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Author Topic: Monster Blood Tattoo RPG - Final Session Added April 28  (Read 5458 times)

Offline Bogdanwaz

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Monster Blood Tattoo RPG - Final Session Added April 28
« on: January 11, 2020, 12:19:40 AM »
I’ve begun another RPG campaign using Frostgrave/Ghost Archipelago as the base rules.
This one is based on the Monster Blood Tattoo series by D.M. Cornish. I've posted a report on my blog:

https://bogdanwaz.blogspot.com/2020/01/monster-blood-tattoo-peltrymans-behest.html

There’s a trilogy, Foundling, Lamplighter, and Factotum, and a forth book of unrelated novellas, Tales from the Half Continent. It’s an incredibly imaginative fantasy world that Cornish has provided a huge amount of details - there are large glossaries in the back of each book of the trilogy.

In this world, humanity has been engaged in an struggle against “monsters,” sentient creatures who inhabit the wilderness between the large fortified cities. One of the worst things for a human to be accused of is being a sedorner, someone who demonstrates any sympathy for the monsters.

While there is no magic per se, many characters exhibit special powers based in weird science and alchemy. Many of the specialized monster-hunters have undergone surgical body modification to give them the special powers, such as telekinesis or the ability to manipulate electricity. Technology is a blend of mechanical and biological machinery. For example, many machines, particularly ships are driven by "gastrines" living organisms like muscles which produce the energy required for the machine functioning. There are also devices called sthenicons that are wooden boxes worn on the face containing biological organisms that enhance human senses but have the risk of embedding themselves into the wearer's face.

The setting is the Half-Continent, part of a larger world called Harthe Alle. The world of the Half-Continent is based heavily on early 18th century Europe but, if anything more Baroque. The great power is the Haackobin Empire, a collection of bickering city-states not unlike our Holy Roman Empire but with a much more powerful Emperor. There are other analogues to Earth cultures.
« Last Edit: April 28, 2020, 06:20:04 PM by Bogdanwaz »

Offline BaronVonJ

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Re: Monster Blood Tattoo RPG
« Reply #1 on: January 11, 2020, 12:24:48 AM »
Love these books.

Offline redrevuk

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Re: Monster Blood Tattoo RPG
« Reply #2 on: January 11, 2020, 03:33:17 PM »
Brilliant battle report, really catches the flavour of the books. I have my own MBT project on the 'to do' list - this is a good stimulus to crack on.

I was trying to decide between Frostgrave and Mordheim as my rules engine. How did you decide to replicate monster-hunter abilities? Wits and Leers were exercising me...

Great work!

Offline Fates Fickle Finger

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Re: Monster Blood Tattoo RPG
« Reply #3 on: January 11, 2020, 06:50:41 PM »
I have been obsessed with this series of books, I am in the process of converting and drawing up lists for use in Thud and Blunder. DM Cornish has great world building skills and inspirational art, perfect for miniatures based gaming.

Offline Bloggard

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Re: Monster Blood Tattoo RPG
« Reply #4 on: January 12, 2020, 02:20:36 PM »
loved the campaigns you aar'd (?) on the frostgrave board.

don't know these books at all.

What you've shown so far in the blogpost is as fantastic 'as usual'; great 'look' with the miniatures and terrain, and wonderful narrative quality.

a little concerned that the literary world-build is Tolkienesque in it's simple-mindedness (i.e. Lausids = Ottomans / eastern (european) 'evil' guys allying with the 'monsters'), but hopefully / presumably there's a bit (lot) more to it than that.
« Last Edit: January 12, 2020, 05:07:58 PM by Bloggard »

Offline Bogdanwaz

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Re: Monster Blood Tattoo RPG
« Reply #5 on: January 13, 2020, 01:41:42 PM »
Thanks, all!  Bloggard, the human nations in Monster Blood Tattoo are all primarily analogues to the 18th century nations on Earth. (According to Cornish's blog, the Lausids are based on Polish/Hungarian culture while the Turkamentine Empire are the Ottomans.) The books take place entirely within the Haakobin Empire which is roughly analogous to the Holy Roman Empire.  Although this is based in real history, Cornish goes far beyond in providing a unique history, culture, and atmosphere to Empire. 

