Adventure idea (Day Seven!!!)

The Twelfth Patrol
To conclude the adventure week (which took almost two weeks to finish :) lets take a patrol around the local villages.

There is an association amongst 12 villages that have pooled their resources in order to encourage able bodied individuals to step up and protect the lands against the resurgence of The Darkbreed by joining the Patrol. Kalmer Snavel is the chief organizer of the Patrol.

How are you involved with this association?

Who has a family member in one of the villages? How close are you to them? When was the last time you heard from them?

Which one of you has joined the Patrol? What rank have you been given? What did you do to earn that rank?

What disquieting rumors have you heard of Kalmer? What did Kalmer do for you that makes the rumors hard to believe?


In this straightforward adventure expect to fight a monstrous evil amongst the confines of small towns, dilapidated bridges, and harsh rocky terrain. In addition, be ready for the underlying tones of corruption and greed within a good cause.

Happy Hunting!

Adventure Idea (Day Five)

Seems like the questions first approach was well received. So here we go again:

How did the King of Abolone hear of your aptitude in mediation?
What was your last encounter with Hill Giants? How did it end?
In Abalone one can expect hot days and extremely cold nights, what makes you well suited for this climate?
What is it that made the Hill Giants so rich?

After the King calls for the aid of the character skilled in mediation, bonds to that character should be enough to have the characters traveling to Abalone to settle a dispute between the Hill Giants and the king. If not, the thought of riches held by the Hill Giants should be enough to get everybody on board.

Here's what to expect if this idea gets fleshed out.
-A more respectable name for "The Hill Giants" :)
-A journey through the hot hills that could well end in a struggle for survival against a hungry, tenacious, and cunning Stone Cougar
-A special "move" for surviving at night in Abalone
-Navigating "Rock Mirages" where one might have to battle themselves to survive.
-A strange "Court" in which Hill Giants and men convene under the same roof. Under the table politics, backstabbing, and positioning enough to make any Game of Thrones fan giggle.


So what do you think? Would you want to see this one fleshed out?

Adventure Idea (Day Four)

When writing this adventure idea, I thought I'd start with the questions. What do you think?


"The Road through Winter"
How did you get involved with the Black-Eye Caravan?
What were you given to protect the man named Damian who claims to be a wizard?
What is the most dangerous predatory monster known to patrol the road from Greatwall to Redveil?
Who is the one person on the caravan that you care most about?

While escorting Damian expect for the season to be hostile, winter is seldom kind. There is a reward for the carcass of the predatory monster, so treasure seekers be alert. Finally, be sure that your most beloved person will need your protecting along this road.

Some fun things I would expect to include in this adventure are:
-Crossing the frozen Dark Lake with a "wizard" to protect.
-Convincing the wizard to complete the journey despite harsh weather (players don't get paid otherwise).
-Hunting(?) a predatory monster in the snow covered hills of Abalone in the middle of a storm.
-Saving a member of the caravan (the wizard, your beloved, a PC?) who got separated from the rest of the caravan.


Two things:
What do you think of the style in which this adventure was written?
What do you think of the adventure idea itself?

Thanks guys!

Happy hunting!
Matt

The Death Bond Adventure! (Day 2)

What happens when a mad scientist and a savvy businessman experience an encounter with death and live to tell about it?
They may agreed to kill off an entire nation in return for their own lives. They may introduce an engineered plague to the nations capital by selling smuggling in a swarm of contaminated beetles. They may make a ton of money by selling a "cure" that only enthralls people into a sense of complacency. But this is only speculation.

Adventure Idea (Day One, but kinda late)

The first day of the Adventure a Day series snuck up on me. Here it is, even if it is a little late.

The Cult of Queensbury

The small town of Queensbury wouldn't be on the map were it not for their apple pie. This small town is quaint, welcoming...and dangerous. Ten years ago all manner of threats to the town; monsters, wizards, war, and even weather began to avoid this area like the plague. A cult comprised of the leaders of this community have banded together under the singular purpose of enslaving any threats to their god. Under the town runs a labyrinth filled with the creatures, mad wizards, bottled weather, and sleeping battlefields. There's no harm in a town doing what is needed against threats, is there? That all depends on how loosely you define a threat...
Questions for the players:
-Who is originally from Queensbury, when did you leave? What brought you back?
-One of your mentors has gone missing, who was he and what was his business in Queensbury?
- What did your Order send you to investigate in Queensbury?


+1 if you would like to see this made into a full adventure!

-Happy Hunting!

Adventure idea a day?

Hi all,

I was reading +Stephanie Bryant's blog post "The Family that Games Together" found here:http://www.mortaine.com/blog/2013/09/18/the-family-that-games-together/
and her reference to the one and five page dungeon got my juices flowing. Add to the juices the fact that I just finished my "Three Nouns" series and am looking for another way to contribute and Walaw! This post was born.

