Showing posts with label Solo Inspiration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Solo Inspiration. Show all posts

Monday, February 24, 2020

Analogue Diceless Solo RPG Survival Kit

Behold! My analogue diceless rpg setup, good for a plane trip or camping without a tote bag of holding containing one's entire gaming collection.
  • coil-bound ruled notebook
  • Pocket Dice Roller - Seth Kenlon
  • The Wheel of Fate: A Mythic Fate Chart Alternative - Spencer Salyer (so cool! finally just assembled this)
  • pencil



With a cheat sheet from one's favorite lite game system or even a digest-sized physical copy, this setup is pretty useful while still in keeping with a minimal table space. The pocket roller, while I do like it, is pretty slow for generating percentiles. So I thought of a receipt tape sized pocket containing a loaded list with a few hundred pre-generated numbers in d6 and d100 variety that I can feed out line by line that keeps upcoming numbers concealed.

After giving it a try, I came up with this and found its even faster than rolling dice. Furthermore, I can reference it by set number, making record-keeping a breeze.


Add this to a new style of journaling that only records mechanical notes, Mythic Fate Questions and answers, and I have something that actually speeds up my normal mode of play substantially — that is, my normal manner of writing prose as I go. If, later, any of these game sessions get transcribed for blogging purpose or social media sharing, that can easily transpire post factum.

Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Doom of Daggerdale

DOOM of DAGGERDALE

a Solo-a-Module Month project



Project Prospectus


Solo a Module a Month was just announced on the Lonewolf Solo G+ community. What to do? I don’t have a huge repository of modules, but I have some. I’ve been thinking about Wolfgang Bauer’s Doom of Daggerdale, which is an old one I’ve had that I know pretty well. It also fits a setting that know well, so that helps.

Two questions to answer:
  • How does one play a module solo?
  • What tools/gizmos/rules will I use to attempt this?
The first one I’ll answer loosely. I certainly don’t see tremendous fun in running something I know already. So, instead, using the module’s description and synopsis, I’ll strip the scenario for its elements. I vaguely remember its NPCs, creatures, sites, and motivations. Most of all, the scenario provides a hook and an inciting event. Using the people and places involved and its inciting event, I will use these to set the scene and allow the whole thing to go off the rails. Whenever a plot or motivation or action presents itself from the text of the module, this gives me an opportunity to ask, is this actually true?

It’s totally plausible that this will be come un utterly unrecognizable adventure. In fact, that’s the area about this endeavor that most intrigues me. Having a basic starting scenario is also a big help, because I often have trouble thinking of intriguing or compelling starts to new solo projects. So, there it is. Also, rather than spend time pouring through the module in detail, I’ll rely mostly on the description on the back cover and a few notes I’ll make in advance:
Randal Morn certainly has his hands full! The temple of Lathander, which burned to the ground eight years ago, seems to be the source of a curse affecting the entire town. People are taking ill, animals are dying overnight, crops are failing. All this seems to have started after Eragyn, priestess of Cyric, disappeared from Daggerdale. Shortly before that, a forgotten mage-lord’s crypt was discovered and opened; things just haven’t been the same since. 
Constable Tren is displeased with the situation, what with suspicion being cast in the Zhentarim’s direction as well as toward Cyric’s priesthood. He’s undoubtedly making the Dalesfolk’s lives more difficult than usual because of this upheaval. Randal has sent out the call for aid to all who are interested and able to help; his freedom riders have their hands full already. 
A missing evil priestess, a mage-lord’s crypt-curse, a plague, and possible Zhentarim involvement: all the elements of a rousing adventure in one place! Where do your characters sign up? Step right this way, won’t you?
A few notes from the top of my head:
  • Colderan the mage-lord has risen from the dead and is pulling the strings behind the scenes
  • A dream-curse is affecting the Dalesfolk
  • An ancient dwarf fastness of a clan that were bitter enemies of Colderan contains a secret weapon to defeat the mage-lord
  • The action takes place in Dagger Falls, a Zhentarim Protectorate in the Dales
  • Randall Morn is the rightful ruler in exile, who lives in the countryside with his rebels
  • I also like the cover of the printed module — it’s moody and might bring some inspiration
None of these are sacrosanct — in fact, I’m expecting a good bit of throwing it all out, and significant points of departure.

Now, for the how, here’s what I’m leaning towards: Mythic GM Emulator to help set scenes. This will provide some amendment to the things that will happen. Using Mythic, I’ll limit the use of the emulator for setting scenes to provide randomness to the setup, and a special treatment towards Fate Questions — questions will center around whether or not particular concepts, conceits, and motivations as presented in the module are true or false. For all else, my preferred method of gleaning details comes from rolling nine Rory’s Story Cubes and answering who, what, when, where, why, and how to color and detail scenes accordingly. I find this latter method faster, and don’t enjoy slowing down to check the Fate Chart.

