Adventure Generator

MODULAR ADVENTURECREATION SYSTEM (M.A.C.S.)

Expanding on the Adventure Generator concept found in other Savage products, the M.A.C.S. is designed to enable a Game Master to quickly generate an adventure that can be as loose or as detailed as he likes. It is engineered to take setting-specific elements and integrate them with personal character elements to create scenarios that are personalized for a given gaming group. Using the M.A.C.S. should help GMs create and run scenarios quickly, yet give their players experiences that are unique to their history with the Shaintar setting.
One key idea to understand about the M.A.C.S. is that, while what’s presented here is tailored for adventures in the Wildlands, the basic format and system can be used for adventures anywhere in Shaintar. Not only that, but the basic mechanics of the system could be easily adapted to any setting. To use the Modular Adventure Creation System, you will need an Action Deck; in other words, a full deck of playing cards, including the two Jokers. You will be shuffling this deck and laying the cards out in a kind of “tarot” style, where the position of the card will have direct influence over how it is read and used.
You should treat the use of M.A.C.S. as a kind of “toy/game” that can be used to create single adventures, or even entire campaign arcs, as you choose. There are some basic terms to define before continuing, which will make things easier to explain after you know them:

• Spread: The Spread is the layout of the cards, the total set of cards used to create the adventure. There are three Spreads you can use with M.A.C.S. – Foundation, Full, and Epic Spreads.

• Line: A Line of cards represents a particular set of Elements that are tied together. Lines spread out from the central set of cards in what are described as the cardinal directions – North, South, East, and West.

• Position: The specific place a card has in the Spread is its Position. This is important, as it determines the information communicated by what is on the card.

• Element: A placed card determines an Element of the Adventure; a piece of the interactive story that defines something about what will happen or is in play. Elements include goals, tasks, opponents, and rewards.

• Influence: The suits of the cards (Spades, Hearts, Clubs, and Diamonds) represent the Influences on those cards. The Influences are independent of the Position, and they provide potentially important guidance to the GM in deciding how to use a given card.

• Quality: The actual value of a card (number or face) determines the Quality of an Element. This may mean the type of opponents, the item to be recovered, the person to be escorted, the seriousness of the situation, or any number of other aspects in play.

If this is starting to sound a bit deep, don’t panic yet. Think of this as an alternative to rolling dice and consulting charts. That is, actually, exactly what it is. It is meant to be a fun, visual way to generate random ideas and put them together quickly and logically to get a cohesive story your Heroes can play out.

Important – This system works best if you realize that it is meant to guide your imagination, rather than take the place of it. Each and every result should be considered entirely optional, or easily changed, as logic or your instincts demand.


THE FOUNDATION SPREAD The Foundation Spread is extremely simple, and it may be all some GMs need. You just lay out four cards in the following pattern:


These four cards answer four of the most basic questions any story must deal with in order to be complete – Who (North), What (West), Where (East), and Why (South). The cardinal directions are just for ease of reference when talking about where they are placed, which makes things much easier as you deal with the more detailed Spreads. The classic fifth question, When, is most easily answered by you, the Game Master, and doesn’t require any kind of random element. “When” is whenever you are ready to run the adventure in question, or when you feel it most fits within your campaign timeline.


Now then, for all cards played in these Spreads, the Influences are the same. They are determined by the suit of the card, as follows:
• Hearts: Personal. A Personal Influence means someone involved has a very direct, personal stake in the Element. This can either be one or more of the Heroes, or an outside entity. GMs will have a much easier time integrating Personal Influences if they are very familiar with the backstories and Hindrances of the Heroes in their campaigns. At the same time, players will get more directed results from this system if they have strong background stories to draw from.
o Who: A Personal Enemy crops up; someone from a friend’s family needs help; a love interest has a task for the Heroes.
o What: Something of value to one of the Heroes has been stolen or gone missing; the task in question requires the specific talents of one or more of the Heroes; it’s not a mission, but a favor for a merchant that has been generous to the Heroes.
o Where: The mission requires travel to a Hero’s home; the main setting for the adventure is on a small farm and affects the family living there; something about the destination ties into a moment in a Hero’s history.
o Why: A Hero’s Code of Honor demands she see the mission through; the main Villain attacked the travelers in question in order to draw the Heroes out; something about the mission is somehow tied to the destiny of one or more of the Heroes.