I'm not so awesome as to write an entire adventure in a day, who do you think I am! But I want to get started with something that may lead to and help get me some practice in building adventures.

So here it is: A week of adventure ideas, with at least one cool move, creature, steading, or what not, and with the Dungeon World Ruleset as the system of choice.

The adventure that gets the most comments will be fleshed out and written in full.

What do yall think?

Subscribe to be notified when I post each adventure idea.

Happy Hunting!

Three Nouns (Day Seven)

The conclusion of the three nouns series. It's been epic. It's been amazing. Let's be honest: It might have changed the course of history. 

We finish up with a few "things" that could add some flavor if dropped into your game.

The slippers of Drazul: These seem to be fashioned from rabbit fur and are incredibly comfortable. By borrowing magic from The Void these unique footwear make the wearer almost completely undetectable. If you are having a conversation with the wearer or the wearer is actively trying to be seen by you then you can see hear and smell the individual without effort. Otherwise, it is almost as if the wearer does not exist. Nobody is quite sure what happened to Drazul. The Void id a tricky thing to mess with.

Crown of the Minotaur Kings: The Minotaur civilizations were all but destroyed in the Mad-Kings efforts to protect his realm from the "monster blight," but there are a few of them still out there. What's more, there is still evidence of what they had attained. The Crown of the Minotaur Kings is a heavy link of steel decorated with jade, opal, diamonds and a symbol of a compass, an axe, and a hammer. Few humans can don the massive piece of metal but those who do find one of three boons granted to them, though no-one has figured out why each boon presents itself. First, the wearer my find that they cannot lose their way, they always no wear North is and they get a sickening feeling if they move in a way that will not get them where they want to go. Second, the wearer might find that nothing pleases them more than combat now. In addition, they are not even phased if they run their head into another, while the other is often knocked back several feet. Finally, they may find that they have become annoyed with inconsistencies in things they create and their attention to detail has increased to a maddening degree in regards to anything they create with their own hands.

The Hand Axe of Boshen'rahl: Bosh was a dwarven sorcerer who found comfort in the icy cliffs of Cahluzen. Despised by his clansmen and driven to distrust humanity Bosh became a hermit in the ice. Sightings of Bosh seem to indicate that he was capable of traversing the cold wilds with little more than his axe. This has led scholars to believe that the axe grants little advantage in combat but otherwise makes the wielder capable of living for long periods without food so long as they are in very cold weather, the wielder is resistant to the cold, and can scale walls of ice as if there were always a handhold available. The whereabouts of this artifact is anybodies guess...but I would start in the ice, and try to find the coldest loneliest spot.

Happy Hunting,

-Matt

Three Nouns (Day Six)

So coming up with short descriptions for pictures has become a new favorite hobby of mine :) Here's a couple I found today:

Path of Forgiveness:

Artist: Four Heavenly Kings

Long ago an ancient evil known as The Destroyer was unleashed upon the world due to the arrogance and naiveté of the civilized races. The people closest to the portal were a peaceful tribe of elves known as the Elishani. No race, beast, or monster had ever dared to kill an Elishani because they were too beautiful and their intentions too pure. When The Destroyer walked through the tribe he slaughtered everything that drew breath. After The Destroyer was vanquished the people of the world set representatives to walk what was called "The Path of Forgivness." These representatives placed walked, wept, placed tombstones covered with sacred runes, and came back changed. Each representative lived a long and sorrowful life, no blade was drawn against them, and they refused to draw blood. Today people seek "The Path" in hopes to live longer, prepare themselves for hostile territory, and contemplate their purpose in life. But few ever find The Path.

Barristan's Hall:

Artist: whatyoumaydo

To many, it is unclear wether Barristan's Hall is a real location or an allegory for some heavenly afterlife. Though it is not so grand as the Hall of Kings, to be invited to Baristan's Hall is to be honored. Only the most noble of knights and servants of the king are invited here to tell tale of their exploits. With hot food, the smell of roast, and the taste of mead this room invites trust and companionship. Here the king asks you to call him by his first name and he calls you by yours. So much pride and honor is tempered by the house cat pawing at your food, and the mongrel laying on your foot. "Welcome to Barritan's Hall soldier, we've heard of your deeds. Take a seat and know that you have done well."

Darkseed:

"Beware woodcutter. You think you can hack down the forest and there won't be any consequences? You think the forrest is all light and squirrels and birds? What if you are wrong? What if the forrest is a fickle and hatful woman who can't wait for someone to fall in her trap? What if you are wrong?"
The Darkseed are a breed of evil dryads that spring from trees that have been cut down. They can see in all directions, eat by sucking blood through their long fingers and tentacle mouths, and they are without mercy.

