Available at RPGNow.com

The introduction to this adventure provides an apposite reminder: in a game in which dynasties and bloodlines and the good of your House feature large, weddings are going to be very important events indeed. For players of the game of thrones, dynastic alliances are often sealed by a marriage, whilst the young may still harbor hopes of marrying for love rather than political advantage. Even if you are not getting wed yourself, there is plenty of scope during such an event to further your own ends as well as enjoy a good party!

So is the case with the wedding central to this adventure. Two minor houses are sealing recent agreement through marriage, having for many years been at odds with each other. One party is happy, affection having conveniently coincided with policy, but the other party has other ideas…

Various suggestions are made as to how to embroil your characters in events. The simplest, of course, is to have them invited as guests – quite likely if at least one of them is the scion of a House. If that House has a relationship with either of those involved in the nuptials, they might have offered to host the event. If it’s a one-off game, you could even substitute characters for the bride, groom or other major players. This might be more difficult in a long-running campaign, but of course just who is involved is open to modification to suit your plotlines… again, as noted in other published material, all is mutable to fit your campaign needs rather than something presented ‘as is’ for you to shoehorn and railroad characters into as best as maybe! There are literally loads of ideas presented, stir them up for your own spin on events.

We then move on to the main personalities in the tale to be told, with ample description and background to enable you to play each one confidently and know what they are trying to accomplish. This is followed by guidelines as to the course of events, with the timely reminder that once you introduce player-characters into the mix, things rarely go to plan! It provides, then, a framework upon which you can improvise as events play out.

The opening event is scheduled to be a feast, with plenty of opportunity for interaction. Next day a hunt is planned, a chance for more active characters to shine. But should you wish, other folks may take opportunities at either event to take action in furtherance of their own ends… and that wild boar may have other plans than being the centerpiece of a wedding feast. And then there’s the ceremony itself… this outline is again strewn with ideas for twists and turns that you may choose to toss at your characters during the course of events. Each suggestion comes complete with hints as to how to play it out and notes on potential resolutions and outcomes. This is not an adventure to pick up and run, but one to consider carefully beforehand, to build into an ongoing saga or to use as a springboard for a whole campaign.

On the face of it, a simple interlude. Use it to its full potential – and support for doing so is there in abundance – and your characters will remember it for many years to come.

Megan Robertson

Tags | dark-fantasy, george rr martin, green ronin, heroic fantasy