• Clubs: Political. A Political Influence means the item, person, or matter at hand has some sort of political connections or ramifications. It could be a matter of diplomatic importance between two countries, a military action on the part of a baron or merchant lord, or simply a mission of exploration as ordered by a king or general. Political doesn’t have to mean intrigue, mind you; it could be as simple as a basic mission ordered by a military commander, dealing with fairly mundane issues (like delivering a message).
o Who: A diplomat needs an escort; troops from an enemy country have been raiding a community; a lord’s daughter has gone missing.
o What: An official message must be delivered; the border of a hostile nation must be patrolled; the supply train for a unit in the field must be guarded along its path.
o Where: A location of military importance must be defended; the Heroes must travel to the capital of a nation or kingdom; a murder has occurred in the town mayor’s office.
o Why: Mission failure could result in a war; an item is stolen in order to influence an election; workers have begun rioting in protest of harsh laws.

• Diamonds: Economic. An Economic Influence means money or material value is involved in some way. It may be that trade through the region could be affected, or it may simply be that someone lost a necklace of particularly high monetary worth. It could also mean there is wealth to be earned in some way for the Heroes, or that they will need to arrange for money or resources to solve the issue.
o Who: A merchant needs the help of the Heroes; the person to be hunted is a known thief; the quartermaster of the Rangers is the one assigning the mission in question.
o What: An item of great value has been stolen; the payroll for a garrison must be delivered; a very important merchant caravan must be escorted through dangerous lands.
o Where: A vault has been attacked and robbed; a murder has occurred in a merchant guild hall; monsters are raiding the estate of a wealthy patron.
o Why: The wife of a rich man has been kidnapped for ransom; success on a mission will mean greater resources contributed to the Rangers; the river must remain safe for the economic health of the towns that depend on it.

• Spades: Mystical. A Mystical Influence means magic or the spirit world is involved somehow. Often, which kind of influence will be clear. If, however, you need to generate this randomly, draw a second card. 2-9 of Spades = Darkness. 2-9 of Clubs = Flame. 2-9 of Hearts = Life. 2-9 of Diamonds = Light. 10-Jacks of any suit = Alchemy. Kings or Queens of any suit = Sorcery. Aces of any suit = The Way. Joker = Anything goes, but make it spectacular, whatever you do.

o Who: A sorcerer has gone missing; an alchemist needs the Heroes to find a specific ingredient; a necromancer has been raising the dead and launching attacks in a nearby duchy.
o What: Demonic creatures are raiding nearby farms; a mysterious artifact has been found by miners; one of the Heroes has had a vision leading her on a spiritual quest.
o Where: The Heroes must journey into an ancient, cursed tomb; a sacred grove of spiritual importance has been attacked; the ruins of a legendary archmage contain some kind of important information or artifact.
o Why: If the demonic ritual is performed, the acolytes will attain terrible, unholy power; discovering a new vein of mystical ore will give the allies of the Southern Kingdoms a much needed advantage in the war to come; the visions the adept is having won’t make sense until the Heroes find their way to lost citadel.

Having a general idea of the Influences and how they might be interpreted, some GMs may choose to just use the Foundation Spread to engage their imaginations and will generate a scenario from that. However, to get more advantage from the system, it’s best to go ahead and generate a Full Spread:


The way this all works is pretty simple. Just draw and lay out the cards, and compare the result to the information and charts that follow. GMs should feel free to ignore any and all draws, either redrawing or creating a result of their own. As well, there will be times where a specific Position on the Spread simply won’t apply, either because it doesn’t fit in with the other Elements or because the scenario simply doesn’t require it in any way.

The default assumption for a scenario generated from this system is that it will have three “Acts;” three distinct parts, usually with some kind of conflict or battle as part of the resolution. You should feel free to shorten or extend that as much as desired, simply adding or subtracting Elements as needed.

And remember, the Influences as described above are vital to helping you determine the real details of the results below. It is the combination of Influences and Qualities that give you the strongest guidance towards the scenario Elements.
One more thing; if you draw a Joker for any Element, you have two choices. Treat it as a Wild Card and insert whatever you like for it, or treat it as a “trigger” for an Epic Arc. If you do the latter, be prepared to use the Epic Spread, below.

Who (the Northern Line) This line helps the Game Master determine who the key players in the scenario are (besides the Heroes, naturally). Instigator: The Instigator is a person or group that has a reason for the Heroes to go through the scenario, or else has a need that will be fulfilled by the Heroes successfully negotiating the scenario. In most cases, the Game Master may simply state that the Rangers have ordered the mission be undertaken. However, even in those cases, the mission is usually the result of a need, request, or reported information on someone else’s part.

