Bridge of the Damned, by Thor Olavsrud
The Pitch: A Torchbearer adventure about a haunted bridge.
Why I backed: I have been collecting the Torchbearer line. I’ve played a few times and enjoyed it, though my attempt to run the game myself did not go well.
What I received: A nice thick zine with a moody color cover.
How it works: The project expanded and the zine now includes a gazetteer for the region the adventure takes place in. The first half of the zine is the gazetteer, and the second half is the adventure. There is a certain amount of repetition between the two since the adventure is meant to be usable independently (and will be reprinted without the gazetteer as part of Torchbearer 2).
What I thought: My initial reaction to the first few pages was dread at the density of the setting and the many footnotes (most of which are citations to the Middarmark sourcebook). But I was quickly won over. The mood and aesthetic of the gazetteer are very strong. They convey an old Norse-ness that feels wild and fantastic while being deftly removed both from straight history and (more importantly) from the fantasy Viking tropes that have become ubiquitous in games lately.
The central idea of the gazetteer, which also powers the adventure, is that clans are extended families bound together by an Aettir, an ancestor spirit who is very present - they can speak to their descendants in dreams, and even act through descendants who hold their treasures. The power of the Aettirs depends on the clan’s fortunes, their adherence to ritual and tradition, and the safety of their treasures. If these things weaken too much, the Aettir will literally die and the clan will be broken. But it’s easy to be part of multiple clans! When you marry, you join your spouse’s clan, and there are other ways as well. And of course many treasures are sacred to multiple clans and stolen back and forth. This creates a ton of story grist, both creating reasons for cycles of feuding and giving intense magical significance to disputes over family and tradition. It captures a feel of premodern spirituality that D&D clerics are missing.
This idea is well developed in various directions. There is a ritual that families can learn to exalt an ancestor into an Aettir and forge themselves into a clan recognized both socially and supernaturally. There is also a hero cult that jealously guards a smaller-scale version of the ritual. This smaller rite forges an adventuring party into a kind of mystic family, united and protected by a patron spirit like an animal, elemental, or ghost - who must be bargained with and sustained by ritual and sacrifice.
This is the kind of stuff that makes me want to start playing Torchbearer immediately - even though it’s a little hard to see exactly how this more open-ended material fits with the very dungeon-focused rule set.
The Bridge of the Damned adventure is solid, but I didn’t find it quite as compelling as the Gazetteer. The adventure is built around two warring factions, neither of whom is clearly good or bad. There is a central dilemma that really has no good solution, to an extent that may seem a little unfair to players, but will hopefully prompt some good scenes. There are a variety of fun NPCs natural and supernatural, most of whom are open to a deal rather than a fight. Format-wise I appreciated the attention to setting out good twists and conditions to hit the players with on failure. There is also a fair amount of logistical stuff for what is a fairly small dungeon, and an important secret door that the party may have some trouble finding.
What I’m going to do with it: Keep it, though I probably won’t use it directly. If I run the adventure I’ll do it in Torchbearer 2 when the time comes. I will think about what I want to do with the Aettir material - maybe just Burning Wheel?
Comments
Post a Comment