For my actual game system, I’m toying between my two favs: Fate Core or Barbarians of Lemuria. Both have a good deal of generic power that can quickly mold to D&D tropes. I’ve always been enamored of Nessalantha’s wonderful play report of Dragonlands, a wonderful Legends of Anglerre (setting using a previous iteration of Fate when it was still FATE) actual play. One of the many wonderful things about the report is how she generates NPCs on the fly by deducing what’s needed (skill rank, aspect, etc), keeping it spontaneous and lite. The report, even after several years, has served as a shining example of Fate in a solo environment.

I also love BoL — so quick and easy to stat anything, which is very much appealing.
However, I’m going to take a leap and use Fate Core, adding Nathan Hare’s High Fantasy Magic for those sorts of elements. I’m also going with the Quick Character Creation method in Core to get right to the action. I’m seeing that two issues of the game include Plague and Fear in a Border Town Under an Evil Regime (Current), and An Ancient Evil Awakes (Impeding).

Quickly, I’ll come up with three PCs that I’ll introduce one at a time in my first session to hook them to the scenario:

Amelia Destaroon
A slight dark-haired beauty with a penchant for intrigue and deception.

High Concept. Beautiful Cat-Burglar
Trouble. Web of Lies
Aspects. Novice Harper Agent
Peak Skill. Deceive


Janson Morn
A cousin of Lord Randall, Janson is a roguish outlaw ready at any time to let fists fly at the usurpers of his native land.

High Concept. Fighting Rogue on the Run
Trouble. Poor Impulse Control
Aspects. Brawny Cousin of Lord Morn
Peak Skill. Burglary


Shoshana Ezgrandilia
White-haired and pale, Shoshana is a flashy woman in embroidered robes, and a pupil of the Simbul.

High Concept. Adept Learner of the Arcane
Trouble. Brusque and Arrogant To a Fault
Aspects. Seeking the Secrets of a Fallen Wizard
Peak Skill. Lore


Hopefully, I’ll have the tenacity to see this through at least to some degree.

Friday, September 8, 2017

Impetus

I haven't posted hear almost at all recently. I'm still puttering with solo play projects and enjoying reading what others are doing with their solo games.

However, I had a moment of inspiration and came up with something new. It's simple, but it's been helping me to shape my solo gaming sessions. Introducing, Impetus...

Impetus
The solitaire rpg driver to move things forward when you’re stuck.

Impetus is simple, really.

It’s a doohickey for playing tabletop role-play games all alone. It’s a tool that gets you un-stuck when you hit a roadblock. A simple thing that gives a nudge when you need it. In the solo gaming niche, they might call this a driver.

You see, when you sit down to play an rpg, whether it’s that funny game they played at the beginning of E.T., or some other game with books, dice, and pencils, and you’re alone, you need something to help out. Something so that you’re not taking part in a fully scripted premeditated storyline invented by you.

Impetus is essentially a list of universal plot twists combined with a random idea to produce spontaneous events to prod your story along with little fuss and effort.

It's also free.

Friday, April 8, 2016

Four Against Darkness, part 1

Thanks to Aleksandar Battreps of the BattReps blog (all around awesome person and solo gamer extraordinaire), I became aware of Ganesha Games’ Four Against Darkness, a casual dungeon delve pen ’n paper game inspired by old school RPGs. I picked up the 66-page game today, gave it a read through and played a short game (actually not so short as I was busy navigating the tables in the book).

It’s a fun little invention, and I love little mapping exercises. Furthermore, 4AD’s creator, Andrea Sfiligoi is running a little contest:

4AD Competition! Win LIFETIME products. 
To enter, you must purchase a copy of 4AD through Ganeshagames.net and write up one or more playthrough reports of the game, and publish them on social media (Facebook, Twitter, G+, etc) or on your gaming-related blog. The more reports you write, the more chances you get to win. Unleash your purple prose and tell us about the glorious victories or the rotten luck of your heroes. Post photos of your completed dungeons on Instagram! Use the #4AgainstDarkness hashtag and always add a link to the product page. 
Make sure that each report includes a link to the product on Ganeshagames.net and send an email to andreasfiligoi@gmail.com to let us know of it. The competition ends on May 24th, Andrea's birthday. On the 25th, Andrea will put all names in a hat and draw a winner who will get a LIFETIME SUBSCRIPTION to all 4AD products (or a minimum value of $50 in other products should 4AD be discontinued). That's it: the winner will receive for free every new adventure or supplement we publish for 4AD.

Not too bad! So here is my first game...



