Last Friday on G+ hangout, we begun
JoetheLawyer's Lamentations of the Flame Princess campaign set in a harsh and gritty world.
"You live on an island in the northern ocean. The island is divided in two, with the ocean flowing between the two halves. Most of the island rises from the ocean with no beach. The only sections of the island that actually has a beach is the area where the island is split in half. That gap between islands is perhaps 20-40 feet wide, and is full of jagged rocks. At high tide, the fishing boats are sent out, and at low tide nets are set to trap fish. At high tide again, the fishing boats come back in what whatever haul they were able to land. The island itself is in the far north, between the main island of your clan, and the islands of the hobgoblins. Still, it has some level of protection from long ship raids because no long ship is ever able to navigate the rocks or high cliffs to land. They have to anchor and send in shallow boats at high tide in that narrow strip of land between the islands to even begin to attack you. And there are lookouts to prevent such a thing. Also of note, there are several hot springs on the island. One large one in the village, a common meeting place for villagers after a hard days work, and two others across the island. Other than occasional seals, walrus, and birds of various type, there is no wildlife on the island.
Your culture is best described as Viking/Scandinavian in style. Your religious worship is defined by the clan you live in. Your clan is the Clan of the Polar Bear. The other two clans are the Winter Wolf and the Snow Leopard. You fight each other of the typical stuff- wine, women and possessions. Most often though you fight your ancestral enemies, the hobgoblins. Sometimes with other clans, sometimes alone. The hobgoblins occupy the largest island in the area, and always have, since before the time of the old gods betrayal. They are typically stronger, better sailors, and build better ships than your people. Typical ships are long ships.
The only other thing your island produces are strong clay pots and jugs. They aren't ornamental or anything, but they are strong due to the rich veins of earth from which such items can be made. The only problem is that the island has to import much wood, as it is small, and mostly deforested. Driftwood is often used. Sometimes you are able to get coal in trade."
The characters (all human) are:
Annar Svearson, a male Fighter played by Frotz.
Signy Bjornsdottr, a female Shaman of the Polar Bear played by Sarah.
Hrok, a male Magic User and "Shitty" his summoned shit monster played by Chris.
Antii Durniksson, a male Specialist played by me.
On the fist session, we finished up the characters and got acquainted with the rules and each other. There was an attack by the hobgoblins to a merchant ship arriving to the village, in which we had the chance to test the combat mechanics. Signy's roar imbued everyone in battle with the spirit of the polar bear, and so, Annar made his name as a fighter by killing several hobs, but Antti almost died in the struggle. Even though both ships were lost, we saved many from the merchant ship, defeated the hobgoblins and captured several, for future sacrifices in the hands of the shaman and magic-user.
Then we explored some ruins that were exposed after an earthquake, in which we found what was left of a magic users's laboratory, bedchambers and library. We encountered some flame-eyed skeletons in what looked like a summoning chamber (lead-covered ). "Shitty" died here so Hrok had to summon another being. I thought this would be the end of our characters, but the dices aligned and he managed to control the creature. We survived the first session.
