Companion Chronicles #9: The Barnyard Tournament

Much like the Miskatonic Repository for Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition and the Jonstown Compendium for RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha, The Companions of Arthur is a curated platform for user-made content, but for material set in Greg Stafford’s masterpiece of Arthurian legend and romance, Pendragon. It enables creators to sell their own original content for Pendragon, Sixth Edition. This can original scenarios, background material, alternate Arthurian settings, and more, but none of this content should be considered to be ‘canon’, but rather fall under ‘Your Pendragon Will Vary’. This means that there is still scope for the authors to create interesting and useful content that others can bring to their Pendragon campaigns.

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What is the Nature of the Quest?

The Barnyard Tournament: A Three Damosels of the Fountain Adventure is a scenario for use with Pendragon, Sixth Edition.

It is a full colour, eight-one page, 11.63 MB PDF.

The layout is tidy and it is nicely illustrated, often to amusing effect.

Besides six pre-generated Player-knights, The Barnyard Tournament includes thirty-three handouts, a game board and thirteen tokens, one map, and a Game Master reference card.

Where is the Quest Set?

The Barnyard Tournament is set in Huntland County and quite literally, beyond, on the border between Logres and the Saxon kingdom of Anglia.

It takes place in the Boy King period directly before a battle, either against the Rebel Kings during the Civil War or against the Saxons in the Saxon War.

Who should go on this Quest?

The Barnyard Tournament is suitable for knights of all types. The Passion of Hate (Saxons) is likely to be advantageous, but not necessary to complete the scenario.

What does the Quest require?

The Barnyard Tournament requires the Pendragon, Sixth Edition rules or the Pendragon Starter Set.

Where will the Quest take the Knights?

The Barnyard Tournament is a grand adventure which begins with the Player-knights as exploratores on the road, conducting a scouting mission for King Arthur on the eve of battle. An encounter with three ‘Weird Sisters’ will divert them onto three different paths that together allegorise the need to grow up and assume the responsibilities of adulthood, in the scenario on a small scale, but in the kingdom at large, on a much bigger scale. The diversion is actually a dishonourable act for the Player-knights, as it will take them away from their assigned mission, but there is much to be learned and much to be gained by taking the path rather than ignoring it. (Plus, there is a chance to redeem themselves at the end of the adventure.) The paths in turn lead the Player-knights to a prosperous manor, almost an idyll in the face of the oncoming war. None are prepared for the conflict to come, including the young man due to inherit the manor. On the first path, the Player-knights are directed to inspire the young man to follow in the footsteps of his father, a famous knight, and prepare both him and the manor in case of an attack by Saxon raiders, looking for easy pickings. On the second path, the Player-knights find themselves in a very strange situation where they must attempt to bring together squabbling, but potential allies in the face of greater aggression and so protect the king—much like the situation with the young King Arthur. On the third path, the Player-knights must put into practice what they have preached and defend the manor from the marauding Saxons.

The first path introduces the location and the cast, presenting a community and pastoral respite that the Player-knights can indulge in, just a little, as they begin to teach the folk of the manor more of the wider world. There is a playfulness to this first chapter, one that the Player-knights tumble out of and into the second chapter and into the magical realism of tooth and claw in the nearby forest. Here on second path, the scenario is at its strangest, not just in terms of what both their players and their knights are now playing, but also in terms of how it is played out, more like a board game than a roleplaying game. If the first path teaches the lesson, the second cements it, and the third enforces the need for it. On the third path, the Player-characters become the generals as a wild assault is made on the manor by marauding Saxons. The likelihood is that the second path will be remembered for its oddness, whilst the first and third paths stand out for their roleplaying and storytelling opportunities, the third path offering opportunities for heroism.

The Barnyard Tournament is designed to showcase the various aspects of Pendragon Sixth Edition and its rules. Thus, there is a mock tournament, a battle to engage in, and opportunity aplenty for the Player-knights to show off their knightly virtues. All of which veiled in the mystical strangeness of Arthur’s realm and a little beyond. The scenario is written for use by Game Masters new to Pendragon—though this does not mean that old hands will not either appreciate or enjoy it—and to that end there is advice throughout its pages on how to stage and run The Barnyard Tournament with numerous possibilities and outcomes suggested and discussed.

