Graggar Stories, interlude

Please note, this post contains spoilers for the previous Graggar Stories.

...

First, now I've shared my early stories, on re-reading it's clear that the Graggar journal was written for me alone, and is lots of game notes, personal commentary and raw dice/adjudication text. Various podcasts and blogs handle the solo 'presentation' differently, and I think the better ones do "show their workings" (otherwise you are just reading a story) but blend them into a narrative better than I've done here. I decided to just publish the raw document that I'd written, rather than edit it into prettier prose, and hope you will indulge (and even appreciate) my learning and growing along the way. If you are new to solo, there is no right or wrong way to document your stories, and the journals/notes can just be for you, as mine were. Better to play and worry how it looks later, if ever.

Second, how can it be an interlude, when the main character is dead, you may ask? Well I was happy to let Graggar go into the afterlife because I was already looking at new systems to play with, partly for solo and partly for my IRL gaming group. We were playing a little Ten Candles, but that's not really what we were familiar with. Then my mate started up 5e D&D, so it became like the "gold rush" to get new games to the table. I was looking at PbtA (Powered by the Apocalypse) style games, and Simple World was a great springboard, but I was looking for something with a little more crunch (but not as much as Dungeon World yet!) Then I found:

World of Dungeons - https://www.dungeon-world.com/downloads/

So rather than convert Graggar to WoD, I waved him farewell. But he was to influence things further, as you will see.

Graggar Stories, Part 2

 

Graggar encounters a group of Goblins pursuing another group of human bandits who had robbed a shrine to the Luck deity. After running the Goblins off, Graggar and the bandits share a camp. The bandits give Graggar directions to the shrine, if he wishes to investigate it. He does, and after bidding the bandits farewell, he heads further into the Forest of Ghosts.

Are the Goblins back at the Refuge? Likely = Yes.

Are there any more Goblins? Unknown = No, but … mounts (Wolves)

Is there a dungeon underneath the overgrown shrine? (Likely) … Yes :)

Will the Goblins leave if Graggar waits a little while? Unknown. Yes!

Will the Wolves detect anything of Graggar in this short time? Unlikely. No.

Graggar sits in the undergrowth picking at his teeth with the skinning knife, watching the Goblins arguing about what to do next. There is a short scuffle, and the winner decides it’s time to go. They mount their Wolves and ride off in the opposite direction. Graggar gives them 10 minutes, then approaches the Shrine. He finds there was some sort of landslide trap resulting in a watery pit, and there are 2 human bodies floating in it. The water is apparently coming from underground, as the water is now sloshing over the sides of the pit, causing the corpses to roll and bump against the sides.

Anything useful on the bodies? Unlikely … No.

Graggar searches and finds that the wet mud has shifted and revealed a trapdoor nearby. He lifts it open and sees a set of steps leading down into a small natural cave. Dripping water is constant, and there is already an inch or so on the ground.

Discern Realities, Fail. No XP, this was just for colour. Graggar is unaware that this is a hiding place for dissidents against a once-worshipped god, beneath their enemy’s Shrine! The Shrine is for a Luck god, the dissidents favoured a Fate god, where all was predestined. The heretics were discovered and buried alive. Mostly Skeletons and Zombies, any boss type creature will be a smarter undead with powers or magic.

There are only 2 rooms:

Room 1: Entry cavern: Encounter yes (average), Treasure yes, Hazard no, Feature no

2 skeletons and 1 armoured skeleton.

The basic skeletons have 1 Harm and cause 1 Harm with their bony fingers.

The armoured skeleton has a sword, helm and shield, has 2 Harm and causes 2 Harm.

Fight/STR 4+2+2 is only Partial, the Armour Skeleton blocks the dagger with the shield and stabs into Graggar’s thigh for 2 Harm, but the Wildman’s cudgel smashes into its ribcage and the Skeleton falls into pieces. Graggar leaves the club in his foe’s body, pulls the sword from his leg and turns to face the other skeletons, who are now in grabbing range.

