Following the break with Rome (1533) and the Dissolution of the Monasteries (1536-), we see Safety Lies in Fear territory, as a supernaturally defenceless England finds itself tested by entities pressing the unravelling boundaries between worlds. The slow collapse escalates with each new visitor and failing to find solutions to these incursions means that the GM can ramp up the threat in later adventures. This is “murder hobo” or “West Marches” territory, with lawless landscapes, vacated properties and ravaged monastic estates rapidly falling into ruin by local looting and supernatural sorties. Expect ghosts, carrion feeders, minor Fae, and similar.

In the 1560, with the Queen on the throne and unrest on all sides, All Along the Watchtowers sees peril probing every weakness in unprepared defences. By the middle of the decade, Dee has secured official powers through the Dee Sanction, but his friendship with the Queen is sufficiently solid that he might pay out of his own pocket to hire agents before 1564; after that, the standard material of The Dee Sanction core rules kick in, with efforts masterminded between Walsingham and Dee.

Gathering strength and enemies alike, Empire Under Siege sees the Pope declare open season upon the English with the excommunication of the Queen (1570) and the building frustrations of King Philip II of Spain. Spies, assassination attempts, intrigue, secret assignations — all an essential part of this period, as the esoteric spy network of he Sanction gathers potency and potential.

Whilst less obviously more of the same, the Pursuit of Angels is the portal to intrigue and espionage in Europe under the guise of the a quest of angelic enlightenment. Dee and Kelley take their wives and entourage on a complex tour of the kingdoms, during the early to mid-1580s, primarily in northern and eastern Europe, but with occasion to detour — certainly no reason for the Agents to be held back from going further afield.

However, by the time Dee returns, the intrigues within the Court at home has shifted, Spain has been defeated at sea, and the Great Library at Mortlake has been looted. Dee has fallen from favour and in place of the Sanction, the School of Night has risen to prominance under Henry Percy and Francis Drake. There’s nothing to be suspicious about here; certainly no possibility that the looting of Mortlake had anything to do with Percy and his ascendence to his role as the Queen’s new Archmage. Inter-agency action ensures seeking both the defence of the realm and a hint of the truth behind the School.

Potential aplenty and the possibility of jumping between eras to refine and deepen the story over many adventures means that stories of Elizabethan esoteric espionage needs never go stale.

Every day during August (and for a fair old while into September), I’ll be writing something new on The Dee Sanction and aim to connect the word prompt of the day with the development of the game. Check out the concept, the list and the graphics over at AUTOCRATIK.

I have run sessions of The Dee Sanction, The Cthulhu Hack, Symbaroum and others where I aimed for grim and gritty but came away with something less. Oftentimes, that works out, because the moment of light counterbalances the greater darkness. Other times, that humour steals the darkness from the session.

I think, for example, that the humour in Lost in Translation works. It’s fleeting but intentional. I would compare it to the sort of humour that appears in many of Shakespeare’s serious works (though, I have no intent to compare myself in any other way, shape or form to the peerless art of the Bard).

On the other hand, when I ran a one-shot session of Symbaroum at a convention, the humour stole away from the claim of grimdark fantasy. When you’re showcasing a game for a certain quality, you may have to wrestle the atmosphere in the right direction — in this instance, the prevailing temperament of the players weighed too heavily against me to make it possible. In the end, rather than fighting it, I gave up.

It’s tricky. One-shots suffer when you’re not seeking it, but equally, you can have an incredible session when humour’s intended and the group at the table gel. In a campaign with a regular group, humour will become an aspect managed and maintained by the whole table. When the session requires it, it’ll be there naturally more often than not. When it isn’t required or desired, you’ll have a better handle on how to keep it low key or non-existent to enhance the immersion.

Whatever you do, I’d suggest you create the atmosphere rather than flagging it at the start of the session. If you propagate the darkness in the description and colour, then the players will become engaged and humour will only arise when natural and then only as a gasp for air in the sea of despair (pardon the accidental poetry!).

Every day during August, I’ll be writing something new on The Dee Sanction and aim to connect the word prompt of the day with the development of the game. Check out the concept, the list and the graphics over at AUTOCRATIK.

The historical view, on a very basic level, feels like Elizabeth’s Court drowned in charlatans and confidence tricksters for much of her reign. John Dee was on the periphery of this; a startling intelligent and well-read man who aspired to certain goals that might be considered dubious.

Compared to Dee, many others posited the possibility of extracting gold and other precious materials from base matter on an almost daily basis, taking the claims to anyone willing to listen. In a Court weighted with debts seeking an easy out, it perhaps isn’t a surprise that these con artists were given a little too much time and attention.

Context aside, starting an adventure interrogating a deranged gong-scourer or following the compass guidance of an eyelash might seem rightly ridiculous. Running Lost in Transition recently, the events swing from the grave to the amusing, dramatic to comic. Death visits on more than one occasion; at one point, it’s difficult to describe the detail, but another leads to strange dark humour.

I think the historical context colours the atmosphere of The Dee Sanction, otherwise, it could rapidly turn into a total grimfest. That’s not to say that as a table you can’t decide to play it totally straight-faced and serious; it’s just that the game itself walks a tightrope between the two because the source material can seem so ludicrous.

(Yes, I know there’s a post on humour later in the month; I’m certain I’ll find something else to talk about!)

Every day during August, I’ll be writing something new on The Dee Sanction and aim to connect the word prompt of the day with the development of the game. Check out the concept, the list and the graphics over at AUTOCRATIK.