Should the Knights ride out on this Quest?

If as the Game Master, you do not yet have The Barnyard Tournament: A Three Damosels of the Fountain Adventure, then you should, and if as a player your knight has not yet participated in The Barnyard Tournament: A Three Damosels of the Fountain Adventure, then ask your Game Master why not? This is an excellent adventure, one that showcases the richness of King Arthur’s realm—if only in miniature—and have the Player-knights become part of it and defend it. All of the scenarios to date on The Companions of Arthur have been good, so it no slight against any of them to say that The Barnyard Tournament: A Three Damosels of the Fountain Adventure is the best community content adventure published for Pendragon Sixth Edition to date.

Companion Chronicles #8: The Knights of the Hounds

Much like the Miskatonic Repository for Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition and the Jonstown Compendium for RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha, The Companions of Arthur is a curated platform for user-made content, but for material set in Greg Stafford’s masterpiece of Arthurian legend and romance, Pendragon. It enables creators to sell their own original content for Pendragon, Sixth Edition. This can original scenarios, background material, alternate Arthurian settings, and more, but none of this content should be considered to be ‘canon’, but rather fall under ‘Your Pendragon Will Vary’. This means that there is still scope for the authors to create interesting and useful content that others can bring to their Pendragon campaigns.

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What is the Nature of the Quest?

The Knights of the Hounds: A Mongrel Order for Pendragon is a supplement for use with Pendragon, Sixth Edition.

It is a full colour, twelve page, 54.41 MB PDF.

The layout is tidy and it is nicely illustrated.

Where is the Quest Set?

The Knights of the Hounds is set primarily along the borders between Logres and the Saxon

kingdoms and Berroc, Silchester, and Thamesmouth in particular. However, it is potentially of use wherever there is a clash between the Britons and the Saxons.

It opens in the year 508.

Who should go on this Quest?

The Knights of the Hounds is both an organisation that the Player-knights can join if they qualify and if not, an organisation that can serve as an ally or an enemy of the Player-knights, depending on their actions and attitudes.

To join the Knights of the Hounds, a Player-knight requires a high Valorous Trait, a reasonable Honour Trait, and low or no values in either the Hate (Saxons) or Hate (Cymri) Passions.

What does the Quest require?

The Knights of the Hounds requires the Pendragon, Sixth Edition rules or the Pendragon Starter Set.

Where will the Quest take the Knights?

The Knights of the Hounds presents an organisation or informal order of knights dedicated to showing that Saxon and Cymric knights can work together for the betterment of all and be one people rather than divided. Members of Knights of the Hounds bear dogs or hounds on their shields and keep their identities secret. They face antipathy, even hatred, from the Saxons who regard its Saxon members as betraying their ambitions to conquer the whole of Britain and from the Britons who regard its Cymric members as betraying the memory of those killed in the Night of Long Knives and in subsequent Saxon atrocities. Their detractors have nicknamed the members of the order, ‘Mongrels’.

The supplement presents its origins as a reaction to the poor treatment of prisoners taken by some Saxons and suggests how its members might react to future events in the Pendragon timeline. Three NPCs are fully detailed who the Player-characters may encounter as is the leaders of the order and their manor, known colloquially as the ‘Kennel-Hall’, which is secretly the base of their operations. Also included is a Battle Card for Knights of the Hounds, which can be used as an ally or enemy, depending upon the situation.

The Knights of the Hounds will feature in releases such as The Serpent of Mildenhall and Spares and Heirs.

Should the Knights ride out on this Quest?

The Knights of the Hounds is a nice little supplement that presents the basics needed by the Game Master to further explore the conflict and relationship between the Saxons and the Cymri throughout the reign of King Arthur and do so in multiple ways.

Companion Chronicles #7: The Adventure of the Craven Knight

Much like the Miskatonic Repository for Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition and the Jonstown Compendium for RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha, The Companions of Arthur is a curated platform for user-made content, but for material set in Greg Stafford’s masterpiece of Arthurian legend and romance, Pendragon. It enables creators to sell their own original content for Pendragon, Sixth Edition. This can original scenarios, background material, alternate Arthurian settings, and more, but none of this content should be considered to be ‘canon’, but rather fall under ‘Your Pendragon Will Vary’. This means that there is still scope for the authors to create interesting and useful content that others can bring to their Pendragon campaigns.

