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One year ago today I got serious about getting in shape. Since then I’ve lost about 120 pounds. I’ve still got a few pounds of persistent flab to go, but I thought the one year anniversary was a good time to reflect on the progress I’ve made. A sustained, consistent effort for an entire year without any major backsliding is pretty impressive, if I do say so myself. I’ve been watching what I eat and taking long walks nearly every day. My current route goes from my apartment down to the Fern Ridge Bike Path to the Meadowlark Prairie Overlook and then back. I usually walk at night when there aren’t a lot of people around (and it also means that I don’t have to worry about sunscreen).

It takes a lot of exercise to lose weight. When I first started I did some google searches and found out that you need to burn 3500 calories to lose a pound, and walking a mile burns 100 calories (in reality I was probably burning a lot more than that per mile when I was heavier, since hauling around that much extra weight is a lot of work). Doing the math, that means you need to walk five miles a day to burn one pound per week. A lot of people are surprised when I tell them that my daily routine is to walk 11.2 miles, but if I wasn’t maintaining that level of activity then losing the weight would have taken much longer than my willpower would have lasted. Of course every bit helps, but I need to see tangible results from my efforts or I get discouraged. It took me a while to work my way up to the current routine. When I started out, I set a rule for myself that I would never walk less than I did on a previous day. Knowing that I did something the day before was an easy way for me to tell myself “I know you’re physically capable of doing it”, which helped me push myself even when I wanted to give up. I tend to be a compulsive rules-follower, so having a black-and-white rule like this helped a lot.

In a lot of ways I needed to outsmart myself in order to make this process work. One technique is my “There and Back Again” strategy: Doing a low-intensity activity like walking, I figured that my willpower was more likely to give out than my body, so I can effectively double my willpower by walking to a destination. Until I get home, stopping the exercise would leave me stranded somewhere in the middle of my route, so the only way to stop is to finish. Also, since my destination has benches where I can sit down, I can focus on “once I get there, I can rest!” instead of “I need to go home so I can rest!”. I doubt I’d be able to do the same distance if I was on a treadmill that I could step off of at any time.

Another thing I do is exploit my OCD Tendencies. I’m not OCD enough to have it impact my life negatively, but I certainly have some behaviors that lean in that direction. I decided to try to harness them for good instead of evil. I include a lot of “ritualized” behaviors in my walking regime. For example, I like to start at exactly the same time every day, and I do a lot of the same things, such as sitting on a particular bench to check my e-mail on my iPhone. These little rituals have become so ingrained that I now feel weird when I don’t do them. It becomes psychologically easier to do the walking routine than to skip it, because when I skip I have all of those wonderful nagging thoughts about what I should be doing at that instant. Making the routine an “every day” thing helps reinforce this. For me, other schedules like every other day, weekly, etc., don’t tend to trigger this pattern of thinking, but an “every day” schedule does.

Another thing I needed to do for a while was to keep reminding myself that athletes work through pain. Being an arrogant geek, it stands to reason that I ought to have more mental fortitude than them. In the past, I used minor aches and pains as an excuse to skip my exercise routine. Rewarding yourself with a vacation when you perceive pain is a good way to train yourself to overestimate pain. With the mindset of “I’m walking anyway,” I have a much more realistic estimation of how much strain my body is under. I give myself days off when it is truly warranted, but don’t let myself use little things like the occasional blister to sabotage my exercise regime.

Walking 11.2 miles takes some time, so it’s useful to have something that occupies my mind while I do it. I found that podcasts do a great job of this. Most podcasts are interesting enough to keep me occupied, but not so information-dense that distractions like the noise of a passing car become irritating. My favorite type of podcast for this purpose is the “RPG Actual Play” genre. They’re long (an important consideration when you’ve got four hours to fill!), they tend to be fun and upbeat (keeping positive energy while exercising is important for me), and I learn about how games actually work, which is cool. My favorites are The Walking Eye (they cover the games I tend to be most interested in), The Gutter Skypes (they usually play games I’m at least interested in, and playing over Skype means that you aren’t missing much in the way of nonverbal communication at the table), and the Whartson Hall Gamers who release through the RPGMP3 community feed (usually interesting games, and the English accents make everything seem more entertaining).

In addition to the exercise, I’ve been watching my diet. The first thing I did was switch to water as my only cold beverage (I already drank my coffee and tea without sugar). Juices and sodas are just unnecessary calories, and water is a lot cheaper anyway. The second thing I did was to start working on portion control. I tend to eat too much, especially when it comes to taking large portions or having seconds or thirds when it’s an option. To combat that, I gave myself a new rule: I can only eat food that I cook, and microwaving doesn’t count. This puts my portion-selection up front when I’m preparing the ingredients, when I’m still thinking rationally (i.e. before the emotional “this tastes  good!” stuff kicks in). Also, with this rule in place I create a real barrier to having seconds or thirds: I need to cook again. Usually, the time and effort that would be involved in another round of cooking is enough of a limitation for me to realize “I’m not actually hungry for seconds, I’m just craving the stimulation of tasty food.” I’m not perfect at obeying this rule, but it’s been a big help. (Also, some advice: stop watching commercial television. It seems like nearly every commercial is designed to sell food. The entire advertising industry is conspiring to make you think you’re hungry! The best solution is to cut them out of your life entirely. I don’t watch much TV anymore, but when I do I always watch in a way that cuts out commercials.)

Once I hit my target weight, I’m going to need to figure out how to maintain it. And I’ll probably switch up to some more intense exercise like jogging or running once the weather gets nicer. And I probably need to work in a little strength-training, too (I’m not hauling 120 extra pounds 24×7 anymore…). I need to be careful not to get ahead of myself and mess up the system I’ve got going, though, so for now I’m going to just keep doing what I’ve been doing, and hopefully in another month or two I’ll be where I want to be.

I just finished Switch by Chip and Dan Heath.

It’s about implementing change, whether in individuals, groups, or large organizations. It’s got some really interesting stuff in it, and it will take me a while to fully digest it and start incorporating the ideas into my life. The suggestions they make seem to resonate well with things I’ve figured out independently in my own life (such as some of the techniques I’ve been using to lose weight, which I plan to blog about more on Saturday), so I’m guessing that their other ideas are also going to work well. It’s definitely the most thought-provoking book I’ve read in a while.

I just finished The Alchemist’s Apprentice by Dave Duncan. I enjoyed the writing style, the characterization of the main character, and the setting (slightly-fantasy renaissance Venice). I found the “mystery” aspect a little hard to follow, but I’m not a big mystery fan, so that may be a fault of mine rather than the novel.

I just finished the latest Wheel of Time book, The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson.

I really enjoyed it, but I was a bit lost at times because it’s been so long since I read the previous book. One criticism that I have to agree with about the Wheel of Time is that there are too many characters, and too many of their names are too similar. The most egregious example I noticed was that the end of one chapter talked about the character Shemerin in the rebel Aes Sedai camp and the next chapter featured the character Sheriam in the rebel Aes Sedai camp. Definitely not the same character, but it took me a few pages to catch on… Even with the problems, I enjoy this series and think this was a great addition to it.

Recently, I finished reading Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchet.

