Legacy: Life Among the Ruins: Play, Talk, Thoughts

THROUGH THE AGES

For the last several weeks I’ve run sessions of Legacy: Life Among the Ruins as part of The Gauntlet Hangouts. Legacy’s a post-apocalyptic PbtA game, but with a vastly different focus than Apocalypse World. First, your world’s explicitly fantastic. Perhaps genetically-engineered super fauna grew intelligent and took over before dying out. Or dimensional gate technology went wild changing the landscape and crashing civilization. You need that weirdness, akin to Numenera’s, in your apocalypse. The Fall leaves behind strange and wondrous relics and locations you uncover in play. You could craft a more grounded game, but that would make it harder for the game to do its job.

Second, you’re intended to operate on a different level than AW. Each player chooses both a Family Playbook and a Character Playbook. You do the same kind of character creation process for the former: setting stats, picking moves, developing backstory, making connections. Your choice of family shapes your “Big Picture” goals for your character. In play you choose what your family does, meaning you may have to roll moves for them. Your character’s influential by default (though you could run them as independent or even opposed). Families have surpluses & needs, make treaties, and have basic moves. Overall that’s one of Legacy’s best innovations. Third, the game’s intended to be generational. You work through the threats and problems for an era, roll for your family’s changes in the Turning of the Ages, and then make up new PCs for the next age. With only three sessions, one for character creation and two for play, we didn’t get to this. You might play for many sessions before ever deciding to skip forward. It isn’t a threat hanging over the game, but rather an escape valve allowing you to refresh the setting.

THROUGH THE GAUNTLET

The Gauntlet crew graciously had me on for this week’s episode and we talked about what we thought of the Legacy. It’s a good discussion and one worth listening to. I’ve also posted videos of our two sessions of actual play (Session One and Session Two). Unfortunately technical errors meant I didn’t record the creation session. That’s too bad because everyone dug it and their creativity amazed me. There’s a real pleasure in building the family, the locale, and then the individual characters. You’re able to drill down through the details.

In any case, you can hear my overall impressions in the podcast. The short version: Legacy offers an ambitious take on PbtA and on post-apocalyptic gaming. It has some great ideas and elements worth looking at. I’m glad I bought and ran it. If the concept interests you at all, consider picking it up. I should mention that Legacy: Life Among the Ruins and a host of other PbtA games are on sale right now at Drivethru.

But I’m not sure I figured out or ran the game that Legacy has on offer. You can hear that in the podcast- it’s the first topic we cover. I’ll eventually come back and do a full formal review. I found Legacy inspiring and interesting, but lacking in guidance about to actually structure play. I switched things up between the two sessions I recorded, trying to move to a more meta-level. I’m not sure that entirely worked. Much as with Crowsmantle, I think starting off on the wrong foot hurt me. A completely different approach might have worked. I’m not sure and I may come back to that later. In next week’s Gauntlet episode we talk about Legacy again and offer some final thoughts. I’ll post that when the show drops.

In the meantime, below you’ll find our summary of the characters and world we built in that first session. We also drew a map, always a good thing. This illustrates the kinds of ideas you can generate with Legacy.

CHARACTER CREATION MATERIALS

The Shepherds (Gilded Company) Company of Merchants

Dispersed. Travel around on the Lobster horses. These are genetically modified beasts. They vary in size and color, from riding horse size to massive monstrosities. They’re also genetically engineered to be delicious. The Shepherds have scattered due to recent incidents. Hence their needs: Justice & Leadership.

PC: Santo Shepherd: An envoy who, like many of his family, dresses in wild and striking fashion. He’s in his thirties, but looks younger. He has a magnificent Tayshin riding beast and a pragmatic servant/ stablemaster who cares for it.

Enclave of Bygone Lore

Vat-Grown duplicates. They’re identical in appearance. When they come of age, each obtains an encounter suit as a rite of passage. They decorate these uniquely to express their identity. The family lives in starship wreckage. Others live in the settlement with them as well. The Enclave possess some wonders, but the primary of these is a massive turret weapon affixed to the starship ruins. It is recharged via mystical sacrifice. They’re less driven than other families, with more leisure time. Some consider them lazy.

PC: The One Who Strides into the Wastes (…foolishly): A hunter who has an elaborate encounter suit marking his identity. He’s a powerful stalker who knows how to handle monsters with his absurdly large sniper rifle. He has a small floating drone named Ioun who gives him insight and advice.

The Twice-Born (Tyrant Kings)

A barbaric group: leather and sharp points. They control their area tightly, with a group of slaves as servants. When they reach a certain age, the family throws children into a massive pit called The Womb. It’s honeycombed with tunnels and has all manner of dangerous creatures. Throwing new beasts down in is a common activity. When a child manages to climb up the side of the pit, family members stand nearby watching to see if they make it. If they do then there’s a great celebration.

The Twice-Born need medicine, culture, contacts. They believe in a rebirth of the entire world. Their current leader senses a need for her family to develop connections with the others. This is a dangerous idea and likely will put her at odds with other members of her tribe. Her name is Xorelle, and she is the leader by virtue of being the oldest female in the family. They’re suspicious and afraid of the mysterious black obelisks.

PC: Xorelle the Midwife: The Elder and leader of her family.  The eldest surviving woman among the family, once a dangerous warrior, age has slowed her somewhat. She has the skills to handle political change and hopes to shift her family more towards the larger homeland. She has a soft spot for beautiful things. Xorelle owns a stash of ancient porno mags which she regards as the height of beauty and culture.

The Errant Justice (Lawgivers of the Wasteland)

They operate a dispersed family of Gunslingers. These act as a network of justice. Each gunslinger has their own territory staked out, usually set up by one of the black monoliths. They make good time around the region as everyone gets out of their way. They’re well respected, but low in number. They need recruits.