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What is the Nature of the Quest?

The Adventure of the Craven Knight is a scenario for use with Pendragon, Sixth Edition.

It is a full colour, twenty-five page, 13.20 MB PDF.

The layout is tidy and it is nicely illustrated.

Where is the Quest Set?

The Adventure of the Craven Knight is set in the Counties of Bedegraine and Yorkshire. it is set in the Year 516, one year after the events of The Grey Knight.

Who should go on this Quest?

The Adventure of the Craven Knight does not have any particular requirements in terms of its Player-knights as written. The skills of Folklore, Horsemanship, and Swimming are likely to be useful in resolving the scenario.

What does the Quest require?

The Adventure of the Craven Knight requires the Pendragon, Sixth Edition rules or the Pendragon Starter Set.

Where will the Quest take the Knights?

The Adventure of the Craven Knight begins with the Player-knights on the road in the County of Bedegraine when they come to the aid of passengers attempting to cross the River Trent after a fearsome beast has clawed at the raft. An injury to a young boy sends them to search for a local and renowned healer, Lady Annora, but whilst she is ready to help, she is reluctant for the Player-knights to remain. Investigating the subdued and run down nature of the manor, its animals and staff, reveals that her husband, Sir Garavil, has had a curse placed on him that has also affected his wife and his manor.

A knight from the county to the north, Sir Byard, has given the young Banneret Knight a Wound Eternal and laid the curse upon because he would not sell him the finest of his horses. Both will be lifted only when either Sir Garavil relents or Sir Byard is defeated in single combat on the grounds of his own castle. The difficulty here is that Sir Byard, the craven knight of the title, lives in isolation in a castle on an island in a lake with no access except by boat or by making a leap of faith astride an exceptional animal. This sets up the major challenge of the scenario as the Player-knights attempt to find a way across the lake to challenge Sir Byard and face him in single combat.

The Adventure of the Craven Knight is inspired by tale of Byard’s Leap and nicely engages the Player-knights in the folklore of the region and presents them with some interesting challenges. For the Player-knight with a high Horsemanship skill, there is also the potential for a very fine and singular reward. One good aspect of the scenario is that it does not favour any faith over another, but grants an advantage to a Religious knight, no matter their faith.

The Adventure of the Craven Knight can be played through in two or three sessions. It is easy to slip into a campaign as it begins as the Player-knights travelling on the road.

Should the Knights ride out on this Quest?

The Adventure of the Craven Knight is a richly detailed scenario with plenty of opportunity for the Player-knights to show off their knightly virtues, defeat a rotten varlet unworthy to be a knight, and restore justice to the stricken.

Companion Chronicles #6: The Serpent of Mildenhall

Much like the Miskatonic Repository for Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition and the Jonstown Compendium for RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha, The Companions of Arthur is a curated platform for user-made content, but for material set in Greg Stafford’s masterpiece of Arthurian legend and romance, Pendragon. It enables creators to sell their own original content for Pendragon, Sixth Edition. This can original scenarios, background material, alternate Arthurian settings, and more, but none of this content should be considered to be ‘canon’, but rather fall under ‘Your Pendragon Will Vary’. This means that there is still scope for the authors to create interesting and useful content that others can bring to their Pendragon campaigns.

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What is the Nature of the Quest?

The Serpent of Mildenhall is a scenario for use with Pendragon, Sixth Edition.

It is a full colour, seventeen page, 36.22 MB PDF.

The layout is tidy and it is nicely illustrated.

Where is the Quest Set?

The Serpent of Mildenhall is set in the County of Gentian, just north of Salisbury. The location and extensive travel notes make it easy to add to a campaign.

Who should go on this Quest?

The Serpent of Mildenhall does not have any particular requirements in terms of its Player-knights as written. The skills of Folklore, Hunting, Play, Sing, and Swim are likely to be useful in resolving the scenario.

