Serenity Falls

The Personal Touch

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No two lives are the same. Each of us enter the One Land as a newborn clinging to hope, desperate to survive the hardships that will make us an individual with our own stories to tell. These cities, streets, and landscapes are no different. They began as nothing more than dust and have grown into one of any number of personal discoveries.

Since HPS was published (even during the launch of HPS Legends, now that I think about it), people have asked me one question in particular. “Are you planning to release any setting supplements?” The quick answer is no. The long answer relates to something I wanted to share with you as the next installment of the Rules of Enlightenment: making it your world.

While my early days of roleplaying started out with the AD&D campaigns of Dark Sun, Planescape, Ravenloft, and the magnificent world of Barsaive in Earthdawn, I’ve never been one for concrete settings. Sure, the maps and richness of these worlds were great with hordes of adventure hooks at your disposal, but there was always one major issue I’ve had with pre-existing settings. Aside from a few campaigns here or there, most players don’t know a damned thing about the world they’re playing in. Yet they’re playing characters who were born there. There’s always been a disconnect there I could never shake.

It feels felt like a hard break from the fiction we take so much time and energy to establish. And don’t even get me started on homebrew settings or historical campaigns. (Sorry, Fraser.) As the years went on and my memory became less reliable than ever, retaining all the details of a fictional world felt a bit overwhelming. Even reading fantasy novels left me wondering if I missed something crucial, hence why I find it hard to read series like A Song of Fire and Ice (also known as Game of Thrones) and The Lord of the Rings. It wasn’t until I read Joe Abercrombie’s The Blade Itself that I began to discover the possibility of what I call “veiled settings,” ones where the particulars are not important. You just need to know you’re in a port city where a lot of nobility live and it’s the central seat of power for the kingdom. Done! Everything else is revealed on a need-to-know basis.

For roleplaying games (and story games in particular), veiled settings are an open invitation for everyone at the table to establish facts about the world. With HPS, it didn’t feel right to get too specific on the One Land because I wanted to leave plenty of room for each group to adapt the world to suit their needs and desires. They just need to know enough that keeps everything cohesive and connected, to give everyone a baseline of possible storylines and major characters to launch their game. The rest is filler material for everyone to create as they need it. Remember, one of the major guidelines of HPS is “don’t ask, tell.” Writers shouldn’t be asking the Director if something exists in Yung Zhi, they should be creating something that would exist in Yung Zhi. Their version of Yung Zhi.

This is why there will never be any setting supplements for HPS. Ever. That’s not what this game is about. It’s about creating a multitude of alternate realities focused on this one place floating in the cosmos. Even the way in which I wrote the core rulebook demonstrates this: the monks of Heaven’s Peak are looking for creative and noble people to showcase what they would do to save the One Land. All we’ve done is provide you with the foundation for all games of HPS to share; the rest is up to you!

Create Within Your Comfort Zone

So just how much setting detail is too much? It’s an incredibly subjective question and one I pondered about for a long time during the development of HPS. So much so that I seriously considered working on another version of HPS designed for D&D‘s 5th edition, one that was chock full of all the specific setting detail you could want (or far more than you really needed, depending on your personal needs for a setting guide). But here’s the thing that would happen by changing the setting depth of HPS; it will also change how the game is played. How could you play a game where you can conceive of whatever you can imagine while you’re limited by the immense scope of a highly detailed setting? It’s possible, don’t get me wrong, but changing how the setting worked in the game meant a drastic change in the game itself. If the One Land is a fundamental part of High Plains Samurai, how players approach and interact with it is now a mechanical aspect of the game.

When it comes down to it, creating roleplaying games is a tightrope walk across a very wide chasm of options. There are so many personal choices in play styles, genres, and more that no one product can meet all those needs, so you have to make a choice on how you want your game to go. It was also a personal choice as a designer to create something for the Director to create as much as Writers during play and not in prep. In other words, I wanted Directors to have as much creative control as the Writers and that meant leaving the setting loose and interpretive.

So where is the line? To help demonstrate my point, I posted a very skewed Twitter poll on just how much detail GMs want in their settings. By skewed, I mean it’s only involving my personal Twitter followers garnered as a result of the games I make, including HPS. Here are the results.

A Twitter poll with 11 votes asking, "How much setting detail do you like in RPGs with a built-in setting?". 37% favour "Just enough to hook me." 36% favour "Shh, I got this." And 27% favour "Tell me everything!"

