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Did the Modron March reset?

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Wed, 2010-10-13 13:32
#1
Palomides
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Did the Modron March reset?

I am just getting around to reading "The Great Modron March" (I know...where have I been?) but I was just curious:

Since the March normally occurs roughly every 300 years and since it was started approximately 200 years early, should the next March occur approximately 300 years from the off-schedule March or will the next one occur in roughly 200 years (when it normally would have occurred - acting as though the off-schedule March never happened)?
I don't see this really affecting anything (except for creating a lot of greybeard debate, and maybe some anxiety when the 200 year mark is approaching) but I still wanted to ask.

I apologize in advance if this is covered in the back of the module.

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Wed, 2010-10-13 13:35
#2
Palomides
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Re: Did the Modron March reset?

I've got to learn: research question first, then post
/forum/what-dates-do-modron-march-take-place

Wed, 2010-10-13 13:42
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ripvanwormer
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Re: Did the Modron March reset?

The frequency of the Modron March is tied to the turning of the gears of Regulus, so I assume no, they wouldn't reset. The next March will happen on schedule, when the gears complete their Great Cycle. The Great Modron March of 129 wasn't tied to the turning of the gears, so it "didn't count."

Wed, 2010-10-13 16:54
#4
Palomides
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Re: Did the Modron March reset?

I was trying to think of some way to actually tie this quesiton into useful gameplay (assuming that gameplay spans over enough centuries for this to matter). So far, I've only come up with three things (for convenience, I'm just adding 200 or 300 to the 129 year even though that is slightly off the real numbers, so the next March will be in 329 or 429):

-As 329 approaches, there will be a lot of debate (and gambling based) on whether the March will occur that year (and what it signifies if it does or doesn't). Whenever there are competing ideas or the flow of money, adventure is bound to be close at hand.

-Perhaps one person is getting rich exploiting the fears of people not knowing when to expect the March (this might even occur in year 229, as the fear-monger is convincing people that the modrons are now on a 100-year schedule instead of their old 300 year one). Is this person just looking to get rich or does he truly believe what he says?

-Perhaps, there will be confusion in the ranks of the modrons as 329 approaches. Perhaps the majority will march that year; but a splinter fragment remains until 429 when they depart on a lesser secondary March. Perhaps (since I assume this later group will be acting on the independent choices of some higher-level modron) they will be made up of candidates more likely to go rogue. Will some action be needed to get all the modrons back in sync?

Thu, 2010-10-14 06:34
#5
Idran
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Re: Did the Modron March reset?

Palomides wrote:
I was trying to think of some way to actually tie this quesiton into useful gameplay (assuming that gameplay spans over enough centuries for this to matter). So far, I've only come up with three things (for convenience, I'm just adding 200 or 300 to the 129 year even though that is slightly off the real numbers, so the next March will be in 329 or 429):

-As 329 approaches, there will be a lot of debate (and gambling based) on whether the March will occur that year (and what it signifies if it does or doesn't). Whenever there are competing ideas or the flow of money, adventure is bound to be close at hand.

-Perhaps one person is getting rich exploiting the fears of people not knowing when to expect the March (this might even occur in year 229, as the fear-monger is convincing people that the modrons are now on a 100-year schedule instead of their old 300 year one). Is this person just looking to get rich or does he truly believe what he says?

-Perhaps, there will be confusion in the ranks of the modrons as 329 approaches. Perhaps the majority will march that year; but a splinter fragment remains until 429 when they depart on a lesser secondary March. Perhaps (since I assume this later group will be acting on the independent choices of some higher-level modron) they will be made up of candidates more likely to go rogue. Will some action be needed to get all the modrons back in sync?

If the latter's a plot hook you want to go with, I'd suggest looking into the post-Modron March article on the Modrons in Dragon #354. It goes into some after-effects that Tenebrous's takeover of the modrons had on the race, including the formation of a splinter sect still suffering fiendish contamination from Tenebrous's presence. (It also does its best to explain the absence of the modrons in 3e, and I think it does a pretty good job at it.) It doesn't answer your core question, but it's still an interesting piece.

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