i used the scenario out of the rulebook, so there are spoilers for that if you think you ever might play it. but the whole game is very make-it-up-as-you-go, so your group's version of the scenario would probably be pretty different from ours anyway. anyhow, caution for those who don't like spoilers!
in case you didn't read the last couple of posts, our cast of characters is this:
ariel: lonely girl gazelle grey-eyes, whose character type is "the fated."
sasha: she's playing a guy called angry ag agnagaboth, a big angry red demon with a big sword and big anger. sash's character type is "the fury." did i mention he's angry?
elle: "the boss." her name is sin-sing cherise, and her gang is the diabolical strumpets guild. she's a gold-skinned demon who's always in the mood.
msg: he's playing "the hunger," a pale, white-haired dude named matash kachrang.
one more thing ... i hope it's not too jarring, but msg was taking the notes for me so i could focus on game-mastering. which means the rest of this post makes actual use of my least favorite key, the shift key. continue at your own peril!
GM Claire: All righty! The scenario begins with all of you waiting in a cafe called the House of the Blade Lotus. it's a pretty high-falutin' place, probably nicer than some of you are used to hanging out in.
Sasha: I bet it's tons nicer than the pit Sin-sing and her strumpets use as a meet-up.
Elle: Hah -- the place Ag saw was the place we'd meet with newbies to the gang that we don't really trust yet. And a good thing too, considering how that run-in went.
Sasha: I'm still mad.
GM Claire: Well, simmer quietly, then. You're all here to meet someone called Ras Supharna, a business-person of some kind who has requested your help with a private matter. I'll need you each to describe how you got here.
Elle: I heard about this opportunity and sent a message to Angry Ag as a peace offering for beating the crap out of him and tossing him out of the gang.
Sasha: Okay, well, I only came to yell at Sin-sing because I’m so furious at her!
Elle: I hope you don’t yell long –
GM Claire: Are you actually yelling, Sash? And are you telling Ag that, Elle?
so there you go, dear readers. with any luck, it won't take us another month to get around to playing again.
xoxo,
claire
GM Claire: Are you actually yelling, Sash? And are you telling Ag that, Elle?
Sasha: Yes!
Elle: Yes. I say, "I hope you don’t yell much longer or I’ll have to have my gang drag you out of here."
GM Claire: Is your gang in the place with you?
Elle: A couple of them. I can send one to get the others from a bar nearby if I need to.
Sasha: You don’t think your threats will make me back down, do you?
Elle: They certainly didn’t that other time when we had to beat the crap out of you.
Ariel: I can’t take all this arguing. I plead with them both to stop being so mean.
Sasha: Dang it! Gazelle girl’s grey eyes are so soft and sad I can’t do anything to upset her.
Elle: You’re lovely, my dear. Have you ever considered employment in the arts of pleasure?
Ariel: Um, no?
Sasha: You’re making me angry again, Sin-sing!
Msg: Perhaps the rest of us should say why we’re here.
Ariel: Oh ... um ... I guess because Sin-sing invited me too. She’s known me since I was very young, remember? I think she was just asking that question to get under your skin, Sash—uh, Angry Ag.
Sasha: Well it worked!
Elle: Predictably.
Ariel: What about you, Mister white-hair?
Msg: Matash Kachrang. This Ras Supharna, I have heard, may possess information useful to me.
GM Claire: Okay, here are some questions. You only get to answer one apiece. Which of you had a friend or relative or acquaintance that went to a place called the Palace of Night and disappeared?
Sasha: I did! My cousin Awestruck Akkla. I’m mad that she disappeared, but I was mad at her too, so it cancels out.
GM Claire: Who had a run-in with the Palace of Night and wants revenge?
Elle: Me. A couple of my girls went there and apparently got a better offer from the place than from me, because they stayed to work there.
GM Claire: Who is close to someone who works there? I guess that’s you too, Elle. Who has thought about joining the Palace of Night and maybe wants to still?
Msg: I did, but I grew suspicious of them, so my interest has declined.
GM Claire: Okay, so that’s the story so far. After you guys wait around a bit and talk through all this, a lady servant appears. She’s one of those people with a harp on one side of their head, and she’s done up in fabulous robes and way too much jewelry. Just behind her are two super-intimidating figures – a massive dog-humanoid and a red devil, crazy-tall and crazy-thin. The dog-guy doesn’t seem to have any weapons, but the devil-lady has a long, skinny sword at her belt. Their boss apologizes for being late, but says business details intervened.
Sasha: Late people make me angry! I tell her that straight-up.