Each gunslinger as a unique gun, their Iron. They also are supposed to have an apprentice who carries their own gun, the Pewter. The family protects the wronged, those with grievances. In particular they act to bring justice to the misers and hoarders. In pursuit of that justice, they’ll do many things but won’t stoop to extortion.

PC: Jack Cartwright: A Survivor. He’s among the small number of remaining lawmen. He’s seen many of his friends die. He has two Irons and two Pewters in his possession, having picked them up from fallen friends and apprentices. He searches for another recruit he can mentor. Cartwright’s a solid guide in the region.

WORLD:

• Grand sweeping wastes surrounding distant pockets of humanity. There’s a Wild West theme.
• The majority of loose native lifeforms have a strangely aquatic echo to their form: scales, crustaceans. Some, like the riding beasts, show genetic tailoring. Others seem to have resulted from accidents.
• Moon has lights on it. There’s some debate as to whether those lights have changed over time.
• Vestigial technology wanders in from the wastes: advertising robots, autonomous construction machines, strange simulacra. Some are dangerous, other benign.
• There’s a large crater out in the wastes, not far away from the PC homeland. It seems to be the crashed wreckage of another space ship. Heavily irradiated.
• Scattered across the land are huge, towering black obelisks. Some are massive, some smaller. They have markings, perhaps astrological points. These glow on certain days. Some of these monoliths are irradiated. Other serve as gathering points.

How did this come to be? Upper echelons and elite of society believed a disaster loomed in the future. They departed in spaceships, with at least some of them going to the moon. While no massive cataclysm struck the world, the infrastructure collapsed creating an ecological disaster as well as the detonation of massive machines. The systems regulating the land, weather, and agriculture broke down or went haywire. This created the wastes.

• The wastes are great, barren areas, barely mapped. They’re more known in legend, though occasional adventures travel out to explore them. People and things arrive in the PCs homeland from time to time. There may be other homelands within desperate travelling distance.
• Even within the homeland are strange pockets of radiation. Most are known and marked.
• Things fall from the sky constantly. Usually once a week something lands in the PCs’ homeland. They’re called Skyfalls. Junk, satellites, machines, ancient supply drops. Locals approach these drops cautiously. While they may hold bounties, just as often they’re extremely dangerous. The most recent drop revealed an escape pod filled with sixty corpses.
• One of the persistent dangers facing the homeland are the Petz. Genetically engineered domesticated hyper-animals. Cats, dogs, snakes, hamsters, and the like. They’re dangerous, smart, and look steroid enhanced. Some of them are huge.
• The Hollow Mountain is a massive artificial feature of the PC homeland. A hundred feet tall and miles long, it may have once been a huge shopping and entertainment complex. Much of that has fallen apart, forming massive caverns survivors can travel through. Rogue automatons live in the upper reaches of the Mountain. From time to time, solar energy recharges some of them and they manage self-repairs. They then descend and become a significant threat to anyone in the mountain.
• There are structures which seem to form a sundial, towering spikes made of a material similar to the obelisks. While it still functions, it has pieces fallen and missing.
• The Fountain: A huge artificial lake. There’s a whirlpool vortex in the center of it. No one knows where it leads. Anyone who has been sucked in never returns.

SETTLEMENTS

The Nursery: Twice-Born homeland. It lies on the shore of the Fountain. It gives them access to and control of a fresh water source. They celebrate periodically when a survivor child emerges from the Womb pit. They keep slaves: it is taboo for a slave to look a member of the family in the eyes. That’s a challenge and an affront.

Scavageton: Like an oil field town, the populace go out into the Hollow Mountain to excavate and scavenge tech. It’s extremely risky and the survivors party hard, particularly after a successful run. They don’t travel out during the day- that’s the time when the dangerous mechanicals within the mountain are most active.

New Oasin: “The Big City.” The largest and most populous settlement in the region (150 people!). They live under the shelter of an enormous dome. New Oasins believe themselves to be the “first city” and carry a sense of cultural superiority. The monogamous and those who don’t contribute to procreation are treated with disdain.

Enclave of Enlightenment: Home settlement of the Enclave, a crashed spaceship. Others live there besides Enclave family members. Those of the Enclave avoid addressing people by name directly. Instead they use alternate names and titles to reference them. This habit rubs off on non-Enclave persons living there. There’s also a general ethos in the settlement that sex is icky and unpleasant. People do not discuss such things.

Banarjee: A cliff-dwelling settlement built within a chasm. There’s a great junk and wreckage pile at the bottom. The people of Banarjee produce a large amount of food, primarily mushroom or fungus-based. They avoid eating animal flesh and prohibit others from doing so within their walls. When Banarjee youths reach adulthood, groups of them will make a long trek out into the waste as a rite of passage. 

Secret Covenants: NPCs from the Attic

SAVE AGAINST NOSTALGIA

Want to break your rpg-loving heart? Find materials in your attic from beloved campaigns ended before their time. Back in the late ‘90’s Sherri ran one that I loved. Rich, deep, full of interesting NPCs. We had some solid players but more than a few selfish and disruptive ones. Though we got far, the table situation forced her to cut the game short. No ending. While cleaning we found one of the NPC overview sheets she’d put together.

A ten-page overview. And going through I recalled nearly all of them vividly. The campaign offered everything I love: diverse characters, development vs. adventuring, and an overarching mystery. Below I present the first half of those NPC write-ups. It may be a niche offering, but perhaps you’ll find inspiration for new characters and NPCs.

BACKGROUND

This Rolemaster “Kitchen-Sink” game used all of the rules and supplements: base books, all RMCs, Alchemy Companion, Spell Users Companion, etc. It took place in the fantasy setting we’d played with over many campaigns. Divided into three isolated areas, Sherri chose to work with the third continent. That had lands awash with a long-running struggle between magic and divinity. It borrowed hugely from Glorantha. Long eras of dominance and destruction by various sorcerous powers had left most suspicious of wizardry. Mages had to hide their powers or go underground. The faithful usually regarded magic and magicians as inhuman or trucking with infernal powers. And nearly everyone followed one of the many pantheons.

