"Ahh... what a glorious day on which to collect never-before-seen specimens for the Royal Museum!" You think to yourself, as you stuff a wriggling octopus into a holding tank below decks. It was a lucky thing, First Mate McKinnon rescuing this creature from the day's catch before the galley could get their irreverent hands on it. These sailors! No respect for the delights of science. You consider their lack of appreciation as you tip in some more formalin into the jar of Sumatran rat-brains you gathered while in port. Lovely variety of rodents, in Singapore... But that was two weeks ago now. The Royal Naturalist Fleet, comprised of three of the most well-equipped scientific vessels ever set forth from London, were now well on their way to their primary goal: a mysterious island somewhere south of Maluku, in the Banda Sea. Its exact location seems almost a matter of guess-work, sea-charts are unusually contradictory as concerns the island, and local sailors are even less helpful, speaking in riddles more often than not.
But soon, the whole world will learn of it! And be amazed by the exotic specimens brought back to the Royal Menagerie. The three ship's enormous open-air cages can hold any manner of beast or bird. And you, along with your various fellow naturalists, will soon fill them up.
A perpetual storm raged around the island, which helped to find it, but made it a real bugger of a time to get to.
Three days, three attempts, but finally the fleet broke through. Before you rose steep cliffs of basalt, riddled with narrow-mouthed caverns, and beyond them dense jungles climbing into low-lying clouds. The cliffs themselves resembled nothing so much as mottled walls of titanic skulls, fused into fantastic arrangements. The captain tells you that the island must be some twenty miles across, and it takes the rest of the day to sail 'round to the south side, where a relatively calm cove is discovered. There, a base camp is set up on the dark volcanic sand, and while the sailors grunt and sweat, hoisting various instruments and gear ashore, you assemble under a large lean-to along with your fellows, to receive your orders from Sir Stillfrey, the Leader of the expedition.
"You know our goals here!" the old man, still recovering from an extended sickness at sea, wheezes. "Be thorough! Be diligent! Her Majesty expects nothing less than three ships full to the brim with new discoveries. Needless to say, a Knight-hood awaits the most successful amongst you... Polish your glasses, oil your boots, clean out your specimen cases. We begin at dawn!"
"Huzzah!" "Hear hear!" "I say, raTHER!"The dawn comes, you step forward, gear in hand. Where to? To the east, steep cliffs riddled with caves. To the west, a broad stream flowing down through towering stands of bamboo. To the north, steep hills shrouded in mist.
You take a moment to go over your gear...
Name:Age:Title: Neophyte Naturalist (every 5 new species discovered = earn a better title)
Favourite Animal:Terrain Specialty: Choose one from: Coastal, Swamp, Jungle, Plain, Mountain, Desert, or Hills (+1 to rolls made relating to that terrain)
Gear: You start with a small specimen case, and a butterfly net. Return new specimens to Sir Stillfrey to gain access to better gear. Every 5 new species gathered = new gear.
Harm: A fourth level of harm is fatal, or career-ending
And then you set out!
-d6, usual RTD rules, with the following:
-There are three default actions, each of which takes a turn:
Explore: "I explore _____ hex" ("8.10"). The hex must be revealed on the map, not blank. Exploring a hex automatically reveals the nature of the hexes around it, but the die result determines how many creatures it reveals. If a revealed creature is especially complacent, and you have the gear to capture it easily, then you do so automatically upon discovering it.
Capture Specimen: announce how you will make the attempt, and the location and specific creature you're going after.
Return to Camp: You bring back your captured specimens, and are rewarded thusly: every four creatures you receive a useful item. Every four bolded creatures you receive a major item. For less than your fourth creature, you receive a minor item.
-Each type of hex contains four unique creatures. Once the fiercest or most difficult-to-capture creature in that hex is captured, the hex is considered "tamed", and is now safe to travel through.
-Otherwise, passing through "untamed" hexes will risk a chance of dangerous, harmful encounters.
-Each character can take three "harm" before succumbing to the dangers of the Dark Isle. Capturing the fiercest specimen in a hex removes all levels of harm, as you are met with acclaim and succour back at base-camp.
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Rust Sponge: A tiny red sponge, floats around in water. It is attracted to stimulation. The only one of its kind, apparently.
Nigel Fredrick-
Depressagator: a passive, man-sized moss-green alligator, seemingly depressed
Thomas Valeriso-
Crimson Clam: a reddish clam the size of your hand.
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Topic: Naturalist Expedition ends in abrupt disaster (sorry!) (Read 4828 times)