Solo Tales of Argosa Episode 6 "Dances with Wolves"

The execution in the outpost at noon did not proceed as planned. Instead the party and the guards spent a whole watch on chasing the runaways, and another one preparing the ambush. The criminals' plot to leave the hidey hole (chase event) in the dark was foiled, and all but one met their fate in the quick fight.

Part A   Looting
Those three cultists do not carry anything except for the swords stolen from the missing guards, which should be returned to the outpost people, the trio adventurers decide.

As for the fallen Doppelganger, Carry Loot A should be the most appropriate category because it's a rescue operation and valuable stuff with the monster seems rather unlikely.
Roll = 69 (Silvers equal 20 + sum of the digits of the dice i.e. 6+9) = 35sp   

The money may come from the missing guards the night before (most probably killed by the Doppelganger). Perhaps our PCs are not supposed to take it (right away at least).
Let's hand it over to the three guards. It seems LIKELY that the offer will be well-received, and hopefully we may gain some favour from the outpost community. 

Consult the Bones (1 Fate die locked to Y) = Y-N-N-Skull  [negative, with misfortune]  Oh, well ....
What's going on?    Deck of Signs: "Guardian", "Unafraid", "Corruption"

These guards unabashedly snatch the silver pieces and slide them into their pockets without the slightest hint of shame or fear, let alone any sign of thankfulness. Their somewhat scornful gaze is telegraphing the decision that we are in no position to take part in this kind of "searching". Alright. The sharp-witted Sulani is beginning to sense what life is like in the outpost. Grindle the Greedy is their leader, after all...

Since it's just a small amount of money, there will be no more (negative) consequences.

Part B    Investigation
In addition to looting, we need to see if there is any clue or information about the criminals' identity and affiliation. Those guards don't mind us doing this kind of unprofitable chore here.

Sulani makes an Intelligence check with her Divine Lore skill (+1), and she has a pretty high INT score (16). Roll = 7 (Great Success)  
Deck of Signs: "Obelisk", "Waiting", "Sacred"

Bulfin turns over the deadweight Doppelganger for the artificer's quick inspection. Under the clothing, Sulani spots a weird looking tattoo of an obelisk on its chest, which piques her curiosity immediately. She cuts off that piece of skin with her razor-sharp utility knife, drops it into her specimen tin box, and looks far more pleased than pocketing any 30sp. 

The artificer possesses certain general knowledge about obelisks in the Midlands (among other curious objects). She recalls sources talking about four rumoured locations of religious obelisks: the Ironhull Mountains, the Sunstone Ranges ("Random Encounters", The Midlands, p.120), the Spine of Ulgoth ("Random Encounters", The Midlands, p.123), and a peculiar one protected by the Morgak skorn tribe ("Morgak's Monolith", The Midlands, p.195).

IRONHULL MOUNTAINS or SUNSTONE RANGES
(19) A tall obelisk with ancient silver markings rises from the depths of a shallow crater. The floor of the crater is mirrored, reflecting the stars and moon overhead.

SPINE OF ULGOTH
(19) In a narrow but steep ravine is an pale stone obelisk, marked with primitive scrawl and discoloured runes. As one descends, the air turns unnaturally cool, causing breath to fog. Perhaps the obelisk marks a ley line junction, serves as a cursed altar, or conceals a stairwell spiralling deep into the earth.

(6) MORGAK’S MONOLITH
Rumours & Hooks: Ceremond the alchemist is looking to hire explorers to venture into the Wistwood to retrieve some shards of a magic obelisk. The stone is protected by the Morgak skorn tribe.

Hopefully we will gather more information after going back to the outpost, she shares with the two teammates.

Part C    A night in the wild
It is always dangerous to travel in the wilderness at night (should be around 9pm now), despite the half day's distance back to the outpost. So the small hut is their best option to stay over. 

To avoid attracting any wild beasts and arousing suspicion, the group bury the dead quickly in the backyard. Moreover, the captured (spellcasting) cultist has been tied up and, more urgently, gagged properly, in fear and trembling of more dark sorcery as witnessed earlier on. 

