Well, as you may know by now I have recently started working with The Illusionist Investment Group. With that being said I am currently working on multiple projects. So I am trying to get ahead of myself a little by already starting on July's One-Page Adventure. And this one I believe is going to be really fun and different. A very nice change and perfect for a one-shot of Swords & Wizardry Light!
Also, I will be working on another One-Page Adventure that won't be released to the public but will be dedicated to The Illusionist Investment Group so they can use it in one of their Monthly Crates in the future.
If you enjoy my work then you should keep a lookout for larger works by me in the future. Also, checkout The Illusionist Investment Group they also have a Facebook Page
My Patreon, Facebook Page and Facebook Group
Saturday, June 24, 2017
Wednesday, June 21, 2017
Important News for One-Page Adventures!
Starting in July I will be creating two, that's right, TWO One-Page Adventures. But this isn't the only news!
The reason why I will be creating two One-Page Adventures a month is because I will be working alongside with The Illusionist Investment Group. Illusionist is the company behind +Erik Tenkar's Tenkar's Tavern Crate. What does this mean?
The reason why I will be creating two One-Page Adventures a month is because I will be working alongside with The Illusionist Investment Group. Illusionist is the company behind +Erik Tenkar's Tenkar's Tavern Crate. What does this mean?
It means that one One-Page Adventure will be dedicated to Illusionist/Tenkar's Tavern Crate while the other one will remain open to the public. Also, this doesn't necessarily mean that there will be a One-Page Adventure in every Crate. All I know is I will be working on them as if they will be.
When I know more you too will also know...when you need to know that is.
Monday, June 19, 2017
First Session of The Siege of Crasmere
I ran my One-Page Adventure of The Siege of Crasmere for my best friend, his brother and my daughter. My daughter was the only one that has played Swords & Wizardry and Swords & Wizardry Light. The other two only ever played 3.5 and some 4e. But they do know their Forgotten Realms lore.
Character creation went by quickly though they still had their minds adjusted to 3.5 style of looking at stats. My best friend was the human cleric, his brother was a dwarf fighter and my daughter was a human magic-user (also played as a kid character).
A quick note on how I handled the magic-user and how I plan on handling the magic-user in the future: I treated their spells as I would a cleric. Instead of memorizing a certain spell that day I let her have just one spell slot that she could use for any of the two spells she selected. Which were Magic Missile and Charm. I'm going this route because it is easier for kids to have spell slots instead of trying to predict what spells they might need for that day.
Go here for The Siege of Crasmere
Go here to see the map I used for this session
Game Summary
The game started in the Inn and I asked them why they would be in the inn and if they knew each other or if they just happened to be in the inn at the same time. The Cleric and Fighter knew each other and have traveled together. The Magic-User was just a kid that was there and didn't even know these other adventurers. After some time and a few drinks (well food for the M-U) a villager crashed into the inn with an arrow in his shoulder saying, "We're under attack!" The M-U quickly went to aid this villager. After they saw he would live they went outside and saw chaos. Villagers were running and screaming. There were villagers dead on the roads from the arrows and others that were injured. They quickly dragged some villagers into the inn but after that another volley of arrows came raining down upon them. This is when I had them Roll their Saving Throw. The Fighter and the M-U took an arrow dealing 1 damage each.
They surveyed the area and got an idea of where the arrows were being fired from. They made their way to the South-Western tower on the wall (after rolling Saving Throws against two volleys of arrows). In the tower was 2 men-at-arms. One was already hit by an arrow and the other was firing back. After another volley of arrows the other man-at-arms took an arrow and fell to his death. The M-U had the idea of lighting an arrow on fire and shooting it over the wall as a light source to get an idea of what's out there. The Fighter let the arrow loose and it struck a goblin and set the goblin on fire like a small campfire. They could see about a dozen or so goblins with bows and on the walls there were orcs with ladders trying to get on the wall. The Cleric jumped onto the wall from the tower and kicked away one of the ladders. The M-U tied one of her daggers to a 10' pole and handed it to the Fighter. He then got on the other wall and thrust the pole through an orc climbing up the ladder. In the process knocking the other orcs off the ladder as well. The M-U went down the tower to make her way to the next tower but as soon as she got down she heard people screaming about an Ogre at the gate. She quickly ran back up and told the others and that is when they decided that defending the gate from the ogre would be best.
When they arrived at the gate (after avoiding some arrows) they saw that some men-at-arms were armed with spears ready to attack the ogre once is broke through the gate. The cleric, while the ogre was trying to bash it's way through the gate, made a narrow ditch across the gate and poured oil in it and set it ablaze. As the the ogre crashed through the gate it ran through the fire in a frenzy. It took an arrow from the fighter and a spear through the gut from the M-U (using the modified 10' pole). But the cleric ran in for an attack but missed and took a club in the chest knocking him off his feet and into the wall killing him in a single blow. He then rolled up another character as the fighter and M-U eventually finished this thing off. After the battle the fighter only had 1hp left and the M-U 3hp. There was a howl in the distance and someone yelling, "The gate is open! Charge!"
