Our Village...
Also, you can find the editable Village Map here.
Take turns adding something you know about the village by drawing it on the map and labeling it. A thing can be a building, landmark, terrain feature, etc.--- anything your Villager might know about their home town.
Some things that will need to be somewhere:
- An administrative building (chieftain's hall, elder council chamber, reeve, magistrate, etc...)
- A shrine or temple (every village has some sign of religious devotion)
- Fields/Pens for all of these animals
- Houses and shops for your respective trades
- A site for whatever the resource is decided to be
- Anything else you find interesting or necessary
I've documented your characters in the Campaign Info tab.
Please check over them to make sure that things look accurate. Apologies to Poor Wandering One, as I missed your question about HP. You get to round up, so even though CON13/4=3.25, you'll get 4 hp! I should have that accurate in your character info.
I've marked the names with an asterisk(*) who have made use of their reroll/swap so far.
The town's name is Windsor's Mills.
Oh, by the way, we rerolled Fred's Occupation and he is now a gravedigger.
Thanks! Fixed.
You get to play all 3 of them at once. If they all die off quickly, there's likely ways for you to take up some new characters.
While we're waiting...
Omen43:
- Tell me what is so remarkable about this "Deos" the town worships. What makes him/her worth worshipping?
- And what does this shrine look like?
- Finally, how has Fred been dealing with the recent increase in grave-robberies?
GM: I was going to wait to see if the others responded to your first set of questions, before responding to my specific questions, but so far nothing...
Do you know if the others are still interested in participating?
I've been wondering that myself. It started with strong interest, but so far you're the only one to contribute here. I decided that if by the end of the day today there were no further responses than I would take the hint and drop this.
Maybe timing was wrong, who knows. And I'm sure I'll give it another try sometime in the future as I'd really love to give this a shot.
Yeah, this seems pretty indicative. I really do appreciate your guys' interest, and I'm fairly certain I'll give it a try at some point in the future. But this just wasn't the right time, it seems.
I hope to see you guys around, and look forward to opportunities to game with you in the future! I'm marking this thread as inactive.
Whoa, looks like Fattums is still around. Wonderful.
How about you, Omen43?
Any others still interested in playing? I kinda figured this thing just died off.
Awesome. Honestly, if it's just the two of you, I'd still love to give it a shot. We'll see if any of the other 3 pitch in at some point. I'll have some follow up questions for you guys in a bit, and there's already some questions posed for Omen43.
More questions for you guys to build on:
- Who here is kin to you?
- Where has the group taken refuge (where are you at the start of this adventure, described in the recruitment thread)?
- Where were you and what were you doing when the dog-men came?
- What loved ones were left behind? Do you have any knowledge of their fate?
- How did that nursery rhyme about the dog-men go again?
I am very sorry but I will have to bow out.
The game looks quite interesting but I cannot give it the time and attention it deserves.
Good luck!
Understandable. Thanks for letting us know!
I am still interested in playing. Give me a day or so to catch up with the comments.
Certainly! I figured you were still around (which is why there's no question mark by your name in the info tab). And yeah, take a day or so to catch up. Even with only 3 players we can make this pretty awesome!
Tell me what is so remarkable about this "Deos" the town worships. What makes him/her worth worshipping?
Deos is the god of life, death and rebirth. At one point, everyone in the village worshiped at the temple, but over the past several decades the numbers worshiping at the temple have steadily decreased, generation by generation.
And what does this shrine look like?
It is a 2 story stone structure, made of river stone and square in shape with the 2nd story about half the size of the ground floor. Once a fine looking shrine, it has fallen in a state of disrepair, with only one, aged, half-blind priest to cater to the spiritial needs of his few remaining elderly parishioners.
Finally, how has Fred been dealing with the recent increase in grave-robberies?
Fred's job is really to put bodies into the ground, not worry about people taking them out of the ground. Even though few people still worship at the temple, most of the villagers still bring their bodies to the shrine for burial. Sometimes he hears noises outside in the graveyard, while he is sitting by the fire, drinking some warm herbal tea hoping it will help his cough. So that he doesn't get in trouble, Fred quickly recovers the graves (luckily it is only the fresh graves that seem to be robbed) early in the morning, before any one notices.
Wonderful.
With the description so far, I'm getting this sort of feel (river, mountains, mill, etc.)
Felicia and Yadua's liver with their mother near the pig farm. They hadn't seen her since early morning, but are worried because the dog-men came from that general direction, so must have passed their house.
Fred had come to the Market Square to get his only teapot mended by the Tinker and joined Felicia and Yadua to take refuge in the Lodge.
