Mix and Match 2021 (66 Combos)

[Christopher R. Rice]

Ahh, St. Germain. The gift that keeps giving to GMs.

[Prince Charon]

Originally Posted by Christopher R. Rice

Ahh, St. Germain. The gift that keeps giving to GMs.

If GURPS did books centred on specific people, he's one of the ones who could get his own book, or perhaps even more than one.

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by Prince Charon

If GURPS did books centred on specific people, he's one of the ones who could get his own book, or perhaps even more than one.

I could write at least 5,000 words on him personally.

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by Kromm

For the conspiracy-minded, the easiest combos involve Renaissance Venice: Spies of Venice, The Green Madonna, and Action Adventure 1: Templar's Gold. Those are #23, #30, and #45.

This epic arc traces the Holy Grail and the Philosopher's Stone – regarded by some as one and the same – from parts east (the Holy Land or Byzantium), through the hands of spies involved in Venice's adventures during the first four Crusades (c. 1095-1202), across the Atlantic courtesy of Templar sympathies lurking in the Catholic church (usually placed at c. 1345-1400, in time to get found by nautical types or recovered by the Inquisition anytime after 1569, and certainly by the 1660s), and then back to France, probably thanks to that secret Templar, Comte de St. Germain (1710-1784)¹. Thus, the Templar gold is surely in part conquistador gold . . . or alchemically created, if you want Action 8: Twists on your adventure.

Tracing the alchemical secrets back to Egypt to bring in Infinite Worlds: The Osiris Worlds might be pushing it. Then again, that would be 100% consistent with some versions of the Philosopher's Stone; see also Cleopatra the Alchemist.

Likewise, claiming that American adventurers took the gold and all the secrets stored with it after the Great War could let you tack on Encounters: The Mysterious Airfield at the late end of the arc². I mean, there's something weird in there. You'll definitely want Action 8: Twists if you do that.

If the same investigators are moving across history like St. Germain, you're sure to need How to Be a GURPS GM: High-Powered Origins for the PCs.

—

1. Possibly with a stop at Oak Island, if the pirate moving the gold or the Grail (or for that matter the Ark of the Covenant) from the Caribbean to Europe was named Kidd (1655-1701), and working for the Masons (but really the Templars). Then again, it might have stopped at Oak Island on its way from Henry Sinclair's hiding spot in 1398 to the Caribbean, moved by Rosicrucians, if you prefer the theory that implicates Francis Bacon (1561-1626); Newton, of Green Madonna fame, was the second scientist to be knighted after Bacon . . . how convenient. Or all of the above.

2. That would explain the biplane from 27 years before Venus Field AFB opened³ now sitting in a dusty corner of the boneyard.

3. In 1946, that is. If you want a Boardroom and Curia: The Sospital Group tie-in, here it is. WWII vets founded the Group . . . and were all over Venus Field. The Group's surprising medical successes would be easier to explain with the Elixir of Life, whether you think that's the Grail or the Stone.

That's pretty good... I must not be conspiracy minded, because I didn't anticipate stringing those together at all. What shall we call it? "Globe-Trotting Treasure Hunt?"

If we want to try and fit everything we can into this one, we can add DF:Gates to get the time-traveling St. Germain from era to era, and once you have that the ring fort falls right into place. I'm not seeing a way to really bring Grissom, DF Twists, or the DF Adventures into it... but 9 out of 12 is pretty good.

I've added it to the index under its three main combinations.

Originally Posted by Christopher R. Rice

Ahh, St. Germain. The gift that keeps giving to GMs.

interesting... never heard of him before. Let me do some reading...

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by ericthered

interesting... never heard of him before. Let me do some reading...

He's an interesting figure. Can fit into most modern or historical fantasy campaigns.

[ericthered]

Combination 9a:Nexus Oversite
Action 8: Twists and Dungeon Fantasy 22: Gates
Infinity Unlimited is in the conveyor business: Dependable, technological transports that allow massive amounts of supplies and equipment to be transported in exactly the way Infinity Unlimited licenses it. The travel the quanta this way, and police the crime on the way, and fight a shadow war against the only other source of conveyors.

Underneath it all, there is a far older network, built of gates, portals, and other transfer points. And its growing. Perhaps its the conveyor use, but there are new portals apearing every day. The users of these portals don't know about the secret, and they usually don't care. Sometimes the other side of the portal is just another peaceful world like the one they came from. Other times, there are elves, werewolves, or power-mad dictators on the other side.

You are the representatives of Infinity. You patrol the back doors. You keep the secret safe. You keep the nasty stuff on the correct side of the portals. You are Nexus Oversite.


