Andrew Walter - Fronds of Benevolence

Written & Illustrated by Andrew Walter.

Editing & Development by Jarrett Crader.

Layout & Development by Christian Kessler.

Proofreading by Jared Sinclair & Fiona Maeve Geist.

Playtesters: Jack Burley, Nick Gadsby, Jim Howard, Tom Hughes, Laurie Innes, Peter McConville, Rob Saunders, Charlotte Searle, Marek Steven and Lewis Walker.

Copyright 2019 Andrew Walter.

This product is an independent production of The Melsonian Arts Council.

Redistribution without prior written consent is prohibited. Permission is granted to photocopy and otherwise reproduce for personal use. The author retains the right to be identified as such. In all cases this notice must remain intact.

Fronds of Benevolence is an adventure for Troika! intended for play over one or two sessions by 4 to 6 players wherein they are charged with saving the existence of their friend/ruler/patron/deity Duke DeCorticus, upon whose sporulating shoulders rests the fate of the entire duchy of Plandra. It takes the form of a pointcrawl.

The pointcrawl concept was codified by the seriously excellent Hill Cantons blog. A wealth of information about their use and genesis can be found by visiting http://hillcantons.blogspot.com/search/label/pointcrawling.

This peaceful territory is the lynchpin of an uneasy truce between several ramshackle empires of pirate-princelings with access to some nasty elder technology and weaponry. Were anything to happen to PLANDRAS STABLE GOVERNMENT this part of the land could swiftly be consumed in ash, war and plunder.

Given the intended play time of this adventure the political ramifications of Plandra were outlined to the players as deliberately vague in playtesting.

Duke DeCorticus is a noble plant creature of indeterminate origin who has reigned so long that even he can no longer recall how or when he came to power, although he pointedly disdains the title of demigod. Whether or not he is considered dangerously teratogenic is a question waived by many inhabitants of Plandra in light of his excellent and benevolent rule.

It is suggested that the PCs are told as part of character generation that their relationship to DeCorticus is fairly close, and then asked to determine for themselves exactly how and why this is the case.

Duke DeCorticus has a long and complex lifecycle with many phases and subphases that depend on a regular supply of fresh water, sunlight and, most crucially, a substance of possibly extra-dimensional origin known as RARE EARTHS. Otherwise known as STAR LOAM, it is only available in minute quantities from very specific parts of the world.

Normally the supply of Rare Earths is delivered from The Wall, a region far to the south, but of late an anonymous yet official missive has been sent to Plandra explaining in no uncertain terms that no more shall be delivered under any circumstances.

As the obvious MacGuffin for this adventure, players might question why RARE EARTHS have not been stockpiled up to this point. It is a legitimate point and one that can be explained by a sabotage operation by the AURIC LIQUIDATORS .

Mysteriously, around the same time the supply of RARE EARTHS was cut off, rambling but professionally printed pamphlets in dark green ink on lime green paper began appearing throughout the kingdom and acquiring a steadily growing readership. They tend to bear titles such as THEORETICAL INJUSTICES ASSUME REALITY: A SHORT TREATISE ON THE ABSURDITY OF BOTANICAL BEINGS ASSUMING RULE OVER MANKIND.

It is recommended that not only the rather unhinged and fanatical nature of these pamphlets is made clear to the characters but also that every day they gain increasing readership due to a certain frisson of the mysterious most Plandrans harbour whims for the exotic.

On Plotting: Any plot for Fronds is flimsy and insubstantial the journeys the thing. Overseer Feng is behind the deprivation of the Rare Earths and the seditious flyering how the characters resolve this is up to them.

On Pace: Fronds is written to be run at pace. Some inspiration for this was drawn from the high-speed nature of Michael Moorcocks Corum stories. Keep characters moving, dont be afraid to hand-wave descriptions and details and always emphasise the urgent need for DeCorticus to find sustenance by keeping strict and open track of the days elapsed.

On Pointcrawls: A pointcrawl is a method for structuring travel in RPGs with the benefit of avoiding the analysis paralysis that sometimes besets open hexcrawls. This was adopted in this adventure to expedite play, assist with timekeeping and as a useful modular format for locations. It is important to note that the pointcrawl is not intended to railroad players! Keep it as the rubbery cartilage around which the gelatinous body of your play sessions undulate and never dissuade players from going in their own direction. If the party chooses a route not quite specified on the pointcrawl map estimate the days taken accordingly.

On Pursuers: Overseer Fengs Auric Liquidators were used in playtesting as a hinted-at menace until the time they actually struck. If characters take the Golden Barge they should play a more active role, striking along the journey, perhaps more than once. If the characters journey via Stilt-Loper it is recommended you postpone their ambush until the return journey.

On Epilogues: In playtesting, once a source of Rare Earths was acquired the adventure was hand-waved to a close without any additional rules for couriering or travelling home. If the GM wishes to expand the adventure the party could fully roleplay their return to Plandra or, in the event of DeCorticus death, the breakdown of peace between the pirate-princelings of neighbouring kingdoms could be examined further.

On Timekeeping: At the beginning of the adventure the GM should roll 4d6 to determine how many days DeCorticus can survive without RARE EARTHS. This exact figure should be hidden from the characters (although a Second Sight or Healing Test might give them a clue). When the party moves from one location to another the connecting line on the pointcrawl map denotes how many days that leg of the journey takes. Most locations and routes have their own time costs associated with them.

Time spent within a single location may be as little as a few hours, based on the partys activities and the GMs discretion. Fill in one pip for EVERY HOUR THAT PASSES and cross out an entire row of four dice for EACH FULL DAY.