The characters quickly got the remaining men-at-arms organized and some of the villagers offered to help defend their homes when the new character, halfling thief, stepped forward and said he would help out. They got organized with some staying at the gate and the rest attacking the orcs that made their way over the walls and getting the villagers inside buildings safely. The fighter was in need of healing and one of the men-at-arms told them to find Philmon at the temple and that he should have medical supplies to help the fighter and the injured villagers. They made their way to the temple and took out a few orcs on the way. Once inside the temple they discovered there were kids and injured villagers who were waiting for Philmon to return to aide them. But he was no where to be found. The characters explored the temple and found Philmon's room and his journal inside a cabinet. This is when they discovered that Philmon was aiding the attackers, Klatt, and that he was supposed to meet Klatt outside of the walls.
They made their way over the walls and saw that Philmon was alone and so the M-U charmed him and that is when they discovered who Philmon was working for, Klatt of Brokentusk, an orc and her Worg. After talking with him more they discovered that he had an item, an orb, that held Klatt's husband, Gromm. They convinced Philmon to follow them back into the village while the thief had a plan. The halfling thief managed to steal this orb and from one of the stores in the village he swapped it out with a glass globe that looked similar to what Philmon had. The plan then was to take Philmon back to where he was supposed to meet Klatt and confront her together. The M-U requested the aide of Philmon and he eagerly healed the party.
Once the party and Philmon made their way back to the meet up point they met Klatt and her Worg. She didn't attack at first but wanted to talk once Philmon opened his mouth and said how the party helped him and how he found more allies for the Brokentusk Clan. She asked for the orb but when he pulled out the glass orb she knew she was being tricked and that is when the combat started.
While on the Worg, Klatt, leaped onto Philmon and the Worg mauled him to death. The M-U, using the 10' pole with the dagger tied to it, was able to keep the Worg at bay for sometime. The fighter landed a blow on the worg and that is when Klatt jumped from her mount and cut down the thief in a single blow. His wounds instantly began to turn black as he died. After taking a spear to the chest, the Worg focused his gaze on the M-U, fortunately she avoided his bite and got the Worg in the throat. The fighter charged Klatt and landed a critical blow moments after she took out the thief. She retaliated and returned a blow and the axe wound burned the dwarf more than it should have. The Worg then went for the M-U one last time as his teeth ripped through her upper torso tearing her in two. The fighter was alone. Terrified from what he just saw the Worg do to his little human friend he took a swing at the Worg but came up too short. Leaving him open to Klatt's deadly axe that sliced through the dwarf's neck and sent his head toppling to the ground.
A TPK. But a great one! They all had a blast and were happy with the end results. But, did Klatt ever discover what happened to the orb? We may never know...or will we?
Changes I Would Make
If you look at the One-Page Adventure under the features you will see the arrows listed as a saving throw. This is one thing I would change for sure. I would just treat it as an attack roll with -4 to -6 to the to-hit depending on where they are in the village. After a few hits they tried their best to hug the walls of the village to try to avoid the arrows.
I let them have full health for this adventure. If I run this again with another group I would make them roll their HD for their health. Mainly, because this adventure is designed for "mass combat" in a sense that there are so many villagers that when a character dies the player can easily roll up another one. It is designed to encourage risk, danger and dying for the village.
Other than that I think everything is how it should be. And of course I'm sure with each run it would be completely different because every player would have their own style of playing. If anyone runs this for their own group I would like to know how it went for your group.
Character creation went by quickly though they still had their minds adjusted to 3.5 style of looking at stats. My best friend was the human cleric, his brother was a dwarf fighter and my daughter was a human magic-user (also played as a kid character).
A quick note on how I handled the magic-user and how I plan on handling the magic-user in the future: I treated their spells as I would a cleric. Instead of memorizing a certain spell that day I let her have just one spell slot that she could use for any of the two spells she selected. Which were Magic Missile and Charm. I'm going this route because it is easier for kids to have spell slots instead of trying to predict what spells they might need for that day.
Go here for The Siege of Crasmere
Go here to see the map I used for this session
Game Summary
The game started in the Inn and I asked them why they would be in the inn and if they knew each other or if they just happened to be in the inn at the same time. The Cleric and Fighter knew each other and have traveled together. The Magic-User was just a kid that was there and didn't even know these other adventurers. After some time and a few drinks (well food for the M-U) a villager crashed into the inn with an arrow in his shoulder saying, "We're under attack!" The M-U quickly went to aid this villager. After they saw he would live they went outside and saw chaos. Villagers were running and screaming. There were villagers dead on the roads from the arrows and others that were injured. They quickly dragged some villagers into the inn but after that another volley of arrows came raining down upon them. This is when I had them Roll their Saving Throw. The Fighter and the M-U took an arrow dealing 1 damage each.
