Adapting Al Qadim's Golden Voyages to Mystara
by Giampaolo Agosta I'm running an episodic campaign based in Ylaruam, using a lot of Al Qadim stuff to supplement the GAZ. I'm also using the Arabian Adventures rules for AD&D 2e (highly recommended for the excellent use of kits, BTW). The episodic nature means that players (and therefore the party composition) changes frequently.I've used a few city-based adventures and a couple of dungeon crawls, included OD&D short adventure Jade Hare. However, I'm now in the process of sending the PCs to travel the seas of Mystara in a quest for the mysterious "Great Treasure" to please the Emir of Nicostenia (following the Golden Voyages campaign).
I now need to adapt Zakhara's Crowded Sea islands to Mystara (mostly the Sea of Dread, of course). This has the added benefit of producing a campaign that is similar to tv shows such as Star Trek, where every week the ship reaches a new location, and an exploration party is assembled -- in our case with the PCs of the available players plus the necessary "red jerseys" (sailors who die at the hands of assorted natives, monsters and the like).
I've got the following archipelagos to work with, which I need to fit into Mystara (my idea is to reuse the adventures and NPCs, but not the maps, except maybe for individual islands):
Jazayir al-Sartan (Islands of the Crab): semi-tropical (palms, shrubs, monsoon-based seasons), inhabited by black-skinned humans (Tanagoro, most likely), Ogres (in the original, also Ogre Magi and Ogrima half-breeds, but here Ogre Magi would be just Ogre spellcasters or maybe N'djatwa), and another tribe (halflings in the original, I'd rather use Rakasta or Gnomes, depending on the actual location). There should be a small Alasiyan settlement. I'm thinking of using one or more of the Thanegioth islands here (say those between the Isle of Dread and "Alvar" on this map).
Nada al-Hazan (Straits of Sorrow): smaller, wind-swept islands of subtropical climate. A large village with a port, held by Alasiyans who pay lip service to the central government, but actually harbor pirates and rogues (to some extent). Also, a small island difficult to reach due to a permanent, malignant maelstrom. I'm thinking of spreading these islands between the Isle of Dawn (Alasiyan port) and the area near Teki-Nura-Ria and the Eastern Key (maelstrom island).
The Djinni's Claw: tropical jungle, inhabited by Genies and Ghouls (different islands). This is another case of an archipelago than can be safely spread over several different island groups in Mystara. These could also be some smaller islands of the Thanegioth archipelago.
The Steaming Isles: jungle-covered islands inhabited by talking animals and a small community of humans (transported there by Al Kalim, in this version of the story). These could be the remote Isles of Steam (south-east of Oceania).
What do you think?
I'm also planning to use the Isle of Dread, the War Rafts of Kron, and Voyage of the Princess Ark to add more adventures.