GM Claire: She says you’re welcome to leave and work through your personal anger issues at any time, but you won’t get paid in that case.
Sasha: Grr! Being poor makes me even angrier, so I’ll just cross my arms and fume while she talks.
GM Claire: She introduces herself as Ras Supharna and tells you that the job she wants you to do is retrieve a stolen treasure of hers from her enemy, Parkhassian, who runs the Palace of Night.
Elle: Treasure, hmm? I’m interested.
GM Claire: Supharna tells you that the treasure is precious to her, but of little use to others. It’s the preserved head of her grandmother, a family heirloom and a source of guidance and comfort, because it can still talk.
Ariel: Ew!
GM Claire: Parkhassian has threatened to hold Grandma Supharna’s head for 99 years in revenge for Supharna hedging her out of the trading company they used to work for together. Supharna is afraid for her grandmother’s consciousness, locked away in darkness or possibly tortured by Parkassian or sacrificed for some dark purpose of the Palace of Night, which Supharna is sure has evil endeavors going on in it.
Msg: What kind of evil endeavors? I think I’ll try to Pry Secrets from Supharna about that.
GM Claire: Ooh, our first “Move!” Okay, roll 2 dice + Mind.
Msg: 8 + 2 is 10.
GM Claire: That’s excellent! You can ask me three questions from this list here.
Msg: Mmm ... I’ll pick ... What here seems false or deceitful? What here could be useful to me? and What seems to be the safest path forward?
GM Claire: Well, you definitely get the idea Supharna isn’t telling you the whole truth. She knows more than she’s letting on about the Palace of Night. What’s useful might be ... Supharna is obviously desperate to get the grandma-head thing back, and she and Parkhassian obviously hate each other, so maybe one or both of them could be manipulated with that. The safest path forward is probably to listen to everything Supharna is willing to tell you about the Palace of Night and then maybe find out more on your own.
Sasha: So what does she tell us?
GM Claire: There’s an event coming up soon at the Palace – the Night of Song. Talented individuals are invited to come and try their luck on the stage in a competition. The place will be very busy, and the guards and Parkhassian will probably be distracted by the crowds and the business of keeping the event going. It’s just a day from now.
Sasha: Boo! I’m angry that we’re being told about this on such short notice!
GM Claire: Supharna assures you she would have informed you sooner, but it took her a while to find and get word to the right people for the job.
Elle: So what exactly is the pay?
GM Claire: She offers to procure for you the payment of your choice ... something worth 3 to 5 Wealth apiece.
Sasha: I still need my Great Bow! How much is one of those again?
GM Claire: They’re 4 wealth. But they’re Rare, which means it might be hard for you to find one or it might cost more. You’d probably have to risk a “Ply the Market” roll without Supharna getting it for you.
Sasha: Okay, I’m in. I’d be really angry if I had to pay more than 4 wealth when the book says that’s what it’s worth.
Ariel: Do we have to decide right now what we want?
GM Claire: No, that can wait until you finish the job.
Ariel: Whew!
GM Claire: Any other questions? No? Then Ras Supharna bids you good luck and implores you to return with her grandmother’s head as soon as possible.
Elle: Okay, all this talk about getting head at the Palace of Night has given me an itch I need to scratch. Anybody who wants to talk things over some more can meet up with me in a couple hours at the bar where the Diabolical Strumpets Guild hangs out.
Msg: Not so fast. How do I know you’re not sneaking right off to start double-crossing us already?
Elle: Well, you’re not a bad looking guy, so if you want to keep an eye on me while I’m scratching my itch, I’m fine with that. Maybe you could even join in?
Msg: I don’t rush into that kind of thing. You never know what you might catch.
Elle: But you’ll come watch? I get off on an audience.
Msg: It’s tempting, but I believe I’ll engage myself otherwise. I’ll meet you at the bar in two hours. What’s it called?
Elle: Britzva’s Stiff Brewhouse.
Ariel: Wait, is everybody just splitting up? I don’t want to be all on my own!
Sasha: You can come with me and we’ll go spy on this Palace of Night. If we go straight to the bar and get stuck waiting around on these other guys, it’s going to make me angry.
Ariel: Okay!
GM Claire: So what’s everyone going to do for the next two hours?
Msg: I’m going to find someplace quiet and use my Dread Sorcery to Bind a Shade and ask it exactly where in the Palace of Night this head is being kept.
GM Claire: You’re just busting out those Moves, aren’t you? Roll 2 dice + Mind again.