They surveyed the area and got an idea of where the arrows were being fired from. They made their way to the South-Western tower on the wall (after rolling Saving Throws against two volleys of arrows). In the tower was 2 men-at-arms. One was already hit by an arrow and the other was firing back. After another volley of arrows the other man-at-arms took an arrow and fell to his death. The M-U had the idea of lighting an arrow on fire and shooting it over the wall as a light source to get an idea of what's out there. The Fighter let the arrow loose and it struck a goblin and set the goblin on fire like a small campfire. They could see about a dozen or so goblins with bows and on the walls there were orcs with ladders trying to get on the wall. The Cleric jumped onto the wall from the tower and kicked away one of the ladders. The M-U tied one of her daggers to a 10' pole and handed it to the Fighter. He then got on the other wall and thrust the pole through an orc climbing up the ladder. In the process knocking the other orcs off the ladder as well. The M-U went down the tower to make her way to the next tower but as soon as she got down she heard people screaming about an Ogre at the gate. She quickly ran back up and told the others and that is when they decided that defending the gate from the ogre would be best.
When they arrived at the gate (after avoiding some arrows) they saw that some men-at-arms were armed with spears ready to attack the ogre once is broke through the gate. The cleric, while the ogre was trying to bash it's way through the gate, made a narrow ditch across the gate and poured oil in it and set it ablaze. As the the ogre crashed through the gate it ran through the fire in a frenzy. It took an arrow from the fighter and a spear through the gut from the M-U (using the modified 10' pole). But the cleric ran in for an attack but missed and took a club in the chest knocking him off his feet and into the wall killing him in a single blow. He then rolled up another character as the fighter and M-U eventually finished this thing off. After the battle the fighter only had 1hp left and the M-U 3hp. There was a howl in the distance and someone yelling, "The gate is open! Charge!"
The characters quickly got the remaining men-at-arms organized and some of the villagers offered to help defend their homes when the new character, halfling thief, stepped forward and said he would help out. They got organized with some staying at the gate and the rest attacking the orcs that made their way over the walls and getting the villagers inside buildings safely. The fighter was in need of healing and one of the men-at-arms told them to find Philmon at the temple and that he should have medical supplies to help the fighter and the injured villagers. They made their way to the temple and took out a few orcs on the way. Once inside the temple they discovered there were kids and injured villagers who were waiting for Philmon to return to aide them. But he was no where to be found. The characters explored the temple and found Philmon's room and his journal inside a cabinet. This is when they discovered that Philmon was aiding the attackers, Klatt, and that he was supposed to meet Klatt outside of the walls.
They made their way over the walls and saw that Philmon was alone and so the M-U charmed him and that is when they discovered who Philmon was working for, Klatt of Brokentusk, an orc and her Worg. After talking with him more they discovered that he had an item, an orb, that held Klatt's husband, Gromm. They convinced Philmon to follow them back into the village while the thief had a plan. The halfling thief managed to steal this orb and from one of the stores in the village he swapped it out with a glass globe that looked similar to what Philmon had. The plan then was to take Philmon back to where he was supposed to meet Klatt and confront her together. The M-U requested the aide of Philmon and he eagerly healed the party.
Once the party and Philmon made their way back to the meet up point they met Klatt and her Worg. She didn't attack at first but wanted to talk once Philmon opened his mouth and said how the party helped him and how he found more allies for the Brokentusk Clan. She asked for the orb but when he pulled out the glass orb she knew she was being tricked and that is when the combat started.
While on the Worg, Klatt, leaped onto Philmon and the Worg mauled him to death. The M-U, using the 10' pole with the dagger tied to it, was able to keep the Worg at bay for sometime. The fighter landed a blow on the worg and that is when Klatt jumped from her mount and cut down the thief in a single blow. His wounds instantly began to turn black as he died. After taking a spear to the chest, the Worg focused his gaze on the M-U, fortunately she avoided his bite and got the Worg in the throat. The fighter charged Klatt and landed a critical blow moments after she took out the thief. She retaliated and returned a blow and the axe wound burned the dwarf more than it should have. The Worg then went for the M-U one last time as his teeth ripped through her upper torso tearing her in two. The fighter was alone. Terrified from what he just saw the Worg do to his little human friend he took a swing at the Worg but came up too short. Leaving him open to Klatt's deadly axe that sliced through the dwarf's neck and sent his head toppling to the ground.
A TPK. But a great one! They all had a blast and were happy with the end results. But, did Klatt ever discover what happened to the orb? We may never know...or will we?
Changes I Would Make
If you look at the One-Page Adventure under the features you will see the arrows listed as a saving throw. This is one thing I would change for sure. I would just treat it as an attack roll with -4 to -6 to the to-hit depending on where they are in the village. After a few hits they tried their best to hug the walls of the village to try to avoid the arrows.
I let them have full health for this adventure. If I run this again with another group I would make them roll their HD for their health. Mainly, because this adventure is designed for "mass combat" in a sense that there are so many villagers that when a character dies the player can easily roll up another one. It is designed to encourage risk, danger and dying for the village.
Other than that I think everything is how it should be. And of course I'm sure with each run it would be completely different because every player would have their own style of playing. If anyone runs this for their own group I would like to know how it went for your group.
