Did we decide on 'Servants of Justice' as the party sheet? If so where are we tension wise, fortune dice and sockets?

Some reference things:

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Servants of Justice Party Sheet
Party, Reputable, Idealistic
Talents: Focusx1, Tacticx1

Fortune pool: CURRENT:0

Party Tension Meter == 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10=== CURRENT 2
@5 All party members suffer 1 fatigue

@10 All party members suffer 2 stress and 2 fatigue, then tension resets to zero

Wrongs Made Right
Members of this party may suffer 1 stress and 1 fatigue to add
1 damage to a Ranged Attack or Melee Attack action. They may
choose to do this after the roll, and may use this ability more than
once with a single attack.

======================================================================================

GM’s Suggested Effects for Unresolved Star or Comet (PG:57)

Chaos Star Effect (roll d10 random if necessary)
1. PERSONAL Fall prone or drop an important item or weapon. Make a fool of yourself (shame or stress), render them impossible (i.e. break a lock you were attempting to pick, if you also failed the check; get ejected from court for offending a powerful noble, etc.). Suffer severe penalties (one purple or more) to figure related tasks or
2. ENVIRONMENT Suffer an environmental mishap, such as falling from a high place, breaking through ice, or spraining an ankle on debris (fall prone) and lose your next maneuver.
3. TERRAIN Discover a new or unexpected hazard or enemy, suffer the effects of worsening conditions (weather, mud, etc.) or otherwise advance the story to the detriment of the active player.
4. FATIGUE/STRESS/Delays draw crit, suffer that much stress/fatg, Suffer a large amount of fatigue or stress (1-3 short of unconsciousness) – or gain a Condition! SUFFER CRITICAL FATIGUE (lasts all scenario or until extended rest)
5. WOUND Suffer a wound or convert a normal wound to a critical. Other suggestions: Past misdeeds catch up to you: gain corruption (resilience check)
6. ENEMY/DISPOSITION: Make an enemy or attract the attention of foes. Foe gains Frenzied condition.
7. PARTY Cause two members of your party a misfortune.
8. ITEM Weapon or item gains the Damaged condition or lose your free maneuver or Stack two conditions or the same condition twice (if stackable)…OR JUST PLAIN FAIL..or lower your success. If TWO chaos stars, option to do critical, but shatter the weapon.
9. Hamper an allies action (grant them a purple) or other ill effect or roll for a condition (Players suggest!) PARTY STRESS, LOSE A FORTUNE POINT WORSEN EFFECTS OF FAILURE/SUFFER ALL FAILURES ON A CARD, , MORALE..or JUST FAIL!
10. Roll and gain a random condition or two or PLAYERS SUGGEST.

==========================================================================

..

Suggested outcomes of Zelda and Alfs boons and chaos:

Alfred (Observation: 1 boon): Suggest whilst kneeling, searching for tracks he is reminded to ready his gun, a sixth sense has kicked in.

Zelda (Leadership check :1 chaos) succeeds in inspiring Hendricks to man up but the effort has exerted her: 2 fatigue.

Zelda succeeds in spotting movement in the tree line along side the cart but shouting at Hendricks and acting all leadery has drawn attention to herself; any foes gain frenzied condition.

Zelda (first aid check: 1 chaos) succeeds in assisting Hanna but winds her up bad, really getting in her face and telling her how to do her job etc: Kaic, (Hi ) Do you want to choose somthing from the list above or suggest another outcome?

Deidrich: During your unplanned magical sight adventure, you discovered that someone in the inn was using grey magic. You didn't get to track it down, but it lingered near the peasant that the Shallyan was tending. You don't think he was the caster, but perhaps the unwitting victim of it.

Deidrich: Your stealth for the travels results in success in greasing the axles, it fatigues you a little, and the chaos star result is: [using our brand new table on a random d10 ]: suggested result "5": you hack a hole in your hand (suffer 1 wound)..you hope it's not the hand you shook when meeting Herr Hendricks.

Hanna: Your allies are much obliged for the healing and Zelda assists you with some First Aid. Don't forget yourself. While Zelda sits on Hendricks, you try to carefully scrape and debride his rot and pus from his arm while he screams and screams..oh the screams... It looks a little better afterwards. The blood flow and oozing is now the proper color and he lapses into delirious exhaustion. Zelda skillfully sent Mr. Thomas, the Coachman to the blacksmith to get some supplies..to prevent morale loss.

