PerrySimm says, "log on"
[rpg] GDorn says, "time to start randomly recruiting players."
[rpg] inky asks, "okey doke, so who else is playing?"
[rpg] inky says, "no experience required -- http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=d9m4q7m_28cz2mftcm"
[rpg] olethros asks, "schedule?"
[rpg] GDorn says, "right now until we're sick of it or we're done, probably 3ish hours"
[rpg] GDorn says, "actually, start time is as soon as we get 3-4 players."
[rpg] olethros asks, "oh, right now?"
[rpg] GDorn says, "pretty much."
[rpg] olethros says, "I should be sleeping in a couple of hours"
[rpg] GDorn says, "I bet if we start making characters, four more people will wonder what's going on and want to join in."
[rpg] inky says, "okey doke"
[rpg] olethros says, "ok see you next week then"
[rpg] schep_char1 asks, "what's next week?"
[rpg] olethros says, "the time when four more people will wonder what's going on"
[rpg] inky asks, "ok, so are you going to walk us through the procedure?"
[rpg] GDorn says, "yeah, probably should, just to be more practiced"
[rpg] GDorn says, "I mean, the book is pretty clear, but hey"
[rpg] schep_char1 says, "also, since I have absolutely no clue what the procedure is"
[rpg] GDorn says, "okay, good"
[rpg] GDorn says, "don't download the book, then, I'll see about walking you through it"
[rpg] GDorn says, "and since inky does know the game a bit, he can correct me"
[rpg] schep_char1 says, "I just opened your the google docs link, and that's all I've read."
[rpg] schep_char1 asks, "hmm, should we get PerrySimm?"
[rpg] GDorn says, "okay, good. that's sorta step 1, where I'd narrate about the town. only I have it all typed up."
[rpg] inky asks (of GDorn), "are you logging this? or do you want me to?"
[rpg] GDorn says, "somebody else can, I'm not set up to log stuff"
[rpg] GDorn says, "probably should move either to #stwt or into the room itself"
[rpg] schep_char1 says, "but then it will take longer for people to wonder what we're doing and join"
[rpg] schep_char1 says, "or we can just hit #crows-nest with occasional random remarks"
[rpg] GDorn says, "well, here's fine until somebody complains, I guess"
[rpg] inky says, "okey doke"
[Crows-Nest] Gunther says, "she has *how many* breasts? awesome"
[Crows-Nest] inky says, "hee hee"
[StWT] * Gunther has joined the channel.
[rpg] GDorn says, "so, anyway, at a gaming table I'd sorta narrate the google doc, but it's right there. But to follow up, the key point about the characters is that they live in this town, they're pretty important to the town, the town's a pretty nice place to live, and it relies pretty heavily on the neighboring towns."
[rpg] GDorn says, "e.g. it'd die pretty quick if trade with the seaport in the dutchy were cut off, and it relies a lot on Rathkip for the baron's protection."
[rpg] GDorn says, "it's got a bit of a rivalry going on with Foxford, though."
[rpg] GDorn says, "so, let's make characters."
[rpg] inky says, "those jerks in foxford"
[rpg] GDorn says, "step 1 is write down the stats: arcane, command, endurance, perception, skill, strength"
[rpg] GDorn says, "then, roll 6 six-sided dice and write those in the order you roll them"
GDorn says, "you can do that here in the room"
[rpg] inky says, "I think 'roll 6d6' will work"
inky rolls 6 6-sided dice: 5 1 6 1 2 4| 19
GDorn says, "with 'roll 6d6'"
schep_char1 rolls 6 6-sided dice: 4 3 3 4 2 6| 22
GDorn says, "yeah"
[rpg] inky says, "man, what a spread"
GDorn says, "I'm also going to follow along with my own"
GDorn rolls 6 6-sided dice: 5 1 5 4 5 3| 23
[rpg] GDorn says, "now, those aren't really your stats, they're just a prioritization thing."
[rpg] GDorn says, "to get your real stats:"
[rpg] GDorn says, "the highest number you rolled means put a 6 in that stat"
[rpg] GDorn says, "the lowest number you rolled means put a 3 in that stat"
[rpg] GDorn says, "if there's a tie, choose one"
[rpg] inky asks, "what do we do for ties?"
[rpg] inky says, "heh"
[rpg] Gunther says, "if I roll all 1s..."
[rpg] GDorn says (to Gunther), "then you have one 6 (your choice) and the rest are 3s"
[rpg] GDorn says, "in my case, I had three 5s, so I pick one of those to be my highest"
[rpg] schep_char1 says, "and I have Skill 3, Strength 6."
[rpg] GDorn says, "for the rest of the stats: if you rolled a 1, it's a 3. if you rolled a 2 or 3, it's a 4. if you rolled 4 or 5, it's a 5, and if you rolled a 6, it's a 6"
[rpg] GDorn says, "(I should probably make up some character sheets and print them for the con.)"
[rpg] inky says, "hrm, so arcane 5, command 3, endurance 6, perception 3, skill 4, strength 5"
[rpg] inky says, "I guess I am strong and tough and inexplicably magical"
[rpg] schep_char1 asks, "okay to erase my original dice roll now?"
[rpg] GDorn says, "yup"
[rpg] GDorn says, "looks like the mock character I'm doing is arc6, com3, end5, per5, ski5, str4"
[rpg] GDorn says, "that's a lot of 5s"
[rpg] schep_char1 says, "Arcane 5, Command 4, Endurance 4, Perception 5, Skill 3, Strength 6"
[rpg] GDorn says, "so, next up, you pick a character type."
[rpg] GDorn says, "now, I just made these up, so if they suck or I left out some important type that doesn't fit your stats, now's the time to find that out."
[rpg] inky asks, "do you think just 3 is 'low'? or are 3 and 4 both 'low'?"
[rpg] schep_char1 says, "seems either militia or druid would work here"
[rpg] GDorn says, "hrm. it's not really clear."
[rpg] GDorn says, "I'd say 4 is up to the player, if they think they want to play that character type anyway"
[rpg] GDorn says, "like, a militiaman with a STR of 4 might have a rough go of it."
[rpg] inky says, "I could be a militaman or a woodsman, I guess"
[rpg] GDorn says, "but an envoy iwth a perception of 4 and a command of 4 or 5 would probably be fine."
