Crusaders of the Amber Coast - Part 1: The Raid - Dominion Rules RPG Play Report

Here's the first report of my solo game set in the Baltic region during the early 13th century using the Dominion Rules RPG (A free fantasy RPG that suits historical or gritty Sword & Sorcery settings) and an adventure from the campaign in the source book Crusaders of the Amber Coast. I will 'railroad' myself through this first adventure, and possibly the next couple of scenarios, in order to set up NPCs, factions, character motivations and MacGuffins. I find that setting up the world in this way makes it easier to interact with and helps bounce off of what's already happening. Once there is momentum I can take more control.

My reports will be written in a bullet point format. Enough to give you an idea of what's happening, a little bit of descriptive flavour, but not a fully fleshed out piece of fiction. I will record all the dice rolls including any oracle rolls. My preferred gamemaster emulator rules are Motif Story Engine and tables from Ironsworn, Ironsworn: Delve and IronSmith Expanded Oracles.     

You can find the resources I'm using and my character sheet here: Resources for Medieval Baltic RPG games and here: Character stats: Winrich of Lübeck.

Note: While I take inspiration from the real history of the Northern Crusades, I am ultimately just playing a game and nothing you read on this blog should be taken as factual. Neither should anything I write here be taken as an endorsement of what happened during this time period. I'm giving myself permission to explore history but will change or add whatever I want in order to make it interesting to me.

Part 1: The Raid

15th of March 1234, Riga, Livonia

Map source: https://peterdarman.com

• My character; Winrich of Lübeck is a young German man in his early 20s who is trying to escape from something in his past. He has joined the Livonian Brothers of the Sword hoping that taking part in the Livonian Crusade will redeem him.
• Will Winrich find salvation? Are the Baltic Pagans truly evil? Is their magic real or will God work miracles in favour of the Christians? Are there more monstrous things than wolves and bears in the Baltic forests, swamps and marshes. I shall play to find out!
• It is a sunny but chilly day in the Baltic. Winter is coming to an end and everywhere the snow and ice is melting.
• I have been in Riga for a few days. It took 3 weeks to sail here from my home city of Lübeck. Riga is a walled 'city' (population in the low thousands) and is the capital of the Bishopric of Riga. It is trading hub for the area and one can find Germans, Russian and Livs trading, furs, flax, timber and hides amongst other goods. Besides being a trading hub it is also a gateway to the regions for Crusaders and settlers.
• I am staying in dormitory wing of Riga's castle, a square fort with four square towers at each corner. The Order has been assigned a section of the castle but it is not their own stronghold.

• The Grand Master of the Order, Volkwin Schenk, commands reinforcements and supplies to be sent to the fortress of Ascheraden along the river Daugava. The Advocate Brother Dominic de Marseille has chosen Winrich and some of my Brothers to bring the supplies to the garrison commander Komtur Wilfred von Bremen.

Map: 6 Mile Hex Map - Baltic Region - Worldographer v0.9

• Winrich is to travel to the fortress with four others on barge rented for them by the Brotherhood. It is piloted by two boatsmen. We travel up the river, through forests of Pine, Spruce and Birch, stopping at small forts to stay the night. This must be a dangerous land for there to be so many fortifications. On the fourth day we reach our destination. 

Source: Baltic Tribes (2018)

• As soon as they dock near the fort the group are approached by the Komtur, some Brothers and local militiamen.
• They inform Winrich and the rest that a Samogitian raiding party has invaded the Selonian lands on the other side of the river. The Komtur takes command of the barge and the weapons we are delivering, including crossbows. We are told to join the small force of Brother Knights to chase the raiders.
• After a day's march through swampy territory one of our scouts find the Samogitians. They have captured cattle and people and they are setting up camp for the night. Dark clouds gather overhead.
• The Komtur directs his men to ready their weapons but remain hidden amongst the trees. He rides forward on his horse revealing himself, demanding their surrender.
• The Samogitians laugh at the lone knight and start grabbing their spears and axes when the Komtur orders his men to attack. 
• It starts to rain and a lightening bolt strikes down close to the Komtur, his startled horse carries him away from the battle. 
• Crossbows are fired and some of the charging Samogitians are felled.
• Battle ensues. The Samogitian raiding party is armed with axes and spear.
• Winrich pairs up with Samogitian and the battle begins.
• Note: This is my first time running a battle with Domion Rules. Since this is my first combat report it's intentionally very dry but in future I'll ad a bit more description of what's going on. In this case it's just a knight and spearman trying to stab each other in a forest.

Samogitian Raider (Human Soldier)

Strike: 4

Brawling: 4

Dodge: 4

Movement: 4

Block: 4

Timing: 4

WithIn: 4

Injury Stat: 4

Muscle: 4

Grip: 4

Weapon: Spear (0 AP)

Hands: 1 or 2

Strike Bonus: 0

Parry Modifier: -4

Disarm Modifier: -4

Timing Penalty: -4

WIP: 0

Armour Penalty: 0

Armour: None

• Combat Phases:
• Timing
• Strategy
• Modifier
• Resolution

• Combat Round 1:
• Timing
• Samogitian Spearman: 4+1d12 (1) - 4 Spear Timing Penalty = 1
• Winrich: 4+1d12 (8) Long Sword Timing Penalty -6 = 6 *
• Winrich is faster so declares Strategy 2nd, and Rolls for Modifier and Resolution first.