The Instigator may or may not have something to gain from the success of the Heroes, but they are definitely supportive of the Heroes’s efforts.

2-5: A low-born individual or family
6-8: A village elder or a sizeable commoner family
9-10: Working or merchant class folk, artisans
Jack: A wealthy merchant or guild leader
Queen: Local nobility or highborn family
King: A baron, duke, or similarly ranked high noble of the Wildlands
Ace: A representative of one of the greater Southern Kingdoms

Foe: The Foe represents the person or faction arrayed against the Heroes in the Scenario. There may be any number of different kinds of actual opponents in the fights that occur, but the Foe is the unifying factor that determines who most or all of them are. For each Act, you’ll generally want to increase the quantity and/or quality of the opponents faced, representing further resistance from the Foe.

2-5: Thugs, criminals, bandits
6-8: Soldiers, mercenaries, military forces
9-10: Agents, spies, operatives
Jack: Someone of strong magical ability (draw again)
Queen: Someone of strong charisma and influence (draw again)
King: A powerful leader or commander (draw again)
Ace: A supernatural being (draw again)

Victim: In some situations (generally determined by the Task Element of the What Line), there is someone who has been victimized. A murder to be solved, a captive to be rescued, or the target of a theft. This is the Victim. If this Element is not otherwise readily derived from other Elements, use this Position to determine the nature of the Victim.
The Victim may or may not have a direct connection to the Instigator; that is for you to decide.

2-5: A low-born individual or family
6-8: A villager or member of a sizeable commoner family
9-10: Working or merchant class folk, artisans
Jack: Someone from a wealthy, non-noble family
Queen: Local nobility or highborn family
King: A baron, duke, or similarly ranked high noble of the Wildlands
Ace: Someone of importance from beyond the Wildlands

What (the Western Line)
This Line helps the Game Master determine the main plot elements of the scenario.

Task: The very spine of the scenario, really, this is the Element that establishes the key task and goal the Heroes are after. As with all draws, you should feel free to discard this one for another choice. It is especially important that you feel empowered to do so here, though, because the entire scenario depends on this being a good choice for you and your players.

2: Patrol/Scout (a road, region, border, etc.)
3: Search/Explore (looking for something lost, or exploring the unknown)
4: Hunt/Capture (criminals, or monsters)
5: Acquire (resources, ingredients, supplies, etc.)
6: Rescue (someone’s in trouble, captured, or lost)
7: Defend (enemies are on their way; hold that ground!)
8: Research (history, legends, mystical knowledge, etc.)
9: Investigate (crimes and mysterious happenings)
10: Recruit (the Rangers are always looking) Jack: Escort/Deliver (people, supplies, messages, etc.)
Queen: Mediate/Negotiate (disputes, treaties, arrangements, etc.)
King: Attack (enemies are at large; take them down!)
Ace: Draw Twice (combinations abound)

Reward: This Element will help you decide on what, if any, kind of reward or achievement is attained by the Heroes for successfully completing the scenario. Material treasures are always nice, but sometimes the best Reward is something that really fulfills a Hero, such as an answer to a long-sought-after mystery, or promotion in the ranks.

2-6: Resources (money, supplies, ingredients)
7-9: Treasure (valuable gems, magical items, lost tomes)
10: Power (awakened items, political access, mystical gifts)
Jack: Knowledge/Discovery (mystery revealed, secret uncovered, issue resolved)
Queen: Recognition/Status (promotions, honors, ascension)
King: Important Connections (leaders, rulers, masters)
Ace: “Wish List” (each Hero should get something of specific value to them)

Hook: This Element really is optional, but it can mean the difference between “just another adventure” and a highly-fulfilling experience for your players. The Hook is meant to guide you in creating one or more direct links between the Heroes and the Elements of the scenario. Judicious use of Hooks can mean the players will sense a great deal of personal stake in the outcome, over just beating some bad guys and getting some stuff.