Not being in deep mutual trust, the adventurers and the outpost guards agree to divide the sentry duty evenly, with each pair in charge of three hours (till 6am next morning): 1st = Sulani, Guard #2;  2nd = Bulfin, Guard;  3rd = Cut, Guard #11

Any night encounter? Consult the Bones: Y-Y-N-Skull
Roll for Random Encounter (Plains, 1d12+8):

(18) Wolves: Two rival packs of 3d4 Wolves (70%) or 2d4 Dire Wolves (30%) are fighting over hunting grounds, growling and snapping at each other.

Which wolves (d10) and how many: Wolves (5), 1st pack = 3+3+2 = 7    2nd pack = 1+2+3 = 6
Wolves again!? [see Episode 4] 

Who are the sentry (1d3)? (2) Bulfin-Guard #8 (midnight-3am)
Distance: Close (at night)
Stance: Having been detected (interpretation of the Skull result)
Reactions: 1st pack = 9 (sniffing curiously), 2nd pack = 11 (friendly)   
What the hell are these loving wolves doing in the middle of the night??
Since both wolf packs are not hostile towards the party for the moment, Bulfin tells his Guard partner to wake up the others.

Part D    Dances with Wolves

Probably the friendly group wants us to fight the other group...? 
According to the rules, our party should pass a skill check, i.e. Int/Cha (Animal Lore*) or Int (Wilderness), to at least try to communicate with these animals with a certain degree of intelligence. Since no one has the Animal Lore skill, we adopt the latter option. 

Cut is aware that wolves are good at tracking, and so he comes up with a quick plan. He asks the party if they have any more dried meat, or even better, more beef jerky.
Consult the Bones: Y-nil-nil-Sun    
Yes, there is beefy jerky, though not too much.

Cut does a small test to see if these friendly wolves are the same ones he encountered earlier on during the chase. 
Int(Wilderness): Int (11)+1 vs Roll = 3 (GS)    
When he takes out a few bits of beef jerky, all the members of the friendly pack step closer drooling and tails wagging. The wolves in the other pack are looking even more curiously. Cut confirms that those friendly wolves are from the same pack. 

Then he signals Sulani to attack the opposing pack with her hellfire glass (the artificer's class ability).

Hellfire Glass Spend an action to hurl an explosive device up to Close range (an attack roll is generally not required; GM’s call), blasting a Melee area for 2d4 damage plus 1d4 every odd level beyond 1st (no save). Damage dice are exploding (p.7).

Since both wolf packs are not hostile to the party, the party automatically gets a surprise round.

Sulani targets at Wolf #1, blast area including #2,#3,#5,#6:
Damage = 4+1 = 5
Targets' HP revealed: Wolf #1=4, Wolf #2=4, Wolf #3=8, Wolf #5=5, Wolf #6=8
Results: Wolves #1, #2, #5 are killed, Wolves #3 & #6 are reduced to 3 HP.

End of Round Morale Check:
Due to the death of the pack's leader (#1), the pack makes a collective (WIL) morale check.
WIL (10) vs. roll (10) = Pass!

The remaining four wolves are shocked, but they choose to stay put and fight the sudden enemies.


Round #1
Initiative:
Sulani (Init = 15) vs roll (5), party goes first

Party's turn:
Order of action: Sulani, Cut, Bulfin, Guard #2, Guard #8, Guard #11

Sulani attacks Wolf #7 with her heavy hammer: roll (13) + 1 (STR) vs. AC 12, hit
    DMG = 8; target HD = 4+2 = 6, killed

Cut attacks Wolf #4 with his long sword (2-handed): roll (9) + 4 (STR & Class) vs. AC 12, hit
    DMG = 6+1 = 7; target HD = 1+2 = 3, killed

Bulfin attacks Wolf #3 with his great axe: roll 1 + 2 (STR & Class) vs. AC12, miss and FUMBLE
    FUMBLE: Wolf gets a free attack (bite): roll (5) + 1 (STR) vs. AC13, miss

Guard #2 attacks Wolf #3 with his long sword: roll (6) + 1 (STR) vs AC12, miss

Guard #8 attacks Wolf #6 with his long sword: roll (3) + 1 (STR) vs AC12, miss

Guard #11 attacks Wolf #6 with his long sword: roll (9) + 1 (STR) vs AC12, miss

Enemy's turn:

Wolf #3 attacks Guard #2: roll (19 NAT) + 1 vs. AC 14, hit
    DMG = 4, NAT19 effect: Knocked Over; Guard #2's HP = 6 - 4 = 2
The strong wolf leaps over and bites on the guard's thign. The guard cries out and falls in great pain.

