I'm only setting out the additional or revised approach I'm taking.

Step 1 of Players generate character hooks:

- This may also generate Interlude Encounters (item 4).

Step 3 - Actions,

I add these to the the ones listed.

Shopping modified: PCs may purchase locally available weapons and equipment. Heroes can automatically (without using an activity) purchase goods of Abundant or Plentiful categories. Heroes also automatically can purchase a good that the PC does not currently have and which is either (a) described in their initial starting wealth; or (b) described as appropriate gear to their current career. For example, a Hunter out of arrows automatically finds more and a PC who started Affluent without a healing draught always finds one (this ensure the initial character points spent on wealth give an enduring benefit). This does not require “screen time”. Heroes must only use an action to shop for Common (2D), Rare (3D) and Exotic (4D) items that aren’t associated with their status or career or which are but they want to stock up on (the Hunter wants several bundles of arrows, the rich burgher wants 2 extra healing draughts).

Long Term Care - not doing anything but paying for care in a Shallyan hospice or from a physician. This doesn't mean "spending a month in bed" it means "not just getting a night's rest with first aid etc. assistance, rather complete bedrest in appropriate environment with competent care". The "interlude" shot of your PC is lying in bed sipping broth etc. Normal long term care benefits. Finding a source of care is considered part of the Longer Term Care activity. Shallyan hospices hope for donations in keeping with your means; physicians have steep fees.

Training : Players need to provide narrative explanations of skills, talents, action cards and career transitions gained spending advances. Training can provide this (e.g., who taught you to read and allowed you to become Educated), as can some of the other activities. Many cards can flow from things established in roleplaying and don't require allocating an action this way.

Use a Skill or Action Card : PC’s can use First Aid or Medicine to assist in recovery rolls others are making. They can also use their skills in other ways such as make something with Tradecraft (if the interlude time is appropriate), search for herbs in the wild or make similar checks that flow from skill or item descriptions. The PC can also use an Action Card (e.g., cast a blessing or spell) and will be at Equilibrium for their next scene. This is being clear "no spam healing", you get to use that 'critical curing' blessing once in the entire interlude. Giving someone First Aid while they rest is this Action.

Rest and Relaxation : doing whatever the hero finds enjoyable during an Interlude allows the hero to recover additional Stress and Fatigue at the cost of 1 coin of their social tier per point recovered, with the Player briefly narrating their heroe’s activity. Coming into an Interlude a hero has (a) recovered end of Episode Fatigue & Stress, then first night's rest recovered again, so only down any if they has more than twice stat, so were unconscious etc. Still having a "hangover" in the Interlude makes sense then. Additional rest in the Interlude doesn't recover fatigue/stress - unless R&Ring, it is there coming out of Interlude (as is any gained in it).

Carouse or Otherwise Relax as a Group to reduce Party Tension - each Player rolls a fortune die and a misfortune die (results do not cancel each other out). As many tension points are erased as successes. Activities end up costing as many coins of a character's social tier as the total number of failures rolled (e.g., if 2 brass and 2 silver tier characters roll in total 3 failures, each pays 3 coins of their own tier). Boons can generate gossip and rumours, banes can cause stress or fatigue (either).

Step 4: Interlude Encounter

In addition to listed possibilities, an Encounter may also flow from checks and choices above. If the Player doesn't trigger or GM impose a more detailed personal encounter -- or use a Player created event/choice as lead in to next Episode/Adventure, then a Second Interlude Activity can be undertaken.

I write up personal encounters as mini-scenarios and hand to Players for them to read and prep to roleplay/roll over when their turn comes. Figuring out ways to combine them also avoids spending too much time "narrow casting". Though, all this stuff should be played enjoyably for all to watch.

Great. I'm going to have to re-read the what the rulebook says on this. You seem to have great ideas on making the interludes really fun.

thanks, part of what I am trying to do is make Interludes "Player lead".

