As you round a bend in the road, you
spot a circle of brightly painted wagons
from which floats a strange, hypnotic, almost
sensual Music produced by an unseen
stringed instrument. The aroma of oddly,
spiced meats drifts through your group,
reminding all that it has been weeks since
you've had anything but rations. When you
enter the encampment, you notice a large
family, or so they seem, dressed in exotic,
brightly colored clothing, sitting about a
roaring campfire, laughing and drinking.
Then, abruptly, all activity stops as you
and your party are noticed. A large, burly
man approaches, followed by what must be
his son, judging by the resemblance between
them. Behind them is another man,
shorter and smaller, yet no less daunting.
"What do you want?" the leader grumbles,
his accent revealing that he is not
native to the country you're in. From all
that you have seen and heard, these must be
gypsies.
-
The Gypsy Train, written for the AD&D®
game, is a "moving town" adventure that
PCs may encounter almost
anywhere, usually on a road between 2
towns |or| cities. Among the various wagons,
2 distinct types will be found: the household
wagon && the merchant wagon. Each
type is pulled by 2 |or| 4 draft
horses.
The household wagon is like a predecessor
of today's modern motor home. It is
occupied by 1 |or| 2 families and
contains beds & storage space for household
items and family possessions. A normal-sized
door is located in the back, which is
the main entrance; led to be a single step,
while another smaller entrance can be found
in front behind the bench that the drivers
occupy when the wagon is moving. Each
side of the wagon has a pair of shuttered
windows.
The merchant
wagon is only slightly
different from the household wagon. It has
just 1 entrance, the rear door, and no
windows, with a larger step on the back end
to seat one or two guards. It is used to carry
merchandise that will be sold or traded by
the gypsies to help support themselves. The
carrying capacity of a merchant wagon is
12,000 gold pieces of weight.
Even though the gypsies may be between
towns, not all towns are close together. If
the band is traveling through hostile or
wilderness areas, guards will be following
their wagons on horseback instead of sitting
on the rear seats of the merchant wagons.
Balkrin, the leader of the group and ordinarily
the driver of the first wagon, will be
riding a horse at the front of the caravan.
Balkrin's wife, Zanthira, will be driving the
family wagon at these times.
If adventurers come upon the caravan
between sunset and early morning, they will
find the gypsy wagons positioned as shown
in the accompanying illustration of an encampment.
Guards will be posted as specified
below. During daylight hours the
caravan will be moving in the order described
in the "On the road" illustration (A-D) (E-H)
Night watch assignments
1st watch (sunset to midnight)
| Post | Guard |
| 1 | Kordaal Vanagas |
| 2 | Survillo Gudas |
| 3 | Dinmiel Prusas |
| 4 | Dravyn Gudas |
| 5 | Bronkar Prusas |
| 6 | Balkrin Vanagas |
2nd watch (midnight to dawn)
| Post | Guard |
| 1 | Javyd Gudas |
| 2 | Albar Pakmydis |
| 3 | Rymvid Galinys |
| 4 | Alfonzo Pakmydis |
| 5 | Scordraal Pakmydis |
| 6 | Ambrosis Pakmydis |
High prices, light fingers
The Vanagas family is a band of gypsies
who make their living traveling between
cities and towns, trading for whatever merchandise
is available in each town they visit.
They have been in this business for 2
generations and have their seasonal paths
well charted, knowing which markets prosper
in which cities at what time of year.
Their merchandise will usually reflect the
town that they have visited most recently.
They will sell |or| trade merchandise in dealings
with non-gypsies on the road, but their
prices in such a case will normally be
marked up 50% to 100% over normal retail
prices (the extra cost of convenience).
Exorbitant pricing is not the only thing
that will annoy adventurers who try to deal
with gypsies. The gypsies of lejend were
known for their light fingers and artful
trading. Wise customers will keep a close
watch on their belongings to avoid having
to buy them back.
And gypsies seem to have an affinity for
turning a character's ill fortune to their best
advantage. If food |or| drink is
?accidentally
? spilled on a character?s clothing, the
gypsies may offer to clean the garment.
That seems fair enough ? but as she moves.
vorite jersey comes back missing the fancy
embroidery that was attached to the collar,
don?t bother to ask what happened; it would
be improper to insult your hosts.
