Redhurst Academy of Magic

[Silver Moon]

Have any of you run campaigns using this source book?

I am currently running a Wild West themed game with my High School aged daughter and her friends. We probably have around two sessions left, after which I plan to run a more traditional D&D campaign with them set at a magic school. I plan to use "Redhurst Academy of Magic" as the primary source material with some minor modifications (such as changing the term for one the school of magic known as "Necromancy" to something else to avoid the other connotations with the term) due to the age of the participants.

So, what are your experiences?

 

[Crothian]

There is a PDF of the book they released that doesn't have the side notes in it. I found this made a great hand out for the players. We started the campaign there in the school and it worked well but I wasn't as happy with D&D in the school setting. Characters got too much too fast and a point buy system more like Unisystem I think would have worked better. But the setting was just fine.

 

[TheAuldGrump]

I have not run a campaign in the setting, just a three part adventure. I did this in part to finally use a great supplement, and partly to use some cardstock terrain I made before sending it off as Christmas presents.

Lots of fun- easy to add an element of intrigue, and some fairly subtle factions among the teachers and lecturers. While the background has the Academy 'porting around from plane to plane this never entered into the adventure - I just had it plopped down in a fairly generic medieval European fantasy setting, and that it had been there for a few years.

A good choice for fairly young players, just don't try to make it a kill the monster, grab its stuff campaign. One or two 'field trips' or 'live exercises' would work fine, in the one I ran the teacher had a bad accident, which left the students in the field, trying to get back to the school with the injured teacher.

The Auld Grump
*EDIT* I actually ran it using True20, not D&D.

 

[Andor]

It does look like a fun setting.

If D&D isn't a good feel match for you, how about Ars Magica? It's already set up with a semester based advancement system. And there really isn't a better magic system anywhere in gaming.

If you have it handy World Tree uses a varient of that same system for magic, and has piles of more mundanely useful spells that fit that Hogwarts sort of feel. Even practical joke spells.

 

[Dark Mistress]

Hmm ever even heard of this before. I have a player that has been bugging me to run something like this. i think i might have to check it out. Hopefully others that have and or run it will post more info about it. I am curious now.

 

[Silver Moon]

....One or two 'field trips' or 'live exercises' would work fine

I've been working out the school semester structure, which will include five-day field trips in the Fall, Winter and Spring (during which time I will use other low-level modules).

I plan to start the Playing Characters as recruits, meaning they will be arriving at the school towards the end of a school year for an extended visit - getting to audit classes in each of the eight Schools of Magic to determine which they may want to specialize in, and getting to watch that year's Spellfire Championship (live exercises).

Thereafter each year will have a different focus:

Freshmen Year: Half the classes in the specialization, half in the other schools. Getting to know the others on their dormatory floor (groups of 20 students comprised of 8 Freshmen and 4 each of the upper classes). Competing in Spellfire games. Going on Field Trips.

Sophamore Year: Extended field trips for field experiencecomprise much of the second year.

Junior Year: Extensive classroom work and testing.

Senior Year: Leadership training and gaining a familiar.

 

[Piratecat]

Hmm ever even heard of this before. I have a player that has been bugging me to run something like this. i think i might have to check it out. Hopefully others that have and or run it will post more info about it. I am curious now.

I can't recommend it highly enough. It's really good.

 

[Ghostwind]

I can't recommend it highly enough. It's really good.

Ditto. And not just because I had a hand in it. If I recall correctly, Studio 2 was selling it for $5.00 at Gen Con last year. I would check their online store and see if they have it on special.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

I haven't run anything with it, but it's a great setting and if you've ever thought about running a Harry-Potter-esque magic school campaign you should definitely pick it up (the hardcover is worth the $). D20 may not be the perfect system for this sort of campaign, but Redhurst manages to pull it off pretty well with D20, and of course you can port any rule set to the setting.

The sidebars are really fun.

 

[Crothian]

Ditto. And not just because I had a hand in it. If I recall correctly, Studio 2 was selling it for $5.00 at Gen Con last year. I would check their online store and see if they have it on special.

Nope, full price at their store