[rpg] inky says, "that makes sense"
[rpg] inky says (to schep), "well, we could be militamen buddies"
[rpg] inky says, "or I could be a woodsman and you could be a druid I met when I was out woodsmanning"
[rpg] GDorn says, "now that I'm coming at this from the player's side, I don't think I like the Druid. it's really the only arcane class, and it's not especially detailed."
[rpg] inky says, "well, I assume you want one or two classes that have 3 spells"
[rpg] GDorn says, "yeah. I might want to come up with another one, maybe one that is 3 spells, 3 arms"
[rpg] GDorn says, "in a campaign, though, more character types would be unlocked through play, so it doesn't matter much."
[rpg] GDorn says, "(anyway, I derailed things)"
[rpg] schep_char1 says, "I don't think I've really played the Militia type before"
[rpg] GDorn says, "with a strength of 6, that'd be a pretty good choice."
[rpg] Owen is schep.
[rpg] GDorn says, "in a campaign, you can also swap characters each session without really hurting advancement."
[rpg] GDorn says, "or create new ones, or be forced to play a different character because your old one is injured and resting up."
[StWT] * Eolo has joined the channel.
Eolo arrives from the east.
inky seems to be a noun, so we may have learned a naughty word today!
[rpg] Eolo says, "ok, I'll be, hmm, Brennig"
GDorn says, "oh, I didn't notice Gunther sneak in"
[rpg] Brennig says, "Brennig the militia guy"
[rpg] GDorn asks, "two militia dudes?"
[rpg] Owen says, "Och, except I'd rather have variety."
[rpg] Brennig says, "oh, ok, I can be a woodsman then"
[rpg] GDorn says, "I mean, it's okay if that's what you guys want. the classes aren't anywhere near as limiting as D&D, from what I can tell."
[rpg] GDorn says, "okay, so, write down the details for your character types and we'll move on to picking gear and whatnot."
[rpg] GDorn says, "are the abilities clear? the docs are short. hammerhands means you always get an extra red die in combat. tireless is a bit more complicated, but I think it's spelled out well enough."
[rpg] Owen says, "if the +1 red only applies in combat, you might want to note that in the document."
[rpg] GDorn says, "hrm, good point."
[rpg] GDorn says, "actually, it says 'always' in the docs"
[rpg] GDorn says, "by which I mean the main rulebook. so I guess it means always."
[rpg] GDorn says, "any time you're rolling red, you get one more die."
[rpg] GDorn says, "okay, so, arms and gear are in there. if there's something you think is missing, I could probably add it."
[rpg] Owen asks, "gear lists 'Provisions'. Is that something we need to be concerned about?"
[rpg] GDorn says, "that means a particularly large supply of provisions. everybody gets a few things. I should copy that into the docs."
[rpg] GDorn says, "basically, gear is there to provide you with 1 or 2 extra dice for situations where it might apply."
[rpg] GDorn says, "okay, added 'Common Gear' to the docs."
[rpg] Owen says, "so, how about: Broadsword, Shortbow, Chainmail, High Boots, Repair kit, Sensitivity to magic, and Healer's kit."
[rpg] Owen says, "can swap around some of the gear if it's redundant with what Brennig picks"
[rpg] Brennig says, "here's what I'm thinking:"
[rpg] Brennig | Arms: none
[rpg] Brennig | Gear: Splitting maul (2 red, 2-handed); prybar; thick gloves; flint, steel & tinder
[rpg] Brennig | Maps: Legends, lore & myth; childhood memory; familiar spirit; local lore [rpg] Brennig | Spells: A guiding shadow; luck for warriors
[rpg] Owen says, "sounds good"
[rpg] GDorn says, "yeah, I thought that splitting maul might make up for the lack of arms available to the woodsman."
[rpg] GDorn says, "okay, for people, you guys can help me come up with some"
[rpg] Owen says (to Brennig), "wait, looks like flint & steel are 'free'"
[rpg] GDorn says, "typically, they're people of note within the town"
[rpg] Brennig says (to Owen), "yeah, I stuck it on the list but didn't pay for it"
[rpg] Owen says, "ah, okay"
[rpg] Brennig says, "(just to remind myself I had it)"
[rpg] Brennig says, "I would like to have my person be a sassy barmaid"
[rpg] GDorn says, "so, a few noteworthy types in Carrow could be the owner of a shop, a tradesmaster, any of the existing character types..."
[rpg] GDorn says, "could be farmers if they have some amount of pull..."
[rpg] Owen asks, "this is like a contact or buddy?"
[rpg] GDorn says, "pretty much, yeah"
[rpg] GDorn says, "you can use them like gear to gain dice on certain rolls"
[rpg] GDorn says, "the book has some examples like healers, priests, thugs, guards, traders, crafters, elders"
[rpg] (from Owen) Barmaid says (to Brennig), "You're just using me for your social rolls!"
[rpg] Brennig says, "hee hee"
[rpg] GDorn asks, "shall we name the Barmaid?"
[rpg] Brennig says, "I think she is named Nerys"
[rpg] GDorn asks, "maybe even name the tavern she works in, maybe owns?"
[rpg] GDorn says, "(she's supposed to be significant in some way, I think)"
[rpg] Brennig says, "it is called the Drunken Grizzly"
[rpg] Brennig says, "after a famous incident like twenty years ago when this bear got into a still somebody had built out in the woods"
[rpg] Brennig says, "and then came staggering into town"
[rpg] GDorn says, "heh."
[rpg] Owen says, "that was the day I knew I wanted to join the militia"
[rpg] Brennig says, "ha ha"
[rpg] Owen says, "let's see, I get along well with the owner of Elgan's General Store"
[rpg] Brennig says, "it is a popular tavern with the woodsmen and the militia (less so with the merchants)"
[rpg] Brennig says, "I don't think she owns it but she is the #1 employee"
[rpg] GDorn says, "oh, we skipped a step. doesn't matter much which order this happens in, though"
[rpg] Brennig asks, "oops, what step?"
[rpg] GDorn says, "you get some damage checkboxes: you get "still fighting" checkboxes equal to your endurance"
[rpg] GDorn says, "then, you get a second set of damage checkboxes titled "endurance roll" and you get the same number of those"
[rpg] GDorn says, "so the way this works, you mark off the "still fighting" checkboxes first, but when you start getting into the "endurance roll" boxes, you start making rolls to stay in the fight"
[rpg] Owen says, "A shame the Drunken Grizzly and the Glass Goose are only a block apart. Seems the merchants call one of us every summer night about the noise."
