Actual Play – Death to Crooked Tooth! (1/15/2014)

GM: Sean Nittner
Players: David Gallo, Colin Madden, Mark Miller, and Max Külshammer.
System: Torchbearer
Module: Under the House of the Three Squires

Colin returns! After five sessions he couldn’t make because of work, Mr. Madden and his soul-weary elf returned to Torchbearer. Huzzah! Unfortunately, Chris and family were sick so we were still down one adventurer. We got something of a slow start waiting to see who would show up, so the session was rather short.

Prologue

Miles recapped their victory over the kobolds and saving Joreg’s life!

While you were gone

Aranim told us when he had been this whole time, at first he ran off after the dog, but then the party had left and he had been on their heels whole time, now with a war band behind him!

Kill conflict on air!

Turn by Turn

Turn 25 – Entering Crooked tooth’s lair he found her with four guards and two groveling magistrates. The magistrates were trying to warn her of the impending threat but she disregarded them. Milton made up a story of killing Uttan the stone spider to impress and intimidate her [Manipulator vs. Nature. Fail. Twist: Inciting her to battle] but her fear was feigned. The let the adventurers pass but as soon as they had them flanked jumped them from both sides with spear and dagger.

Turn 26 – The heroes fought back…to the death! We got in a brutal Kill conflict, but due to some strategic “Defend” actions in the end, the heroes walked out of it with nothing but flesh wounds (no disposition lost). Aranim ripped the broach from Crooked Tooth’s neck and claimed it as loot.

After that they head a cry from ahead and when they advanced saw prisoners locked in tiny cages! Now they just had toe deal with the war band behind them!

Thoughts on the game

Much as I appreciate a fine trick, or convince, it was pretty clear these guys wanted blood. Crooked Tooth and her guard were tough (Nature 3) but once a guard was taken out and they were down to Order of Might 1, the battle was over.

I thought once I had the advantage about pushing it but scripting Feint, Feint, Feint. It means that the adventures might completely out script the kobolds, but they would never heal the disposition they had suffered. Had I done that, someone would have died in the fight (they were down to major compromise territory) but it did seem a bit unfair to have the Kobolds act so heedless of their own lives in order to go for a kill. In the end it was a bit hard to imagine that all the brutal blows that happened during the battle turned out to be cosmetic, but I was happy for the PCs to get a win.

Still no sign of Uttan. I have an idea for how they could use that to their advantage, but I’m waiting to see what the players do next session.