I enjoyed it, but I think that is in large part because I love the Discworld series rather than the merits of this particular book. I found the “football” stuff had very little resonance for me (not being British or interested in organized sports probably contributes to that), and the character of Nutt was very thinly drawn. I did notice a tendency for the POV to wander from one character to another within a scene, which I had heard was more accepted in British fiction than in American, but hadn’t really observed in practice before.

I also finished The Wyrmling Horde by David Farland.

I had been reading this series in hardcover, but after the shift in direction the story took with Worldbinder I’m glad I waited for paperback for this one. There was some interesting action, and it was interesting to read some of the character POV stuff as they were tempted by power, but the “romance” angle between Talon and Emir Tul Raa fell flat for me, and the “binding the shadow worlds” stuff is far less interesting than the ideas inherent in the basic Runelord magic that are falling by the wayside in the story. I’m not sure if I’ll continue with the series or not.

I uploaded a new revision of the rules: Final Hour of a Storied Age rev 0.51. It’s mechanically the same as 0.5, but I’ve done some editing and added a big example that walks through the story/world creation process. I’ve been fiddling around with some more advanced layout programs, but I haven’t mastered them enough to switch over yet.

This is a text synopsis of the same playtest featured in episode 3 of the Designer vs. Reality podcast. Listen to the podcast audio first if you want to avoid spoilers.

On Wednesday December 2, 2009, I had a three and a half hour playtest session of Final Hour of a Storied Age (rev 0.41 of the rules) with Joe, Jeff, Wil, and me (Dan) played over Skype.

As normal, we started by generating seeds. First, we roll on the theme table to generate lists of words. Once we each have our word lists, we rearrange them until they inspire us to write an evocative sentence based on the words. Once we have the sentence written, we use the order of the words to cast the Star Charts, which gives us a number of intersections for each seed.

Joe: Winter Forest Blood –> “A young woman was killed in a snow-covered forest; Her blood awakened something.” 0 intersections

Dan: Large Star Lies Ambition Corruption Poor –> “A false astrologer seeks to manipulate the poor”. 1 intersection.

Dan: Summer Female Learning Rich Ring –> “An elvish woman is learning to craft jewelry from precious metals.” 1 intersection

Wil: Crown Hate Responsibility Family Small Mountain –> “A nobleman who hates responsibility leaves his family for a small mountain town.” 2 intersections

Wil: Poor Sea Duty Summer –> “A poor seafaring vagabond takes up the mangle of general during the Summer of Sorrows.” 1 intersection

Jeff: Prophecy Small Love Gold Division Blood –> “A prophecy has been foretold by the shaman of a small tribe that its leader’s love for gold will cause a division of bloody proportions between the tribe.” 3 intersections.

Jeff: The lies of a noble family convince a poor thief to steal the Crown of Ice before it can be inherited by the noble’s young daughter.” 3 intersections.

The number of intersections determines the protagonist seed and antagonist seed. Normally the seed with the most intersections is the protagonist, but there is a tie between Jeff’s so he rolls a die and determines that his “poor thief” seed will be the protagonist seed. Since he has both the protagonist and antagonist seeds he needs to hand one off. He decides to give the antagonist seed to me (Dan). With the roles decided, we need to pick a protagonist character, a community that he represents, and a negative change to that community that the antagonist is trying to bring about.

Protagonist Seed: The lies of a noble family convince a poor thief to steal the Crown of Ice before it can be inherited by the noble’s young daughter
Antagonist Seed: A prophecy has been foretold by the shaman of a small tribe that its leader’s love for gold will cause a division of bloody proportions between the tribe.

We discuss things a bit, and determine that Jeff wants the poor thief from his seed to be the protagonist character. The context of the sentence makes it seem like the thief lives in a kingdom which is currently ruled by a corrupt nobility. We decide that this kingdom is the community – the lying nobles are a sour note in an otherwise good place to live. For the antagonist, either the shaman or the leader has possibilities, but I choose the leader since the seed is already hinting at him as a source of strife. It isn’t clear how the leader of a small tribe would be a credible threat to an entire kingdom, so we decided to bring in the “her blood awakened something” seed: My character wants to get control of the monster that was awakened, and will use it to make war on the kingdom to get their gold. Wil decides that his supporting character will be the responsibility-hating nobleman, and Joe decides that his supporting character will be the dead girl’s brother, searching for her whereabouts. We each pick names, four free-form traits, and assign dice to the traits.

Jeff’s character: Gonff: Agile 3d6. Sleight of Hand 2d8. Duellist 2d8. Throwing knives 1d10.

Dan’s character: Kojo: Leader 2d8. Greed 2d8. Spear 1d10. Plots and Schemes 3d6.

Joe’s character: Stoham: Martial Master 2d8. Code of Chivalry 1d10. Head Strong 3d6. Huge Horse 2d8.

Wil’s character: Themas Tiber: Smooth Talker 1d10. Spiteful 2d8. Free Spirit 2d8. Truthsayer 3d6.

We also outlined plots for each character. Kojo’s plot follows pretty directly from the main plot axis we already decided on. This is how he will enact the negative change if not stopped by the protagonist of the story. He will 1) Find someone who will teach him the ritual that will let him control the monster, 2) Perform the ritual, and 3) attack the kingdom. Gonff the Thief’s plot will be the way he thwarts the antagonist. He will 1) Steal the Ice Crown, 2) Unlock its power, and 3) attack Kojo’s forces. As a supporting character, Stoham’s subplot is to find out what happened to his sister (his character doesn’t know that she’s dead). As another supporting character, Themas Tiber’s subplot to win enough influence among the nobility to displace the corrupt, lying nobles that are current in charge.

We distribute our starting Spotlight and Adversity tokens and start the bidding process that will lead us into chapter 1! First, players bid Spotlight Tokens to see who will be the Spotlight Character for the chapter. They describe where the chapter will take place, and what their character’s plot goals are. Then all of the other players bid Adversity Tokens in order to see who will present adversity that makes it hard for the spotlight character to achieve his goals (sort of like a traditional GM). The winner of the adversity bid gains as many Spotlight Tokens as he wins the bid with, which he be able to use in later chapters to bid for the spotlight.

Chapter 1 (0:43:13 in the podcast)
Starting Tokens: Jeff 4s0a, Dan 2s2a, Joe 0s4a, Wil 0s4a
Spotlight Bid: Jeff 2, Dan 1, Joe 0, Wil 0
Adversity Bid: Dan 1, Joe 1, Wil 4 (Wil gains 4 Spotlight)
Gonff is fed up with the lies of the nobility and the astrologer, so he has resolved to steal the Crown of Ice. He tries to sneak into the palace. Guards are actively watching to prevent Gonff from getting in. Gonff uses some Sleight of Hand to throw some rocks as a distraction and his Agility to get over the wall (die roll: Jeff 6,6 vs. Wil 6,1. Jeff wins because he has the highest single die, and the obstacle Wil introduced is exhausted because he got at least one 1 on his dice). Inside the palace grounds there are lots of lights and torches. Gonff tries to use his Agility to keep to the shadows but is spotted (Jeff 5,1 vs. Wil 6,5,4). The young nobles that have caught sight of him advance toward Gonff, but Gonff uses his Sleight of Hand to flourish one of his knives at them and throw it into their midst, knocking one of their swords to the ground and then ricocheting into a torch, extinguishing it and throwing the scene into darkness. (Jeff 6,? vs. Wil 5,?,1). However, the still smoldering torch ignites a large fire, throwing the palace grounds into chaos. Gonff tries to dodge past the flames with his Agility (Jeff ? vs. Wil 8,8). Gonff makes it into the palace building, but the fire cuts off his escape. (Since they each won two exchanges, both Jeff and Wil get two victory tokens. Jeff is also allowed to convert his unspent Chapter token into a Victory token. Jeff has one more Victory Token than Wil, so he can spend it on a variety of options. Jeff uses his Victory Token to advances his first plot segment by one step, 33% of the way toward getting that crown). At the end of every chapter, the Protagonist gets two more Spotlight Tokens and everyone else gets two more Adversity Tokens.