While their treatment of strangers is
chaotic at best, gypsies react very differently
toward one another. They would never steal
from another gypsy or betray the gypsies'
common trust in any other way. They have
a strict code of honor that they do not usually
apply to the rest of the world.
Balkrin, the
leader of this band, is a husky, quick-tempered
type in his mid-40s. He has been
the leader of the group since his father died
5 years ago. He is normally suspicious of
all gorgios (non-gypsies) -- especially any
who mention his wife, whom he keeps
locked up in their wagon most of the time
because of his extreme jealousy.
Balkrin is a <human Swashbuckler>,
chaotic neutral, with Str 18 (91), Int 9, Wis
12, Dex 17, Con 16, Cha 15, AC 3, and 43
hp. He wears leather armor and carries a
long sword, a +2 dagger and
a ring of protection
+2.
Balkrin prefers to use his dagger, which
he keeps hidden in his boot, because of its
magick (which gives him total bonuses of +4
to hit and +7 to damage). He likes to settle
differences by wrestling with
troublemakers.
This he will do fairly and honestly, handing
over all his weapons into the care of his
eldest son Kordaal -- but if treachery is
discovered. Balkrin will immediately signal
for his son to toss him the magic dagger,
and he won?t hesitate to use it either to
protect himself or to teach the cheater a
lesson.
Balkrin's wrestling matches
are quite an
event in the caravan, and all the gypsies
will
gather around to watch when one takes
place. They will never interfere unless
someone from the other side does first, for
Balkrin would see this as a slight on his
ability.
Zanthira Vanagas (Balkrin’s wife) —
Zanthira is a delicate-looking woman in her
late 30s who is usually kept locked away in
the Vanagas family wagon. The only visible
evidence of her existence is seen when she
occasionally peeks through the shutters of
the windows on her wagon, or on those rare
occasions when Balkrin has her drive the
wagon. Someone in a party of visitors is
likely to notice her at the window, because
she will be very curious about the strangers.
But if she realizes that she has been seen,
she will move away from the shutters, disappearing
from sight.
Zanthira is a <human Footpad>,
chaotic neutral, with Str 7, Int 7, Wis 14,
Dex 16, Con 15, Cha 17, AC 8, and 7 hp.
She wears no armor and possesses a dagger,
a short bow (hidden under
her bed), 20
normal arrows, and 5 +1 arrows.
Zanthira will only use her bow if the
caravan is attacked. She will use her dagger
against any non-gypsy who enters her
wagon without permission -- and such
permission is very seldom granted.
Ismek Vanagas (Balkrin’s second son) —
Ismek is a very quiet 10-year-old lad with
dark hair and eyes. He is so quiet. especially
for a gypsy, that few people in the
caravan other than his immediate family
trust him (and for good reason)
Ismek is a 0-level human, chaotic neutral,
with Str 8, Int 6, Wis 7, Dex 15, Con 14,
Cha 11, AC 9, and 3 hp. He wears no
armor and carries a dagger.
Although Ismek
is not yet mature enough to be a 1st-level
thief, he does have the following abilities:
pick pockets 15%. open locks 12%, find/
remove traps 10%. move silently 15%, hide
in shadows 10%, hear noise 5%, and climb
walls 70%.
Ismek always seems to be sneaking about
whenever the caravan is stopped; it is 20%
likely that a visiting character will see him
prowling around the camp at night. Being
the leader's son, Ismek does not suffer the
consequences that other children would for
peeking into other gypsies' wagons or lifting
small items that have been left lying about.
Ismek adores his father and is completely
loyal to him.
Selynis Vanagas (Balkrin’s daughter) —
Selynis, Balkrin's youngest child, is allowed
to leave the wagon only because she is too
young (7 years of age) to be considered
eligible. Balkrin is very protective of the
women in his family. When Selynis reaches
marrying age (16 to 19 years old for females),
he father will consider what price
to charge for her hand. And when this time
comes, Selynis will spend most of her
waking hours with her mother inside the
wagon until Balkrin finds a suitor who is
able and willing to "buy"" the right to marry
his daughter.