Fight/STR with +1 forward for Berserker 4+3+2+1 = full success! He smashes a blade into the skull of each remaining skeleton, splitting the heads in two. They clatter to the floor. Graggar retrieves his Cudgel and claims the Sword, then he taps the few pieces of skull out of the helmet, and with a satisfied grunt places it on his head. He finds 4 gold coins scattered under some rags in one corner, which became revealed when the rags floated away. The Armoured Skeleton was wearing a necklace with an Agate stone worth 30gp. Graggar bandages his thigh wound and is back to 5 Harm.

Room 2: Dark Cavern: Encounter, Treasure, Hazard and Feature all no.

Graggar has no source of light, and the water level in the tunnel beyond is rising fast. When he reaches the edge of the light shining through the trap door above, he has no clue how much further to press on, and the water is up to his knees. The echo of running water makes the caverns sound like a waterfall. Graggar shrugs and turns around and leaves, taking care on the slippery steps as water cascades down. Emerging into the daylight, Graggar sees that the ground outside beyond has turned into a quagmire, and he is forced to turn back and circle away and around the shrine. He receives 1 XP for his mini-adventure.

Does he encounter the Bandits again? Unlikely. No.

In the afternoon, he encounters an Event - Flood, lose a mount or pack animal. Instead we’ll say Graggar wanders accidentally too near to the flood site from before. He finds himself having to backtrack and circle yet again, and is exhausted and wet come nightfall. He consumes a ration and has to risk a fire tonight, or suffer penalties the coming days. Figuring the flood is some protection from one direction, he uses his last Explorer item as dry tinder to build a campfire, and twine to lash together branches as a shelter/shade.

Double encounter checks because of fire, no encounters. Graggar heals his exhaustion and last Harm injury from the food and rest.

The next day, he strikes deeper into the Forest. The daylight hours are uneventful, but cresting a rise just before dusk, Graggar makes out what appears to be a mine entrance.

Current state = Broken and ruined.

Contents = filthy animal leavings

In the last rays of sunlight, Graggar sees the spoor of unknown forest creatures, and supposes this might be a lair. He crosses the rise again and climbs a tree overnight. Extra encounter check for animal lair = 1, A giant serpent comes home for the night! The Snake can easily coil around a human, and has 4 Harm. It causes 2 Harm crush or bite.

Perception roll to spot, 2+2+0 = Total fail, 1 XP and Graggar decides that in the morning another look at the animal lair is worthwhile. Defy Danger PER to hear the slithering coils from inside the mine entrance. 2+6+0 = Partial. As the huge snake rears up, towering over Graggar, he stumbles and drops his Sword and Rations. He can flee or fight for his belongings! Graggar grabs his spare weapons and prepares for the snake’s strike.

Defy Danger (AGI) = 3+1+1 = Fail! 1 XP.  The snake loops around Graggar and squeezes …

Defy Danger (STR) = 2+2+2 = Fail! 1 XP. 2 Harm damage. Breathing is getting harder ...

Defy Danger (STR) = 6+4+2 = Success! He loosens the coils slightly and takes a breath.

Defy Danger (STR) = 1+1+2 = Fail! 1 XP. 2 Harm damage. Things look bleak ...

Defy Danger (STR) = 1+6+2 = Partial. He can get free or cause 2 Harm, at cost of 1 Harm. He opts to cause 2 Harm and go for broke. His vision is getting blurry as he raises his weapons!

Fight (STR) = 6+4+2 = Full success! 

Graggar bludgeons the snake in one eye and stabs his knife in the other. The snake hisses and thrashes, releasing Graggar who rolls out of the way, wincing at the pain in his ribs, and his head hits a rock and he blacks out …

Coming to, Graggar finds it is still morning. There are a few flies buzzing around the snake’s ruined eyes, but otherwise it is quiet. Graggar investigates the mine ...

