The Sad Tale of Rolf and Padraig

During my RPG experiments in the summer of 2020, I ran a short-lived solo campaign using a set of home-brew rules called Paladin's Quest. My characters were a paladin named Padraig and a ranger named Rolf.

I posted their adventure on my LARP blog, called the Paladin's Path. When I re-organized that blog, I removed those posts, which I now regret. I should have moved them here.

Anyway, I thought I'd give a run-down of their adventures.

• Our heroes, Padraig and Rolf, began their adventures as scouts for the Duke of Palomia. One day, they stumbled on an abandoned castle. They found that it had been taken over by monsters! They had to search the grounds, battling goblins and bandits along the way, before they found a key to the keep. They investigated the keep and encountered an ogre. In an epic battle that left them severely wounded, they managed to kill the ogre.
• Concerned about the incursion of monsters, they rushed back to the Duke's capital. They took a shortcut through a mountain pass. They found a Ducal outpost destroyed and then had to fight their way through a variety of monsters. At the far end of the pass, they spotted a wyvern attacking another outpost. They rushed to the outpost's aid and managed to drive off the beast.
• They reported to the Duke. He informs them that another scout is missing, and he orders them to search for the scout. They make their way to an isolated village. It is overrun by zombies and spiders. Rolf tracks the missing ranger to the spider's lair. They kill the queen, but the scout is dead. Note - I started using missions from Rangers of Shadow Deep.
• Searching for the source of the monster incursion, our heroes find a tower overrun by gnolls. They battle to the top, and find a shadow knight. Alas, he defeats them. Note - Rather than killing them off, I decided to give them a chance to escape.
• They awake deep in a mine. Monsters are forcing prisoners to work. Padraig and Rolf overwhelm some orcs and steal their weapons. They fight their way to the mine entrance, but once again the shadow knight confronts them. Alas, both fall to the knight. Note - well, they failed. I'm not giving them another chance.

And that ends the story of Padraig and Rolf. RIP.

More RPG Fun

I guess I'm now on an RPG kick.

After running an experiment last weekend, I spent some time elaborating on my MicroQuest RPG rules. Previously, they were very bare bones, but I fleshed them out. I think I'm close to a final version.

Traits vs. Attributes

One aspect of Tiny D6 that I liked was the use of traits instead of attributes. Instead of rolling for Strength, Intelligence, etc., you just choose any noteworthy physical characteristic as a trait. For example, a fighter might have the Strong trait.

One problem with Tiny D6 traits is that the traits are binary - a character either has it or he doesn't. Given that class skills are also expressed as traits, this means characters don't really progress in their primary field. I want characters to be able to level up. 

Applying Traits to MicroQuest

Here is how I apply traits to MicroQuest.

• Characters will still have classes (I call them professions) and levels
• Characters start with 2 positive and 1 negative attribute-related traits
• Example: A character might be intelligent and wise, but weak
• Additional traits, like backgrounds, are also possible.

The MicroQuest Character Sheet
Based upon my application of traits, my character sheets now begin with a description.
[Name] is a [race] [level title] [class] who is [trait] and [trait] but [trait].

Here are a couple of examples:

• Tweedle is a human apprentice (level 2) wizard who is smart and agile but foolhardy.
• Dunh is a human novice (L1) warrior who is burly and hardy but ignorant.

I like this so much more than a D&D style stat block.

I flesh out characters with additional traits, equipment, and combat stats, but I'll cover those in a later post.

Tweedle Returns

A Tweedle & Dunh Adventure

Some time after ignominiously fleeing from the Chasm of Evil, Tweedle cajoles his friend Dunh into a second attempt.

"After all, heroes don't give up," Tweedle declares.

🎲🎲🎲

They proceed through the catacomb, climb a rope down the pit, and once again enter the caverns. This time, they make a left turn.

Rats

They enter a room (1) with 5 putrid. zombified rats.

Tweedle immediately casts Mirror Image and 6 other Tweedles appear. Confused, the rats hesitate. Tweedle manages to take out 3 with one sweeping blow and Dunh mops up the rest.

Our heroes turn right and enter a room (2) with a sinister altar. A feeling of dread overwhelms Tweedle. Five winged zombie rats swoop at our heroes. They swarm on Dunh until he collapses of his wounds. Tweedle is about to run, but he cannot leave his friend behind. He slays a few of the rats; the rest flee.

Tweedle binds Dunh's wounds and gives him a restorative potion. Dunh recovers.

As Dunh recuperates, Tweedle suggests that they leave the caverns. But Dunh reminds him, "Heroes don't give up."

They search the altar room and find a gold-bound book. Tweedle puts it in his bag.

Dunh is reluctant. "I don't know about that," Dunh states. "It looks, um, it looks..."

"Sinister, corrupt, malevolent, nefarious?" Tweedle suggested.

"I guess. Is that the same as bad?"

"Don't worry," Tweedle lied. "I'll cast a protection on us."

This consoles his friend and they continue.

Skulls and Bones

They pass through some winding corridors (3-4) and enter a room (5) with 2 floating skulls. 