  1. Voldor the Bold, Amblin the Righteous, Jed the Wiley, and Mira the lighthearted elf enter the dungeon! they see a wide to room with three north-facing doors. They choose the right passage.
  2. Upon entering, they see a square room. It is filled with eight fungi men! The group waits to see what the strange mushroom men will do. They attack! A furious battle ensues, with both Voldor and Jed getting hurt. However, the party prevails! Two of the monsters flee. On the bodies of the fallen, Mira finds a scroll. The group searches, finding nothing more, and then Amblin heals the injured ones. With no other ways to go, the group returns to the original entrance room.
  3. Next, the group tries the middle door. they encounter in empty twisting corridor.
  4. The corridor extends further north, appearing to dead-end. However, a door to the west and further on to the east appears to reveal more rooms ahead. The group tries the western doorway first.
  5. Another twisting passage appears. However, this one is not empty. Two lumbering trolls approach! Amblin slays one, while Mira shoots another. Voldor chops up the bits with his axe to prevent them from returning. the monsters carry 5 pieces of gold. The group moves on…
  6. The passage continues to switch back-and-forth. Around another bend, the group encounters eight goblins! the group finds their groove, soundly defeating the goblins and finding a pretty gem.
  7. The group takes a door that does into a short corridor containing two nasty trolls! Voldor takes a bit of a beating, but they hack up the trolls into diced bits of troll ready for canning. They also find a ring of teleportation!
  8. The group moves through at south door. This opens into a larger chamber. Suddenly, a bear trap snaps, nearly snagging Voldor’s foot. Fortunately, the warrior is quick. They find a hidden scroll under some rubble. the group continues south.
  9. More snaking of passageways here in an “H” pattern. However, an eerie glowing altar sits in its length Voldor is cursed! (But Amblin blesses him). The group decides to head north.
  10. The group comes to a small blessed temple and Amblin is imbued with greater divine power. Ahhhhh!
  11. The group heads south through a door to a room connecting with the entrance chamber. Two orcs threaten them. Voldor and Mira quickly dispatch them, finding a pretty gem.
  12. Moving on to the west, this passage circles back around to connect with the “H”. A door reveals a possible room.
  13. Instead of a room, they find another short corridor with doors on either side. More urgently, however, the group sees a hideous Medusa! Amblin and Mira are immediately petrified. Voldor and Jed fight valiantly, finally defeated the creature. Voldor gains a level. They also find a gorgeous necklace.
  14. Voldor and Jed attempt to carry Amblin and Mira’s stony forms and vacate the dungeon…which they do, luckily without further incident…
Returning to town, they hope to sell the new things and get blessings cast…do they have enough cash?

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

SGAM 2015 – 1 page DIY Tool Challenge: Saga Creator

Introducing the Saga Creator, using Rory’s Story Cubes!

I can't take full credit for this one...most of this is included in the “Krongor and the Saga Creator” from the new Barbarians of Lemuria — Mythic Edition. It is here adapted to roll some cubes instead of roll on charts.

Use it to come up with scenario setups in solo games, or even to prep your evening in a traditional rpg with friends.

Sample saga creation:


Sunday, November 1, 2015

SGAM 2015 – 1 page DIY Tool Challenge: Alien Culture Creator

For my second SGAM contribution, I am posting something under the 1-page DIY solo tool design area. This is a fun little one-page alien/fantasy culture creator using Rory’s Story Cubes. It's simple and speaks for itself. Admittedly, I cooked this one up before the actual start of SGAM. I still may do another one or two similar ones.

Here it is: Alien_Culture_CreatorAlien_Culture_Creator.pdf

Friday, October 30, 2015

SGAM



If you at all follow various solo blogs or the Lone Wolf group on Google+, then no doubt, you've come across announcements about Solo Gaming Appreciation Month.

An original idea by John Fiore a few years ago to provide a similar expression to NaGaDeMo and other similar writing celebrations. I, for one, am glad it's back. There are a number of great “events” in which to take part, from freeform solo write ups to three-ingredient game challenges and more.

Although my November is busier than usual this year, I have pledged to take part in as many events as possible. Most of all, I look forward to to the many contributions to inspire me to further projects.

Interested? Check it out! Do something solo in gaming during November.

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Taking a Page from a Story Game

In popular SGs, the current trend is for the GM to be less a dictator, and more a facilitator. Questions serve to forward plot and setting through the collaborative. When an unknown happens, players ask the GM what happens next. The prevailing no-prep advice offered to GMs is to throw that question right back in the players’ faces.

“Who do you think the Dread Pirate Roberts really is?”
“What do you think you encounter behind the curtain?”
“What do you think you might come out of that cave littered with bones?”



Of course, GMs are free to modify, twist, or reject the players’ suggestions. But for the sake of the collaborative activity and ease of prep, this is a fun and common occurrence in games like PbtA, Fate, and Lady Blackbird.

Few other game designers so frequently stress this concept as much as John Harper, creator of Agon, Lady Blackbird, and Ghost/Echo (among others). In his celebrated LB, he writes, When you’re the GM, don’t try to plan what will happen. Instead, ask questions—lots and lots ...”