Here I rule that there will simply be a snake nest and the remains of a dead traveller, in order to give Graggar the ability to explore underground if it ever happens. Snake Nest = 1d4-2 eggs worth 1 meal each = 2! Snake meat worth 2d4+1 rations = 8! Dead adventurer with a backpack containing 2d3 Explorer kit items = 2! Taking pity, I will decide this includes a separate Lantern, and if he wants to use it he needs the Kit for oil.

Graggar decides that he will make a shelter over the nest-cave and rest for the whole day. He takes a lunchtime meal of raw snake meat, then drags away the remains of the carcass. He makes a low fire for the evening in order to heat some rocks and cook one of the eggs. There is no disturbance overnight, and Graggar wakes having restored 3 Harm, now at 4. I decide a Giant Serpent counts as a “noteworthy enemy” and award 1 XP, level up!

New ability:

Camaraderie (#3) Talking to Warrior type NPCs in any situation will always have a chance to persuade them to your side - no Leverage needed to Parley.  

Graggar decides that he will move on in case the Snake had a mate.

After a few hours, he has another Encounter … Wolves (normal) 1d3 +1 = 2.

Graggar decides to throw 4 portions of snake meat to see if he can buy time to escape.

Defy Danger PER = 2+5 Partial, the wolves chow down with incredible speed and growl at him as he tries to back away … he can throw more of the snake or fight. He throws 1 more behind the wolves, and they turn their backs and snarl at each other, challenging for the food. Graggar backs away and the snaps and growls recede.

Do the Wolves follow (unlikely) 20 = Yes! Are they successful? Very Likely = Yes, But! They fought and only 1 remains. Graggar decides enough is enough and draws his weapons.

Fight (STR) 3+3+3 = 8, Partial. The Wolf bites the Wildman but takes a stab in exchange - whining and limping, the creature flees. Defy Danger STR for seriousness of injury.

3+1+2 = 6, Fail! 1 XP and it’s a serious leg wound, 2 Harm and movement/AGI reduced!

Graggar curses. He takes some time to look if this is a good place to camp and rest his leg.

Discern Realities INT 1+3-1 = Fail. 1 XP. He fears that the sounds of battle and trails leading to this spot make a bad campground, so he is forced to travel on at night and injured.

Effective moonlight? Unlikely = No, but … there will soon be a break in the clouds or trees allowing another Discern check. 2+3-1 = Fail. 1 XP. Graggar stops despite a close danger …

Terrain Event = toxic plants, can’t move for d4 days = 2. Graggar unknowingly lays down in an unusual grass strain, which makes his head spin and limbs shake if he walks for more than a minute or two. He slowly builds a shelter over the course of the first day, eating his snake egg and 1 ration before falling into a troubled sleep. It is almost dawn when a Forest Spirit drifts past his camp, and so Graggar will be at +3 = 5 Harm. 

Is the Spirit aware of Graggar. Very likely = Yes.

Has Graggar offended the Spirit. Unlikely =  No. 

Does the Spirit need help? Unknown = Yes!

Will the spirit help Graggar on his “quest” Very Likely = Yes.

What sort of quest is it? Mazy Paths

A translucent Forest Spirit called Kalimi is gliding through her domain, and comes across the sleeping Barbarian. Recently a forest hermit has been dabbling in dangerous fire magic and she wants it stopped. Kalimi decides to manipulate the forest into sending the Wildman in the direction she wants, and force a confrontation. But first she needs her puppet at full strength. She makes a healing potion from her magic and forest herbs, makes a small hole in the ground to form a puddle, and pours it in. Then she uses the language of beasts to find an injured hawk nearby. Studying the ground she determines where the Wildman came from, and uses magic to block off the trees except the direction she wants him to go.

Graggar awakes with a start, the faint smell of magic in the air - was it a dream? He can’t be sure. He can’t see or hear any movement or signs of activity. His leg is still aching and the wolf wound hasn’t fully healed but he feels well rested. He is idly chewing on a small piece of dried fruit when an injured hawk flies into the clearing, landing unsteadily with one crooked wing. It hops around and finds a small puddle and starts to drink. Graggar watches amazed as the wing repairs itself before his eyes. He hobbles over and the hawk takes flight - the pool still contains water, and Graggar drinks - it heals 1 Harm and removes his debility! Feeling completely refreshed he looks around and sees that the trees are impenetrable except for 1 direction with a clear route, so he takes it.

