Shamblington

Once Upon A Time In Shamblington is a medium-light set of rules, a set of six fully-realized characters, and a fairly hefty set of useful material for the Guide (GM). The rules are a standalone variant of those used in the Quest RPG, focused on table conversations and perfomances and low on maths. The campaign starter gives unique problems in the world related to each character, locations tied to these, and encounters for each, all interconnected to form the basis on which a grand story can hardly help but be told.

That story begins like this...

ONCE UPON A TIME, the village of Shamblington stood, up a long river and no road at all from any king, surrounded by a fell and forbidding forest, rarely visited by outsiders.

Long was its history; the forest had been a place of true terror and death once, then pacified, but it seemed as if the terrors might be returning. And there were three who knew more of those matters than any other. These three were heroes, the mighty of Shamblington. For one, Shamblington was ruled by the Baron Arman. And for another, it was protected by the sword of Dame Ennia. And third, the wards all around it were crafted and maintained by the magus, Xia.

These three heroes saw some chance to prevent the wood from darkening again. So they drew up their powers and weapons, and went forth last month, promising a quick sortie of only a few days.

They have not returned.

Ruen, the brother of Baron Arman, has claimed the baronial seat, ignoring the claim of Arman's heir Urte. Xia left much unfinished. An apprentice named Rha, left without clear instructions, waits in the House of Lights, the strange home of the mystic. Dame Ennia's squire Marta and her sibling Falda wait, too, at the watchtower, hearing a cry of travellers coming out from the woods. Those coming out from the woods are Minsk and Basch, two former captives to magic there, loosed by events deeper in the forest beginning to raise their pace.

....And where the story goes from there is discovered in play, supported by all the materials included.