Sample file The Defeated Dead A Colonial Gothic Adventure Sample file By Bryce Whitacre www.rogue-games.net [email protected] • @Rogue_Games www.facebook.com/rogue.games Written by Bryce Whitacre (Dedication: To my dad, Kirby, whose passion for history shaped my life.) Editing by Tom Cadorette Proofreading by David Carol, Ronald Corn, Sean Misniak, Patty Scalise, B “don’t call me Beatrice” Swift & Henry Thompson Layout and pre-press by Richard Iorio II Art by Alonzo Chappel, William McAusland, Bradley K McDevitt, Jeff Preston Published by Rogue Games, Inc. 12° created by Richard Iorio II & James Maliszewski Visit the Rogue Games on the web: www.rogue-games.net A Rogue Games Publication The Defeated Dead The Deferated Dead all contents © 2016 by Rogue Games Inc. First Published in 2016. 245ASample 11th Street, Wheeling, file IL 60090 Rogue Games, Rogue Games logo, 12°, 12° logo, Colonial Gothic & Colonial Gothic logo are TM and © 2007-2016 by Rogue Games, Inc. 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Printed in the United States. This is a game where people make up stories about wonderful, terrible, impossible, glorious things. All the characters and events portrayed in this work are fictional. Any resemblance to real people, historical figures, unspeakable horrors, or cultists dedicated to ushering the Old Ones into our dimension is purely coincidental. You have to admit it is kinda hilarious. INTRODUCTION Historical Background s American Colonists moved west- ward to settle the new lands there, tensions between the Natives and Colonists reached an all-time high in the region of the “Old North- west,” part of which would eventually become the state of Ohio. In 1790, President Washington, respondingA to outbreaks of violence between settlers and Natives, orderedSample General file Josiah Harmar to lead an expedition against the Indians. With an armed force of 1,400, Harmar reached the Native villages of Kekionga, near present day Fort Wayne, Indiana. The Natives quickly and soundly routed the expedition. Washington, embarrassed by the poor showing of the American army, appointed a new general the following year, the territory’s Governor, Arthur St. Clair. Charged with subduing the Indian menace, St. Clair’s plan was to establish a series of forts, starting at Fort Washington and ending in northern Ohio. The Defeated Dead With only 300 professional soldiers, St. Clair’s army was composed mostly of homeless and desperate men coming from the large Eastern cities. Why did they join? Not for the money. The pay for a United States Army private in 1791 was $3 a month, not much for anyone to consider, even the poor. Instead, it was the free meals, clothing, and shelter that lured most of these unfortunates to army life. In addition to the lack of trained troops, the money raised for the expedition was not used properly. Poorly made boots, gunpowder kegs that had to be fished from rivers due to barge accidents, broken muskets, and uniforms of poor quality were provided to equip the expedition. St. Clair departed Fort Washington in 1791 with 1,200 men, 300 camp followers (prostitutes, wives, and children), and very few combat-ready troops. In fact, the only thing in St. Clair’s favor were 300 Kentucky Militia troops who decided to accompany the expedition. Suffering from mass desertions and poor supply lines, the entire expedition was in jeopardy from the start. As these issues grew more severe, St. Clair ordered his 300 professional soldiers to locate both the supplies and deserters. This de- cision would prove both costly and fatal. It was on a cold morning on November 4, 1791, when the expedition met its greatest Historical Note defeat. With the trained professional sol- This war has no definitive name. diers away, the poor, desperate, inadequately It’s been referred to as The North- equipped, untrained, tired, and hungry men west Indian War, Little Turtle’s stood against the resolute Native alliance. At War, President Washington’s dawn, the Indians surprised and routed the Indian War, and The Ohio Indian Kentucky Militia encamped just 300 yards Wars. For the sake of Colonial Gothic timeline, we will refer to in front of the army and then surrounded St. it as the Ohio Indian War. Clair’s main force with ease. Sample file Led by Little Turtle of the Miami, Blue Jacket of the Shawnee, and Buckongahelas of the Delaware, the Native alliance utterly destroyed St. Clair’s army in three quick hours. Over 600 hundred soldiers were killed, with 250 left wounded. Compounding this were the deaths of an additional 250 camp followers. The Natives suffered extremely low casualties, with fewer than 60 slain or wounded. The Battle of the Wabash, known to many as St. Clair’s Defeat, stands as one of the worst defeats of any American armed force in action against the Natives. Gamemaster Background President Washington, after suffering two military disasters, still faces Native troubles. Making matters worse, the British are building forts on American soil, using them as bases to stir up Native unrest. Recently, construction of Fort Miamis, located in northern Ohio, was completed. Despite the American Revolution being officially over, the British continue to have a large military presence in the Northwest Territory, and the Americans do not have the military might to evict them. It is 1793, Washington has turned to an old friend to aid him, appointing An- M 4 N Historical Background thony Wayne to command the Army. Wayne’s first order of business is to convert the army into a legion modeled after the ancient Roman military machine. At Legionville, Wayne has spent the past year drilling the troops, converting them from raw recruits into an elite fighting force. He has ordered the construction of Fort Greenville in order to house the entire military force under his direct command. Three months ago he moved his forces from Legionville to Fort Greenville to prepare for the invasion into hostile Indian lands. Upon arriving at Fort Greenville, Wayne ordered a fort, to be known as Recovery, to be built on the battlefield of St. Clair’s Defeat. But at the construction site of Fort Recovery, strange events are plaguing the builders. Workers unexpectedly fall off ladders, water wells suddenly dry up, random fires break out, and many more unfortunate accidents have brought the construction of the fort to a standstill. Wayne, continuing troop training and invasion preparations, has little time to oversee a construction project, so he has asked President Washington for help. Washington calls for the Heroes for their help in investigating the problems at Fort Recovery, so that construction can resume as soon as possible. The Geography of the Adventure Although most of the original forts are no longer standing today, each fort in this adventure corresponds with an actual American city existing today. It is helpful for Gamemasters not familiar with the area to use a modern-day map to familiarize themselves with the geography encompassing this adventure. In addition, many of these towns have museums and historians dedicated to the struggle of the Old Northwest. Intrepid Gamemasters can easily perform their own research into this fascinating time period. Remember, this is Colonial Gothic, and the history is not necessarily the same;Sample some items file have been changed, and alternate timelines might emerge because of the actions of the Heroes. Fort Washington Constructed in 1789, Fort Washington was built to protect settlers located around the modern-day city of Cincinnati. The wooden palisades are two stories high and protect four blockhouses located in the center. The fort was used as a base from which to launch the expedi- tions of Generals Harmar and St. Clair against the Natives. When General Wayne took command, he built Fort Greenville as his base of operations, and the prominence of Fort Washington diminished, but he still continues to get supplies via the Ohio River from Fort Wash- ington. The fort is medium-sized in comparison to the larger Fort Hamilton and Fort Jefferson. M 5 N The Defeated Dead Sample file Fort Hamilton and Fort Jefferson General St. Clair constructed these two forts in 1791 as supply depots during his northern expedition. Hamilton was built just miles from Fort Washington. St. Clair describes Fort Hamilton: The circuit of the fort is about one thousand feet, through the whole extent of which a trench about three feet deep was dug to set the piquets [posts] in, of which it required about two thousand to enclose it; and it is not trees taken promiscuously, that will answer for piquets, they must be tall and M 6 N Historical Background straight, and from nine to twelve inches in diameter. Fort Jefferson is located six miles south of Fort Greenville.