What Comes Next (OOC)

Out of character chatter about What Comes Next can go here to avoid cluttering up the Roleplay thread.This is for longer questions and answers related to that Roleplay, general rules questions not answered in the Help! thread can go in General.

Add a link back to the post in question so we can have context. After posting you can right-click on the orange header and select 'copy link address' (or whatever your browser calls it), then paste that in your OOC post.

Can we say that Albert has bought a new backpack and some traveling supplies off screen, or would we need to play that out? It seems a bit insignificant and might hold up progress.

We can assume you have found replacement gear. The village has supplied your immediate needs. [ref].

You are welcome to play out as much of this as you want.

Going to post a reply later today :)

It's really hard to give our characters money, vague. You're going to have to try harder :P

I noticed that. :)

@Airshark, what do we do with the option of adding an NPC? I like the idea of bringing Theo or Daryl since we know them already. Lady is a bit of a mystery still, but getting to know her might also be fun.

Since it sounds like you are going with the captain for the first part, you would have Theo along and can decide later if he will be coming with you further.

You can also have Daryl come with for that first part —either on Theo's invitation or yours— and decide later if he is going on with you afterwards. If you end up joining a caravan and heading back this way, you could drop him off at home again if needed.
The players can let me know if you want someone like her to be a fun hindrance or challenge to that party, or a pure benefit. Travelling companion NPCs need not be something the characters want, but what to they know about storytelling? :)

Airshark? Any opinions on this?

Sorry, I forgot.

Yes. Daryl and/or Theo for me.

Just an idea: roald gets a leather belt engraved with ancient symbols. Decorated with polished copper studs.
I thought that if at any given point he achieves a new level. The cupper can turn out to be gold.

I'm also happy with the belt without the golden copper.

To what end? To 'pay' for the level? Let's not think like that.

If you have some other reason behind that, then we can work towards it. But why is that belt significant now? How does it make your life better now? (Why does Phil think you would like it?)

Just thought it would be nice to not knowingly carry around an expensive object, that way there is no need to "find" a 1000 pieces of silver (I forgot how much a level costs). But as I said, just an idea.

If it has to be something that improves roald's life now... Maybe a hunting bow would come in handy. I see there are also guns available in the equipment list. I don't think we encountered one before, so those are probably very rare. They are probably more effective in scaring people away than doing actual damage :). So a bow for Roald please.

about the other items: with the cloack, boots, wash-up and adventure gear, I don't think I will exceed 60s. Roald still has his glowing sword and dagger, so he's fine for now.

That is indeed a cool concept. I expect we can do that as well, with any item, but, of course, it is more cool when it is an item that has some history (like being given by a friend).
It does not have to be, it does not have to be anything mechanical at all —take Albert's booze :)— but Phil thinks it is a worthy reward for your saving her life, so don't insult her. :)
And the ammo and powder are even rarer. If we are interested in seeing more guns, then we can have them be a bit more prevalent in the new area we are going to? It is up to you guys.
They do the same damage as bows and such. Their value is mainly in the fiction, as you say: loud noises are scary. Their 'cost' is also mainly in the fiction since it is relatively easy to make new arrows, and even shot ('bullets') can be made without too much trouble, but making gunpowder is currently beyond your abilities, so that will have to be rationed very carefully till you find a source, it is also dangerous to transport.

That said. A gun with a little power is well within the bounds of what Phil might have for you, if you want it. Just don't accidentally blow your own head (or even foot) off while learning how to use it. :)
Sure, if that is what you want. And we can have it turn out to be more than meets the eye at some point.
And he still has Armour, which was half of your starting gold. So I don't expect replacing backpacks and cloaks (maybe Lady also has a special cloak for you? Feel free to add that.) and such to come anywhere near exceeding your 'budget'.

We can also treat this a bit like Adventuring Gear in Dungeon World:
Adventuring gear is a collection of useful mundane items such as chalk, poles, spikes, ropes, etc. When you rummage through your adventuring gear for some useful mundane item, you find what you need and mark off a use.

So you can declare later that there is something in the stuff you got that is useful to solve the problem you face now.

I do think the way dungeon world handles this is nice.

Lady giving Roald a new cloak is a great idea. I'll write something tonight. Tx.

And about the guns, no need to bring them into the game in the future. If it fits the story, no problem, but I'm totally fine without them.

I had not thought about them since the start of this game. I admit I am surprised that none of the new characters took them and forced us to bring them into the story.