Msg: This time I get a total of 9. I succeed, but I guess I have to choose from my list of drawbacks here. I’m not going to be able to use Bind a Shade again until I rest. What’s the Shade say?
GM Claire: You summon the wailing shade of someone who died painfully in the Palace of Night after failing its masters. It tells you that a treasure of such value would be kept in the Vault, which is the 4th level down from the entrance level.
Elle: Meanwhile, I head out with my strumpets to do a “Gather Power” and get information about this Night of Song contest – when it starts, what the deal is with it, that kind of stuff. I’m going to tell my gang to watch and learn how this is done, which means if I succeed, I’ll get to add to my BOSS statistic.
GM Claire: Okay, Gather Power is + Heat. What do you roll?
Elle: 7, and I have +2. Paghla Perfidy and Needless Chourff are enlightened and impressed by my social skills, I guess. Now my BOSS stat is +1.
GM Claire: While asking around, you meet a guy named Gudgman the Parlous. He knows all about the Night of Song, because his sister entered the contest the last time they held it. He’ll tell you what he knows, but only if you promise to rescue his sister, who’s now stuck inside the Palace.
Elle: Uh-huh. Well, he’s already told me the contest is a risky proposition, since it apparently got his sister in hot water. But sure, I’ll promise that. What’s he got?
GM Claire: Well first he tells you all about his sister, Gervender. She’s small and slight and extremely beautiful, with rich dark skin and cherry-red eyes. Her hair is straight and black. Her passion for dancing took her into the contest, but even though she was really good, too many of the other dancers were better, and she lost. As for the contest, all kinds of artists and performers take the stage during the competition. Only beautiful people are allowed to take part. There are several minor winners and one Grand Victor, but also a lot of losers. The losers have to work for the Palace for a year and a day. The winners get to ask a boon of the Master of the palace, and the Grand Victor can ask for anything they want.
Elle: Does this Gudgman guy have any ideas about whether the competition is rigged? Or how somebody might get an advantage in it?
GM Claire: Well, the audience reaction is supposed to be the decider of who wins in each round and who loses. Parkhassian is the one who declares the audience’s judgment, so she could throw it one way or another if the amount of applause (or booing) isn’t obviously in favor of any particular performer. But if she goes against the crowd’s opinion, it will cost her credibility and make the event less popular.
Elle: Hmm.
GM Claire: Any other questions before Gudgman takes off?
Elle: Yeah – who’s going to be in the audience? How do you get an invite to watch?
GM Claire: There aren’t official invitations, but the staff watching the door will turn away anybody who isn’t clearly a member of the upper-crust of the River District’s elites.
Elle: Got it. Okay, I guess I’m done for now. I’ll scurry back to my place and jill off real quick before I head to Britzva’s Stiff Brewhouse.
GM Claire: Sash, Aers? How are you two going to go about your spying?
Sasha: I guess we’ll just go and watch it for a while and if there’s something that needs a closer look, I’ll make a scene getting angry at someone and Gazelle Girl can sneak in maybe. Do you think that’s a good plan, Aers?
Ariel: I trust you!
GM Claire: Okay, here’s a drawing of the place. This is the front, which is on the day side overlooking the bright part of the River District. Remember from the comic how the sun never moves in the city of Throne? So this side is always in daylight. There’s a stairway as wide as a street here leading up to the arrival plaza. The place is high on a peak of the outer wall, so from ground level, you can’t make out much beyond the arrival plaza.
Sasha: Really? That pisses me off.
Ariel: Do we want to go up the stairs, then?
GM Claire: There are guards at the base of the stairs. It doesn’t look like they’re keeping anybody from going up, because there are delivery people traveling up and down the stairs like it’s a public street. But it’s not crowded enough for you to get onto the stairs without the guards spotting you. It looks like they do stop people and talk to them now and then before waving them on.
Elle: You could always –
GM Claire: Shh! You’re not there.
Sasha: Ha ha! What about the back side of the place?
GM Claire: Getting over the wall to the night side isn’t as easy as just walking up to the front. If you’re going to get back to the Brewhouse in time, you’ll need to pay for public transportation there.
Sasha: How much is that?
GM Claire: One wealth.
Sasha: I have ... one wealth.
Ariel: I have zero wealth.
Sasha: We’re so poor! ARGH!
Ariel: Let’s just see what we can see on the front side. Why don’t you make that scene and I’ll see if I can sneak past the guards.
Sasha: I’m going to try to hail a cab near the bottom of the stairs and then raise a stink when they say how much it costs.
