Dec 22
Danplaytesting, rpg
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.
Dec 22
Danplaytesting, rpg
This is a text synopsis of the session that was released as Episode 1 of the Designer vs. Reality Podcast.
On Wednesday November 18, 2009, I had an approximately 4 hour playtest session of Final Hour of a Storied Age (rev 0.4 of the rules) with Joe, Jeff, Wil, and me (Dan) played over Skype. I’m working from a combination of notes, an audio recording, and the Skype chat log where we recorded our token bids, but we didn’t record 100% of the information, so I may be a little off in some places, or we may have been making some minor math mistakes as we played (I can’t get all of the token bids to add up properly).
To start with, we generated these seeds:
Dan: A powerful religion has used its influence to displace the true king.
Joe: A noble of the summer family has lost his great fire sword (6 intersections)
Dan: A man must balance his family’s affections against his desire for a diamond ring
Joe: A failure of responsibility; a cold lesson has been learned; the mountains and farms of the south have been covered in ice.
Wil: When the Northern Star reaches its peak, a young man will inherit a divided kingdom of mountains in the center of the field of ice.
Wil: A prophecy of an underground oracle family foretells of a powerful seafaring winter noble to rise to power, while he currently searches for his lost love from a rural village (11 intersections)
Wil’s seafaring winter noble is the Protagonist, and his community is “the sea”. Joe is the antagonist with his summer noble: a supernatural flame spirit who, if he recovers his sword, will bring a fiery apocalypse that will boil away the sea. Joe’s plot segments are: Unleash his potential, Assault the winter lands, Acquire the artifact (his sword). Wil’s plot segments are: Seek out the wise (his lost girlfriend), Travel (back to the winter lands), Destroy the Arftifact (neutralize the sword before Joe’s character gets to it). I decide to use the man who wants the ring, and create Goran the Thief as my character, with a plot to recover an artifact (the ring). Jeff takes King Vladek as his character, with a plot to acquire land. We all picked 4 traits and assigned dice to them.
Joe’s Character: Sol. Foolish Noble 2d8. Summer’s Wrath 2d8. Binding of Fate 1d10. Hordes of Summer 3d6.
Wil’s Character: Myrddin of Winter. Tricky ?d?. Duellist ?d?. Explorer ?d?. Legions of Ice ?d?.
Dan’s Character: Goran the Thief. Black Sheep of the Family 3d6. Quick 1d10. Steady Hands 2d8. You’ll Never Catch Me 2d8.
Jeff’s Character: King Vladek. Rich 1d10. Master Swordsman 2d8. Master Horseman 2d8. Spiteful 3d6.
We created this map:
We finished with this setup stuff an hour and ten minutes into the session. We distribute the initial Spotlight and Adversity Tokens and are ready to begin.
Current Tokens: Will 6s0a, Joe 3s3a, Jeff 0s6a, Dan 0s6a.