In this setting I’d established that mages existed, hidden into Covenants ala Ars Magica. I say ala but I really mean I lifted the whole thing from there: terminology, structure, orders. I changed many of the names, awkwardly borrowing from a Polish dictionary. I added and subtracted, making it more fantastical. But it remained sketchy: a background detail from Rolemaster campaign set in Pavis. Sherri took that and made something unique and vibrant.

Here’s the short version. We began as young magi in House Rosbudwicz. On several expeditions to the outside world, we began to discover secrets. Following up on those led us to a hidden facility. There we discovered bags, dozens and dozens of them, human-sized. These bags kept their occupants alive and ageless. Though they resisted scrying we chose to risk opening one which seemed to hold a man we might communicate with. The freed prisoner revealed he’d been kidnapped on the way to negotiate a peace between two warring factions over a hundred years ago.

We returned to our covenant and told the head master, who seemed to have some inkling about this. We suspected he set us on this path. Since we couldn’t bring these people back to our house, we left and established that lost facility as a new holding. It would remain hidden from all of Rosbudwicz, save for a handful of trusted elders. Eventually we’d draw off additional help and personnel exchanging items, knowledge, and wealth we’d uncovered to repay that.

Over time we released more and more prisoners; many we had to subdue and convince. All shared the same story: they’d been vital in some way. They led, they negotiated, they supplied, they loved, they ruled. Over the centuries some group had stolen them away. The bags didn’t merely sustain and conceal them, they contained a ward against destiny itself. In effect it cut them off from the loom of history and changed the course of events. Slowly we gathered our forces and investigated this group. But we never stopped them.

Below is the first half of our NPC list covering the members of Rosbudwicz. I had to scan and OCR this. Eventually I’ll post the other half, the actual members of our secret covenant, Sniadosc.

Akeel: Arcane Master. Considered prime role model for young Arcanists; has accrued high skills in all realm skills and a dizzying array of spells. Plays covenant politics like no one else.

Amaril: Arcane Master. Specialist in "esoteric" magics, including crystal magics. Rival to Pettifog. One of the powerful female mages. Her friendship with Trinit made for a rocky relationship with Gwydion, but she seemed to appreciate Draeus' earnestness. Provided the group with a map of their true destination just before they were sent to Crystal Island instead of Horse Island due to one of those recurring "misunderstandings" that have been plaguing the covenant of late. Claims to have divined true destination after her conversations with John of the Gray made her suspect that they had been redirected to someplace dangerous. Finn's gift to her of crystal drake scales has prompted her to take a sabbatical to create an artifact-level item.

Anna the Blind: A master channeler of great power and a lay healer by profession, Anna is odd among covenant mages in that she never learned much about her realm skills. Instead, she concentrated on the healing arts. She is a consummate herbalist, physician and surgeon. Her magics allow her to carry on her work despite being blinded when she was a young adult. The origin of her blindness is the source of many rumors—the only substantial fact known is that Prummel gets very angry whenever it is spoken of. Anna's talents make her valuable to the covenant, but she is often treated like any of the mundane servants, useful but irrelevant to the important work going on here. She is currently working with Nadile Leeza, attempting to speed the recovery of Mil Rowan.

Arcalathe: A Grand Vizier and master Alchemist, Arcalathe is notorious for his ability to rope others into casting spells for his enchantments with flattery, wheeling & dealing or even, it is said, blackmail. He is Grimport's second and makes most of the day-to-day decisions for the Verditas order. As such, he wields a great deal of power in managing resources within the covenant. He seems to have no great respect for anyone other than Prummel—and that relationship often appears to be a not-so-friendly rivalry. Their relationship is even frostier now since a show-down prompted by Arcalathe's censure of Finn and Prummel's angry defense. While the hostility towards Finn makes Arcalathe the butt of many jokes among the mundane staff of the Order, it has cut off Finn's chance for a traditional tutelage in the order. It appears that Arcalathe's fury has only increased as Finn's relationship with his daughter Marabeth has encouraged her to travel and experiment. The wealth that Finn has brought back to the covenant has put further pressure on Arcalathe to prove that he is correct in his assessment of Finn.

Arno Draves: Arcane Master. Elderly. Has no apprentices and rarely teaches. Is rumored to be approaching senility, but his behavior in council is quiet, and thoughtful, but occasionally marked by an impatience for the slow process of covenant politics. Often fixes Pettifog with a glare when arguments break out among the younger arcanists. Grater defers to him and to no other.

Coral Breck: Master. A channeling-mentalism hybrid, he spends much of his time summoning in order to locate spirits for the Alchemists and Enchanters. His journal of true names is rumored to be about 8 volumes in length and minutely detailed—if only the entries could be decoded, he accepts only one apprentice at a time, and usually that is one of Mother Sharp's charges.

Darvil: The preeminent essence mage at the covenant, he is a researcher first and a teacher second. His sole interests outside of his researches appear to be his friendship with Prummel & Sharp and his role as bemused uncle to the charges of Mother Sharp. Like Arno, there are rumors of his approaching senility.

Dashiel: Preeminent Researcher; works closely with March Avers (non-mage!) and Darvil (essence) in "codifying"; of Arcanists, most in line with Pettifog politically. Dresses like a noble and lives among the finest of creature comforts. Apparently has a family fortune that he manages from afar.

Drindarin: Master Alchemist. A specialist in Daily items, he is renowned for his creativity in forms and effects. He has a large number of apprentices who he schools first in history and use of magic items. Students who fail to show imagination or aesthetic usually get quickly passed off to some other teacher. He is rumored to have requested Marabeth's hand in marriage at one time. He is also rumored to have sided with Arcalathe in his censure of Finn, but there is little proof and Drindarin's behavior has been neutral.

