 |
| The Dee Sanction package as it arrived. |
The Dee Sanction: Adventures is a collection of scenarios set in Elizabethan London and beyond which can be linked together into a loose campaign. Funded by Kickstarter, the book is an attractively presented 48-page softcover, with full colour throughout. There are some evocative full-page illustrations and a selection of maps including an annotated two-page extract from the Ossulstone Hundred map that's available separately. Perhaps the only thing that's missing from the collection is page numbering; I'm not sure if it's an oversight or an aesthetic choice but it was more noticeable than I expected. The adventures are short enough that it really doesn't matter.
The six adventures included scratch the itch I had remaining having read the core rules - they give examples of play in England, and London, rather than overseas. This is the heart of the game to me, defending the realm from threats supernatural. "Lost in Translation' always felt like it was more like a special operation rather than the normal bread and butter of an Agent's life.
Each of the adventures presents a unique threat or horror to perplex your Agents and threaten the realm. 'Window of the Soul' deals with corruption and taint and the machinations of a condemned man. 'The Gong Scourer's Baby' deals with an occult threat to the Queen. 'In Fertile Soil' takes the Agents outside London to deal with a case of witchcraft (the crime of which many of them may have been accused).
'The Monk's Cowl' sees the Agents travelling to a market town to address a monstrous threat facing travellers through Waltham Forest, one of the Queen's favoured hunting grounds. 'The Harrowing of Harlow Hall' sees the Agents dispatched on an urgent mission after Dee receives a disturbing letter from the wife of a former Agent. The scenario reaches into body horror and the threat of hell on earth.
The final scenario, 'Ex Libris', sends the Agents in search of a missing volume, stolen when Dee's residence of Mortlake was sacked when he was away travelling in Europe. The School of Night presents an additional threat, as they become drawn into the plot.
Overall, this is an essential addition to the Dee Sanction line, as it gives inspiration and examples of both the breadth of threats Agents can face and how they can manifest. The book is nicely illustrated, well laid out for reference, and provides some great ideas for an ongoing campaign.
Oh, and it's unusual for a Kickstarter as it was delivered early.
Recommended.
28 November 2021
No comments:
Post a Comment