Friday, June 16, 2017
The Siege of Crasmere Resources
I plan on running The Siege of Crasmere tomorrow for Free RPG Day for some people. So for my prep work I created these resources: player's map and my map with references. For the map I used Wizardawn and clicked generate a few times before I saw the village type that I liked. On the reference sheet there is a table for Goblins and Orcs. How I plan on using this is anytime the characters kill off a goblin or orc I will mark a tally mark. At the end of the battle if the characters decide they want to go around and loot the bodies then I can just add the tally marks up and multiply the gold pieces they have on them. Two gold for goblins and four gold for orcs.
For the One-Page Adventure of The Siege of Crasmere go HERE.
For the Resources for The Siege of Crasmere go HERE.
For my blog on the Beginner's Guide to The Siege of Crasmere go HERE.
And don't forget One-Page Adventures now has a Facebook Page and a Facebook Group.
For the One-Page Adventure of The Siege of Crasmere go HERE.
For the Resources for The Siege of Crasmere go HERE.
For my blog on the Beginner's Guide to The Siege of Crasmere go HERE.
And don't forget One-Page Adventures now has a Facebook Page and a Facebook Group.
Tuesday, June 13, 2017
A Beginner's Guide to The Siege of Crasmere
I'm writing this for a guide to new players and new Game Masters. First of course download and print this adventure and a few copies of Swords & Wizardry Light also the printer-friendly Black & White version can be found here.
Why Is There Not A Map Included?
I do this because this is your game and your world. So it is up to you to determine the size and length of the adventure. But this is easy for this adventure. You can do this pregame or at the table. Just get a piece of paper, it can be plain or graphing paper it doesn't matter. Then draw yourself a big square, rectangle, circle, or whatever shape. This is your 15-foot wall around the village. Now decide where the gate is and draw a road through it to some central point of the village. Then draw different shapes and sizes of buildings. You should number a few for key buildings like the inn, blacksmith, temple, etc. This map should be out on the table for all the players to see and use (since the players start inside the village they would know where the key locations are). You should also know the names of some of the key NPCs like the innkeeper, blacksmith, village leader, etc.
Adventure Hook
For this adventure you just need to ask the characters why they are in Crasmere. If they seem lost or just don't know, this is how you can help; First, you can ask if any of the characters are from Crasmere. If anyone says yes ask about their family, what do they do for a living, what is the reason for them being the class that they are. For any characters that are not from Crasmere here are some suggestions.
Fighter:
- Mercenary passing through looking for work.
- Was hired by a NPC (have the player name the NPC) for a job (what was/is the job?).
Cleric:
- There because it is the closest town that has a temple dedicated to their god (have the player name the god).
- There looking to convert villagers.
Thief:
- There to steal something from a NPC (have the player name the NPC).
- In a holding cell because they got caught trying to steal something.
Magic-User:
- There to visit the small library looking for a specific book (have the player name the book).
- There looking to buy components/alchemy supplies.
Starting the Adventure
I would suggest telling the characters that they are all at the inn. Either because they are staying there for the night or just eating/drinking there for any local characters. And just let them roleplay with each other and the NPCs to do the whole meet and greet thing. Maybe some of the characters already know each other or even related. But for the most part this will be the first time they will be meeting each other. Allow them to roleplay freely if they want. And then at some point have a NPC (name them) run in screaming (maybe even injured) that the village is under attack! And now the adventure will begin...
Running the Game
This is where you have the most freedom to do what you want. What is happening in the village once the characters step outside of the inn? If your players are not motivated to leave the inn then force them to leave in someway. We know the premise of this adventure is that a clan of orcs and goblins are attacking the village. And looking at the features for this adventure we can see that they are in the process of breaking through the wall somehow. Now, does this mean they haven't breached the walls yet or did some get through by ladders or other ways? Do you want the characters to have to face off some minor goblins who managed to get their way in before tackling the task outside of the gate? Or did none get through and they must defend the walls and gate?
How large is the attacking clan? 20 orcs/goblins? 80 orcs/goblins? Honestly, it doesn't matter. Don't write out a number that is set in stone. Refer to the features. We know we have some orcs setting fire to parts of the walls. We know that there is at least one ogre attacking the gate trying to break it down. And we know that goblins are shooting arrows into the village. That alone tells us that this town is surrounded but the exact number doesn't matter. Are all of these features happening at once or are they stages that happen throughout the adventure?
Also, don't worry about the stats of each and every single NPC. Quickly roll for hit points for goblins and orcs. Whatever you roll is the hit points for every orc and goblin the characters encounter. The same as the ogre (that is if you want more than one ogre in this adventure).
Very important thing to remember is that the characters are in a friendly village with some men-at-arms. They are not the only ones defending the village. The men-at-arms and other villagers may be doing their part. Allow the characters to interact and help guide the villagers. There is an ogre trying to bash down the gate but the eastern and western walls are on fire. What are the characters going to do? Split up with the villagers? Stay together and hope they can stop these things one by one?
How Do I Know My Players Are Winning or Losing?