A break and a fun idea/offer

I am taking a break from my Three Nouns series (I'll still have them posted by the end of the day) and am taking a moment to share a cool idea and something I'd like to offer.

+Carl Gerriets created the Character Creation Draft and I think it is amazing. Dungeon World has some amazing features but the least appealing to me is that fact that when you play "The Fighter" or any other class more than once they are essentially the same character with the same abilities. What the Draft does is eliminate that problem by allowing you to pick up different moves from different classes and name your new class.

I can't share the link here but if you type "Adventuring Company" into the search box of the Dungeon World Tavern G+ Community you should be able to find it. :)

Here's the offer. Post a picture here of a hero for which you would like to have a playable character sheet and I'll make the character using the draft system. I'll post the link to the doc and give a short breakdown of the character.

Happy Hunting!

Three Nouns (day five)

Last night I went on a character creation stint, so I thought I'd introduce these three characters as my three nouns for today. Each of these is a fully payable character in +Dungeon World, provided your DM doesn't require core classes. Macavel is the only core class character. I have character sheets in the form of Google docs under each description


Macavel: A battlemage through and through. While Macavel or "Mac" has the capability to draw up powerful rituals he prefers to spend his time getting right into the conflict. He weaves his spells and exceptional strength into a dangerous offensive weapon.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1c-pnC_jPlNrz0m75nCwD74z3J3eZNF6cOsvVCbzU8dg/edit?usp=sharing

Anastacio: Halflings are normally enjoyable, but very few of them are leaders of people. Anastacio is one of those few. While working as an adventurer in a party he is direct, clear, and effective. When he plays, he makes sure everyone is having a great time and has a tendency to give out nicknames due to party exploits.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1w-oFLkvnIBzBXHfIvV0L4lM_UBms2WwX2rYqRn4gwH8/edit?usp=sharing

Dothomar: Tall for a dwarf, Dothomar is sometimes confused for a human. He was enslaved and put into the fighting pit. After long years of blood and violence Dothomar was freed by a "Wealthy kind soul" who saw that Dothomar took no pleasure in killing. Since being freed Dothomar has taken to the life of a miner, but sometimes his background comes in very handy and he would do anything to protect the little town he calls home.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1M2hXiLAykR8AH-FYvmoOWRyyxcRIH3a010zhM0XSGYw/edit?usp=sharing

Here's a pic I made of the characters as a group. I'm no editor, but this was fun to make.

I was unable to find the original artists names for these picture. Sorry.

Three Nouns (day two)

 Marcos Velner: Marcos is a genius. All he wants is to study and enjoy the world as it is. Unfortunately, the world as it is keeps moving. There are so many people, circumstances, and noises that it's impossible to think. That is why you'll find Marcos tucked away in a library, small room filled with scribbles, or even a dungeon cell mumbling about how it all makes sense. In these places he can think. In these places he can learn.

Lucilles Tavern: You may not remember it, but Lucilles is where you had the best night of your life. Everyone was dancing and beautiful. The air was invigorating, the music lively, and the drinks were non-stop. Oh, forget about that merchant you hoped to meet there, I'm sure you couldn't talk over the ruckus anyway. What's that? Your purse is missing? Well that's unfortunate.

The Shackles the Past: This heavy set of chains almost looks beautiful, if not for their function. They look to be crafted by an expert, the wrist and ankle bands look like they were made for a large human. In truth they were forged by a devious imp who thought that fond memories might become a great weapon. When placed on a victim these shackles begin to remind the wearer of all of their most pleasant memories. At first, it's not so bad, but if left on for too long the wearer develops an acute sense of longing for things that have passed. Without some help, the wearer will begin trying to re-live those experiences and will stop looking toward the future.

Three Nouns

I saw a post by +Michael Walsh on the Dungeon World Tavern about posting ten magic items a day. His tenacity inspired me. Though magic items don't seem like they will keep my interest all by their lonesome, and I'm certainly not as ambitious here's what I'm setting out to do:

Three nouns. People, places, or things, every day for the next week, giving us 21 ideas to plant into our campaigns (if we so desire). This will be in addition to my usual ravings and excitement over the things I encounter in life.

So, lets start now and even though it is very early Tuesday morning, we'll count this one towards Monday and end next Monday. Here we go...

The Ugathu: These dangerous goblins breed as fast as insects. They can be likened to an infestation more readily than individual creatures. Like flies, their breeding depends on their feeding. If they have food, then the also have a place to lay their eggs. Just like flies, the Ugathu begin as goblin larva and once they have eaten enough filth (usually dead bodies and/or garbage) they come out of their nasty little cocoons with arms legs and a pension for death and destruction. Despite the most sincere efforts of wizards, druids, and adventurers with good intentions, no one has been able to exterminate this race of goblins. The Rod of Holding has been the most significant breakthrough in the containment of these creatures.