Wolf #6 attacks Guard #8: roll (20 NAT) + 1 vs. AC 14, hit & CRIT
    DMG = 8, Guard #8's HD = 1, killled
The desparate wolf snaps on the guard's neck. He cannot stop the blood from springing out and collapses to the ground. 

End of Round Morale Check (half of group eliminated):
Wolves' Wil (10) vs. roll (11), fail   
The two surviving wolves flee the scene. The party decides not to pursue (nothing to gain anyway). Battle ends.

Aftermath

The party tends to the wounded guard and pulls the dead guard into the hut to avoid attracting the wolves' attention. 
Cut attempts to further pacify the friendly wolf pack with a few more bits of dried meat, and then hurls the rest of the food deep into the bush.

Will the wolves go away? [Goodwill + Winning the proxy battle = VERY LIKELY] 
Consulting the Bones (Judgement die locked to Y): N-Nil-Sun, the Judgement Y overides the Fate N, yielding a positive result, plus more benefit.

The wolf pack races off for the midnight snack in a victorious mood and do not return for the rest of the night.

To be continued ...

Solo Tales of Argosa Episode 5 "Six Little Lackeys Jumping on the Bad"

Previous, in Solo Tales of Argosa ...

The adventuring party and the three outpost guards chased the criminals (doppelganger, three runaway cultists) up to a suspicious lone hut. The pursurers have set up an ambush around the spot waiting patiently for the enemies to emerge...and they did!

Thanks for the favourable outcome of the last Chase Event (10: "Hidey Hole"), the chase was successful practically forcing the quarry into a cul-de-sac without their being aware of that. It's now time to seal the pocket.

Our battle plan: Take down the most dangerous foe (the Doppelganger, 4HD), and capture (at least) one Cultist alive.

[To simplify the presentation a bit, the roll results are final after applying the modifiers.]

Surprise (bonus) combat round

Cut, Bulfin, and Sulani work as a team to take on the Doppelganger, and let each outpost Guard (#2, #8, #11) deal with one of the Cultists (#1 [the spellcaster], #2, #3).

Cut, Bulfin, and Sulani jump onto the Doppelganger (AC 13) and strike at the monster in unison.

Cut's melee attack: d20 + 1 (class bonus) +3 (STR bonus) +1 (outnumbering) vs. AC13, with Advantage (surprise attack)
    Roll = 12, 18 (hit)   Damage (1d8+1 two-handed) = 5+1 = 6    A painful slash!

Bulfin's melee attack: d20 + 1 (class bonus) +1 (STR bonus) +1 (outnumbering) +1 (flanking with Sulani) vs. AC13, with Advantage (surprise attack)

    Roll = 10, 14 (hit)   Damage (1d12) = 11    A ferocious chop!

Sulani's melee attack: d20 +1 (STR bonus) +1 (outnumbering) +1 (flanking with Bulfin) vs. AC13
    Roll = 12 (hit), 7   Damage (1d8) = 2    A nice blow. Could be better.

Total damage caused by the party to the Doppelganger: 6+11+2 = 19
The Doppelganger's actual HP is now revealed: 4HD = 7, 7, 4, 4 = 22
Actual life remaining: 22 - 19 = 3        Severely wounded!

[My homebrew solo rule: To preserve surprise and fog of war in solo play, do not roll for the actual HP of the enemy until it suffers injuries over half of the nominal HD.  Any excessive damage will be wasted, even if the actual HP turns out to be unexpectedly low...
In this case, the maximal HP is 32 (d8 x 4) and so HP will be determined after 16 points are removed.] 