Now that I have mentioned it I will give it some more thought. It might be interesting to have the new 'country' we are heading to be a place where there are guns. We can always drop the subject when we come home since we will no longer have access to powder.

Take Albert's booze and suffer Raynor's wrath! ?
?
I agree. I like the abstraction of the adventuring gear. If we can implement this, I'd be pretty happy. I'm horrible at writing down a list of gear. I find it tedious.

Is it ok if I get Albert's broomstick upgraded? I'm thinking a new coat of varnish and maybe reinforced tips? Not sure if that would be possible in this village. I can also wait for it till we get back to town with the captain.

Why don't we find somewhere that can varnish/treat the wood, go there and see what has happened to the tips already?

If I exceeded the budget or misinterpreted something I don't mind changing or deleting the last posts .
Or maybe you had plans for swordless Daryl? (Sounds like a pirate's name)

How much did you give him?
No plans, it was just a thing that seemed appropriate at the time. Solving that problem is your job. :)

Go ahead and narrate it and describe the new cloak or, less interesting, whether she returns your old one... If she does not return your old cloak, maybe you have an idea about why not? If you need me to come up with something, I am happy to do so.

I gave him all that was left. Something like 10 silver for a basic sword.

10 Silver is exactly what you need for a 'Short Sword'. Let's see what Albert's blacksmith can do for us.

Don't forget to remove the Silver from your sheet.

Gonna try and work all this out this evening ?

Hilarious ?

Very sorry for the delay again. ? Will post soon (I hope today)

@Airshark: Do you want to have more happen with the Lady-Kiss? Either now, while we wait, or later?

No. Not at the moment.
Roald will just wait for Albert to return.
Edit: and Daryl

Whahahaahahahaahahaaaa

Hey! Spoilers! :)

I can't think of anything right now. But you are welcome to find something of value. Maybe Albert's new perspective on life means something he previously thought worthless is now something he thinks will be useful? Maybe something was buried and is now exposed —though why the scavengers or kids did not take it is anyone's guess:). Or maybe he just did not have time to search properly before running off after the bandits?

Maybe you can find something that will be directly useful in your quest for travel arrangements? We can revisit this in a flashback and show how what you found pays off as we play that out.
I am sure we can find her, or her coach-driving husband. Do you have somewhere to stay tonight? Would she put you up? We can play it out if you like.

I'll have a think about that :)
I like that idea.

Not unless you want to play it out now. Which is fine, but any roll will be based on the actions you are taking, so we would need more description.

If we want to flashback to this when we find that something here proves to be useful in your dealings with caravan masters, or, though less likely, with Tina, or whatever comes next, then we can flesh out what happened here in as much detail as we need, and maybe roll for the effectiveness of what you find/found, that way we don't roll or spend too much time on it if it will not 'matter'.
We can play this out as much or as little as you like. If you want to just ask around and find her, and have her and her husband be happy to try help, that is fine. If you want there to be possible complications (maybe, on a Partial Success, you find her but she can't help right now, or she needs you to do something for her first, you know: standard PbtA fair:) then we can make a roll after we see a bit of the fiction of how you go about reconnecting with her.

You can also tell me, OOC, how much this subplot features, and how much I should make you do. It can be a big deal and, possibly, the main action your group takes to take the next step, or it can be a 'nothing-berger', or something in-between. Your call.

That would be cool. Then we can tailor it to what we might need at the time :)
I wouldn't play out the asking around. But this could be a CHA-roll. If we fail we'll need to find another way?
Then the conversation with Tina's husband, I'd like to play out.

Does that work?

We don't need to play out the conversations, but you do need to establish in the fiction what you are doing, so narrate your characters asking around, make the CHA roll and we can resolve it as suggested above.
Maybe. Though, if you fail you might not get a chance, something unforeseen might happen, but we will see how things go.
Agreed.

Not necessary, you showed us what happened in the fiction, we can react to that.
Since you didn't end up rolling a miss —and Skills only affect misses— we can ignore this question from 'mechanical point of view.
I did notice that 'intent' in the fiction you posted, and immediately thought about bringing that in as a consequence on the Partial Success. But since you expressed a possible desire to avoid such an outcome —due to your Skill— we can go another route, Albert is good at being circumspect.

---

I am inclined towards saying you find her, but there is a problem with finding her husband? This way we both have a classic 'they need something from you' and keep it focused on your immediate objective of talking to him.