Jane had been setting rat traps in the Town Hall Lodge. She had been very busy the past week setting traps, almost like all the rats had been fleeing the surrounding countryside. She was worried about her husband, Shane, who had been working at the mill when the dog-men attack came.
Dog-Men Rhyme:
Watch out for the dog-men
If you hear their baying
You best begin your praying
Run! Here come the dog-men!
Key has always been that grubby kid tooling around town in the dirt and mud. Raised without a mother, it was especially hard when her father passed when she was 11. Her father's death inspired her older brother to join the war cause. All alone in the family home at a young age, her father's cousin, Jane, looked in on her often. Jane helped find her work as a rat catcher - really the only work she was suited for - and she has taken to it naturally. Now 15, she can be found crawling in the filth around town hunting down her quarry.
Adeline is a merchant's daughter born and raised in Windsor's Mills. Since her father has been unfit to make the mountain journey to the Kingdom of Geon to trade, she has taken the lead in the family business while her father, mother and brother attend the family shops. The family has long run the general store, and after many successful years decided to open another shop selling modest jewelry and fineries to the village's citizens, many of whom are fairly well off from past abundance. Adeline makes frequent trips to the cities of Geon and sells many of Windsor's Mills' goods when she goes, including wool, pork, mutton, fish, etc. She has running barters with Felicia and Yadue. Adeline brings interesting tools and parts for Felecia in exchange for keeping her wagon/boat on the cutting edge. Yadue provides Adeline with the choicest fish (her favorite) in exchange for tracking down the latest fishing equipment available. The three of them often drink together at the Ramshead tavern, sometimes to excess.
Ceridwen had never been to Windsor's Mills before a year ago, but has recently married Fred and is now one of the newest additions to the village. She continues to work as Adeline's watchman so is often away. Her tenure as a watchman is an unlikely one, and is based more on the grace of the gods than any inherent merit.
How do you resolve these? How has the village prospered from its abundance, in spite of its isolation?
Not only is the trade route guarded (or was), there is another thing that allows Windsor's Mills to get its meat to market and the front lines of the war and that is the Golden Way. The Golden Way is a river of extraordinary swiftness and yet uncanny calmness that flows past Windsor's Mills down past the capital and great cities of Geon and on to its contested borders. A boat can make the trip down in hours, although the trip back up is on the order of days.
Key is currently under the tavern, her latest catch in hand.
Adeline and Ceridwen are just stabling their horses after days on the mountain path back from Geon.
The map's been collectively put together. And yes, people have done a fantastic job!
I really like the idea of spouses and family in this, if the other players involved agree to it as well. As for where you are, you'll all want to start in the same place, since a big part of funnels is pooling resources and working together. It sounds like the plan so far is for you all to be in the lodge, though you likely have different reasons for being there.
If we continue with 3 players, then I'm reviving your fourth characters. It's helpful to have 12 to start with instead of 9 :)
So there may be new stuff to add to the map for those characters. And feel free to tweak stuff if you need to make room.
Also, I'm going to do bonds slightly differently. There's a way to randomize it if you wish. (Roll 1d100 for each character and I'll tell you the bond), but I'm open to anything you creatively want to throw out as well.
You only get 1 bond per character (I.e. Each character only lists one bond they have, choosing one of the other 11 for it to be with). It could be positive, negative, outlandish... Or randomized. Family members could very naturally assign it to each other for obvious reasons, or they could pick someone else.
This will be a fictional element to use (if Fred saved your life, it gives his player fictional leverage right?) as well as one person you'll have a slight bonus in assisting.
Okay, so Key would then go into the tavern to collect her copper for catching a rat, and Adeline and Ceridwen would have unloaded their wagon to the shops, stabled the horses then gone to the tavern for a well earned pint.
For my fourth, I guess I'll name him Aleph.
As for bonds, I'll keep Key's bond with Jane as is. Adeline will have the bond/barter with just Felicia since there is only one bond each. Ceridwen will have the marriage bond if Omen is cool with it. And for Aleph I'll go random.
Are the bond bonuses two directional? Or just for the player who has the bond?
Wonderful! Here's the description that Fattums set forward regarding why so many of you had gathered at the lodge:
We had gathered at the Town Hall Lodge to discuss the recent odd occurrences, the noticeable decline in our formerly "magical" stock, and the reduced level of security provided by Geon. The group had been discussing what has been going on and whether we should organize a village guard for investigation, protection and how we could get more aid from the Kingdom.
