I noticed some time ago that the GPC contains the same Merlin's Island/Grail Feast scenarios at the same time point as The Boy King (which I think is around 515 if I remember correctly but I don't have the books here with me right now). Perilous Forest added a few more scenarios for the Wastelands and these are also present in the GPC, althoug some of them got distributed into different time periods instead of being presented as a cluster of inter-related adventures.

Now, one of these adventures is a new take on the Grail Feast, which is in Perilous Forest and in the Grail Quest Period in the GPC. The difference is that the version in the GPC during the Grail Quest phase actualy sends you to the version found earlier in the book (in the Wastelands chapter).

My question is this: what happens if the PKs actually manage to cure Pellam around 515? It seems to me that curing Pellam banishes the Wastelands (this is never clearly stated in either The Boy King, Perilous Forest or the GPC, but it is implied by the description of the scenario). Wouldn't this take out the Wastelands (which would be a major effect in the campaign) from play and pretty much do away with the whole Grail Quest to begin with (which would be a big NO for me, since this is one of the most interesting phases in the whole campaign; who the hell would want to play through a Pendragon campaign without the Grail Quest?)?

If my interpretation is correct, what do GMs usually do with these scenarios? It seems to me that if you don't want to mess the campaign and the Grail Quest phase, with the Wastelands spreading like crazy throughout the land, etc, then you should not run the Grail Feast under any circumstances until the Grail Quest period. Am I right to assume that this is presented so early for consistency purposes but that by cannon the Grail Feast should be avoided until the Grail Quest period shows up? What have other GMs done regarding this?

Thanks in advance for the imput.

You mean King Pellam, not Pellinore.

Note that it is darn hard for the players to manage to get to the correct point: They'll need to roll criticals in Religion, Pious and Love (deity). Now at least my players' characters are usually very poor in Religion, average at best in Pious, and often lack Love (deity) altogether. But even if they were to have the Passion, the probability would be 1/20 * 1/20 * 1/20 = 1/8000. This is so vanishingly small that if they do manage to roll it, I'd let them reap the benefits. The Wasteland is healed. The Grail Quest doesn't happen (or happens in different form). Without all the Round Table Knights perishing, will Mordred manage to gain so much power at court?

Of course, you can go the Excalibur route and make -Arthur- the wounded King for the Grail Quest. And of course, if the Lancelot - Arthur break happens, you will still get Camlann. You will just have more knights to die gloriously. :)

Yep, wrong character name. Thanks for the correction.

Yes, I know the chance of the PKs solving the adventure is small, but it's still there. The point is really what other GMs do regarding this: do they usually present the Grail Feast so early in the GPC and risk so major changes to the campaign or do they save it for the GQ period just in case the PKs manage to solve it? Personaly, the Wastelands and the Grail Quest period are so important and atmospheric that I wouldn't want to mess it. But I guess that since the probability of the PKs solving the problem is so small that no one really bothers and just run it at any point they like, including around 515.

Please keep the info flowing, I'm curious about what people do with this.

Well, people like different things. I would not have minded at all my players managing to short circuit the Wasteland and the Grail Quest, when we played the Castle of Joy adventure in 530s, having missed out on it in 515. For me, the important bit is the breaking of the Round Table over Lancelot's affair with Guinevere and the Grail Quest is too high-brow for me. :P

If you are bothered by it, simply chance the outcome of the final crit and do not allow the healing of the Fisher King. Mind you, you could give the player(s) something out of it... Like a partial relief for the Fisher King, but not healed all the way because they are still sinful or something like that, and it takes a pure soul like Galahad to complete the healing. Possible effects: the Fisher King can participate in the battle and triumph, the Wasteland expansion is slowed down or its effects are lessened in the player(s) estates.

Yep, I guess everyone will come up with different approaches to this. Notice that I'm not really serching for advice here on how to do it, it's more that I'm curious about what other people do with these events regarding the timeline and it's effects.

Thanks everyone for the imput :)

Some good answers have been made alrady
I will add a tiny bit more


Now, one of these adventures is a new take on the Grail Feast, which is in Perilous Forest

Actually, it is in Listeneisse


My question is this: what happens if the PKs actually manage to cure Pellam around 515?

If a single knight manages a 1/8000 chance, he "wins the game."
King Pellam retires to a monastery and the PK becomes the next Grail King
The Wasteland vanishes, instantly from everywhere
The new king of the Grail must defend it against all challengers, first of which is Duke Klingsor, thus making use of the rest of that scenario
If Klingsor wins then he takes the throne, which is now called the Throne of Impotence
The Wastelands starts spreading again, right away, at the same pace as occurs in GPC, only 20 years earlier
Meanwhile the Grail King is beset by the Devil in seductress form
He must roll a critical success at: Chaste, and if successful, then crit at all of the Christian virtues
Any failure = him taking a wound "in the thigh" and thus replacing the Fisher King
Only a successful Grailquest will change the circumstance


If my interpretation is correct, what do GMs usually do with these scenarios? It seems to me that if you don't want to mess the campaign and the Grail Quest phase, with the Wastelands spreading like crazy throughout the land, etc, then you should not run the Grail Feast under any circumstances until the Grail Quest period. Am I right to assume that this is presented so early for consistency purposes but that by canon the Grail Feast should be avoided until the Grail Quest period shows up? What have other GMs done regarding this?

I cannot stress 1/8000 strongly enough

Now, one of these adventures is a new take on the Grail Feast, which is in Perilous Forest

Actually, it is in Listeneisse


Actually, I was referring to the book supplement called Perilous Forest. ;) I apologize if I wasn't clear, English is not my first language.

Greg, fantastic answer! Yes, the chance is really low (I admit that when I wrote the first post I didn't remember it was SO hard), but I was just wondering about consequences. I was also wondering what your motivation to put in Perilous Forest a variation on the Grail Feast adventure (already in Boy King) was. Your input is quite insightful! Thanks!

Now, one of these adventures is a new take on the Grail Feast, which is in Perilous Forest

Actually, it is in Listeneisse

Actually, I was referring to the book supplement called Perilous Forest. ;) I apologize if I wasn't clear, English is not my first language.

Mea culpa
Your English is just fine
I would not have guessed you were not native


Greg, fantastic answer! Yes, the chance is really low (I admit that when I wrote the first post I didn't remember it was SO hard), but I was just wondering about consequences. I was also wondering what your motivation to put in Perilous Forest a variation on the Grail Feast adventure (already in Boy King) was. Your input is quite insightful! Thanks!

I don't have a clue abut why I repeated it
I would guess, offhand, that Boy King was unavailable when we published Perilous Forest

Thanks for the input, Greg.