Six young warriors - sent to do the work of thousands!
Generations ago, the orc-hordes swarmed east into the peaceful kingdom of Caithness. Now they're coming back. Last time, it took an army to stop them. This time, your lord is sending you . . .
Orcslayer is the first Man to Man campaign adventure. It consists of nine linked combat scenarios, separated by "interludes" of travel, rest, and interaction. Each situation is different and will require different tactics. But the scenarios are not just excuses for head-bashing — they provide some interesting roleplaying opportunities as well. There are friends to be made, allies to enlist, enemies to avoid, traps to spot, and more . . .
Man to Man is basically a combat boardgame, but it has strong roleplaying elements that set it apart from other combat games. This supplement is designed to highlight and expand those roleplaying elements — without sacrificing the thrill of clever tactics skillfully executed.
Overview and tips on running the module
This is my first time playing GURPS with unfettered access to all the rules. To reduce analysis paralysis, this playthrough will be done only using the Basic Set (with occasional "GM's calls" for especially Rule of Cool maneuvers and events), and some of the storyline will be adjusted for modern sensibilities a bit (e.g. the orc hostages are not just all the pretty ladies, but politically useful prisoners). Scenarios will be played out turn by turn, with in-universe RP summarizing the events of that turn (with some embellishment or adjustment as strikes the author's fancy).
New characters in the original scenario pack (6 recommended) were 80 points and allotted $2500, with prices per Man-to-Man for equipment, and the scenario for non-combat expenditures. For this game, I will roll their stats, ads/disads and skills (and associated combat gear) randomly; equipment prices will be per the Basic Set book if not present in the main scenario. These house rules will be tweaked over time. Characters will be made and maintained in GCS, so some bleedthrough from other books may be present; text dumps of each character at the beginning of each scenario can be found in the Files section.
To add a little bit of RP spice to the playthrough, PCs will roll Reactions to each other and NPCs, which may influence the chosen approach both in and out of combat; generally, positive attitudes will be more helpful and courteous, while negative attitudes may leave PCs to ignore their comrades and allies. Additionally, IPCs may not always make the most tactically wise decisions, which is because I want to try out all the Basic Set bells and whistles completely for RP purposes.
Since I'm a relative newbie to GURPS, constructive commentary (over DMs) on rules mistakes or tactical missteps is welcome.