************************************
Nexus Oversight can easily slip into an urban fantasy or portal fantasy game. That's fine, if its what you want to play, but it can also be played as an action game, where magic and weirdness is what your foes use, and technology and grit is what the heroes use. To solidify this, magic shouldn't be transferable between worlds in most cases. Of course, when a gate appears on a normal world next to something threatening, the magic should work on the new world, at least until the gate is gotten under control.

Combination 9b: The Stargate Franchise
Action 8: Twists and Dungeon Fantasy 22: Gates
A team of action heroes with guns and C4 journey weekly through portals to fight against arrogant aliens posing as gods. Sometimes they loose their gear. Sometimes things get weird. Sometimes the physics of the gate matter. And sometimes they've got underlings to command.

Digging through osirus worlds book's egyptian timline for potential goa'uld characters and inspiration is optional.

[ericthered]

Combination 10: Techy Delvers
10) Action 8: Twists and Dungeon Fantasy 23: Twists
You weren't sure exactly what that glowing artifact did when you touched it, but now you're here, interviewing wizards, drinking with dwarves, and shooting down the occasional dragon. You've got a fairly limited supply of gear, but you use it cautiously, and it sets you apart from the competition. They need your help here, and with a touch of magic, things aren't so bad. And the things that's aren't so good, you can try to change. You're all working towards figuring out how to go home, but inside you wonder, how many of you will actually go back. (Or stay back. We all know you want to grab some batteries and a bazooka)


I'm... actually curious at how effective this party is. They've got an extra 20 to 25 points in high tech level, and a little more in wealth, and they'll probably use town a bit more than actual delvers. But how will they handle the actual challenges? Its the sort of thing that makes you want to run a one-shot to see.

[ericthered]

Combination 11: The Cure Peddler
11) Action 8: Twists and Action Adventure 1: Templar's Gold

The man seems harmless: a defector from the Baphomet, he claims. He speaks of a terrible curse laid on anyone who seeks the templar's treasure. They have invoked it, but luckily, he has old methods the Baphomet have used in their pursuit of hidden templar treasures. Having an intimate knowledge of the disease that felled the Black Eagle, the man seems willing to put up with whatever security percaution the treasure hunters ask for, and his methods seem like they should work...

But can they really trust him? Is he still working for Baphomet? Is he looking for a chance to kill them all and take the treasure for himself? And is all of this neccessary to lift the curse, or is some of it for his benefit.

The Baphomet is certainly still trying to get the little codex...

[ericthered]

Combination 12: A Relic comes to Hlifborg
12) Dungeon Fantasy Encounters 4: Ring Fort and The Green Madonna
In a recent raid on France, a holy relic was captured. A clever viking of "small stature", , has determined that he may be able to get a good price ransoming such a relic back to the owners who care for it so much. He has contacted one Aonghus, a Scott living among the Danes who has contacts with the Christians, who has made a deal with a Bishop far to the south, and is sending an envoy to make a deal. However, the French are determined to have their Relic back, and are hoping to recover it by means of force rather than by giving up yet more treasure. After a clever and mercenary young woman who goes by "Amelie" tracks down Aonghus, a small band makes their way to hlifborg, hoping to capture the relic by their wits or by their strength. But has Amelie come through, or will she betray them?

There a few different of ways to run the game further from here:
1) The PC's are at Hlifborg when trouble breaks out. Surely the leaders of the fort will appreciate their cleaning this matter up. And they could very well end up in possession of a valuable item.
2) The PC's are the band hired by the french to retrieve their relic. They will need to find their way safely into viking territory, negotiate entrance into the fort, and then figure out who has the Relic after Amelie has betrayed them. Hopefully before the envoy of the Southern Bishop is able to purchase the relic for himself, and hopefully without arousing the ire of the fort's owners!


I'm not sure if the French of this time will have any statues of the Madonna that would be considered holy relics.


Changing the time period of the adventure is interesting, because a lot of the same things are going on, but the historical perspective is different. It makes you feel for the spainish of the original adventure a bit more: you'll notice that I've suggested substituting Santiago out for the PC's!


Actually, you can probably replace any of the characters of the Green Madonna with the PC's and come at the adventure from a different angle.

[ericthered]

Combination 13: The Ghoul Seige
13) Dungeon Fantasy Encounters 4: Ring Fort and Infinite Worlds: The Osiris Worlds

The black pharoah wishes to expand north along the coast. Hoping to stop him are the defenders of Hlifborg. Stocked up with food and water, they force the pharoah to either make a long seige, or to leave a stubborn thorn in his back. The Ghoul armies can live off the land or go without food, but this makes the conquests less valuable and the troops harder to control. You will have to hold off the seige until the war is over, one way or another. Hilborg's walls are high and strong, it has an experienced force of defenders, and it has port access, which complicates trying to simply starve the defenders out. That doesn't mean the seige will be easy. The Ghouls will climb the walls, bring in battering rams, attack at night, build earthen ramps, and might even find a traitor to sell out the other defenders.