Outlaw Merchant - Turning Electric Bastionland into Grimdark Hive World

John Blanche

It's been too long since I've updated my blog here. I have not been idle in my absence though! A new job and plenty of great games have made the past few months eventful enough. One of the games that I was finally able to try was the wonderful Electric Bastionland by Chris McDowall (check out the Free Edition).

I've long enjoyed Chris' ideas and insights and seeing them condensed into EB at the table really lit a fire of possible game ideas for me. Diving into Chris' development of GRIMLITE was the final straw. The implied setting of GRIMLITE was tempting, but I wanted to tackle 40k à la the flavor found in Dark Heresy. Treachery and investigation in the depths of a dark universe. Yum.

Now Dark Heresy is one of the games I love the idea of but the actual execution leaves so so so much to be desired. I really want satirical black comedy and morbid sci-fi silliness without the overload of modifiers and rules, the overload of gear, and overload of combat stuff. Reading and playing EB, my mind immediately went to investigations in the depths of a sprawling hive city and dealing with all the poor, wretched inhabitants of a grim world. Just as EB has Bastion, the Underground, and the Deep Country you could easily have the Hive, the Spires, the Underhive, and the Toxic Wastes beyond. I want to leave the thousands of warzones, wild planets, and stuff to focus on one hive city and really capitalize on the sheer scale of such a place.

My recent delving into the whole FKR sphere of things has really got me thinking on "worlds not rules" in addition to "rulings not rules". So I decided to tackle a simple 40k hack of EB, OUTLAW MERCHANT, to let me have my fill of 40k without bloated rules or too much meta-currency (I love Wrath & Glory but it doesn't quite scratch my OSR itch).

John Blanche

OUTLAW MERCHANT

Inspired by Warhammer 40k, Electric Bastionland, and GRIMLITE.

This is a hack about shadowy investigations in a sprawling hive city set in a grimdark far future. Whatever the characters were before, they have now become agents of Imperial justice, serving under a powerful and influential Inquisitor.

Acolyte creation is the same as character creation in Electric Bastionland with some changes.

Roll for your three Ability Scores, HP, and starting Thrones (Throne Gelts or whatever silly coinage you want).

The group doesn't have a shared Debt, they instead have to worry about the Inquisitor:

• As a group, you are a newly activated Cell of Acolytes to an Inquisitor.
• The youngest players Past Life specifies the Inquisitor that you serve.
• The Inquisitor expects results and loyalty. Acolytes who fail to deliver don't last long.

The Conductor could generate a Rival and I'd suggest that they be agents of a rival Inquisitor, servants of haughty hive nobility, or really any outside party that otherwise mucks up the gears of the Acolyte's operations.

Small groups can still create some Lackeys. They can be Acolyte hopefuls, servitors, servo-skulls, bodyguards, hired scum, or some other type of indentured servant. Roll a d6 for their equipment, or feel free to make your own:

1. Autopistol (d6)
2. Shoddy Flintlock (d6, Bulky)
3. Truncheon (d6)
4. Pilgrim staff (d6, Bulky)
5. Sword (d6)
6. Industrial sledgehammer (d6, Bulky)

Acolytes don't have Failed Careers but instead, have a Past Life. This represents whatever you did before the Inquisitor swooped in and took the reigns of your life....for better or for worse.

As a group, the Cell also has:

• Vox-beads, with an encrypted channel
• Vat-grown foodstuff
• Glow-globes and stab lights

As always, talk with the Conductor to clarify and hash out any questions about gear and their abilities/limitations.

John Blanche

Past Lives

I'll stick to the 'classic' Dark Heresy archetypes to start with and drill down based on HP and gear.

Roll a d8 to determine your Past Life. Your HP and Thrones will give you more things based on your Past Life.

(1) ADEPT - You're a true master of lore, possessing a vast knowledge of many subjects.

(2) ARBITRATOR - You're a stoic enforcer of the Imperium's justice, unshakable in your faith.

(3) ASSASSIN - A trained death-dealer, relentlessly hunting down prey.

(4) CLERIC - You're a charismatic orator and inspiring preacher, zealously spreading the Emperor’s word.

(5) GUARDSMAN - You're a tough, hardened veteran trained in the use of inquisitor weapons and tactics.

(6) PSYKER - You're an otherworldly individual, gifted with incredible powers but at a terrible price.

(7) SCUM - You're a criminal and an outcast, hailing from the lowest strata of Imperial society.

(8) TECH-PRIEST - A worshiper of the Machine God and seeker of wondrous, lost technologies.

In an attempt to post more regularly, I'll do the Past Lives and some wild Inquisitors that players could serve in another post. In the meantime, I think I'll see if my partner is interested in trying out a short game using this framework and see how these ideas jell together in play!

[UPDATE] - Check out backgrounds and psychic powers here!