This isn't that hard to determine. First, are they still alive? If yes, then they are winning! This is when we can take a look at the features. Did the characters stop the ogre from breaking down the gate? Yes (winning) No (losing but not all is lost). Did the characters prevent the fires from destroying the walls? Yes (winning) No (losing but not all is lost). What about Klatt of Brokentusk? What is she doing? Does she charge in on her worg through the gate when the ogre breaks it down? Or does she sit back and watch as all of this happens? What is her main goal? What if the gate is destroyed and some of the walls are destroyed and now the village is filled with orcs and goblins? Do they kill and destroy everything? Or are they just there for one item or person? What if the characters kill Klatt does that mean the rest of the clan scatters and run away or do they even care? But what happens to the characters if they lose the village and don't kill Klatt? Do they die? Are they taken as prisoners? Or are they just left behind once the clan leaves? Does Klatt flee when the characters stop the ogre and fires?
Remember, if the characters fail to defend the village it doesn't mean they "lost." It just means the story has now made a turn both you and your players didn't expect. And they still check off one adventure on their character sheet.
Closing the Session
Whether they defended the village or not you now have completed part one of your (the GM and players) story. What happens next? You can now take this One-Page Adventure and expand it into a much larger campaign. Maybe there was a lot more going on in the background that caused Clan Brokentusk to raid a peaceful village. Maybe there's a spy in Crasmere that was behind the whole attack. Or maybe Klatt was possessed by a demon that drove her mad. It's your world and your game so just have fun with it!
Character Death
So a character has died. What are you going to do? This is easy. You can either let them just become an observer for the rest of the session or let them roll up another character at the table. Rolling up another character will more than likely be the best option. You are in a village and it is easy for a villager to decide that they are choosing to take on more of a "leading role" in this story. Just let the players understand beforehand that this game can be very deadly. Death is going to happen. There is no way around it. If a player has a character that died and would like to roll up another character then that would be a good point to take a quick five-ten minute bathroom/snack/smoke/beer/whatever break. Let the player roll up their new character and get back into the action. No need for a backstory for this second...or third character. If they live at the end then they can take the time to flesh out their new character.
Why Is There Not A Map Included?
I do this because this is your game and your world. So it is up to you to determine the size and length of the adventure. But this is easy for this adventure. You can do this pregame or at the table. Just get a piece of paper, it can be plain or graphing paper it doesn't matter. Then draw yourself a big square, rectangle, circle, or whatever shape. This is your 15-foot wall around the village. Now decide where the gate is and draw a road through it to some central point of the village. Then draw different shapes and sizes of buildings. You should number a few for key buildings like the inn, blacksmith, temple, etc. This map should be out on the table for all the players to see and use (since the players start inside the village they would know where the key locations are). You should also know the names of some of the key NPCs like the innkeeper, blacksmith, village leader, etc.
Adventure Hook
For this adventure you just need to ask the characters why they are in Crasmere. If they seem lost or just don't know, this is how you can help; First, you can ask if any of the characters are from Crasmere. If anyone says yes ask about their family, what do they do for a living, what is the reason for them being the class that they are. For any characters that are not from Crasmere here are some suggestions.
Fighter:
- Mercenary passing through looking for work.
- Was hired by a NPC (have the player name the NPC) for a job (what was/is the job?).
Cleric:
- There because it is the closest town that has a temple dedicated to their god (have the player name the god).
- There looking to convert villagers.
Thief:
- There to steal something from a NPC (have the player name the NPC).
- In a holding cell because they got caught trying to steal something.
Magic-User:
- There to visit the small library looking for a specific book (have the player name the book).
- There looking to buy components/alchemy supplies.
Starting the Adventure
I would suggest telling the characters that they are all at the inn. Either because they are staying there for the night or just eating/drinking there for any local characters. And just let them roleplay with each other and the NPCs to do the whole meet and greet thing. Maybe some of the characters already know each other or even related. But for the most part this will be the first time they will be meeting each other. Allow them to roleplay freely if they want. And then at some point have a NPC (name them) run in screaming (maybe even injured) that the village is under attack! And now the adventure will begin...
Running the Game
This is where you have the most freedom to do what you want. What is happening in the village once the characters step outside of the inn? If your players are not motivated to leave the inn then force them to leave in someway. We know the premise of this adventure is that a clan of orcs and goblins are attacking the village. And looking at the features for this adventure we can see that they are in the process of breaking through the wall somehow. Now, does this mean they haven't breached the walls yet or did some get through by ladders or other ways? Do you want the characters to have to face off some minor goblins who managed to get their way in before tackling the task outside of the gate? Or did none get through and they must defend the walls and gate?
How large is the attacking clan? 20 orcs/goblins? 80 orcs/goblins? Honestly, it doesn't matter. Don't write out a number that is set in stone. Refer to the features. We know we have some orcs setting fire to parts of the walls. We know that there is at least one ogre attacking the gate trying to break it down. And we know that goblins are shooting arrows into the village. That alone tells us that this town is surrounded but the exact number doesn't matter. Are all of these features happening at once or are they stages that happen throughout the adventure?
Also, don't worry about the stats of each and every single NPC. Quickly roll for hit points for goblins and orcs. Whatever you roll is the hit points for every orc and goblin the characters encounter. The same as the ogre (that is if you want more than one ogre in this adventure).