Let’s roll the base Encounter/Event/Feature where all action is related to the conjurings of a fire wizard. Smoke, Fire, Imps, and so on. We’ll roll 3/day encounters and 2/day others until we get a 2nd Feature, which will be the Hermit’s lair. Kalimi will divert the path to go through obvious (to her) foraging areas once per day, Graggar will get a PER check to notice.

Well, Graggar gets a Feature right away! At noon he sees a ruined cluster of buildings, which we see was a Cultural Purist Storehouse ruined on the surface by an earthquake. In the ruins will be an encounter and a treasure! The creature rolled is undead, fast and powerful, so I’m going to replace that with a jungle cat possessed by a fire breathing spirit! It will have Harm 5, do 2 Harm with breath or bite, and is fast and stealthy enough to surprise Graggar.

Defy Danger (PER) to notice the Fire Cat stalking him 3+4+0, Partial. The Fire Cat gets to within breath range when Graggar notices, so it breathes! Defy Danger (AGI) 3+1+1, Fail, 1XP. Takes 2 Harm from a gout of flame from the Cat’s maw! Graggar charges, and the cat with astounding agility leaps to the top of a support column. Graggar ducks behind a low wall as flames scorch overhead. Graggar decides to lob his knife. He throws a rock to try and distract the creature, then comes up at the other side of the wall.

Volley (AGI) = Partial, the knife slashes the flank of the Fire Cat, 1 Harm. But the blast of flame in return cracks the wall, which crumbles, leaving him exposed! Graggar decides to charge at the column in an attempt to collapse it! He braves the flames once more (Defy Danger AGI) 5+2+1 = Partial, He can choose to be at the bottom of the column unharmed, or take 2 Harm and smash the column. Graggar powers through the burn and smashes the column! The Fire Cat comes tumbling down but lands on all fours like nothing.

Odds are not great for Graggar now, but he fights! (STR) 2+5+2 = Partial, glancing blows.

Next round, Partial … Graggar’s chest is slashed open, and he drops.

Defy Death = Partial. Death comes to Graggar, says he has lived life according to the best Barbarian traditions of drinking, womanising, adventuring and reckless combat, and if he crosses over to the Afterlife he can have more of the same for eternity. Graggar accepts :)

Graggar Stories, Part 1

Graggar is a Wildman Barbarian from the Koshaar Steppes. After being caught abed with Fair Uleene, the Chieftain’s wife, as punishment they were both lashed to trees in the Forest of Ghosts. After 2 days of throats parched from lack of water and cursing the Chieftain, a fierce rainstorm swept over the Forest. Rain dripped in their throats and they gave savage cheers of elemental joy. They were to live another day. Then, sudden lightning crashed, splintering the tree to which Fair Uleene was strapped – Graggar briefly saw her eyeballs explode and steam erupt from her mouth, and then he watched in grim silence with gritted teeth as Uleene and the mighty tree fell toward him, then blackness.

Graggar awoke and found the tree he was lashed to had felled and been split in half. Averting his gaze from the crushed and blackened remains of Fair Uleene, he freed himself from his bonds, grabbed a thick branch to use as a cudgel, and staggered further into the Forest of Ghosts - eager to get away from his shame and his homeland, and into the lands of his ancestors’ fears.

Scarlet Heroes says roll 1/1d6 per “hex” for Encounter, then 1/1d8 for Event, then 1/1d8 for Feature. I rolled 1d6+2d8 and the first 1 came up on the d6 on the 2nd set. I’ll say that’s Day 2. Forest Encounter roll comes up Hungry Ghost which is rather appropriate, further reading says it’s basically a low level Zombie, 1 rolled d4 for enemies and got 4.

