play.tex

\section*{So It Goes}

\begin{multicols}{2}

\begin{description}\sffamily
  \item[\Gls{gm}:] You'll start in \pgls{broch}, as usual, but this week it's covered in flecks of white as snow falls.

  \item[Player 1:] Wasn't it raining last time? Are we jumping time again?

  \item[\Gls{gm}:] Yes -- thirty days passes every session.  And as usual
  we'll start in \pgls{broch} --- one of the \gls{guard} towers which sit
  between \glspl{village}.  Mark off any rations or \glspl{ingredient} from
  last session -- if your character hasn't eaten them then they've gone rotten.

\end{description}

\bigLine

Scheduling becomes much easier when you just run a game with anyone who's
there, so each game has to conclude the current mission, and end with
\gls{downtime} as the \glspl{pc} split up and go about their own business
before the next group of \glspl{guard} convenes.

\bigLine

\begin{description}\sffamily
  \item[\Gls{gm}:]
  The \Gls{jotter} wants a report from last week.  What did you do?

  \item[Player 2:] Well, Grogfen helped a trader getting to town\ldots (but I
  don't want to tell her about entering a town, or the \glsentrylongpl{sp} she
  paid us).

  \item[\Gls{gm}:] Remember, she has a record of when Grogfen left the
  \gls{jotter} who gave her the mission.  So how will you explain how long the
  mission took?

  \item[Player 2:] With lies\ldots?  Can I just roll this one?  I don't feel
  like coming up with something myself.

  \item[\Gls{gm}:] Sure.  You just need to keep it consistent with what she
  knows.  Roll \roll{Intelligence}{Deceit} at \glsentrytext{tn}~9.

  \item[Player 2:] \twoDice{7} Okay, that's a `9', so\ldots
  \item[\Gls{gm}:]
  That's a tie, I'm afraid.  You got what you wanted (you keep the money), but
  \Gls{jotter} Cartpike thinks you're lying.  The two of you end up in an
  argument, but she doesn't have any evidence for her accusations.
\end{description}

\bigLine

\noindent
Whenever the characters try to accomplish something with a little
danger, the player rolls:

$$2D6 + \underbrace{Attribute + Skill} ~vs~ \glsentrytext{tn}$$

\noindent
When players roll above the \gls{tn}, their character succeeds.  When they roll
below, the character fails, and the danger occurs.  When they roll a tie, then
both occur -- or neither.

Sometimes this depends on what makes sense.  If both make sense then the player
can choose to accept the danger and their goal, or neither.

In this case, Grogfen has a -1 Penalty to Intelligence, and +3 Deceit.  So in
total, the roll is:

$$2D6 + 2 ~vs~ 9$$

\noindent Sometimes a piece of equipment or a social contact can add to the
roll, so the total Bonus can become very high.  A \gls{tn} of 14 is not
unreasonable in some situations.  In full, the formula is:

$$2D6 + \underbrace{Attribute + Skill + Equipment}$$

\bigLine

\begin{description}\sffamily
  \item[Player 3:] Do I get a character?
  \item[\Gls{gm}:]
  Does anyone have an ally or someone from their \gls{characterPool} they want to
  bring in?

  \item[Player 1:] Sure, I spent \pgls{storypoint} last session to get
  help from an old friend.  You can take that character.  His name is
  `Sootfilch'.

  \item[Player 3:] Thanks, but why the name?

  \item[\Gls{gm}:] People in \gls{fenestra} believe that the gods takes the
  best in life, so it's bad luck to name their children after good things.

\end{description}

\bigLine

%\end{multicols}
%
%\begin{multicols}{2}

New players can begin with pre-generated characters, included in the modules.
Once the game begins, players spend \glspl{storypoint} to add allies to their \gls{characterPool} --- a cousin, a fence, an old drinking buddy --- and once the first character dies, they should have a few backups ready to go.

When someone else joins the table, they can take a pre-generated character.

The character creation rules are in the \textit{Book of Stories}%
\iftoggle{stories}{, \autopageref{character_rolls}.}{.} This book focusses on
resolution mechanics, details of \glspl{trait}, and \glspl{spell}.

\toggletrue{allyCharacter}
\toggletrue{genExamples}
\Person{\npc{\glsentrysymbol{sylf}\M\Hu}{Sootfilch}}%
  {{1}{-1}{1}}% BODY
  {{-3}{-1}{2}}% MIND
  {
    \setcounter{Melee}{1}
    \setcounter{Cultivation}{1}
    \setcounter{Stealth}{1}
    \setcounter{Vigilance}{1}
    \Dagger
  }% SKILLS
  {}% KNACKS
  {chalk}% EQUIPMENT
  {}% ABILITIES

%\end{multicols}
%
%\begin{multicols}{3}

\begin{description}\sffamily
  \item[Player 3:] It says I'm a `Loner' who's not too bright, with a piece of
  chalk and a dagger.  No weapon or proper armour?