What does the Quest require?

The Serpent of Mildenhall requires the Pendragon, Sixth Edition rules or the Pendragon Starter Set.

Where will the Quest take the Knights?

The Serpent of Mildenhall begins with the Player-knights travelling on the roads north of the County of Salisbury when they hear the cries of a woman. Her son has been snatched and carried away into a nearby pool by a fearsome serpent. The boy’s grandfather suggests going to the local lord and his liege for help and advice in searching for the boy. This sets up the core tensions within the scenario. The local lord, the Baron of Gentian, is barely eighteen and not yet knighted, but likely too reckless to not get himself into trouble, whilst his mother, Dowager Baroness, Joene, resents the presence of Player-knights as they likely to be based in Salisbury and there has long been a dispute between the Barony of Gentian and the County of Salisbury as to the ownership of some land between them.

The aim of the scenario is to rescue the boy before he is eaten. The scenario details several methods of achieving them, and whilst it is possible to resolve the situation peacefully, the players and their knights need to be lucky to do so. Depending upon the outcome of the scenario, the Player-knights may have helped ease tensions between Barony of Gentian and the County of Salisbury or exacerbated them. If one or more players roll very well, their knights may even end up with a very strange friend!

The Serpent of Mildenhall can be played through in a single session, two at the very most. It is easy to slip into a campaign as it begins as the Player-knights travelling on the road.

Should the Knights ride out on this Quest?

The Serpent of Mildenhall is a serviceable mini- or sidequest that can be dropped into any campaign. It is easy to prepare and can also be run when a player or two is been unable to attend the next session.

Companion Chronicles #5: The Adventure of the Forester Knight

Much like the Miskatonic Repository for Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition and the Jonstown Compendium for RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha, The Companions of Arthur is a curated platform for user-made content, but for material set in Greg Stafford’s masterpiece of Arthurian legend and romance, Pendragon. It enables creators to sell their own original content for Pendragon, Sixth Edition. This can original scenarios, background material, alternate Arthurian settings, and more, but none of this content should be considered to be ‘canon’, but rather fall under ‘Your Pendragon Will Vary’. This means that there is still scope for the authors to create interesting and useful content that others can bring to their Pendragon campaigns.

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What is the Nature of the Quest?

The Adventure of the Forester Knight is a scenario for use with Pendragon, Sixth Edition.

It is a full colour, eleven page, 7.51 MB PDF.

The layout is tidy and it is nicely illustrated.

Where is the Quest Set?

The Adventure of the Forester Knight is set in one of the remnants of the ‘Wild Wood’, the old forest which once covered the realm, such as the Forest Sauvage or the Forest Adventurous.

Who should go on this Quest?

The Adventure of the Forester Knight does not have particular requirements in terms of its Player-knights as written. However, Player-knights with a good Folklore score will be useful, whilst Pagan Player-Knights and Player-knights with a reasonable score in their Worldly Trait will have an advantage, whereas Christian Player-knights and Player-knights with a higher score in their Spiritual Trait will be at a disadvantage.

What does the Quest require?

The Adventure of the Forester Knight requires the Pendragon, Sixth Edition rules or the Pendragon Starter Set.

Where will the Quest take the Knights?

The Adventure of the Forester Knight begins with the Player-knights travelling through one of the older forests in the country. The beasts of the forest seem to huff and snuff around them in the undergrowth either side of the trail they are on, following them all the way to desolate glade where they come upon a fellow knight who has clearly spent the day chopping down the trees all around him. The knight, Sir Hervise, is the Forester Knight of the title, a forlorn figure, who as he later tells the Player-knights, has been cursed by his faerie mother-in-law who thought him an unsuitable match for her daughter. Sir Hervise asks the Player-knights for their help in lifting the curse.

There is some toing and froing, involving roleplaying rather than real investigation, but eventually the Player-knights will learn the answer to the riddle that is the means of the lifting the curse and step over into the faerie realms. There is the issue here that Christian knights will have difficulty doing so and if a player rolls badly, he will find his knight unable to participate in the climatic scenes of the scenario and thus unable to engage in the best part of the scenario which takes place in the faerie realm. This does not mean that they will not earn any Glory at the end of the scenario, but simply not gain the opportunity to use and potentially improve skills and Traits. If successful, at the end of the scenario there is an amazing reward for one Player-knight, especially if his favoured weapon is an axe!