On the second day of wet, aimless and hungry wandering, Graggar enters a clearing, where he sees remains of a weeks-old campfire, and 4 bodies lying face-down around it with arrows in their backs. Graggar shakes his head at the thought of such a shameful death and moves forward to poke one of the corpses with his cudgel. As he does so, the 4 bodies rise, small insects from underneath scurrying and burrowing away from the sudden open air. Graggar’s nostrils flare, and he bellows a roar and swings at the nearest decaying face …

Luckily Graggar takes less damage from being outnumbered, so he’ll take 6 hits to die according to Simple World. He has a weapon and I’ll say the “Ghosts” do not, so the first round will be a straight Fight/STR roll.

2d6+STR = 5+3+2 = 10! I’ll say that’s enough to kill one and take no damage in return, but the Ghosts are now inside his weapon reach. Alternatively, I could have ruled 1 damage and kept them at reach. At this point I don’t really have any weapon rules, so it’s ruled by narrative, and a club is the same as a battleaxe right now (shrug)

… smashing the side of its skull and leaking brains onto the forest floor. A sigh that sounded like relief escaped the Zombie’s mouth, as it fell. The other corpses' hands were grasping at him now, but Graggar had been surrounded before and knew how to deal with a swarm. 

2d6+STR = 1+5+2 = 8! That’s 1 wound given and 1 received. Multiple enemies would normally cause extra damage. Graggar needs a better weapon or some armour or something. No idea what rules I’d use for this yet ;) Next round …

2d6+STR = 3+3+2=8! Graggar fells a Zombie but takes another point of Harm. He’s now at 2 opponents with 2 Harm each, and 4 Harm himself. Next …

2d6+STR = 2+2+2=6! Failed to do damage and takes 1. This is bad. But it is 1 XP.

2d6+STR = 6+2+2=10! DW (Dungeon World) rules say you can opt to do extra damage if you are willing to receive some. I think instead I’ll Put Him In A Spot after the kill and have Graggar slip and need to Defy Danger to mix things up a bit. One Blog I read said the first failure shouldn’t cause damage and that feels a good idea. 

The last Zombie hisses and shoves at the wildly swinging Graggar who slips in the wet leaves. The foul creature looms over his neck, mouth wide ...

2d6+DEX = 6+1+1=8! DW says Worse Outcome, Hard Bargain or Ugly Choice. It has to be worth at least regular damage to counter the trade-off earlier. I’ll say he either takes a potentially diseased scratch and retrieves his weapon or scrabbles free safely and loses his weapon. 50-50 chance, dice says he drops the club getting free. Going into the fight it’s Graggar with 3 Harm vs Z with 2. 

As a Barbarian, Graggar is going to grapple the last Z and try to rip it apart. This sounds like a Defy Danger STR with some real consequences. 

2d6+STR = 2+1+2=5! We’ll say the Z is now attached to his neck, doing 1 Harm and not letting go!  1 XP.

2d6+STR = 3+3+2=8! 1 Harm damage each, 1 Harm each left …

2d6+STR = 5+4+2=11! Absolutely down to the wire.

Graggar puts aside all thoughts of contracting undeath or disease and puts his hands into the Zombie’s mouth right up to the knuckles. Straining his fingers in opposite directions he pushes and pulls against the Zombie’s unnatural bite. And finally with the last ounce of his strength, he rips the Z’s head in half. Fatigued, he collapses to his knees, but raises his head and roars in triumph. 

A short while later, Graggar spots a glint in the ruins of the last Zombie’s face. A pair of gold teeth! (5gp). Graggar smashes the creature’s mouth and pockets the precious molars. Searching the bodies and surroundings reveals a flint and tinder (GM fiat) so he decides to build the campfire and try to forage, then rest. He is wet, hungry and weak from blood loss. 

2d6+PER = 2+4+0=6! There is no successful hunting or gathering.  1 XP.

Graggar collects firewood and warms himself for an hour before climbing a tree and wedging himself in between the branches for safety.

Such poor quality rest will only restore 1 Harm (food, healer or herbalist etc would allow more). 1d6 for an overnight encounter shows nothing comes. Graggar decides he should rest and forage further afield. 

