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.

The Better Part of Valour

Like The Cthulhu Hack, The Dee Sanction has the business of investigation at its heart. It might not always be the way, but generally, if you plan on surviving it needs to form part of your approach. Whether you’re facing the mortal forces of some short-tempered King or the preternatural allies of a Fae noble, knowing what you’re up against and how you might weaken it matters a great deal. Sometimes only the former information might come to hand but forewarned it still forearmed. If you know that the forces mustered against you are considerable, you might just choose subterfuge over a direct assault.

I have found that happens a lot when playing Lost in Translation, for example. Slowly, but surely, the characters — and their players — begin to piece together the situation and realise that something awful has happened. In The Gong-scourer’s Baby, the revelations not only suggest how to stop an immediate threat but also lead the Agents toward a possible means to apprehend the antagonists.

Sometimes it helps to know a little about history and personalities, other times it can get in the way. When Agents sought The Lost on the outskirts of Moldavia they might have been distracted by the immediate presence, front and centre, of a young Elizabeth Báthory. How can you uncover the fate of a missing girl when the easy answer is your host?

Narrative Bloom

I enjoy the process; listening to players discussing the facts they have to hand and trying to fit them together is fascinating. In a one-shot or convention game, that sort of discourse needs to be monitored for the time expended, but it’s well worth having. As GM, I have sometimes uncovered a more satisfying conclusion to an adventure in the ruminations of the players than the ones I might have had in mind. Improvisation makes the GMs job so much easier, feeding the fuel of the players’ imagination into the fires of invention.

The means to investigate does require that the GM provides detailed, colourful and consistent information. Without that, it would be like putting together a jigsaw with the picture on the pieces face down. You can still solve the puzzle, but it will take much longer and is more likely to frustrate and infuriate than entertain. Consistency means that the GM needs to monitor the narrative bloom at the table; it’s good to allow the players to contribute to the descriptions of the environment, but essential that doing so doesn’t muddy the clues.

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.

In practice, when you roll the dice initially, the symbol rolled can help understand – plotwise – what helped the challenge succeed or fail. Even if the player rolls a fail and then adjusts it with counters, the symbol applies.

For example, in a scuffle against three thugs in a cluttered room, a fail rolled with the ‘Equipment‘ symbol might suggest the character misses when he stumbles over a chair. On the other hand, a success might indicate the enemy fell over the chair or the character managed to use the guard on their sword to catch and skew the enemies aim before delivering a slash. A success with teamwork could mean that another character shoves a table backward into the path of the enemy causing them to dodge into the oncoming path of your weapon.

In my first game of The Dee Sanction, one player rolled a failure with the ‘Equipment‘ symbol and skidded in a pool of blood catching himself on the furniture. In the game this weekend, a character failed a roll to glean information from bar clientèle with a ‘Them‘ result, which meant they didn’t get any useful information, but their enquiries led to someone, looking mildly suspect, slipping out of the bar, probably off to inform an interested party.

It worked well enough that, after a short while, the players started referring naturally to the symbols themselves. I have them referenced on the character sheet – with a brief word of explanation – but, I think, a little more obvious urging and guidance should have them flavouring the narrative themself. The die isn’t the be-all-and-end-all; the symbols provide a nudge as a tool for story advancement, not a rod for the players’ backs.

As mentioned yesterday, with the introduction of the new Incriminating Evidence mechanic, the teamwork dynamic and counter economy clicked in well. The session felt like it worked well and the feedback at the end seemed to carry that feeling. That the players engaged with the system and each other – despite being relative strangers at a convention – made for a very positive experience. Obviously, I remain keenly aware that I have a long way to go – but, this made me feel more confident I’m going the right way (in some measure) with both adventure and system.