The skulls swoop at our heroes. Fortunately, they attack Tweedle's mirror images, dispelling two of them. Dunh steps up and with a mighty swing, shatters one skull. The duo manage to corner the second. Both hit simultaneously, crushing the skull.

Passing through a corridor (6) they come to a crypt (7). They feel a malevolent presence. Tweedle's mirror images suddenly scream in fright and flee from the room. Tweedle's primary defense is gone.

The Necromancer.

Proceeding forth, they handily defeat a skeletal archer (9), pass through an empty room (10), until they find another crypt (11). A robed figure holds a staff over a coffin muttering incantations. He turns to face our heroes.

Illustration from Micro Chapbook

"You are too late to stop me!" the figure cackles. Suddenly, two skeletal warrior rise from the coffins.

One rushes Tweedle and slashes him across the ribs with a rusty sword. Tweedle recoils in pain. Dunh, however, parries and with a mighty swing decapitates the other skeleton. It collapses with a rattle of bones.

Dunh turns to help Tweedle.

"Don't mind me!" Tweedle shouts. "Get the necromancer!"

Dunh rushes the robed figure, who is in the midst of more incantations. Dunh gets to him first. The necromancer raises his staff to parry. Dunh swings and slices the staff in half. His blade passes through and slashes the necromancer, who stumbles back.

The necromancer counters, using the shards of his staff as clubs. Dunh blocks with his shield and counters, but his foe dances out of the way.

Tweedle, hard pressed by the skeleton warrior, calls out, "Hurry, I can't hold him much longer!"

Dunh redoubles his attacks. Slice, stab, feint, lunge. But the necromancer avoids all the blows.

Dunh hears Tweedle cry out in pain. There is no time to lose!

Dunh decides on a desperate measure. He throws his shield at the necromancer. Confused, his foe sidesteps. At this very moment, Dunh grasps his sword with two hands, leaps forward, and cleaves downward. The blade strikes the necromancer on the head, and then splits him all the way to his heart. A fountain of blood sprays over Dunh. He hears a clatter of bones.

Note - I may have embellished some of the details :)

Turning, Dunh sees his wounded friend with a pile of skeletal remains at his feet.

Dunh binds Tweedle's wounds and then they search the room. They find a handful of gold pieces and a potion. However, Tweedle looks dejectedly at the splintered staff.

"Tsk, what a pity," Tweedle says. "It appears that it was magical."

"Wonderful! More treasure!" Dunh exclaims.

"I said 'was,'" Tweedle replies. Dunh looks sheepish.

🎲🎲🎲

Upon returning to their village, Tweedle shows the gold-bound book to "Doc," his master and mentor.

"I think I may be able to learn some new spells from it!" Tweedle declares excitedly.

"No!" Doc sternly pronounces as he grabs the tome. "It is not wise to dabble with dark arts beyond your ken. Let me examine it first."

Reluctantly, Tweedle agrees.

After many days, Tweedle becomes impatient. Since his return, Doc has said nothing about the book. That night, Tweedle sneaks into his master's room, intent on "borrowing" the book for a quick read. But as soon as he touches the gold cover, a voice begins calling out "Alarm! Alarm!"

Tweedle hears Doc clear his throat behind. Tweedle turns.

"As I suspected. Well, we will talk about this in the morning."

Stay tuned for the further adventures of Tweedle and Dunh

🎲🎲🎲

Game Notes

Today's adventure comes courtesy of Micro Chapbook.

I'm not using the rules themselves. I ran this adventure using my own fast-play dungeon crawl rules called MicroQuest. However, Micro Chapbook features 5 short, random dungeons. I used the first one. It gave quite an exciting adventure.

I made the map using Dungeon Map Doodler, a free, online dungeon mapper. I like how it looks, very old school, but I need to play with it more to grasp all the features. For example, I really wanted to make the rooms rough caverns, but haven't figured out how to do that yet.

RPGADD and Tiny D6

Last week I made significant progress on the rules for a homebrew 2D6 system. In a fit of RPG ADD, I have now abandoned those rules. I now find myself considering the Tiny D6 system.

What is Tiny D6?

Tiny D6 is a minimalist, generic, and universal RPG ruleset. The author has published variants for multiple settings: fantasy, sci-fi, post-apocalyptic, Cthulhu, and others. For more information, check out their webpage.

Character creation is simple. A player specifies a "heritage" or archetype, some traits, weapon proficiency, and background info. A character sheet can fit on a 3 x 5" index card!

Task resolution is equally simple. 

• For a standard test, roll 2D6. You succeed if either die is a 5 or 6.
• If your character has an advantage, roll 3D6, succeeding if any die is a 5 or 6.
• If your character has a disadvantage, roll 1D6, succeeding on a 5 or 6.

What's "Wrong" with Tiny D6

I discovered it a while back, but discarded it because a couple features irked me.

Advantage / Disadvantage
This seems to be a trend in RPG design, and I hate it. If you've read about my MicroBattle rules, you may be asking "Doesn't your rules have advantage / disadvantage?" Well, I use the terminology but the mechanic is different. My advantages and disadvantages are simple modifiers to the die roll. The trend is to roll additional dice and keep the best for advantage or worst for disadvantage.