The Adventure of the Forester Knight can be played through in a single session, two at most. It is easy to slip into a campaign as it begins as the Player-knights are travelling and it could easily run in conjunction with The Tree Hazardous, before or after, or even in the middle of!

Should the Knights ride out on this Quest?

The Adventure of the Forester Knight is decent mini- or sidequest that does take a while for the story to play out and the Player-knights to become involved in the action. Its easiest use is as mini-quest for a few Pagan Player-knights, since there is a chance that a Christian Player-knight will be stopped from playing out the final scenes, though this does not mean that such a Player-knight could not shine. Overall, The Adventure of the Forester Knight is an engaging quest that the Game Master can prepare and have ready to run when needed.

Companion Chronicles #4: The Adventure of the Arcadian Bull

Much like the Miskatonic Repository for Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition and the Jonstown Compendium for RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha, The Companions of Arthur is a curated platform for user-made content, but for material set in Greg Stafford’s masterpiece of Arthurian legend and romance, Pendragon. It enables creators to sell their own original content for Pendragon, Sixth Edition. This can original scenarios, background material, alternate Arthurian settings, and more, but none of this content should be considered to be ‘canon’, but rather fall under ‘Your Pendragon Will Vary’. This means that there is still scope for the authors to create interesting and useful content that others can bring to their Pendragon campaigns.

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What is the Nature of the Quest?

The Adventure of the Arcadian Bull is a scenario for use with Pendragon, Sixth Edition, the first part of ‘The Faerie Trilogy’, which throws the Player-knights into a war between two duchies and sends them on a cattle raid.

It is a full colour, twenty-six page, 12.93 MB PDF.

The layout is tidy and it is nicely illustrated.

Where is the Quest Set?

The Adventure of the Arcadian Bull is set between the duchies of Clarence and Glevum in Logres after the year 512 and ideally after the events of ‘The Adventure of the Forest of the Silver Deer’ from The Sword Campaign.

Who should go on this Quest?

The Adventure of the Arcadian Bull does not have particular requirements in terms of its Player-knights.

What does the Quest require?

The Adventure of the Arcadian Bull requires the Pendragon, Sixth Edition rules or the Pendragon Starter Set.

Where will the Quest take the Knights?

The Adventure of the Arcadian Bull begins with the Player-knights coming upon a single knight who has been set about by group of five knights. Upon going to his rescue, they discover that the knight they have saved is actually saved is the son of the Duke of Clarence. Afterwards, he is grateful and offers them the hospitality of his home. However, whilst his father is also grateful and will gives gifts to each of the Player-knights, the son wants his revenge and begs his father to allow him to respond in kind to the knights that attacked him and conduct a raid on the rival Duchy of Glevum. Much to his annoyance his father forbids this, because the Pendragon—which could be Arthur or another king to hold that position—has forbidden such acts. Desirous of his revenge nonetheless, the son approaches the Player-knights to aid him in an endeavour that will see them conduct a raid, he and his men mount a diversion, the Duchy of Glevum be humiliated, and thus the son avoid violating a command issued by the Pendragon. This will be a cattle raid, specifically of a fabled Arcadian Bull. (It should be noted that neither son nor father are specifically named, though options are given for both depending upon the source material that the Game Master wants to draw from and when she is setting the scenario.)

The adventure focuses not so much on the raid or theft of the cattle, so much as the challenges tat the Player-knights face in getting the Arcadian Bull and the rest of the cattle back to Clarence via the haunted Cotswold Hills. Although they may encounter knights loyal to the Duchy of Glevum, the main threat they face is otherworldly in nature. A chance encounter with ghosts will test any Player-knight of Cymric or Roman heritage, perhaps to the point where they are lost entirely—although this will take some very bad rolls upon the part of a player, but the best encounter is saved until last when a delightfully magical Butterfly Knight challenges them for ownership of the Arcadian Bull. This sets up a trio of contests that opens up the scenario in terms of what the Player-knights can really say or do, giving them more choice than they have had up until this point. In fact, the contest, which will consist of at least a contest of arms and then two out of contests of either lore, faith, singing, riddles, and a race, really does save the scenario from its linearity and lifting up above what is up to that point a rather simple journey. (In fact, even if the Game Master does not necessarily want to run The Adventure of the Arcadian Bull, it is still worth having so that she take the contests and use them in her won campaign.)

