Conan Reflection: The Scarlet Citadel

There will be spoilers for the short story in the article below…

When I first saw the title of this particular story, I thought of the eponymous adventure book by Kobold Press. As I read further, the influence at a broad level by this particular Howard story on the latter work became even more apparent. The tropes of a dungeon created by an evil wizard and populated with otherworldly monsters, the results of arcane experiments or communion with still greater evils. 

This direction is a bit unexpected, setting in the era of Conan as King of Aquilonia, rather than the thief, rogue, or sea wolf. It is out of the frying pan and into the fire as his army is betrayed and destroyed. The major focus of the story is on the descent to the underworld, in which the hero confronts the nightmarish horrors of the dark dungeon Tsotha, the wizard said to do demonic deals. Conan’s duel with the great serpent in the depths and rescue of a mage rival of Tsotha’s. The higher level politics are also fun details—one whole section details the activities of Conan’s loyal supporters in his kingdom’s capital and the efforts of a treacherous ally to seize the throne. 

All the elements described in the milieu of early roleplaying here are present—the ascendancy of the fighter, Conan, to political leadership. The adventure that brought the hero once more into the depths of a dungeon. These elements shine through in the early editions of the hobby and many of the aspirations of our modern games. The battles to be war gamed out, the adventures of the hero in the world shaped by these battles. Another intriguing touchstone in the mosaic of the tabletop roleplaying game hobby and its larger influence on society.

Advanced FASERIP/Superhero RPG Setting: New York, New York 2009

Photo is used under a CC0 license

In reading Advanced FASERIP, I began thinking about the type of setting that I would set such a game in. The game notes that many superhero settings focus on the present day—and we see that in both comics and now in modern superhero films. There’s also the fun idea of playing in a given period, like the story we see in the Captain America: The First Avenger film. So I thought a bit about a time and place that would be interesting, more recent than the 1940s or 1970s, which are both eras I think of when I think of comic book heroes. I don’t feel like playing in the modern day—maybe I’ll feel different in ten years when it’s just a memory.

I landed on an alternative history version of 2009. Why that year? It’s one I remember. The 2000s were an interesting time, and the wake of the Recession a time of transition, even if we didn’t know it at the time. The forces of globalization and the resulting economic shifts still play an important role in our real world timeline. It’s also an interesting era for technology, where the iPhone and smartphone technologies, along with social media and the global internet were still emerging. Plenty of people were just getting their first cell phone, the flip phone was getting slimmer and sleeker—the US president had a BlackBerry he refused to get rid of upon entering office. Phone cameras were still developing, with images of low enough quality that in this timeline you could still perhaps not believe evidence of superheroes. 

Why New York? Because it’s an easy, clique place to set a pulpy story about superheroes. There were a reported 19 million inhabitants that year. Lots of people and places to explore. Iconic backdrops to choose from. And of course, it’s easy to go on the road if you need to, whether across the US, or across the world.

The Thrill of Creation

There is a nerve-wracking, nail-biting, anxiety-fueled moment when you hit send on a pitch for an RPG product. Because then you wait for a few days—a week? To see if your ideas made the cut. If someone thought they were worth investing time and money into developing, creating some real visual art, and printing on the page. 

There’s also nothing so thrilling as seeing one of your articles commissioned. Sometimes which ones made it baffles you. Like that one that was written feverishly in ten minutes at five in the morning on the due date before going to work so the noon deadline doesn’t creep up on you—yeah, somehow that throwaway is now in print, while the others I spent weeks thinking about didn’t make the cut. 

It doesn’t need to make sense. Creativity means giving other people control once you’ve made something. They get to form their own opinions, cut it apart, critique it…or maybe enjoy it, be inspired. They get to decide. And you just get to be happy you got to make something.