  \item[\Gls{gm}:] Time to ask \Gls{jotter} Cartpike.  Roll $2D6$, then add
  your \roll{Charisma}{Empathy}.
  Try to roll over \glsfmtlong{tn} seven.

  \item[Player 3:] \dicef{9} \ldots that's an `11' in total?  So I pass?

  \item[\Gls{gm}:] Sure, but how would a loner ask for equipment?  What would
  they do?

  \item[Player 3:] He'd probably ask her when she's alone.  Knock politely, and
  just explain he's doesn't have the tools he needs to survive.
\end{description}

Some people like to `roll for Charisma', because they want their characters to
succeed, rather than make a performance.  Instead of asking for acting talent,
I've found it's best to have people roll, then interpret that roll.  This lets
players plan for their characters abilities (as usual), and opens the field for
failures with justification --- often some of the most interesting results.

Instead of \gls{pc} blunders happening because `it's what my character would
do', they happen because of the dice.  This stops other players feeling like
someone is ruining the game; they're not, they're just interpreting the result
they rolled.%
\footnote{For more on this, see the discussion
\vpageref{rollForRoles}.}

\bigLine

\begin{description}\sffamily
  \item[\Gls{gm}:] \Gls{jotter} Cartpike agrees to give you the armour and a
  spare poleaxe, as long as you head out on the new mission, immediately.
  Sootfilch, Grogfen and Mossboke will journey out to two neighbouring
  \glspl{village} -- that means a `walled village' -- and cut around the
  perimeter.

  \item[Player 1:] We're bush-whacking?  \item[\Gls{gm}:] Yes.  If the forest
  grows too dense, and approaches \pgls{village}, it means predators can get
  close, and attack the farmers there.
  %!
  Sinkwall lies ten miles North, and they say that the swamp hag lives nearby.
  Soumarch takes fourteen miles marching, South, but has \pgls{bothy} half way
  along.

  \Gls{jotter} Cartpike gives everyone two days' rations (hardened cheese and
  mutton pies), and lets you pick your destination.

  \item[Player 3:] That's nice.  Lots of options in this game apparently.
\end{description}

\bigLine

\noindent
\Gls{fenestra}'s laws and regulations slide along a spectrum from `unfair', to
`pointless', so once players understand them, it won't be long before they
begin to bend them.

The \gls{gm} might generate \glspl{village} from random charts,%
\exRef{judgement}{Judgement}{villageFeatures}
take a location from a module, or (in this case) use \pgls{village} from a market hand-out.

\begin{description}\sffamily
  \item[Player 2:] May as well do the distant one first --- we might be able to
  find that \gls{hag}.  Can we walk ten miles in an afternoon?

  \item[\Gls{gm}:] 10 miles in an afternoon is pushing it, especially in the
  cold.  You can push it, or just travel 5~miles, then go for another 5 in the
  evening.

  \item[Player 1:] Laiquon's an elf, so he can ignore the cold, but can't
  travel that fast in one morning.

  \item[\Gls{gm}:] Oh yea\ldots the \gls{jotter} will have warm clothes for
  everyone else, but you two humans still have to take 1~\glsentrylong{ep} from
  the freezing weather.

  \item[Player 3:] So what happens?  We get there today?
\end{description}

\bigLine

Each day has four \glspl{interval} -- morning, afternoon, evening, and night.
Characters can walk 5 miles in \pgls{interval} without exertion, so they
usually go 10 miles a day.
If they find a time-sensitive mission, they can always endure the weight of a
few \glsentrylongpl{ep} in order to get there faster.

\noindent
\begin{tabularx}{\linewidth}{YYYY}
  \hiderowcolors
  \showInterval{0} & \showInterval{1} & \showInterval{2} & \showInterval{3} \\
  March 5 miles    & Marching 5 more. & Chat at \gls{village} & Sleep at the \gls{village}. \\
\end{tabularx}

\bigLine

%\vspace{\baselineskip}

%!
%\null

\begin{description}\sffamily
  \item[\Gls{gm}:] So everyone heads North to Sinkwall.  By the time you've
  gone two miles, a caravan of traders approach, hail you, and try to sell you
  \glspl{torch}-pitch and rope for 10~\glspl{cp} each.
  \item[Player 1:]
  Nah we're goo-\ldots\ actually, that'd be really handy.  I'll take both.

  \item[\Gls{gm}:] Roll \roll{Wits}{Crafts} to determine the quality of the goods
  (\glsentrylong{tn}~9).