[rpg] GDorn asks, "so, let's figure out a few more flavor bits about you guys. how old are you, what sort of things do you do day-to-day, what's your outlook on life, etc?"
[rpg] Brennig says, "ha ha"
[rpg] Brennig says, "I am a happy-go-lucky guy in his late twenties who does not worry about the future too much"
Owen I grew up here, I'm 31, and I'm proud to serve the town. Off duty, I often hang out at the Grizzly with friends. A simple life, but I'm content.
[rpg] Brennig says, "I divide my time pretty evenly between the woods, the mill, and the bar"
[rpg] GDorn asks, "so, what does Owen do when he's not militia-ing?"
[rpg] Brennig says, "he said it in the room"
[rpg] GDorn says, "oh, I totally didn't parse that."
[rpg] GDorn says, "I get trained to look for one color..."
[rpg] GDorn says, "okay, so, we'll get on with it, then."
[rpg] GDorn says, "So, every year, the winter is harsh and trade basically stops. It's often impossible to make it from Carrow out to the Hitower, so anybody that's out there is on their own for months at a time."
[rpg] Brennig asks, "is the hitower those ruins to the west of the city?"
[rpg] Owen asks, "people live/camp at the Hitower ruins?"
[rpg] GDorn says, "yeah. the hitower is about two days into the pass."
[rpg] GDorn says, "there's a really small trading post there, mostly just a 'last gas for 60 miles' sort of place"
[rpg] Brennig says, "it's one of those shops for suckers who realize they forgot some rope or a wagon wheel or whatever and don't want to go back for it"
[rpg] GDorn says, "every spring, the town starts growing as dozens of merchant caravans from deeper in the kingdom stop at the fort, waiting for the pass to clear."
[rpg] GDorn says, "you can even earn some money just by making the trek yourself, measuring the depth of the snow, and coming back to report."
[rpg] GDorn says, "there's always a few early attempts by caravans wanting to get their goods to the seaport first. this year, though, just before the pass was to be declare 'officially' open, a sudden cold snap hit and a blizzard dropped another foot of snow on the region."
Owen says, "ah, Springtime is dallying again."
Brennig says, "I'm freezing my nuts off when I'm supposed to be working"
[rpg] Owen asks, "any recent departures likely to be in danger?"
[rpg] Brennig says, "also, if it's winter, I'm going to take heavy winter clothes instead of some other gear"
[rpg] GDorn says, "this was after the first early-bird caravan had left, a pair of merchants, three guards, a couple mules, and a wagon full of barrels."
[rpg] GDorn says, "(good idea)"
Brennig says, "guess it could be worse, though, I could be one of the poor bastards who left early"
[rpg] GDorn says, "three days after the blizzard, it's still bitterly cold, windy, and near impossible to climb the road into the pass, much less make it to hitower or back."
[rpg] GDorn says, "that evening, though, as you're just settling into a night of drinking at the Grizzly, one of the night watch raises an alarm"
Brennig exclaims, "...so the moose went running away, with his red longjohns still wrapped around its horns! can you beat that!"
Brennig asks, "--eh, what's that?"
[rpg] GDorn says, "outside, there's a bit of a din; several guards are out at the west gate, holding torches and bracing against the snow-blow wind"
Owen asks, "Har ha... -- hm?"
Owen gets his gear quickly and heads out to join the guards.
Brennig says, "c'mon, let's go see what's going on"
Brennig hurries after Owen, not wanting to miss anything good
[rpg] GDorn says, "as you arrive, the west gate guard, in his little perch, suddenly points off the the west - "There, I see him again." Sure enough, a man is staggering painfully through the snow and wind, towards the town."
Owen says, "och, one returning? gods have mercy."
Brennig says, "that's no good"
Owen heads out to help the poor soul.
Brennig tags along
[rpg] GDorn says, "When Owen heads out, two more guards go with him, but suddenly stop short when the man enters the torchlight. He's covered in frost, but also tinged red with blood."
[rpg] GDorn says, "(I think I mean tinted.)"
Brennig makes a superstitious gesture to ward off evil spirits.
Owen says, "You there, go find Keyna the healer!"
Owen continues fighting through the snowdrift and wind.
[rpg] GDorn says, "moments later, the man, whom you've now recognized as Gareth, a caravan guard you drank with earlier that week, is packed into a cot in Keyna's house. Along the way, he seemed delirious, occasionally trying to shout but barely managing a croak, "they're still behind me""
Owen glances back, but sees nothing but the thick driving snow.
Brennig asks, "who's behind you, man? what happened to your caravan?"
Owen says, "easy. Let him warm and rest a bit, then we'll have the tale."
Brennig says, "fine, fine"
Brennig fidgets impatiently.
[rpg] GDorn says, "Keyna, annoyed, asks you to leave her cabin. "I've got work to do." Gareth, still wild-eyed and moaning, is trying to speak, but she hushes him."
[rpg] GDorn says, "(we could use some dice here if you wanted; the game really emphasizes that.)"
[rpg] Brennig says, "sure, I want to stay and watch"
[rpg] Brennig asks, "what do I do?"
[rpg] GDorn says, "that's probably a command roll to convince Keyna to let you stay"
Owen says (to Keyna), "I'll stay out of your way, but we need to know if he has has friends nearby ... or enemies."
[rpg] Brennig asks, "so I just roll 3 dice since I have command 3?"
[rpg] Owen asks, "roll what, d6?"
[rpg] GDorn says, "yeah, I guess so. unless you have anything that might modify that."
[rpg] Brennig says, "do 'roll 3 command'"
[StWT] Brennig rolls some dice: [3 command: 2]
[StWT] Owen rolls some dice: [4 command: 2]
[rpg] Brennig says, "so we each got 2 hits"
[rpg] Brennig says, "(they're 50-50 chances)"
[rpg] GDorn says, "so, the way controlling others works, you have 2 hits of sway over her, each. one hit is needed to get her to commit to an action (letting you stay) and the second hit gets you duration (1 hour)"
[rpg] GDorn says, "but if something comes up that challenges her decision, she'll use up another hit and your command will wear off"
[rpg] Brennig says, "fair enough"
Brennig says, "oh, c'mon, let me stay, you might need someone to hold him down if he gets wild"
[rpg] GDorn says, "So, she relents and lets you stay. Gareth's in pretty rough shape. As she's working on him, she's sewing up some of his wounds."