Dunner Angs: A channeling-essence hybrid who is apparently studying mentalism in order to petition for standing as an Arcanist; if he were to succeed, he would be the first such mage to do so. He argues that any of the three forms can be learned by anyone who is capable of one form. As such, he occasionally works with Dashiel's research group—but has been witnessed to storm away from the group angrily on at least three occasions

Evers: Master Alchemist. An alchemist specializing in potions and scrolls, he is an economic boon to the covenant. He has a cadre of apprentices who he keeps busy producing minor items for sale and trade. He is known to consider artifacts and major items a waste of time and effort, claiming that many small items are more potent if used creatively.

Grater: Specialist in offensive magics and directed spells. Has an annoying voice. Slow to anger but frightful when he gets there. Considered a Master Tactician in use of magics. Most likely to start a shouting match during council meetings, he is often accused of looking for an excuse to battle via Auras; others consider him a wily political tactician as well. A vocal cheerleader for his star pupil, Boshra, Grater is said to encourage too much rashness in his charges.

Grimport: Head Enchanter & Master of the Order (Verditas) associated with this Covenant; Arcanist. His apparent agenda is profitability first, followed by works which will prove his order to be the true source of the most powerful items created by contemporary magics. Thus far, he has excelled at the first part of his agenda, but fallen short on the second. This failure is often ascribed to his zeal for the first part-which saps the time and creativity from his alchemists. The major works completed during his tenure have primarily been powerful weapons finished by Londril. Some say that with the loss of Marabeth, Grimport's hope for great works is lost--and the major work which Amaril is engaging in will lower his status among the Covenant orders even further. Grimport remains calm despite this rising murmur from his peers.

Jared: Mentalism Master. A young mentalism master who is considered Prummel's lieutenant. Like many mentalists, he splits his studies between magic and mundane skills. However, while Prummel appears to be a master of arms, Jared appears to be of more scholarly pursuits. Jared is soft-spoken and patient; he rarely prompts Aura displays from his students, although he is known to be capable of it. Instead, he prefers to lead his students in a quieter path of self-discovery. His students are usually very loyal to him. He himself appears to still consider Prummel his mentor, and confers with him often. He is visibly miserable among large groups of people--which is ascribed to a peculiar sensitivity that makes him such an effective teacher in small groups.

Jarl: Armorer whose large family serves in mundane positions throughout the covenant. Wields as much power politically in the covenant as any mundane can. Daughter Amalia Jarl.

John of the Gray: Planar & gating specialist. Not seen much, except to attend council meetings. Known to be neutral in politics. Rumors tying him with the young adventuring group have grown increasingly common, although he remains aloof from most covenant dealings still.

Kalavati Giasotto: Huntsman; quiet patient trainer; excellent climber, trapper and bow shot. Solitary by nature.

Keldan: Chief of Security. A small wiry man who goes wherever he pleases, confers with Pettifog and Prummel at his own convenience and seems to know everyone and everything. Has a small staff of equally unimposing people who are apparently trained to work closely with each other. Oddly, he also seems to have a number of maids, stewards and gardeners who report to him as well. Is very pleasant in demeanor and seems amused at the antics of young mages. Occasionally oversees training in unarmed combat.

Kifter the Librarian: He's the covenant librarian and the steward of magic items. An expert in artifacts, he often seems at odds with Pettifog—although it should be noted that he has always done whatever Pettifog requests. On the other hand, while Grimport and he appear to have parallel philosophies, Kifter often refuses a-import's requests. Kifter is rumored to show favoritism to the members of the most recent adventuring group, although no one has dared to intimate that he has released any artifacts or major items into their possession. This despite the fact that several of the members carry items of apparent great power is a testimony to the strength of Kifter's reputation as a miser of such permissions.

Londril: An enchanter of weapons and armor, he works closely with the mundane smiths. He also is known for keeping his apprentices busy producing items. He is usually personally working on major items which require weeks, months or years to complete. Where these items go is a complete mystery to most. He is notable as one of the few alchemists to publicly argue against the censure of Finn, although he knew him only cursorily as one of a batch of young alchemists apprenticing in his smithys.

Marcus of the Brown: A channeling-essence hybrid, he is noted for his devotion to the covenant's magical installations. Many of the continuing spells that keep the covenant comfortable and safe are constructed or planned and maintained by Marcus and his apprentices. He is credited with perfecting the Rosebudwicz traditional enchantment of "Bringing Down the Skies"--the preferred method of lighting the covenant which transfers the lighting conditions outside to the caverns within. It is perhaps Rosebudwicz's one claim to fame among the other covenants.

Marforth: Captain of the Guard. Former adventurer who settled in the covenant in exchange for having a nasty curse lifted. Loyal and efficient, he is also a weapons trainer.

Masters: A specialist in binding, Masters works unceasingly at designing forms conducive to holding spirits of different types. He is a perfectionist who makes life for the mundane craftsmen and smiths at the covenant difficult, since his drafting skills lag far behind his imagination. Lately, he has been taking on apprentices who have skills in mechanitions and animations, presumably to develop more adaptable forms for his bindings. He is volubly frustrated and angered by Arcalathe's recent behavior, which has led to the loss (in his mind) of both Marabeth and Finn, whom he considered the most promising talents for furthering the craft in his preferred direction.

Melissa: Daughter of Yancy, mastersmith. Erun met her at the YearTurn dance, dumped punch on her dress after dancing quite nicely with her, but managed to smooth things over with her by the end of the evening. She's about 13 and already quite pretty. Spends a good deal of time with the Jarl children. Among the group of girls who trade off crushes on Finn, Draeus and Knoyes.

