RPG Superstar 2009 Top 8
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My seven-year-old wants to take his 12th level knight to a fair in Veluna.
I'm trying to think up some events that will involve more decision-making alongside the continually rolling of d20s.
Anyone have some interesting rules for jousts or other contests at a fair? I'm looking for choices that remain mechanically simple but make the game more interesting decision wise...
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 8
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Here is the definitive source: LINK
Thank you both!
This should give him something to play with ...
I'm gonna throw in a couple of other challenges ... a young female pickpocket (disguised as a boy) is eventually caught ... the Paladins in Veluna want a severe punishment. What does he do?
A spy from Iuz is going to randomly poison one contestant in the jousts each day in order to sow distrust. Rumours will spread about whose doing what. His response might provoke a joust with real lances or calm the tensions until the culprit is eventually unmasked.
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I love playing D&D with a seven-year-old!
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While it's probably too difficult to find, Chainmail (the original one from the mid-70s) had jousting rules that required interesting decisions. They required the jousters to choose an aiming point and a defense, and determined the result from the interaction of these choices.
You mentioned the trial of a pickpocket, which sounds interesting. Other conflicts that might involve the character as a judge or participant:
Adulterated currency - Somebody is passing gold coins with silver mixed in. This is determined when a merchant is caught using a coin that was passed to him. Is the merchant liable? How can you find out who really did it?
Three-card monte - A sleight-of-hand artist is running a three-card monte game (or equivalent). One of his victims knows the trick and proves that he's cheating in front of the player.
Other carney games - The player notices that a game is far harder than it looks at first glance. Maybe the runner is cheating or maybe the game is just absurdly difficult. Does he accost the person running the game, bring this to the attention of the authorities, announce it to the crowd, or win the game with his superior skills to take the carney's money?
Finally, any of these can be adjusted by making the player the victim of the scam, either before noticing the problem or by having the player notice as the scam is being run on him.
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 8
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These are great. I think I'll take the three card monte ... add in the complication that the authorities in Veluna frown upon gambling (at least in my world of Greyhawk) and there is some real potential for role-playing.
The other I'll save for a fair he plans to run in his own keep some day. How would he as lord of the keep deal with these problems? Hehehe.
I wish I could find the chainmail rules you mentioned as that sounds like what I'm looking for:
This is what I'm using for jousts so far ...
-- Lances do maximum 20 damage before breaking (high level characters)
-- Ride Check 5+damage dealt to stay on
-- Warsaddle gives +2 to ride check
-- Charging +2 att. / -2 AC … lance x2 on charge
-- Crouch defensively –4 to attack / +4 to ride check
-- Targetting enemies head –8 to attack / x3 damage on charge
Any other ideas for choices that make the game interesting?
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That is precisely why I'm not going to play Skinsaw Murders with him. I'm really thinking of toning it down if I do it for my guy. He's sensitive.
I actually thought it taught a pretty valuable lesson. You should always be sure of your target. Better she learn it in a game than sometime when she asks to go hunting with me later in life.
Edit - The first two adventures are pretty acceptable for us content wise (maybe toned down just a little) but I will definitely tone down parts of 3 and 5. :)
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You might want to consider having the knight observe somebody cheating (or possibly "cheating", depending on the rules) in the more usual sorts of tournament events. Perhaps he sees a character casting a True Strike during an archery event, or entering a melee with False Life or Bull's Strength, or the like. At any rate, using some ability that he doesn't have to gain an advantage that he cannot match.
Kids that age are especially interested in fairness, IME.
This gets more interesting if he's using some ability of his own to gain an advantage and is accused of cheating by an opponent.
Whether the actions are actually against the rules or not, there might be a good roleplaying opportunity or two there.
ps. My son is 8. 8-)
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 8
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Kids that age are especially interested in fairness, IME.
Tell me about it. Last time someone cheated in a tournament he almost took the country to the brink of civil war.
Both my kids are good kids but my son (7) is lawful good and my daughter (2 1/2) is chaotic good. :-)
That is another good idea. I just added to my list of roleplaying encounters for this adventure. He'll witness someone drinking a potion of bull's strength even after being told that magic is not allowed in the joust. Thanks.
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 8
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That is precisely why I'm not going to play Skinsaw Murders with him. I'm really thinking of toning it down if I do it for my guy. He's sensitive.I actually thought it taught a pretty valuable lesson. You should always be sure of your target. Better she learn it in a game than sometime when she asks to go hunting with me later in life.
Edit - The first two adventures are pretty acceptable for us content wise (maybe toned down just a little) but I will definitely tone down parts of 3 and 5. :)
I agree. It would teach a valuable lesson. He'd be devastated though. He would never forgive himself. :-)
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This is a little different direction from jousting but check out the "Challenge of Champions" scenarios in Dungeon magazine.
There are 6 of them over a span of about 40 Dungeon mags; I think issue 138 has "Challenge of Champions 6." I wanna say Dungeon 96 has another "Challenge of Champions" -- #4, maybe.
Anyway, these are any level "adventures" in a city contest format for adventuring groups. The PCs go through a handful of puzzles, none of which involve combat or the PCs' magical equipment. They're various "find a way to get across the chasm by using such-and-such" or "find a way to get the Roc egg over the wall by only using such-and-such" puzzles.
-W. E. Ray
While it's probably too difficult to find, Chainmail (the original one from the mid-70s) had jousting rules that required interesting decisions.
I don't know if this is the one you mean, but I did find this.
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While it's probably too difficult to find, Chainmail (the original one from the mid-70s) had jousting rules that required interesting decisions.I don't know if this is the one you mean, but I did find this.
That's the book. And the price looks reasonable, too, though I don't think the rest of the rules are anywhere near as useful now. (Miniatures game design has advanced too far over the last 35 years.)