Often these questions are directed to things about a player’s character. However, it is becoming increasingly common to apply the same principle to elements of setting design and plot — in other words, normally off-limits areas of GM domain in traditional RPGs. GMs are encouraged not to railroad, and often player suggestions can rival what any one GM might have proposed. Player input is encouraged and rarely rejected. Saying “yes” to players goes back to some old traditional RPGs too.

In solo games, the player most frequently goes to the oracle when it comes to answering questions outside PC domain. How could we even think any other way than this? This would be one step closer to, “why don’t you just write a novel?” wouldn’t it? It certainly wouldn’t be a game any longer...

However, this fundamental game rule is an unquestionable given in SG’s. Why can’t it work for us soloists, really?

Well, for one, we aren’t really collaborating with anyone else. That’s okay; I give a pass. In the SG model, everyone can participate with equal power. If I am playing Dungeon World, and I make up that the town’s history suggests it is regularly ransacked by hairy ogres each spring, it can be a thing. If I am playing Fate, and I suggest a self-compel that my climb up Rapunzel’s tower is thwarted by a coating of oil from her hair, I can do that (with table consensus). Making up shit is as much the point as rolling dice and playing by the rules.

I can do the same in a solo game too.

I can answer any question spontaneously without consulting an external oracle. Of course, I will still follow “rules”. However, I will reject the notion that I am somehow cheating, or undertaking the exercise of writing a novel.

The timing of these questions is prompted primarily from successful or proactive actions by the PC. However, failure will frequently prompt them too! Any time a player might turn to the GM to find out what happens next in a collaborative game, this cues my prompt. When the PC infiltrates the enemy training camp and I’m trying to find out who the kingpin is, as long as I have succeeded in my stealth task, or convinced my captors to take me to the leader, I stand to know, “Who is the bad guy?” or “What’s really going on here?”

I should have enough chaos applied through the dice and the rules of my chosen game. That alone should knock me off my trajectory enough to provide the thrill of unpredictability and drama. After all, I have decided to play a tabletop game. I want to play D&D, for example, and not the Mythic GM Emulator*.

As long as I am fulfilling at least one (but hopefully all) of these criteria, I should be satisfied:

1. The idea I generate must be interesting. (Really, goes without saying.)
2. The idea I generate must increase the stakes and danger to the PC or her interests, requiring further action.
3. The idea I generate must represent a complication to the PC’s life, requiring further action.

I need no more than this. It allows me expediency, because often coming up with an idea stemming from these criteria is often quicker than interpreting an external random idea. It gives me portability, because I don’t need to take any tools with me (don’t get me wrong...I love my Story Cubes!). It satisfies me, because all too often, when I want my game to be about something specific, my random oracle throws it off (with equal parts of for better or ill).

Where I may use an oracle or idea generator are for three reasons:

1. I use an oracle to provide mundane detail in which I have no interest.
2. I use an oracle to provide push against my declared idea.
3. I use an oracle to provide a threat when I have no idea what will happen next.

The purpose for #1 is that I have no interest in providing that level of detail and don’t want to get bogged down in minutiae. However, some of those details may reappear later as important elements if the action so dictates. The purpose of #2 is to simulate player collaboration, and, if possible, make an idea I came up with more awesome. #3 is hopefully used the least, and is only there to get myself un-stuck.

I challenge you — have the plums to play solo, well, SOLO!

full disclosure: I have nothing against MGME. On the contrary, I owe all my solo rpg endeavors to the inspiration from Ms. Pigeon’s brilliant contribution.

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Playing Fate Solo — An Experiment, part 2

Continued from here, this is the first actual play session of my "Playing Fate Solo" experiment.



Scene One: The Ledger


Scardale was a mess. Reinforcements had been called for from Sembia, the Dales, and by ship to other locales further. The cleanup of Shandorin’s plot would take some time. Two ships floundered in the harbor, and one had gotten away with the dangerous cargo. The Rapier was her name, but for where it was bound, none knew.


By this time, as word had spread of the deeds of the night, and the need for aid, so too had the name, Drowsbane, spread far and wide. It was now common knowledge of the malicious plot and emergence of the dark elves. It was known that not just one Drowsbane had surfaced, but two. And there were other members of that previously-thought obliterated court in Sullaspryn, for Dynas and Ara had stayed in the town to do what they could.

Tengrym was more than uncomfortable that his name was now the subject of standard tavern talk. So, too, was his naïve brother now at even greater risk.

Furthermore, The Rapier’s whereabouts weighed heavily on the principled half-elf. He wasn’t about to let that threat slip through his fingers. Shandorin — the fled villain and formidable lackey of the dark elves — was of secondary concern. Tengrym was sure he would confront him again soon enough.

He and Thedric headed to the harbor master’s house, a building that suffered great damage during the battle in the harbor the previous night. Much of the place was burned and scorched. It had suffered much in the aftermath of the mill fiasco. The two searched for any sign of the record book.