Maybe she needs help finding where he has vanished to? (We can scale the scope the problem based on player interest. ('Reasons' could turn out to be one of the below examples.))
Maybe he left her and she wants you to convince him to come back? (Making his helping you not be contingent on your succeeding in her quest.)

If you guys have ideas, you can go ahead and narrate such an outcome and show us what she asks of you. Feel free to use any of the ideas above (I really thought my list would be longer:) or anything else. If you don't have ideas, I will probably go the above route.

Or he left with the coach transporting clients but has not returned. Maybe the coach broke down/robbers.
He might be held hostage until he discloses the location of the secret compartment of the coach. (Far fetched...)
His client didn't pay and he doesn't want to leave the location untill they do.

Happy holidays!

Indeed. I hear that's a thing. :)

I will wait another day or so for input, else then enact the above 'plan'.

Happy holidays! :)
I would turn it around. She kicked him out and could say something like "If you need him he's probably drinking at the inn again". But he doesn't want to help us until we convince the wife to take him back. The other way makes less sense to me.

Airshark's idea works for me too. I don't have a specific preference, really.

We can do that. The downside —and why I went the other way first— is that this way means you have to first resolve the request before he agrees, the other way meant you could skip it and still get what you want even if he does not go home.

Convincing someone to get back together with another can be a bit icky. She might have valid reasons to have kicked him out (let's avoid assault and battery). To preserve her autonomy I might want to shape it such that you have to convince him to 'change his ways' and 'prove himself' for her to give him another chance. 'Selflessly' helping you on your quest might be something that changes her opinion of him. Obviously I would also accept lying to him that 'she says "when you get back from helping my friends, we can talk"' even if she just wants him gone.

Narrate meeting up with her, her sending you to him, and him telling you his side of the story. We can then see about getting the rest of her side and working on a way to get what you want. I can set this up if you guys would prefer.

Ah, I didn't think about that. I see your point.

I think I'm wearing too much of a GM hat sometimes :P . I trust your judgment, vague. Whatever 'quest' awaits us at Tina's place is fine. Go ahead and write your idea :) That might be better than going through the whole thing OOC first.

Not at all. I always welcome as much player input as people can give.
Agreed. Hence my call for it to be 'narrated' in character.

I will start us off, and we can iron out the specifics in dialogue.

Looks like we posted together, no real conflict else then the timing.

Hehe yes. It still works :D

Looks good to me. Very direct, and you mentioned where you were going, so that might be a consequence —but, of course, also would yield the most direct result.

Seems like you need a roll (+CHA I would say). Given that this is part of a Partial Success, which we don't want to take away, so, even on a miss, it should be possible for him to help, but there will be a large cost (remember, you can always turn down the cost and try another way); and on a 12+, he will help easily, while a 10+ and 7-9 would see him asking something 'reasonable' of you.

Ok great! I figured it would be ok to say the exact place if it's just Humphrey in the alley. I think lying would likely slow us down at this stage :)

I got a 10. So, pretty decent.

Absolutely. This ups the stakes for both success and failure. Higher risks go hand in hand with higher rewards.
Indeed. There are two other ways this can go, I thought about presenting them, as well, in the RP, but could not easily shoehorn them into the narrative. If you don't want to try mediating with Tina, then one, or both, of them will come up instead (you rolled a 10), else the nature of Humphrey's connections will be based on how well that Tina-negotiation goes (maybe an intricate RP, maybe a short description and a single roll, it's up to you guys).

Does the idea of Humphrey joining us work for you, vague?

We can make it work. Though he does not have a carriage at this time [ref]; and has not been there [ref], so does not actually know the way.

If you want him to take you, we can fix those problems and make a plan. How would you go about convincing him to do that?

Or, he can put you in touch with people who (apparently) can get take you there.

Oh, I thought his loud announcement of "I have never been that far" was an obvious lie :P Guess I misinterpreted that.
My idea was to convince Tina to give him another chance after he finishes this (spiritual?) 'journey' with us. And that would be Humphrey's last chance then. So should be convincing enough, right?

It wasn't. But it might have to be, if he is to be able to show you the way. We can make that work.
It is thin, but we can work with that.

Bound to come back and bite you later, but c'est la vie.

Are you saying we're better off not trying that approach?

Not at all, just that there will be a price to pay. Solutions that seem simple at first glance always prove to be more complicated once you are in it.