Very important thing to remember is that the characters are in a friendly village with some men-at-arms. They are not the only ones defending the village. The men-at-arms and other villagers may be doing their part. Allow the characters to interact and help guide the villagers. There is an ogre trying to bash down the gate but the eastern and western walls are on fire. What are the characters going to do? Split up with the villagers? Stay together and hope they can stop these things one by one?
How Do I Know My Players Are Winning or Losing?
This isn't that hard to determine. First, are they still alive? If yes, then they are winning! This is when we can take a look at the features. Did the characters stop the ogre from breaking down the gate? Yes (winning) No (losing but not all is lost). Did the characters prevent the fires from destroying the walls? Yes (winning) No (losing but not all is lost). What about Klatt of Brokentusk? What is she doing? Does she charge in on her worg through the gate when the ogre breaks it down? Or does she sit back and watch as all of this happens? What is her main goal? What if the gate is destroyed and some of the walls are destroyed and now the village is filled with orcs and goblins? Do they kill and destroy everything? Or are they just there for one item or person? What if the characters kill Klatt does that mean the rest of the clan scatters and run away or do they even care? But what happens to the characters if they lose the village and don't kill Klatt? Do they die? Are they taken as prisoners? Or are they just left behind once the clan leaves? Does Klatt flee when the characters stop the ogre and fires?
Remember, if the characters fail to defend the village it doesn't mean they "lost." It just means the story has now made a turn both you and your players didn't expect. And they still check off one adventure on their character sheet.
Closing the Session
Whether they defended the village or not you now have completed part one of your (the GM and players) story. What happens next? You can now take this One-Page Adventure and expand it into a much larger campaign. Maybe there was a lot more going on in the background that caused Clan Brokentusk to raid a peaceful village. Maybe there's a spy in Crasmere that was behind the whole attack. Or maybe Klatt was possessed by a demon that drove her mad. It's your world and your game so just have fun with it!
Character Death
So a character has died. What are you going to do? This is easy. You can either let them just become an observer for the rest of the session or let them roll up another character at the table. Rolling up another character will more than likely be the best option. You are in a village and it is easy for a villager to decide that they are choosing to take on more of a "leading role" in this story. Just let the players understand beforehand that this game can be very deadly. Death is going to happen. There is no way around it. If a player has a character that died and would like to roll up another character then that would be a good point to take a quick five-ten minute bathroom/snack/smoke/beer/whatever break. Let the player roll up their new character and get back into the action. No need for a backstory for this second...or third character. If they live at the end then they can take the time to flesh out their new character.
Languages in SWL/SWCL
I've noticed that in Swords & Wizardry Light (and the beta of Continual Light) languages are not addressed. Which is an easy hand-wave and a very obvious obstacle to hurdle. Common language and the languages for the races in the game.
But what it doesn't state is how many languages a character knows.
This is my idea for a language system:
Every starting characters knows how to speak and read/write Common plus speak and read/write their race's language (Humans only know Common).
Any character that has an intelligence score of 6 or less can only speak their race's language but cannot read/write their race's language.
Any odd numbered intelligence score greater than 10 is an extra language the character can speak.
Any even numbered intelligence score greater than 10 is an extra language the character can read/write (the same language you picked to speak previously).
Example:
A Human with 13 Intelligence. They have two odd numbers and one even number greater than 10. So this human can speak and read/write Common. For their first odd number they choose Elvish to speak. For their first, and only, even number they must choose Elvish to read/write. For their second, and last, odd number they choose Goblin.
So this human can speak and read/write Common and Elvish. And they can also speak Goblin.
What are your thoughts on this language system for Swords & Wizardry Light (and future Continual Light)?
Every starting characters knows how to speak and read/write Common plus speak and read/write their race's language (Humans only know Common).
Any character that has an intelligence score of 6 or less can only speak their race's language but cannot read/write their race's language.
Any odd numbered intelligence score greater than 10 is an extra language the character can speak.
Any even numbered intelligence score greater than 10 is an extra language the character can read/write (the same language you picked to speak previously).
Example:
A Human with 13 Intelligence. They have two odd numbers and one even number greater than 10. So this human can speak and read/write Common. For their first odd number they choose Elvish to speak. For their first, and only, even number they must choose Elvish to read/write. For their second, and last, odd number they choose Goblin.
So this human can speak and read/write Common and Elvish. And they can also speak Goblin.
What are your thoughts on this language system for Swords & Wizardry Light (and future Continual Light)?
Monday, June 12, 2017
Running A One-Page Adventure This Free RPG Day?
I recently got feedback from someone that will be running The Siege of Crasmere this Saturday for Free RPG Day at their store. This is great news! Not only for OPAs but for the OSR community. Hopefully, this means more people will be playing Swords & Wizardry Light! Is anyone else planning on running a OPA this weekend?
The whole reason for my OPAs is to increase the OSR community. I design OPAs for them to be easy for newcomers and gamers like me who started late in D&D. I own a physical copy of Temple of Elemental Evil (lucky find at a used bookstore) but when I read through it (and other classics) I find it intimidating and overwhelming. So I decided to create my own adventures for OSR that is simple for me and others to use.