The Mouseguard game system has a more formal concept of "GM lead scenarios" alternating with "Player lead activities etc." and that's what I'm modelling.

Hmm, I've never heard of Mousguard. What's that?

And does it also split GM and player-lead parts the same way? i.e. GM lead 'adventure' and player lead 'downtime'?

I've never really grasped the interlude idea. I can see how it could work, but I have a few questions for you Val.

1. When do you use interludes?
2. How long does an interlude take in real time to play through on average?
3. What is the purpose of the interlude as you see it, that makes organizing it valuable?
4. Could you give an example of how an interlude could play out?

Cheers

Gallows

1. When used

Interludes are between Episodes. For example, get back from Grunewald Manor and kick about town before segue into Edge of Night run up, there's an Interlude (though it merges as player's actions naturally lead into it in a couple of cases). After Edge of Night there's an Interlude, a "stand alone Episode" and another Interlude then it will be off to Horror at Hulgedal.

2. How long to play out.

It varies - a mostly shopping and long term rest interlude is very fast. In a 2.5 hour session, the Interlude in at the end of Edge of Night (Young and the Restless thread) took a bit longer as it had several player focused things going on (had time to finish a fight, Interlude and 1 Act of a next Episode).

3. Purpose

I grew into using the Interlude rules having "somehow skipped over it, yeah yeah, I've been GMing for ages" them at first. It started when I realized that "if they have a week in town, letting them roll shopping every day gets boring etc., why roll, too many rolls to too little story" and so I started limiting shopping rolls "okay you've got 2, if you wanted to do something else small, well 1 then". Similarly I wanted to let a spell or action card be used but not used over and over. Then rereading rules "d'oh", Interlude rules. Doing exactly that.

So the purpose is to bring together (a) making rolls to shop meaningful; (b) limit spam healing etc. [mechanical purposes in the context of Warhammer dice pools and actions] ; © encourage Player input; (d) give some screen time to Player-created story threads - I'm mostly using FFG's published adventures with some tinkering so less "personalization" going on in them (I try to find ways to place a relative, relevant story issue etc. in each). [narrative purposes in the context of wanting that "player focused side of things"]

4. Example

You can see interludes in the Masquerade Young and Restless Thread.

http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_foros_discusion.asp?efid=165&efcid=3&efidt=460642

There is one at the top (if you read carefully you can see each character has about 2 things happening) and one at the bottom (I noted this was an Interlude in the post), the one at bottom took longer to play out.

I try to manage giving attention to one player with others having a chance to look at equipment list to shop or read a paragraph long handout about what they are doing. So, for example, this is what Hans' character (Wizard of Light) got - he had been playing his character such that this sort of action was what he would want. He had this to review while I went straight to playing out whether Krieger was going to be "dwarf friend" or "new grudge for dwarves of Ubersreik".

Distilling Corruption – Interlude Activity (skill check)

Lector Gunther Emming of Sigmar’s Temple seeks your help to distil down tainted beer and otherwise pack up warpstone material for eventual transport to the College of Light in Altdorf, starting on Nachgeheim 11th (the day after lunch with Ascaffenberg)

Dealing with chaos taint is dangerous but right up your College’s alley, you can add fortune die to the roll. The dwarf brewmaster Borgun Foambeard lends his aid, still outraged about his prize beer- Old Subterranean- being tampered with and gives another fortune die if you accept his help – handling tainted materials and risking corruption you might want all the help you can get.

This is an Average (2D) Spellcraft (Int) check – if you forgo all other actions this interlude, your extra care can add another 2 fortune dice.

About those Watch Records, Lord Rickard … (Interlude Encounter, can be passed for a shopping or other action action or as part of being extra careful in Distilling Corruption)

With Lord Rickard von Aschaffenberg’s backing, meaning he or Vern Hendrick has to be told something, Hans could try to access the watch records under Serjeant Erlich’s control, the ones about his mother and Ralf’s arrest – however Watch Captain Andrea Pfeffer was one of those not impressed by Lord Rickard.

