Sabeurs & Savants : Set up and Player Characters

This is a game I intend to run this year perhaps at Devacon & Virtual Grogmeet in April using Cthulhuhack.

The year is 1800 and Napoleon has been master of Egypt for a year hoping to liberate the east, establish himself as a new Alexander the Great and open up a route to conquer British India.

You landed with such great hopes a cluster of soldiers and scholars. The soldiers committed to a great adventure for the French Republic. The scholars to raise up Egypt and enhance French knowledge of this ancient land.

However perfidious English under Horatio Nelson have destroyed the French fleet cutting off supplies, the natives Egyptians rejected the civilising French hand of Friendship and the Ottoman Turks seek to reconquer the Nile.

Accompanying General Desaix in his pursuit of the Mameluke Murad Bey you receive sealed orders.

” Dear Friends, I am reliably informed that 40 kilometres west of your position just past the oasis of wisna is a buried temple. I have evidence this temple contains artefacts linked to Alexander the Great that may raise our standings amongst the natives. I charge you – keen brawn of French military and brain of French scholarship to unite, locate and place these artefacts in my keeping.

Yours Napoleon Bonaparte.”

Your party is as follows:

Battalion de Marche Russel (military contingent)

Lieutenant Kurt Russel & eleven riders of the Régiment des dromadaires (French camel troops)

A misanthropic cheroot chewing former Royal army officer freed from the bastille to fight the enemies of France. The guillotine hangs over your every decision so you must fulfil the mission even if you think Bonaparte a jumped up Italian corporal.

Lieutenant Keith Davide and 4 assistants of the French Aerostatic Corps

A son of slaves from the French sugar colonies who has by brains and sheer will earned himself a commission in the Army. You have entered the balloon service and are accompanying this mission to give a birds eye view to spot the temple. You are a committed Republican and Bonaparte seems an able general you just hope he isn’t an ambitious Caesar.

Sergeant Roderique Piper and 6 Sappers

Egypt’s rubbish – you were promised loot and adventure instead its like Flanders with worse food, women and weather. Still good old Bony will see you right best make sure these officers and suspicious toffs don’t mess everything up. Hopefully you’ll get to blow something up. At least away from camp you can stop getting into fights.

Agréable Expedition (civilian contingent)

Professor Donald Agréable – classicist and historian

Divine providence and the inspiration of the creator has seen fit to place you in a most enviable position to uncover a new find for history. Best to ensure this blundering military dunderheads don’t mess everything up with brute force and ignorance. Lieutenant Russell is under a cloud, Royal connections you understand, you will need to make clear your connections with the Directory (French government) & Bonaparte could lift him up.

Madam Adrianne Barbeau – mathematical and cartographic savant

This is exciting. Before the Army smashed into Egypt you had already been touring the country exploring the geometry of their ancient sites. Your mastery of the language and culture should enable you to aid the expedition. You care little for politics – a curse on all their houses, but best uncover what we can for prosperity.

Jean Parkour – architect

Napoleon might know how to win a war (though with our fleet sunk, maybe not,) but putting an old fart and a pretty girl on this expedition is just plain balderdash. Then looking at the army contingent they hardly have a brain cell between them (are you surprised) so you best just take charge – it’ll be for the best, they’ll thank you. After all it might be a Republic but the cream should still rise to the top.