Gunther left a note saying, "This man was killed because he Knew Too Much. Sincerely, The Conspiracy."
[rpg] GDorn says, "(this is probably a good example of another roll - perception. this lets you notice things.)"
[StWT] Brennig rolls some dice: [3 perception: 1]
Owen glances over the wounds, wondering what manner of weapon or beast was responsible.
[StWT] Owen rolls some dice: [5 perception: 1]
[StWT] Owen says, "bah"
[rpg] GDorn says, "so, perception works similarly. one hit lets you notice whatever it is. two hits identifies it (if relevant). each additional hit gets you one extra detail."
[rpg] GDorn says, "so, yeah, you both notice that she cleaning a lot of blood off him. Brennig also notices that his arms and hands got the worst of it and the blood on his face must have come from elsewhere."
Brennig asks (of Owen), "he looks torn up awful bad -- but what would be out in this kind of weather?"
Owen says (to Brennig), "well, you're more familiar with the beasts in these parts than I"
[rpg] GDorn says, "this could be use of an Arcane roll, but I would limit it to the number of hits you got with the perception roll"
[StWT] Brennig rolls some dice: [5 arcane: 1]
Brennig scratches his head
[rpg] Brennig says, "I guess I could have used a map, but whatever, I only could get 1 hit anyway"
[rpg] GDorn says, "(sorry, was looking up how the cap mechanic worked. yeah, you couldn't get more than 1)"
[rpg] GDorn says, "so, for 1 hit on 'know something' roll, you get an impression."
[rpg] GDorn says, "for that, you get the idea that it probably was an animal of some kind. he looks a bit chewed on."
Brennig shrugs, finally. "Maybe wolves? Some kind of animal, anyway, but it must be starving to be hunting now"
[rpg] GDorn says, "Keyna, having bandaged the worst of the wounds, has begun making him drink a mug of something she's been brewing on her wood stove"
[rpg] GDorn says, "finally, after an uncomfortable silence lasting nearly an hour, Gareth wakes back up and glances around the small cabin. "I guess I made it." He smiles, weakly."
Owen asks, "Aye, welcome back to Carrow. So what happened?"
[rpg] GDorn says, "(We should probably consider the conversation with Gareth 'charged')"
[rpg] GDorn says, "the mechanic for that is you roll perception. during the conversation, you can spend hits to ask me question about what's going on:"
[rpg] GDorn says, "e.g. are they lying, do they know more than what they're saying, how do they feel about it, what it would take to make the person feel a certain way, what the person intends to do, or what the person wishes for you to do."
[rpg] Owen says, "okay"
[StWT] Owen rolls some dice: [5 perception: 2]
[rpg] GDorn says, "(those are from the book, but probably could be exanded to include similar things)"
[StWT] Brennig rolls some dice: [3 perception: 1]
[rpg] Brennig asks, "hmm, ok, so does he tell us anything for free? or do we have to pay hits for all of it?"
[rpg] GDorn says, "Gareth looks uncomfortable, aside from being bandaged and recently brought back from near death. "We made it out to Hitower, but then we were stranded there by the blizzard. We were fine anyway, just stranded there, but it didn't let up and suddenly we were low on food somehow.""
Brennig asks, "what do you mean, somehow? don't you know?"
[rpg] GDorn says, ""It didn't make sense; we'd packed plenty. But then, two days with no food and we were going to head out the next morning.""
[rpg] Brennig says, "(I would like to spend my one hit to see if he knows more)"
[rpg] GDorn says, "(He knows more. He knows something happened to the food, but he's not saying.)"
[rpg] Brennig says (to Owen), "ok, I'm out of hits, so it's up to you to pry more if you want"
Brennig asks, "then what happened?"
[rpg] Owen says, "I'm more waiting for the what-attacked part"
[rpg] Brennig says, "that seems sensible"
Owen says, "so your caravan was forced to attempt returning..."
[rpg] GDorn says, ""The caravan master wanted us to stay there, wait for help, but it didn't look like any was coming, so we'd decided to head back to Carrow the next morning. But that night, while I was sleeping, something must have gotten into the camp.""
[rpg] GDorn says, ""I was woken up by all of them screaming. And the camp guards were fighting off something huge, like a yeti or a giant or something, and the caravan master got everybody together that he could and we ran.""
Owen looks a little skeptical, but Gareth's the one with serious wounds.
[rpg] GDorn says, ""Only something chased us. For a whole day and half a night, something chased us back through the pass. And it just kept howling at us, and people just kept disappearing.""
Brennig asks, "how'd it get into the camp? didn't you have guards?"
Owen asks, "You know if anyone else is still out there?"
[rpg] GDorn says, "Gareth looks briefly ashamed. "There were guards, but not enough. It just came in though the gate, and there was just madness everywhere.""
[rpg] GDorn says, ""They're all still out there. I mean, they must be frozen, now. But they were all mad by then." He pauses, like he's about to say something crazy. "Niall, the other caravan guard? He did this to me." He holds up his bandaged hands."
Owen gasps.
Brennig exclaims, "that's crazy!"
Owen asks, "Everyone, driven mad?"
[rpg] GDorn says, "Gareth says, "I don't know how many of them went mad and how many of them just... didn't make it back.""
[rpg] Owen asks, "can I spend a hit for 'how can I earn some trust and hear his unfounded suspicions'?"
Owen asks, "It would take more than a storm and some beasts to turn sensible people against each other. Some sort of sorcery, you think?"
[rpg] GDorn says, "hrm. I'm not sure what the second part of that means. you could spend a hit to find out what it would take to make him trust you."
[rpg] Owen says, "okay, that"
[rpg] GDorn says, "hmm. possibly two ways, and I'm not totally sure. one would be to get him some booze. another would be to assure him you don't think he did anything wrong."
[rpg] GDorn says, "(if it turns out I'm wrong because something changes, you get another free hit immediately; it's in the rules)"
[rpg] Owen says, "ha ha, booze always makes friends"
[rpg] Brennig says, "well, I'm sure Keyan's got some medicinal brandy around"
Owen says, "Sounds like a terrible ordeal. You're a brave man to make it back. And don't go blame yourself over the ones who didn't, sounds like there wasn't much you could do."