This is an Easy (1D) Charm (Fel) check with two misfortune dice. You could have a more charming friend help you if you wanted (another Player Character can make roll, as their Interlude Activity).

That's really neat. I've never considered running 'interludes' in a tabletop RPG before, but they make complete sense to me.

I used to do a lot of live action roleplaying (Vampire, the Masquerade) so I'm quite familiar with the idea of there being a big, significant story that is the focus of the player actions, and then some 'downtime' between it and the next episode of story that is worth spending time on.

I think it also appeals as these days if/when I run a game, it's on the assumption that it won't be a campaign that goes on and on for years. My friends and I don't have time for that. Also, stories can be more tightly written and be more 'artistic' if they're designed to have a beginning, middle and end, rather than an ongoing campaign of the sort I used to play in. If these long campaigns were still an option, I might have more mixed feelings about them, but as it is, I like the idea of a fun 'downtime' between concise stories that tie one plot to the next but provide natural breaks that can be aimed towards.

valvorik said:

That sums up my reaction to interludes at first, but I was very intrigued by your post and I'm always eager to learn new tricks to make the game interresting. Thanks for the great reply Val.

Angelic Despot said:

Mouseguard is a RPG by Luke of Burning Wheel fame. It's the same system in concept as Burning Wheel but revised to fit the setting and simpler. It's based on the comic series of the same name (heroic mice rangers struggling to protect the scattered mouse communities from danger in a no-magic fantasy world).

http://www.burningwheel.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?41-Mouse-Guard-RPG

It's being reissued in a Box Set later this year.

In Mouseguard "the GM's Turn" and "the Players Turn" (no it's no more an boardgame than is WFRP 3, it's just using these concepts). A mission is created (you're playing members of the Mouseguard, you go on missions is the core trope) with player goals for session noted. Your mission might be to escort an alchemist mouse to a village, your goal might be something else.

"regular play"and "interludes" are "sort of similar" at broad level to "GM and Player turns".

The GM Turn is where the GM "beats the crap out of PCs", sets weather (weather is nasty for mice), various obstacles including opponents. There's very little "recovery" in a GM Turn (simililarity). They tend to last for an adventure or chunk of a larger one, or until Players seek a safe haven.

The Player Turn is very similar to an Interlude. Players take over controlling what's happening, the GM is not supposed to have "bad guys kick in the door" (well not until Players have finished their Turn). A Player gets to have their PC do one "free thing" - that includes testing to try to recover. Like Warhammer, Mouseguard is not all about "cuts and broken bones", you get Hungry, Angry, Tired, Injured or Sick. All are bad, you try to recover from one for free. Unlike Warhammer Mouseguard has different mechanics that allow players to earn "extra actions" (very nice to recover more than one condition, if you're Injured and Tired) - you have traits you can use to help yourself or to hinder yourself in GM turn - in 2nd use you get more actions in Player turn. Say you've got "Determination" and you can use that to bull through various obstacles - hoo hah, you can also say it makes life hard because you're rude in a situation where you won't shut up etc. You've created character-driven story events, good for you, you will get an extra action in the Player Turn when you use a trait that way. If you get enough checks you can even recover in GM Turn or do other neat stuff.

Crane's systems are very much about "roleplay to get mechanical benefits".

so am i reading your modifications right here?

an injured player needs long term care. their only action is long term care.

another player wishes to help the long term care with medicine skill check. their only action is the skill check.

the third player wanted to carouse or with the group but can't because they are busy so they get a chance to go shopping (the only one who ends up with an opportunity to shop)

Correct, that's the intent. But overlay that as well with the advice generally about party tension and feeding roleplay back into the game's various "engines" of fortune, fatigue, stress, tension etc.

Say it's Gotlieb whose badly injured, Erika the First Aider who is aching to shop and Miklos the "I wanna party" (we've said and done some things causing party tension, let's put it behind us with beer and sausage and maybe take in one of the puppet theater players being put on).