Officer Alfred, Imperial Roadwarden: 1 bane: The coachman, Mr. Thomas and you argue about the best way to go. He points out that you're holding the map upside down, grumbles about the future of this journey... Then you point out that the rear axle clips weren't secured, the out spring bar clips were also worn and needed to be replaced; the hame tab and belly band were reversed (which would have obviously caused the horse to fatige and possibly even break a rib..obviously!)..what was Mr. Thomas drunk? You quietly allow him to save face and you now have an ally in Mr. Thomas. You two laugh off the upside down map and he passes you his flask...

Envoy Zelda: Other than your assistance to the 'healer,' you find yourself talking with Hendricks (who is delerious from pain). He speaks of the manor (details shortly), but you cannot stop thinking about the rot and disease on his arm. As blood and some clear liquid soak through his bandages you have difficulty holding down lunch. You hurl out the window in quite uncouth fashion. Oh, these humans and their filthy bandages.

..

Zelda, while hurling out the window quickly realizes that there are things communicating in parallel in the forests around you...the beastmen no doubt. The question is whether or not you'll make it to the manor before they can mount an attack ahead...

While travelling you learn the following from Hendricks:

[will outline this in the next post]

1) Is this act played out in story mode- my feeling is that it would be until an actual encounter, though making all these checks makes it feel like encounter mode?

Yes. In my experience, I prefer that players make skill checks in addition to telling me what they're doing. We're also rushing through a lot of this as a walkthrough. In a tabletop game, it would move slower and there would be more back and forth description.

This also keeps the game moving (I tend to run fast games

2) have we recovered any fatigue/stress/wounds since we met Hendricks; I would assume this journey is taking place during a new day.

No recovery of wounds yet. Fatigue/stress gained while on the journey will remain until you get an actual rest. As the group is travelling on top of the carriage and will likely be damp, cold and dodging branches, there's not a lot of chance for recovery anyways.

You left right from the Tavern (assumed) just to keep up the tension. Again, in a normal game, there would be haggling over pay, a night's rest, etc. In order to keep it dangerous for the upcoming scenes, it's best if players go in a little wounded.

3) Emirikol: getting us to make all these checks is a useful way to learn the game but it also forces the pace and keeps players on the edge of their seats It's much less passive than I would run- I would normally ask if the players want to make a check etc. It still leaves outcomes fairly open which is great. Is this how you normally run it?

Yes. I actually run my game by throwing plotlines in the players' faces. This is mainly because there can be sometimes 1-2 weeks between games and we only get 3-4 hours of play completed. It usually goes like this:

Do you want to investigate the underworld connection of von Wolfenstein at the Last Drop Inn?

Do you want to check out the mysterious deaths in the ranks of the Priesthood of Morr?

Do you want to go to the library to tie up that loose end with the missing book?

..or do you want to do something else?

Then I go from there.

Some GMs will sit there and force their tired and oftentimes forgetful players to review their notes (if they took any) and figure it out for themselves (until sometimes they get mischievious and/or rebellious about the game). I'd rather just keep the game moving.

If you listen to any of our grotesquely obscene and foul-mouthed (from being drunk) session recordings, you'd probably be bored to tears (and offended, if you're a sensible human being) but you'd get the gist of it.

4) In the above bar encounter Alfreds horse and his and Zeldas gear, baggage etc were somewhere. I would say lodged at a nearby tavern if pressed. However as GM you could use the chaos star/banes to say their gear has been stolen etc. As a rule do you overlook that kind of detail or make the players account for it. I am torn; for sake of pace I would allow it to magically reappear when players call for it but it misses an opportunity for other storylines to develop. How do you deal with that sort of 'house keeping' detail?

I guess if its going to drive the story/plot or create an interesting side-plot. Usually, it's just assumed that you stable your horse somewhere somewhat safe.

In our Enemy Within sessions I gave the entire party a tavern (the brown owl), and then when they walked off to investigate something for a couple days, soI had it completely ravaged by a group of halflings, who tried to sell their very wares back to them. Meanwhile, I had squatters move into the inn/tavern and drink all of their liquor (especially the poisoned barrels), which left them owning a tavern full of drunk, dead and nearly-dead squatter-patrons and no sheets, silverware, towels, barrels, boxes or beds (except for the ones that were too heavy for the halflings to carry off.

In another occasion, I had the party's only horse (a watchman's horse) meander through the middle of a really terrible, horrible combat with some fimir and a daemon carrying supplies that they had forgotten they had.

Most of the time though, I don't place a lot of value on stuff. It comes and goes. If they're affluent, it's usually available in one shape or another. If they're broke, then it becomes a plot device. When they're noble (like in the current campaign), it is in excess and is a burden and should be completely taken for granted..until the right moment

..

