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_______The_____________________________    
i​Plundering Time​_ 
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Game Master’s Guide

Thomas Murphy
2018
thomasdmurphy30@gmail.com
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Game Master’s Guide 1

Introduction 3
Scenario Overview 3
Scope 3
Theme 3
Default Campaign Overview 3
The Roles 4
The GM’s Job 5
Setting Up 5
Powers 5
Combat 6
NPCs 6

Skills 7
Muskets 7
Language 7
Labor 8
Geography 8
Mercantilism 8
Literacy 9
Using Soft Skills 9

Other Gameplay Mechanics 9

Leveling Up 9
Fatigue 9
Hunger 10
Repairs 10

Keeping Things Fair 10

Managing Difficulty 10
Managing Needs 10
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Introduction

Scenario Overview
The game is set in the early years of England’s Maryland colony. Maryland was
established by the Lord Baltimore Cecil Calvert as a sanctuary for England’s persecuted
Catholic population, but religious tension, border disputes, and trouble with native populations
marred the fledgling colony’s first decades. This all came to a head when the English Civil War
broke out, which brought fire and turmoil to Maryland’s capital city, and nearly destroyed the
colony itself.
Your story begins just as this historic conflict reaches the shores of the Chesapeake
Bay, and the player characters will be forced to make difficult decisions in a deadly world about
survival, flight, and rebuilding.

Scope
The game as its described below is intended to lead the DM and players through an epic
journey through Southern Maryland and potentially several years of in-game time. Smaller
stories are possible as once off’s, but require individual development and research.

Theme
This period in Maryland is very exciting from a historical perspective because it is a
unique example of a time when the feudal systems of the old, medieval world, were forcibly
supplanted by new, democratic, and enlightenment period systems. The overall theme of this
game and its campaign is one in which a class of “Gentlemen” is no longer entitled to success
by virtue of its birth, nor is a class of “servants” doomed to dredgery where entrepreneurship
may save them.

Default Campaign Overview

Since this is an historical setting, it may be difficult to simply follow a completely free-flow
campaign. To remedy that, the campaign events described below will aid DMs in giving players
objectives or places to go.
Following the burning and plundering of St Mary’s City (and all the PCs livelihood and
belongings), players will follow roughly this path, following the motivation of regainin (tools for
craftsman, money and land for gentleman, legal end to contract for servants, and legal end to
slavery for slave):
1. SMC
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2. Go to Mattapany for aid

a. Attacked by Susquehannock
b. Priests ask for aid
3. Go to Powatan Village
a. Ask for help
b. Lead a raid on Susquehannock raiding party
4. Return to Mattapany but its too late
a. Asked to bring a priest to Calverton
b. Go there
5. Learn that one of the attackers was a resident, a young man named Thomas Winter
a. Asked to find boy at nearby bandit camp
b. Find bandits at Calvert cliffs, find Winter
c. Bring Winter to Calverton, learn he has valuable information.
d. Asked to bring Calverton to Virginia to give information to the resistance forming
there.
6. Stopped by Puritans
a. The Puritans take you hostage and camp in the woods
b. Attacked by Susquehannock
c. Attacked by Powatan
d. Escape, Winter follows you.
7. To Virginia
a. Deliver Winter at the Potomac, still in Maryland.
b. Information is valuable. Asked to set up a pro-Calvert base
i. Players may choose location
8. Recruitment
a. Recruit through favors, etc.
b. Attack Providence, oust the Puritans

The Roles
There are seven classes in The Plundering Time, each with its own key strengths. Unlike
a traditional fantasy RPG, these classes are based on the real life social, economic, and racial
divides that would have been used to group peoples in 1600s New World society. Class affects
skills in the beginning, but players will be free to choose any way to upgrade their characters, in
keeping with the world’s ​theme​, which is that this time of turmoil shattered Maryland’s traditional
class-based feudal system.
The thing most affected by class choice will be the relationship between PCs. Servants
and masters, warring native tribes, and different religions will all affect how the game should
unfold.
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The GM’s Job

A good GM will encourage hard roleplay, and truthfulness to the sensibilities of the
times. A Puritan character should have a deep loathing for a Jesuit priest; a Powatan Indian
should feel similarly toward a Susquehannock; a new slave should have no means to
communicate without building his or her language skill.
A GM will want to lightly guide players along the Campaign path, bringing them to the
version of a conclusion they choose.