I understand that the common advantage / disadvantage mechanic simplifies math. The problem I have is that it reduces granularity. Think about how it is used in Tiny D6:

• A test with disadvantage will succeed 33% of the time
• A standard test succeeds 56% of the time
• A test with advantage succeeds 70% of the time.

That's it. There are 3 possibilities. Heck, if I just use a simple D6 roll I have 6 possibilities!

Skill Systems

In days gone by, I had an interest in skill-based RPGs, such as GURPS. The idea of creating exactly the character I want appealed to me then. The problem with skill-based systems is that they can make for longer character sheets. It can get absurd. "Sorry, you can't use the restroom unless you took the toilet trained skill!" OK, that's an exaggeration, but I see a bit of that in Tiny D6. For example, you don't get a benefit from using a shield unless you take the Shield Bearer skill.

Why I'm Considering It Now

Despite these flaws, I'm giving it a second glance. I'm considering running a Halloween scenario for my wife and brothers. Since I plan to do it as a one-shot, I want something quick and simple. Tiny D6 certainly fills the bill there.

I'm not sure it would work for long-term play, but that's not really the goal right now. And for solo play, MicroQuest works best for me.

Kevin's Quest

The Year of GADD

This must be the year of gamer's attention deficit disorder (GADD). So far, I've started and stalled out on projects with chariots, galleys, horse & musket skirmish, Byzantine skirmish, and African exploration. This week, I turned back to RPGs.

Me and RPGs

I have a long history of experimenting with roleplaying games. A couple of months ago, I mentioned that I was toying with running an online campaign with my brothers. At the time, I was pondering which system to run. Unhappy with the commercial options, I did a short experiment with a 2D6 system. I've played around with 2D6 before (here are some examples).

Kevin's Quest

I had a burst of inspiration this week and began jotting down rules for a 2D6 system. I began calling the rules Kevin's Quest.

Origins of KQ

These rules are certainly not original. They have many inspirations. I drew on a number of rules that use a 2D6 system, such as

• Traveller
• Barbarians of Lemuria
• PDQ
• QUERPS

Furthermore, old school D&D has an influence. I may gripe about D&D (and there are quite a few flaws worthy of griping about) but the basic structure is very solid. 

• Some positives about old school D&D:
• Character creation is straightforward
• Roll attributes, pick a class, roll hit points and gold, then buy equipment.
• The BECMI edition added some general skills, which I like.
• Combat is straightforward
• Roll to hit, then roll damage if successful.

Some Features of KQ

• Characters are created by determining
• attributes (strength, dexterity, intelligence, charisma),which range from -1 to 5 with 0 representing the average
• race and profession (similar to D&D)
• combat skills (fight, shoot, and magic, health) determined by profession, and
• general skills.
• Health starts low (average around 5) and remains low across levels. I want to avoid hp bloat.
• To give some staying power to PCs, I give luck points, which can negate hits.
• Combat is based on 2D6 + modifiers >= Difficulty. Average difficulty = 7.
• Monsters do not roll to hit. Instead, players roll to defend their characters from damage.
• While shields affect the difficulty of hitting, armor does not. Instead, it absorbs damage.

The Experiment

Rather than try out a full-blown dungeon, I decided to experiment with a handle of encounters. I rolled up 2 characters - a ranger and a warrior.

Here are their fights:

1. 8 giant rats. The PCs managed to kill 3 rats but were themselves overwhelmed.
2. Reduce to 4 giant rats. This time the heroes win. The warrior takes a hit, but negates it with luck. OOPS. I just realized that I forgot to reduce damage due to armor!
3. 2 orcs. The heroes kill the orcs but the warrior takes a light wound.
4. An ogre. The heroes roll real well, and manage to win unscathed.

In general, I think the rules work. I don't plan on using them for solo RPGing. MicroQuest, my RPG version of MicroBattle, works better for solo play. However, I would like to use KQ if I run a game with my brothers.

Oh, nearly forgot. I need to work on magic rules.

Wild: Serengeti - My Kickstarter Adventure Begins

Taking the Plunge

It's ironic that a mere few days after Kaptain Kobold wrote about taking the plunge with Kickstarter, I'm kind of doing the same. Technically, it's not my first Kickstarter - I previously backed some RPG where you play anthropomorphic cats. But I pledged for a PDF copy, which I received, rather than a physical product. Today, however, I'm going for a physical item, a board game.

How I Found It

I found this by pure serendipity. I was perusing the RPG Pub and came across this topic about a game of African exploration. That's not the game I pledged. Instead, the thread sparked an interest in African exploration games. While I was searching, I stumbled across this game...

The Discovery

It's called WILD: Serengeti.

I immediately fell in love with all the animal meeples. As I read more, I realized that it's a perfect game for my animal-loving wife. Apparently, your character goes around shooting the animals . . . on film. Yep, your character is a documentary filmmaker.

Anyway, I immediately backed it. Now I just need to wait 10 months to get it.

Now back to the original search

I'm still looking for African exploration games. I'd really like to find one similar to Source of the Nile, but with a smaller map and about an hour playtime.