20 Things #68: Merchant Caravan (System Neutral Edition) by Creighton Broadhurst is a role playing game supplement published by Raging Swan Press. The supplement is stated to be system neutral, but also compatible with any version of Dungeons & Dragons, and is therefore covered by the Open Game License with some parts considered to be Open Game Content as a result.
The supplement is available for $3.45 from DriveThruRPG, although it was bought at a reduced price thanks to a special offer, and comes in three versions. One version is a text file; the other two are 11-page PDFs. One PDF is intended for print and high-end devices, the other for low end devices and mobile. Two pages are the front and rear covers, two pages are ads, one page is the front matter, Contents and some notes on using the supplement and one the Open Game License.
1: Notable Merchants describes four merchants who could be leading a caravan. Each is given a description, an overview of their character plus personality, mannerisms and hooks.
2: Notable Guards and Servants is similar to the previous section. Again, four NPCs are described, with the same types of details given on them.
3: Notable Goods has twenty valuables that a caravan could be carrying. Most are given a price, but a few are various prices and one is not for sale. The different goods are described and can range from single items to a range.
4: Caravan Dressing is a d20 list of things that can be used to flesh out the caravan, from people with it to how wagons and employees appear.
5: Minor Events is a d20 list of things that could happen during a caravan journey.
20 Things #68: Merchant Caravan (System Neutral Edition) in Review
The PDF is bookmarked with major and minor sections linked. The Contents is to a similar level of depth and is hyperlinked. Navigation is good. The text maintains a two-column format and appeared to be free of errors. There are a few pieces of black and white stock art. Presentation is okay.
Guarding a merchant caravan is a common low level or starting adventure for many characters, and this supplement provides details for making that caravan more interesting, fleshing out such an adventure more. As caravans can consist of several different merchants, it would be possible to use several, or all, of the merchants provided, and the various hooks mean it’s possible to flesh out a caravan guarding adventure into something more, without even considering the additional material. 20 Things #68: Merchant Caravan (System Neutral Edition) is a nice little supplement and it can be found by clicking here.
Leave a Reply