So this is what your characters walked in on, rather unknowingly it seems (which makes sense if Adeline and Ceridwen just got back from the trek from Geon.
Random Bond: ______________ insulted me by spitting on me.
And the bonus is only for the person that possesses the bond. For instance, if Aleph had the above bond with, say... Key. Anytime that Aleph tries to Aid/Hinder Key, he would get a +1 bonus to the roll (regardless of helping or hurting, simply because he feels this sense of connection to her). Key likely doesn't remember the incident, and would roll normally to Aid/Hinder Aleph.
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*edit* The bonds are also handy simply for giving us a glimpse into character's backgrounds together. And whoever you assign it to, it's true. So if you pick another player's character, she totally spit on you. But that player can still decide whether it was intentional or not, or whatever other nuances ;) if they care.
So I'm ready to roll on Monday if you all feel the same. I know flyingmoof just jumped in, but the village is pretty much set up and you guys have given me plenty to play around with. As we get rolling I'll be asking more questions as well, so you'll have more opportunities to world-create.
So let me explain some stuff for those that have never played Dungeon World, as well as some of the quirks of Funnel World.
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This is a fantastic system, which focuses FAR more on freedom and cinematic action than it does on rules and crunch. At the top of the page, in the campaign blurb, is a link to the Basic Moves. It'll stay there as a handy reference for you.
But really, don't worry about "Moves". Approach this as if you can do anything that makes sense. Want to jump from one roof to another? Do it. Want to poison some meet and dangle it on a string? Do it. Want to pick up a sickle and go all Grim Reaper on an opponent? Do it. You don't need feats or abilities to do stuff. Just describe it, and if it triggers a move, I'll ask you to roll 2d6 and add a stat bonus. Then we'll see how it goes.
But if you're gonna do something, then do it. Describe it. Want to search a room? Then tell me how you're doing that and what you're looking at. Want to cut down a villain? Then tell me what you're doing to achieve that. Want to protect your buddy? Then tell me how you get it done. (Sense a theme?) The best advice I got in this area is to be asking yourself the "How?" question much in the same manner that toddlers ask the "Why?" question:
I'm going to try and bribe the guard.
By slipping him some money.
By gliding up next to him, dropping a couple coins in his hand, and whispering "Look the other way."
Don't worry if you forget about this one (everyone does... we're so used to only focusing on the move and the success/failure roll that we forget the story). But be aware that I'll probably post several times asking you "How?": How are you checking the room? How are you attacking the goblin? How are you hiding in the shadows?
Dungeon World is also a bit unusual in that there isn't initiative. Combat works the same way that "out-of-combat action" usually works. In that you don't worry about waiting for your turn, but take action that makes sense and I'll resolve it with the fiction. If this makes your brain smoke a little, I promise you'll get used to it!
Additionally, anytime you roll: something will happen. There's no such thing as a failed roll where you simply don't succeed. For instance, if I ask you to roll for Spout Lore and you botch the roll, that doesn't mean you just don't remember anything. It's more likely that what you remember isn't very encouraging, or while you're focusing on recalling facts you miss noticing something dangerous. See what I mean? This system is intended to propel action forward, rather than close doors.
Finally, get comfortable with collaboration. While I will certainly be making stuff happen and moving the world you interact with, this system leaves a LOT of room for you to participate in that story-telling. Are we nearing your grandpa's house (for instance)? Speak up and let me know ;) There will even be specific moves like "Spout Lore" where I'll likely reply with questions like those in this thread, giving you blatant permission to create information in the setting!
There is a wonderful guide located here, if you have a bit of spare time and want to get a better feel!
Brief Rundown on when I'll ask you to roll:
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Well, first, none of you are heroes yet. That means you're fragile and not super impressive. Keep this in mind. Creativity and teamwork will likely be much more profitable then the straightforward approach heroes often employ.
Also, there's Luck. You likely noticed the extra attribute. Here's where that comes into play:
- There's a new Basic Move called Test Your Luck, which is basically a sort of Deus Ex Machina. If you find yourself hoping against hope that things will miraculously go your way, roll+LUC. *On a 10+, the GM will describe a moment of serendipity (or ask you to) where you get exactly what you hoped for but must drop your total Luck by 1. *On a 7-9, sorry, nothing miraculous happens. *On a 6-, as usual, the GM makes a move.
- There will also be times where I might ask you to defy danger using LUC, or I may have to randomly decide who benefits or suffers from a blessing or pitfall. The Luck stat prevents me from having to make that decision myself... whoever has the worst luck finds themselves facing the brunt of it, or whoever has the best luck finds themselves receiving the boon.