Moravi: An essence-mentalism hybrid, he spends much of his time in research on defensive spells. His apprentices typically are left to their own devices, except for regular gauntlets that he schedules. He is acknowledged as the best teacher of basic frameworks, altho he rarely teaches Shelves or Security Systems beyond the basic levels. He has a dry wit which makes his lectures fairly tolerable, but is distracted in most one-on-one consultations.

Morningstar: Poisons specialist among alchemist order; like Rotruck, not particularly enamored of his order, although he does spend a great deal of time with Evers (Morningstar is perhaps Evers only rival for profitability via potions, as Momingstar's preparations of poisons in all forms and antidotes as well demand a high price). The two apparently conduct research in different delivery methods for effects and also in storage containers.

Mother Sharp: The preeminent channeler at the covenant and the self-appointed "mother" to the youngest apprentices and students here. She is fairly sweet-natured and notoriously protective of her charges. Few at the covenant would willingly attempt to second-guess her discipline. Professionally, she is the one person to whom Coral Breck always defers, and she and Coral often work together. Whereas Coral concentrates on summoning, Mother Sharp is the expert on maintaining bound spirits. Her own journal of true names is rumored to be somewhat lesser in number of volumes, but more potent in quality of spirits.

Neighbor Ferth: A channeling-mentalism hybrid who is the most politically active among the hybrids. He has aligned himself with Akeel, which means that where he stands changes from day to day. As a teacher, he is exacting and quick to anger.

Parnell: Keldan’s second (non Galistrian). A big man (6'7") who has an incredibly pleasant voice, he often appears standing just behind Keldan as if to accentuate their physical differences and to demonstrate the solidity of their intent. Many who find Keldan infuriating prefer to deal with the soft-spoken Parnell. Parnell apparently handles the concerns of the day-to-day logistics of covenant security, and leaves the "strange" stuff to his Galistrian staff. His relationships with the Galistrians seem to be one of mutual respect and polite distance, as Parnell is apparently a devout Humankti who chose to serve in the covenant as part of some geas. He arrived with Pettifog. The non-Galistrian security staff have carefully been discouraged from thinking that he will champion them in disputes with the ways of the Galistrians; as a result, the staff has avoided becoming factionalized.

Pettifog: Head Mage & Master of this Covenant; Astrologer; Arcanist. "Heads the secret college". Is the main force behind Rosebudwicz's eccentric choice to send out groups of mages as adventurers. Two groups before the present one have seemingly come to a bad end, although their fates are unknown. Was sent to Rosebudwicz to strike a better relationship between the Covenant and its sister order, Verditas. Is very concerned about the omens of the upcoming "change"--apparently the adventuring groups are his answer to this. Many changes occurred upon his arrival, including the agreement with Galistre that furnished so many of his security staff and a large number of transfers both to and from Rosebudwicz. He is considered even-handed by his mages, if a bit slow to answer to their concerns.

Prummel: The preeminent mentalist at the covenant. His reputation is that he is exactly what he needs to be to get done what he wants. Although not considered a political mage, he has always been able to extract the resources he wants from the covenant. He is married to Mother Sharp, known to be close friends with Darvil and Anna and is rumored to have close relations with a number of mages who belong to the covenant but do not reside there. Rumor has it that he once traveled "outside" for the covenant with Mother Sharp, Darvil, Anna and some others. Prummel is unique among the mages in that he deals directly and respectfully with the mundane population at the covenant.

Redith: Centaur smith who specializes in heavy weaponry. Rumored to have been kidnapped into service at the covenant. Rarely speaks.

Rotruck: Materials specialist among alchemists order; takes a certain pleasure in the horribleness of his name and pronounces it ROT-nick; specializes in preparation and storage of every imaginable magically or practically useful substance; no especial fondness for the personalities among his own order, seeing them as demanding. The materials and resources brought into the covenant by the group have been a real boon to him, and he is sympathetic to their aims (especially if more oddities seem forthcoming). More than anyone, is capable of locating obscure substances and identifying necessary storage and preparation procedures. Among the alchemists, most suspect he exempts himself from item creation by using his position as inventorist as an excuse. However, he can and does produce materials in the necessary form efficiently and reliably, so his fellows are hesitant to call for a replacement.

Samhi: A young boy (7-8) from Nowhere who was placed into the care of John of the Gray by the Undine herself. Shows a propensity for mentalism. Currently living with the Jarls and their extended family. Has adjusted well.

Silvestri: Woodsman; sympathethic (even protective) to Ginet; more outgoing and accepting of mages than most mundanes; likes animals and is quite good with them, despite little formal training.

Slakey: Provinder; former wheeler-and-dealer who ended up here under less-than-happy circumstances; nervous around most mages; not allowed to leave covenant; still has contacts on the outside whom he uses to get goods; claims to be able to arrange for "anything...anything you might possibly be able to imagine--but it'll cost you."

Stouder: Metal lore specialist; another specialist among the Verditas order, Stouder works most closely with the smiths and metal crafters. He is a voluble proponent of acquiring more powerful elemental forges, and has suggested on several occasions that a second smithing area should be pioneered on one of the islands with active volcanos. So far, he has not convinced any smiths to relocate to such a location. He keeps an inventory of specialty metals that he will occasionally mete out to worthwhile projects. The uproar about Amaril's new project was made somewhat more pronounced when he extended a small quantity of mithril to her that none of the other alchemists even knew he had in his possession. He remains tight-lipped about the source of the mithril and whether more exists.

Werth: Covenant steward, he takes care of all day-to-day mundane matters within the covenant. He is also charged with acquiring mundane personnel for the covenant. Until Finn took an interest in his situation, had virtually no magic items at his disposal for the large undertaking required to keep the covenant running. Considers himself indebted to the young mages that have worked to make his and his peoples' work so much easier. Has a powerful intellect spirit bound into a metal gecko animation that assists with inventory and accounting (called Hizeth).

