Appendix N - Fletcher Pratt - The Blue Star

The Blue Star is a somewhat unique entry on Appendix N.  Not your, hack-slash of Conan or high fantsay wizardly exploits of Gandalf. Instead, this is a examination of a man and woman and their emotional struggle with each other layered on top of the political intrigue between two nations with different cultures, religious backgrounds, and governmental organizations.

The main protagonist of the story, Rodvard Bergelin, is actually a scribe.  While his love interest, Lalette Asterhax, is a witch. Let's see how some of what we witness in this book correlates with features of the AD&D system.

GG list various governmental organizations on DMG 89. The two main characters start off in a city ruled by an aristocracy where social class is determined by parentage. Rovard is a member of a secret group, seeking to overthrow this government to correct what they perceive as the inequity of the system to the poor and disadvantage...while Lalette is  Ask the story unfolds both characters.Travel to a neighboring nation which is more like a theocracy where compliance with the religious laws is paramount.  The manner the different government representative, law enforcement, and citizens interact with the couple is instructive of how we can use different cultures to drive interactions in gameplay.  PCs entering a new town should be confused by customs, inadvertently offend important people, possibly get thrown in prison as Rodvard and Lalette when trying to fllee the religious nation.

Some interesting ideas that could be used in an AD&D campaign:

1.  The blue star a sort of amulet that gives the wearer the ability to read the underlying motivations of anyone whom he can clearly see into their eyes

2.  The potion the old witch brewed, curing Rodvard of an illness, temporarily paralyzes him for twelve to twenty-four hours.

3. Numerous examples how NPC motivations can be used to drive their decisions, actions, and reactions.