Gottlieb wants the advantages of Long Term Care and would like some more help than that and doesnt' want to pay physician fees etc, " Erika, dear and generous Erika, I know you have things you want to buy but would you be good enough to instead abide at my bedside? "

Erika chooses to do so. So there is no "carouse/party" etc. to reduce tension. Perhaps Miklos says, " Erika, good of you to tend to poor Gottlieb, what was it you wanted to get in the market, I'll go take a look for you. "

Oh look at that GM, a group of heroes self sacrificing for each other. That's worth moving Party Tension a space or two to the left anyway.

The tension is intentional in terms of "make a choice that shows who you are". If you can do everything, there are no "character-revealing choices".

Also, there's a potential 2nd action for each player depending on whether other mini-scenes coming etc.

Rob

i get the intent of restricting the players number of actions. but, if healing and training are almost always actions that players will want/need to perform then i fear the interludes will become rote.

you'll have to forgive my inexperience, sadly as a gaming group consisting of fathers with young kids we don't get the chance to play often... so at present my players are three quarters of the way through their first episode (eye for an eye) and thus haven't had an interlude yet. but i can see that at it's conclusion they will want to train and heal some solid critical wounds. won't most interludes be positioned such that players will have advances to spend and wounds to heal?

First let me admit this is my houserule and thus doesn't have tons of track record on it. My houserule is essentially "2 actions, one more a scene often" compared to the core rule "usually 1 action".

I don't see much Training. Really the "training action" is there to say "well, if you want to not think ahead at all and not roleplay much, here's a fall back but really, do you want to have to spend an action when you could roleplay your way to most stuff for free?"

Healing critical wounds is the one where it can be demanding. Yes, I've had a PC spend both Interlude actions in long term care, with another PC spend one action tending to them, in an effort to get over a Severity 4 critical (failing). I don't typically see more than one PC doing long term care at a time and often no one.

I also try to have "mini Episodes" at times, so that Interludes come more than "between every big adventure". In Gathering Storm there are Interludes between each of the 3 substories and you could find it logical to add more. I'm looking when running game to see to an Interlude comes after every 3 "real acts". For example, in effect I'm giving my players an Interlude after Edge of Night, a "mini Episode", and then another Interlude before Horror at Hugeldal.

That a critical can "eat up Interlude" action is part of the tension I see as important to the system. A critical isn't just "shoot, guess I have to make some rolls, hope we're down at least 4 days", it's "shoot, well, do I just rely on regular night's rest and take that action I want to take in Interlude or do I go for long term care". The more personal story stuff a Player has that they want to pursue, the more important this becomes.

For example, the same player who spent last interlude in back to back "just gonna lie in the Shallyan hospice and rest" actions, didn't do any such previous interlude (with same critical) instead just "seeing what he got with regular rolls" and taking care of other business.

Another player had actions and didn't use them. That will likely cause "party tension" as he's actually the best "shopper" in the band and other PC's were using up herbs and healing draughts. If they were "more of a cooperative band" he would have been looking for replacement ones (he even has Haggling speciality). As it is, they put a dent in their healing herbs before Horror at Hugeldal.

oh, sorry my bad. i didn't realise you were you saying that players need to narrate how they got their advance, and that if they choose not to narrate then they must use an action in the interlude. makes more sense to me now.

hey there valvorik, hope you are still reading the forums. haven't seen you posting much lately.

my group has concluded an episode that resulted in one character unconscious 13 wounds (3 critical), another character conscious (just) 12 wounds (6 criticals)

with regard to your interlude rules, do you hand wave the normal wounds? if i only allow them 3 rest & recovery actions and 2 attempts at long term care, i can see them being severly hamstrung for the start of the next episode.

narratively there is no time pressure to get back into adventuring.

EDIT: Oops just noticed the original date of this, sorry for contributing to the thread necromancy, but today is Halloween after all.