  \item[Player 1:] \dicef{7} Is an `8' good?

  \item[\Gls{gm}:] Laiquon \emph{thinks} the rope and pitch are serviceable.
  We'll see later\ldots
\end{description}

\bigLine \vspace{\baselineskip}

\noindent
Purchases can get tricky, as tricksters are everywhere.  A bad roll can leave
the buyer holding useless goods, or buying services from a chancer.  Most of
the `secondary skills' (like Crafts and Survival) can come in useful for
trades.

The \gls{gm} could have broken the `encounter' with traders into a
back-and-forth series of `hail, good traveller', but skipping to the
decision-points gives the game a faster pace.


\bigLine \vspace{\baselineskip}


\begin{description}\sffamily
  \item[\Gls{gm}:] Snow's started to fall, thicker than before.  By evening,
  the road is white, but you can see Sinkwall's high wooden walls ahead, and an
  archer waves at you from his perch.

  \item[Player 1:] Time to rest.

  \item[\Gls{gm}:] Wait a minute\ldots just checking for encounters.

  \item[\Gls{gm}:] Who's in the lead?

  \item[Player 2:] Crap\ldots

\end{description}

\bigLine \vspace{\baselineskip}

\noindent
The \gls{gm} has rolled an encounter with \pgls{woodspy}, so the \gls{woodspy} will attempt to sneak up on a character, and grab them.
When two people (or creatures) act against each other, the player rolls at
\tn[7], plus their opponent's score.

\Animal{\npc{\E}{\Glsfmttext{woodspy}}}%
{{4}{1}{2}}% BODY
{2}% WITS
{%
  \set{Brawl}{5}
  \set{Athletics}{2}
  \set{Stealth}{4}
  \set{Survival}{2}
  \set{Intelligence}{-4}
    \addtocounter{weight}{2}
}% SKILLS
{}% KNACKS
{\tentacles}% ABILITIES

\vspace{.5em}
\medbreak
\noindent
\begin{tabularx}{\linewidth}{YcY}
  \hiderowcolors
  \underline{Grogfen}              &     & \underline{\Glsfmttext{woodspy}}           \\
  Wits~-1 + Vigilance~0 & vs & Dexterity~1 + Stealth~4 \\

\end{tabularx}

$$2D6 + \underbrace{-1 + 0} ~vs~ 7 + \underbrace{1 + 4}$$

$$2D6 + \underbrace{-1} ~vs~ 7 + \underbrace{5}$$

$$2D6 -1 ~vs~ 12$$

The creature's total Bonus is +5, so at \tn[12] Grogfen fails before Player 2
rolls.

\bigLine \vspace{\baselineskip}

\begin{description}\sffamily
  \item[\Gls{gm}:]
  Grogfen has
  the highest Speed, so I think she would be first.  Can you roll
  \roll{Wits}{Vigilance} at \glsentrylong{tn}~12?

  \item[Player 2:] No, I can't make the roll, so what happens to me?
  \item[\Gls{gm}:] A bleach-white tentacle grabs you by the neck, another
  around your left leg, then pulls you towards its centre.
  \item[Player 2:] It's \pgls{woodspy}!
  \item[Player 3:] A what?
  \item[Player 2:] ``\Gls{woodspy}'' -- a great land-octopus, with a load
  of tentacles, able to camouflage.
  \item[\Gls{gm}:]
  It slithers away, yanking its way through the trees while holding Grogfen
  tight above its head.

  \item[Player 3:] What do we do?  Run after it?
  \item[\Gls{gm}:] If you want to, spend one \glsfmtlong{ap}.  You can roll
  \roll{Speed}{Athletics} at \glsentrylong{tn}~11.
  \item[Player 3:] Okay,
  \dicef{7} \ldots sorry, Grogfen.
  \item[\Gls{gm}:] The swirling mass slaps along the snow, carrying Grogfen above.
  You run, but can't catch up.
\end{description}

\bigLine

\noindent
Everyone starts combat with 3~\glsentryfullpl{ap} plus their Speed Bonus.
Having more \glspl{ap} lets you act before others, and do more.

When someone attacks you, it forces you to spend \glspl{ap} to resist.  This
can push your \glspl{ap} below 0, and every step down inflicts a Penalty to all
actions.

For example, a character on -2~\glspl{ap} would take a -2~Penalty to all
actions (and could only act in response to something acting against them).

Using \glspl{ap} means you don't need to be too precious about which order
people act in --- every character receives the actions they're due by the end
of the round.

\bigLine \vspace{\baselineskip}

\begin{description}\sffamily
  \item[Player 1:] Wait, Earth magic covers snow, doesn't it?  I'll cast
  \textit{Foot-Grab} to make the \gls{snow} solid around the \gls{woodspy}'s
  tentacles and stop it getting away.