Yeaves: Youngest of the Arcanists, he is burdened with most of the teaching responsibilities and has yet to develop a "voice" on the council of Arcanists. 

Someone Goes Missing: Random Journey Event List

THERE AND MAYBE NOT BACK AGAIN

I offer a list of random events for travels, generally aimed at a fantasy setting. I’ve presented these as collaborative questions. 13th Age and Dungeon World use this kind of approach to tell the tale of journeys. It may also prove useful for The One Ring or Adventures in Middle Earth. The GM can put these questions to a player or group of players to spice up the trip. Alternately they can answer themselves and throw the incident on the table.

For each I’ve put a primary question. In parenthesis I’ve added two alternate, follow-up, or secondary questions. In some cases you can use these to draw out more or help elicit answers. In some cases the answers to the primary question will cover the other questions.

1. You hear someone but do not see them. What do you hear? (What identifies them as a person? How close do they seem?)
2. You see a group gathered around a single figure. What's happening? (How many people do you see? What mood holds sway?)
3. You see a procession. What does it seem to be for? (How many make up the gathering? What symbols or signs do you see?)
4. You spy a person carrying an awkward load. What does the burden look like? (What’s manner does the bearer display? Do they look like they’ve traveled far?)
5. You spot persons manning a barrier. Why do they block the road? (Is the post makeshift or developed? If they aren’t blocking the road, what do they guard against?)
6. You come across a person who should not be there. Who? (How do they react to your arrival? How do you know they shouldn’t be in this place?)
7. A person runs when they spot you. Why? (What do you see before they flee? What do they leave behind?)
8. You note a person in disguise. What gives them away? (What other signs of deception can you detect? Do other accompany them?)
9. You see preparations for an event. What kind? (Do you see the creators? How far along does the site appear?)
10. You see someone dressed too fancy for travel. How do you know? (Do they seem to know they’re ill-dressed? How long have they been on the road?)
11. You see a troupe preparing. (What kind of performance will they give? Do they appear skilled?)
12. You see someone in peril. How dire? (What’s the immediate threat to you? Did someone put them in this position?)
13. You see someone in despair. What tells you this? (What does their dress look like? Are they alone?)
14. You see a madman. How do you know? (Do they bear familiar or strange signs? Do they seem dangerous?)
15. You see a holy person. What faith, god, or ideal do they serve? (What signals their holiness? Do they have followers of some kind?)
16. You see someone preparing to bar your way. How? (What numbers can you spot? Have they rushed to do this or lain in wait?)
17. You see someone lost. How badly? (Where do they seem to be from? How long have they wandered?)
18. A stranger calls to you by name. What do they look like? (What tone do you detect: friendly, hostile? Can you lose them or have they caught you out?)
19. An unexpected enemy appears. Who? (Why should they not be here? Will they to attack or do they have other plans?)
20. You see a person in a makeshift shelter. What kind? (Does it seem to be theirs? How fresh does the construction seem?)
21. You spy a person toiling at a craft. What object or work can you see them creating? (Do they appear to be an amateur or expert? What progress have they made?)
22. You spot a bound person. What do they look like? (What binds them? Can you see their captor nearby?)
23. You witness a person's misfortune. What misery occurs? (How do they react to it? Are there other witnesses?)
24. You see a person lying beside the road. What can you make out from here? (Do they seem still or moving? Can you detect other signs of what’s happened?)
25. A group cuts across the road in front of you. Do they impede your progress? (How large is their company? What seems to be their purpose?)
26. You see a fleeing person. What are they running from? (Are they fresh or on their last legs? What can you sense of their pursuer?)
27. You see people beside a disabled transport. What has happened? (Is anyone hurt? How hard does this seem to be to fix?)
28. You see a strange pairing of a man and a beast. What is it? (Are these two things working together or some supernatural fusion? Do they seem angry or calm?)
29. You see a dead body. What do they look like? (How did they die? What oddities do you find on the body or nearby?)
30. You spot two persons in a conflict. Who? (Does one have the upper hand? Has the fight just begun?)
31. Someone rushes past, heedless of you. What do you spot? (Are they rude, reckless, or panicked? Do you see more of them?)
32. You see someone constructing something. What are they building? (Is their purpose clear? Are they nearly finished?)
33. You see someone destroying something. What are they destroying? (Are they alone or in a group? Are there witnesses or objecting bystanders?)
34. You see someone digging. Where? (What do they look like? Have they been at this a while? 
35. Fellow travelers ask to travel with you. What kind of group do they seem to be? (Are they respectful or demanding? What seems out of place among them?)
36. You hear singing. How close by is the song? (Do you recognize the song? Is the voice natural or inhuman?)
37. You meet a quester. What is their quest? (Do they seem like someone who can actually accomplish this? Are they excited or resigned?)
38. The road is broken before you. What has happened? (Is the damage recent? What will you need to do to move past?)
39. The path ahead splits unusually. (What’s unusual about the spot? What signs mark the new directions?)
40. The trail ahead does not match your maps or memory. What’s different about it? (How recently did this change happen? Does this seem a deliberate gambit against you?)
41. You see evidence of a great conflict. What remains and debris do you spot? (Has the battle just finished or has it been there some time? How do you know who won?)
42. You note evidence of a recent desperate conflict. What clues do you spot? (Are there survivors? What obligation do you have to follow up on this?)
43. You a see sport, contest or competition happening beside the road. What’s the game at play? (How do you know who is winning? What makes the participants unexpected?)
44. You catch sight of something glinting. What do you see when you approach? (Is it abandoned or held by something? What trap do you detect?)
45. A beast sleeps upon the road. What is it? (How can you keep from rousing it? Why has it chosen this place to rest?)
46. The air fills with a swell of sound/noise. What do you hear? (Are there other persons or animals who react to it? Does the noise move or remain in place?)
47. The going suddenly becomes more difficult. Why? (What must you do to make it through this next leg? Are there other travelers stumped by this?)
48. The going suddenly becomes easier. Why? (Does the change seem natural or unnatural? How will this aid your company?)