Chapter 1 Spotlight Bid: Joe 3, Wil 3
Chapter 1 Adversity Bid: Joe 1, Dan 1, Jeff 1 (Joe gains 2 Spotlight)
Myrddin of Winter has sailed out with some of his closest men in search of his lost love who has been kidnapped by persons unknown. Joe introduces adversity in the form of a ship which has the symbol of a massive flaming spiral, the symbol of the religion that has swept the Kingdom of Vladek. After some rules discussion, we decide that this shipful of fanatics is an Active Environmental Threat (Joe didn’t have enough tokens to introduce them as a full NPC). Wil, being a Tricky Explorer, outnavigates them and manages to lose them in the icy seas. (Wil won the die roll). Wil advances his plot segment by one step, so he is now 33% finished with the task of finding his girlfriend. Wil also uses his victory tokens to establish a specific NPC from his crew: Baldic (Assassin 1d10, Loyal 2d8, Educated 2d8, Dagger 3d6)
Refresh! Current Tokens: Wil 5s0a, Joe 5s2a, Jeff 0s8a, Dan 0s8a
Chapter 2 Spotlight Bid: Joe 4, Wil 2
Chapter 2 Adversity Bid: Dan 4, Jeff 3 (Dan gains 3 Spotlight)
Joe’s character Sol is trapped in the formless ether between dimensions, but is feeling winter encroaching on his domain back in the real world, so he is trying to return. I present adversity in the form of ethereal spirits that are nothing but faces and claws. Joe wins and I exhaust my traits, so Joe overcomes the spirits and returns to the mortal realm. Unfortunately, his body is a dried and dessicated husk (I presented the decay of his mortal form as a passive environmental threat). Joe invokes his Foolish Noble nature, and calls his Hordes of Summer to come help him. (Joe loses the roll). His body, still not responding to his will, lies lifeless as the fire spirits gather around. I introduce an active environmental threat, a fire spirit who is speaking out against Sol, trying to rally the forces of fire to his own banner. (I win, but exhaust my traits). Sol returns to life, but is obviously weak, and now there is widespread grumbling among his followers (an active environmental threat of Grumbling Followers). Joe introduces a new NPC, Wrath of the Noonday Sun, his true lieutenant. (Fists like anvils 2d8, Burns brighter 2d8, Simple Minded 3d6, Loyal to Sol 1d10). (I win the roll). Noonday sun smashes some of the fire elementals and chases them off, but that fails to cement Sol’s position as leader. I spend my 2 victory tokens to acquire an Adversity Token.
Refresh! Current Tokens: Wil 5s0a, Joe 4s2a, Jeff 0s8a, Dan 3s7a
Chapter 3 Spotlight Bid: Wil 1, Dan 1, Joe 1
Chapter 3 Adversity Bid: Joe 1, Jeff 4, Dan 5 (Dan gains 5 Spotlight)
Myrddin is sailing with Baldic and they spot an island, but there are razor rocks between here and there. I spend 2 tokens to introduce Radavan the fanatical captain of the religious ship (Fanatic 1d10, Crew 2d8, Able Sailor 2d8, Fires of Truth 3d6). Myrddin tries to lose him in the razor rocks, and gets pretty far ahead (Wil wins the roll, and I exhaust my traits). However, Myrddin hasn’t cleared all of the razor rocks, as I introduce them as a passive environmental threat. What’s more, Radavan is pushing his crew even harder to catch up. (Wil wins the roll, and I exhaust my traits). Myrddin lands on the island, and Radavan’s ship is damaged on the rocks. Radavan, preaching his fiery religion, exhorts his men to sail on regardless of the damage they’re taking (spend a token to reactivate Radavan). They battle on the beach, Wil comes out ahead. Wil advances his plot segment by 1, and also declares that Myrddin and Baldic are Travelling Together. Wil also spends a token to create an NPC for Myrddin’s girlfriend Rhlain (Oracle 1d10, Clever 2d8, Stunning Beauty 2d8, Commoner 3d6).
Refresh! Current Tokens: Wil 6s0a, Joe 6s1a, Jeff 0s6a, Dan 7s5a
Chapter 4 Spotlight Bid: Wil 1, Joe 1, Dan 2
Chapter 4 Adversity Bid: Joe 1, Jeff 3 (Jeff gains 1 Spotlight)
Goran the Thief skulks around the winter family vaults (Goran is the Black Sheep of Myrddin’s family). Goran flattens himself against a wall to avoid detection by the guards, but it’s a wall of ice and two magical icy hands emerge to grab him. Using You’ll Never Catch Me, I win the die roll and escape the hand’s grasp just in time. Some guards noticed the movment, though, and now there’s a passive threat of Heightened Alert. Even though Goran is the black sheep, he is a member of the family, so he is able to use his knowledge of the guards’ routine as well as his quickness to dodge any pursuing guards. I win the roll but exhaust those traits. Goran slips into the vault and shuts the door behind him, looking for the ring (which isn’t there) or at least an inventory showing where it is. Jeff introduces the Captain of the Guard as a new active threat, but Goran has the documents in his Steady Hands and the guards will Never Catch Me. I win the roll. I advance my plot and discover that the ring was taken from the vault by someone going on a long sea voyage. I also spend some tokens to advance my Quickness trait to a 1d12.