Herr hendrick is in and out of consciousness and being tended by the Initiate. There is so much other stuff crammed into the small carriage that the Roadwarden rides his own horse and the Envoy and Grey Wizard have to sit on top of the carriage in the damp, cold, blustery weather constantly jumbled and nearly knocked off the top by branches and rough, rutted, and pot-holed road conditions.

The Initiate gently asks questions and yells them out the window up to the Envoy. Hopefully these things are accurate. You never know with his delirium from his infection.

Here's the general information he relays to you during the journey:

The Grunewald manor grounds are walled 10'
The kennel master has big dogs that eat beastmen flesh.

Many of the staff have become very lazy. Either they're not getting paid enough (I'm not getting paid enough), or they are severely demoralized by the beastmen.

EYE FOR AN EYE NPC LIST (FOR PLAYERS)
NAME – LOCATION - OCCUPATION
Lord Rickard Aschaffenberg -Master Bedroom- Lord of the Manor
Gregor Piersson -Wanders -Steward

Vern Hendrick -Master Bedroom -Manservant

Gertie Hochen -Wanders -Servant
Gunnar Wetzel -Wanders -Servant
Hanna Dralst -Wanders -Servant
Josef Vacmark -Wanders -Servant
Todd Heistlenburger -Wanders -Servant

Dr. Stefan Sieger -Hospice -Physician
Sister Sonja -Hospice -Zealot Blind
Korden Kurgansson -Hospice Blacksmith Completely insane
Bertoldt Granhof -Hospice -Gardener
Astrid Slazinger -Hospice -Guard
Helmut Zondervan -Hospice -Guard

Otto Geizhals -Library -Librarian
Karla Wagner -Kitchen -Chef

Albrecht Krug -Stables -Coachman
Hans Kurtz -Stables -Coachman
Franz Lange -Stables -Groom

Olver Gand -Kennels -Hunter Cpt.

Anders Blucher -Walls -Guard captain
Sven Bleuler -Guardroom -Guard
Ernest Bohne -Watchtower -Guard
Manfred Klammerer -Guardroom -Guard
Pieter Koch -Guardroom -Guard

Major Locations :

Manor house Ground Floor: Great Hall, Basement & Wine Cellar, The Sitting Room, Hospice, Library, Kitchen, Study, Gallery,

Upstairs Manor (1st floor): Staff Dormitories, Aschaffenberg's Master Bedroom

The Wall and Gatehouse

Kennels

Stables & Coach House

Garden & Garden Shed

The Shrine to Sigmar

Pond

Manor grounds

The Forge

[EDIT: What's the point of giving the players the locations and NPCs list? I've found that this helps them focus and it takes away from them obsessing over a map...I usually draw a big circle, some small circles, and a big square for the house. I label the external stuff and attempt to keep the PCs outside as much as possible as well as attempt to split the party whenever possible.]

.

The pace of the carriage has picked up with the threat of beastman attack. Mr. Thomas, the coachman is taking some risks in keeping things moving. Wrenching and some crackling sounds occur from under the carriage after a large bump that sounds like you hit something. The carriage comes to a halt. With the help of the Grey Wizard and the Roadwarden, you've gained a little time to think.

The coachman and your Roadwarden (Alfred) have to make a decision. It appears as if several large branches, logs and rocks have been spaced on the road up ahead deliberately. It is about a half mile up ahead. It seems as if it will slow or stop you and could damage your carriage. Hendrick is in no condition to give orders right now. You're supposedly not that far from the Grunewald manor.

What would you like to do?

• See if you can find an alternate route? Suggest a skill check at (2d)
• Plod on through and take what's coming? (2d) Ride checks for all of you to avoid injury/falling off/assist the coachman.
• Send a scout crew ahead? Who's going?
• Make camp and set up a defense?
• Do something else?

What would you like to do?

jh

Thanks Jay,

I am going to steal a couple of those ideas; i particularly like the horse wandering through the fight scene; very filmic. I shall check out your session recordings too though they probably won't make much sense!

I

I actually really like the idea of giving the players a list of possible choices. In my campaigns I've had a few times where the players just didn't seem to know what to do next. I think I'm going to try this approach next session and see what everyone thinks. I'm going to go ahead and try and heal myself since I forgot earlier....

Diedrich wrapped up his wound a bit in mild annoyance as his mind drifted back to the inn. He didn't have time to investigate, but...someone was definitely using the Wind of Ulgu there. This job was starting to get messy, and oddly starting to make...sort of sense. He still kind of wanted to slap his master...or punch him. Why...why couldn't he be more straight forward?