*The Dominion RPG lists the following swords: Bastardsword, Broadsword, Greatsword, Longsword, Shortsword but no Arming Sword which is probably the most accurate name for a sword carried by a Crusader so I've chosen the stats for a Long Sword. Although perhaps the Timing Penalty is too great at -6 and should perhaps be -5 or even -4. You can find the statistics for all the weapons on p60 section 8-2 of the Dominion RPG rules book. Let me know if you have any suggestions regarding this.

• Strategy
• Samogitian Spearman: Strike with Spear
• Winrich: Parry, Strike with Sword (2 Actions = -1 Action Penalty for the Round)
• Modifier
• Winrich: Roll Parry: 4 -1 Action Penalty = 3
• Must roll 3 or less to Parry: 1d12 = 7 Fails to parry
• No defensive penalties apply to the Spearman
• Resolution
• Winrich: Strike 4+2 Strike Bonus for Sword  -1 Action Penalty = 5
• Must roll 5 or less to hit
• 1d12 = 1: Success
• Spearman has a Withstand Injury (WithIn) of 4 (No Armour bonus)
• Spearman must roll 4 or less: 1d12 = 10 Failure
• Minimum Injury Point Dealt: 1
• Samogitian Spearman: Unmodified Injury Status = WithIn = 4
• Injury Status 4 - 1 = 3
• Samogitian Spearman: Must roll 4 or less to strike: 1d12 = 5 Fail

Dominion RPG 6-1: "Characters who are very seriously Injured may become incapable of performing certain Skills, because their Injury Penalty is greater than one or more of their Skill stats. This is called Partial Incapacitation. When a character is Incapacitated in all his Combat Skills, he is Defeated. When a character is so gravely wounded that his Injury Penalty is greater than any of his Skill stats (Combat or otherwise), he is Totally Incapacitated. Finally, a character whose Injury Penalty is -12 or greater dies".

• Combat Round 2:
• Timing
• Samogitian Spearman: 4+1d12 (7) - 4 Spear Timing Penalty = 7
• Winrich: 4+1d12 (11) Long Sword Timing Penalty -6 = 9
• Strategy
• Samogitian Spearman: Strike with Spear
• Winrich: Strike with Sword
• Modifier
• No defensive actions
• Resolution
• Winrich: Strike 4+2 Strike Bonus for Sword must roll 6 or less
• 1d12 = 2 Hit
• Spearman has a Withstand Injury (WithIn) of 4 (No Armour bonus)
• Spearman must roll 4 or less: 1d12 = 6 Failure
• Injury Status = 1
• Samogitian Spearman: Must roll 4 or less to strike: 1d12 = 11 Fail

• Combat Round 3:
• Timing
• Samogitian Spearman: 4+1d12 (9) - 4 Spear Timing Penalty = 9
• Winrich: 4+1d12 (10) Long Sword Timing Penalty -6 = 8
• Strategy
• Winrich: Parry with Sword
• Samogitian Spearman: Strike with Spear
• Modifier
• Winrich must roll 4 or less to Parry
• 1d12 = 2 Success
• Resolution
• Samogitian Spearman: Must roll 4+2 (Parry Modifier) or less to strike: 1d12 = 7 Fail

• Combat Round 4:
• Timing
• Samogitian Spearman: 4+1d12 (3) - 4 Spear Timing Penalty = 3
• Winrich: 4+1d12 (6) Long Sword Timing Penalty -6 = 4
• Strategy
• Samogitian Spearman: Strike with Spear
• Winrich: Strike with Sword
• Modifier
• No defensive actions
• Resolution
• Winrich: Strike 4+2 Strike Bonus for Sword must roll 6 or less
• 1d12 = 1 Hit
• Spearman has a Withstand Injury (WithIn) of 4 (No Armour bonus)
• Spearman must roll 4 or less: 1d12 = 4 Success
• Spearman Injury Status = 0 after -1 Minimum Damage
• Samogitian Spearman: Must roll 4 or less to strike: 1d12 = 11 Fail

The Spearman has an Injury Status of 0. His largest unmodified combat skill is 4 so he will be defeated (unable to fight back) when he reaches -4. There will be Injury Penalty points applied to all rolls (Except Stamina rolls) for each negative Injury Status point. So when a character is at -1 they get -1 applied to all rolls.