While the overall results point to an overwhelming desire for a veiled setting, even the winning result is divided evenly between using nothing more than a concept and the version that exists for HPS.

Tips For Making The One Land Yours

How I play HPS and present the One Land will be different from how any of you will do it. Even then, I’ve directed dozens of different versions of the One Land. Some of them blending the One Land with the ruins of our own world, others that stray completely away from humans and embrace a full fantasy vibe with characters who are half-animal. In that time, I’ve picked up a few tricks to help my Writers experience a unique version of the setting beyond the format we established in our Session Zero.

Architecture: What does a brothel in Yung Zhi look like? Or Serenity Falls? What passes for buildings in Rust? A City’s architecture speaks a lot about its foundation, history, and the people who call it home. What does it look like when you walk down a street in Monsoon? Even the nomadic clans of Khar’tep can have their own architectural touches in their tents, wagons, and other domiciles.

Fighting Styles: In a combat-heavy place like the One Land, how people fight speaks a lot about their cultural influences. Whether or not you decide to use real world fighting styles, develop new ones from scratch, or simply play it by ear and use stuff that looked cool in that last action movie you saw, how characters fight speaks to the world itself. From fighting dirty to fighting with honour, use your combat scenes to demonstrate what it means to be a survivor of Chaos’ Wrath.

Hardships: Are the people starving most of the time? How scarce is water and what are people doing to overcome this serious obstacle? Is everyone lean and hungry or is it possible for some with the means to indulge their culinary desires? The depth of hardships brought on by Chaos’ Wrath will not only provide a personalized scope of horror to your game but it will give Writers a baseline from which they can establish how their characters will interact with the setting.

Starting Point: Which of the six key locations in HPS speaks to your group the most? Of these six, which feels like it will have the heaviest influence on the goals, motivations, approaches, and outcomes you place into this game as a Director? Start your story there. If you and your Writers can totally dig into the western themes of HPS, start in Serenity Falls. If you like the steampunk struggles of Rust, let your first story begin there. Launching a game by embracing your strongest connection to the many options in HPS is always a great way to get the ball rolling and will help set the tone for the others that may not speak to you as much.

Personal Influences: Finally, and most important, is what makes you, the Director, excited. What drives you and inspires your creativity? Remember, the Director is as much a creator in this game as the Writers and you have as much to add to your version of High Plains Samurai as anyone else. Don’t know the exact history, duties, and fine points of Japanese samurai? Then don’t worry about it. Show us what makes them cool to you while remaining respectful of the original influences that made it so cool in the first place.

Wardrobe: How do the people of Serenity Falls dress? As much as this is an aesthetic question, it’s also a functional question. You’ll notice there’s no mention in the HPS core rulebook how the people of Serenity Falls cope with the unending sandstorm or how the Watchdogs are able to keep watch in such blinding conditions. The way people dress reveals a lot about their history and their culture. Use their attire to unmask secrets of how the One Land operates. Do the people of Serenity Falls wear ceremonial masks to protect themselves from the choking sand or do they simply wrap a scarf over their mouths with sunglasses? What do the warriors of Monsoon wear to protect themselves from the countless number of poisonous plants surrounding their homeland? Are the barbarian clans of Khar’tep known to wear furs or wools to keep warm atop the Great Mother?

Spitfire

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When your qi power is luck itself, why not tempt fate daily and become a professional gunfighter?

by Ali May Sang (the Librarian)

In a world of infamy and reputation, there are few celebrities in the truest definition of the word. Then there’s Spitfire, a deceptive young woman who looks like she barely holds her wide-brimmed hat on her delicate head. Yet she is responsible for the traditional dueling deaths of almost three-dozen impressive qi warriors. I first met Spitfire upon my arrival in Serenity Falls for the Tournament of Champions last autumn. She easily defeated the notorious Sha Turin to claim top prize. Since then, some elite gamblers that make Grandfather so much money (seeing as he receives a cut of all the action) have made calls to ban her from next year’s tournament. Presumed sexism aside, there is a basis for her potential banishment.

Her qi power appears to be damn good fortune.

For those who have yet to read the full account of Sha’s defeat by this unexpected underdog, Spitfire came out with both pistols blazing, watching as they bounced off Sha’s rock-like skin. Just when it seemed the young contender had met her match in Sha, her gloating opponent made the mistake of dissolving his rock skin before taking the final shot that would kill Spitfire… only to have his weapon backfire and propel a chunk of his firing pin through his eye and into his brain, killing him instantly. Research into the current champion reveals several accounts of similar turns of fate that spared Spitfire’s life or ended her opponents’.