Refresh! Current Tokens: Wil 7s0a, Joe 8s0a, Jeff 1s6a, Dan 5s8a
Chapter 5 Spotlight Bid: Wil 3, Joe 6, Jeff 1, Dan 1
Chapter 5 Adversity Bid: Dan 2, Jeff 1 (Dan gains 1 Spotlight)
Sol travels through Gloomwood, toward the Summer Font which is a shrine to him. On the way he runs into some giant spiderwebs. Sol uses Summer’s Wrath (winning the die roll) and smashes through them, finding the long-neglected shrine. Long-neglected, that is, by everyone except the giant spiders! Joe invokes his Foolish Noble and Binding of Fate to demand that these denizens of his place of power obey him. Joe wins. He advances his plot, increases Summer’s Wrath to 3d8, and creates an NPC for the Deadly Spiders (Deadly Claws 2d8, Evil Venom 1d10, Webs 2d8, Compound Eyes 3d6).
Refresh! Current Tokens: Wil 6s0a, Joe 5s0a, Jeff 0s8a, Dan 5s9a
Chapter 6 Spotlight Bid: Wil 1, Joe 1, Dan 1
Chapter 6 Adversity Bid: Joe 6, Jeff 1, Dan 7 (Dan gains 7 Spotlight)
On the island, Myrddin finds a giant mountain, the presumed location of girlfriend. Radavan is back, fanatically racing up the mountain after Myrddin. Myrddin uses Explorer and Tricky to move quickly and set up traps behind him. (Wil wins the roll). Myrddin uses his ice powers to create sheets of ice and snares behind him. As he gets higher, he can hear Rhlain singing. However, Radavan’s Fires of Truth will make short work of the ice, and he and his Crew Fantacally pursue Myrddin. Additionally, Rhlain’s voice is actually coming from a Maze of Caves. Wil uses Trickery. (I win the roll). Myrddin is confused by the maze, and Radavan charges in and starts pounding on Myrddin and his men. Myrddin is fighting with Duellist and Tricky. A cyclops emerges from the maze of caves! (I win the roll). Myrddin is tossed around and bruised, his men start losing hope. During the fight, the cyclops was knocked off his feet, into the walls, starting a rockslide, another environmental threat. (I win the roll). They’re driving Myrddin back down the slopes. Rhlain has noticed what has happened, and Myrddin now hears her plaintive wails because she is losing hope. (Passive threat). Using Trickery and Legions of Ice, Wil wins the roll. Myrddin makes a wall of ice, Radavan is caught between the wall of ice and rockslide / cyclops. Using Fires of Ice, Radavan melts through ice (I win the roll). Myrddin was overconfident, and now the crew is losing hope because Myrddin’s best trick barely worked. The cyclops also rejoins fight. (I win a roll). Myrddin is forced backward, cornered into a dead end passage (passive). Myrddin is an Explorer, and thinks he will be able to find secret tunnel, and is using Duellist and his ice powers to fight. (Wil wins the roll). He skewers the cyclops and escapes through secret tunnel, knowing this is the way to Rhlain. However, I have the balance of Victory Tokens, and I use that to buy Scatter to break the Travelling Together on Myrddin and Baldic – they were separated in the confusion!