  \item[\Gls{gm}:] Okay --- it's still \glsentrylong{tn}~11, but you can roll
  your \roll{Charisma}{Earth} to cast.
  \item[Player 1:] \twoDice{9} Got it!
  \item[\Gls{gm}:] What does he say?
  \item[Player 1:] `Solid frost, make \pgls{woodspy} tomb'?
  \item[\Gls{gm}:] Well the snow responds, freezing solid, and holding a couple
  of tentacles tight.
\end{description}

\bigLine \vspace{\baselineskip}

Characters cast spells with Charisma plus an elemental Skill, as they literally
speak to the elements.

\Glspl{spell} work like any other roll, including when making \gls{resistedaction} --- the
\gls{witch} uses their Bonus to resist the opponent, or players roll their
\gls{pc}'s Bonus against the \gls{npc}'s.

\vspace{.5em}
\medbreak
\noindent
\begin{tabularx}{\linewidth}{YcY}
  \hiderowcolors
  \underline{Laiquon}       &     & \underline{\Glsfmttext{woodspy}}           \\
  Charisma~2 + Earth~1 & vs & Speed~2 + Athletics~2 \\
\end{tabularx}

$$2D6 + \underbrace{2 + 1} ~vs~ 7 + \underbrace{2 + 2}$$

$$2D6 + \underbrace{3} ~vs~ 7 + \underbrace{4}$$

$$2D6+3 ~vs~ 11$$


\bigLine \vspace{\baselineskip}

\begin{description}\sffamily
  \item[Player 2:] I want to break out!
  \item[\Gls{gm}:] Roll \roll{Strength}{Brawl}, \glsentrylong{tn}~sixteen\ldots wait, actually fourteen because it's held immobile by the \gls{spell}.
  \item[Player 2:] \dicef{9} \Glsentrylong{tn} what?  This is hopeless\ldots

  \item[\Gls{gm}:] Yes.
  You're trying to wrestle a giant tentacle-\gls{monster}.
  The thick tentacles crush you to stop you wriggling, inflicting\ldots
  \twoDice{8}

  \ldots eight Damage.
  You rolled too far under, so the armour is useless as the tentacles grab your
  arms and pull you apart like a stretching wrack.

  \item[Player 2:] I have seven \glsfmtlongpl{fp}, so `luckily`, it mostly just
  crushes my backpack.  And I'll take one \glsfmtlong{hp}.

\end{description}

\bigLine \vspace{\baselineskip}

\Glsentryfullpl{fp} measure a character's distance from death and (in some
sense) their courage.  Once they run out, all further damage makes a real wound
-- Grogfen might carry this damage for the remainder of the session.
However, after \pgls{interval} of rest the troupe will regain \glspl{fp}, so the
wounds won't leave them near-death for the entire session --- they can persevere
while wounded, and rely on their luck.

\Gls{bind} doesn't have much in the way of healing magic, but it has plenty of
Fate spells.

\bigLine \vspace{\baselineskip}

\begin{description}\sffamily
  \item[Player 3:] Can I get to the \gls{monster}?
  \item[\Gls{gm}:] Yes!
  You already ran close, so just spend one more \glsfmtlong{ap} to get next to it.
  No need to roll this time, as you're just running.

  \item[Player 1:] I'll run up too!
  But I just have one \glsfmtlong{ap}, so I'll just run three \glspl{step}.

  \item[Player 3:] I'll crack the \gls{woodspy} with my poleaxe.

  \item[\Gls{gm}:] Okay three \glsfmtlongpl{ap} to strike it.

  \item[Player 3:] But I only have one \glsfmtlong{ap}.

  \item[\Gls{gm}:] That's fine.
  You can keep going while you have one or more \glsfmtlongpl{ap}.
  Just spend them and go down to negative two \glsfmtlongpl{ap}.
  Your character sheet has all you need to roll, pre-calculated.
  Roll two dice for an attack, and two more for the Damage.

  \item[Player 3:] Here goes nothing.
  Still \glsfmtlong{tn}~fourteen?

  \twoDice{12}\qquad\twoDice{10}

  I hit!
  And that's ten damage!

  \item[\Gls{gm}:] The heavy axe-head enters, and its snow-white skin splits, blue
  blood runs down the wound and the tentacles writhe, turning red, black, then
  mottled-brown.
\end{description}

\bigLine

The \glspl{pc} will begin \gls{harvesting}.
The farmers in the \gls{village} will pay for the meat, and \gls{woodspy}'s beak can fetch an especially high price.
By law, the \glspl{guard} must give 50\% of their earnings to the \gls{templeOfBeasts}.
Whether or not they do that is up to the players.

\end{multicols}