The Glory rewards at the end of the scenario favour smaller groups of Player-knights rather than larger ones. The Game Master might want to change them to flat values rather than having the total Glory divided amongst them.

Should the Knights ride out on this Quest?

Up until the point when the Butterfly Knight appears, The Adventure of the Arcadian Bull is more serviceable than exciting, so had he not appeared, then the quest would not been worthy of the Player-knights. Fortunately, he does appear and the scenario is all the better for it. Hopefully, it raises a standard that will be maintained for the rest of ‘The Faerie Trilogy’.

Companion Chronicles #3: Squires Rampant

Much like the Miskatonic Repository for Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition and the Jonstown Compendium for RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha, The Companions of Arthur is a curated platform for user-made content, but for material set in Greg Stafford’s masterpiece of Arthurian legend and romance, Pendragon. It enables creators to sell their own original content for Pendragon, Sixth Edition. This can original scenarios, background material, alternate Arthurian settings, and more, but none of this content should be considered to be ‘canon’, but rather fall under ‘Your Pendragon Will Vary’. This means that there is still scope for the authors to create interesting and useful content that others can bring to their Pendragon campaigns.

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What is the Nature of the Quest?

Squires Rampant is a supplement for use with Pendragon, Sixth Edition which details twenty squires who might each accompany a Player-knight and so be a help or a hindrance.

It is a full colour, nine page, 8.9 MB PDF.

The layout is tidy and it is nicely illustrated.

Where is the Quest Set?

Squires Rampant does not require any specific setting and will be of use wherever the Player-knights are.

Who should go on this Quest?

Squires Rampant requires Player-knights with at least one positive Trait, such as Valorous, Suspicious, Honest, and so on.

What does the Quest require?

Squires Rampant requires the Pendragon, Sixth Edition rules or the Pendragon Starter Set.

Where will the Quest take the Knights?

Squires Rampant is subtitled ‘Twenty squires for Player-knights’, but is better described as ‘Twenty ANNOYING squires for Player-knights’ and that should be enough for any Pendragon Game Master to add this to her campaign. The idea behind the supplement is that as much as squires are a help to the Player-knights, looking after their horses, setting up camp, pulling them from the tourney field if they are unhorsed or injured, and so on, they should also be irritating and exasperating. In other words, they should have personality and wants of their own, and if in irking their individual knights and players, the interactions between them encourage good roleplaying and comedy, then so much the better.

Each squire in Squires Rampant is simply defined by a description, a quote, a special Skill that the squire is good at, and a requirement for the Player-knight. The squire also has two names, one male, one female, depending upon gender. Thus, for example, the randomly rolled example is ‘The Drunken Squire’. Anna is described as a “[H]appy, red-nosed lass, who is always of good humour.” She is loyal and does a serviceable enough job, but obviously drinks too much, has a loose tongue when she does, readily letting slip her knight’s foibles and desires—such as a secret love or subject of a feud, and then in morning has completely forgotten what she has said and to whom. She also has a sore head! Her special Skill is Intrigue, but is unable to use it wisely. Her knight should have a high score in the Temperate Trait to be sober enough to deal with the consequences of Anna’s partying the night before! If this squire is male, his name is Alec.

The twenty entries, or squires, in Squires Rampant, are all like this. There is the Outspoken Squire, the Awkward Squire, the Dim Squire, the Cowardly Squire, and more. Essentially, there are more than enough squires to attach to the Player-knights and keep the Game Master amused as well as the other players whose squires have not quite yet got their knights into difficulty. Plus, of course, the Game Master will fun roleplaying each and every one of the entries in the supplement. If that is not enough, then the supplement also includes ‘Squires Redux’, a table of another twenty squires ready for the Game Master to develop.

