[Swashbuckling] 17th Century Adventure Ideas

[BASHMAN]

So I am working on a 17th Century adaptation of Barbarians of Lemuria. Part of this involves a playtest that I am running every couple weeks- but because I'm spending time working on the rules aspect, I need some advice on adventure ideas to throw at the PCs once the first campaign is complete. Right now they are in the Caribbean fighting pirates on an island with dinosaurs, headhunters, snake-men, and a mummy. However, I want the campaign to venture to Europe for a while so I can run some courtly intrigue and skullduggery. Any ideas for stories that I can have them get involved in some continental adventure?

Some background: Most of the PCs are British- but the game takes place in 1651, during the Interregnum while Cromwell is ruling, and they mostly "can't go home again" except as criminals (not that this wouldn't also be a fun scenario to run).
There is some magic in the campaign, but it is not D&D over-the-top magic- it is subtle, rare, and usually found in remote places.

I'd like a wide variety of adventure seeds, things that run the gamut from dark, Solomon Kane-esque stories to light-hearted Princess Bride-type stories.

 

[Andor]

Well if you want to run something supernatural there was a flood in 1651 (St. Peter's Flood) that sank the island of Buise in the North Sea off germany along with a bunch of other nasty floods (linkage.) You could tie it to a cult usinging an artifact for extortion or mass destruction, or maybe raising some kind of elder sea god leading to a climactic battle on Buise as the island sinks into the sea around the action.

Also Charles the II is crowned king of Scotland in early 1651 and doesn't leave the island until the loses the battle of Worcester in September so your party of loyalists has some options for returning to England for most of the year. After September they might want to steer clear unless of course they feeling like swashing Cromwells buckle.

 

[ArghMark]

Well..

There's an interesting martial culture from the 1550's to the 1700's. The use of swords in warfare is lessening and 'civilian' defense schools are popping up. Members of different schools were braggarts and fighters, and their masters could be anything from angry peasants to noblemen.

Think kung fu movie and then take out the wire, put in some european politics, and you have some interesting ideas. I'm putting some historical people down to perhaps use what they are going through.


Seriously, why not meet some honest to god fencers? If you're interested..

John Milton, the poet, often wore a sword about the place - if you carried a weapon, you'd better know how to use it.
Hows about a sword fighting adventure about Milton claiming his poetry has been stolen?


Diego Di Silva Valasquez, the painter was known as a fencer. He is Spanish though.
See above, except artwork and amusing language difficulties.



If you'd like a bit of English 'I will hit him with downright good blowes' and are willing to play with a bit of anacronism Silver and Saviolo are two masters who dislike each other. There could be all sorts of nonsense going on with them.

Another thing could be this - using fencers and fencing as a device; fencers could (and occasionally were) used as assassins. Hows about being involved in a politically motivated assassination attempt, which is foiled (or hell, they are the assassins.)

Get a nice fencing villain and a squad of bravo's to fight and there's a whole bunch of nice adventure waiting.

I can also recommend 7th sea for adventures.

 

[Starfox]

Another thing could be this - using fencers and fencing as a device; fencers could (and occasionally were) used as assassins. Hows about being involved in a politically motivated assassination attempt, which is foiled (or hell, they are the assassins.).

This is an interesting angle - the PCs come upon an assassination, where an inept fighter is being slaughtered by a professional - and its all by the book, fair and square. Of course, in a country torn by civil war, such niceties might not work well.