Uller
Adventurer
I recently visited a local fort that was built during the Revolutionary War. At the time it was called the Lead Mines Fort and is in what was called the Sinking Springs Valley. The fort was built by a wealthy Philladelphian merchant named Roberdeau (so the reconstructed fort is today called Fort Roberdeau). He financed the construction of the fort and the operation of the lead mine in order to help supply the rebels with lead (the mine apparently never produced much lead and once the French joined in, they provided the needed lead).
Anyway...it's a pretty fascinating bit of our local history and I'm thinking of making a D&D campaign out of it. Patriot and Loyalist neighbors living on the frontier tried to murder each other. The fort was the base for about a dozen "rangers" tasked with watching the mountain passes for raids from Indians and British Rangers out of the Niagara and Detroit. At one point a Loyalist militia attempted to provoke a raid into the valley from an larger indian town about 100 miles to the west called Kittaning. Fortunately for the Patriots the raid broke up before it got to them.
The mine itself was a mile or so from the fort. The miners moved their ore into the fort to be smelted. There was a large attrition rate for the miners so they had to "recruit" miners from POW camps (including Germans who served as mercenaries to the British).
The land around the fort is riddled with sink holes and caves including caves that go under the fort itself. There are pits dug by someone who occupied the valley before the English (most likely the French).
So I'm thinking about making a low-level D&D setting based on this. Set it in a traditional D&D realm. A number of colonial vassal states have formed a confederation and declared independence from the mother empire. The PCs have arrived to this mine/fort on the frontier with whatever agenda/purpose they choose (Rebel? Loyalist? Spy? Miner? Caravan guard? Settler?) and begin play in the boarding house in the village. Throw in a number of hooks around the fort and nearby village (some kids disappear into a new cave, a strange beast is attacking some outlying settlements at night, imperial rangers are spotted, barbarian or goblin scouts are captured and hinting at an approaching raid...etc, as they get to higher levels clues of some ancient alien civilization are found that hints at riches, power and danger).
So...obviously in a fantasy setting the fort is not mining lead (or is it?). What could it be mining that would be interesting?
I think the character of Roberdeau, rather than the heir of a Caribbean merchant is a pirate who fled to the nearby city to hide from the Imperial Navy in his retirement but heard rumors of riches to be found in the area and the fort/mine is just cover. Or maybe the mine is mining some magic reagent and Roberdeau is a wizard who has either joined the rebel cause or is using the rebels as cover for his own (rather minor) power play. But I always start my campaigns small...rescue some kids or save the village from a raid...no grand world (or even city) shaking designs until the players flesh out their characters place in the world a bit.
Any ideas?
Anyway...it's a pretty fascinating bit of our local history and I'm thinking of making a D&D campaign out of it. Patriot and Loyalist neighbors living on the frontier tried to murder each other. The fort was the base for about a dozen "rangers" tasked with watching the mountain passes for raids from Indians and British Rangers out of the Niagara and Detroit. At one point a Loyalist militia attempted to provoke a raid into the valley from an larger indian town about 100 miles to the west called Kittaning. Fortunately for the Patriots the raid broke up before it got to them.
The mine itself was a mile or so from the fort. The miners moved their ore into the fort to be smelted. There was a large attrition rate for the miners so they had to "recruit" miners from POW camps (including Germans who served as mercenaries to the British).
The land around the fort is riddled with sink holes and caves including caves that go under the fort itself. There are pits dug by someone who occupied the valley before the English (most likely the French).
So I'm thinking about making a low-level D&D setting based on this. Set it in a traditional D&D realm. A number of colonial vassal states have formed a confederation and declared independence from the mother empire. The PCs have arrived to this mine/fort on the frontier with whatever agenda/purpose they choose (Rebel? Loyalist? Spy? Miner? Caravan guard? Settler?) and begin play in the boarding house in the village. Throw in a number of hooks around the fort and nearby village (some kids disappear into a new cave, a strange beast is attacking some outlying settlements at night, imperial rangers are spotted, barbarian or goblin scouts are captured and hinting at an approaching raid...etc, as they get to higher levels clues of some ancient alien civilization are found that hints at riches, power and danger).
So...obviously in a fantasy setting the fort is not mining lead (or is it?). What could it be mining that would be interesting?
I think the character of Roberdeau, rather than the heir of a Caribbean merchant is a pirate who fled to the nearby city to hide from the Imperial Navy in his retirement but heard rumors of riches to be found in the area and the fort/mine is just cover. Or maybe the mine is mining some magic reagent and Roberdeau is a wizard who has either joined the rebel cause or is using the rebels as cover for his own (rather minor) power play. But I always start my campaigns small...rescue some kids or save the village from a raid...no grand world (or even city) shaking designs until the players flesh out their characters place in the world a bit.
Any ideas?