You also have occupations, which benefit you in a couple ways. One is that when you have the resources (time, materials, etc.) to do something your character would know how to do, you do it. So yeah, a smith can forge stuff, a shepherd can herd stuff, a butcher can make some choice cuts of that deceased beast. Two is that when you Spout Lore or Discern Realities about something related to your occupation, tell the GM why you deserve it and take +1 to that roll if the GM agrees.
Finally, if your occupation roll designated a race other than human, then you benefit from a corresponding bonus:
- Dwarf - When you are a dwarf and sniff the air for treasure, the GM must tell you if there is gold nearby.
- Elf - When you are an elf and move with care and grace, you have perfect balance and a feather-light step.
- Halfling - When you are a Halfling and Parley with a civilized person who is not hostile to you, you need no leverage.
If you're human, however, there are no bonuses. You're pretty common fare. Good luck.
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Any questions plaguing you guys before we start on Monday? (I'm pretty unreachable during weekends, hence the Monday kick-off)
Lizbeth has seen things in those animal entrails. Things that have prepared her for what's to come. She's ready.
What did she see? What did Deos reveal to her?
Hi all,
Looking forward to getting started!
With Flyingmoof joining are we going to be using 3 characters or 4? By the way, I am fine with either 3 or 4.
I am fine with all proposed kinships. If anyone wants to add another, please feel free.
I would be happy with some random bonds:
I will be travelling this weekend so probably will not have a chance to post until Monday, 11/3.
Oops, and the link to the Dungeon World Guide wasn't included above. Here it is now --> Guide
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Flyingmoof: Cool heart description! That was inside something you butchered? Or how did you come across it?
Omen43: Let's still go with 4. We can handle a mob of 16 villagers, right?
And random bonds for Omen43:
- _______________ insulted me by calling me names.
- _______________ owes me a drink.
- I will soothe _______________'s concerns about their missing loved one.
- I lied to _______________ about my feelings.
Random bonds for flyingmoof:
- I will convince _______________ of the value of honor.
- I stole that thing from _______________ because I needed to feed my family.
- _______________ is destined for greatness, because they have that special glow.
- I will learn _______________'s secret about what they stole.
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Scratch that Monday thing, I think I'm all set. I've put up the introductory post. I likely won't be able to resolve anything until Monday still, however.
I put the beginning up though so you can be thinking about it without having to wait three days for stuff to start rolling. Please feel free to continue to set up bonds and mess with the map if you need to.
For whatever it's worth, I love the characters you guys are describing. The stuff like banter, and readying yourself even if you aren't taking overt actions that I'm responding to really sets a fantastic mood. Very well done, all!
Joe: Aurelia insulted me by calling me names.
Fred: Durga owes me a drink.
Jane: I will soothe Raina's concerns about their missing loved one.
Felicia: I lied to Aleph about my feelings.
Cool! Thanks, those will help!
And as unfortunate as this last post played out for one of your characters, Fattums, it was for the aid of the group. (If Aviel wasn't engaged with the dog-man, Durga's failed roll would have likely meant his own death).
What would you like for Aviel's Epitath?
I think that's great Fattums! I will roll off of whatever you guys talk about or do, and that's one of the things that makes this system great! You can approach a situation in absolutely any manner you'd like, and what follows plays off of that.
If you're more curious about where the line is drawn between what the players create and what the GM creates, there's an article about it here, calle: Crossing the Line.
Example: You hear a scream somewhere down the tunnels and I tell you it sounds like Gwenn, but then ask who she is. That fits because clearly one of you would know who Gwenn is... you're residents of this town, right? But it starts pushing the line if I just tell you that there are voices up ahead, and ask you who they are.... Then it certainly crosses the line if I have you burst into some new area and ask you to tell me what you see.
The idea is about immersion. I keep you immersed by revealing information as your characters discover/experience it, rather than asking for it which pulls you out. But I can afford you a lot of opportunities to define the world by asking your character specific things he/she would be able to recall: like what the layout of your house was like when you left this morning (should we get to your house), or what was the most frightening tale you would share as kids about the woods beyond the graveyard, etc.
So, in short, feel free to describe stuff with your characters, branch out, try interesting and interactive scenes. To be honest, even if you cross a line at some point and describe something I as a GM am responsible for, I'll likely incorporate both :)
Sorry for the pause. Veteran's Day in the states, which means I have the day off and have been spending it in study and with the kids. Back to filling your multiple lives with adventure and intrigue tomorrow! Bright and early on my part!
FYI: I am going to wait for a couple of days to see if the others are going to post.