Rules like these could be merged with the concepts of "side adventures" discussed in another thread recenlty here .

I've been toying with the idea of "Errand Cards" to hand out between adventures. Made with SE they could have basic tasks listed that players can choose from between adventures, when resting in town, etc. A stack of cards with such titles as: Shopping, Long Term Care, Relaxation, Research, Burglarize a House, Pick Pocketing, Gamble, etc. Players could pick a card or two and have the rules in front of them, like an Action Card. I thought about putting a time requirement on each. Such as Long Term Care, Relaxation, and Research takes up a day of off-time. Shopping, Burglarize, Gamble, and Pick Pocketing take up 1/2 a day so one player could take two of the later cards while another grabs only one of the previous cards.

This could save lots of time for me as a GM when PCs get some downtime in town. I'm so used to things such as, "I go look for a new sword", while the thief says, "Is there anyone nearby to pick pocket?", and someone else heads to a tavern for trouble. Having cards to toss at each would speed things up so other players aren't bored and just sitting around while others run off on randomn errands.

Smart ideas valv'

I too bought the mouse guard game and got some really cool ideas from it. The one ring also has similar concepts on "other ways to suffer and not suffer" and you could also look to those.

jh

Here is an interlude write up I did for my guys

It has been three weeks since your clash with the the Cult of the Unblinking Eye. You have all had time to rest and reflect on what had happened, as well as heal your wounds.

Kesh spent most of his time helping keep the customers in order at the Red Moon Inn, this gave him and Rylan a lot of time to talk, since Rylan spent most of his time at the Red Moon, waiting on word from his master. Kesh occasionally would venture over to the seedy side of the docks and spend some time fighting in the pits. He did quite well at it and even started to build a reputation. He caught the eye of the "Ring Leader" Baxter Danels, who mentioned he could possibly get him into the bigger matches once he gets the right audience scheduled. Turns out that some of the elite in town like to show up for these fights on occasion, and if Danels can build enough hype, he can get the right people to show up, with lots of coin. Last year he put on a big show that had fighters from several other towns show up, and many elite showed up to watch. He hopes to do the same this year.

[Kesh earned 35 silver]

Arz spent a lot of time thinking about what had happened, quite disturbed at how these things could be going on in the world. He ventured out to the old house outside of town, hoping to uncover more information on what the cult was doing, only managing to find minor ritual items, like a silver chalice, a ritual dagger, and candles. It seems that Piersson was quite hurried and didn't have much time to setup anything after their escape from the lodge. He also wondered about the other cultist's homes, but it didn't take long for the city guards and the Priests of Sigmar to take these places over, making investigating them unlikely. Arz did however get to spend time talking with those at the Sigmar temple. The group is in good standing with them right now. Arz spent the remainder of his time messing with his blunderbuss and getting more familiar with it.

[ - 12 silver for daily expenses]

Konrad spent a lot of time at the Temple of Morr. Word of his vision, and role in defeating the Chaos Cult, spread quickly through his order. After some discussions, the priests believed Konrad could be a Doomsayer of Morr. It is a rare thing for a Morrite to travel, they mostly spend their lifetime tending to their duties and their gardens. But the Doomsayers are the most travelled of the Morrites, who randomly follow their dreams. They visit places where people are about to die – whether from battle, plague, or natural disaster. They preach the doom they have foreseen, and administer funeral rites where no one else will. They also dedicate their lives to uncovering and destroying necromancers and the undead. The priests have told Konrad to meditate on these things and pray for more signs from Morr. Konrad spent days in meditation and study, as well as helping in duties around the temple. It had been over a week since he had seen Rylan, Kesh, or Arz. He thought maybe he would never see them again. But last night, in his dreams, he saw them again.