GM Claire: Hailing the cab is Ply the Market. Roll + Heat.
Sasha: 10!
GM Claire: Ooh, good roll. That actually means you can get it rarer, cheaper, more exotic, or dangerous.
Sasha: Would dangerous make it free?
GM Claire: Maybe. Are you picking dangerous?
Sasha: Yes!
GM Claire: A massive flying demon circles down from overhead and lands in front of you just before an approaching rickshaw can arrive. The rickshaw driver looks startled and veers aside. The demon says, “Us takes tha somewhere, yes?”
Sasha: I’ll wave Gazelle Girl over. And say, “Sure! We just want to fly around and have a look at the back side of this palace. What will it take for you to carry us?” Is it big enough to carry us both?
GM Claire: It definitely is. When Aers comes over, it looks her up and down and licks its lips and says, “Sweets and dainties! Carry you both for a night of company, we!”
Ariel: Um ...
Sasha: Hey, no drooling over the girl, mister!
GM Claire: It frowns at your outburst.
Sasha: Look, no touchy touchy with this one. But we’re in good with the Diabolical Strumpets Guild, and if you give us this ride and then take us to Britzva’s Stiff Brewhouse afterwards, I can get you two or three of their best for a night.
Elle: Hey! You can’t make promises for my gang!
GM Claire: Sure she can. You’re not there, and this is a “dangerous” deal. She can promise anything she wants. There may just be consequences if she doesn’t end up paying off her part of the bargain. The demon agrees and grabs you both up with a big, strong talon hand around your waists.
Ariel: I know I’m supposed to be really trusting, but this is making me nervous.
Sasha: I tell Grey-eyes to relax. I’ve got it under control.
GM Claire: Okay, the demon takes off, flapping its huge, ragged wings to haul all three of you up into the sky. You soar above the looming cliff of the outer wall and behind it into night. Just as there were canal rivers all over the River District in the day side, there are rivers of lights here, far below you, since it’s a bigger drop on this side of the wall than on the inside. The back side of the Palace of Night is even busier than the front side. There are freight elevators carrying things up and down from the ground level to different parts of the palace.
Ariel: Are any of them headed for that fourth level down from the top?
GM Claire: You don’t know about that. Matash hasn’t told you yet.
Ariel: Oh, sorry!
GM Claire: That’s all right. You basically see elevators going to two levels – the top level, and what looks like maybe the third level. It’s hard to tell exactly in the dark and from this distance.
Sasha: I ask the demon to fly close by an elevator headed to each level.
GM Claire: Okay. You swoop quickly past one that’s nearing the top level and see a couple of merchant carts full of goods. Probably supplies for the banquet. Then you glide lower for a pass by an elevator that’s on a different track that you think goes to that third level. That one is carrying a cluster of people with chains around their necks and wrists, surrounded by several heavily armed guards. One of the guards gestures angrily at you with a weapon and yells something, but you can’t hear what at this distance.
Sasha: I shout “Fuck you!” back at him. “It’s a free country!”
GM Claire: Well, really, it’s not, but you’re too far away for him to hear anyhow. The demon says, “Enough tha see? Now tasties for we?”
Sasha: Okay, yeah, take us to the Brewhouse.
Ariel: People in chains! That’s creepy! Do you think they’re slaves?
Sasha: Probably. Supharna said this Parkhassian chick was into some bad stuff.
Ariel: That’s awful! (See? I’m being better by acting surprised, even though Elle already heard that people who lose the contest get turned into slaves for a year.)
GM Claire: Good job. So – the demon gets you back to the Brewhouse after Matash and Sin-sing have arrived. The barkeep is very nervous that you’ve brought such a big demon into his place.
Sasha: I break the news that Sin-sing’s got to cough up a couple of strumpets for our demon.
Elle: Why exactly would I do that?
GM Claire: The demon bristles when it hears you say that. I mean, literally bristles, with big ugly spines going up along its back. You can see the barkeep getting even more scared.
Elle: Oh, great. So if I tell it no, I’m the bad guy and I’ll probably have to find another hangout when it busts this one up. Sigh. I guess I tell a couple of strumpets to go with him.
GM Claire: This is definitely an unappealing or demeaning task, so you’ll have to roll “Dirty Work” to get them to do it unless you join in yourself.
Elle: Mmm ... when you say it’s a huge demon ... is that like, huge in a muscular, sexy, well-endowed way?
