Into the Borderlands (West Marches Campaign using OAR #1) Session 1

 Two weeks ago I ran the first session of West Marches style campaign using Goodman Games' OAR #1 (Original Adevntures Reincarnated), Into the Borderlands, combining D&D 5E updates of B1 In Search of the Unknown and B2 Keep on the Borderlands. It was set up to be an open table, drop in/drop out, West Marches style campaign, run at a nearby branch of the local library (The Fuller Creative Learning Center, part of the East Providence Public Library system). I'm using Mystara as the campaign setting, so the Keep is Castellan Keep in the Grand Duchy of Karameikos. 

     Since the players can change from week to week, the general setup is of an Adventurers' Guild at the Keep with a logbook of leads and rumors to pursue. Whoever shows up to play gets a pregen character (I'm using the pregens created by Goodman Games for this module specifically) and can consult the logbook of the Adventurers' Guild to look for clues and leads. When the players who are present decide a course to pursue, they head out and go looking for adventure. The main leads in the beginning pertain to the Cave of the Unknown/Quasqueton (based on B1) and the Caves of Chaos (based on B2), though I also threw in a lead for the Fifth Edition Fantasy module from Goodman Games FEF #14, Beneath the Keep, which is designed to be inserted into the Keep on the Borderlands (based on B2).

     I had four players show up for the first session. We ended up with a dwarven paladin, a human fighter, a human wizard, and a halfling rogue.  At our first session, the party agreed to check out the Cave of the Unknown first. They arrived at the location of the cave and noticed the Lonely Tower on the cliffs above the cave. They decided to check out the Lonely Tower before entering the Cave, and ended up in a fight with some winged kobolds. The party triumphed (barely), but retreated from the Tower without breaching it. They checked out the Cave of the Unknown and discovered that it did appear to be the long-lost underground stronghold of Quasqueton, the fortress of the wizard Zelligar and the warrior Rogahn. Not wanting to bite off more than they could chew, the party retreated back to the keep and did some shopping for vital equipment (grappling hooks, rope, etc.). 

     At least one of the players said she would not be at my next session in two weeks (tomorrow, now, as I write this) because of a scheduled trip, but hoped to be back for the next one two weeks after that. Again, the campaign was designed for this, so not a problem - players can drop in and drop out at will. The next party may return to the Lonely Tower, or to the Cave of the Unknown/Quasqueton, or do something else entirely. It will be fascinating to watch how this campaign develops organically!