After the wagon broke down, Diedrich sighed. Things were starting to get dangerous, and Diedrich kept a lookout as he waited for Alfred to make a decision.

I think I can find us another way through, there are lots of trails criss-crossing these woods..follow me Thomas. Alfred leads the coach down a promising fork in the track.....

Alfred makes an observation check; roles: 2 challenge, 1 conservative, 2 characteristic, 1 trained: Result nothing!

Alfred is now looking a little bit sheepish....

Good stuff! I'll get a response out tomorrow morning

It seems luck is on your side. There appears to be an old, overgrown track that forks left. Following Alfred's advice, the coachman drives the horses that way. It is quite bumpy and snakes in impossible directions. Those of you on top hang on for dear life as branches tear and club at you. Suddenly, there seems to be a downhill, that is becoming more steep. The carriage seems to be pushing the horses at this point. Hopefully you're able to put some distance between yourselves and the strange noises (that are probably beastmen). Suddenly you burst through some overgrowth and into a HERD of beastmen. Ungor and gor are startled and scatter, but there seem to be a lot of them. The carriage makes a pretty good bump as it flattens one with exceptionally large horns. You can see him stand up after being run over..and he's really big..and looks angry as the coachman pushes the carriage onward. Mr Thomas laughs haughtily and says to Alfred, "SHORTCUT EH?" You can see out the back that the big one, with a tire track over his shoulder raises his massive axe and makes a loud guttural roar and the others in the herd begin sprinting after the careening carriage and Roadwarden's horse...

We're now in encounter mode. You're not sure how many beastmen there are. There are none ahead of you, but several on the sides at close range of the carriage, and several at medium. You do not know if you will be able to outrun them, even with 4 horses. You are several rounds from the manor walls.

Roll initiative. The beastmen are at 0. If you don't get a 0, go ahead and announce your action.

Each round you will need to make a maneuver: (1d) coordination skill check - to avoid things like nearly falling off, getting hit by a tree branch, dropping something, etc. THEN make your Action. Roadwarden: instead of the Coordination check, you will be making a (1d) Ride check.

You'll have to look up their defense scores or other characteristics (if intimidate, etc)

.

So, I have a question. Could I use soothing voice to attempt to calm the angry beastmen? it says, "If appropriate, this may influence the target," I'm just not sure if that's really what it's talking about or not.

Initiative

Rolled: 2 Characteristic

Coordination

Depending on what the answer is to my question I'm either going to use Soothing Voice or Minor Ward.

Hanna manages to hold onto the top of the cart, but the strain of holding onto the wagon and being bombarded by trees is beginning to wear on her (1 fatigue?). She lets out a quiet whisper, "Shallya, please guide our path true and allow us to arrive safely to the manor."

Yes on soothing voice. You can try. Use against the ungor.

jh

Initiative

Rolled: 3 Characteristic Result: 1 Success, 1 Boon

Coordination (1D)

Rolled: 3 Characteristic, 1 Challenge Result: 3 Successes, 1 Chaos Star

((I can't seem to stop rolling Chaos Stars apparently...))

Diedrich manages to hold on for now. He raises his hand as he grips the hilt of his still sheathed blade. After a bit of rambling, he unleashes a bolt of shadow on one of the Gors that is the closest.

Magic Dart

Rolled: 5 Characteristic, 1 Fortune, 1 Challenge, 1 Misfortune Result: 1 Challenge, 3 Boons

Though unfortunately the attack missed.

Blam blam blam blam! The Grey wizard is blasting away like a madman, but he just can't hit!

Ok, lets use Soothing Voice then.

"In the name of Shallya, please calm your rage and allow us to pass through these forests unharmed."

Just to make sure I constructed this correctly. Invocation is fellowship (4 dice), I get 1 Fortune Die for my initiate trait, and I get 1 challenge die since that is what is listed at the top of the card.

Roll for Soothing Voice:

Rolled: 4 Characteristic, 1 Fortune, 1 Challenge

Result: 1 Success, 1 Boon

The words seem to flow from Hanna, causing a calming effect to all nearby creatures (All living creatures who can hear me regains 1 stress). The calming nature causes Hanna to be seen in a favorable light (can influence the target). The tension building in the party seems to easy (boon = move party tension meter 1 space to the right).

Did I do all of this correctly?

Party tension is down one: current 1

The ungor on the right side of the carriage slow their guttural, dark speech and are a bit entranced for but a moment..just long enough for the coachman to break on through the herd. The ones on the other side and the gor(s) in pursuit seem unphased.

