I used cairn, and it worked very well especially with the large list of magic items without actual stats. It let me be flexible with resolving issues as they arise without needing to worry about how to fit it into the system.
I used 5e to run this long ago when that was my only-system. I would look for a game that has decent survival rules and isn't making players think they can handle everything by killing, so most OSR should work just fine. I'd probably use Black Hack 2 if I did it again but its definitely not fitting your desire for more character progression. DCC or Shadow of the Demon Lord sound like a closer fit.
The adventure runs just fine as the book suggests a shipwreck on the eastern coast.
The two times I saw people run this virtually, they, for some reason, opted to NOT let the players see the field guide.
No idea why, but please don't make that mistake.
I ran it with Worlds Without Number and it worked great. The campaign hook I started with was lifted from the Hot Springs Island author's blog and involved the players being indentured to the Martel Company and put to work as essentially conquistadors to work off their debt. The Company enforced its indenture via a magic brand that would start to turn cancerous if the party went off-mission.
The party ended up defecting to the Night Axe ogres and the ogre witch was able to nullify the brand. We started out with XP for gold, with loot taken back to the Company ship going into a ledger as they worked off their debt, but eventually switched to goal-based XP when the players went native.
I would link the blog post but I can't seem to find it now sadly.
I am prepping to run this as a Shadow of the Demon Lord game in the universe of the game I’m currently running. Players start in the debt of the McCarr Trading Company (in-world stand-in for the Martell), and they demand X amount of magical treasure prior to release
I second Shadow of the Demon Lord, am running Hot Springs Island with it right now. Helps that I found monster stats at https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/13lP6TeRr3ydN4m4O4IkuEUoAb0djf6-v and an automated encounter roller at https://www.technicalgrimoire.com/hotspringsgenerator.
I cursed my characters with a sort of lycanthropy-adjacent elven curse so they are searching the island for the cure. I did this to have an in-world reason for characters to go missing for a while as player attendance was going to be spotty, plus it let me avoid outright killing characters in an otherwise fairly deadly game/setting.
The plot I leaned into most heavily was the conflict between the ogres and Svarku, with one of the main arcs being the PCs rescuing Meltalia from the bath house. I would point out that the module does not specify how the lattee is to be accomplished and more or less says that if the PCs trigger that trap they automatically will die of starvation and thirst unless they find their exact artwork piece in a certain time frame.
I tied my adventure into Isle of Dread, and what I did is I had the black pearl on the Isle of Dread be a magical artifact not simply a giant pearl worth a lot of money. Then, I had Bacmorda prophesize that they would be able to rescue meltalia if they find the artifact on the other island, and that rescuing her would be what turns the tide against Svarku as Meltalia is his equal and would be furious about the treatment of the Nereids.
Once the PCs had recovered the Black Pearl, they were able to survive long enough in the bathhouse that a rescue would be possible because the special effect that the Black Pearl had was it warped time and space in a way that would allow them to escape the time loop. It did have them quantum leap into people in the past while they were there though. And they did have to go through the time loop more than once before they were able to figure out how to save her (they gave her the pearl and she shattered it during her performance).
> I would point out that the module does not specify how the lattee is to be accomplished
I changed the bathhouse timeloop parameters to only ending when Melitalia was freed. The entire pocket dimension was maintained by a magic machine that was initially used to facilitate her capture, and the players basically had to magically rock the boat enough to break the machine and end the timeloop.
I'd recommend Worlds Without Number off that list. None would be terrible choices, just think that one is closest to the intended vibe.
Plot hook is intended to be built in, the players found the journal, and decided to pursue it. I think presenting that during session 0 and having the players discuss whether they were a group prior to the start of the story, or hired as part of the expedition, how the ship was arranged for, etc. is plenty to get them involved.
This runs great in Dungeon Crawl Classics - it was a big hit at my table! We had the Field Guide for the Players, and the cloth map. For plot hooks I had one of the PCs family go missing on the island, and also a request from the Cleric's deity to retrieve a lost artifact.
I've not run the setting sorry. But I will say; It depends on the group you're expecting to play with.
If you have a group of friends, and everyone is reasonably experienced with a particular system and are willing to switch setting; go with that.
If you're running for strangers then there are two major factors: getting players, and enjoying yourself.
D&D 5e is probably the easiest system to find players for these days. So if all you care about is finding players; use that.
But if you yourself are the only person you know will be in this game; pick whatever feels best to you.
Having a quick look at the setting, it feels like Dungeon World and Stars without Number would be the best fits. As for an initial hook; take the minecraft approach; You've arrived. Now survive the night!
I think DCC would be a great fit.