Morning encounter 1/1d6 = no. Forage = 2d6+PER = 5+5+0=10!

Graggar ranges further from the camp and is delighted to find a small pond where some water-birds made their nest. Chasing the birds away, He is able to collect 5 eggs and catch some tiny fish in the broad leaf of a nearby plant. Planning to return to his camp, Graggar suddenly becomes aware that he is not sure which way to go …

2d6+PER = 5+4+0=9! Success at a cost.

Graggar picks the right direction but makes poor time delicately carrying his weapon and slippery, fragile supper. Extra encounter roll 1/1d6 = no. Encounter in evening, no. Encounter at night, no! Graggar cooks the eggs and fish on a flat heated stone around his fire and safely sleeps in his tree. Now at 4 Harm, Graggar feels he has foraged out the local area, and it’s time to move on.

1d6 + 2d8 come up with no 1s in 3 tries, but a Forage roll is Fail, so let’s say he’s rested overnight (heals to 5 Harm) and rule during the morning he encounters a pit trap concealed by leaves, needs Defy Danger DEX to avoid … Fail.  1 XP. Let’s say it’s fairly deep so it’s serious, 2 Harm. Next a STR Defy Danger to climb out, which is a Partial. Let’s say he dislocated his shoulder, and either needs to ram it back into the socket (1 Harm) or have a useless arm until he can get proper healing. Graggar decides the pain is worth fixing his arm, and is now at 2 Harm. Graggar stumbles back to his camp, hungry and hurt with the day only just starting.

Was the trap set intentionally? Unlikely. 18 = Yes!

Will they come and check today? Likely. 11 = Yes.

Who? Human / Goblinoid 50-50. Goblinoid.

Goblin 1-3 Orc 4-5 Bugbear 6. Goblins, 1d4 = 3!

Perception to hear them coming = 2+4+0 = Complete Fail.  1 XP. They aren’t sneaking so this will just be a straight up fight. The Goblins have basic weapons and armour and stats.

Round 1 Fight/STR = 6+6+2=14! Insta kill 1 puny Goblin. TAKE HIS WEAPON!

Round 2 Fight/STR = 4+2+2 (+1)=9! Kill 1 more Goblin but wounded by the other. 

Does the last one stay? 50-50. No! Last Goblin flees.

Do they have any provisions? Likely. 20 = Yes! 1d2 meals = 2 meals.

Treasure? Unlikely. No.  

Medicine? Unlikely. No.

I’ll rule they have a small set of equipment with them (“explorer pack 2 uses”) eg rope, snares, bait, skinning knife. Graggar can now collect a second light weapon, a rusty dagger.

Graggar decides to move on in the opposite direction (1d6 = no encounter) before taking a meal and a short rest (+1 Harm). Before making evening camp however, there is an encounter! He begins at 2 Harm remaining. 2d2 Bandits = 4! They are scouting, and a snake-eyes roll on the “attitude” chart shows that they believe Graggar is who they are searching for! At least 1 round before any chance of Parlay.

Fight/STR 5+2+2 = 9. Graggar takes 1 Harm and fells a Bandit. The Bandits call him by a name he does not recognise, as they regroup to come at him again. Graggar gets a PER roll to notice, and attempt to break out of Combat mode and begin Parlay.

DOUBLE SIX! Despite his berserker mindset, he bellows that he is a Koshaar called Graggar and not this man they seek, but if they seek death he will oblige! The Bandits’ eyes narrow … Graggar Defies Danger with WIL and can add his Intimidate bonus:

6+4+1+1 = full success!

The Bandits lower their weapons.

Is the downed Bandit dead? Unknown. No, but “a fact the hero believes is wrong”. Graggar offers to build a funeral pyre in the custom of his tribe, which angers the Bandits - “He’s still alive, you savage!”. WIL roll to see how Graggar acts ...5+2+1 = Partial. Neutral result. He decides to simply wander off into the Forest again while the Bandits tend to their comrade.