He was with them again, and they were all in a dark, damp place. He could feel a presence just out of site, something large, and dangerous. And then the dream melted into other visions, of pigeons flying freely inside a plush living room. And then the smile of a beautiful Elven woman. And then a vision of a small, rundown village ... the people were in pain and much sorrow. He awakes in the middle of the night, and feels Morr has spoken to him again.

[- 4 silver ]

Rylan spent most of his time at the Red Moon Inn, studying and waiting for word from his master. And at last it has come.

About three months ago, a man by the name of Griswold walked into the Temple of Sigmar in Altdorf bringing word of a mysterious temple ruin he had discovered in the west, not too far from Marienburg. He presented details to the Priests but insisted that these details be kept secret, he didn't want the information falling into the wrong hands, and expressed concern about being trailed by others who wish to know what he knows. An expedition was planned and a group of about 14 men set out to investigate the ruins over two months ago, in this group was Viktor Heger, Priest of Sigmar, and Osmar Montag, Wizard of the Bright Order, who was Rylan's mentor.

About five weeks ago, word came to Altdorf from the expedition that Ersin (who is now dead) and Rylan were to join the expedition, but were first to travel to Bogenhefen, and wait at the Red Moon Inn for further details. And now that time has come.

This morning, as Rylan finishes up his breakfast at the Red Moon Inn, a man enters, he is a messenger who says his name is, Tovol. He hands you a sealed message and waits for you to read it as he holds another scroll for you.

The message is addressed to Ersin and Rylan, "Our team has been quite busy and only now was able to send word. What we have found is both fascinating and disturbing. We can give no further details here. For now, you are to travel to Marienburg and meet up with Alfred Gernek at the Three Legged Cat pub. He is busy looking for more hired help, so if you know of anyone interested in work, let them know, but only if you trust them! We would rather not let any information get out until we are ready. Now, most importantly, you must visit the Temple of Morr there in Bogenhafen and deliver the 2nd scroll to a Priest by the name of Varel Linchet. He will know what to do. Once he is done with you, travel to Marienburg with haste, and keep safe!

- Osmar Montag, Master Wizard of the Bright Order"

Emirikol said:

Yup, The One Ring is an interesting RPG that my group intends to try out sometime soon. Several of us are Tolkien fans. That said, it would be hard to give up the lovely, lovely little cards of mutations, crits, insanities and diseases - they're my precious they are, my precious .

It's "Sauron's Eye" effect invoking a hazard is interesting approach similar to Mouse Guard and its "twists" that can easily port over into "Chaos Star" effect. A journey can be made a Progress Tracker matter with different roles of Guide, Hunter/Dinner Provider, Lookout etc. having to make different checks to progress without difficulty. Point not being "you don't arrive" but "whether you arrive healthy, on time, with gear undamaged, not short of temper because of arguments with comrades over whose turn it is to make dinner, etc.".

One Ring is less obviously "new fangled"/"indie rpgish" but has some important "new generation" concepts in it apply/can apply to Warhammer such as "let it ride" - only roll once that roll includes trying again etc. etc., if the roll failes you need to try another way; and "every roll matters" which links to that, failure should not be a "static" - situation unchanged, it should take situation in a different direction just as success does.

It's designer says he's never read MouseGuard etc. and is more influenced by the older Pendragon game (which I liked in abstract but never got chance to play).

I did email re the query earlier in thread about healing.

My interlude approach to healing is to track "simulated real time" (every night) for purpose of Wounds and Criticial Role recoveries (and for when it's a new month for Insanity recovery) but to only allow the first night of an Interlude to give Fatigue/Stress recovery. This means that with End of Episode and One Night recoveries, the only characters with any Stress or Fatigue left are those who were rendered unconscious by excessive amounts. That they have lingering aches or headaches makes sense to me and may encourage them to take Interlude actions reflecting recovering from their harrowing experience.

We have:

diseases, wounds, crits, permantnt injuries, insanities, corruption pts, mutations, social disabilities

We still need:

poisons, drugs, curses, long term fatigue/stress, ???

jh