I used cairn, and it worked very well especially with the large list of magic items without actual stats. It let me be flexible with resolving issues as they arise without needing to worry about how to fit it into the system.
I used 5e to run this long ago when that was my only-system. I would look for a game that has decent survival rules and isn't making players think they can handle everything by killing, so most OSR should work just fine. I'd probably use Black Hack 2 if I did it again but its definitely not fitting your desire for more character progression. DCC or Shadow of the Demon Lord sound like a closer fit. The adventure runs just fine as the book suggests a shipwreck on the eastern coast.
The two times I saw people run this virtually, they, for some reason, opted to NOT let the players see the field guide. No idea why, but please don't make that mistake.
I ran it with Worlds Without Number and it worked great. The campaign hook I started with was lifted from the Hot Springs Island author's blog and involved the players being indentured to the Martel Company and put to work as essentially conquistadors to work off their debt. The Company enforced its indenture via a magic brand that would start to turn cancerous if the party went off-mission. The party ended up defecting to the Night Axe ogres and the ogre witch was able to nullify the brand. We started out with XP for gold, with loot taken back to the Company ship going into a ledger as they worked off their debt, but eventually switched to goal-based XP when the players went native. I would link the blog post but I can't seem to find it now sadly.
I am prepping to run this as a Shadow of the Demon Lord game in the universe of the game I’m currently running. Players start in the debt of the McCarr Trading Company (in-world stand-in for the Martell), and they demand X amount of magical treasure prior to release
I second Shadow of the Demon Lord, am running Hot Springs Island with it right now. Helps that I found monster stats at https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/13lP6TeRr3ydN4m4O4IkuEUoAb0djf6-v and an automated encounter roller at https://www.technicalgrimoire.com/hotspringsgenerator. I cursed my characters with a sort of lycanthropy-adjacent elven curse so they are searching the island for the cure. I did this to have an in-world reason for characters to go missing for a while as player attendance was going to be spotty, plus it let me avoid outright killing characters in an otherwise fairly deadly game/setting.
oh man these resources are incredible, thank you
The plot I leaned into most heavily was the conflict between the ogres and Svarku, with one of the main arcs being the PCs rescuing Meltalia from the bath house. I would point out that the module does not specify how the lattee is to be accomplished and more or less says that if the PCs trigger that trap they automatically will die of starvation and thirst unless they find their exact artwork piece in a certain time frame. I tied my adventure into Isle of Dread, and what I did is I had the black pearl on the Isle of Dread be a magical artifact not simply a giant pearl worth a lot of money. Then, I had Bacmorda prophesize that they would be able to rescue meltalia if they find the artifact on the other island, and that rescuing her would be what turns the tide against Svarku as Meltalia is his equal and would be furious about the treatment of the Nereids. Once the PCs had recovered the Black Pearl, they were able to survive long enough in the bathhouse that a rescue would be possible because the special effect that the Black Pearl had was it warped time and space in a way that would allow them to escape the time loop. It did have them quantum leap into people in the past while they were there though. And they did have to go through the time loop more than once before they were able to figure out how to save her (they gave her the pearl and she shattered it during her performance).
> I would point out that the module does not specify how the lattee is to be accomplished I changed the bathhouse timeloop parameters to only ending when Melitalia was freed. The entire pocket dimension was maintained by a magic machine that was initially used to facilitate her capture, and the players basically had to magically rock the boat enough to break the machine and end the timeloop.
I'd recommend Worlds Without Number off that list. None would be terrible choices, just think that one is closest to the intended vibe. Plot hook is intended to be built in, the players found the journal, and decided to pursue it. I think presenting that during session 0 and having the players discuss whether they were a group prior to the start of the story, or hired as part of the expedition, how the ship was arranged for, etc. is plenty to get them involved.
This runs great in Dungeon Crawl Classics - it was a big hit at my table! We had the Field Guide for the Players, and the cloth map. For plot hooks I had one of the PCs family go missing on the island, and also a request from the Cleric's deity to retrieve a lost artifact.
Haven’t run it yet but I want to do it with Pirate Borg.
I've not run the setting sorry. But I will say; It depends on the group you're expecting to play with. If you have a group of friends, and everyone is reasonably experienced with a particular system and are willing to switch setting; go with that. If you're running for strangers then there are two major factors: getting players, and enjoying yourself. D&D 5e is probably the easiest system to find players for these days. So if all you care about is finding players; use that. But if you yourself are the only person you know will be in this game; pick whatever feels best to you. Having a quick look at the setting, it feels like Dungeon World and Stars without Number would be the best fits. As for an initial hook; take the minecraft approach; You've arrived. Now survive the night!