Ultima Sandbox Prep #3 - Another Player Homebase

Before I talk about my second player "homebase" for my example Ultima sandbox prep, I wanted to highlight a question/answer from yesterday's post, because it's a good reminder about sandboxes:

Ironbeard of Standard Hirelings asked a very interesting question:

If you begin with the assumption that some part of the campaign world are "for" certain types of activities, doesn't this contradict one of the central assumptions of the sandbox style of play? What if the players want to delve into political machinations that may be going on in town?

My response:

One of the things about sandboxes is that you need something to keep the sand in place. Just as I put boundaries in place on theme and genre, I'll also put in boundaries in place to encourage the type of campaign I wish to run.

(I've omitted the rest of my response, if you'd like to read it, click here.)

That is something that has helped me with my prep - to know where my boundaries are. I don't think it's against any concept to say "this is in my sandbox and this is not" and if it is... well... "guidelines, not requirements." I know what I'm going to emphasize in my sandbox (adventure "out there" versus adventure "in-town"). This helps me to understand what to prep for and what to gloss over because it's not a subject my campaign will deal with.

Now, having said that, Ironbeard's note is good warning to me that my Ultima setting info had better have some tidbits towards in-town intrigue and adventure, so thank you! For purposes of my sandbox prep, I probably won't. However, if in-town adventures are your thing, I still believe the principles of "just-in-time" and "broad strokes" still apply, and I would create similar hooks at the time I'm creating my homebase for those purposes. In fact, I'll add one here for the Castle of the Lost King in honor of Ironbeard's excellent comment.

So, on to the Castle of the Lost King. Let's see what my setting descriptions says:
The Castle of the Lost King is a bit worse for the wear. It is of a motte and bailey design. The walls are a combination of wooden structures and some stoneworks. There is a main 'hall' made of wood, but there are some smaller guard towers that are rocks and stone piles with wood huts on top. The main courtyard is a large muddy area with smaller buildings and barracks. There is an obviously very old structure which serves as the chapel (and is the location of entry to the older tunnels under the Castle motte).

(For an idea of what I'm thinking of, see this article on Winston Castle)

Resources:

1. Armorsmith (in service to Lord of castle)
2. Weaponsmith (in service to Lord of castle)
3. Bowyer (in service to Lord of castle)
4. 1 Inn/Tavern
5. Marketplace (flea market/farmers market)
6. Chapel of Faith (older temple) - NPC Priest
7. Sage (in service to Lord of castle) - NPC
8. Lord of the Castle - "The Lost King" - NPC

Quick setting note: A "Lost King" is selected by the Priest of the Chapel and the currently serving Sage upon the death of the previous King. The pool of eligible to serve at the post is drawn from the soldiers and citizens from the Perinian lands who've served in distinction. They assume the title as their name. Legend has it that the first King, "He who was Lost", lies in the strange tunnels found beneath the castle. These tunnels have been blocked off for generations.

Again, if I need a layout, I can grab one from the Internet by looking up "motte and bailey" but in most circumstances, you can come up with a general idea when needed. That little setting bit was pure spur of the moment but as I mentioned, I write everything down when it hits me.

So, let's provide a few adventure hooks, including one that involve people "in town":

1. While most common items are available, to be able to purchase more advanced weapons and armor from the weaponsmith, armorsmith, bowyer - who are in service to the Lost King - the players must be given permission by the King. To do that, the King requires you to kill gelantinous cubes that have ransacked the storage areas in the tunnels under the Castle - they have mysteriously appeared from the shut off portion of the ancient area. [One page dungeon key for level 1]

2. You are approached by one of the leading captains of the Kings army to prove that another captain - one who is favored to become the next Lost King - is in fact working to become a Dark Knight allied with Mondain.

3. The Oracle from Lord British's Castle has sent word to the Sage that she has seen visions of a white gem in a lost shrine on a lonely island due north of the Castle. She believes this gem may have some power to defeat Mondain. [One page dungeon key for level 1]

4. The Lost King believes that Mondain's forces are spying on the Castle in the hills to the Southeast and would like the party to seek them out.

So now I've got 3 dungeons possibly needing to be made. To keep things simple, I'd probably drag out #3 a bit - perhaps have the players confirm that the island exists as it's own adventure, giving me time to see if they want to bite on that before I put the time into making the dungeon.

I'll most definitely make the dungeon beneath the castle - and this is time for me to introduce something that I really like - finding dungeons online or reusing dungeons from other campaigns. My wife actually did a quest very similar to the gelatinous cube quest above - so that dungeon makes a perfect reuse opportunity. (I'll have to admit that I made the cube dungeon for my failed 3E Ultima I game, reused it in my Vale game and now I'll reuse it again in my Ultima: S&W setting.)

All I'd need to do is perhaps come up with a simple Bestial spy encampment for the hills, and some thought on the adventure hook #2 to flesh out how the favored Captain is indeed a Dark Knight. Perhaps #2 and #4 are tied together?

Between Yew and the Castle, I have about 8 possible hooks. This is enough for me to start my sandbox. However, there are a few things left we need to tidy up ...

1. Flesh out the first level of the two dungeons.
2. Generate a two or three "set pieces" for use when needed. (That idea is courtesy of Carl from a comment here.)
3. Create a random encounter table for wandering monsters in the Perinian area.

If the players just want to wander around, I want to give them something to do if they run into it. After all, they might not want to save Sosaria from Mondain!

The next post in this series will be a rough overview of my level 1 of the Dungeon of Perinia.