• Combat Round 5:
• Timing
• Samogitian Spearman: 4+1d12 (6) - 4 Spear Timing Penalty = 6
• Winrich: 4+1d12 (4) Long Sword Timing Penalty -6 = 2
• Strategy
• Winrich: Strike with Sword
• Samogitian Spearman: Strike with Spear
• Modifier
• No defensive actions
• Resolution
• Samogitian Spearman: Must roll 4 or less to strike: 1d12 = 7 Fail
• Winrich: Strike 4+2 Strike Bonus for Sword must roll 6 or less: 1d12 = 11 Fail

• Combat Round 6:
• Timing
• Samogitian Spearman: 4+1d12 (8) - 4 Spear Timing Penalty = 8
• Winrich: 4+1d12 (5) Long Sword Timing Penalty -6 = 3
• Strategy
• Winrich: Strike with Sword
• Samogitian Spearman: Strike with Spear
• Modifier
• No defensive actions
• Resolution
• Samogitian Spearman: Must roll 4 or less to strike: 1d12 = 2 Success
• Winrich must Withstand Injury: 4+3(Scale Armour) = 7 or Under = Success
• Winrich receives 1 damage and the Injury Stat has been reduced from 3 to 4
• Winrich: Strike 4+2 Strike Bonus for Sword must roll 6 or less: 1d12 = 7 Fail

• Combat Round 7:
• Timing
• Samogitian Spearman: 4+1d12 (4) - 4 Spear Timing Penalty = 4
• Winrich: 4+1d12 (10) Long Sword Timing Penalty -6 = 8
• Strategy
• Samogitian Spearman: Strike with Spear
• Winrich: Strike with Sword
• Modifier
• No defensive actions
• Resolution
• Winrich: Strike 4+2 Strike Bonus for Sword must roll 6 or less: 1d12 = 2 Success
• Spearman has a Withstand Injury (WithIn) of 4 (No Armour bonus)
• Spearman must roll 4 or less: 1d12 = 11 Failure
• 2 damage now the Spearman has an Injury Stat of -2
• All of his rolls will have a -2 applied
• Samogitian Spearman: Must roll 4-2 or less to strike: 1d12 = 5 Fail

• Combat Round 8:
• Timing
• Samogitian Spearman: 4+1d12 (4) - 4 Spear Timing Penalty -2 Injury Penalty = 9
• Winrich: 4+1d12 (10) Long Sword Timing Penalty -6 = 5
• Strategy
• Winrich: Strike with Sword
• Samogitian Spearman: Strike with Spear
• Modifier
• No defensive actions
• Resolution
• Samogitian Spearman: Must roll 4-2 or less to strike: 1d12 = 6 Fail
• Winrich: Strike 4+2 Strike Bonus for Sword must roll 6 or less: 1d12 = 6 Success
• Spearman has a Withstand Injury (WithIn) of 4 (No Armour bonus) (Injury Penalty does not apply to Stamina Rolls
• Spearman must roll 4 or less: 1d12 = 6 Failure
• 6 more damage applied to the Spearman which bring his Injury Stat to -8 which is more than all his combat skills. This leaves him unable to defend himself.
• Winrich dispatches the Pagan warrior.

• Note: This is the first time I've run a battle and it was quite a slog with a lot of misses. I kept it simple this time but normally I would try to gain advantage through some narrative positioning in order to gain bonuses as well as to make it more evocative for myself and the reader. Of course Winrich is a starting character so has plenty of room to grow and become more skilled. If you are familiar with the rules and spot any mistakes let me know.
• I can imagine that some people would want to simplify combat or perhaps apply 'mook rules' for 'low level' opponents, maybe they are eliminated with 1 to 3 hits similar to the One Ring RPG. The full rules can then be reserved for 'boss' or 'named' NPCs. Also, a combat session like the one that just played out could represent in abstraction fighting several enemies.  

• The Samogitians but up a brave fight but are not able to best us. About half of them have fallen when the rest decide to flee. We do not follow them into the forest as it is too dangerous in unfamiliar territory and the Komtur is not there to command us.
• The Komtur is not injured and congratulates the men for taking the initiative.
• One of the knights is sure that one of the Samogitians cast a Pagan spell causing the lightening to strike so close to Komtur. After all, there is some light drizzle in the air but there is no thunderstorm.
• The Komtur has too much pride to agree with that but privately he wonders if that was indeed the case.
• It's getting dark so we set up our own camp and will return the cattle the next day.
• There were some captives that have now been freed including some children. An old man in a grey cloak explains to us that one of the children is an orphan and asks us if we can take the child into our protection.
• One of our group mentions that we could use some extra help in the kitchen and agree.
• I turn back to the old man to ask what else he knows about the orphan but he seems to have walked off and I don't see him again.

Final commentary

As I mentioned before I've started this campaign by 'railroading' myself through the first adventure. I find it helps to set up all the pieces on the board as it were, to build some momentum in the world before taking more control, or letting the dice decide!

Although the combat was lengthy I'm happy with how it went. I want to play a grittier, dark fantasy™  game with combat that feels dangerous. But I'll consider speeding up or abstracting combat in some way for particular types of encounters. I couldn't see myself playing this combat system with more than 2 or 3 players. I think it would take far too long. I would have to employ simplified combat, at least for 'low level' encounters. 

The campaign in the Crusaders of the Baltic coast provides a 1 to 3 adventures per year until 1242 which gives me plenty of time to include some of my own adventures, either randomly generated or prompted by the story. These new adventures might be connected to the main campaign, unrelated one-shots or be part of a different campaign thread.

Have you played with the Dominion Rules or in the setting of the Medieval Baltic region? Let me know in the comments.