GDorn says, "He looks uneasy about this, but finally says, "You're right. We were on a death march to get back here. I should count myself lucky to be alive.""
[rpg] Brennig says, "LIES"
Owen says, "Seems like too much bad luck to be coincidence, though. Any guesses why the food disappeared, or what was making men go mad? I can leave it off my report to the constable, if you prefer."
GDorn says, "He continues, "Maybe it was sorcery? It didn't seem right, but everyone was so hungry.""
[rpg] Owen says, "*thwap*"
[rpg] Brennig says, "oHO"
GDorn says, ""The food." He sighs. "We were going through it so fast, I stayed up that first night to see why. The people at the camp were stealing it for themselves.""
Brennig asks, "...did you do that too?"
GDorn says, "No, I wasn't starving. But the camp, it must have been starving. They all looked so gaunt, like they hadn't eaten for months."
Owen says, "Oh, gods. The sooner the thaw comes, the better."
[rpg] Owen asks, "we about done with this scene?"
[rpg] Brennig says, "yeah, I don't have anything else I want to ask"
[rpg] GDorn says, "so, the hour that Keyna will allow you to stay is just about up. Do you want to spend your last hit on something? Also, it is possible to use command to force people to talk. The downside is it may make him stop trusting you."
[rpg] Brennig says, "enh, whatever, what's he going to tell su"
Owen says, "Well, you get your rest, Gareth. Listen to Keyna, and when you're better, I'll see you back at the Grizzly."
Owen says (to Keyna), "Thanks for putting up with us."
[rpg] GDorn asks, "okay, so what now?"
Owen starts writing up a half-literate report to the constable.
GDorn says, "Outside the healer's cabin, a number of guards are milling around, waiting to hear the story."
Brennig repeats it with a lot of dramatic gestures
Brennig exclaims, "...and they were all eating the food, as fast as they could! .. and then something got into the camp! and starting attacking them! they were biting each other!"
[Crows-Nest] Owen gives Brennig an official warning about Inciting Panic.
[Crows-Nest] Brennig says, "hee hee"
GDorn says, "There's some scared whispers and the guards disperse, having no idea what to do next."
Owen spends the next part of the evening talking down the more ridiculous rumors, but keeping more silent about the more disturbingly feasible ones.
[rpg] Brennig says, "I guess if I were less cooperative I would just sit around, but no reason not to push things along"
Brennig asks (of Owen), "ey, Owen, what say you talk the chief into letting us go out for a few days and have a look at the camp?"
[rpg] GDorn says, "heh. that works. also, the captain of the guard was going to send you out looking for any survivors anyway."
Owen says (to Brennig), "If the weather lets up a bit, aye. Starved town in the pass, enormous beasts, and sudden madness... all rather unsettling."
GDorn says, "There's not much talk of sending anybody out that night; far too dark and snowy for that. But the next morning, the wind has died down enough to consider it, and sure enough, the captain of the guard turns to you to find out what happened to Hitower and find any survivors of the caravan."
Brennig says, "I'm not an official member of the militia but it's not like I have anything better to do -- can't go chopping trees in this weather, and I'm running out of credit at the Grizzly"
Owen asks (of Captain), "Aye. Will the town provide provisions to bring to Hitower?"
GDorn says, "The Captian (uh, Coalan), says, "We will send a caravan behind you, and modest provisions with you, but you must concentrate on finding any survivors first.""
Owen says, "Very good. We'll be off within the hour."
[rpg] GDorn asks, "anything else you want to accomplish before leaving, or shall we jump to the trek?"
[rpg] Brennig says, "nah, let's go"
[Crows-Nest] Owen says, "yup, gather belongings and Useful Stuff, and get going."
[Crows-Nest] Owen says, "^#rpg"
[rpg] GDorn asks, "straight to Hitower along the road, or try to do any tracking, or apply some other abilities, or... ?"
[rpg] Owen asks, "was Gareth coming in along the road?"
[rpg] GDorn says, "well, at the very least, he came the last leg of the trip by the road"
[rpg] GDorn says, "but who knows before that"
[rpg] Brennig says, "well, let's go on the road and look for tracks to see when he cut off"
[rpg] Owen says, "probably best to stick to the road, until we spot anything else"
[rpg] GDorn says, "okay. tracking is basically just a perception roll, like before. though if you have abilities or gear or whatever, those could apply."
[rpg] GDorn says, "you should each make two perception rolls, to see if and when you notice certain things coming up."
[rpg] Brennig says, "hrm, I don't really see anything relevant"
[StWT] Brennig rolls some dice: [3 perception: 3]
[StWT] Brennig rolls some dice: [3 perception: 2]
[rpg] Owen asks, "speaking of abilities, is "sensitivity to magic" mostly a passive thing, or something I would need to choose to use?"
[StWT] Owen rolls some dice: [5 perception: 3]
[StWT] Brennig says, "I think all the spells are things you choose to use"
[rpg] GDorn says, "yeah, that's a spell you actively use"
[rpg] Owen asks, "how often can I use it, and how long does it last?"
[rpg] GDorn says, "you can use it whenever, but it gets increasingly hard to cast it without a miscast chance"
[rpg] GDorn says, "and it doesn't have duration; it's basically a perception roll but applied to magic"
[rpg] Owen says, "got it"
[rpg] GDorn says, "so, a few hours west of town, you spot a light trail of blood and tracks coming to the road from the north"
Brennig says, "he must have stumbled off the road in the snow"
[rpg] GDorn says, "oh, you got a bunch more hits than that"
Owen asks, "Or did the caravan camp off the road for some reason?"
[rpg] GDorn says, "it's certainly Gareth's trail, and this is where he rejoined the road. It looks like he was running pretty fast at this point."
Brennig says, "well, it's another day or so to the ruins, unless they didn't actually make it all that far"
Owen says, "Maybe we can spot tracks of who or what he was running from"
Brennig says, "good idea -- see if anyone was chasing him"
Owen starts off retracing Gareth's path.
[rpg] GDorn says, "okay, you follow his trail for a while. it's slow going and you nearly lose the trail several times. make another perception roll."
[StWT] Owen rolls some dice: [5 perception: 3]
[StWT] Brennig rolls some dice: [3 perception: 2]
[rpg] GDorn says, "after a few hours, following Gareth's trail backwards, you've turn mostly west when Owen spots a second trail about a hundred yards to the north."
