The Great Pendragon Campaign: Epic Play-Through Year 503

Summary: Our group is attempting a complete run of the Great Pendragon Campaign  using 5^th edition rules. Players are Matt, Mark, and Lilith. I am the GM.

Year 503

The eighth year in the Anarchy Period, there is no king in Britain.

Our current roster of characters:

•       Sir Safrax, played by Lilith.
•       Sir Quintus, played by Matt.
•       Sir Aeddan of Pitton, played by Mark.

One of our major deviations from the way things are “supposed” to go in the narrative as laid out by the campaign takes place this year. The Mercian alliance decides to go to help London as a massive force of Saxons attacks. Sir Aeddan, with a Battle skill approaching 30, has been appointed Marshal by Countess Ellen, and leads the armies in this conflict. The rolls are so exceptional that the Saxons are defeated, their lines broken, and the entire force routed. In official continuity, they capture London. In our game, they are driven back.

Some shit is also going on in the north, as King Nanteleod of Estragales starts gobbling up territory, including Lindsey. His main rival there was the kingdom of Malahaut, bolstered by Saxons, but Nanteleod defeats them in battle and is relatively unopposed. Lyndsey gives fealty to him, and he looks like he’s planning to keep going. This creates a new threat from the north in addition to the Saxon problems, and it looks like Cornwall is going to start making trouble too.

Thoughts: I wanted the character of Aeddan to be able to have a real impact on the outcome of the battle as Marshal, and the Salisbury forces were on the right wing along the river. He managed to make the Saxon forces break and fall back early in the battle, allowing his forces to reach and destroy their ships, cutting off their retreat down the river. Swinging in, the right flank then caused another rout in the center of the line. Overall, the defending forces had many more soldiers than they are assumed to have in the text and several really good Battle rolls turned the tide of the battle from defeat to victory. This also makes Aeddan one of the most influential characters in the country about now.

The Great Pendragon Campaign: Epic Play-Through Year 502

Summary: Our group is attempting a complete run of the Great Pendragon Campaign  using 5^th edition rules. Players are Matt, Mark, and Lilith. I am the GM.

Year 502

The seventh year in the Anarchy Period, there is no king in Britain.

Our current roster of characters:

·        Sir Safrax, played by Lilith.

·        Sir Quintus, played by Matt.

·        Sir Aeddan of Pitton, played by Mark.

Lots of politicking this year as Silchester approaches the Mercian alliance that the player knights set up, asking to join, but not formally. Word has come that raids are aimed at London and Duke Ulfias of Silchester wants to stop them. With the advice of the player knights, Countess Ellen is on board. The military alliance the player knights have set up is pretty strong right now, no match against all the Saxons unified, but luckily they are not unified.

The Saxons and Angles are fighting each other this year, and King Cwichelm, such a threat last year, loses in this little battle. It also keeps all the invaders off the Britons’ backs.

Thoughts: Again, the players’ efforts in unification pay off. Without all their work on the alliance, they and everyone else would be in a much more precarious position. This year’s “adventure” is basically nothing, something that happens a lot in the Anarchy period. There are a number of years where there are big political maneuvers, but nothing concrete provided for the players to do. Of course, what I do in these situations is find an adventure for them to go on, usually one that ties into the bigger events, but sometimes just a knightly adventure. My notes are bad for this year and I don’t remember what I had them do. Interestingly, the Anarchy period seems to be about the only one with this issue in the campaign. After Anarchy ends, almost every year has two wars or adventures, but at least one at the minimum. Anarchy calls on you to do a lot of stuff as the GM to keep the players entertained.

Special Note: Something important happened in 497 that I failed to mention in the writeup! Robert, the son of the Earl, is in his minority during the Anarchy period, and his mother, Countess Ellen, is running the county. I am keeping track of important families, and one of the events that can happen to such families is that someone dies, especially kids. Well, young Earl Robert died in 497, leaving his sister, Ishild, as the heir to the county. She has been growing up in the intervening years, and is now 15, getting close to the age where she could take over administration of the county.

The Great Pendragon Campaign: Epic Play-Through Year 501

Summary: Our group is attempting a complete run of the Great Pendragon Campaign  using 5^th edition rules. Players are Matt, Mark, and Lilith. I am the GM.

Year 501

The sixth year in the Anarchy Period, there is no king in Britain.

Our current roster of characters:

·        Sir Safrax, played by Lilith.

·        Sir Quintus, played by Matt.

·        Sir Aeddan of Pitton, played by Mark.

King Cwichelm of the Angles makes a surprise attack, capturing the counties of Hertford and Huntington before anyone can raise an army to prevent it. He continues to advance, but is stopped by the combined armies of Salisbury and Rydychan. While away fighting the Angles, Salisbury is left open to raiding from the Jutes of Kent, retribution for failing to pay tribute. A new Saxon chief arrives and sets himself up in Portsmouth, luckily mostly fighting other Saxons on arrival.

In Wales, Escavalon conquers Norgales, solidifying his hold over the entire region.

Saxons also kidnap Ygraine and her daughter Morgan from the nunnery where they were staying, but all the Saxons are found mysteriously dead and the two ladies unharmed. The young Morgan is perhaps the cause of the deaths. Sir Safrax, Sir Quintus, and Sir Aeddan then accompany the pair northward, where Morgan is married to the king of Gorre.

At winter court, a clamor of Saxons demanding tribute, including an emissary of King Cwichelm, who claims dominion over all other Saxons. Allies counsel caution, and pressure mounts from Lindsey and Wales to become subjects for mutual defense. The knights counsel the Countess to wait and see before committing to anything. Duke Ulfius of Silchester also sends an emissary asking to join the Salisbury alliance.

Thoughts: The alliance is holding pretty strong, although the pressure is mounting. Due to their political maneuvering, Salisbury is actually in a much stronger position this year than the book assumes. They now have strong provinces coming to them to join, rather than having to actively recruit. King Cwichelm is a huge threat, though, but luckily the Saxons don’t all get along or else it would end very badly for the Britons.