Chapter 2 (0:53:21 in the podcast)
Starting Tokens: Jeff 4s0a, Dan 1s3a, Joe 0s5a, Wil 4s2a
Spotlight Bid: Jeff 1, Dan 1, Joe 0, Wil 2
Adversity Bid: Dan 3, Joe 5, Wil N/A (Joe gains 5 Spotlight)
Themas is preparing to leave the palace to head off to a small mountain town, but first tries to convince the other nobles the error of their ways. Joe creates Themas’s uncle, Laffter Forforn, as an NPC that has been implied by the story.

Laffter Forforn: Pompous 1d10. Richer than sin 2d8. Well staffed 2d8. Vicious tongue 3d6.

Laffter, being Pompous and having a Vicious Tongue, talks about how great his leadership of the noble house has been, and how clever he’s been about exploiting the people in the countryside. Themas Spitefully tells him the Truth, which is that it hasn’t been as good as he’s making it out to be. (Wil 8,5,4,4,3 vs. Joe 6,4,3,2). Themas scores some points with the other nobles who are watching the argument, but Laffter suggests that the peasants are less than dirt and should be ignored. Additionally, the boredom and ennui of the other nobles is a passive threat for Themas successful making his case. Themas Smoothtalks them. (Wil 8,7,4,3,3,3,1 vs. Joe 6,?). The nobles are unable to ignore what Themas is saying, even if they aren’t particularly interested. Laffter tries to distract everyone by proposing a fox hunt, which will be especially good because Laffter is Richer Than Sin and will spare no expense. Themas, being a Free Spirit, wants nothing to do with such entertainments, (Wil 5,3 vs. Joe 10,?), but the other nobles are very interested. (Wil has 2-1=1 Victory Tokens, +1 for the unspent Chapter Token. He uses them to alter his Smooth Talker trait to Orator, and advances his subplot by one step).

Chapter 3 (1:02:50 in the podcast)
Starting Tokens: Jeff 5s0a, Dan 0s2a, Joe 5s2a, Wil 2s4a
Spotlight Bid: Jeff 3, Dan 0, Joe 5, Wil 1
Adversity Bid: Dan 2, Jeff N/A, Wil 4 (Wil gains 4 Spotlight)
Stoham is making his way to the village where his sister was last seen. As a passive threat, the mountainfolk don’t like foreigners. Stoham intimidates them with his huge horse. (Joe 5,? vs. Wil 3,2,1). Stoham does some work around town, winning the people’s trust. He learns that the leader of the tribe knows something about his sister, but unfortunately the leader of the tribe speaks in riddles. Stoham’s Chivalrous training has taught him to deal with people who aren’t direct, and he is Headstrong so he won’t leave until he gets an answer, (Joe 6,?,1 vs. Wil 8,2), but he can’t get it directly from him. He finds the oldest matron in the village and implores her to help. However, she is old and ugly, and it’s difficult for Stoham to even look at her. Nevertheless, Stoham is a strapping young Martial Master and that causes the old hag to take a liking to him (Joe 6,?,1 vs. Wil 5,4,2,1,1). He learns that his sister was taken off to the woods several days ago by an outcast from the village. Stoham prepares himself to set out, but the old woman begs him to stay with her. Stoham Chivalrously promises to return later, and rides off on his Horse (Joe 4,? vs Wil 3,3). (Joe has 5 tokens to spend. He advances his plot, increases his Code of Chivalry to a 1d12, and changes Head Strong to Heart Strong).

Chapter 4 (1:14:28 in the podcast)
Starting Tokens: Jeff 7s0a, Dan 0s2a, Joe 0s4a, Wil 4s2a
[Bookkeeping error? It seems like Jeff should have 4s and Wil 5s]
Spotlight Bid: Jeff 4, Dan 0, Joe 0, Wil 4
Adversity Bid: Dan 2, Joe 4, Wil 1 (Joe gains 4 Spotlight)
Gonff has just sneaked into the palace and is searching for the crown. However, since he doesn’t know exactly where in the palace he is, he must search the records room, sneaking past an old librarian and using his Sleight of Hand to get a scroll. (Jeff 5,4 vs. Joe 6,3). The librarian catches him in the act, and demands that Gonff help steal back a locket that a noble took from the librarian. The nobleman keeps the item under his pillow, and is a light sleeper (Wil liked this turn of events, and gave it a fan-mail discount). (Jeff 6,6 vs. Joe 6,2). Gonff deftly snatches the locket and returns it to the librarian. The librarian explains that the greatest treasures of the noble families are buried with the dead, so Gonff will have to search the tomb of King Vonjourn II for the crown. Gonff heads down to the catacombs and encounters the first of the Traps that guard the tomb (an active environmental threat), some large bladed pendulums. Gonff tries to use his Agility to Throw some knives and jam the blades, but doesn’t get all of them and gets a nasty cut for his trouble (Jeff 7, 6 vs. Joe 8,2), which will manifest mechanically as a passive environmental threat of Wounds. Gonff faces the next Trap, a door with a complicated puzzle-lock. Gonff, using Sleight of Hand, finagles the mechanism with one of his Knives (Jeff 10,8,?,1 vs. Joe 6,?,1). There is a mass of snakes in the next room, and Gonff uses his Duellist training and his Throwing Knives to fight them off (Jeff 10,3 vs. Joe 3,1). (Jeff has 3 tokens to spend. He advances his plot, and radically alters Duellist to Shrewd).

Chapter 5 (1:26:33 in the podcast)
Starting Tokens: Jeff 2s0a, Dan 0s2a, Joe 4s2a, Wil 1s3a
Spotlight Bid: Jeff 1, Dan 0, Joe 4, Wil 0
Adversity Bid: Dan 1, Jeff N/A, Wil 3 (Wil gains 3 Spotlight)
Stoham is in the woods, looking for his sister. Wil decides he wants to create an evil doppelganger of Stoham as a form of adversity. He wants to use the “Dark Mirror” character creation rules to do this, although that’s not what they were intended for. I pointed this out at the time but didn’t try to veto it (Wil and I were butting heads a lot in this session, and I didn’t want to strain things further).

Dark Stoham: Martial Master 2d8, Code of Malicious Intent 1d10, Heart Crusher 3d6, Flaming Nightmare Horse 2d8.

They both go all-in with their traits (Joe 11,? vs. Wil 7,?). Stoham, at peace with himself, allows the doppelganger to strike, but the sword passes harmlessly through him. (Joe has 4 tokens to spend. He advances his plot, and advances Heart Strong from 3d6 to 2d8). He finds a set of footprints leading into the woods.