[rpg] GDorn says, "it looks like it was made by two people with a strangely unhurried yet long-striding gait. they, too, were headed east at the time."
Owen says, "oho," and points out the disturbed snow a ways over.
Brennig asks, "strange -- were they chasing him? or headed for the city?"
[rpg] GDorn says, "(You could make an arcane roll to try to figure out where that trail would lead, assuming it kept going in the direction it's headed)"
[StWT] Owen rolls some dice: [5 arcane: 1]
[StWT] Brennig rolls some dice: [5 arcane: 2]
[rpg] GDorn says, "well, the impression is it's not the town, unless they were lost. the first solid detail is that due east of here is the river, probably less than a half hour away."
[rpg] GDorn says, "also, farmland around the river (that's not totally clear on the map and I should probably fix that)"
Owen says, "Maybe they hoped to find a farm closer than the city."
Brennig says, "we'd better follow these new tracks"
[rpg] GDorn asks, "which way?"
[rpg] Brennig says, "on to the river and the farm, is what I was thinking"
[rpg] GDorn asks (of Owen), "sound good?"
Owen says, "I don't know - but I suppose these tracks may be the most likely survivors."
Brennig says, "or leading to more new victims"
Owen says, "Ehm. Anyway, let's go."
GDorn says, "An hour so so later, with the sun hanging low over Mount Noc, you come across a grisly scene."
GDorn says, "In the middle of the trail you've been following is a pile of snow-covered bones. All around the pile, the snow is a deep red."
Brennig says, "...gah"
Owen says, "erk"
[rpg] Owen asks, "human-looking bones? does the trail continue?"
GDorn says, "The bones appear to be freshly picked clean."
Brennig says, "gnawed? what the hell"
[rpg] GDorn says, "perception for the former, and yes for the latter"
[StWT] Owen rolls some dice: [5 perception: 5]
[rpg] GDorn says, "wow."
[rpg] GDorn says, "okay, um."
[rpg] Owen says, "I think I determined the exact age of the victim(s)"
[rpg] Owen asks, "any signs of vultures, wolves, etc.?"
[rpg] GDorn says, "1. yeah, they're human. 2. There's two humans, but their bones are all just tossed here. 3. There's no tracks for these two humans. Maybe they were carried? 4. The two people with the strange gait were sitting in the snow nearby, and tossed the bones in the pile as they were eating. 5. The two people who sat there must be incredibly skinny."
Brennig says, "freaky"
Owen says, "so we're following either mad cannibals, or small yetis."
Brennig looks uneasy.
Brennig says, "they were hungry, whatever they were"
Owen asks, "but if they kept moving, do we stand much chance of catching up with them?"
Brennig asks, "I'm not sure -- how old do you think these tracks are?"
Owen says, "hmm."
[StWT] Owen rolls some dice: [5 perception: 4]
GDorn says, "well, the bone pile is very recent, in the last day."
[rpg] Owen says (to dice), "c'mon, save some of my luck for later"
Brennig says, "if they keep stopping we'll have to catch up eventually"
[rpg] GDorn says, "with that perception roll, I'll also give you: you hear, not too far to the east, a strange howling"
Owen says, "did you hear that? Maybe we're close after all."
Brennig says, "let's hurry, then"
Brennig trudges onwards.
Owen says, "right"
Owen readies his shortbow while tromping through the snow.
GDorn says, "A short while later, the howling is nearby, along with wooden crashing noises. You crest a small foothill and spot a small farmhouse with two awkwardly skinny people out front, taking turns bashing the door with bare hands."
Brennig exclaims, "there they are!"
Brennig unstraps the maul from his back.
Owen sneaks forward into range.
[rpg] GDorn says, "hrm. how to resolve this? I guess sneaking is a skill roll."
[StWT] Owen rolls some dice: [3 skill: 1]
[StWT] Brennig rolls some dice: [4 skill: 4]
[rpg] Brennig says, "good thing you're the guy with the ranged weapon"
[rpg] GDorn says, "okay, let's join battle. the situation is you're coming down a hill towards them. you were trying to sneak up on them, so I'll give Owen a free extra shot with the bow on the first turn."
[rpg] GDorn says, "the first step is say what you're doing. you can fight or do something else."
[rpg] GDorn says, "for me, one of each of the pair is going after one of you."
Owen draws an arrow, and shouts "Surrender! Uh, we have food!"
[rpg] GDorn says, "(also, we can keep changing declarations until we're all happy with them)"
[rpg] Brennig says, "I'm going to charge at the nearest one, swinging my maul"
[rpg] Owen says, "I will wait to see their reaction to me, even if it means losing the surprise attack."
[rpg] GDorn says, "okay. instead, one of them is going to howl at you frighteningly while the other charges you."
[rpg] Brennig says, "that is ok by me, I'm still charging"
[rpg] Owen says, "given that reaction, it's time to attack."
[rpg] GDorn says, "okay, on to Setup. this is when we figure out dice pools and also if any special powers apply."
[rpg] GDorn says, "these guys have a special power that affects this stage"
[rpg] Brennig says, "hmm, I guess mine doesn't"
[rpg] Brennig asks, "what decides our dice pools?"
[rpg] GDorn says, "specifically, they have Frighten. To attack them, you need to make a command roll vs 3."
[rpg] Owen says, "oof"
[rpg] Brennig asks, "vs 3??"
[StWT] Brennig rolls some dice: [3 command: 2]
[StWT] Owen rolls some dice: [4 command: 3]
[rpg] GDorn says, "if you fail, it's each hit you are shy costs you 1 white die for the duration of the battle."
[rpg] Brennig says, "ok, that's not so bad"
[rpg] GDorn says, "(on the plus side, if you decide to flee, you get +2 green dice to run away)"
[rpg] Brennig asks, "how many white dice do I get normally?"
[rpg] Brennig says, "I guess I could just look"
[rpg] GDorn says, "okay, for dice pools, you get strength for white, and then the red/blue/green depends on your actions"
[rpg] Brennig says, "it looks like charging gives me an extra red die"
[rpg] GDorn says, "(pardon my slowness, I'm discovering the book is not awesomely organized)"
[rpg] Brennig says, "I'm on page 60"
[rpg] GDorn says, "okay, so red dice are based on your weapon plus any bonuses you might get from somewhere. blue dice are your armor."