Refresh! Current Tokens: Wil 7s0a, Joe 5s1a, Jeff 0s10a, Dan 11s5a
Chapter 7 Spotlight Bid: Wil 3, Joe 1, Dan 8
Chapter 7 Adversity Bid: Joe 1, Jeff 1 (Joe gains 1 spotlight)
Goran tries to find passage on a ship that can take him to the ring. He finds a pirate captain in a bar, but the pirate captain demands that Goran beat the 7-foot-tall Tiny Pete in a drinking contest to earn his way on board. Goran is no stranger to alcohol (one of the reason’s he’s the Black Sheep) and wants to use his Steady Hands to make sure that he has the advantage in any technicalities. Joe wins the roll. Goran tries to argue that Tiny Pete spilled a few drops, but Pete just grabs Goran’s drink and finishes it, too. However, I still win because I came in with so many tokens. I advance my plot, and join up with another pirate who was amused by the spectacle: Barnabas Blood (Pirate 1d10, Wily 2d8, Cruel 2d8, Capricious 3d6). I start Travelling With him.
Refresh! Current Tokens: Wil 6s0a, Joe 7s1a, Jeff 0s13a, Dan 3s9a
Chapter 8 Spotlight Bid: Wil 3, Joe 7, Dan 1
Chapter 8 Adversity Bid: Jeff 4, Dan 1 (Jeff gains 1 spotlight)
Sol is going to go to the Darkunder to find some of his stolen sunlight. As he’s leaving Gloomwood, Sol encounters a roving band of centaurs who hate all elementals (Active Threat). Sol uses Summer’s Wrath and the Hordes of Summer. (Jeff wins the roll). The centaurs force the elementals back into the woods. The centaurs bring their pack of wolves to help them! Joe brings Wrath of the Noonday Sun into it, as well as the Binding of Fate to order the centaurs to let them pass while Noonday Sun will use his fists like anvils. (Joe wins the roll) The centaurs are kept from interfering, and Noonday sun sets the wolves on fire. Sol continues to the Darkunder. The oracles there definitely have the stolen sunlight. (Jeff pays to establish them as NPCs and activates them). (Not sure about the traits…) The Oracle family will use Centaur Bodyguards and Blindfighting. They’re born blind but have other senses. Noonday Sun is Simpleminded and Loyal enough to do the fighting. (Jeff wins the roll, but his traits are exhausted). The chapter ends, and Joe has net 4 victory tokens. The oracles beat the sunlight out of Sol, but while they’re beating him, one minor minion sneaks in and steals the sunlight back. Joe advances his plot segment and creates the little guy as an NPC named Running Fire (Quick like fire 1d10, Cowardly 3d6, Torchbearer 2d8, Mocks the king 2d8). He also alters his trait from “foolish noble” to “beaten, foolish noble”.
Refresh! Current Tokens: Wil 5s0a, Joe3s1a, Jeff 1s12a, Dan 2s11a
Chapter 9 Spotlight Bid: Wil 3, Joe 1, Jeff 1, Dan 1
Chapter 9 Adversity Bid: Joe 1, Jeff 3, Dan 5 (Dan gains 4 spotlight)
Myrddin has gone into the tunnels, looking for Baldic and the Rhlain. The Maze is a Passive Threat. Myrddin is an Explorer and Clever. (Wil wins). He calls out to Baldic. Unfortunately, calling out also attracts Radavan! Baldic will use Loyal and Myrddin uses Duellist and Tricky. (I win). The fantatics beat them back, and set some of Baldic’s clothes on fire. Myrddin kicks Baldic into the enemy (Tricky, Duellist), and Baldic is Educated and knows how to use the fire against them. (Wil wins, but exhausts his traits). Radavan: “Now, while he’s unarmed! Go! GO!”. Baldic is Loyal and an Assassin, and Myrddin has Legions of Ice. (Wil wins). Shards of ice are propelled at the fanatics! Baldic notices Radavan’s troops approaching and impales some of them with the dagger. Radavan: “It doesn’t matter how many die, as long as our mission is complete! Ignore his foolish ice powers, only the fire matters!” (Fires of Truth, Fanatic). The commotion has also attracted another cyclops. (Wil wins). Myrddin beats back Radavan, creating snow and hail to hold them back. Myrddin sprints up the spire to find Rhlain. Wil spends 4 points. Myrddin finishes his plot segment! He freezes the lock and punches it open, finding his girlfriend. Wil spends tokens to have Rhlain, Baldic, and Myrddin Travel Together. He also alters Duellist to Swashbuckler.