Chapter 6 (1:37:37 in the podcast)
Starting Tokens: Jeff 3s0a, Dan 0s3a, Joe 0s4a, Wil 3s2a
Spotlight Bid: Jeff 3, Dan 0, Joe 0, Wil 3
Adversity Bid: Dan 3, Joe 1, Wil 2 (Dan gains 3 Spotlight)
Gonff enters the chamber with the crown, but he’s not the only one who’s after it! I create a new NPC:

Darius the Astrologer: Astrologer 1d10. Deceitful 2d8. Wealthy 2d8. Uncaring 3d6.

He’s mentioned on the seeds, so that’s 1 token, and it’s plausible but unexpected for him to be there which costs another token. As an Astrologer, he saw in the stars that someone would try to steal the crown today, so that’s why he’s there waiting. Gonff Shrewdly uses his Sleight of Hand to distract the astrologer while he Agilely whips some Knives at him. (Jeff 10,6 vs. Dan 10). Darius’s uncannily accurate astrology made him overconfident – he thought his mere presence would frighten the thief away, but he’s no match for Gonff in a fight! Gonff incapacitates him and puts the crown on. (Jeff has 3 tokens to spend. He advances his plot, completing his “get the artifact” quest to get the Ice Crown. He also creates a new NPC: the elf girl who has been learning about jewelry has an interest in the crown and has been watching Gonff’s progress from afar. She comes into existence as neutral, but Jeff moves her to Ideologically Aligned with Gonff).

Multani the Jeweler: Swift 3d6, Jeweler 2d8, Precious Weaponry 2d8, Pet Wolf 1d10

Chapter 7 (1:50:56 in the podcast)
Starting Tokens: Jeff 2s0a, Dan 3s2a, Joe 0s5a, Wil 0s2a
Spotlight Bid: Jeff 1, Dan 3, Joe 0, Wil 0
Adversity Bid: Dan N/A, Joe 1, Wil 1 (Joe gains 1 Spotlight)
Kojo is in his village, trying to find someone who will teach him the secret of the ritual. The shaman, the wisest person in the village, can sense his evil intentions and refuses to divulge what she knows. Kojo is the Leader of the tribe partly due to his strength, and attacks her with his Spear (Dan 7,4,1 vs. Joe 4,4). Kojo beats the hell out of her, forcing her to reveal that she doesn’t know the ritual but the wood elves do. (I have 3 tokens to spend. I spend one to advance my plot and decide there’s nothing I want to spend the other two on).

Chapter 8 (1:56:39 in the podcast)
Starting Tokens: Jeff 3s0a, Dan 0s4a, Joe 1s6a, Wil 0s3a
Spotlight Bid: Jeff 2, Dan 0, Joe 1, Wil 0
Adversity Bid: Dan 1, Joe 6, Wil 1 (Joe gains 6 Spotlight)
Gonff has learned from Multani that her people can teach him the secrets of the crown. He heads toward the woods, but it is a long journey, and he faces a passive threat of his tiredness. Gonff, being Shrewd, tries to find the best way through the desert. (Jeff 7,5 vs. Joe 5,?,1). However, Darius the Astrologer has pursued him from the city, bringing a band of thugs with him (I liked the band of thugs, so I gave that active threat a discount with my fan-mail). He has used his Astrology to plot the perfect ambush under the stars, and has used his Wealth to arm his men with the best weapons money can buy. Gonff comes up with a Shrewd battle plan involving his Throwing Knives, Multani’s Precious Weaponry, and her Pet Wolf (Jeff 9,? vs. Joe 6,?). Darius and the thugs are forced back, taking heavy losses. Gonff makes it to a river, but hostile river spirits (an active threat) try to capsize his boat (Wil gives that a fan-mail discount). The thugs also choose this moment to renew their attack, from the finely built boat that Darius bought with his Wealth. Gonff works on a Shrewd plan to cross the river while Multani holds off their foes with her Precious Weaponry (Jeff 6,?,1 vs. Joe 8,?,1). The boats smash into each other and Gonff and Multani are forced to swim to shore. Joe reactivates the thugs to pursue them across the open ground. The thugs are tired, but Darius is Uncaring and forces them onward. Darius has also Deceived a local band of horse nomads into believing that Gonff is a horse thief. Gonff and Multani try to Swiftly get away, using the Pet Wolf and Throwing Knives to cover their retreat (Jeff 5,4,1,1,1 vs. Joe 8,7,7). Darius and his horde of minions pursue them tirelessly, driving them further and further away from the forest. Gonff and Multani are tired (a passive threat) from the long journey, and Darius has planned the perfect attack using his Astrology. Gonff tries to dodge with his Agility, but doesn’t pull it off (Jeff 4,? vs. Joe 7,?,1), and is forced far off course to the north. (Joe has 1 token to spend, but decides there’s nothing he wants to spend on).

Chapter 9 (2:12:02 in the podcast)
Starting Tokens: Jeff 3s0a, Dan 0s5a, Joe 6s2a, Wil 0s4a
Spotlight Bid: Jeff 6, Dan 0, Joe 6, Wil 0
Adversity Bid: Dan 5, Joe 1, Wil 1 (Dan gains 5 Spotlight)
Gonff is headed through the mountains to get to the forest. Darius is still on Gonff’s trail, since he saw this all in the stars. Darius is Uncaring about his men, so he hasn’t stopped to reprovision, which is allowing him to catch up to Gonff again. Gonff and Multani try to come up with a Shrewd plan to Swiftly evade the astrologer (Jeff 8,?,1 vs. Dan 9,?), but they can’t escape. While Darius may not treat his men well, he certainly pays them well with his Wealth, so the thugs attack. Gonff and Multani fight with Throwing Knives, Precious Weaponry, and the Pet Wolf (Jeff 9,? vs. Dan 8,?). Gonff and Multani win the exchange, having claimed the high ground, and move further into the mountains. A big storm blows in, which is something that Darius foresaw with his Astrology. This lets the thugs catch up and attack Gonff again. (Jeff 10,? vs. Dan 8,?). Gonff and Multani, however, are Agile and Swift and able to adapt to the stormy conditions better than the thugs, getting the best of them. Gonff and Multani move through a pass controlled by a mountain tribe, but the Deceitful Darius has convinced them that Gonff is an enemy of their tribe. The storm still rages, and Darius promises his men a handsome reward from his vast Wealth to whoever brings him the crown, incentivizing his thugs to renew their attack. (Jeff 9,8,? vs. Dan 8,7,7,7,7,?). Multani uses her Jewelry to impress the primitive tribesmen, distracting them long enough for her and Gonff to make their escape, forcing the thugs to muscle their way through the tribesmen’s village. Darius is Uncaring that the tribesmen are angry, he just Deceitfully tells them more lies to get them even more worked up. Furthermore, the rain has made the ground treacherous (another passive environmental threat). Jeff creates a new NPC, the seafaring vagabond general:

General Khurzong: Tactical 3d6, Brawler 2d8, Men of the Sea 2d8, Mantle of the General 1d10.

He pays 1 to create him since he’s directly mentioned on a seed. It costs 2 to establish him here, since it’s surprising that the seafaring general would be lost in the mountains. Then 1 to activate him. He joins the fight on Gonff’s side (Jeff 8,7,? vs. Dan 8,6,?). Darius is pushed back by Khurzong and his troops, allowing Gonff to get away. (Jeff has 3 tokens to spend. He advances his plot. He also moves Khurzong’s Friendship Track to Ideologically Aligned and declares that they are Travelling Together).