So, if you do run a OPA this weekend for Free RPG Day (or any other time) please let me know how it goes. Take pictures or draw pictures. I don't care.
The whole reason for my OPAs is to increase the OSR community. I design OPAs for them to be easy for newcomers and gamers like me who started late in D&D. I own a physical copy of Temple of Elemental Evil (lucky find at a used bookstore) but when I read through it (and other classics) I find it intimidating and overwhelming. So I decided to create my own adventures for OSR that is simple for me and others to use.
So, if you do run a OPA this weekend for Free RPG Day (or any other time) please let me know how it goes. Take pictures or draw pictures. I don't care.
Saturday, June 10, 2017
The Siege of Crasmere
The Siege of Crasmere is a One-Page Adventure designed to be used with Swords & Wizardry Light. This is my contribution for Free RPG Day 2017.
So what do you need? A copy of Swords & Wizardry Light (free), this adventure (free), some 20-sided dice and 6-sided dice (sadly not free). There is an optional item, that is also free, that I would also recommend, Character Cards for Swords & Wizardry Light. You can find more on Swords & Wizardry Light at Tenkar's Tavern such as things like Printer-Friendly (B&W) Swords & Wizardry Light.
CLICK HERE FOR THE SIEGE OF CRASMERE
If you are new to One-Page Adventures I will explain how to use them.
The Setting
This section is used to describe where and how the adventure can be placed in your game world. There is also suggestions on the size of the adventure, including suggested amount of rooms/levels. This is described in a way where the Game Master can design the adventure to the size that best fits their party.
Information
This section is used to describe the premise of the adventure. Including goals, backstory and the NPCs that can be found in the adventure.
Features
This section lists suggested features that can be found in the adventure. Things like traps, conditions, encounters and aesthetics. These are all optional and not all of them are best for your party. You can choose to ignore some and add your own.
Adventure Hooks
This section lists suggested hooks for your players.
New and Featured NPCs
This section lists the NPCs and their stats that are in the adventure. Some of the NPCs may even have special items listed that the players are able to loot.
Special Item
This section will describe a unique item that can be found in the adventure. The item can sometimes be found on a NPC or found in a room.
Adventure Points (Swords & Wizardry Light Only)
If you look at the rules for character advancement in Swords & Wizardry Light the characters do not level up via experience points. The characters level up when they complete a certain amount of adventures. This section will describe how many adventure points the adventure is worth and if there is a way for bonus adventure points. Of course you don't let the players know of these bonus adventure points. Though, if they do what is needed for the bonus adventure point let them know at the end of the adventure that they earned it and how. This should encourage them to think about different approaches for when they play the next One-Page Adventure.
So what do you need? A copy of Swords & Wizardry Light (free), this adventure (free), some 20-sided dice and 6-sided dice (sadly not free). There is an optional item, that is also free, that I would also recommend, Character Cards for Swords & Wizardry Light. You can find more on Swords & Wizardry Light at Tenkar's Tavern such as things like Printer-Friendly (B&W) Swords & Wizardry Light.
CLICK HERE FOR THE SIEGE OF CRASMERE
If you are new to One-Page Adventures I will explain how to use them.
The Setting
This section is used to describe where and how the adventure can be placed in your game world. There is also suggestions on the size of the adventure, including suggested amount of rooms/levels. This is described in a way where the Game Master can design the adventure to the size that best fits their party.
Information
This section is used to describe the premise of the adventure. Including goals, backstory and the NPCs that can be found in the adventure.
Features
This section lists suggested features that can be found in the adventure. Things like traps, conditions, encounters and aesthetics. These are all optional and not all of them are best for your party. You can choose to ignore some and add your own.
Adventure Hooks
This section lists suggested hooks for your players.
New and Featured NPCs
This section lists the NPCs and their stats that are in the adventure. Some of the NPCs may even have special items listed that the players are able to loot.
Special Item
This section will describe a unique item that can be found in the adventure. The item can sometimes be found on a NPC or found in a room.
Adventure Points (Swords & Wizardry Light Only)
If you look at the rules for character advancement in Swords & Wizardry Light the characters do not level up via experience points. The characters level up when they complete a certain amount of adventures. This section will describe how many adventure points the adventure is worth and if there is a way for bonus adventure points. Of course you don't let the players know of these bonus adventure points. Though, if they do what is needed for the bonus adventure point let them know at the end of the adventure that they earned it and how. This should encourage them to think about different approaches for when they play the next One-Page Adventure.
Friday, June 9, 2017
Upcoming One-Page Adventure for Free RPG Day
Well, The Frozen Fortress was released about 24 hours now. I hope everyone enjoys it once they get a chance to read over it!
But now it is time for me to start working on my next OPA for the upcoming Free RPG Day! This OPA will be designed to be used for Swords & Wizardry Light. This is so newcomers have a free and simple ruleset that is easy for them to learn and use pretty much on the fly. Then with the OPA they will have something they can use instantly with their friends! I will be working on this throughout this weekend and next week. My goal is to have it done by Wednesday of next week so it will be released just days before Free RPG Day.