For him to be the sort of person that goes where 'people don't go' necessitates giving him backstory or contacts that allows that. So, depending on how much he ends up being able to directly help you, he will need to become a more complex entity, and you will need to deal with that more complex personage, and your promise to him and his wife... or not, as you choose later.

What do you think, Airshark? Any preference?

Do you actually go and speak to Tina [ref], or do you just come back later pretending that you did?
If you do speak to her, show us how that conversation starts/goes.
If you don't, then we can come right back with her 'answer' whenever you are ready. If you want to do any prep before that, then we can do that scene first.

Roald will go and talk to Tina, as promised.

I like the idea of Humphrey getting us there or maybe almost there. We can work it into the conversation with Tina. Some sort of pilgrimage.

Seems like Tina's response to Roald [ref] should depend on a roll (+CHA, presumably?).

On a 6- she would respond badly, probably continuing to be angry at Humphrey and unwilling to consider taking him back. You could either try harder, possibly with another angle, to sway her, or you could accept that she will not trust him to change and go back to him with a different approach (maybe you lie, or convince him that she might reconsider if he comes back a demonstrably changed man?).

Or you could abandon Humphrey and seek another route.


On a 7-9 or 10+ she will agree, to varying degrees. On a 7-9 she may be dubious, while on a 10+ she may provide you with some assistance or advice (if you want it).

In addition, on a 12+ she will give you an encouraging promise that should convince Humphrey to your side.

Could go badly, walking in and demanding to see the manager. :)

I assume we would like this to work, so we can move the story forward. So let's say this needs a roll, but, no matter the result, they will offer you something. You can decide to refuse their offer afterward, if you so choose, but then you will need to find another way.

This sounds like a +CHA roll to me. Go ahead and add it if you agree.

I kinda forgot about this, but Albert is level 2 now, right? Do I need to reroll my HP? According to my char sheet I'm on 6 already, so no point I suppose unless it could go lower.

At Level 2 you roll two Hit Dice, (plus extra Dice based on your CON, but that does not apply to you guys).
You keep 2 Dice at Level 2, so your max is 12, and an average of 7. One of the largest benefits of higher levels is that that average stabilises, so things are more reliable.

At Level 3 you will still be rolling 2 while being allowed to keep three, this is by design and I think is quite an elegant mechanic. At level 4 you can increase your CON (or any other Stat), but a high starting CON will always make for a healthier character (as it should:). The benefit of having healers with you, with their extra Hit Dies, increases at those levels.

---

You had a comfortable and leisurely trip here —accompanying the convalescing captain— and, we can say, were attended by the healer before you left.

What do you say we set HP to max at the start of this leg of your adventure?

Oh I overlooked the fact that we get more max hp. Cool!
I'm not going to complain about that suggestion ?

It won't last. :(

It can if you want it to ??
But where would be the fun in that?

The rules kinda say otherwise. :)

Sounds like a +CHA roll. Add it and we will see how he reacts.

Bit hesitant considering the results of my last rolls ?

Great I double clicked....
I'll roll again let's say the last one counts

I did mean evening, but wasn't planning on setting off then. Just meeting up to discuss the plan going forward. Based on what happens before that it might be different. But I think we're good to leave the next morning.
I'd like to go and talk to Theo still. Even if just to see what he's up to. He's in this city too, right?

We can go whenever you want, these plans are not set in stone. Morning after your tomorrow evening meet is quite fine.

We don't need to define exactly when Roald's post-office visit happened, and so on. Unless things depend on each other we can see the scenes in any order.
Theo is in the city, we can assume you know where. Set a scene with him if you want to talk to him (or anyone else).

The roll for the carrying sling, would it be +DEX to see how well it was tied together, +WIS to see how well crafted it is, or +CON to see if I can carry it conveniently?

The roll would be for the journey, the carrying is only part of it. +CON makes the most sense, but we can decide once we set off and know the exact makeup of the party.

I assume the problem with carrying the stuff is only inconvenient until we got our cart, right?

Correct. This is just about getting to the carriage, so, presumably, just about the first day's travel. Then we take it from there.

Sorry, been busy and forgot to post

Will do so this evening or tomorrow.

No worries. If you need to post about what happened before the lunch-break, we can incorporate it into the narrative easily enough.

Did we run out of oomph? :)

It is just a heavyish box. Do you have ideas for what happens due to your 3?
These could range from simply going slower than you planned —maybe due to slow walking, or constant stopping to change who is carrying?— through stumbling and falling and risking damage to the package, or anything in between or something else completely.