Selynis is a 0-level human, chaotic good,
with AC 10 and 2 hp. She has no armor or
weapons.
B: household wagon
Kordaal Vanagas (driver, Balkrin’s oldest
son) — This young man looks much like his
father, only smaller built and (obviously)
younger, and has just recently celebrated his
coming of age (20 years old).
He stands by
his father in all matters and can usually be
found beside him whenever the caravan is
not moving. His attitudes are also much the
same as his father?s. Kordaal?s job is to
drive his grandmother?s wagon. When his
father dies. Kordaal will become the leader
of the caravan.
Kordaal is a human <Warrior>,
chaotic neutral, with Str 17, Int 7, Wis 10,
Dex 16, Con 16, Cha 13, AC 6, and 20 hp.
He wears leather armor and uses
a short
sword and a dagger.
Kordaal normally keeps his father's
weapons when Balkrin is wrestling
so that if
trouble starts, Kordaal can toss Balkrin's +2
dagger to him. If the odds
seem stacked
against his father, Kordaal will be the first
to step in, wielding his short
sword.
Hyrina “Mama” Vanagas (Balkrin’s
mother) —
Hyrina is a rather heavy woman
in her early 60s who wields a great deal of
authority in the caravan. Although she is
very careful not to oppose her son openly
(and therefore weaken his status), she often
speaks to him in private and attempts to
steer him onto what she thinks is the best
course for the gypsies. Although Balkrin
always has the final word, he also has a
great deal of respect for his mother and
carefully considers her advice. Mama?s
magickal abilities are looked upon with great
reverence by the rest of the gypsies.
Mama Vanagas is a 6th-level human
<Magician>, CN, with Str
7. Int <6th level Witch?> <6th level
Diviner?>
15. Wis 15, Dex 13, Con 14, Cha 13, AC
10, and 18 hp. She wears no armor, carries
a +l dagger; and also possesses
a medallion
of ESP with a 30' range
and a staff of command
with 11 charges remaining. When
first encountered, she will be carrying the
following spells: monster
summoning I,
clairvoyance, invisibility,
locate
object, read
magick, detect
magick, unseen servant, and
sleep.
Mama finds it very amusing to act mysterious
around strangers. She will usually cast
an unseen servant before
introducing herself
and USE it in any way that will get a reaction
from those watching her. Such tricks would
include picking up items from the ground
without reaching for them, or opening her
wagon door without touching it.
She may approach one or more of the
characters in the group, offering to read the
cards for them. She performs card readings
in her wagon late at night by candlelight.
using her medallion of
ESP to every advantage;
the subject of a reading will be told
whatever he wants to hear about the future.
true |or| not. If her medallion fails to function,
Mama will make appropriate and
convincing excuses for why the reading did
not work, and will either begin a reading
anew or dismiss the subject on the pretense
that "the cards are not right tonight."
Mama?s wagon is arcanely decorated and
contains many objects typically possessed by
<wizards>. Hidden in a locked
chest beneath <chest: large solid
iron>
her bed is Mama's spell book. In
addition to the spells she presently carries, it
also contains information on the casting of
affect normal fires,
FRIENDS,
ventriloquism,
detect invisibilility,
fools
gold, forget,
magick
mouth, clairaudience,
and fly. By using
several of her spells in combination or in
succession, it is possible for Mama to stage
a very convincing (although fake) seance.
Scordraal Pakmydis (driver, Balkrin’s
friend) —
Scordraal, a man in his late 20s.
is a sly, sneaky type whom few people trust.
His slender, wiry body enables him to get
into many places where he is not wanted.
Because of this, he is Balkrin's main informant
and cohort. It is known among the
gypsies that Balkrin trusts Scordraal so
much that Balkrin has designated him to
lead the caravan (until Ismek comes of age)
if anything should happen to both Balkrin
and Kordaal.
Scordraal is a human <Robber>,
chaotic neutral, with Str 13, Int 10, Wis 11,
Dex 17, Con 15, Cha 8, AC 1, and 18 hp.
He wears no armor, but has acquired a pair
of bracers of defense
(AC 4) that account for
his very good AC. He carries <a +l model
1832 foot artillery sword>
& a dagger.