Graggar finally makes camp and eats his last meal, restoring to 3 Harm. No night encounter.

The next morning he decides to move further before finding a spot to set traps and forage. There are no encounters or events, so around noon:

PER roll = 6+2+1 = Success at a cost, he finds 1d2 = 1 meal but his snares were damaged by the large rat he caught. He spends the afternoon collecting wood, building a fire, preparing his meal and sharpening his dagger on a stone. He also collects a new Cudgel, even though his old one has served him well. No encounter in the evening, or the night, so Graggar is:

5 Harm out of 6, owns 2 poor quality weapons, 5gp in gold teeth, 1 “explorer item” in a bag and no meals. But he is alive, with full belly, and not strapped to a tree. He has Total 5 XP.

The next day and night passes uneventfully, the Foraging is a snake-eyes!  1 XP. So his traps are ripped up by some large beast passing by. Due to hunger, Graggar’s rest does not restore any Harm. However, I declare that 6XP is enough to level up!

New ability:

L2 Eyes of Fury (#2) If fighting a magic using enemy and your eyes meet, they flinch from their attack. You get +1 to any Defend, Defy, Fight etc that apply under these circumstances.

The next day, Graggar’s “luck” is about to change, as the morning’s dice come up 1s for Encounter, Feature and Event!

Encounter = Goblins 2d4 = 5

Twist = Avoid a Hunter (local authority) Hunters 2d4 = 8!

Condition = Normal (no wounds or morale adjustment)

Event = Wet Season = Raging Torrent - must move back next turn

Feature = Heretic Refuge (Rebels, Worship Site, Choked By Vegetation, trapped)

Are the Goblins sneaking or running from the hunters? 50-50 = Running.

Does Graggar encounter the Goblins first? Likely. No, but … a fact is wrong?

Are the Goblins chasing the Hunters for desecrating their shrine? 50-50. Yes!

Range of encounter 2d6 = 4, very close!

Do the Humans stop when they see Graggar? Unknown. Yes.

How far behind are the Goblins, 2d6 = 4, not far at all!

Graggar hears a great crashing coming fast, he’s not the hiding sort so he stands ready. A group of 8 humans, soaked through but lightly armoured and carrying spears and hammers burst through into the small clearing, and stop when they see the burly Wildman. They look around uncertainly and move away from the tree edge they came from, as another crashing sound is heard. The Goblins enter the clearing. Weapons are brandished, insults are thrown.

Hunter Condition = Normal (no wounds or morale adjustment)

Did they set off the Feature trap? 50-50 = Yes. They lost 2 men.

Discern realities (INT) = 3+5-1 = 7, Partial Success = 1 question:

What happened here recently?

Graggar sees one of the Humans is carrying a small effigy tucked into his belt, but it looks like the image of a Goblin god. This suggests the Humans are tomb-raiders and the Goblins are chasing the Thieves.

Is the God/effigy one that Graggar knows? Unknown = Yes

Is it an Evil god? No!

Graggar puts together that the Goblins were protecting a shrine to a neutral Luck deity. He has no particular investment in this battle, but the Humans attempt to sway him to their side in the imminent conflict. He is inclined to assist, as he loves battle, and robbing shrines sounds like the sort of thing he wants to do. Will he help? Likely = No, but … he charges the Goblins! The Hunters follow his lead, and (Intimidation) 1+5+1+1 = 8, Partial. Good enough, the Goblins flee, and Graggar stops his charge, laughing. The Hunters follow suit. They agree to walk together a small way and share a noon campfire and talk of their adventures.

Do the Hunters give Graggar some supplies? Likely. No, but … they will trade. He trades the gold teeth for 5 Rations and 1 use of Bandages (heals a single wound of 1 or 2 Harm). They also give him directions to the Refuge if he wishes to investigate it. He does, and after bidding the Hunters farewell, he heads further into the Forest of Ghosts.

"Graggar stories" continues in the next post!

Graggar Stories, setup

Graggar's Story was my first attempt at solo roleplaying.

