I really want to run: Hammerfast

What it is: Hammerfast is a D&D 4 supplement by Mike Mearls. The setting is a Dwarven town somewhere in the Nentir vale (Where the Nentir vale is? No clue).

Elevator pitch: A former necropolis filed with treasures turned fortress where dwarven and orcish ghosts roam the streets.

What makes it interesting: I just love the thought or running a city based game in this town. It’s a kind of small town, consisting of about 50 houses, with most of them having a short description and an NPC or two with adventure hooks and motivations. Oh and most of the houses are refurbished tombs and mausoleums. With only that much information, I could spend years in this town as a GM. There are tons of conflicts either written down or hinted at, with plenty of opportunity to set up factions against one another, or for the players to make up their own adventures from the clues and rumors they pick up. There are also the locked tombs, filled with treasures, that no-one is allowed into. And no responsible adventurer would ever dream of doing that, right?

Oh and there is also the compact. Long ago, Hammerfest was invaded by orcs. To make a long story short, now worshipers of Gruumsh, the orc god, are allowed inside the dwarf town unharmed, where they can also enter the temple to Gruumsh that has been established. The dwarf god Moradin and Gruumsh struck the compact and have vowed to intervene if either side harms the other. Yeah I can work with that.

Overall, the supplement reminds a bit of older AD&D stuff, where much is left up the GM, after getting handed a robust skeleton to work with. It asks that you know the material in the supplement well, but rewards you for knowing it.

The supplement comes with a player’s map, and I god damn love handing my players maps and just watching them pour over the map and discussing what to do, where to go, who to talk to and why and then it somehow always ends up with them at the blacksmith buying a new suit of armour.

If you have experience with Hammerfest, feel free to leave a comment here or at dice.camp/@panoptikontraband and tell me of your experience!