At one Time, Balkrin rescued Scordraal
from a wealthy baron's dungeon
when <>
Scordraal was scheduled for execution. It
was this act of great stealth and bravery that
caused Scordraal to dedicate himself to
Balkrin. Scordraal is the type of person to
make a "secret" deal with the PCs
and then tell Balkrin all about it.
Cannelia Pakmydis (Scordraal’s wife) —
Cannelia is a friendly, naive woman in her
early 20s who can't seem to understand why
no one but Balkrin trusts her husband. She
is best friends with Zanthira Vanagas
(wagon A) and often travels in Zanthira's
wagon to keep her company.
Cannelia is a 0-level human, CG,
with AC 10 and 3 hp. She has no
armor and no weapons.
Premirina Pakmydis (Scordraal’s daughter)
-- Premirina is a quiet 6-year-old girl
who spends most of her time with Selynis
Vanagas (wagon A), her best friend.
Premirina is a 0-level human, CG,
with AC 10 and 2 hp. She has no
armor and no weapons
D: merchant wagon
Ambrosis Pakmydis (driver, Scordraal’s
brother) — Ambrosis, age 40, is the father
of twin sons (see below). His wife died 4 <link>
years ago during an attack on the caravan,
and he still mourns her loss.
Ambrosis is a human <Swordsman>,
CN, with Str 15, Int 9, Wis 13,
Dex 13, Con 13, Cha 10, AC 5, and 18 hp.
He wears chain mail and carries
a short
sword, a short
bow with 12 arrows, and a
dagger.
Aldor and Albar Pakmydis (guards, twin
sons of Ambrosis) — Aldor and Albar are
both 17 years old. Both boys are rather
grim because of their past hardships. When
they fight, they do so with a determination
that is almost morbid.
Both boys are human <veterans>,
<sentinels?>
CN, wearing chain mail and
carrying a <baselard>,
a short bow with 12 <quiver>
arrows, and a dagger. Aldor
has Str 12, Int
7, Wis 9, Dex 12, Con 11, Cha 9, AC 5,
and 9 hp. Albar has Str 11, Int 8, Wis 9,
Dex 12, Con 12, Cha 8, AC 5, and 10 hp.
E: merchant wagon
Javyd Gudas (driver, Balkrin’s friend) —
At one time, Javyd and his family were
looked upon as rather strange by most of
the other gypsies because Javyd married out
of the group -- and to make matters worse,
his wife is an elf. Since his marriage,
Javyd
has handled more than his fair share of the
work and has done everything else he could
to make the rest of the group like him. For
his efforts, thus, he has gained a sort of
acceptance among many of the gypsies ?
including Balkrin, who trusts him and
considers Javyd one of his friends. Javyd is
in his early 40s.
Javyd is a human <Swordsman>,
CG, with Str 13, Int 9, Wis 15, Dex
11, Con 11, Cha 8, AC 5, and 13 hp. He
wears chain mail and carries a short
sword,
a short bow with 12 arrows,
and a dagger. <quiver>
Survillo Gudas (guard, Javyd’s brother)
-- Survillo is 15 years younger than Javyd
and is still unwed. He says he just hasn't
found a girl who's right for him.
Survillo is a human <Warrior>,
<Sentinel?>
chaotic good, with Str 12, Int 8, Wis 10,
Dex 12, Con 13, Cha 10, AC 6, and 10 hp.
He wears scale mail and is armed
with a
<gladius>, 2 spears,
and a dagger.
Dravyn Gudas (guard, Javyd’s son) — <Sentinel?>
Dravyn, 19 years of age, is the oldest of the
3 half-elf children in the Gudas
family.
He is close to Kordaal Vanagas both in age
and spirit; the two young men spend much
time together, sometimes accompanied by
Survillo. Dravyn looks as if he has very
little elven blood in him, more closely resembling
his father.
Dravyn is a half-elf <Veteran>
chaotic good, with Str 10, Int 8, Wis 7, Dex
11, Con 12, Cha 8, AC 6, and 6 hp. He
wears scale mail and is armed with
a short
sword, 2 spears,
and a dagger.
