{"id":2847,"date":"2026-10-04T16:00:14","date_gmt":"2026-10-04T16:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cliffnordman.com\/blog\/?p=2847"},"modified":"2026-11-07T05:15:49","modified_gmt":"2026-11-07T05:15:49","slug":"chasing-the-sunset-imperial-succession","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cliffnordman.com\/blog\/2026\/10\/04\/chasing-the-sunset-imperial-succession\/","title":{"rendered":"Chasing the Sunset & Imperial succession"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chasing the Sunset<\/a> is a West Marches<\/a>-style exploration game using Fellowship 2nd Edition<\/a>\u2018s Horizon rules.<\/p>\n

The party: Buckle the Beast\/Heart of Earth, Stella the Halfling\/Hunter<\/p>\n

Last time<\/a>, The Imperial Capital descended into chaos as people from the past emerged and the foundations of Imperial culture were shaken.<\/p>\n

This time, the Fellowship is drawn the dispute for the Imperial throne.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

GM note:<\/strong> We went over the Explorer’s Agenda, which I had been neglecting.\u00a0 Buckle is seeking a new place to belong, and he’s seeking power to make that happen.\u00a0 Stella started with a clear mission: to bring Halfing refugees home.\u00a0 But many Halfings she met were not refugees and didn’t even know about the Giant War.\u00a0 There are many different Halfling cultures, not just the one she’s from.\u00a0 Buckle can’t go home, but Stella realizes that she doesn’t have to go home.<\/em><\/p>\n

Imperial Capital<\/p>\n

Response Level 6 (2 base, 2 location bonds, upset the natural order, cause collateral damage)<\/p>\n

Response moves:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Famine: Pay A Price when you Fill Your Belly<\/li>\n
  2. Bustling: Despair to Get Away, hard to avoid being overheard<\/li>\n
  3. Bad weather: Thin air, Overcome after doing something athletic or become Winded and have Despair on next roll<\/li>\n
  4. Guardian: a powerful creature defends a location<\/li>\n
  5. Famous: When you roll 6-, a citizen will interrupt for good or ill<\/li>\n
  6. Invader: Priscilla (the first Emperor)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Buckle asks the land for help and demonstrates his ritual of power.\u00a0 Buckle sits in front of a small puddle, puts his hands on the ground, and meditates. He stares at his reflection and the land beneath forms a face like his under the puddle.\u00a0 Buckle applies the warpaint to his reflection, which is the land.<\/p>\n

    Buckle War Paint: When you perform a ritual of power in preparation for a planned battle, hold 2 Power.<\/em><\/p>\n

    Buckle Commune with the Land 10+<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

    The Land reaction roll:\u00a0 action affects entire location<\/em><\/p>\n

    The Land prepares for battle to protect the people.\u00a0 The Land just learned about boundaries.\u00a0 Separation between the people and the Land is good.\u00a0 War is when two groups of people are not just separate from the land, but separate from each other.\u00a0 The Land raises a wall of rock that starts in the Imperial Palace and separates the armies of Priscilla and Rossius.\u00a0 The wall rises to 50 feet tall and extends to split the whole city in half.<\/p>\n

    Some people were caught up by the wall rising beneath them.\u00a0 The top of the wall is thin enough for one person to walk on, but passing someone else would be scary. It’s thicker at the base, but the walls are very steep.\u00a0 Stella looks at the situation and realizes that she her skillset matches this situation, so she and Silk<\/del> Stanlee rush to help people trapped on the wall.<\/p>\n

    GM note:<\/strong> For a while we forgot that most of their companions were left behind at Lake Samak<\/a>, including SIlk (Stella’s Riding Spider).\u00a0 Fortunately, the companion who accompanied Buckle is Stanlee (a humanoid Spider with similar skills). Both can walk on walls and spin webs.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

    GM note:<\/strong> Stella can grow to “the size of a good chair”.\u00a0 We decided that meant the kind of high-backed chair that faces the fire and suddenly turns to reveal someone overheard the entire conversation.\u00a0 About 5 feet tall.<\/em><\/p>\n

    Stella looks for ropes or other tools to help people get down under their own power.<\/p>\n

    Stella Look Closely 6-<\/strong> ask 1 question, find out the hard way<\/em><\/p>\n