Chapter 10 (2:24:03 in the podcast)
Starting Tokens: Jeff 2s0a, Dan 5s2a, Joe 0s4a, Wil 0s5a
[Bookkeeping error? I think Joe should have 4 Adversity]
Spotlight Bid: Jeff 1, Dan 3, Joe 0, Wil 0
Adversity Bid: Dan N/A, Joe 1, Wil 5 (Wil gains 5 Spotlight)
Kojo is travelling from his village to the forest when he is beset by horrible flesh-eating mongooses (an active environmental threat, and the game takes a bit of a silly turn). Kojo has his Spear, and is Greedy for the tasty mongoose flesh (Dan 5,? vs. Wil 6,4). Wil creates a new NPC, a Dark Mirror of the elf jeweler: an elven hunter who makes necklaces of human ears:

Enilithis the Hunter: Swift 3d6, Hunter 2d8, Precious Weaponry 2d8, Pet Giant Owl 1d10.

Enilithis the Hunter sees Kojo fighting the mongooses and attacks with his Precious Weaponry. Kojo Schemes to get the mongooses between himself and Enilithis so that they interfere with each other. He attacks with his Spear, using tactics that he has used before when he has Led his people in battle (Dan 9,8,? vs. Wil 8,7,?). Kojo inflicts severe wounds on the mongooses, and Enilithis is forced to withdraw and reevaluate, having initially underestimated Kojo’s skill. The mongooses have worked themselves up into a fury, and Enilithis Swiftly rejoins the fight, using his Hunting skills and Precious Weaponry, and sends his Giant Owl against Kojo. Kojo, being Greedy, would like to get some of the feathers from a powerful creature like the owl, to form a powerful totem. Having a totem like that will surely help with his Schemes to undermine the shaman and cement his position as Leader of his tribe. He strikes with his Spear! (Dan 10,7,5,? vs Wil 10,6,?,1). Kojo gets a really good shot in on the owl, sending some feathers flying, which causes Enilithis to retreat since he’s never seen anyone face down his owl like that before. (I have 3 tokens to spend. I advance my plot by one step, and I would have created the tribe as a character, but we ended the session and decided that we would play a different game next session, so there was no point in actually statting them out).

I’m still looking for more people to playtest with me over Skype. If you’re interested in trying the game out with me, let me know!

I have a new playtest version of my game: Final Hour of a Storied Age rev 0.5. It’s formatted as a half-letter PDF. It’s best read in Two-Up mode (in Acrobat Reader, View –> Page Display –> Two-Up). This will arrange the two small pages to fit on a landscape-oriented letter-sized page.

(If anyone knows how to make OpenOffice export a PDF like that, or knows how to modify the PDF to open with that default, let me know…)

I entered Final Hour of a Storied Age into the RPG Geek Database. I’ve also submitted the previous two blog entries as “session reports” there. RPGGeek isn’t a huge community yet, but it could become one. Also, there’s a forum system there that associates with each item entry, so if my game takes off it will be cool to have a public discussion forum for it that I won’t have to maintain or moderate.

This is a text synopsis of the session that was released as Episode 2 of the Designer vs. Reality Podcast.

On Wednesday November 25, 2009, I had an approximately 4 hour playtest session of Final Hour of a Storied Age (rev 0.41 of the rules) with Jeff, Wil, and me (Dan) played over Skype.

A new Storied Age story starts with seed generation. We rolled on the theme table to get our lists of words, and then arranged them in a way that inspired us to write evocative sentences. Here are the results:

Dan: Large Mountain Female Belief Power Sword –> “A giantess believes that military might is the only solution”. 6 intersections.

Dan: Inherit Poor Gold Responsibility Prophecy Fire –> “A dwarf has inherited a failing gold mine where the fires of prophecy burn”. 2 intersections.

Dan: Ice Crown Blood Corruption –> “The royal family of the frigid northern kingdom is afflicted with a blood plague”. 0 intersections.

Wil: Male Division Ice Sword Power –> “A man of divided heritage comes down to civilized lands from the northern wastes to claim his father’s sword of power.” 1 Intersection.

Jeff: Poor Belief Summer Inherit Female Hate –> “The peasants of a kingdom now believe the mantle of summer should not be inherited by a new queen due to her hatred of them.” 2 intersections.

Jeff: Prophecy Forest Family Blood –> “The prophets of the forest see its royal family of elves being overthrown in a river of blood”. 1 intersection.

I become the protagonist because my “giantess” seed has the most intersections. Jeff’s “mantle of summer” seed has the second most intersections, so that defines the antagonist. We brainstormed for a few minutes, and determined that Jeff’s queen wants to acquire the Mantle of Summer, which will allow her to magically control the Creatures of Summer, which includes the giants. My giantess must stop that to protect her people. We decided that the Mantle of Summer is an actual artifact, but it requires the approval of a council of elders to use, followed by an elaborate ritual. Wil is a supporting character, based on his “claim the father’s sword” seed.

With the primary plot defined, we statted out characters.

Jeff’s Character: Queen Rosheen. Vain 3d6. Plotter 2d8. Horsemanship 2d8. Royal Guard 1d10.
Jeff’s Plot: Acquire the Artifact, Sway the Council, Perform Ritual.

Dan’s Character: Brunhild: Giantess 1d10. Strength 2d8. Lorekeeper of the People 2d8. Contemplative 3d6.
Dan’s Plot: Escape the Chaos, Become Chief, War!

Wil’s Character: Agnar: Courtly 1d10. Barbarian 2d8. Crafty 2d8. Vengeance 2d6.
Wil’s Plot: Acquire the sword

We destributed the starting Spotlight and Adversity tokens and started playing.

Chapter 1
Starting tokens: Dan 4s0a, Wil 0s4a, Jeff 2s2a
Spotlight Bid: Dan 1, Wil 0, Jeff 1
Adversity Bid: Wil 3, Jeff 1 (Wil gains 3 Spotlight)
Brunhild is in the giant village, where the giants have been enslaved by the kingdom of Halvak to work in the mines. Witnessing the atrocities of the slavers against the giants is a passive environmental threat, and Brunhild responds with her Lorekeeper trait, telling stories of the old times, and how the giants were once a proud and noble people. (Dan 8,8 vs. Wil 3,3,1). The slavers come and whip Brunhild, an active threat. Brunhild, having Great Strength and being a Giantess, tries to endure this. (Dan 7,4,3 vs. Wil 4,4). Armed guards come in as another active threat, and the Contemplative Brunhild considers that even if her spirit can’t be broken, the other giants may pay a price for her defiance, and she has a responsibility to them as Lorekeeper. (Dan 6,5,?,?,? vs. Wil 6,6,4,2). I have a net of one victory token, which I spend to advance my plot by one step, since Brunhild is realizing that the situation is too horrible to be allowed to continue.