Tierza Gudas (driver, Javyd’s wife) —
Tierza is a stranger in this group of gypsies;
being an elf has made it hard for her
to be
accepted. But she is such a kind and
friendly person that even the gypsies finally
took her in (with some reservations, of
course). Most non-gypsies will find her easy
to make FRIENDS with, especially in comparison
to the others in the group.
Tierza is a wood elf, multiclassed
as a
<Cutpurse> and <Evoker>,
CG, with Str 6, Int 16, Wis 15,
Dex 14, Con 10, Cha 17, AC 8, and 8 hp.
She wears no armor and is armed with a
short bow with 12 arrows,
a dagger, and a
+2 ring of protection.
When first encountered,
she carries sleep and shield
as her
spells.
Tierza keeps her spell book hidden
under
her bed among a few nondescript volumes
including a book of elven bedtime stories, a
personal journal, and a book of family
history. The spell book is labeled ?Recipes?
and contains information on the spells
charm person, identify,
light,
mending,
read magick, shield,
and sleep.
It is rare for Tierza to be quiet or somber,
but when she is it is usually because she is
considering her future with the gypsies.
Tierza is 161 years old; in her culture, she
came of age only a few years ago. As time
goes on, she will continue to be youthful
while her husband becomes elderly. While
she would not consider leaving her husband,
she does worry about whether she
will retain acceptance among the gypsies
when she is a widow. Her spell-casting
ability gives her some "bargaining power,"
but complicating the matter is the fact that
her daughter (see below) is developing the
same talents.
Ryndana Gudas (Javyd?s daughter) --
Ryndana is an attractive young lady who is
training as a magic-user under her mother's <Witch,
Diviner>
guidance. It is known around the camp that
Kordaal Vanagas (wagon B), the next leader
of the caravan; has been eyeing her lately
with possible thoughts for the future.
Ryndana is a half-<sylvan->elf:
magic-user,
<Witch, Diviner>
chaotic good, with Str 5, Int 14, Wis 9, Dex
13, Con 8, Cha 16, AC 10, and 3 hp. She
wears no armor and carries a dagger.
When
first encountered, she will have the spell
charm person in her memory.
Ryndana has begun her spell book, which
she keeps under her pillow. She has recorded
three spells: charm person,
light,
and read magick.
Because of Kordaal's apparent intentions,
the situation between the Vanagas and
Gudas families becomes very complex. It is
assumed among the gypsies that Mama
Hyrina won't be with them for too many
more years. With this in mind, the next
leader of the band needs to have another
magic-user closely related to him in order to <Witch,
Diviner>
keep the full respect of the gypsies. This
also allows him to have magical powers
wielded on his behalf. Since Ryndana is a
half-elf and thus has a much longer lifespan
than the humans in the group, her
marriage
into the Vanagas family would ensure the
presence of a magic-user close to the caravan <Witch,
Diviner>
's leader for many more generations
than would be possible with a human
magic-user. Kordaal realizes this fact, having <Witch,
Diviner>
had it pointed out by his father (at the
suggestion of Mama).
Because Kordaal is the next leader of the
caravan and as such is exempt from having
to "buy" his bride, Javyd Gudas cannot,
charge the young man for his daughter's
hand and therefore cannot make the money
that he might have looked forward to. So
far, Javyd does not regret this, and instead
feels that Ryndana?s marriage to Kordaal
might help to increase the gypsies? respect
for his hybrid family.
Mazyna Gudas (Javyd's daughter) --
Mazyna is a cute little 7-year-old who
spends most of her time playing with Selynis
Vanagas (wagon A) and Premirina
Pakmydis (wagon C).
Mazyna is a 0-level <half-wood-elf>, CG,
with AC 10 and 2 hp. She has no armor
and no weapons.
G: merchant wagon
Bronkar Prusas (driver, Balkrin's friend)
-- Bronkar and his family are a bit younger
than the rest of the families; Bronkar himself
is only 33 years old. This explains why
they share a household wagon with another
family, and in a position toward the back of
the train. Despite this status, Bronkar is
grateful to the rest of the group because
before he joined, he had no means of support.
He gained acceptance into the group
one day when he wandered into camp and
challenged Balkrin to a wrestling
match. He
was beaten terribly that day, but he won
Balkrin's respect for his guts (or foolishness)
and his fighting ability (Bronkar is good,
but Balkrin is very good).