Setting Up
1. Players should use the character sheet Spreadsheet
2. Begin by choosing your character traits
a. Name
b. Class
i. Class stat bonuses are automatically filled into the points section
ii. Class item bonuses are not automatic. Roll 1d20, only a critical
success earns the Class bonus item
c. Religion
i. Religion has no gameplay effect and is entirely for RP.
ii. Puritans ​hate​ Catholics
iii. Catholics are strongly disliked by Protestants
iv. Jesuits dislike Protestants and are fearful of Puritans
d. Race
i. Race has no effect on gameplay and is entirely for RP.
ii. Any Race can be any class, though realistically, Indian classes
should be native, Gentleman should be English, servants should
be English, Irish, or Scottish, Jesuits should be English, and
Slaves could be from anywhere.
e. Attribute points
i. Players can distribute the number here across any attributes. Odd
numbers work best as they encourage specialities.
ii. Attribute distribution determines skill point availability.
f. Skill points
i. Skill points are color coded to show which attribute they belong to.
ii. Skill points can be distributed freely

Powers
1. A new power is chosen every third level, ie, levels 3, 6, 9, 12
2. Players do not get a power on character creation.
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3. Class powers are unlocked automatically.

Combat & Healing

1. Roll a 1d20 for any attack. Add your skill to the roll. It must be higher than the
EDL to be a successful attack
2. Damage
a. Damage comes in three tiers
i. Unarmed, or weak blunt, does 1 damage
ii. Sharp or strong blunt does 2 damage
iii. Muskets or pistols does 3 damage
b. Critical hit does 2X damage
3. Defense
a. Players roll against EDL, using Unarmed Combat or Armed combat
b. The GM does not need to roll for the enemy, just use the EDL
c. A bow and arrow requires unarmed combat Defense
4. Player death
a. The first battle KO of a player earns a permanent and severe scar, which
causes a permanent -1 to all rolls.
b. The second battle KO causes a permanent -2 to all rolls.
c. A third KO causes permanent death, and the player will need to make a
new character
5. Players may gain certain advantages during combat
a. See how the ​Geography​ skill affects combat
b. Flanking enemies will give a +1 to every roll of flanking PCs, adding
another +1 for each additional player. Ie, an enemy flanked on 3 sides
gives a plus 3 to all enemies.
6. Weapon status can also affect combat rolls
7. Players can be healed during combat by someone who has the healing skill.
a. The extent of the healing is determined by a d20 roll and adding your
Literacy and Nature skills to the roll.
b. Rolling over a 10 heals 1 HP
c. Rolling over 15 heals 2 HP
d. Rolling over 20 heals 3 HP
e. Nat 20 is a perfect heal
8. All damage but KO damage disappears after battle, but players will enter the
Fatigued​ state.

NPCs
1. NPCs can and should be made up by the DM as situations arise that need them.
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2. Personality and objectives can be decided by the DM, but it would be a good idea
to mind historical biases- who hates who? This will deepen roleplay.
3. It’s a good idea to let an NPC join the PCs from the beginning, who may act as a
guiding source of information
4. When making a new NPC, roll a 1d20 and add the highest PC level

Skills

Muskets
1. Muskets are slow, clumsy, and dangerous. For those reasons, musket combat
works differently than any other combat type in the game.
2. Matchlock muskets
a. This game will use the common matchlock musket system
i. Powder is inserted into the barrel along with a musket ball and
packing
ii. Powder is added to a small flashpan at the back of the rifle.
iii. A burning length of rope is attached the trigger mechanism
iv. Pulling the trigger sends the burning rope into the flashpan,
igniting the powder in the barrel to fire the ball
b. Loading a musket in-game
i. Muskets can be readied ​immediately​ before battle, but not much in
advance. The apparatus involves dry powder and burning rope- it
wouldn’t be safe or practical to carry it around at the ready
ii. Loading a musket in battle
1. A player must roll a combined sum of over 15, adding
musket skill to the roll. At 1, the shot will be loaded and
ready to fire. This may take 1 turn, it may take 2 or even 3.
2. Once loaded, player again rolls again to fire. This is a
simple fifty-fifty roll. Since there is no conceivable way to
protect against a musket roll, EDL is irrelevant.
a. Player must roll a 1-10 to succeed. 11-20 is a miss.
b. Muskets were incredibly inaccurate weapons, and
this 50/50 chance reflects that
3. A critical success allows a load and shot in one turn.

Language
1. Colonial Maryland would have had several active languages at any given time,
and the game wants to convey the difficulty that would have presented.
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a. Characters who do not share a natural language, and have not developed
language skill cannot speak to each other.
b. Players must apply their language skills points to individual languages on
the Character Sheet
c. Language skills are developed by awarding it points. Diplomacy skill is
negatively impacted by the non-fluent deficit.
i. Fluency begins at 5
ii. If a player has a 3 in language, but a 6 in diplomacy, diplomacy is
Diplomacy - 2 * ( 5(fluency) - 3 (actual skill) ) = 2
2. Concessions will occasionally need to be made. Use good judgement.