GM Claire: You can’t really see much about its endowment. It has on a thick, leathery loincloth. But there’s a bulge there. Overall, it’s much more spiny than sexy, though. Spikes everywhere, even on its face and lips. You’re thinking maybe the bulge looks like it has some spines too.
Elle: I’ll make the Dirty Work roll. I roll a six ... whew, good thing I got that +1 on my BOSS to make it a seven!
GM Claire: Two of your strumpets go upstairs with the demon, looking nervous as they go. Which two are they?
Elle: Randy Sandy and Mouthy Mal. Sandy is known for liking it rough, and Mal uses her mouth really well in some cases but shoots it off too much in others.
GM Claire: Well, they’re upstairs with the demon now. What do the rest of you do?
Msg: I’m going to wait and see what everybody else says before I let on what I found out.
Ariel: I tell everybody what we saw. “This place is a slave dealership! We saw prisoners going up on an elevator at the back, chained up!”
Elle: Do you tell us about the different levels the elevator went to?
Ariel: Yes! I describe it all the best I can.
Elle: I’ll tell everybody what I know too. But I pretend I knew it all along, like anybody who’s anybody should have already heard all this stuff about the palace.
Sasha: What?! Why didn’t you tell us before, then? That really chaps my hide! Gazelle Girl and I risked our necks flying around with a demon and you already knew it all?
Elle: I just shrug. "Maybe you should have asked before you ran off."
Sasha: You’re the one who ran off to get your horny groove on!
Elle: Well if you weren’t so hostile all the time, I might have invited you like I did Matash, and then we all could have had a good time together instead of you guys wasting your afternoon.
Sasha: GRRR!
GM Claire: You hear some muffled squeals and shouts from upstairs while you’re talking, by the way.
Elle: I ignore it. My girls are professionals.
GM Claire: Remember to subtract one from your BOSS for the Dirty Work.
Elle: Yeah, yeah.
Msg: Okay, since everybody appears to be pretty forthcoming about what they learned, I’m going to tell them about the vault being on the fourth level down.
Ariel: So one level below where we saw the slaves being taken. Maybe we can go through that way and free a bunch of slaves, and not only will it create a distraction but it will also stop some of the slaverying.
Elle: You’re adorable. We’ll keep that idea in mind.
GM Claire: There’s a banging coming from upstairs now.
Elle: Like, a dangerous-sounding banging? Or, you know, banging banging.
GM Claire: That one.
Elle: I’ll still ignore it.
GM Claire: The barkeep is looking nervous again.
Elle: It’ll be fine.
GM Claire: We’re probably coming up on a good spot to end this session. Anyone have anything else they want to do before we call it?
Elle: Yes! We get a new power die at the start of next session, right? And we lose any power dice we have when the session ends?
GM Claire: Right on both counts.
Elle: First off, I’m going to call the whole gang in for a job we need to do.
GM Claire: Okay. While you’re waiting for them to gather, the banging from upstairs gets louder and louder and louder, and so do the squeals and shouts. Then there’s a loud crash and a groaning demonic roar, and you see some plaster fall from the ceiling near the bar, revealing a crack in the boards overhead. The groaning keeps going, and going, and you see a wet stain around the crack that grows until something thick and white starts dripping out. When it hits the ground, it spatters and sizzles. The bartender starts freaking out and grabs a big glass pitcher to put under the spot so the stuff doesn’t eat through his floor boards.
Ariel: Ew, is that ...?
Sasha: Demon spooge! Haha!
GM Claire: Randy Sandy and Mouthy Mal stagger downstairs, looking really roughed up, with their clothes all torn and stained and globs of gooey smoking stuff in their hair.
Elle: Okay, when the whole gang shows up, I’m going to make an example of Sandy and Mal by talking up what troopers they were taking that one for the team. That lets me use my “Mantra of the beast-headed god” to spend my power die on a roll that uses BOSS, which gives me an automatic success. I’m sending my Quick-Fingers girls from my Diamonds of the Rough ability to do more Dirty Work and steal all the super-fancy-looking clothing they can get their hands on. It doesn’t need to be real, it can be costume stuff or forgeries or whatever.
GM Claire: Okay, that counts as using Gather Power to get supplies. A 10+ means you gain a connection with a powerful group that’s positioned to get you what you want. I’m going to say your girls lift the keys to a ritzy clothier’s place and make off with about 30 fancy outfits.
Elle: More would have been better, but I guess I’ll take what I can get. Now I’m going to lead my gang out on another expedition to round up a bunch of ringers who can wear the outfits to get into the event tomorrow. Their job is going to be to clap and cheer for our side in the contest, and boo and grumble for the competition. I’ll spend 2 wealth along the way, and I’m setting an example for my gang again.