Bronkar is a human Warrior,
neutral good, with Str 16, Int 8, Wis 11,
Dex 16, Con 14, Cha 10, AC 6, and 9 hp.
He wears leather armor and uses
a long
sword, a halberd,
and a dagger.
Dinmiel Prusas (guard, Bronkar's son) -- <sentinel?>
Dinmiel is really too young for the job of
guard, being only age 10, but the group
needed someone to fill the position for this
wagon, and since his father is the driver, he
was picked for the task. This has given him
a slight ego problem, which most of the
gypsies try to ignore.
Dinmiel is a human Veteran,
chaotic neutral, with Str 9, Int 9, Wis 7,
Dex 11, Con 11, Cha 7, AC 8, and 7 hp.
He wears leather armor and uses
a <model 1832 foot artillery
sword>,
a footman's pick,
and a dagger.
Rymvid Galinys (guard, Balkrin?s cousin) <sentinel?>
-- Rymvid, age 26, is in a rather awkward
position. Although he is a member of
Balkrin's family, he is treated almost as
poorly as a stranger. As noted above, the
plan is that if anything should happen to
both Balkrin and his son Kordaal, then
Scordraal Pakmydis (wagon C) is to act as
leader of the group. This arrangement
makes Rymvid furious, because he secretly
desires to run the caravan himself and feels
that if he could take command for a while,
he could possibly hold the title through
treachery.
Openly, he claims that he should fill this
position since he is related. Balkrin knows
better; Rymvid and his wife are the youngest,
least experienced, and least liked couple
in the caravan. Most of the animosity is due
to Rymvid's constant chattering about how
he would run the caravan, and how well he
could do if he had a little more respect from
the group. He has never done anything to
deserve any respect, but Rymvid sees this
as a minor detail. Because of this attitude,
he is given the least significant duties and is
forced to share his household wagon with
another family. He would probably rebel
against this, but the Prusas family is the
only group that will have very much to do
with him.
Rymvid is a human <Veteran>,
<sentinel?>
neutral evil, with Str 10, Int 7, Wis 6, Dex
11, Con 12, Cha 6, AC 8, and 10 hp. He
wears leather armor and is armed
with a
<katzbalger>, 2 spears,
and a dagger.
H: household wagon
Trynkara Prusas (driver, Bronkar's wife)
-- Trynkara is a patient woman in her late
20s who is very happy that her husband has
found a job he can hold. She is friendly and <ERM
+1%>
can get along with most anyone (as evidenced
by the fact that she shares a wagon
with Ezerjna).
Trynkara is a human <Rogue>,
neutral
good, with Str 6, Int 9, Wis 13, Dex 15,
Con 14, Cha 13, AC 7, and 6 hp. She
wears leather armor and uses a
sling with 20
bullets and a dagger.
Ezerina Galinys (Rymvid?s wife) --
Ezerina is a nagging, noisy wife of 21 who
seems a suitable mate for someone like
Rymvid. Her only responsibility is to keep
an eye on the horses and ponies
tethered
behind their wagon.
Ezerina is a 0-level human, chaotic
neutral,
with AC 10 and 4 hp. She has no
armor and carries a dagger.
Suggested encounters
1. Balkrin (wagon A) feels himself to be
insulted and challenges a visiting character
to a wrestling match. If the character accepts,
Balkrin will be that person?s friend
regardless of the outcome of the match.
2. Mama Hyrina (wagon B) offers to
?read the cards? for one of the visiting
characters, free of charge. She will only do
this twice in a single night. After that, there
is a 50% chance that she agree to will do
another reading ? for a charge of 25 gold
pieces. For those who have access to that
issue, a very good method for determining
the outcome of gypsy card readings
can be
found on page 20 of DRAGON® Magazine
issue #59.
3. The merchant wagons (D,
E,
and G)
hold a wide variety of supplies, but the
gypsies charge roughly twice the normal
price for anything they sell when camped
between towns. Their stock is limited to 1d4
of any given item except for small items
(flasks of oil, torches, iron spikes), which
are found in quantities of 2d8 each. The
DM may also want to include any items
that he feel will be desirable or necessary for
the party to acquire. Mama Vanagas has
cast magic mouth spells on the doors of each
of the wagons, which will alert the gypsies if
any non-gypsy tries to break in.