Encouraged by the successful attacks of the new guests, the guards also step forward to engage the cultists (AC 11).

Guard #2's melee attack: d20 +1 (class) +1 (STR bonus) vs. AC11, with Advantage (surprise attack)

    Roll: 6, 12(hit)    Damage (d8+1) = 5
    Cultist #3's HP revealed (1HD) = 3
    Cultist #3 is killed!

Guard #8's melee attack: d20 +1 (class) +1 (STR bonus) vs. AC11, with Advantage (surprise attack)

    Roll: 7, 2 (misses)

Guard #11's melee attack: d20 +1 (class) +1 (STR bonus) vs. AC11, with Advantage (surprise attack)

    Roll: 6, NAT 20(CRIT)    Damage (d8+1)+1 = 10
    Cultist #2's HP revealed (1HD) = 5
    Cultist #2 is killed!

Morale (WILL) checks for the enemies are called for. Doppelganger: W16 vs. 15 (pass), Cultist #1: W13 vs. 12 (pass)

Despite their two fallen comrades, the remaining enemies stand defiant. Combat continues.

Round #1    
Rolling for initiative: Sulani's Init score is the highest (15), so let her go first. Roll = 5 (great success)

Order of actions: Sulani, Cut, Bulfin, then the Guards.

Sulani's melee attack vs. the Doppelganger:  d20 +1 (STR bonus) +1 (outnumbering) +1 (flanking with Bulfin) vs. AC13
    Roll = 16(hit), 7   Damage (1d8) = 7

Her swift warhammer lands squarely right on the head of the faltering Doppelganger, bringing it down at once!

Cut, seeing nothing more to do with the fallen monster, dashes to the back of the cultist spellcaster, hoping to knock it out from behind.

Cut's melee attack vs. Cultist #1: d20 +1 (class bonus) +3 (STR bonus) +1 (flanking with Guard #8) -2 (knock out penalty) vs. AC11

    Roll = 17(hit)  Damage (1d8) = 5

    Cultist #1's actual HP (1HD) = 4

    Cultist #1 goes down, falling unconscious.

With a wide swing, the face of Cut's long sword connects to the back of the cultist's skull, sending the cultist jerking under protest and collapsing to the ground.

Battle outcome: Four enemies, three dispatched, one captured. All allies unscathed. A sweet victory.

To be continued....

Adventuria Online Roleplaying Game (on blogspot)

Recently I came across this very interesting thing in the blog sphere: a solo sandbox campaign playing on blogspot! Not playing video games these days. But it's such a neat and tempting idea to play games like this on my phone anywhere anytime, without anyone knowing that I'm busy adventuring! :-)
https://adventuriaorpg.blogspot.com/

Some thoughts and ramblings about my solo experience with Tales of Argosa

After a few (short) solo sessions of  Tales of Argosa, I would like to offer my humble opinions of the experience and the game system. You may consider this an incomplete "review" of Tales of Argosa focusing the solo perspective of a newbie.

1. There are surprise elements everywhere thanks to the tools, in particular the Bones dice, the Deck of Signs, and the plethora of random tables in the book. 
2. The Oracle tools do a fantastic job to ease the burden of bookkeeping and juggling with the  likelihood of random events. The tactile feel of rolling dice and drawing cards is far smoother than crawling on a dense table of raw numbers. "The Bones" and "the Deck of Signs" are such apt names for a sword and sorcery game.
3. The highly specific, thematic terrain-based and situation-based random tables in the ToA book (also the older LFG and The Midlands) work its magic in growing and shaping emergent stories in a sword and sorcery setting. Each entry presents a short scenario with a brief yet evocative description, and the details are often tied to the mechanics of the game system.
   I really, really love this treatment, compared with those countless (and run-of-the-mill) random tables that are not much more than random word lists for generic fantasy. Not saying that they are necessarily not useful. They may work, especially for relatively rules-light games, but it is oftentimes either a hit or miss, or may require additional effort to connect those extraneous materials with the more distinct vibe and cruchier mechanics of games like ToA. Plus I am still having a difficult time to embrace the equal and flat probability/equal distribution of the entries in many, if not most, of these random tables.  
4. So to answer two important questions for new players who want to solo ToA is:
   - Do I need extra tools, like Mythic, to assist my solo games of ToA? My answer is, well, "very unlikely".
   - Are the tools included in the book enough to support my solo (sandbox) campaign? My answer is: three YES plus a FORTUNE, if you get the reference. 😎
   Perhaps one additional feature that is desirable is a dedicated wilderness generator (especially for the Midlands), which I have something to experiement with. I'm very much looking forward to seeing some exciting designs in this regard in the author's planned boxed set for the Midlands (expected in around Q4 2025).
   
