Dark Ages England

Rules System Used: D&D 3.5

Books and Materials Needed: D&D 3.5 Player's Handbook (book), D&D 3.5 Dungeon Master's Guide (book), Complete Warrior (book), dice set (d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20), pencil, paper, a dungeon master’s screen.

Suggested Extras: miniatures, scenic woodland and village boards

Timeline: the Dark Ages

Location: Wessex, Mercia, Northumberland, East Anglia, Powys, Gwent, Gwynedd, Deheubarth, Brycheiniog, and/or Morgannwg

Number of Players Suggested: 4 – 8 (This is a campaign that can handle more players.)

Limitations on Characters: Player Characters are limited to being human.  Player characters are also limited on the classes they can choose.  The classes that are available are: Barbarian, Fighter, Ranger (non-magic variant in Complete Warrior), Rogue, Commoner (in DM Guide), Expert (in DM Guide), and Warrior (in DM Guide).  Players are also limited on purchasing dark ages technology (sorry, no repeating crossbow, or sais, or sunrods).  An optional constraint that can be used (which I use) to make the characters more like real people, is rolling stats with 3d6 6 times and keeping whatever is rolled up.  Of course, some discretion should be used (no one wants to play a character that has 3's across the board), but a slightly below average character is fine.  Maybe play an Expert class to create a "druid" from Wales that is the group's spiritual council and deceives NPCs and enemies with their "magical" abilities (through creative use of skills); or you could play a dim-witted Commoner that is too stupid to know not to tag along with the rest of the PCs, and you are used to "infiltrate" areas where only a smelly, deprived peasant could go unnoticed.

Monsters and Magic: There is no magic or monsters whatsoever in this campaign.  No magical feats are allowed either, unless they can be explained in a natural way.  This is a historic campaign, but it doesn't have to be followed historically right down to every detail.

Style of Campaign: This campaign is all about survival; and more way than one.  The PCs (Player Characters) will have to find a way to survive while away from home.  There are not hoards of treasure to be found in this campaign.  A gold piece (you can keep it as this for simplicity or you can use the appropriate historical coinage for your area) is rare.  The characters are also fighting for the survival of their families and their land.  Personal survival can be accomplished by selling your services from a trained craft skill, foraging for food with the appropriate skill (good choice for Barbarians), or theft (although this is highly discouraged as the laws and punishments were quite harsh).

Introduction: (Focus on the Fighter in the group with the highest Charisma) It's a very bright and beautiful day on your farm.  You're up early to tend to your crops while you think back to exciting days when you were called upon to service in the fyrd; unlike some of the other men you have served with, you actually enjoy the fighting... you are suddenly interrupted.  You hear loud, deep guttural shouting in a language you don't understand coming from the other side of your house!  Running around your small house you rush to defend your family from whatever the threat may be - SMASH!!!

You wake up on the ground with a throbbing headache, and blood dried on to your face.  You smell smoke.  Rolling over you are shocked instantly up to your feet!  Your house is burnt down!  Calling frantically for your family, they are no where to be found!  Rage building within you, you realize you must have been hit in the head and knocked unconscious by one of the attackers as you rounded the corner of your house.  You don't even know what they looked like.  Stopping to think about it, you recall you have heard stories of vikings raiding in the area.  Who else could it be that would speak such a barbaric tongue?

Just then, the local constable and a team of men approach you.  He informs you that he has been instructed by the lord of the land to request an audience with you, should you have survived, immediately.  You obviously agree.  Your lord explains to you that the vikings have began raiding his lands, and he will not stand for this!  There are many other families that were killed on this recent raid, but some of the people were actually stolen.  Your family might be among these people.  Your lord continues to inform you that you are to assemble a small task force to try to put an end to the leader of this viking group.  Stunned with this sudden responsibility, you ask why you were chosen for this task, and not someone with a higher rank than yourself.  Your lord replies that he has seen your bravery and skill in battle, and knows that you can get the job done because you have a better chance of going unnoticed; unlike someone of a higher rank.  Your lord also informs you that you will be rewarded greatly, should you accomplish your task.

Leaving your lord, you already know who you will ask to join you on your dangerous task.  (The other player characters.)


* A suggestion for the main villain behind everything would be Ivar the Boneless. *


Suggested Readings:

Anne Savage, "The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles"

Lacey & D. Danziger, "The Year 1000: What Life Was Like at the Turn of the First Millennium"

E. James, "Britain in the First Millennium"