49. You see an unusual building/structure. What does it look like? (What movement do you see nearby? Will it serve as shelter from the elements?)
50. You catch sight of a cave or crevasse. Does it seem inviting or threatening? (What treasure or resource do you spot in it? Why do you need to hide?)
51. The road ends abruptly. What has happened? (How long ago was it cut off? How will you make it to the next leg of the trail?)
52. The wildlife is agitated. What are the signs? (When have you seen this before? What makes this a risky moment for this to happen?)
53. A sudden silence falls over everything. What fear grips you? (Do other persons or animals notice it? What warning do you recall about this area?)
54. You catch sight of a flash of brilliant color. What does it look like? (Is it ahead or somewhere off the path? How long does it last?)
55. You spy something abandoned. What is it? (What condition is it in? Do you see signs pointing to the original owner?)
56. You see something buried. What do you spot sticking out from the concealment? (Is the soil freshly turned? When you uncover it, how it is completely different than you expected?)
57. The air moves unnaturally. What do you feel? (How does it affect the wildlife? What peril might this signal?)
58. You catch an unusual smell. Why is it out of place? (When was the last time you smelled this? Does it grow stronger, remain steady, or trail off?)
59. You find yourself on contested ground. How can you tell? (Who disputes control of this place? How do they react to your intrusion?)
60. You find something thought lost. What is it? (It shouldn’t be here: why? What tracks do you see?)
61. A beast acts strangely. What is it and how does it act? (What risk does this pose? When have you seen this before?)
62. Something stalks you. How have you detected this? (How long has this been going on? Do they seem ready to ambush or merely shadow your path?)
63. You spy strange patterns. What kind? (What memory or warning do you recall? Have they been made by human hands or something else?)
64. Someone cries out but you do not see them. What do you hear? (What direction and distance can you gauge? Does the sound cut off, continue, or change?)
65. Someone has claimed this place. How do you know? (How will they react to your arrival? What wards or protections have they established?)
66. You’re caught in the midst of a stampede. What beasts or things make it up? (Is this a freakish event or expected migration? How does this split your company?
67. You see a book. What kind is it? (What damage has it suffered? What does it rest atop?)
68. You spot an ambush. Is it of you or someone else? (How many ambushers can you see? What are they not acting as you’d expect?)
69. You see yourselves ahead. What reaction does the doppelganger group express? (What one detail allows you to distinguish between the two groups? How long before this happens again?)
70. A riddle is put to you. What is it? (Who or what is the giver? What are the stakes?)
71. You see a ghost. What details can you make out of its form? (Does it seem aggressive or forlorn? How do you know this is but the first of many?)
72. A toll is demanded of you. Who asks this price? (Do they have the right to ask this cost? What other option do you have if you chose not to pay?)
73. Someone or something tells you to turn back. Who are they? (What makes you believe them? What consequences do they speak of?)
74. You see someone you know shouldn't be there. Who is it? (Are they expecting you? What other detail feels off about this scene?)
75. Something falls from the sky. What? (Does it draw the attention of others? How does it change after it strikes the ground?)
76. It grows suddenly dark. What else do you notice? (How does the temperature change? What have you heard about this phenomena?)
77. You encounter an ill omen. What is it? (Who argues with your reading of these portents? How do you know this omen was meant for you?
78. You spy a good omen. What is it? (What good fortune can you expect? What one detail seems out of place for this omen?)
79. You catch a scent which reminds of home. What is it? (Why shouldn’t you smell that here? How fast does the scent disperse?)
80. Something speaks with a voice not its own. Who and what do they say? (What marks the bearer of these words? Who comes in pursuit of them?)
81. You receive a prophecy. What do you learn? (Who delivers this to you? What compels you to believe?)
82. You find a message meant for another. What does it say? (What signs point to the author? What dangerous conspiracy does it point towards?)
83. You spot a posted warning. Is it for you? (What admonition does it give? What consequences does it promise?)
84. You come upon territorial or tribal markings. Why did you not expect these here? (Who do they belong to? How do you know their owners remain nearby?)
85. You spy still-burning embers. What was on fire? (What tells you the maker of the fire may be nearby? What detail points to danger from the site?)
86. You spy a bounty of food. What kind? (How can you tell it remains fresh? What tells you the owner has gone away?)
87. Something has become stuck in the wilds at the edge of your path. Who or what? (What makes you loathe to approach? What makes it difficult to tell the precise nature of the trapped being?)
88. You spot an abandoned transport. Does it seem intact? (What compelled its owner to leave it? What odd thing must you do to make it mobile?)
89. You see blood ahead of you. How much? (Can you see a trail of any kind? How do you know this happened recently?)
90. Something has recently fallen. What and why? (Can you determine the cause? How does this impede your travel?)
91. You come across a great mess. How recent is it? (How far do these piles or junk and debris stretch? What awesome and unexpected thing do you find among the scrap?)
92. Something has devastated the landscape before you. What are the signs? (Why is this unexpected? How long ago did this happen?)
93. The ground gives way. Where do you land? (What caused this collapse? What sudden danger makes escape even more difficult?)
94. A task is laid upon you. What is it? (Why can you not avoid this duty? What reward will you receive for this task?
95. You cannot sleep. What keeps you from your slumbers? (Is it only one of your party affected or all? How long has this been happening?)
96. A divine being appears before you. What does it want with you? (Did it descend from the skies, rise from the depths, or arrive by some other strange means? Why did this divinity none of you serve chose your party?)
97. You find yourself way, way off track though you shouldn’t be. Where have you stumbled upon? (What strangeness caused you to end up here? What danger must you deal with right this moment?)
98. The road rises with you. What does that mean? (What accident does that cause? How do you stop it from continuing to do this throughout your travels?)
99. Strangely the journey goes quickly, you arrive are your destination refreshed and well rested, with a shared bond not to speak of the horrors you were involved in. What secret must you now keep from the outside world?
100. Roll two results and combine them.