Note that the Ace draw here has a particularly interesting effect; you can create a single Hook that ties two or more of them together. Say you draw a King next; you could have them discover they are related…

2: Draw again; the Hook should create a wedge between a Hero and one or more of the other Heroes.
3-4: Weakness (physical, mental, emotional; Hindrances are good here)
5-6: Strength (a gift, a talent, or an extraordinary skill is needed)
7-8: Past Mistake (something comes back to haunt a Hero)
9-10: Past Success (something comes back to help a Hero)
Jack: Enemy (rival, nemesis, or someone who hunts the hero)
Queen: Friend (ally, love interest, or “old running buddy”)
King: Family (immediate, extended, or lost)
Ace: Draw again; link it to two or more Heroes at once

Where (the Eastern Line) This Line gives the Game Master guidance in establishing the scenes for the various Acts of the scenario. It is not designed to indicate specific locations on the map; that is best determined by the GM based on the overall needs of the campaign (or left open if it really doesn’t matter much in the grand scheme of things).

Instead, the Where Elements help the Game Master imagine the nature of the setting for the part of the story in question.

Act 1: It may be that the scenario really only has one overall location. If so, this card determines it.
Act 2: If there is to be a Second Act, its location is determined by this Position.
Act 3: Likewise, the Third and (usually) Final Act’s setting would be determined by this card.

2: Underground (tunnels, tombs, hidden fortresses)
3: On the Road/Path (draw again if you like to determine where the road is)
4: In the Woods (copse, deep forest, swamp, etc.)
5: Open Plains (rolling, flat, wild, cultivated, etc.)
6: Hills/Mountains (gently rolling, mighty and formidable, etc.)
7: Water (pond, lake, stream, river, or coastline)
8: Farm (small, estate, commune, etc.)
9. Camp (loggers, outlaws, wanderers, etc.)
10. Village (a few shops and houses, a tavern, maybe an inn…)
Jack: Town/City (urban trappings, urban blight)
Queen: Estate (the home of someone of wealth and means)
King: Castle/Keep (the home of a ruler, commander, or someone else of importance)
Ace: Point of Power (a mystical locus, a legendary ruin, an ancient mage tower, etc.)

Why (the Southern Line)
Ironically, this is the most expendable of the four Lines; not because “Why” things happen is not important to the story, but because the Game Master can probably most easily determine that as a natural, logical result from the other three Lines.

However, sometimes it is good to have some guidance about why things really happened in the story. The three Positions in this Line deal with the immediate reasons; the goals that have tactical implications for those involved; and, finally, the strategic matters at hand. Note that the Influences are much more important in this case, and the Qualities indicated below are meant to simply suggest possible refinements.

Short Term: The primal forces that determine goals and needs behind the scenario; normally, these apply to the Foe, but can just as easily refer to the Instigator, or even the Heroes.

2-4: Greed (the desire of things)
5-6: Need (beyond one’s control)
7-8: Lust (the desires of the flesh)
9-10: Hate (fear, revenge, or worse)
Jack: Honor (driven by a personal code)
Queen: Love (driven by another)
King: Duty (driven by command)
Ace: Enigma (a mystery, something to uncover…)

Mid-Term: Outside of the immediate effects of the events in question, this Element helps the GM formulate larger goals that may have put things in motion. Alternately, it may not be that anything was intended other than the Short-Term Influence and Quality, but the consequences are still as developed here.

2-3: Reduction (there is an effort to lesson someone’s power or position)
4-5: Elevation (there is an effort to increase someone’s power or position)
6-7: Obfuscation (there is an effort to hide or obscure movements or actions)
8-9: Discovery (there is an effort to reveal or determine movements or actions)
10-Jack: Positioning (there is an effort to move forces or resources where needed)
Queen-King: Countering (there is an effort to prevent forces or resources from getting where they are needed)
Ace: Enigma (a mystery, something to research…)

Long Term: If the GM wants a “Big Picture” framework that the scenario fits into, possibly to develop more of the campaign around, this Element can help point the way. It represents the final, greater interests of the “prime mover” of the scenario, the faction or power that influences the key players on one side or the other and set things into motion.

2-4: Chaos (change, destruction, evolution)
5-7: Order (law, structure, dominance)
8-10: Balance (status quo, evenness, unchanged in the end)
Jack: Knowledge (power through profound revelation)
King-Queen: Might (power through exceptional force)
Ace: Enigma (a mystery, something to be revealed…)

As stated, the draw of a Joker can simply mean the Game Master picks whatever he wants for the Element in question (though certainly with the encouragement to make it something really extraordinary). However, GMs can also use Jokers as triggers to invoke the Epic Spread, shown below:

Though the Epic Spread looks way more complicated, it’s really just “more of the same” in a lot of ways. With the Epic Spread, the main idea is that things within the scenario have simply gotten more complicated, normally because more “players” are involved, and/or more stakes have been raised.