A native of Monsoon, this spunky qi warrior makes Serenity Falls her home now, living as a long-term guest of Grandfather in his sprawling estate. Rumours insist she is being primed to become one of the Watchdogs’ elite enforcers. For now, she is content to be The Girl Who Got Lucky, waiting for her chance to defend her controversial title of Tournament Champion.

Spitfire

Supporting Character
Regardless of the danger she faces, Spitfire doesn’t have a care in the world and carries on with the youthful exuberance of someone who has never been concerned about a problem in her life.

Homeland: Monsoon (now Serenity Falls)
Qi Power: Luck
Unique Features: Standing at an inch below five feet tall, she wears the duster and wide-brimmed hat getup of fellow gunfighters, a single six-shooter, Silverback, at her hip. She insists this was her father’s duelling weapon of choice until his death when she was a child.

Pulls Off the Impossible d6/3/2
Charming Innocence d6/3/2

Resource Slots: Qi power (+1 steps), Silverback (+1 steps or +2 damage)
Vitality: 10

Khar of the Hawk Clan

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The mysterious and reclusive clans of the Great Mothers lead a harsh life and it takes a harsh warlord to not only rule over them but prepare them for a war with the rest of the One Land.

by Ali May Sang (the Librarian)
featuring passages from the High Plains Samurai Core Rulebook

To the rest of the One Land, the mountains of Khar’tep are the end of the world. Stories tell of savage wildlands consumed by the anarchy of Chaos’ Wrath in a way we have never experienced, while some believe there are new lands and settlements waiting to be discovered. Only those who have climbed to the highest peak of the Great Mother, the gargantuan mountain range that protects the scattered clans now under the rule of Khar of the Hawk Clan, know for sure. Few not loyal to the barbaric warlord would survive the trek to the bottom, let alone the march to the top. The clans view the mountains as a religious testament to the Elemental Spirits and dare not risk non-believers contaminating it with their apathy and blasphemy.

Perhaps one of the youngest warlords in modern times (though few count the rulership of Jacob Tom III, who was only 33 when he killed his mother to gain control of Serenity Falls and suddenly poisoned by his teenage son only two days later), Khar rose to power as the Hawk Clan’s guardian before challenging his predecessor, Roth of the Goat Clan, to a duel that lead to Roth’s fall from the mountain. Having taken the sacred vows of his clan’s guardianship, Khar literally has the eyes of a bird of prey and proudly projects his qi power – fiery wings – at a moment’s notice. A fierce combatant and shrewd leader, this young warrior-turned-leader has begun to make aggressive expansions without being fully aware of the consequences and reactions that await. There are many who believe Khar’s sole purpose in life was to become the avatar of the children who live on the mountain.

Leading a people renowned for their ability to take care of themselves against all odds, Khar has time and ambition to expand his people’s reach elsewhere. Since his victory over Roth only months ago, Khar initiated an aggressive expansion in the lowlands, with raiding parties marching into the borders of Yung Zhi and ambushing refugees and Outcast camps. Claiming weapons, technology, food, and livestock is the primary goal of these raids, Khar believes the Great Mother will soon be unable to fend off Chaos’ energies unless her people find a new way to provide. To this young avatar, the answer lies in the lands of the other warlords. To keep their way of life secret from outsiders, these raiding parties consist of warriors and hunters from all clans working as one. This has not been seen since before Chaos’ Wrath.

For now, the other warlords dismiss these barbarian raids and the might of their new warlord as nothing more than the wind changing direction. Their focus is with the water that surely exists within the frigid peaks of the Great Mother…

Grandfather

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Few warlords since Chaos’ Wrath have grasped onto power with such ferocity as Grandfather, a frail and untapped man who should never be underestimated.

by Ali May Sang (the Librarian)
featuring passages from the High Plains Samurai Core Rulebook

The Tom family has ruled Serenity Falls for generations, going back to that bygone era when it was a port city overlooking a sprawling ocean. Known simply as Grandfather, the warlord Asoko Tom is a deviant among despots. In an almost desperate bid to cling to what made this City what it was during its seafaring days, he has driven his people into poverty and slavery with an intensity that would put the General of Monsoon to shame.