4. The adventurers make camp with the
gypsies and are attacked late at night by
creatures from the surrounding terrain.
5. Rymvid Galinys (wagon G) has decided
to usurp control of the caravan and
asks the adventurers for their help.
6. Ismek Vanagas (wagon A) attempts to
pick the pockets of random characters once
per hour during the party?s stay in the
gypsy camp.
7. Kordaal Vanagas (wagon B) feels that
someone is paying too much attention to
Ryndana Gudas and stirs things up by
officially announcing his romantic attentions
and then challenging his "rival" to a
wrestling match for the sake of his honor.
8. Survillo Gudas (wagon E) thinks that
he has finally found the "right girl" -- one
of the female adventurers.
How to use this material
The suggested encounters described
above represent eight ways in which the
members of the gypsy group could interact
with player characters. Drawing upon the
details given about the gypsies throughout
the accompanying text, the DM could easily
come up with several more possible encounters
To get the most out of The Gypsy
Train, it is strongly recommended that the
DM not simply look upon the gypsies as
adversaries of the player characters. Even
though Balkrin and his band are not the
most scrupulous people an adventurer
would ever want to meet, neither are they
particularly dangerous, especially in an
encounter with player characters of around
3rd or 4th level (or higher).
Build your own wagons
These 2 pages contain enough parts to construct 3 gypsy
wagons, in
25mm scale, for use in game play or as elements of a diorama. By making
multiple
photocopies of this sheet, you can create the entire gypsy train described
in the
accompanying article.
The instructions printed on |or| next to the wagon parts will tell you
how to cut
and fold each piece. For added durability, it's necessary to reinforce
the floorboard
with an extra thickness of cardboard. The wheels, walls, and roof of
a
wagon can be constructed out of single-thickness sheets, but the wagons
will last
longer if you back the entire parts sheet with another piece of paper.
Use spray
adhesive |or| rubber cement to join the two sheets together.
The parts can be mixed and matched to create wagons of several different
styles. You can (and should) color or paint the pieces before assembling
them,
adding other details if desired with a fine-point pen.
The suggested order of assembly goes something like this: (1) Put the
4 walls
together to make an open-ended box. (2) Assemble the wheel piece. (3)
Cut out
the floorboard template and glue it to a piece of cardboard, then trim
out the
double-thick piece. (4) Glue the assembled wheel piece to one side
of the floorboard,
locating it inside the small rectangle printed on the template piece.
(5)
Assemble the driver's foot rest and attach it to the underside of the
floor, locating
it between the pair of wide marks on the front edge of the template
piece. (6) Glue
the assembled walls to the top side of the floorboard, making sure
that the front
(doorless) side of the wagon is on the same side as the foot rest.
(7) Attach the roof
to the top flaps of the wall assembly. The roof is a little oversized
(to prevent it
from being too small); the excess can be brought out over the side
walls, or the
roof edges can be trimmed to fit snugly against the side walls. (8)
Attach side rail
pieces, if desired, and put on the driver's bench and the guard's bench
(if it?s a
merchant wagon). (9) To enable the wagon to
stand up and to give it some stability,
cut two 1-inch lengths of round toothpick to serve as axles. Mark the
center of
the front axle; then assemble the tongue and doubletree and attach
the completed
piece to the center of the front axle. Glue the axles between the wheels,
positioning
the front axle so that the tongue projects out and up at a slight angle.
(10)
Finally, assemble the rear step and attach it to the bottom of the
floorboard so that
it sits between the narrowly spaced pair of marks on the rear underside
of the
floor template.
You can add other features and equipment
to the wagons -- experiment with
?extras? and create a one-of-a-kind gypsy train all your own!
Issue #93: Tierza Gudas, one of the non-player
characters in "The Gypsy Train," should be
outfitted with a sling and 12 bullets instead of her
short bow and 12 arrows. This brings the character
into accordance with the AD&D®
game rules,
which stipulate that a thief cannot use a bow.
Optionally, the DM can leave the description as it
stands and rule that Tierza is a special NPC, not
bound by all of the same weapon restrictions that
player characters must abide by.