But now it is time for me to start working on my next OPA for the upcoming Free RPG Day! This OPA will be designed to be used for Swords & Wizardry Light. This is so newcomers have a free and simple ruleset that is easy for them to learn and use pretty much on the fly. Then with the OPA they will have something they can use instantly with their friends! I will be working on this throughout this weekend and next week. My goal is to have it done by Wednesday of next week so it will be released just days before Free RPG Day.
Thursday, June 8, 2017
The Frozen Fortress
Here it is! June's One-Page Adventure!
The Frozen Fortress!
If you're a fan of Frost Giants and Liches then you'll love the Frost Giant Lich that resides in the Frozen Fortress! I hope you all enjoy this One-Page Adventure. Yes, it will probably be a little difficult (TPK) for low-level characters but there are some Hill Giants that could easily be bribed to help out...since they are too stupid to know any better.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FROZEN FORTRESS
Also, please checkout the new Facebook Group and Facebook Page!
Enjoy!
The Frozen Fortress!
If you're a fan of Frost Giants and Liches then you'll love the Frost Giant Lich that resides in the Frozen Fortress! I hope you all enjoy this One-Page Adventure. Yes, it will probably be a little difficult (TPK) for low-level characters but there are some Hill Giants that could easily be bribed to help out...since they are too stupid to know any better.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FROZEN FORTRESS
Also, please checkout the new Facebook Group and Facebook Page!
Enjoy!
Wednesday, June 7, 2017
SWCL & The Future of OPA
As of blogging purposes OPA is One-Page Adventures. I don't feel like typing it out every time. Anyways....
After reading over the beta PDF of Swords & Wizardry Continual Light (again thanks +Erik Tenkar) over and over and over I am finding it to be the almost perfect combination of S&W Core and S&W WhiteBox. With that being said once SWCL is officially released OPA will be heavily geared towards SWCL. I don't want to dig too deep in SWCL because I don't know what will be changing and also it isn't released so I don't want to ruin anything. But the way things are condensed into the Light format it fits perfectly for OPA. For example it helps with condensing stats/info on monsters which means less space being used on the page.
Now this also doesn't mean I won't be creating OPAs for White Star, Operation WhiteBox or crazy mashups.
Don't forget to checkout my Patreon (where OPAs can be found). There is also a new Facebook Group and Facebook Page.
After reading over the beta PDF of Swords & Wizardry Continual Light (again thanks +Erik Tenkar) over and over and over I am finding it to be the almost perfect combination of S&W Core and S&W WhiteBox. With that being said once SWCL is officially released OPA will be heavily geared towards SWCL. I don't want to dig too deep in SWCL because I don't know what will be changing and also it isn't released so I don't want to ruin anything. But the way things are condensed into the Light format it fits perfectly for OPA. For example it helps with condensing stats/info on monsters which means less space being used on the page.
Now this also doesn't mean I won't be creating OPAs for White Star, Operation WhiteBox or crazy mashups.
Don't forget to checkout my Patreon (where OPAs can be found). There is also a new Facebook Group and Facebook Page.
Monday, June 5, 2017
June Progress
It is only June 5th and progress is being made on June's One-Page Adventure!
Here is what to come...
I hope to be done with this in a week or so. My goal is to create another one for Free RPG Day
Here is what to come...
I hope to be done with this in a week or so. My goal is to create another one for Free RPG Day
Sunday, June 4, 2017
Escape Rooms & One-Page Adventures
Sadly, as I write this I am enjoying the ocean breeze and ocean smell for the last time before we head back home. Also, I'm in mourning because me and my family all died yesterday. We couldn't escape from the basement of a serial killer in less than an hour.
This was our first time experiencing what they call an "Escape Room." I've heard of them and would see them advertised but just thought it wouldn't be worth the money. Thankfully, I was wrong. It was amazing. The people who put this together were extremely creative. Everything was well thought out. The puzzles and riddles were things that no one person could figure out on their own in an hour. There was eight of us and we still couldn't figure it out. I believe the Dungeon Master (is what I will call him) said something like we probably just needed ten more minutes. There were times I knew exactly how it felt for humans in Swords & Wizardry searching rooms for secret doors and not finding a single thing. There were also times where I felt like the Elf looking for secret doors. There were moments where we all shined and found things instantly and then moments when we were all wasting time flipping through pages of books over and over and realizing they were just distractions. And then times we enter the next room ignoring the books because we thought they were just distractions but in the end they actually had secret items we never even found.
So, how could I create this as a One-Page Adventurer? The answer is.....I can't. I'm sure I could try to just change up the layout of the One-Page Adventurer for a "special issue" but honestly I don't think I could make it happen. There was so much going on in those two rooms that I don't think I could produce the experience that we had on just one page. But I could always try.
Saturday, June 3, 2017
Facebook Page & Group
I just created a Facebook page and group for One-Page Adventures!
I would like to use the page and group to help promote my projects. Also, I want you, the players and GMs, to use the group and page to share with others and create a community within the OSR community. If interested please join the page and group. Discuss the adventures. Praises and complaints welcomed! Also tips and tricks or actual play reviews/stories. Lets help to continue growing the OSR community.
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