Famine, Ash, and Steel

Famine, Ash, and Steel is a solo-oriented, OSR-style setting and ruleset that includes: Oracles and spark tables for solo playCharacter backgrounds and a simple life path systemProcedures for overland travel and hexcrawlingProcedures for city and dungeon crawlingEncounters and points of interest that reveal the setting of Famine, Ash, and SteelProcedures to generate the hex map of Gutia at the start of playRules for factions turns as they vie for control of Gutia This project is the result of the Gygax 75 challenge getting out of hand! Inspiration for the setting include the withdrawal of the Roman Empire from Britain, the Volcanic Winter of 536, and a shrinking world as described in Appendix C of The Effects of Nuclear War. Art by Albert Robida (thanks to /u/zoetrope366's excellent public domain art collection), John E. Thwaites, Uptight Cultist, and a few unknown artists. Winter has come earlier than expected to the fertile valley of Gutia, a region bounded by great mountains to the north, a steppe-plateau known as the Wild Fields to the south and east, and an ocean to the west. The light has dimmed, temperatures have dropped, and a Yellow Ash falls down. New cults have risen as the priests of the Old Gods struggle to explain these events. The summer crop has failed and a long winter is ahead. The world feels like it is dying. Drought and famine are not limited to Gutia, and upheaval has spread across the once-great Empire that subjugated Gutia. The Empire is re treating, taking their Legion, their officials and merchants, their priests, and most importantly, their strong ties to the broader world. Because of the immediate power vacuum left by the retreating empire, Gutian Princes are vying for power. Hastily-abandoned and once-proud Imperial temples and villas litter the landscape and are fought over by roving warbands. The land is burning. Driven by drought, the horse people of the Wild Fields have begun encroaching into the region, turning what little fertile farmland that still exists into grazing pasture. The once-profitable sea trade has plummeted and reports of pirates are becoming common from the few who do brave the sea. Incursions into the Gutian valley by Those Across the Mountains have increased, and rumors from the foothills suggest they are fleeing their homelands. People are on the move. Will you plunder the abandoned temples, delve deep into the ancient Barrows, or establish yourself as a warlord? Defend against outside incursion or throw your lot in with outsiders? Play at politics and intrigue in the city? Or will you seek simply to survive? How will you make your way in this changing world?