   Game on!

Solo Tales of Argosa Episode 4 "Cut to the Chase"

Previously, in Solo Tales of Argosa... 

Cut and his two teammates have joined in Grindle's pursuit of the fleeing gang consisted of a Doppelganger and the three criminal cultists.

Let the chase begin!

Since the overseer ranger comes into play, .it's time to flesh out his stats:

Grindle the Greedy. Overseer (outpost: Westguard), Lv6 Ranger (human, male, age 40)

S13 D13 C10 I10 P15 W10 Ch10 L8

AC 15 (specially reinforced leather armor & Lv4 bonus), 22 hp 

Short Bow (1d6+1, Shadeleaf Bow), Nat 19: Call to Arms: As weapon, plus 1d4 Guards coming to Grindle's aid 

Skills: Animal Lore, Wilderness Lore, Stealth, Watercraft, Deception, Acrobatics

Unique features (x2): Marksman (1: no penalty for excessive RNG, no reroll when fire into melee), Signature Weapon (Shadeleaf Bow: DMG die explodes.)

Abilities (Ranger): Steady Shot, Second Attack, Sharpshooter, Instinctive Rescue, Cover Fire, Nature's Venom

Oh I almost forgot about the ranger's trusted beast companion:

Robin Hoot. Owl. Beast companion of Grindle's.

S7 D16 C12 I6 P16 W15 Ch8 L8

AC 12 +1 (Grindle’s Perc), 18 hp

Rake 1d4+1 +4 (Lv6), Nat 19: Bloody eyes: target Blind until end of their next turn. Fly (Very Far). Advantage on sight based perception and sees with minimal light. 

These two NPCs should make a pretty competent duo. 

Chase Setup
Chasers: Grindle the Greedy (Lv6 Ranger/Overseer, with his beast companion), Guards #2, #8, #11 (Lv1 human, HD1), PCs: Cut (Lv1 Fighter), Bulfin (Lv1 Barbarian), Sulani (Lv1 Artificer)
Quarry: Doppelganger (HD4), Cultists x3 (HD1, one being a spellcaster)
Starting gap: 1d4(4) + 3 = 7        This doesn't look too good...
Terrain: Plain (right outside the outpost, 6-mile hexes)

[Chase rules summary: Choose a leader for the current Leg > Make an opposed Con(Athletics) check, bigger (success) margin wins > Adjust gap (+/-1, or +/-2 for great success (GS)) > PC Leader rolls for Chase Event. Chase ends when: i) end of the 6th Leg; ii) gap = 0 (Chasers win) or >10 (Quarry escapes); iii) no more valid chasers or quarry; OR vi) special result of a Chase Event.] 

[In what follows, I'd let Grindle (the Overseer) and the Doppelganger to lead the Chase first. Then the guards would compete with our PCs (through an opposed Con(Athletics) check) for taking the lead for in subsequent legs.]

Leg #1 (Length = 7)
- Leader: Chasers = Grindle    vs.    Quarry = Doppelganger
- Opposed Con(Athletics) check:
    Grindle: Con(10) - roll(10) = 0    vs.    Doppelganger: Con(12) - roll(9) = 3   
    Result: Quarry wins. Length +1 (now 8).
- Chase Event (1d20) = 5 "Random setback"

iii. Head Strike: The leader is struck on the head by an object; Con check or Stunned and drop out of the chase. 