Labor
1. Labor is the skill that allows players to do hard work
2. Money can be earned from hard work
3. Gutting, cleaning, and repairs all require labor skills. Farming of any kind requires
labor skills. Building requires labor.
a. Late game campaign requires building. A party with no labor skills will
have a poor fort that cant be defended well
b. High skills produce higher yield. Ie, a 3 in Labor can gut and clean meat,
but it won’t be enough for the whole party and it won’t last the whole day.

Geography
1. This is a players knowledge of the land and the people in it
2. The GM can point out new areas on the map for each new Geography point.
3. Rolling a d20 at the beginning of battle (unless ambushed) can allow a terrain
advantage.
a. The roll must beat the EDL.
b. It will give a permanent +1 to all rolls for this Player.

Mercantilism
1. This is how well a PC can negotiate for a good price.
2. Roll a d20 against the NPC’s Defense Level, adding skill
a. A success earns a 5% change in the price in the player’s favor
b. Two mercantile attempt failures result in the merchant refusing to do
business
3. Item values are found in the sheet ​“Item values”
a. Vendors can charge whatever they like, and it may depend on their
religion, race, and relationship to the PCs what they decide to charge.
b. This is ultimately up to the GM
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Literacy
1. Can you read? Reading was an uncommon skill in these times, and usually only
clergy and gentlemen could read. In the game, reading is used to interpret notes,
maps, and directions.
2. Some notes may only be available in Latin. Players cannot read this without
relevant language skills.

Using Soft Skills

1. Soft skills are any skills non-combat-related
2. Soft skills are checked against EDL with a 1d20 + skill
a. ie​, A diplomacy check will have the player roll 1d20 and add his or her
diplomacy skill
b. Soft skills can be used at any time, but players should be punished for
over-use.
i. If a player wants to perception check before a battle, the DM
should punish a failure with an enemy attack
ii. If a player fails a diplomacy check, the DM could punish the player
with combat
iii. etc
3. Soft skills should be a viable alternative to combat in ​all cases.

Other Gameplay Mechanics

Leveling Up
1. Players can level up every 100 experience points.
2. Leveling up can be done by changing your level on the character sheet.
3. One new power becomes available every third level.

Fatigue
1. Fatigue begins to set in after any combat. Fatigue causes a -1 to all stats.
2. If player engages in combat while fatigued, or does not sleep in a bed, the PC will
become Exhausted.
3. Exhausted causes a -3 to all stats.
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Hunger
1. Players should eat twice per in-game day.
2. Failure to eat causes a -1 per skipped meal.
a. Food can be bought in towns, fished, or hunted.
b. Nature skills are required for successful hunting and fishing

Repairs
1. Critical fails can often cause equipment to break. If this happens, players will
need to pay or do the repairs themselves.
a. Weapons can break in two ways: Worn out or broken
i. Worn out causes a -1 to all weapon damage
ii. Broken causes a -5 to all dice rolls
2. Repairing simple equipment requires Labor skill of 5 (fishing poles, tools, etc)
3. Repairing complex equipment (muskets, swords) requires a skill of 10 or above.
4. For the sake of gameplay, repairs are instantaneous.

Keeping Things Fair

Managing Difficulty
1. The ​enemy sheet in the Google Sheets ​document has enemy stats for you to
use, however you may want to adjust them
a. Experience earned is affected by the character level. Going to the
character sheet and changing the character level will adjust how much
experience should be earned by each enemy.
b. If enemies are too difficult or too easy, just change their listed EDL.
2. Combat can be brutal. If your players are dying too easily, adjust EDL

Managing Needs
1. If hunger and fatigue mechanics are wearing your players out, just drop them.
This is a game. I just wrote it the way I want to play it!
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Locations vs Historical Accuracy

1. He conflict at the center of this game caused a lot of lost records, and as such
there’s a lot of guess work about what towns go where, who lived there, and what
they looked like
2. Just know a few key things about lower-mid-Atlantic colonial architecture:
a. Everything was made of wood, stone was the exception
b. Manor houses were the castles of the New World
c. Laborers and townsfolk lived in medium-sized cottages, usually with a
fireplace and an upstairs loft for sleeping
d. Tobacco and corn were the main crops of Maryland
e. Most settlements would have had fewer than 100 people. A few, like Saint
Mary’s City, would have had about 500.
f. The Natives of this region used long houses- stick frames covered in
overlapping sheets of bark
g.