GM Claire: That’s Gather Power again, and you get to take +1 on the roll for spending wealth.
Elle: Cool. So this roll is +3 total, and I get ... 10, for a total of 13!
GM Claire: Ten and up is all the same result. You succeed, which lets you find an actors’ guild that can help, Pashthafa’s Players ... but for a price. They’ll want an additional 2 wealth to supply that many people for the night.
Elle: Ugh. That was an expensive proposition.
GM Claire: And you lose one BOSS for the Dirty Work of getting the clothing.
Elle: But I gain one from showing the gang how it’s done when you gather power, so it’s a wash.
GM Claire: Anybody else want to rush and spend your power dice before the end of the session?
Ariel: Ooh, I know! My sheet says I can spend a power die on my Mantra of Prim the Loyal to say, “Yes, and fortunately ...” about any situation you establish. So I say about the dripping spooge, “Yes, and fortunately there is a wandering alchemist in the bar who offers to pay the barkeep enough money for the spooge that he can repair all the damage!”
GM Claire: Nice!
Elle: Thanks. Hopefully that will keep the mishap from affecting our ability to use the place as a hangout.
GM Claire: Sasha? Msg?
Sasha: I’m looking at my sheet and I got nothing. I’ll just let the power die go.
Msg: I don’t have anything to spend a power die on, but if the group is calling it a night in-game, I’ll use some time that evening to do a dark ritual with my Geomancy. I’m going to try to spy remotely on Parkhassian.
GM Claire: Nice idea, but I get to name a drawback from this list, and I think I have to say it’s going to cost more in materials and money than you expected. You need something or someone that’s been in contact with Parkhassian to do that.
Msg: I guess that makes sense, or I’d just be able to spy on whoever the hell I wanted whenever. What if I try a second ritual to spy on Supharna, though? I’ve been in contact with her.
GM Claire: True! But I get to pick from one to four things from the list, and I’m going to say that you and your group will risk danger from Supharna if you do, because she might sense the spying somehow. You’ll also need help from Sin-sing Cherise ... since you put on your character sheet that her skill is extremely useful for you in your rituals.
Elle: Rowr! I’m up for that as soon as I and my gang get back from our errands!
Msg: Tempting, but I’m not sure I trust Sin-sing enough yet to reveal the extent of my powers to her. I think I’m good to end the session here.
Elle: Party pooper.
Msg: You just need to do a little more to earn my confidence, dear.
GM Claire: Right, then. The End of Session move goes like this. Discard all remaining power dice.
Ariel: Do I have to erase it from my sheet? I’m just going to get another one at the start of next session.
Sasha: So lazy!
GM Claire: Honey, you used your power die to solve the spooge problem, remember?
Ariel: Oh yeah.
GM Claire: But if you just had one, I’d be fine with you not erasing it. Continuing with the move ... there are three questions to answer: Did you fail in some regard?
Elle: Does nearly losing gang members and a hangout to burning demon spunk count?
GM Claire: Sure, why not. Next question, did you expose yourselves to danger, cost, or retribution through your actions.
Sasha: Yes! I deliberately chose the “dangerous” option when I hired that demon.
GM Claire: Check. Last question, did you progress your story in a meaningful way? By “story” here, I’m not just talking about the scenario, but the bigger story of the campaign, including things related to your goals.
Elle: Nothing on my goal.
Sasha: Mine either.
Msg: And we don’t even have a bigger campaign story in sight, so that’s a no.
Ariel: My goal is to defeat cruel predators ... does finding out the Palace of Night is involved in slavery count?
GM Claire: I’d love to say yes, because that’s a good point. But I don’t think you made meaningful progress toward defeating them. I can’t really give credit for a vague plan to maybe free some of their slaves ... even if it succeeds, that’s more of a minor setback to them than a defeat.
Ariel: That’s okay, I just wanted to know!
GM Claire: Which means a total of two yes answers, which means you each get two experience points.
Sasha: How much does it take to get to next level?
Msg: Our current level plus three, so four right now.
Ariel: Halfway there already! I like this game!
GM Claire: Good! Next time I think we’ll be able to finish the rest of the scenario, depending on what you do.
Ariel: Yay!
Msg: Good job as the GM, honey.
Elle: I agree.
Sasha and Ariel: Totally!
GM Claire: Thanks, guys. I had fun!so there you go, dear readers. with any luck, it won't take us another month to get around to playing again.
xoxo,
claire
