Fatemaster Friday - At last, the voice of coal is dead...

[Kimberly]

Heya Breachers!

The Grand Malifaux Tour continues this week and we’re venturing out beyond the walls of Malifaux City into the frontier town and wilderness Malifaux has to offer. Before the train departs the station, let’s see what @Strype McClaine had to say about Malifaux superstitions:

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...Maybe a mirror is a good luck charm for a nephilim, to show how the black blood has taken you in. Or the last drink out of a barrel of gremlin shine is bad luck, so everyone wants to drink as much as possible but never have the last drink.

We’re headed to the Northern Hills this week. This area is the lifeline of Malifaux City’s prosperity; the Northern Hills are full of soulstone and valuable ores that the Guild relies on for export Earthside. The Miner & Steamfitters Union exerts great control in the Northern Hills, using threats of strikes to force the Guild to provide reasonable prices in the frontier shops and other improvements to the quality of life for M&SU members. But as we’ll see, there are other powers to reckon with in the Northern Hills for Fatemasters to incorporate into their games.

The largest settlement in the Northern Hills is Ridley, a thriving town that is firmly under M&SU control. Ridley Station is the primary link from Malifaux City to the rest of the Northern Hills, and majority of the soulstone shipments pass through the town on their way to exportation. Fatemasters can use Ridley as a main area of activity for their homemade campaign, or they can use our Penny Dreadfuls Northern Aggression and Northern Sedition to drop players into a hotbed of investigation, danger, and the fate of Ridley itself.

To the southeast of Ridley is Hollow Point, a solitary mountain turned into a massive pumping station to keep the mines from flooding. Engineered by Dr. Victor Ramos’ genius, Hollow Point Pumping Station doesn’t just prevent flooding. The excess water is used to irrigate the farms of Hollow Point, which helps to feed much of the Northern Hills. Fatemasters may want to have their Fated stumble upon plots to attack the pumping station, or maybe the Fated all live in the settlement built on the mountain and get their start taking jobs for the Union.

While the Union hold massive sway in the Northern Hills, not all of the area is under their control. Ampersand is located in a particularly inhospitable area of the region, which suits its construct residents just fine. The town is a safe haven for sentient constructs, and Fatemasters may want to have Fated help a newly sentient construct escape to Ampersand. Additionally, A Stitch in Time takes the Fated to Ampersand and an interesting encounter with one of the residents.

The town of Promise is the Ten Thunders’ sole outpost in the area, where many of their smuggling operations pass through on the way to a closely guarded hidden Breach that is under Ten Thunders control. Fatemaster should keep in mind that the hidden Breach is probably one of the best kept secrets in Malifaux, but that doesn’t mean that their Fated can’t be caught up in a struggle over control for this remote Breach in the mountains. 

The Northern Hills have many named locations for Fatemasters to utilize, but remember that there are numerous small Guild Contract Towns that the Fated can find themselves traveling to. Whether you want to use one of the named areas or have the creative freedom Contract Towns offer, the Northern Hills is a great place for your Fated to Explore. Northern Aggression, Northern Sedition, and A Stitch in Time are all available on Drivethru RPG.

This week, I want to know: What kind of problem would you make in the Northern Hills for your group of Fated to deal with?
 

[WDeseron]

The machinations of December usually come up for me in this area. One of my Fated was “blessed” to start turning into a Wendigo. 

[WDeseron]

 By-the-by is there an eta for the third Northern book?

[vagen]

I always like to give my players unexpected problems. Dopplegangers are fun. I had them respond when some miners dug into a Nephlim nest. Even a Resser enclave can be tons of fun.

[Kimberly]

On 10/11/2019 at 7:26 PM, WDeseron said:

 By-the-by is there an eta for the third Northern book?

I can't give an ETA at this time, but keep an eye out. If you're looking to give feedback, be sure to also look for playtest opportunities!

[WDeseron]

Thanks, Kimberly!