The books definitely do not treat the human/monster relationship in a simplistic, black and white manner with the human culture having some pretty dark and creepy elements to it and the monster culture being very diverse.  Cornish also created a whole vocabulary for this world that gives it a unique, very baroque feel.  Each book of the trilogy has a different tone and focus as well.  Foundling reads almost like a Dickens novel about the misadventures of an orphan, while Lamplighter is more of a military adventure story, and Factotum deals with political intrigue and revenge that's not unlike Game of Thrones.  The novellas in Tales from the Half-Continent are very different as well, almost Lovecraftian.

As you may have gathered, I'm a big fan of the books and would highly recommend them to anyone who's interested in a world that's very different from the standard LOTR/D&D fantasy quasi-medieval fantasy worlds.

Offline Bloggard

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Re: Monster Blood Tattoo RPG
« Reply #6 on: January 13, 2020, 04:42:53 PM »
ah right - thanks for the elaboration.

I guess I'd still be a bit disappointed if the books ultimately follow the usual stereotypes with the Eastern (european) types being, well, badder than the others, even if the others can be bad too. Had my fill of that one way and another. But I'm seriously considering them based on your description and have just suggested them to a pal who's struggling to find something to read in that area...

But anyhow, looking forward to more blogposts - looking as tho' it'll be epic!
« Last Edit: January 14, 2020, 08:28:42 AM by Bloggard »

Offline Bogdanwaz

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Re: Monster Blood Tattoo RPG
« Reply #7 on: January 13, 2020, 07:58:59 PM »
Just to clarify a little more, the books deal very little with "international" affairs, just occasional mention of it, mostly in the "explicarums" (glossaries) at the end of each book in the trilogy.  The main conflict is the one between humans and monsters, some of which are man-made.   Such politics as are in the book is about personal squabbling within the empire and is more question of personalities than "races/nationalities", if that makes sense.

Offline Fates Fickle Finger

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Re: Monster Blood Tattoo RPG
« Reply #8 on: January 13, 2020, 08:26:16 PM »
Just read on the Facebook group that DM Cornish is meeting with Netflix today! Excited  :-*

Offline Bogdanwaz

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Re: Monster Blood Tattoo RPG - Second Session Report Added
« Reply #9 on: January 31, 2020, 04:27:23 PM »
We just did the second session of the role-playing campaign I've been running set in the MBT universe, The Peltryman's Behest.  I use the Frostgrave rules as the base system. 

I had previously posted the prologue session. This was the first session of the main part of the campaign and I've written up a report of what happened on my blog along with more pictures at:
 
https://bogdanwaz.blogspot.com/2020/01/monster-blood-tattoo-rpg-peltrymans.html

To make a long story short, seven years after their encounter with the Duke of Owls, our heroes are presented with the dying request of their former comrade peltryman Valentine Portent to recover the body of his deceased step-daughter which had been stolen by graverobbers.  More pictures and details on the blog.
« Last Edit: January 31, 2020, 04:29:03 PM by Bogdanwaz »

Offline Bogdanwaz

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Re: Monster Blood Tattoo RPG - Third Session Report Added
« Reply #10 on: February 06, 2020, 07:54:20 PM »
We've completed the third session of our Monster Blood Tattoo campaign.  As previously, I've posted a report and pictures of what transpired on my blog:

https://bogdanwaz.blogspot.com/2020/02/monster-blood-tattoothe-peltrymans.html

Our heroes return to the city of Brandenbrass seeking the body of their late comrade's deceased stepdaughter.  Investigating the king of the grave robbers, their surveillance turns to battle as one of the party members acts a bit rashly.

Offline dartfrog

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Re: Monster Blood Tattoo RPG - Third Session Report Added
« Reply #11 on: February 06, 2020, 10:50:05 PM »
Great books. Good to see others  gaming it. Played a few sessions of an RPG based on this. So much fun.

Offline scatterbrains

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Re: Monster Blood Tattoo RPG - Third Session Report Added
« Reply #12 on: February 07, 2020, 12:06:55 AM »
Beautiful action shots!  The half continent sounds really cool, not sure i grasp the wooden box on the face thing?

Offline Blackwolf

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Re: Monster Blood Tattoo RPG - Third Session Report Added
« Reply #13 on: February 07, 2020, 12:43:47 AM »
Lovely stuff :-*
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Offline Bloggard

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Re: Monster Blood Tattoo RPG - Third Session Report Added
« Reply #14 on: February 07, 2020, 08:58:28 AM »
fantastic gaming as ever.