Initiative: Result 3 successes ( though not sure if you use stance when rolling initiative: I just rolled 4 for my Agility?)

Maneuvre ride check (Difficulty 2?) Rolled 2 challenge, 2 characteristic, 2 reckless (have taken 1 fatigue to move stance from 1 conservative to 2 reckless) and 1 trained: Result: 4 successes, 3 boons and a good old Chaos star!

Action: Ranged shot: Alfred uses his pistol to fire at the biggest/ugliest target: (Difficulty 2?) Rolled 2 challenge, 2 characteristic, 2 reckless and 1 trained: Result: 2 successes and 3 boons. He hits and has a free manoeuvre in which he will reload (if allowed?) Damage: 6 (pistol + 4 (Agility) - 2 (Gors Soak) = 8 Damage

(Just noticed I should have included a black misfortune die for the Gors defense but the result isn't changed )

Any of the above wrong?

The GOR that Alfred shoots at from horseback takes a bullet to the chest and reels backwards (critical: MORTAL WOUND (severity 4..bonus damage) - You may not recover from any other critical wounds while you are affected by this critical wound)! The herd is slightly stunned!

======================================

BEHIND THE SCENES - GM'S TRACKER ON HOW THEY ARE DOING

TRYING TO GET AWAY FROM THE BEASTMEN:

Secret GM progress tracker: PCs need to get to 5 (not reduced b/c the Roadwarden was earlier unsuccessful in finding a safe shortcut)

* Successful soothing word distracts 2 ungor (2)

* Successful blast from Alfred's pistol (Gor within range) - (2)

beastman battle
progress tracker

p76 Tomeof Adventure
Assemble a Progress Tracker for this battle to track the
beastmen’s morale. The tracker should be 5 spaces long
with an event marker on the last space of the track. Place a
tracking token on the first space.

ª For each ungor killed, advance the token 1 space
ª For each gor killed, advance the token 2 spaces
ª For each successful use of Intimidate by the PCs, or
other effects or roleplaying ideas that would erode the
beastmen’s morale, advance the morale token 1 space
When the morale tracker reaches the event space at the end
of the track, the beastmen’s morale breaks and they begin
to flee. Begin Act 3: The Retreat.

===================================

Finally, the wagon enters a large clearing in the

forest, dominated by a collection of buildings protected
by a twelve foot high, ivy-covered stone wall.
Parts of the wall have collapsed and are reinforced
with crude barricades. A guard in a mail shirt and
pot-helmet and wielding a crossbow patrols the
top of the wall. The wall is surrounded by a wide,
overgrown ditch. A small gatehouse with a crumbling,
turreted tower, built of dark stone, protects
the entrance. Another guard, similarly armed and
armoured, stands alert on the turret of the tower.

As the wagon approaches the gates, play out a very brief exchange

with the guards. Hendrick orders the gates opened. The guards are
sluggish to respond.

The beastmen are still close behind the carriage!

One Gor attacks Alfred on his horse using Fearsome Charge.

(assuming Alfred will Parry this attack)

Rolled: 4 Characteristic, 1 Reckless, 1 Expertise, 1 Fortune, 1 Challenge, 4 Misfortune (parry, 2 armor def, action difficulty)
Result: 4 Successes, 1 Bane

Effect: Target struck for +3 damage (12 total damage against Alfred!); Bane effect: target may IMMEDIATELY take a free Basic Melee Attack action against the Gor.

One Ungor has latched onto the side of the carriage and swings a rusty, manure-smeared axe at Deidrich on the roof! - Savage Strike

Rolled: 4 Characteristic, 1 Fortune, 1 Challenge, 3 Misfortune (dangling and swinging difficulty, you use dodge and parry)
Result: 1 Success

Effect: Target struck for normal damage (8 total damage on Deidrich from the Ungor)

=====================================================

That's all that they can get for attacks this round.

You guys are up!

The guards at the gate are sluggish to open the gate and the beastmen are in pursuit. Do you want to fight beastmen or get the guards to respond or what?

Alfred responds with a melee attack on the Gor using his dagger: Result 1 success, 1 bane. Damage 8 -2=6

I forgot to roll initiative for Zelda (gets 3 successes) takes aim with her bow and....roles: 2 challenge, 1 characteristic, 2 conservative, 1 misfortune. Result: 1 boon

The Gor snarls in painful anger!!! He'll attack you back next turn if he's able to keep up.

It is Zelda's turn now.

jh

See last post for Zelda above.

At some point I'd like to swap out either Zelda or Alfred for the Apprentice Wizard (who was stuffed in a barrel at the start!) just so i get more familiar with players using magic?