[rpg] GDorn says, "for me, one of the monsters that's howling at Owen is rolling green dice, but the other is rolling red."
[rpg] Owen says, "so 3 red, 2 blue for me."
[rpg] Brennig says, "so I get 4 (5-1) white dice, 3 (2+1) red, and 1 blue"
[StWT] Brennig rolls some dice: [4 white: 1] [3 red: 2 + 1 = 3] [1 blue: 1 + 1 = 2]
[rpg] GDorn says (to Owen), "and since you're getting that extra ranged attack, you can roll just the red a second time."
[rpg] Brennig says, "you can use the special 'roll X white Y red Z blue' exit"
[StWT] Owen rolls some dice: [6 white: 5] [3 red: 3 + 5 = 8] [2 blue: 1 + 5 = 6]
[StWT] Owen rolls some dice: [3 red: 2]
[rpg] Brennig exclaims, "nice!"
[StWT] GDorn rolls some dice: [5 white 3 red: 3]
[rpg] GDorn says, "whoops"
[rpg] Brennig says, "yeah, I think the special exit only works for sets of three"
[rpg] Brennig says, "so put in a 0 or something"
[StWT] GDorn rolls some dice: [5 white: 3] [3 red: 1 + 3 = 4] [0 blue: 0 + 3 = 3]
[rpg] GDorn says, "ah, there"
[StWT] GDorn rolls some dice: [5 white: 1] [2 green: 0 + 1 = 1] [0 blue: 0 + 1 = 1]
[rpg] GDorn says, "okay, that looks like: Owen got 8 hits and 7 hits on the first one. It tried to bite him (when it finally got there) but couldn't get through his armor, and then Owen dropped him with the second arrow."
[rpg] GDorn says, "(15 hits is a _lot_)"
[rpg] Brennig asks, "wait, 15?"
[rpg] GDorn says, "8 for the first one, 7 for the second one"
[rpg] Brennig says, "oh, I see"
[rpg] Brennig says, "gosh"
[StWT] Owen says, "I guess my 5 white successes count both times"
[rpg] GDorn says, "then, the other one howling at Owen"
[rpg] GDorn says, "ah, okay. the 1 green success just means you'll need another command roll against 1, I think, to attack him."
[rpg] GDorn says, "and the Brennig got to him and smashed him for 2 hits"
[rpg] Brennig says, "take that, jerky"
[rpg] GDorn asks, "on to round two. what's everybody doing?"
[rpg] Owen says, "if 'shooting into melee' is as difficult or risky as it sounds, I'll run up with the sword this time."
[rpg] Owen says, "smite first, detect magic later"
[rpg] Brennig says, "hee hee"
[rpg] GDorn says, "yeah, there aren't really rules for it, but it's concievable that the monster could use Brennig as a tactical advantage against you."
[rpg] Brennig says, "I'll, hmm, distract him so he's easier for Owen to attack"
[rpg] Owen asks, "do I need another roll vs. creepy?"
[rpg] GDorn says (to Owen), "yeah, but you only need 1 hit, I think."
[StWT] Owen rolls some dice: [4 command: 3]
[rpg] GDorn says (to Brennig), "okay, if you want to distract, that's probably skill roll during setup, and then your green hits become extra red dice for Owen"
[StWT] Brennig rolls some dice: [4 skill: 2]
[rpg] Brennig says, "not bad"
[rpg] GDorn says, "meanwhile, the monster is totally going to try to eat Brennig's head."
[rpg] Owen says, "!!"
[rpg] Brennig asks, "then do I roll red dice anyway? or just roll 0 red dice? or what?"
[rpg] GDorn says, "trying to figure that out"
[rpg] GDorn says, "yeah, 0 red dice I think"
[rpg] Brennig says, "okey doke"
[rpg] GDorn says, "normally, you'd give yourself the advantage and your hits would be your red dice, but you're giving those to Owen"
[StWT] Brennig rolls some dice: [4 white: 3] [0 red: 0 + 3 = 3] [1 blue: 0 + 3 = 3]
[StWT] GDorn rolls some dice: [5 white: 3] [3 red: 1 + 3 = 4] [0 blue: 0 + 3 = 3]
[rpg] Owen asks, "so the skill roll gave me +2 red dice?"
[rpg] GDorn says, "and owen gets an extra 2 red dice on his attack"
[rpg] GDorn says, "yep."
[StWT] Owen rolls some dice: [6 white: 3] [5 red: 3 + 3 = 6] [2 blue: 1 + 3 = 4]
[rpg] GDorn says, "So, Brennig fights dramatically but ineffectively, and the monster slashes him with long teeth for 1 hit. Owen charges in and cuts the monster down with his sword."
Brennig says, "argh, my arm"
[rpg] GDorn says, "as the monsters die, they seem to sink in on themselves, becoming even more gaunt and translucent"
[rpg] Owen says, "using Sensitivity to magic. (Is there a scroll or some tool involved, or is it just an ability I know?)"
Brennig looks at the bodies as they crumple to try to figure out what they are
[rpg] GDorn says, "they both colored gray like ash, with skin so tight you can see their bones."
[rpg] GDorn says, "okay, spellcasting..."
[rpg] GDorn says, "what you do is roll Arcane, and then spend those hits to power the spell."
[StWT] Owen rolls some dice: [5 arcane: 1]
[rpg] GDorn says, "ouch."
[rpg] Owen says, "I guess I find out whether they are magical or not"
[rpg] Owen says, "which would be a start"
[rpg] GDorn says, "well, it's a tiny bit more complicated. you choose where to spend hits. with Sensitivity to magic, there's only two rows of checkboxes. the first row prevents having to roll a miscast. right now, you need to spend one hit to avoid rolling for a miscast. the second row is [] detect []identify []+ details"
[rpg] GDorn says, "each time you cast a spell, the number of hits needed to avoid rolling for a miscast goes up by 1"
[rpg] GDorn says, "so, your choices, with 1 hit, is to have the spell do nothing, or roll for a miscast and maybe get to detect magic."
[rpg] GDorn says, "on the miscast table, rolling 3-6 just means the spell takes longer"
[rpg] GDorn says, "on a 2, you can still cast it but it drains your arcane by 1 for the rest of the adventure"
[rpg] GDorn says, "and on a 1, you take 1 damage but the spell still happens"
[rpg] GDorn says, "wait"
[rpg] GDorn says, "wrong table. ack."