Cross-posted and submitted for the RPG Geek R-A-N-D-O-M Design Challenge. Check it out.  

Learning Games: Trials and Tribulations

I’ve started running Thursday night sessions for the Gauntlet community. I’m in the middle of three sessions for Legacy: Life Among the Ruins and next I’m trying City of Mist. I haven’t run these before but I want to figure them out. Inspired by Rich Rogers’ Gauntlet City Limits and its cavalcade of new oddball games, I plan to learn via GMing. That’s worked for me before. But it’s also crashed and burned for me before (The Dying Earth, Fading Suns). Inspired by this, our latest episode of Play on Target covers how you learn games. What options do you have? What works? What obstacles come up? How do you teach an oddball game to an existing group? We answer address some of these and more in our show.

Learning Games

Play on Target Episode Roundup

As always I have a few extra thoughts about this…

NEW HERO IN TOWN: I don’t think I can overstate how hard our local gaming community fell for Champions. South Bend’s a moderately-sized Midwestern city. In the early ‘80’s we had a population of about 110K (10K higher than now). But we had a large and active gaming community across all ages: miniatures, board games, rpgs. Grognards played D&D like a tactical simulation and kids played miniatures like playground tag. A large rpg bookstore and two local gaming conventions anchored all that. I remember the year Hero Games bought a dealer table to show off Champions 1st edition. Until then it’d been a Villains & Vigilantes town, players having dropped Superhero 2044 when the found a game with actual rules. But the V&V’ers threw down their books and took up Champions in a heartbeat. You could build your own characters. You could track things second-by-second. You could Min-Max in a way hitherto unknown. Learning the rules meant power.

I DON’T THINK IT WORKS LIKE THAT: But for a long time I don’t think people actually knew the rules. I saw readings and interpretations of Champions flourish and fade out. More importantly I know I had things completely wrong. For the first several years I created characters but used twisted the modifier system around. I botched the way power frameworks worked. I even got wrong how you rolled damage. But we played like that in our smaller, much younger, niche group for years. To learn I had to be humiliated at a table with veterans who’d worked through the system. Huzzah for the early days.

VECTORS? WHAT’S A VECTOR?: While I learned later I’d gotten Champions wrong, I knew right away I didn’t get Traveller. To many of my generation Traveller offered the first polished non-TSR alternative. It looked sharp and serious, and kept the small tech-style book format long after others had dropped it. We spent many sessions rolling up characters, usually using them to play out shipboard combats with Mayday. But we never played an actual Traveller campaign. Why? Everything spaceside. Space combat, spaceship design, planetary trade, etc. My grade school brain wasn’t fully prepared. This willful ignorance became a curse. My eyes glazed over for that stuff in every subsequent edition or version of Traveller I’ve ever read.

YOUR CRIT CHART MAY VARY: I still remember the first session of Rolemaster I played. Prior to that I only knew it as the Super Advanced and Elite fantasy rpg all the cool kids played. I’d looked at Spell Law and gone WHAAAAAT? But my first character was a Magician. I had one spell: Boil Liquid. It did nothing. I couldn’t even use it to make someone uncomfortable (“It’s not an attack spell…”). But I stuck with it and played on. Rolemaster became the main high fantasy RPG for our group. I played it pretty continuously in one form or another from ’84 through the early 2000’s. Each year, I’d discover some way I’d played something wrong- some modifier, system, or mechanics we’d botched. Usually, almost always, we stuck with our old interpretation rather than re-learning the game. Our version of Rolemaster became a Frankenstein. That worked as long as I played with folks I knew or those I taught. When I played with other GMs, especially at conventions, I looked like an idiot. This didn’t feel like humiliation. I didn’t care- my games ran fast and we had a good time.

ONLINE COURSE: In the episode we talk about watching online sessions to learn about games. I have done a couple of video teaching sessions for Fate Core you can check out. I need to do more of those. I have a couple of other systems I feel comfortable enough with to provide a reasonable overview.

IT’S A FEAT, NOT A BUG: Sometimes just one element of a system proves hard to pick up. I loved 13th Age when I sat down to read it. It’s one of the handful of rpg I tore through cover to cover. I got how it worked. Even the mechanics for Icons rolls, something which confused others, clicked for me. But I butted my head against the way 13th Age handles feats. Different classes have different types of add-ons they can pick- features, talents, powers, spells. And you can enhance those with feat picks, at three different levels of power. It might sound simple in my explanation there, but in practice players lost exactly what they needed to choose- confusing those features with feats. Sometimes they still didn’t get it deep into the campaign. It’s the one opaque moment in an otherwise clear game.

BLISSFUL IGNORANCE: Today’s the 50th Anniversary of Star Trek. I wouldn’t consider myself a Trekkie, but it’s a great show from my youth. I did love FASA’s Star Trek RPG. I dug the way it ripped off Traveller’s character creation system to simulate your time in Starfleet Academy. I played in both a Federation and Klingon game, with several sessions for each. Then and now I have absolutely no clue how that game worked. When we played, I said what I wanted to do and someone told me to roll dice. When I look back at my Klingon character sheet, I’m still not sure. I think it was roll under, maybe, but there was more to it than that. I can’t remember how the stats fit in and I’m not sure I ever knew. Why is there an unlabeled number track on the side? Is that for hit points? experience? initiative? For all that I remember having fun despite my ignorance.

Learning Games

Play on Target Episode Roundup

If you like RPG Gaming podcasts, I hope you'll check it out. We take a focused approach- tackling a single topic each episode. You can subscribe to the show on iTunes or follow the podcast's page at www.playontarget.com.