Rod of Holding: This fairly new relic was imbued with a powerful spell by a community of druids. Designed to entrance a certain breed of goblins called the Ugathu, the rod has kept these dangerous little buggers in check for over 20 years. It contains two enchantments. The first is a minor attraction spell which keeps the Ugathu in place, though they are free to roam within a certain mileage from the rod, they begin to feel very uncomfortable if they get near the edges of the rods range. The second spell is the real kicker. It is designed to subdue the hunger of the Ugathu, without which the goblins would breed so rapidly that they would be pushed outside the range of the Rod.

Ja'sun Witwinder: A young man with a knack for telling tales Ja'sun is "destined for greatness." To hear him tell it, all Ja'sun wants is to experience life to it's fullest and to observe true heroics. But anyone who watches this young man carefully can see that he pays very close attention to where everyone keeps their purse, and rumors have begun to spring up that Ja'sun might be nothing more than a common thief. Young man filled with potential or smooth talking threat. I guess you'll have to hire him to find out.

Hold and what it adds to the game.

GM: The orc horde rushes towards you Zanzibar still needs time to finish his ritual, if he fails the demonspawn will flow forth from the portal and may very well consume the world. Greshick, you are closest to the orcs, what do you do?

Player: I swing my sword in a long deliberate arch as a challenge. Then I hold my sword in an overhead stance and wait for the orcs to defy me.

GM: Nice.



I read a post on the +Dungeon World Tavern this morning by +Pablo LaFrossia about the defend move and weather it can work on yourself.

This quickly got me thinking about the mechanical benefits and fictional bad-assery of moves with hold.

In my weekly games we use Fate World (see below). And while many of the games have gone very well, and lend themselves to a great amount of adventure, I am beginning realize that moves with hold are not being used in my games. Which is 98% my fault.

So I wanted to go over some quick highlights of these moves to get my juices flowing.
-These moves tend to be proactive. The player is preparing for something. They give you an idea of what the players are excited about. It'd be a shame for you to not challenge their preparation...don't you think?
- They give the players choice. Spend their precious hold, or come up with another means of getting what they want? This creates an "advantage" or flexibility for the player that will keep them engaged in the fiction.
- They are a resource you can take away. Taking hit points can be boring, and there are only so many times you can break the fighters spear before it gets old (believe me, I've tried :), but taking away something like hold is awesome. The reason being: they don't always have hold, therefore it is more valuable.

So there you have it. Check out my hack, and let me know if you have any additional reasons moves with hold should be emphasized.

*Fate World is a hack of Fate Core and Dungeon World that is in the works. You can see it, leave comments, and ask questions here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/17xhfWem0V2d5-cCiRwHEbx2ygK4x6VDAu0FTGYWCoyM/edit?usp=sharing

Happy Hunting!

New players

In the world of online tabletop roleplaying, new players are fairly easy to come by, but what makes a new player a keeper?

I've had the pleasure of running some games with new gamers recently. Here is what makes a player "stick".

1. They fit in with the banter of the group. I know this might seem obvious, but there is a lot to be said for chemistry. It is so nice to see a player come in and start to joke with the other players in the way the other players like to joke. This honors the current way the players are doing things and gives the new player the chance to add a bit of their own flavor to the conversation.

2. Interest in other characters. The best players I've had so far have come in and instantly wanted to know who they might be working with. They ask specific questions that can be as simple as, "what class are you" or as detailed as "what has been your favorite exploit so far?"

3. Jiving with the GM. In newer games like #DungeonWorld and #Fate the GM's role is a little different than traditional games. The GM must be able to ask questions of his players and then be able to use the answers provided. Due to this difference, when a new player pays attention to the questions being asked and answers them with enthusiasm, it goes a long way.

So there you have it. My big three. I was tempted to include something like "basic understanding of the rules" or "knowledge of how to play an RPG" but in my experience those haven't necessarily been helpful. In fact they are just as likely to hinder the experience. With so many awesome games being published and enjoyed by so many, it's almost impossible to say "this is how you role play." I mean if you just look at the differences between D&D 4th edition, games like Fate or Dungeon World, and a game like Fiasco you'll see, there is no right way. Each has their merits and benefit to the gaming community.

So what about you? What do you see in a new player that makes you want to invite them not only to your next game but also to your next campaign?

Happy Hunting!

Roll20 Game Night Photos

Just some doodles based off of my games on +Roll20 . I'm not much of an artist but +Dungeon World encourages "drawing maps and leaving blanks" so this is what I got :)  After reading +Kasper Brohus and his recommendations of The Alexandrian (http://thealexandrian.net/) I realized that my dungeon maps are very liner. I'll be working on that. In the meantime, enjoy!