Chapter 2
Current tokens: Dan 5s0a, Wil 3s3a, Jeff 1s3a
Spotlight Bid: Dan 1, Wil 3, Jeff 1
Adversity Bid: Wil N/A, Jeff 4 (Jeff gains 4 Spotlight)
Agnar is inside the walls of the main city of Halvak, asking around after his father. Some guards come over to hassle him, an active threat. Agnar is Courtly and Crafty, and wants to talk his way out of it. (Wil 8,4,1 vs. Jeff 5,1). Agnar convinces them to leave him alone. Continuing the search, Agnar winds up at a bar, since the bartender Pete is supposed to know where Agnar’s father Arbald is. Pete is reluctant to talk, but Agnar is an intimidating Barbarian. (Wil 7,7 vs. Jeff 8,3). Pete, however, has seen bigger, and he calls one of his large friends over to ask Agnar to leave. Being Courtly and Crafty, Agnar believes that if he puts up a strong enough show of strength as a Vengeful Barbarian they will back down. (Wil 9,8,?,?,?,1 vs. Jeff 5,5,2,1). Pete says that Arbald is being held in the dungeon of the main tower of the city. Agnar leaves the bar to infiltrate the tower, but some guards spot him. Agnar, being Crafty and Courtly, has lots of experiencing dodging royal guards, so he attempts to evade them. Furthermore, he is a Barbarian, and will be able to outrun them even if he is spotted. (Wil 8,7,? vs. Jeff 5,3). Wil has a net of two victory tokens, which he spends to advance his plot by one step and also creates a new NPC based on one of the seeds, an elf noble who is imprisoned in the tower.

Seichi Nevertongue: Diplomat 1d10. Elf 2d8. Windspeaker 2d8. Hate for Halvak 3d6.

Chapter 3
Current tokens: Dan 6s0a, Wil 0s5a, Jeff 4s2a
Spotlight Bid: Dan 2, Wil 0, Jeff 1
Adversity Bid: Wil 3, Jeff 1 (Wil gains 3 Spotlight)
Brunhild is in the giant village, tending to the giants who were wounded by the slavemasters. The wounds are a passive threat, and Brunhild responds with Lorekeeper and the knowledge of giant physiology conferred by her Giantess trait. (Dan 7,6,?,1 vs. Wil 5,2,1). Brunhild patches up the worst of the wounds so that the giants will be well enough to work the next day and avoid being whipped again. The next day, the giants are sent into the deep mines. Rather than create an environmental threat, Wil decides to spend one token to create a character based on a seed to create the mountain range as a character, and another token to activate it. (This was interesting and unexpected, and I’m still trying to decide how I feel about the rules being used for this).

Spine of the World: Fiery Mountain 1d10. Goblins 2d8. Treacherous 2d8. Vast Riches 3d6.

The giants are after the Vast Riches, which is complicated by the Treacherous nature of the mountain, and the Goblins attack. Brunhild tries to use her Strength to see her through. (Dan 6,6 vs. Wil 8,6,?). While searching for the riches, the giants are assailed by rockslides as well as goblins, and several of the giants are injured. Those threats all continue, and Wil adds the passive threat of the structure of the mountain itself. Begin Contemplative, Brunhild takes a moment to come up with a plan. She decides to use her Strength to pull out some of the support beams in the mine tunnels, collapsing them on the goblins. (Dan 6,? vs. Wil 8,?). The collapsing plan backfires, cutting the giants off from the vast riches, but opening up an easier path for the goblins to attack the other giants back at the village. Wil spends his net 1 victory token to create the giants, and sets their friendship track to neutral (since we established in the setup that I hadn’t yet convinced the giants of my point of view).

Giants: Giant 1d10. Incredible Strength 2d8. Creatures of Summer 2d8. Stubborn 3d6.

Chapter 4
Current tokens: Dan 6s0a, Wil 3s4a, Jeff 3s3a
Spotlight Bid: Dan 1, Wil 1, Jeff 3
Adversity Bid: Wil 4, Jeff N/A (Wil gains 4 Spotlight)
Queen Rosheen, searching for the Mantle of Summer, has heard rumors that it may be hidden in the fabled Dwarf Mines. Wil activates the mountains. The Mantle may count as part of the Vast Riches, and the mountains are Treacherous. The queen’s Royal Guard and Horsemanship will see her through. (Jeff 7,5,3 vs. Wil 7,6,4,2,1). One of the guardsman plunges into a chasm on their way through. As they press onward, they are beset by goblins and their pet baslisk! Rosheen has her Royal Guard attack the goblins while she Plots and maneuvers so that the baslisk can’t use it’s deadly gaze. (Jeff 8,3,? vs. Wil 5,5,4,2). The guards push the goblins back, and some of the goblins get petrified by the baslisk in the confusion. Wil decides that Rosheen is approaching the mine, and wants to create the dwarf mentioned in the seed.

Mxener Goldhoarder: Unshakable Shackles 1d10. Dwarf 2d8. Mountain Dweller 2d8. Greed 3d6.

Mxener’s Greed is a problem for Rosheen, since he doesn’t want his stuff taken. The Fiery Mountains are also a problem, in addition to the Goblins and the baslisk. Jeff decides to introduce a character, too. He decides to hold up a dark mirror to Mxener, and creates his brother:

Mithin Goldhoarder: The Inquisitor 1d10. Dwarf 2d8. Mountain Dweller 2d8. Generosity 3d6.

(Jeff 9,? vs. Wil 7,6,?). Seeing that his brother has joined the fight, Mxener loses hope that he’ll be able to overcome them all and retreats, while Rosheen and Mithin force the goblins and the baslisk back from whence they came. Jeff spends his net 1 token to advance his plot.

Chapter 5
Current tokens: Dan 7s0a, Wil 6s2a, Jeff 0s5a
Spotlight Bid: Dan 5, Wil 4, Jeff 0
Adversity Bid: Wil 1, Jeff 5 (Jeff gains 5 Spotlight)
Brunhild and the giants are still down in the collapsed tunnels, trying to get to safety. The collapsed tunnels are a passive threat, which Brunhild addresses as a Giantess with her Strength. (Dan 6,3,2 vs. Jeff 5,5,3). Brunhild shifts the rocks out of the way and leads her people up to the surface. The slavers are unhappy that the giants have returned without the great riches, and try to beat them back into the mines (Wil made use of the “fan mail” mechanic to reduce the cost of Jeff’s new character by one).

Slavers: Summer Authority 3d6. Slavers 2d8. Giant Hatred 2d8. Whips 1d10.

They are Slavers and they attack the giants with their Whips. I activate the other giants, and use their Strength and Giant size in addition to Brunhild’s. (Dan 5,? vs. Jeff 7,?). The giants are forced back into the mines. Unfortunately, as the slavers are pushing them down, the goblins are coming up and the giants are caught in the middle, and must use their size and strength to fight. (Dan 8,? vs. Jeff 9,?). Things go poorly for the giants, but they are Stubborn and are willing to continue the fight.Brunhild is the Lorekeeper and tells them about the ancient ways of fighting goblins. The fight continues, although things are made worse for the giants by the passive environmental threat of stalactites, on which the giants keep bumping their heads. (Dan 8,8,? vs. Jeff 4,?,1). The giants force the goblins back far enough that they are able to slip away in a side tunnel, and then the goblins and slavers run into each other and start fighting amongst themselves. Being tied for victory tokens, I am allowed to convert my remaining chapter tokens into victory tokens, giving me three to spend. I advance my plot. I debated moving the mountains’ friendship track closer to me (which is legal according to the rules, since the rules never contemplated geographic features being “characters”) but Wil seemed uncomfortable with that, so I just moved the giants to Ideologically Aligned with Brunhild and set them to Travel Together.

