as a First Edition AD&D campaign. I skipped over most of 2e, but found myself enthralled by the possibilities 3e had to offer. Thus, while BPAA is a 3e campaign, I have yet to use the rules within a real-world gaming group.

   I also admit to a somewhat selfish motivation. I would like to try running an aquatic campaign in real-time, to help improve my message-based game. Granted, this would mean that, right from the beginning, all of the races in the PH would be abandoned, in favor of sea elves, merfolk, locathah and the like. If I have managed to whet your appetite, I would ask that you consider the following information, from "Greyhawk Adventures" (also posted at http://www.wizards.com/greyhawk/dndgreyhawkmysteriousplaces.asp), regarding the region known as Turucambi. 

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

    The Oljatt Sea is largely unexplored owing to the hazard of the predatory sea creatures that dwell there, but nonetheless the intrepid Sea Lords have trade routes along the shallower portions well down the Hepmonaland coast. One of the primary reasons for taking such a difficult journey is the lacework of islands, reefs, lagoons, and lakes known as Turucambi.
    Turucambi is a maze of limestone jutting up from the sea bottom some 20 leagues from the mainland of Hepmonaland's easternmost extremes. Generally, sea captains approach along the coastline rather than across the deeps, as native attacks are preferred to sea beasts the size of ships. What the captains seek there is a wealth of precious coral, as well as the occasional odd relic traded by the locals.
    The complex interpenetration of land and water that is Turucambi is rich in life, both above and below the surface--indeed, rather too much so for the tastes of most merchants. The region is some 30 miles across, roughly oval, and has numerous small islands which consists almost entirely of steep ridges. The vegetation is dense, and much of it is saw-edged or contains a poisonous sap that raises blisters wherever it touches skin. These branching islands are riddled with lakes and lagoons, many connected to the sea through subterranean passages which run through the entire region. All the rock is limestone, and riddled with large and small caves; the footing is extremely difficult, and the chief land fauna seems to consist of venomous and ill-tempered snakes, and a few crocodiles. Turucambi's wealth, however, is in the water.
    The Turucambi reefs are among the most complex known, and present surprises at every turn. The tidal range is great, and there are shallows regularly exposed by the tides, deep unfathomed sinkholes, and complex and powerful tidal races which can toss a ship like a toy. There are white coral plains, expanses of sea grasses, mangrove swamps, and complex rookeries of bright coral, all swarming with life from microscopic to gigantic. The waters teem with mermen, sahuagin, water nagas, sea elves, koalinth, saltwater trolls, ixitxachitl, and even a tribe of seagoing lizard men. These fight constantly with one another to maintain their territories, and to exclude uninvited land folk. Nor are these the only hazards. Many of the corals and sea jellies carry poison stings that may raise painful or deadly welts, and a number of the mollusks and fishes are similarly armed. Plesiosaurs roam the shallows, sculling about in search of food both large and small.
    The attraction of Turucambi to the aquatic races is twofold: first, it is one of the richest in sea life of the Oljatt's reefs, and second it attracts human trade. Precious corals can be harvested from the deeper parts of the reef: not only the familiar red and black corals, but the rarer golden coral. There are also certain ancient treasures such as small figurines of precious stone or delicately colored bowls, apparently of terrestrial manufacture, in some of the darker and less well explored corners of Turucambi. These are highly prized. In return, the sea folk gain goods not easily made in the water; glass, copper, or bronze (they have little desire for iron, which rusts too readily), and silver or gold jewelry, as well as mundane items such as wood and stone, particularly obsidian. Most sea folk have treaties with merchants from civilized lands or with Hepmonaland natives, allowing safe passage and free trade.
    Indeed, it is possible that the sea folk trade yet more widely. A Duxchaner vessel blown out to sea and unsure of its bearings once approached from the east, and observed a huge sunken hulk more than a hundred feet long, with many masts and a slender, shallow body. She appeared to be holed and to have a cargo clearly visible through the six fathoms of water over her, but the practical and incurious Duxchaners turned away. It is hazardous to approach an unfamiliar part of Turucambi, not merely because of the natural hazards but because of the locals, who are more than willing to attempt piracy rather than trading and who are resentful of possible coral poachers.
    It has been suggested that Turucambi might be artificial in whole or in part. Such convoluted islands are found nowhere else in such numbers. Certainly this would explain the odd trade goods occasionally taken, but the size of the structures strains belief. The hardheaded traders who visit are not eager to spend time searching out the answer to the problem, and the residents, even the friendly ones, do not seem anxious to answer the questions of the idly curious.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

   Next week, FFG will release a 176-page hardback d20 supplement known as the Seafarer's Handbook. That should prove more than adequate, combined with Mongoose's "Sea of Blood", for conducting a campaign set underwater, when coupled with the following materials:

 - D&D (older): The Sea People
 - 1e AD&D: All hardback rulebooks, The World of Greyhawk Boxed Sets
 - 2e AD&D: Of Ships and the Sea, Monstrous Arcana: The Sea Devils, Sea of Fallen Stars
 - 3e D&D: Core Rulebooks (PH, DMG, MM), Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, select supplements

   If I was going to run a campaign, it would be entitled "Heirs of Turucambi". If I were going to develop such a setting, it would mesh with my existing message-based game (http://www.lobi.com/campaigns/bpaa). If I attempted to manage regular gaming sessions, it might very well be from my own home (north Greensboro, near Summerfield), thus it would be a non-smoking environment where cats, dogs, and birds have overtaken the house.

   Should there be sufficient interest, I will develop the campaign setting in earnest, including a web-presence, over the next month. You can e-mail me at aeolius@lobi.com, or look for me (as aeolius) on AIM. 

Aeolius


----------