Lastly, it should be noted that Squires Rampant is a development of an article that originally appeared in the Pendragon fanzine, Beamains, in the 1990s. Thus, the Companions of Arthur follows in the footsteps of the Jonstown Compendium in developing and updating content for a community content programme that previously appeared in fanzines and other fan-based content in the last century.

Should the Knights ride out on this Quest?

Knights have to quest and squires have to squire, so they need all the personality they can get. Squires Rampant provides personality aplenty as well comedic opportunities for annoying, dangerous, or even odd situations, as well as good roleplaying.

Companion Chronicles #2: The Adventure of the Loathsome Wyrm and the Machrel of the Sea

Much like the Miskatonic Repository for Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition and the Jonstown Compendium for RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha, The Companions of Arthur is a curated platform for user-made content, but for material set in Greg Stafford’s masterpiece of Arthurian legend and romance, Pendragon. It enables creators to sell their own original content for Pendragon, Sixth Edition. This can original scenarios, background material, alternate Arthurian settings, and more, but none of this content should be considered to be ‘canon’, but rather fall under ‘Your Pendragon Will Vary’. This means that there is still scope for the authors to create interesting and useful content that others can bring to their Pendragon campaigns.

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What is the Nature of the Quest?

The Adventure of the Loathsome Wyrm and the Machrel of the Sea is a scenario for use with Pendragon, Sixth Edition which details a request to rid the lands of a knight of a fearsome wyram! However not all is as it seems...

It is a full colour, twenty-five page, 32.72 MB PDF.

The layout is tidy and it is nicely illustrated.

It needs a slight edit.

Where is the Quest Set?

The Adventure of the Loathsome Wyrm and the Machrel of the Sea is set within the lands of a knight whose manor is located on the coast.

Who should go on this Quest?

The Adventure of the Loathsome Wyrm and the Machrel of the Sea requires Player-knights with a good mix of combat and non-combat skills. The Sing skill will be of use in the scenario.

It is best suited for play by a group of Player-knights rather than one or two.

What does the Quest require?

The Adventure of the Loathsome Wyrm and the Machrel of the Sea requires the Pendragon, Sixth Edition rules or the Pendragon Starter Set.

Where will the Quest take the Knights?

The Adventure of the Loathsome Wyrm and the Machrel of the Sea starts with the Player-knights being asked by their liege lord to fulfil a request for help from another knight, Lord Tywyn. He has of late returned from a pilgrimage to the Holy Land to find his lands beset by a dragon, which so far has killed the seven knights sent to deal with it by his wife and defeated himself. No single knight can best it, so he requests that a group try instead.

Both Lord Tywyn and his wife, the Lady Allison, will be keen for the Player-knights to ride out the next day and face the dragon where it lairs near the village of Salthaven. There they will discover that something odd is going on and with some slightly challenging roleplaying discover what has been going on, though there is the likelihood that the players will have realised what this is before their knights! This will lead to quite a nasty confrontation and combat, and following that, a number of interesting moral situations in terms of resolving the scenario. In particular, these are nicely laid out for the benefit of the Game Master and so help in the resolution of the scenario.

In addition, the scenario provides a wide number of NPCs for the Player-knights to interact with, and learn rumours and clues from, both in the manor house of Lord Tywyn and Lady Allison, and in the village of Salthaven. There is also an inventive selection of rewards that the Player-knights can be presented with for dealing with the ‘infestation’ of the dragon. There is also one NPC who could become a most singular wife were a Player-knight so inclined and up to the challenge!

The Adventure of the Loathsome Wyrm and the Machrel of the Sea is inspired by The Laily Worm and the Machrel of the Sea (Spoiler Alert!). This is included in the scenario.

Should the Knights ride out on this Quest?

There is a classic fairy tale feel to The Adventure of the Loathsome Wyrm and the Machrel of the Sea, unsurprising given that its source of inspiration is a folk song. There is the possibility that the players may work out what the plot is before their knights do, but as players they should obviously roleplay what their knights do know. This will enable them to enjoy a nicely engaging adaptation of a folk song into a tale of greed and ambition.