If you want me to make something unexpected happen as a result, just ask. :)

Still writing, I was thinking of giving Daryl the box. since he as armour.

Take you time.

The box is in a pack, so I don't think armour will make a difference... except that he is already carrying that extra weight.

I was thinking the armour might make a difference with Albert's big box as the armour could stop the corners from digging in and the rope from chafing. That one is not heavy, just awkward, but Albert has it under control. :)

I narrated it in a way that the weight combined with sharp edges makes it impossible to transport. Maybe now someone can suggest that Daryl switches backpacks?

If you don't like it that way I can change the story.

I'm wondering if we are pressed for time somehow. Only thing I can think of is the lodging cost that will accumulate if the journey takes longer.

This journey will take weeks both ways [ambiguous], and who knows how long you will need at Necustle to find your way around and get answers.

You are either spending the night here, or spending the night at Olmsford (or camping?) which probably means some silver spent no matter what.

In the end it will cost you what it costs and take as long as it takes. What would your character do?

Just as a reminder, there is a 3 on player Move and a 2 on a Die of Fate relating to completing this journey. This choice defines how both are resolved. :)

Yes you're right. With everyone struggling carying there package the logical thing to do would be to spend the night at the inn.

Took that into account in my post :)

Am I now in the room with Roald?
Or how do I get Albert in Roald's scene?

We can assume Roald's scenes took a lot longer than yours. He 'slept' and then 'contemplated for half an hour' while you 'shared a brief bit of conversation'. We can assume you are in bed when this happens.

It might be late at night, or Roald's tracking of time might be off and it might right after Albert came to bed.

You guys can decide between yourselves who is in which of the two rooms. Are the two PCs in one and all three NPCs in the other? Are the four of you in one and Humphrey in the luxury room on is own (he did make the arrangement:)? Some other split?

Unless you want to define it and have had Albert check/watched him leave, I left what Wayne did ambiguous.

Not sure if you want me to make something up that is producing the sound, or that you have something in mind.

I would put somekind of critter on Daryl's bed. something nasty, fast, annoying,... but not big or strong. Gremlin-like.

I have a nebulous idea of what is happening, but nothing concrete. If you have something that you think would be interesting, you are always welcome to introduce it.
That is sounds like where I was going with this. Definitely not an Ogre. :)

It's not clear to me at this point if it's an illusion in Roald's head or real things happening in the room. That's why I hesitated to actually go in.

He is speaking out loud, nearly shouting because of the surprise.

Ah, I also read it as <he manages to stop himself from shouting> as in, no sound at all :D

Yeah, it was a bit dreamlike. But Roald has just shouted out loud [ref], so something is happening in the real world, and you have an excuse to go in.
All language is ambiguous. :)

I thought we did because of your comment

I guess we didn't explicitly do it ?
Albert was busy with Daryl, so he didn't yet. But maybe Roald had a quick peek?

I don't dictate your characters actions, but I did describe what you could have discovered if your characters had taken certain actions, with options about more you could have seen if you had lit a candle, for instance. If you did not go nextdoor, then your characters don't know how Theo is doing, but the players do know that there was no immediate danger to those in that room (allowing you to better decide what you want your characters to do).

But then Roald continued to talk to Albert and Daryl in the broken-window room, and there was no mention of what was done with Theo, so I am following up now.

I think they might still apply in the near future. Albert just wanted to check for injuries first.

OK, in that case nobody checked on the others. But it would be logical to do so before waking up the owners.

@GameMaster: I assume you are still wanting Gronk to be brought in as a special consultant on mist and weather effects?

When the others are done with rescuing the innkeepers [ref] we can skip to morning and come get you.

---

We may have another character incoming, but we can deal with that when they are ready to play.

I don't know what the effect of the scratch is. But figured that if the fiction is to severe, it could all get better once we exit the mist.

Going into the mist made it bad ∴ leaving it will make it better. Q.E.D.

Yeah, those scratched will need to be more careful.

Yes that sounds great, thank you!

Great.

If Roald and Albert want to talk to the innkeepers first we can do that, or we can do that in flashbacks as and when such a conversation becomes relevant.

If we don't have anything more that we want to do with at the inn, we can skip to meeting up.

Where do we find Gronk? At Olmsford?

Yes that sounds good. I'm sure I got a room at the local inn.