Actual Play – Free Town doesn’t come cheap! (12/20/2013)

torchbearer-rpgGM: Josh Curtis
Players: Justin Evans, Sean Nittner, and Greg Bailey
System: Torchbearer
Dungeon: Mines of Angocost

Foul blasphemy and cursed acts! I forgot to write an actual play report. And because I’m so used to my Torchbearer games being recorded on Youtube, I have nothing but my feeble memory to go on.

Let’s get to it! Josh is a fucking machine. He makes the most elaborate and intricate worlds, and as far a I know, does so in is his spare time while doing other things. I’m envious.

Prologue

Beren told the story of our past deeds in character. He was still angry, so it had a certain dwarf-ish tone. We

Beliefs, Instincts, and Goals

Beren changed his goal to “Prepare Karolina to lead”. A somewhat funereal goal if you asked me, but I’ll take it.

Varg (if not this game than the last game) changed his goal to “rid the spirit that is possessing me”.

The play is the thing

With torches running low and the knowledge that unsavory fish men retreated into the pool at the end of this tunnel, our heroes explored all other options besides going directly down.

Turn 7- There were two passages we found that led off from the tunnel. The first was a long sloping crevasse. We spotted a few lights below and Karolina snuck down to see identify the source. Dwarves! Well, dwarves of a sort. These wore strange helmets with edlricth flames that burned without a source.

Turn 8 – We approached and called to them. Asking for refuge. Negotiations went poorly (even after Beren told his Dwarf joke. You know, the one there is) and we were left making camp outside their walls (lost with a compromise). Clearly these Dwarves were crazy, and they kept chanting “Free Town” as though it was an answer to every question.

Camp phase

Check – Varg attempted to get some much needed rest, but our fire provided little heat, and the rocky ground offered much discomfort. [Heath Ob 3. Fail]

Instinct – As he clearly wasn’t getting any sleep, Karolina decided it was time for Varg’s weapon training. His reluctance to even try to defend himself infuriated her. [Mentor Ob 4. Fail. Condition: Angry].

Instinct – Once she was done berating him with sword and word, Varg set about mapping our progress [Cartography. Success]

Check – Beren set off to be alone for a time, sitting by the mouth of the Crevasse to calm his testy nerves [Ob 2 Will. Success. Angry removed]

Check – Karolina did the same, but in human fashion, boasting, complaining and demanding  [Ob 2 Will. Success. Angry removed]

 Adventure Phase

As the embers burned low, we were approached by another Dwarf from Free Town. He seemed more lucid than the guards on the wall and introduced himself as Thurn. He told us that the lizard men had taken his daughter and still held her captive. He asked if we could rescue her and offered save haven in Free Town if we could. The king of the lizard men’s name was Draxzatha. He would have her. Thurn also told us that Dwarves don’t go by the pond, but couldn’t or wouldn’t offer more information that that.

Turn 9 – Carefully descending, we scouted the tunnel as we went, and patting the lichen covered wall we noticed that some of it gave way to pressure. Hidden behind a curtain of hanging lichen was a secret (or at least very easy to miss) passage that led to stairs going down. We noted this for the future, but did not descend.  [Scout. Success] A pool was close by, and our supplies were low.

Turn 10 – Karolina crept up to the pool and tasted the water. It was cold, fresh, and clean. She started filling her water bottle and gave Beren the go ahead to pass off his skin to her, when just then a giant crocodile burst from the water and tried to bite off Karolina’s head [Some roll. Fail. Twist -> Crocodeath]

Thoughts on this game

I’m missing a lot of the Obs because I didn’t write them down. Hell I was just happy I took some notes. I don’t know what conditions we took after turn 8, but I seem to remember eating the crab I caught during camp, so my guess is going to be we all were Hungry and Thirsty and then ate during camp.

Torchbearer is a game that very much depends on the characters working together and helping each other out. Our particular party dynamic though is one of strong characters un-afraid to tell the others to fuck off. With only three people, I think this will spell the end for us, but it will be an inglorious bastard of an ending.

Fuck we are low on food and torches and have not enough to show from our venture to go back. Ah, Torchbearer. I love you.

The cliff-hanger end was great. I love that my character’s life is on the line.. and that Beren has the instinct “Watch out for Karolina”.  I already know how it played out (writing this way late) but it was still a great ending.

2 Comments

  1. Josh

    Only one major change… It is Free Town not Free City. City is much to glorious a word.

    Also, thanks for the kudos!

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