Who Else (the Northeast Line)
If you add this line, it means more people and groups are involved in the situation, with their own agendas and needs. Plan on doing a lot of creative thinking and planning once this happens. However, it can make for some truly memorable capers and tales. Instigator

2: Use the same list as for Instigator, above. This second person or faction may or may not have complimentary goals or needs, but they will be just as insistent on the Heroes’ aid.

Foe 2: Use the same list as for Foe, above. This Foe may be an ally of the first, or may have a completely separate (and probably competitive) agenda. Heroes who figure out such things might well have a chance to set two enemies against one another…

“X” Factor: Further spicing things up, someone else is wrapped up in this mess, too. They may have an entirely mysterious involvement, possibly friend and foe, depending on how things play out. Draw on any of the three Who Line lists you like, and work them in however most intrigues you.

What Else (the Northwest Line)
More Tasks, more Rewards, and more Hooks are in play with a complicated Epic like this getting underway.

Task 2: Now the Heroes have two different missions, which may or may not be compatible. Do they have to choose between the two, sacrificing one goal for another? Or is there a way to pull it all together? Possibly, in some mysterious way, the tasks are related somehow…? Use the same Draw list as for the Task Element above.

Reward 2: With more risks usually comes more potential for Reward. Draw from the same list as detailed above for Reward.

Hook 2: This may actually be the most important Element to define here. Having a primary Task, the Heroes may feel they should abandon whatever this Line gives them. Coming up with the proper Hook (or Hooks) may be what’s needed to draw them in. Use the same list as for Hook, above.

Where Else (going “Farther East”)
Simply put, if more Acts are needed for this complex tale, just draw more cards and lay them further along…

Why Else (the Southwest Line)
U sing the exact same draws as for the Southern “Why” Line, but use the results to further define the agendas of any additional players in the drama.

Sean is preparing to run for his group in a few hours, and he’s decided to use the M.A.C.S. to create an adventure. He draws out cards and creates the Spread shown above.

First he looks at his “Who” Line. The 8 of Clubs indicates a clan or village Elder or a sizeable Common Family as the Instigator, with a Political Influence. The 4 of Hearts gives him thugs or criminals as his Foe, with some kind of Personal connection. Finally, if he decides to use the Victim Element, the 9 of Spades suggests a worker or artisan with Mystical Influence.

A s an idea formulates, he looks at his “What” Line. The Task Element, a 5 of Hearts, involves Acquiring something, and there’s a Personal stake in it. The potential Reward (5 of Clubs) involves Resources with Political implications. The 3 of Clubs indicates a Hook involving someone’s Weakness (perhaps connecting to them in some Political way).

Sean goes ahead and looks at the Where Line. The first Act, a Queen of Diamonds, shows an Estate of some kind (with an Economic influence). Act 2, Jack of Hearts, speaks of a city or town that someone has a Personal connection to. The 5 of Diamonds says Act 3 occurs in the Open Plains, but Sean’s leaning towards just having two Acts for this adventure.

A t this point, Sean’s jotted some notes down. The patriarch of a well-established family in a farming community has contacted the Rangers for help with a potentially delicate matter. His eldest son, talented in alchemy and metallurgy, was summoned by a nearby wealthy merchant’s house (one of considerable political influence) to come work for them. The family hasn’t heard from him in weeks, and messages sent to the noble family have gone unanswered.

Though the Heroes won’t know it at first, the young man has been abducted – from the estate of the new employer - by a criminal gang and carted off to a nearby large town, along with a sizeable amount of white silver and other valuable materials. When the Rangers come to investigate, the embarrassing truth will out, and the merchant lord will ask them to please return his lost resources – and the poor young man, of course.

The trail leads to a large town well known to one of the Heroes – Sarah’s character, the brinchie rogue, Sasha. She used to operate there, and ran with a very rough crowd led by one Zerrin Black. The same man, as it so happens, who engineered the kidnapping of our hapless magic sword maker!


With all of those Elements in play, Sean now has a very interesting adventure that hooks in one of the Heroes very specifically, while giving the Rangers a chance to earn valuable resources and support from a wealthy merchant house. Deciding he wants to get a sense of how this all plays in the larger scale, he looks at his Why Line for some ideas.