Carefully picking his way among the refuse, Thedric came behind, juggling a knife absently. Tengrym ordered him out, so not to disturb any of the precarious burned items. Gingerly stepping around, he found a plank concealing an area of less destruction. Carefully prying it away, he found a worn seaman’s ledger among the ruin.

He returned to Thedric, Dynas, and Ara with the treasure. In the sunlight, they put it on a pedestal and thumbed through the book.

With the elf and wizard helping pour over the pages, they found mention of The Rapier, the vessel now bound for open waters. It had come from Raven’s Bluff, another time from Tantras, and another time to points in the Moonsea, and even as far as Westgate. What it meant, none of the four knew.

“We have to find the harbor master,” offered Ara. “Hey may have more clues as to the whereabouts of this ship.”

They agreed.

Two: The Harbor Master’s House


Getting the harbor master’s name, Fendrel Marx, was easy enough. He was said to live just outside of town at the edge of a small wood at the base of the northern rim of the Scar. When they arrived at the cottage, they were shocked at what they found.


Although not burned like the harbor master’s house, the interior of the small cottage was overturned and ransacked. There was no sign of the man. Furthermore, the cottage sat on the banks of a swift creek coming down out of the hills. A small dock waded into the water, but there was no boat moored there.

“Either master Marx knows something and escaped, or he was taken, along with something they were looking for,” thought Tengrym aloud. The others agreed that the latter was more likely. An upstream escape seemed unlikely, given the terrain. Perhaps the man had some other larger seagoing vessel moored along the coast.


First, Tengrym risked a few moments to pry about. He found one credenza the subject of most of the destruction. In it were many scraps of paper, although one small drawer was completely empty. “We are looking for letters,” Tengrym asserted. “What they tell us remains to be seen. Let us go downstream!”

Three: The Ambush



The four continued along the creek as quickly as they could. So quick was their urgency, that they didn’t see the trap looming. A flurry of movement from Tengrym’s side alerted him just as Thedric was hoisted into the air and pinned by motes of lavender light. He screamed, but was magically pinioned to a tree. Shandorin’s grimacing scarred face appeared from out of thick foliage with his blade in hand, along with a handful of drow mercenaries and orcs. “Kill those two,” he ordered to his minions. “Disable the white-haired one only, though you needn’t handle him gently.”


Thedric screamed out. Tengrym turned and watched his half-brother go sailing through the air. He began chanting and summoned power crackled about him.

The dark elves drove the orcs before them, preferring the shaded areas of the trees. Many drew hand crossbows. Dynas, too, began chanting, building his own power through incantation. Ara advanced against the orcs, and steel rang. The swordsmaster cut a path forward, neglecting his own safety in order to pass beyond. His cuts did little actual harm, but he put the orcs into close quarters.

Then came the click of crossbows. One dart stung Tengrym in the throat, and he felt the potent sleep poison coursing through his blood. A grunt from Dynas told Tengrym he had been hit by the same sleep poison.

Both Tengrym and Dynas had their spells interrupted — something that could potentially be catastrophic. Tengrym had the presence of mind to mentally dissipate most of the energy through discipline despite the pain, quelling the inevitable explosion. Raw energy crackled within him painfully. Dynas must have as well.

Tengrym willed his legs forward, but the poison made him immensely weary, but he was on his feet and moving. Dynas was made of stern stuff and shook off most of the effect, being only momentarily woozy.

End of Exchange 1

Tengrym forced himself forward, trying his best to close the distance to the nasty crossbow wielding dark elves. His plan was to force them into the sun. He leapt over the foliage into the shade, placing himself within their midst. Of course, they could still use their weapons at point blank range, but it would take them several moments to reload their arms. He made quick work of his blade, doing little damage but giving them something with which to contend.

His deft thrusts and counters forced them away from the foliage as they drew their weapons, their eyes into the sun.

Ara, meanwhile, used his momentary advantage and tore into the orcs’ ranks, dropping some of them where they stood. Dynas, too, wasn’t idle. He leapt into the foliage upstream, taking advantage of copious cover.

Thedric was squealing against the weight of the unseen force pressing his chest and crushing him against a tree. He tried to free his arm and draw a dagger, which he did, but not without getting a painfully wrenched arm.

End of exchange 2

Tengrym now had his back to his nemesis, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw what Thedric was planning to do. He couldn’t afford to leave the drow unattended.

With feints and thrusts, he kept on relentlessly, hacking into the dark elves’ ranks. His energetic, almost wastefully inefficient maneuvers serving also to keep him awake. He lunged recklessly, but managed to run one through, and knock another senseless. As Tengrym recovered, dizziness made his head swim.

The four remaining pounced, three of them effectively distracting as a fourth came around with a gleaming black blade. Tengrym couldn’t counter quick enough, and took a hideous gouge to the thigh. He swooned, nearly passing out as much from the pain as from the poison.