Closer to the Wastes than any other City, Serenity Falls now the epitome of corruption. While the depraved and wicked come to his City wanted by other warlords, Grandfather tolerates their ways until they threaten either of the pair he truly cherishes: his money or his children. For you see, Grandfather did not receive his moniker because of his advanced age but because all children born in his City are brought to live within his extravagant mansion. All of the children are tended to and cared for by his servants and Grandfather sees to each child’s needs as any loving parent would and provides an upbringing unlike anything their natural parents could offer. As soon as they are old enough to work in the mines underneath his estate and if they have not demonstrated any qi powers that would make them useful to his cause, they are suddenly and tearfully escorted to their new life of indentured hardship in the Pits.

Grandfather rules Serenity Falls with an iron fist thanks to his keen-eyed enforcers, the Watchdogs. Recognized by their black dusters, the Watchdogs patrol Serenity Falls’ streets to make sure any violence does not get out of hand. They are not there to prevent it or protect its citizens, simply to keep the bloodshed from interfering with Grandfather’s steep taxes. Shooting up a business is tolerated; blowing it up is not. Anyone caught committing a crime in Serenity Falls can serve their time as a Watchdog for a set period or until Grandfather deems otherwise. There is no record of any Watchdog’s service reaching a happy conclusion.

There is commerce on the streets of Serenity Falls as those who are no longer able to work the mines “retire” to the surface and operate any of the numerous saloons, brothels, stables, and other businesses owned by Grandfather. It is why visitors to this City will only encounter the native frail and elderly residents, a sight that only adds to the depravity of this once majestic jewel in the One Land’s crown

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The Sunken Lighthouse

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Finding a decent place to kill your enemies without suffering from the blinding conditions of Serenity Falls’ sandstorm used to be a problem… until now.

by Ali May Sang (the Librarian)

Duelling can be impossible in the constant sandstorm that engulfs Serenity Falls on a daily basis. One would assume this would help curb the violence the plagues the City and bring some semblance of order to Grandfather’s domain but that is not the case. Not by a long shot. Luckily (depending on your point of view), some curious explorers have found the perfect spot for death and justice to make a deal.

About a two-hour ride southwest of the City as you ride along the jagged cliffs of the Lost Ocean, there is a marker. A hollowed metal pole with several flags (some blown off by the sandstorm’s ferocity) and holes crafted at various points emit a specific tone alerting blinded combatants looking for the Sunken Lighthouse. The marker reveals a section of the cliffs that broke off from the mainland and sank into the ocean that is no longer there. With some cautious climbing, it is possible to make it down to the bottom and stand on the parched ocean floor.

The battered lighthouse that once stood at the top of the cliffs warning approaching ships of the dangers ahead now rests on a precarious angle, its beacon slowly turning its soft and broken light for eternity, the creak of its metal parts echoing off the rock walls and into the void that stretches out as far as the eye can see. The terrain is littered with debris, chunks of rocks, and perfectly preserved bodies out in the open and tucked out of sight. Decay does not exist at the bottom of the Lost Ocean, it seems. But that is not what makes this location prime for dueling. There is no wind here. The sandstorm literally ends at the top of the cliffs and blows itself back into the mainland. Down here, the parching sun or cooling moon provides complete illumination and a clear shot for two or more warriors to dispense whatever form of justice they feel suits the crime.

If this place feels out of sorts and far too convenient for the One Land, you would be correct. There is a curse afflicting the Sunken Lighthouse and those who dispense death on its ground: those who kill another here are haunted by the ghost of their victims. It does not matter the reason, not even self-defence. Kill another person here and their spectre will follow you until your life ends. Ask someone who has been stalked by their victim for a year as they are about blow the back of their head off with their own gun and they will tell you it is better to fight in the City.

New Hindrance: Haunted by Ghosts

Any lead character who takes a life at the Sunken Lighthouse will gain a bonus hindrance that is not connected to a motivation or connection. This hindrance will represent the ghost of their victim(s) haunting them for the rest of their days and will never be removed unless the players can develop a story that revolves around making amends that will allow the ghost(s) to rest. Otherwise, this hindrance is permanent and functions exactly like all other hindrances.

Port Royale

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One of many way stations positioned along the Salvation’s many routes, this one serves as a trading post for Outcasts, bandits, and businesses within Serenity Falls.

by Ali May Sang (the Librarian)

Every dusty rock has the potential for a shining jewel waiting inside. My jewel, the one that brings me hope despite the harshness of the Wastes, is a small way station positioned along the Salvation’s most common route. Founded by Horatio Small nearly twenty years ago, this well-constructed two-storey building made of wood, stone, and steel reinforcements has become known as Port Royale, named after the old harbour in Serenity Falls before the ocean ran dry.