[rpg] GDorn says, "well, it's basically the same, actually."
[rpg] Owen says, "so it still succeeds, but with a cost? okay."
Owen rolls 1 6-sided die: 3| 3
[rpg] GDorn says, "okay. that means it'll take you a solid hour to cast it."
[rpg] GDorn says, "if anything interrupts you for a minute or two, it'll fizzle"
Brennig says, "while he's doing that, I knock on the door. "It's ok! They're gone!" I say"
[rpg] Owen asks, "mm. can I expect the results to be interesting, even though their bodies seem to be gone by the time I'm getting started?"
[rpg] GDorn says, "well, they don't seem to be disintegrating past the skin+bones point"
[rpg] Owen says, "if not, I don't really want to waste the hour. ah, hm."
GDorn says, "After a moment of hushed conversation, the door opens, revealing a middle-aged woman brandishing a pitchfork. Behind her, an elderly man is sitting in a rocking chair."
[rpg] Brennig asks, "do I recognize them?"
[rpg] GDorn says, "yeah, the old man owns the farm and she's his daughter"
Brennig says, "howdy Glyn, Eira. nothing to worry about any more"
Brennig says, "Owen n'I got here just in time, looks like"
GDorn says, "Eira glares at the bodies, then at you, and says, "What were those things?""
Owen says, "... cursed fiddly spell..."
Brennig says, "not sure yet -- Owen's trying to see what he can find"
Brennig says, "we think they attacked a caravan a few days ago and then came here looking for more food"
[rpg] GDorn says, "(now that they're right there in front of you, you could totally make perception rolls to pick up clues and then capped arcane rolls to see what you know about them)"
[rpg] Brennig says, "hmm, ok"
[StWT] Brennig rolls some dice: [3 perception: 3]
[StWT] Brennig rolls some dice: [5 arcane: 2]
[rpg] Owen asks, "should I wait to roll that, or just go ahead now?"
[rpg] GDorn says, "okay, for three perception: they are wearing the tattered remains of clothing you recognize as guards of that caravan (1), their lips are tattered and bloody and they smell like rotting meat(2), you're pretty sure you had an ale with that guy last week (3)"
[rpg] Brennig says, "oh, whoops, you meant him, not me"
[rpg] Brennig says, "sorry"
[rpg] GDorn says, "(no, I meant Brennig, Owen's busy casting a spell still)"
[rpg] Brennig says, "...oh, ok"
[rpg] GDorn asks, "and for two arcane hits: some sort of curse made them, like a vampire or werewolf(1), they're not really monsters, but were cursed somehow to become cannibals, or maybe because they are cannibals they're cursed?"
[rpg] Brennig says, "creepy"
[rpg] Brennig says, "well, ok, I will invite myself into the farmhouse and get the bite in my arm looked at, and then wait for Owen to finish his spell and see what he says"
[rpg] GDorn says, "so, then Owen finishes his spell, and yeah, there was magic involved here..."
Owen also looks over the cursed dead men.
[StWT] Owen rolls some dice: [5 perception: 0]
[rpg] Owen says, "yup, dead"
[rpg] GDorn says, "also, we've been playing for about 4 and a half hours. I'm more-or-less satisfied with the overall mechanics practiced, so it's up to you guys if you want to finish here, move on to finding the big bad, etc."
[rpg] Brennig says, "this was fun but I don't have time to play much more tonight"
[rpg] GDorn says, "we could also resume at a later date or speed-run through an abridged version"
[rpg] Owen says, "I'd be interested in continuing if you want to keep GMing and more players appear."
[rpg] Owen says, "another time, I mean"
[rpg] GDorn says, "yeah, this is also a potential stopping point where we could add more players and resume the plot."
[rpg] Brennig says, "ok, that works for me"
[rpg] GDorn says, "thanks for helping me fill out the plot details a bit. I'm never quite sure how to actually get things rolling."
[rpg] GDorn says, "I think I needed to have more stuff happen near the town, but I'm not really sure."
[rpg] Brennig says, "I think having a series of tracking rolls is usually a mistake"
[rpg] Owen says, "the plot seemed to flow okay"
[rpg] GDorn says, "maybe if Gareth had arrived during the day and the two minor monsters had chased him almost all the way."
[rpg] Brennig says, "that might be a little punchier, yeah"
[rpg] Owen says, "that would kick things to a faster start, yeah"
[rpg] Brennig says, "I kind of liked coming on them as they were trying to break into a farmhouse, though"
[rpg] GDorn says, "yeah. but even if all of the tracking rolls had been fails, you would have ended up at Hitower to find giant clues there."
[rpg] GDorn says, "yeah, I like that scene, too."
[rpg] Brennig says, "but I guess that could be another set if necessary"
[rpg] GDorn says, "oh, easily. now that I see that 1xv monsters are like candy"
[rpg] GDorn says, "I should probably beef up the minor monsters just a touch, though. if there were four players, that wouldn't have lasted past the first round."
[rpg] Owen says, "it does help when the militiaman rolls 5 white successes on the first round"
[rpg] Brennig says, "yeah, that was pretty impressive"
[rpg] GDorn says, "yeah. and additional attacks are probably something I shouldn't hand out to players. that 5 turned into 10..."
[rpg] Owen says, "or if you do surprise attacks, make it a separate white and separate red roll"
[rpg] GDorn says, "the farmhouse scene was basically improv. I knew there were some cursed guards roaming around, but I needed a scene that made some sense and didn't just have you stumble on them randomly"
[rpg] Owen says, "maybe against a single blue roll or something. I guess I dunno."
[rpg] Brennig says, "hrm"
[rpg] Brennig says, "it seems like the extra attack shouldn't have necessarily been overpowered"
[rpg] Brennig says, "I mean, it was just the once"
[rpg] Brennig says, "and it's like getting to use a power that your class can start with and have all the time"
[rpg] GDorn says, "true. and actually, the 8 hits from the first arrow were enough to take him down..."
[rpg] GDorn says, "and each hit does count separately against the blue dice, it's just that the mini-monsters didn't have any blue dice and rolled poorly"
[rpg] Brennig exclaims, "ok, so resume at some date to be named later. thanks!"
PerrySimm says, "log off"