Thedric let fly his dagger, but a jolt of pain from greater force against his chest caused him to throw wide. He groaned in agony.

Ara doubled his efforts, working quickly to wear down his enemy and come to Tengrym’s aid. However, his speed made him careless and clumsy. An orc fell at his feet, but the remaining held a line and danced away from his slices.

Dynas observed the hopeless situation. His hope was to free Thedric by interrupting Shandorin’s spell. He began casting, but his dizziness made him falter.

End of exchange 3

Tengrym swooned again, but did not yet relent. His brother’s life, and likely the rest as well, was at stake. He slashed with what might he had left in his limbs, but his attackers were too many and too agile. His every slice was countered. The sun had put them on more or less even footing with the half-elf. However, the poison, working its way into his veins, and now his leg injury made them more than a match.

Tengrym fell. He found himself on his back sliding down the embankment into the swift waters. The icy flow gave him a start, but he had no strength to fight its current. He drifted away and darkness took him.

How the others fared, he could not know. Shandorin — evil nemesis and sworn enemy of Tengrym — now had his brother, Thedric, and perhaps Ara and Dynas were captured or killed. He could little grasp the reality of that sting. Everything he had fought for — to keep his name hidden from the drow, and those of his kin in exile that still drew breath.

He had failed.

End of exchange 4

Four: Edammer & Kaus


Tengrym awoke with figures staring at him from above. His head still spun and he felt very fuzzy and distant, although he knew he still lay in water. He was washed up (or dragged up) on a bank just on the outskirts of the town of Scardale proper.

He made out two voices. One was a slender whip of a figure. It appeared to be a young boy — perhaps a half-elf — with a gracefully curving bow. He had a pleasant face. The other couldn’t be more opposite — a scowling hulk of a man, with a mane as grey as a wolf’s.

“I thought you said it was Ara,” said the former.

“Quiet,” ordered the second. “We see that he is not. We should go…”

“And leave this man?” cried the bowman.

I rolled some cubes here to get some features about the two. For Kaus, I got a howling wolf from my enchanted story cubes...I’m making him a shape-changer for fun.Tengrym stirred and managed to prop himself up. When he uttered a groan and begged for water, the young one did as he pleaded. He learned that the slender lad’s name was Eddamer. When Tengrym mentioned he had just been with Ara and that they were ambushed, they seemed relieved to hear that Ara was near, but worried that he was in danger.

“We cannot linger here to help this man while Arafraulyn needs our help,” said the wolfish man.

“Kaus!” said Eddamer.

Tengrym sat up more fully. “I am Tengrym Drowsbane, sole heir to the throne of Sullaspryn. Ara was my mentor and friend — we recently met by chance here,” he divulged.

The two exchanged quizzical looks. “Impossible,” said the man the younger one named Kaus. “There are no Drowsbanes alive.”

“It would appear there are,” retorted Eddamer as he gave Tengrym a closer inspection. “I can see the look of Lord Dergan on this man’s face.” Then, Eddamer furrowed a shapely brow. “But Ara is here to put to rest the prophecy of the…”

“Quiet!” hissed Kaus.

Tengrym demanded to know what their secrecy was about. They revealed that they were all working for a mysterious man. They could only say that some of their loved ones’ lives were at stake — to put to rest the Prophecy of the Moon by seeking the Star-Shard of Merillion, a relic they had tracked to this vicinity.

“Ara was working in Scardale itself, hearing rumors of a buyer of the fallen shard who had done business there.”

When asked what would happen if they found it, they only knew they were to deliver it to their mysterious employer in Thentia. What would happen then, they knew not, only that several innocents would be released in exchange.

Tengrym was troubled — both by the fact that Ara had not yet revealed any of this story to him yet. Anything regarding the prophecy concerned him directly — being a Drowsbane. Ara surely would have realized this. And remembering that Thedric had experienced some trouble in Thentia before compounded Tengrym’s misgivings. There were men there that still hunted him. Regarding the prophecy, Ara was putting unknown power into the hands of a potentially dangerous personage with likely malicious plans. But, it pained Tengrym that any innocent folk were threatened as a result of the whole mess.


“I believe we should work together to find Ara,” Tengrym said. He also mentioned Shandorin and his drow minions that likely had his half-brother and Dynas.

With Edammer and Kaus’s help, he hauled himself from the cold water. They dried him as best they could and found a shaded hollow at the edge of a wood for him to relax and drink as Edammer set to cleaning and binding his leg.

End of Session, triggering a minor milestone


Here is a chance to take stock of what has happened, and note the changes in terms of issues and aspects in play.