Refresh! Current Tokens: Wil 4s0a, Joe 6s0a, Jeff 0s12a, Dan 4s9a
Chapter 10 Spotlight Bid: Wil 1, Joe 6, Dan 1
Chapter 10 Adversity Bid: Jeff 10, Dan 6 (Jeff gains 6 spotlight)
Jeff pays 1 token to bring in King Vladek. He doesn’t want anyone to know Sol exists, because that would undermine Vladek’s political power. He uses his Master Swordsman and Horsemaster traits. Sol uses Binding of Fate and Summer’s Wrath. (Sol wins!) Oracle Mmnks pursue Sol out of the mouth of the caves of the Darkunder (an active environment). Vladek is Spiteful against Sol, and also uses Master Swordsman. (Jeff wins). Sol is beaten up and retreats, but calls in his Deadly Spiders. The spiders, however, are actually being pursued by centaur hunters. Jeff reactivates the Monks, and also uses Vladek’s Rich trait for his exquisitely crafted sword. Spiders will use Evil venom and deadly claws. (Jeff wins). It all turns into a frantic melee, and the tide of battle is turning against Sol. Jeff reactivates Vladek and they fight. (Joe wins). The spiders manage to catch the cavalry in their webs, which lets Sol’s forces regroup and form up. (Jeff still has 6 tokens at this point). Jeff introduces a Bulette (landshark) as a passive threat that bursts up through the webs. (Jeff wins) The spiders panic and fall back through Sol’s lines, which screws up their formation. Jeff reactivates the Bulette. Vladek is Rich, and a good horseman. (Joe wins). Bulettes don’t have good eyesight, and it blunders into the trees. Sol regroups again. The oracle family hears the sounds of Sol’s victory and joins the fight. (Joe wins?) The Bulette doesn’t distinguish between threats, so it causes chaos and the monks can’t bring their kung-fu into the fight effectively. (Joe has 4 victories, Jeff has 3). Jeff refreshes centaurs. Rolling 4d8 (Centaurs + Bulette), Vladek and Monks are rolling 1d10 each. Joe spends a chapter token to bring in Wrath of the Noonday Sun. He burns super-bright, and is loyal, and the spiders will use their deadly claws. (Jeff wins). The oracles throw holy water at Sol, and the holiness doesn’t matter so much, but the water hurts the fire elementals. Joe pays a point to activate Running Fire. Jeff brings in the centaur’s wolf pack. Wrath of the Noonday Sun will burn bright enough to blind the pursuers while Running Fire will lead them all away. (Jeff wins). Running Fire, being cowardly, runs back to Sol’s formation rather than leading the Bulette away. Wrath of the Noonday Sun will try to burn the Bulette and Running Fire will lead Sol’s forces to safety. Jeff only activates the Bulette, to make a climactic showdown. (Jeff wins). At the end, Jeff has 6 victory tokens, Joe has 4, as well as 3 chapter tokens left over, which means that Joe nets 1 victory token that he can spend. Joe advances his plot. The monks are satisfied that Sol isn’t a threat. (This chapter was WAY too long!)
Refresh! Current Tokens: Wil 5s0a, Joe 3s1a, Jeff 6s2a, Dan 2s6a
We ended the session there. The playtesters suggested that there ought to be an audience participation mechanism (like fan-mail from PTA, or audience dice from Shock:) which is something I’ve incorporated into the 0.41 rules. The token economy was kind of out of whack, so I adjusted that for the 0.41 rules, too. There were too many instances of “bumbling to victory” where characters would lose most of the exchanges but still win the chapter because they came in with so many tokens. That changes in 0.41, too.
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