Chapter 6
Current tokens: Dan 4s0a, Wil 2s3a, Jeff 5s2a
Spotlight Bid: Dan 1, Wil 1, Jeff 1
Adversity Bid: Wil 3, Jeff 1 (Wil gains 3 Spotlight)
Brunhild and the giants are exploring the caves, trying to find a way out that the slavers don’t know about. The mountain is Treacherous. Brunhild is the Lorekeeper of her People, and knows some old techniques. (Dan 3,1 vs. Wil 7,2). The old techniques don’t work, however. The giants get lost in a labyrinth and become Hungry but, as a Giantess, Brunhild is incredibly hardy and can go for a long time without food, and she is also Contemplative so she is willing to wait until a good solution comes to her. (Dan 6,6 vs. Wil 8,5,?,1). They are lost for a long time, and eventually resort to eating moss to sustain themselves. The giants move out onto the mountainside, only to be accosted by more goblins. Brunhild is a Giantess with great Strength, but the fight is difficult because of the Glaring Sunlight is in her eyes. (Dan 4,4,1 vs. Wil 5,4,?,1). Brunhild and the giants are beaten back, and Brunhild wonders whether her people will be scattered to the four winds. Wil has three victory tokens to spend, so he drops the Giants’ friendship track to neutral and takes one more Adversity token for himself.

Chapter 7
Current tokens: Dan 5s0a, Wil 4s3a, Jeff 4s3a
Spotlight Bid: Dan 1, Wil 1, Jeff 4
Adversity Bid: Wil 3, Jeff N/A (Wil gains 3 Spotlight)
Queen Rosheen is searching along the river that leads to the Elf Forest, hoping to find the Mantle along the way. Wil creates the river itself as a character.

Blood River: Red Water 1d10. Rapids 2d8. Giant Snapping Turtles 2d8. Marshy 3d6.

As Queen Rosheen floats down the river, a Giant Snapping Turtle emerges from the Red Water to bite off the front of her boat. The Royal Guards fight back, and Rosheen Plots her way around the problem (Jeff 10,8,? vs. Wil 5,4,1). The guards push the turtles back with long poles and the boat sails past them, into some Rapids, and a Storm has started, which makes the Marshes all that much harder to get through. Rosheen Plots to get under the trees out of the rain, and has her Royal Guard cut past any obstacles. (Jeff 3,2,?,1 vs. Wil 7,5,?). Since there’s a tie in victory tokens, Jeff can convert his remaining chapter tokens to victory tokens, which gives him three to spend. He advances his plot, and also radically changes a trait from Vain to Resourceful, to represent how good Rosheen is at getting past a variety of challenges.

Chapter 8
Current tokens: Dan 6s0a, Wil 6s2a, Jeff 0s5a
Spotlight Bid: Dan 4, Wil 6, Jeff 0
Adversity Bid: Wil N/A, Jeff 5 (Jeff gains 5 Spotlight)
Agnar is in the dungeon of the main tower of the main city of Halvak. On his way to the lower levels, he runs into Seichi Nevertongue the elf. Agnar wants to convince her to help him, but she tries to talk him out of it as a Diplomat and Windspeaker. Agnar is Courtly and Crafty and very convincing, and is motivated by his Barbarian honor. (Wil 8,7,4,3,2 vs. Jeff 7,4,3). Agnar convinces her to follow him, but she is still secretly untrusting. As they pass some guards, the elf calls out “Oh no, an escaped prisoner!” using her Diplomat trait as well as Windspeaker, and the guards come in as an active threat. Agnar feels betrayed, which brings his Vengeance into play alongside his Barbarian fighting skills. (Wil 7,6,5,4,1 vs. Jeff 9,5,1,1,1). Agnar tries to fight, but can’t defeat the guards and is forced to flee from them, taking Seichi Nevertongue with him. Agnar Craftily tries to sneak down into the lowest dungeon, past some guard patrols. (Wil 7,? vs. Jeff 4,1). Agnar chops some guards down with his giant sword to make sure he won’t have to deal with them on his way back up. A patrol of guards finds the chopped up remains of the guards, and attacks Agnar while Seichi the Elf tries to hold him. Agnar uses his Barbarian fighting skills, and Craftily tries to use Seichi as a shield against the guards. (Wil 8,6,4 vs. Jeff 8,6,5). One of the guards opens up a cell door to release one of the dangerous offenders to help fight Agnar (I used my “fan mail” to give a discount on the price of this because I enjoyed it). Agnar the Crafty Barbarian demands Vengeance against them! (Wil 8,6,5,4 vs. Jeff 8,6,5,3). Agnar fights them back. Seichi Nevertongue calls out with the voice of the east wind, summoning some Guard Dogs to join the fight. (Wil 7,6 vs. Jeff 8,8,8). Agnar flees into the bowels of the dungeon. Jeff spends his net 1 token to introduce Agnar’s father Arbald as the big prisoner that the guards released to join the fight who Agnar killed.

Arbald’s Spirit: Ghostly Wrath 1d10. Intangible 2d8. Barbaric Spirit 2d8. Bitter 3d6.

Chapter 9
Current tokens: Dan 4s0a, Wil 0s4a, Jeff 5s2a
Spotlight Bid: Dan 4, Wil 0, Jeff 1
Adversity Bid: Wil 4, Jeff 1 (Wil gains 4 Spotlight)
Brunhild is on the mountainside, looking for some safe haven. There are Goblins in the area, but as Lorekeeper Brunhild knows the anti-goblin techniques of her giant ancestors, and she is planning her actions carefully in a Contemplative manner. (Dan 6,6,?,1 vs. Wil 7,5). The plan doesn’t work, and goblins find them! As a Strong Giantess, Brunhild tries to smash the goblins, but the Stubborn nature of the giants is causing a problem, too. (Dan 6,4 vs. Wil 6,6). The goblins swarm over the giants. Brunhild tries to collapse the caves that the goblins are coming out of with her Giantess Strength, but the Treacherous nature of the mountains is a problem, and Brunhild is getting Tired as a passive environmental threat. (Dan 8,3 vs. Wil 8,6,?,1). The giants are in a rage against the goblins, and start digging through the cave collapse that Brunhild caused in order to get at them. The Strength of the giants is a problem, as well as the Vast Riches of goblin blood that the mountains contain. An active threat of Angry Giants is also introduced. I realized the chapter was unwinnable at this point, so I decided to introduce a new character, a dark mirror of Queen Rosheen to be the queen of the goblins.

Queen Morta: Royal Guard 1d10. Fleet of Foot 2d8. Direct 2d8. Resourceful 3d6.

Queen Morta (who Brunhild knows of as the Lorekeeper) isn’t pleased that the goblins are killing giants, since she would rather control them than kill them. She sends her Royal Guard against the goblins. The Fiery Mountain erupts, sending lava against the giants and Queen Morta. (Dan 7,5 vs. Wil 7,6,6,?). Wil has 4 tokens to spend, so he gives himself 2 Adversity tokens.

Chapter 10
Current tokens: Dan 2s0a, Wil 4s4a, Jeff 4s3a (Jeff says 4, though)
Spotlight Bid: Dan 1, Wil 1, Jeff 4
Adversity Bid: Wil 4, Jeff N/A (Wil gains 4 Spotlight)
Queen Rosheen has travelled along the river to the forest where she will search for the Mantle of Summer. Wil introduces the Wardens of the Forest, the royal family of elves from the seed.