  • Ara’s issue changes from Ara’s Secret to Ara’s Plan
  • Thedric gains a new issue: In Shandorin’s Clutches
  • Thentia added as a new location with the issue, Lair of the Mysterious Employer
  • Star-Shard of Merillion added (no specific issue added until more is known)
  • No change to Tengrym’s aspects, but Clever (was +2) gets swapped with Forceful (was +1)

In addition, another Fate Point is retroactively awarded for Prophecy of the Moon (impending issue) for the new plot seed. Tengrym now starts session two with 7 points.

Also, here are the stats for some of the supporting characters that made appearances:


Story Questions


At the end of the session (triggered by a refresh scene or opportunity), it prompts me to summarize a few new story questions to help frame new scenes as long as a compel situation doesn’t derail that idea.

  • Where is Thedric hidden (and is Ara and Dynas with him)?
  • Is harbormaster Marx’s disappearance connected to Shandorin?

Afterthoughts


One of the things I was struck by was the odds of a compel appearing...I’m flipping a coin, but I don’t want anything more complicated or to introduce some sort of odds. Avoiding weaksauce compels, they can have the ability to totally dominate a scene...which is good, because it’s my instant plot twist generator.

However, what happens when I have too many loose threads in play? I think that’s a case where the Fate Point economy is a good thing. I will enforce the denial of a compel with a point. That way, when points are low, I will lose more narrative control. More twists will be introduced. When I’m stocked up, I can exercise more control and try to tie up loose threads by directly answering story questions.

I like the rules in FAE for creating mooks and groups of mooks. They're elegant with the Skilled At and Bad At modifiers. However, I ended up making the drow too nasty in the fight scene by stacking several things listed at which they were good. That was a mistake, although it created some stiff opposition, which was my intent. The negative side to the mook rules in FAE is that it is slower coming up with nice lists. I think treating mooks more like the Nameless NPCs in Core with only an approach or two will be the way to go from now on. It speeds things up, and still says a surprising lot about them.
The GM fate point pool felt off. I was using one point per scene, since I had one PC (treating the others as friendly Supporting NPCs). There wasn't enough points with which to do things. From now on, I'll include a point for every two friendly supporting NPCs involved (rounding up) to be used only for unfriendlies. I think that will balance things out nicely.

Lastly, during my conflict scene, I didn't flip coins asking lots of questions about what the baddies would do. I simply tried to give them full credit for doing the nastiest things I could imagine them doing. If I get into a bind in the future during one of these action moments, I may end up rolling some story cubes to inspire actions. However, in general, I don't think it will be needed.

Thursday, April 16, 2015

Playing Fate Solo — An Experiment, part 1

We who play rpg’s solo get a chance to kick the tires of many systems, play with concepts, settings, or ideas in a way that we often wouldn’t with other groups. During our playtime, we discover things that don’t work, and sometimes stumble upon things that facilitate our lonely fun time.

I’ve heard it discussed numerously among soloists that Fate is one of those games that just don’t work very well (or at all) in a solo environment. Many of us wish it would, and I’ve made a half dozen or so halfhearted attempts. It’s just too much a collaborative system to be able to do it alone, among other issues.

However, I’m still convinced it can work...and I’ve picked up my old Drowsbane campaign to give an honest go of it.

In this first post, I’m discussing my approach, tools, and setup. I like things minimalist, so I’m letting Fate do most of the work for me. It already has its built-in Mythic-like plot builder in the form of aspects. However, I’m supplementing it with Rory’s Story Cubes and making sure I am using note cards.

 

GM Emulation


Believe it or not, there’s not a whole lot that Fate needs. I decided that if I get stuck, I can ask a yes/no question, always with 50% odds. I happen to be flipping one of my pretty copper Fate coins from Campaign Coins to determine results. Heads = “yes”. More commonly, I’m using Rory’s Story Cubes to generate some details by answering more open questions like, “What’s this guy like? What kind of talents does he have?” and so on.

Aspects is really where it’s at. I have been putting all my game aspects and important character aspects on note cards. Aspects tell us almost everything about a game of Fate. It’s already there to provide inspiration about what level of opposition to set, it’s there to provide options for compels, and the compel is the key to turning Fate into its own potent adventure/plot designer.

The most common question I have been asking during scenes is one at the start...unless there’s reason not to (such as there’s already too many fires to put out from other scenes). I ask, “Does this scene begin with a compel?”. If needed, I might clarify whether the aspect in question is a character aspect, a decision-based or event-based compel, or one of the campaign-level aspects. Once this is known, I take my cards and sort them into a stack. Shuffle, draw an aspect, and roll some Story Cubes as to how that aspect manifests into a relevant compel, and...

Voilà!

Instant event created. Now, it’s a simple matter of setting up the opposition in such a way that makes sense. Keeping in mind that characters face minor challenges along the way, and not every baddie needs to be at Main NPC level.

 

System


I decided to use Fate Accelerated as by baseline. The one decision I had to make was how magic was going to work, since I am doing standard D&D fantasy. I have the Fate Freeport Companion, but I prefer the more creative standard FAE Approaches to the standard six Skills (Strength, Dexterity, etc.), so that was out.