With the King of Clubs in play, he determines that Zerrin Black is acting out of Duty to some greater person, someone of influence he answers to. The 6 of Clubs in the Mid-Term Position indicates that whoever is pulling the strings seeks to Obfuscate what they are up to; perhaps the Heroes will uncover evidence of a greater conspiracy worth investigating. The Long-Term “Why” Card, the 2 of Diamonds, gives Sean the idea that whoever is behind this wants to create economic Chaos in the region.

(We’ll skip the diagram for the second example; you get the idea from above)

Sean uses the system again for a second adventure. For his Who Line, he draws a Jack of Spades, a 7 of Diamonds, and a 7 of Spades. This gives him a wealthy merchant (Mystical Influence) as an Instigator, soldiers or mercenaries (Economic Influence) as Foes, and a villager or member of a commoner family as a Victim. He likes the first two, but decides to toss the last, forgoing a specifically defined and detailed victim in this scenario (though there may well be victims evolving out of the story anyway).

C onsulting his What Line, he sees 5 of Clubs, a 9 of Clubs, and an Ace of Clubs. His last adventure featured Acquire as the Task, so he tosses that one and redraws, getting an Ace of Hearts. This actually leads him to then draw two cards – an 8 of Spades and a 2 of Diamonds; the challenge, if he chooses it, is to combine them into the scenario (in this case, the suit of the Ace is ignored to keep things simple, though he could integrate it somehow if he wanted). The Ace of Clubs also calls for a second draw, this time giving a 7 of Hearts.

The net result of these draws is as follows: a research Task (with Mystical Influence) somehow attached to a patrol or scouting mission (with Economic Influences). The potential Reward for the scenario is Treasure (possibly stemming from a Political source).

The Hook, thanks to the Ace, is attached to more than one Hero – a past mistake that affects them or is connected to them Personally.

The Where Line draw is 2 of Hearts, Jack of Clubs, and Queen of Hearts. This puts Act 1 in an underground setting (potentially with a Personal connection to someone), while Act 2 happens in a city or town (of Political Influence). Act 3, which Sean decides to use this time, is an Estate draw; he decides to redraw, getting a 6 of Diamonds. This means the final Act is in the hills or mountains somewhere (someplace of Economic importance).

Before delving into any details, Sean decides to go ahead and evaluate the Why Line to see if he gets any more good ideas from it. A 10 of Hearts tells him the Short-Term goal is driven by Hate (on a very Personal level). The Mid- Term goal, defined by a 10 of Diamonds, is one of Economic Positioning, while the Long-Term results sought after are Mystical Might (a Queen of Spades).

The scenarios practically screams dwarves to Sean, so he starts there. The Rangers have been asked to run patrols through a series of mines and other dwarven holdings, most of which are (of course), underground. The mines are responsible for a great deal of material used for arms and armor by the Southern Kingdoms, making them very important. Unfortunately, the dwarf assigned as their liaison is from a clan who was nearly wiped out by the Maelstrom, an evil mercenary outfit that Thad’s ogre, Utgard, and Jacob’s orc, Kurrock, used to serve with. This will create very high tension…

To complicate matters, a mage has asked to accompany the Rangers. He is researching a mysterious mineral that is said to be found in the mines of this area, something believed to have strong magical properties. He’s not exactly a “wealthy merchant,” but that’s where creative interpretation steps in. The cards are, after all, merely a creative tool, not a set of restraints.

The first mine they come to will be the scene of a battle; Maelstrom mercenaries are there, killing dwarven miners and trying to steal a batch of the mysterious ore the mage spoke of. The mercenaries will want to kill Kurrock and Utgard, naturally, but will be surprised to see the dwarven guide – because he’s their contact, the one who told them how to get into the mines and what to steal!

This will get into a whole betrayal storyline (driven by the Hate result of the Short Term Why Element the dwarf wants to set up Kurrock and Utgard, believing they will reveal their true colors in the presence of their Maelstrom “allies.”

In truth, the mercenaries will have been sent by the Malakar Dominion in an attempt to secure portions of the mine and hopefully acquire a powerful magical ore… Act 2 will lead to a battle with more Dominion/ Maelstrom operative in a dwarven mining town, with a final battle (perhaps to rescue the mage, who the enemy wants for his knowledge of the mysterious ore) deep in the mines.

GM TO GM: FORTUNE TELLIN G A stute readers will see the “tarot/fortune telling” motif in the system. Imagine, however, actually using that aspect in the game! The players might well meet a fortune teller on the road or in a town. For a few coppers, she lays the cards and tells their fortune…

…which, of course, comes true, because the cards laid out tells you how to set up one of their next adventures!