Wardens of the Forest: Elves 1d10. Nobles 2d8. Archers 2d8. Uncaring of Men 3d6.

From the darkness of the forest, Rosheen hears the Elves, who are Uncaring of Men, tell her to leave. (Jeff 10,? vs. Wil 7,5). Rosheen advances, undeterred by their whispers. Snakes slither out of the forest, and the Elves, still Uncaring, attack with their Archers. Rosheen is Resourceful, and she and her Royal Guard try to Plot their way out of the situation. (Jeff 7,7,6,? vs. Wil 9,7,5,?). They can’t however, and the rain of arrows drives them directly into the snakes. The Poison of the snakes is a new active threat. Jeff introduces a new character, a dark mirror of Seichi Nevertongue.

Freyalise Alwaystongue: Diplomat 1d10. Elf 2d8. Earth Speaker 2d8. Love for Halvak 3d6.

She tries to talk the other elves out of fighting, bringing her Elf and Diplomat traits in to help Rosheen’s Plotting and Royal Guard. (Jeff 10,10,?,1 vs. Wil 10,8,8,8,?,1). The elves concede that keeping the giants under the control of a civilized person is worthwhile, even if that person is a human, so they agree to allow Rosheen to talk to the Council. Jeff advances his plot, fulfilling his “Find the Artifact” plot segment. He talks to the Council of the Elves, who know that they are likely to be overthrown soon and don’t want to make enemies with Queen Rosheen, so they reveal that they have the Mantle of Summer and give it to her, knowing that she won’t be able to unlock its true power yet anyway.

Chapter 11
Current tokens: Dan 3s0a, Wil 7s2a, Jeff 0s6a
Spotlight Bid: Dan 1, Wil 4, Jeff 1
Adversity Bid: Wil N/A, Jeff 1 (Jeff gains 1 Spotlight)
Agnar is wandering around the dungeon, and the ghost of his father appears. Agnar, Courtly and Crafty as he is, tries to convince the spirit to reveal the location of the sword. The ghost’s confusion and disconnection from the mortal realm is a passive environmental threat (I use my “fan mail” to give a discount on that). (Wil 6,3,1 vs. Jeff 3,3,2). Agnar gets through to his father, who says that the sword is in a mine owned by a particularly greedy dwarf, and that’s all that he can remember. Agnar tries to sneak out of the dungeon with his Craftiness and his Barbarian wiles. (Wil 7,1,1 vs. Jeff 6,5,3). Wil won two Victory Tokens, and converts his three remaining chapter tokens into Victory Tokens, giving him five to spend. He advances the plot, tweaks his Vengeance to Perseverance, and changes his Barbarian trait from 2d8 to 1d10.

Chapter 12
Current tokens: Dan 4s0a, Wil 3s4a, Jeff 1s7a
Spotlight Bid: Dan 3, Wil 2, Jeff 1
Adversity Bid: Wil 4, Jeff 1 (Wil gains 4 Spotlight)
Brunhild tries to convince the goblin queen that the goblins and giants shouldn’t fight each other. Queen Morta, being Direct and Resourceful, tells Brunhild that she wants no part of the giants’ problems. Brunhild, as a Giantess and Lorekeeper of the People, reveals that in ancient times the goblins and giants were actually allies. (Dan 6,5 vs. Wil 8,6). Morta says it may have been that way in the past, but no longer. Brunhild has actually been Contemplating this for a while, though, and says that Morta is queen and could change things if she wanted to. (Dan 5,? vs. Wil 8,8,7,6). Morta says that the giants may be scattered and weak, but the goblins are stronger than ever. I activate the other giants, and she sees that even if the goblin nation is more powerful, there are a lot of big, strong giants right here right now. Brunhild also suggests that the goblins may be Creatures of Summer, just like the giants. Being Fleet of Foot and having a Royal Guard to protect her, Morta isn’t frightened of the giants. (Dan 8,?,1 vs. Wil 10,?,1). But giants are Stubborn, and don’t intend to leave until Morta is convinced. Brunhild once again proffers the theory she’s been Contemplating about an alliance between goblins and giants. (Dan 6 vs. Wil 3,1). Morta isn’t completely convinced, but is willing to call a temporary truce between goblins and giants while she considers what Brunhild has been saying. Wil spends his net two Victory Tokens to give himself another Adversity Token.

Chapter 13
Current tokens: Dan 3s0a, Wil 5s3a, Jeff 0s8a
Spotlight Bid: Dan 1, Wil 1, Jeff 0
Adversity Bid: Wil 1, Jeff 1 (Jeff gains 1 Spotlight)
Morta is very Direct, so she doesn’t need to think very long. She summons Brunhild back to make her final case. Her reluctance is a passive threat. Brunhild is the Lorekeeper of her People, and has also been Contemplating better arguments while she’s been waiting. Furthermore, being Strong and a Giantess makes her a naturally attractive ally. (Dan 8,8 vs. Jeff 6,?,1). I use my Victory Token to advance my plot by one, which completes my Escape the Chaos plot segment: securing an alliance with the goblins will give the giants some temporary peace, but Brunhild has realized that a military solution is the only one that will work.

Chapter 14
Current tokens: Dan 4s0a, Wil 4s4a, Jeff 1s9a
Spotlight Bid: Dan 1, Wil 4, Jeff 1
Adversity Bid: Wil N/A, Jeff 9 (Jeff gains 9 Spotlight)
Agnar is approaching Mxener’s mines, where his father said the sword would be. A huge shadow passes in front of the sun as the ancient dragon Aesnir Darkfang appears! (Jeff paid four tokens to create a character from scratch, and two more to introduce him in a possible yet surprising place). I found that amusing, so he got the “fan mail” discount.

Aesnir Darkfang: Dragon Rage 1d10. Fire Breath 2d8. Centuries Wise 2d8. Massive 3d6.

Agnar the Courtly, Crafty Barbarian readies himself for battle. Aesnir is in a Rage that a puny human is in his territory, and brings his Fire Breath to bear. (Wil 10,10,8,8 vs. Jeff 8,?). Agnar shields himself from the flames with his sword, and slashes at the dragon as it passes. The dragon’s Rage seems to be echoed by the mountain range itself, as a Fiery Mountain erupts. (Wil 10,8,5,2 vs. Jeff 9,7). Agnar slashes the dragon again, knocking him into a lava flow, and then moves to higher ground. The dragon lets out an earsplitting roar, which echoes as a passive environmental threat. (Wil 8,7,5 vs. Jeff 10,?). Aesnir looks like he’s wounded, but that just makes him angrier. He tries to grab Agnar in his mouth. Agnar dodges aside but is knocked down the mountain in the process. Agnar, demonstrating his Perseverance, keeps fighting. Aesnir pounds the mountain, starting a rockslide (Wil 10,8,? vs. Jeff 10,10,?). Aesnir is impressed by Agnar’s fighting, but still needs to assert dominance. He sends a final blast of fire at Agnar and then flies away. Since they were tied in Victory Tokens, Wil converts his remaining Chapter Tokens and advances his “Recover the Artifact” plot segment. Out of the lava flow of the erupting mountain, he pulls a huge sword forged of black steel: the sword of his father! Wil also alters his Perseverance trait to Dragon Hunter.

This session was a lot of fun. Creating characters out of geographic features was unexpected, and I’m still not sure how I feel about it.