One of my favorite options for magic is one found under the Channeling option on page 131 of the Fate System Toolkit. Power is built through a Create an Advantage action to put some sort of flavored power aspect into play. I decided Carefully will be the standard Approach for this to occur. I also decided to use a spell list approach. Characters can start play with Careful +1 spells. Each spell is an aspect in and of itself, so it can be invoked or compelled when used. Characters can try to learn new ones through play. If casters want to get spells off quickly (using, well... Quickly!) in one action, they risk taking stress if they miss a higher threshold to cast (and open options for success at a cost).

Stunts can define schools of magic, specialties, or areas granting access to all flavored magic without the need to learn individual spells as discussed above. Area-affecting spells always work through splitting shifts, according to the rules in Core, but characters can also cast at a “declared level” to up their shifts, as well as use free invocations of their power-generated aspects.

Gear is listed, granting and denying permissions and establishing facts like aspects, but without the mechanical benefits of aspects (invocations & compels). Unique plot-point gear can be treated like regular aspects, but will be encountered rarely.

 

Setup


Game setup as per Core’s rules is the key to getting the Fate engine working for solo play. To do this, I’ve picked up my Drowsbane Campaign, which has been on hiatus since the summer of 2014. I got stalled in that one, getting some burnout just before tying up all the loose ends in the Hour of Dream.

 

What Happened Then?


Tengrym, our main protagonist, and Thedric, his half-brother sidekick, successfully tracked Shandorin, our main baddie so far, to Scardale in the Forgotten Realms. It was uncovered that the plot was to lace the deadly grains (enchanted with a potent slumber magic) among normal ones in the port. Scardale is one of the main hubs of trade in the Dales, so eventually, poisoned grain could travel in any of the four directions by land or sea. It appeared that the grain was then to be loaded onto ships and exported to unknown targets. Thedric successfully enlisted the local garrisons to help root out the evil while Tengrym sought his enemy, and a great confrontation took place in the port.

Tengrym confronted Shandorin, and a battle took place. With the help of Dynas Dundragon, an exiled court wizard of the Drowsbane court and now rival, Tengrym captures the evenly matched Shandorin.

In Scarsdale, Tengrym also has a chance encounter with Arafraulyn, his former fencing master, general of the Sulaspryn militia, and confidant of Tengrym’s late father...an elf he did not know still lived. Tengrym and Thedric rescued him from the clutches of an ill-tempered ogre (do ogres ever come in any other variety?).

 

The Aftermath


The aftermath of the story arc is as follows:
  • The villain, Shandorin escapes
  • The local enemies (drow, orcs, evil men) are routed
  • One ship loaded with cargo got away, bound for who knows where

 

First Story Arc


Using the advice in Core, I tried coming up with some story questions that might help direct the actions of our hero.
  • Will Tengrym discover for what land the one ship that got was is bound?
  • Where could Shandorin be, and what’s his next move?
  • Shandorin works for the drow. What’s their deeper plot?

 

Game Creation


With those things worked out so far, I used the standard game creation method found in Core to summarize the sorts of issues, faces and places that have already been in play from my previous sessions from long ago. It gives plenty with which to work.

 

Issues

 

 

Faces & Places

 



In addition, many of the NPCs have a few more interesting aspects that I’ve put on their own cards that offer more compel options. Each aspect that’s interesting for plot purposes gets its own card.

 

Tengrym Drowsbane


High Concept: Half-elf Swordmage Vagabond

Trouble: Bound by Principles

Aspects: Former Apprentice of My Evil Uncle; “I Work Best Alone”; Lone Heir To the Drowsbane Dynasty

Good (+3): Careful

Fair (+2): Quick, Clever

Average (+1): Forceful, Stealthy

Mediocre (+0): Flashy

Ara’s Lessons. +2 to Cleverly create an advantage actions when observing weaknesses in an opponent’s style when dueling one on one.

Danger Sense. You have an almost preternatural capacity for detecting danger. You may Quickly notice things unimpeded by conditions like total concealment, darkness, or other sensory impairments in situations where someone or something intends to harm you.

Quick Learner. +2 to Quickly overcome actions when learning new grimoire or arcana, even if exposure was brief.

Power of Deduction. Once per scene you can spend a fate point (and a few minutes of observation) to Quickly overcome representing your potent deductive faculties. For each shift you make on this roll you discover or create an aspect, on either the scene or the target of your observations, though you may only invoke one of them for free.

Refresh: 2

Gear: shirt of light elf-mail, magical sword
Grimoire: blink, light, magic missile, slumber spell, telekinesis, wall of ice

In my next post, I’ll give details of the first session of play, using aspects as the main driver for creating story with the aid of some Story Cubes and the flip of a coin.