the matter of norfydd, part zero
This is the first of a series of session reports that I'm going to write for a game of Mythic Bastionland by Chris McDowall, a dark fantasy game of mythic knights in a strange land. I'm not positive how long our adventures will last, but I wanted to keep a chronicle of them.
Our session zero established some pretty straightforward lines and veils, and listed some pretty solid Touchstones for what we want the game to feel like:
- The Green Knight (2021)
- Roadwarden (2022)
- That part in Excalibur (1981) when they gotta find the holy grail.
- Last Light of the Sun by Guy Gavriel Kay
- The Seventh Seal (1957) (also bergman suckss)
- Misericorde, the Xeecee VNs
I've experienced about half of the things on this list and am planning to check out the others relatively soon.
Mythic Bastionland presents three "starts", depending on what kind of knightly story you want to tell, which I think is a smart addition even if most people will probably opt towards the first (which is what my group did.) It gives you a really clear idea of what a knight's arc might be like if they survive and avoid dishonor.
- Wanderer - Young Knights-Errant with d6GD (Guard) and d12+d6 in each Virtue. They arrive in the Realm seeking Glory. If they lack direction, have them seek a Seer’s counsel.
- Courtier - Mature Knights-Gallant with 2d6GD and d12+6 (six, not d6) in each Virtue. They have a place in Court at the Seat of Power. The first Omen of the nearest Myth is delivered as news to the Court.
- Ruler - Mature Knights-Tenant with d6+6GD and d12+6 (six, not d6) in each Virtue. One Knight rules a Holding, the others are in their Circle. The Seat of Power is under a wicked influence.
While you roll for your stats as normal, you do not create a knight out of nothing: the book provides 72 (!) knights, each with a nom-de-guerre, which you can choose from or roll a d6 and a d12 to randomly select. All three of my players rolled, and we wound up with:
- Burgith of Wendy Flats, the Tome Knight
- Aluna, the Bloody Knight, and
- Matilda, the Tiger Knight
I also had each of the three players generate a squire for someone else's knight, so that we'd have them on hand in case it was useful.
- Howell of Gudge Fen, squire to Aluna (played by Burgith's player)
- Goyon, squire to Matilda (played by Aluna's player)
- Lumpe, squire to Burgith (played by Matilda's player)
There's some pretty funny disparity between the stats rolled for squires and the stats rolled for knights; more on that if it becomes relevant to play.
With everyone established, I set about making a realm for the knights to explore. I used Hex Kit by the long-missing Cone of Negative Energy to put together a map, using the base tiles and some of Wuggy's Hex Tiles in the tool before exporting and touching up in Photoshop.
I followed the instructions in the book, but this page on Bastionland prep by elmcat (and the attendant generators were super helpful.
Along with the realm is four holdings, one of which is the "Seat of Power" - something like the capital of the realm. I wanted each to have its own distinctive flair, so I went with the Zelda approach of slamming one into a different biome - riverlands, mountains, cold forest, sunny coasts. I leaned a fair bit on Welsh and Old Norse for place names - it's Arthuriana, so I feel okay lifting from the source.
Thus: Norfydd, a prosperous but wild realm.
This is the map the players were given, but I have my own which highlights landmarks across the map (both useful and harmful), barriers that make travel difficult, and the sites of the Myths - the goal of the knights. Each Myth has a home hex, and its Omens radiate out from it. Likewise, the Sanctums - home of the coy-but-omniscent Seers - will lure the knights in to learn what they must do to confront the Myths.
All three players agreed we should enter Norfydd from the wild south (rather than taking a ship to either of the northern cities), so we'll open with some wilderness exploration. I'm excited to see what happens!