Companion Chronicles #1: The Tree Hazardous

Much like the Miskatonic Repository for Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition and the Jonstown Compendium for RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha, The Companions of Arthur is a curated platform for user-made content, but for material set in Greg Stafford’s masterpiece of Arthurian legend and romance, Pendragon. It enables creators to sell their own original content for Pendragon, Sixth Edition. This can original scenarios, background material, alternate Arthurian settings, and more, but none of this content should be considered to be ‘canon’, but rather fall under ‘Your Pendragon Will Vary’. This means that there is still scope for the authors to create interesting and useful content that others can bring to their Pendragon campaigns.

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What is the Nature of the Quest?

The Tree Hazardous – Three Mini Adventures for Pendragon 6th Edition is a scenario for use with Pendragon, Sixth Edition which details a minor quest deep into the forest that can be used as side quest or adventure and played through in a single session.

It is a full colour, twenty page, 2.54 MB PDF.

The layout is tidy and it is nicely illustrated.

Where is the Quest Set?

The Tree Hazardous is set northeast of Hertford, deep in the Quinqueroi Forest in Logres. It can very easily be shifted to the forest of the Game Master’s choice.

Who should go on this Quest?

The Tree Hazardous does not require any specific type of knight. However, a good range of skills is required, and each the three mini-quests tests not only tests a range of skills including combat skills, Singing, and Play (Instrument), but also features one or more sets of Personality Traits in the course of their encounters.

It is best suited for play by one, two, or three Player-knights, each of whom will undertake an individual quest when encountering the ‘Tree Hazardous’ of the title.

What does the Quest require?

The Tree Hazardous requires the Pendragon, Sixth Edition rules or the Pendragon Starter Set.

Where will the Quest take the Knights?

The Tree Hazardous opens with the Player-knights already having learned of the local legend of the Tree hazardous, which tells of the unusually large yew tree deep within the forest and the supposedly strangeness high up in its branches. With a little time searching, they will be able to locate this tree and as daylight ebbs away and the Tree Hazardous is found, the Player-knights each hear voices from high up in the branches. In climbing the tree and going to investigate the voices will lead the Player-knights to one of the three mini-quests that make up the meat of the scenario.

The three mini-quests are ‘The Ivy Knight’, ‘The Bird Chorus’, and ‘The Devil Squirrel’. In ‘The Ivy Knight’, the Player-knight will have his ‘Valorous/Cowardly’ Traits tested when he is faced by a knight who wishes to escape a curse. ‘Honest/Deceitful’ and ‘Modest/Proud’ are the Traits tested in ‘The Bird Chorus’ as the Player-knight gets to sing or play and engage with some musical birds, whilst ‘Merciful/Cruel’, ‘Trusting/Suspicious’, and ‘Valorous/Cowardly’ are tested in ‘The Devil Squirrel’ as the Player-knight attempts to save both a young boy from the clutches a squirrelly sinister threat and themselves from a similar fate. Each of the three is quite different in tone. Thus, ‘The Ivy Knight’ is quite mournful; ‘The Bird Chorus’ veers between joyous and ever so slightly menacing, and ‘The Devil Squirrel’ is dark and dangerous. All end not only with their possible Glory awards, but also several loose ends that the Game Master and the Player-knights can follow up.

All three mini-quests are clearly presented, so that the Game Master could run them together with a group of three Player-knights, each tackling a different mini-quest. Alternatively, the Gamemaster can take any one of the three mini-quests and present it on its own in a one-on-one session with the player and his knight. All three also make clear which personality Traits and which skills are involved so that not only is each mini-quest easy to run, but easy to tailor to a Player-knight and his personality Traits and skills if the Game Master chooses to do so.

Should the Knights ride out on this Quest?

Although there is an element of utilitarianism to collection in that its contents can be run in a single session for a handful of Player-knights or extracted so each of its mini-quests can be run for a single player, The Tree Hazardous – Three Mini Adventures for Pendragon 6th Edition presents three nicely written and engaging little quests that will test both the knights and their players. Their format and their length mean that whether as a single mini-quest or all three, The Tree Hazardous – Three Mini Adventures for Pendragon 6th Edition is quick and easy to prepare and slot into a campaign.