I had the concept of a Barbarian type character (Graggar) and a simple opening scene that would get him on the path to adventure. I used very limited resources:

Systems and references:

Simple World - https://buriedwithoutceremony.com/simple-world

Dungeon World - https://www.dungeon-world.com/

Scarlet Heroes - https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/127180/scarlet-heroes

My laptop at the time was too old to handle Hexographer, so I used:

Mapper: GM Friend - https://rhysmakesthings.com/gm_friend/

I came up with this little map of the region I called Koshaar, and Forest of Ghosts:

Character Creation:

Assign points to 5 stats.

Choose 3 "Specialities" relating to your character concept: Physical, Mental and Social.

Choose 4 Abilities relating to your specialities, gain 1 each level. Once you have 2 (or 4, or 6 etc) in each, you can increase a Stat or Harm instead at the next level.

With this brief startup, I present Graggar - the fightingest, drinkingest, womanisingest man in the North.

Graggar, a Human ‘Wildman’ Barbarian from the Koshaar Steppes.

Stats:

Strength +2

Agility +1

Willpower +1

Intelligence -1

Perception +0

Level 1

Max Harm 6

Specialties:

#1 Win or Die (Physical)

#2 Distrust of Magic (Mental)

#3 Always get your way (Social)

Abilities:

L1 Never Tell Me The Odds (#1) Reduce the extra damage taken when outnumbered in melee.

L1 Detect Magic (#2) Concentrate to detect if a magic effect is nearby, at +1 to PER.

L1 Intimidation (#3) When threatening someone in a neutral or friendly situation, +1 to WIL

L1 Berserker (#1) If you kill an enemy and take his weapon, you get +1 forward using it on the next melee attack (in the same battle)

"Graggar stories" begins in the next post!

Launch

Welcome, Reader.

This is going to be primarily a solo RPG session blog.

I've decided to try and "give back to the community" by posting some of my solo adventures. I've enjoyed many hours of blogs, podcasts and videos from many talented individuals, and if anyone at all gets a little entertainment from my stories then that's good enough for me.

I've been playing TTRPGs (with some breaks) since the early 80's by my reckoning. The home PC industry was booming and I was totally into it. So when my friend at school suggested we play a game with heroes, wizards, monsters etc, I naturally assumed he was talking about a ZX80 game.

Instead he showed me red-box D&D. The rest, as they say, is history. I borrowed his set and tried to run it for my mother. She was game. This newbie GMs first mistake was to assume that "moving west" would involve the party moving 1 square west on the map. And then, you needed to arrive exactly on the room number depicted on the map to start the encounter. So the first corridor and room were pretty long ("go west ... go west ... go west again") and dull ("this part of the room is empty") as you might expect. 

In secondary school, the library had the AD&D 1st edition DMG and PHB. I started meeting more friends with the same interests, including one friend (sadly moved away and lost contact) who had cupboards full of all the old school classics like Tunnels and Trolls, Traveller and RuneQuest - and board games galore. I would end up buying some of the classic adventures (Temple of Elemental Evil, Against the Cult of the Reptile God) as well as games (Paranoia and Dragon Warriors), and homebrewing my own games (Mortal Kombat, Monkey Magic) but 1e AD&D was the game we all played most.

At some point we joined the work force and the games slowly dried up. Jobs and girls.

Roll forward until just a little before Covid. I think it was Geek And Sundry on Twitch that I stumbled across, and they were doing some actual plays, and oh the nostalgia! The one I most leaned into was Ten Candles, which is a shared storytelling game set in a world where the sun has gone dark. Most important? Almost no prep. I tentatively messaged my old gaming buddies who were still local ... "I know this is not the sort of game we used to play, but is anyone interested?"

It went amazing.

Then my friends started to dig up and dust off their own games.

At some point in all this, I found the Roleplay Rescue blog and podcast - it's premise is "how to get back to the table" so I listened along, and occasionally the host would dabble in solo gaming. Boom, addicted. So here we are today.