Now operated by Horatio’s three daughters – Charm, Grace, and Divine – the station connects travellers with numerous freelance operators connecting with the Caravan, commonly known as wagons. Port Royale is recognized as neutral territory between the Outcasts of the Wastes and anyone else who comes here to do business, leading to a small but comfortable trading post. Small shops and stalls exist around the station for those looking for maps, relics, and supplies needed to survive any place a traveler may find themselves. An assortment of representatives from the various wagons operating within the area are called ticket masters; it is they you must speak to if you wish to catch a ride alongside the Salvation.

In exchange for this neutral ground, Port Royale is protected by several Outcast warriors at all times. Their loyalty to the Small sisters and the opportunities provided by the station give them cause to ensure nothing happens without their best warriors protecting it. Using discarded and refurbished weaponry from the Caravan (who comes here at times to refuel and repair their vehicles), security is maintained by an Outcast who answers only to the name Gnash, a towering qi warrior whose ability to meld with the stone and become an immovable object makes him a fitting commander of Port Royale’s lasting presence on the outskirts of the Wastes.

Gnash

Supporting Character
Life in the Wastes is a constant struggle to survive, let alone doing so without getting your hands bloody. Gnash is a firm believer in the big picture and sees the opportunities provided at Port Royale as the means for his people to become useful members of society. For that, he would give his life to defend this way station.

Homeland: The Wastes
Qi Power: Merge with stone
Unique Features: Standing over eight feet tall without a single hair on his body, Gnash’s muscles appear chiseled and sparkled with grains of sand embedded into his skin. His movements are slow and methodical but incredibly effective.

Unstoppable (d8/5/3)
Protector of His Community (d6/3/2)

A Kind And Gentle Soul (Motivation): Gnash seeks a peaceful life, one rarely possible as an Outcast. Whenever he is able to confront a situation and protect Port Royale and its residents without resorting to violence, he gains +1 Vitality.
Fits of Rage (Hindrance): If Gnash fails to block or counter a complication roll targeting someone or something under his protection, he can enter a state of rage to target the character who harmed his ward. When this happens, he takes a -1 step penalty against any other character in the scene until his target is removed from the scene.

Resource Slots: Merge with stone (qi power; +1 steps or +2 damage)
Vitality: 10
Predicting Chaos: Spending years in the swirling insanity of the Wastes teaches you a thing of two about predicting what’s to come, even if you only have a few minutes to prepare. By spending 1 challenge, Gnash can rewrite another player’s description or outcome while in the Wastes (including Port Royale) and provide a revised threat created by the landscape itself. For example, if a Writer describes a leviathan approaching, you can spend 1 challenge and change it to a sandstorm.

Serenity Falls, City of Despair

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An ocean view put Serenity Falls on the map and the anger of a god took it away.

from High Plains Samurai: Legends

What was once a bustling City of furs and mining is now no more than a rusted trophy commemorating a long forgotten past. Ruled by the Tom family since before dark days fell on us all, the City’s resources were scant able to keep up with the eventual demand from a growing population seeking a promising life in the southeast border of the One Land. It now exists as a wind-blown shell embraced by thieves, murderers, and the foulest of personalities. They seek a place to rest their heads and feed their urges without the bother of settling down or leaving a mark as to their arrival and departure. Closer to the Wastes than any other City, it is now the epitome of corruption.

Today it is ruled by Asoko Tom but you may probably know him more as Grandfather, the greedy protector of Serenity Falls. While the depraved and wicked come to his City wanted by other warlords, Grandfather tolerates their ways until they threaten either of the pair he truly cherishes: his money or his children. Those who forget this rule face a dedicated legion of trained marksmen that have become the signature of the City, standing on rooftops with hawks’ gazes on everything that goes on in the City. Anyone not killed by his Watchdogs face Grandfather’s judgment: take your own life or suffer a life as a slave in the mines concealed behind the empowering fortress that is his home. His people pay heavy taxes to gain this harsh protection, as they have for generations. Grandfather is a staunch believer in the old ways and his quest to bring back the past has lead his City to ruin.

Standing at his side since her tenth year is Kiki, his adopted daughter and bodyguard. Raised in view of tortures, beatings, and murders, this graceful girl has grown to become a crazed killer when unleashed. Armed with her legendary Crescent Whip and her terrifying efficiency in dealing death, Kiki – and her ambitions – may have reason to fear for her life as there are stirrings in Hunan of uncertainty within the Tom household.