Grindle makes a Con check and rolls 20(!!).
The Overseer ranger was hit hard on the head by a malicious flying rock. The world shuts down, dropping him out of the chase immediately. Robin Hoot, his loyal beast companion, stops flying to stay with his master. What a bummer! 

Leg #2 (Length = 8)
- Leader: Chasers = Cut    vs.    Quarry = Cultist #1
- Opposed Con(Athletics) check:
    Cut: Con(15)+Athletics(+1) - roll(18) = -2    vs.    Cultist #1: Con(10) - roll(9) = 1
    Result: Quarry wins. Length +1 (now 8).
- Chase Event (1d20) = 5 "Random setback"      ...Again!?

v. Hostile Third Party: A random PC is beset by a hostile random encounter. The character must make a Luck (Dex) save or drop out of the chase and deal with the random encounter.

Random Encounter (Plains) = 12 (Wolf packs: 8 Wolves & 6 Dire Wolves)    ...What!?

Cut's Luck(Dex) save: 11(+2) vs. roll(17), Failure!    Reroll = 11, Success!  (burning 1 Luck)
Urged by a sense of dread, Cut fishes a few strips of beef jerky out of his pouch and tosses them in the opposite direction. No, the hungry wolf pack is apparently unimpressed and it stays on course. "Aw hell no." He grabs the whole stock of dried meat, spins the loose bag a few times, and hurls it out forcefully far and high above the beasts. The meaty shower right over their head give the predators pause, buying just enough time for the fighter to break away and continue the pursuit. 

Leg #3 (Length = 9)
- Leader: Chasers = Bulfin    vs.    Quarry = Cultist #2
- Opposed Con(Athletics) check:
    Bulfin: Con(17)+Athletics(+1) - roll(7) = 11(GS)    vs.    Cultist #2: Con(10) - roll(15) = -5
    Result: Chasers win. Length -2 (thanks to GS)
- Chase Event (1d20) = 6 "Burst of Speed"    

Burst of Speed: If the party succeed on a Group Con (Athletics) check, they are inspired to dig deep and put on a burst of speed, changing the gap by one length.

    Guards #2, #8, #11: Con(10) vs. rolls(3, 1, 3), all three GS!!
    Cut: Con(15)+Athletics(+1) vs. roll(17) = -1, Failure
    Bulfin: Con(17)+Athletics(+1) vs. roll(12) = 6, Success
    Sulani: Con(11) vs. roll(1) = 10, GS
    i.e. Five Successes (with 4 GS) out of six, reduce Gap by 1


Leg #4 (Length = 6)
- Leader: Chasers = Sulani    vs.    Quarry = Cultist #3
- Opposed Con(Athletics) check:
    Sulani: Con(10) - roll(10) = 0    vs.    Cultist #3: Con(10) - roll(4) = 6
    Result: Quarry wins. Length +1
- Chase Event (1d20) = 10 "Hidey Hole"

Hidey Hole: The quarry locate a viable hiding place. If the PCs are the quarry they make a Group Dex (Stealth) check. If the PCs are the chasers they make a Group Perc (Detection) check. The GM may impose modifiers based on distances, terrain, lighting, senses, and other circumstances. If the quarry succeed they escape! If they fail they are caught. Either way the chase ends.

    The Chasers perform a Group Perc (Detection) check. Terrain is plains, time is shortly after noon, so no additional modifiers apply.
    Guards #2, #8, #11: Perc(12) vs. rolls(14, 4, 13), two Failures, one GS
    Cut: Perc(14)+Detection(+1) vs. roll(9) = 6, Success
    Bulfin: Perc(15) vs. roll(5) = 10, GS
    Sulani: Perc(10) vs. roll(7) = 3, Success
    i.e. Four Successes (2 GS) out of six, the chase ends!!

Being in the lead, the overconfident criminals believe they could outsmart the pursuers by disappearing through a concealed dugout inside a lone hut. However, the pursuers manage to pick up traces of cultist activities when searching through the hut. The adventurers and the guards decide to feign their retreat and set up an ambush. A watch has passed. The four criminals emerge from the small building, only to realise too late that they are surrounded by the same three guards and three strangers...

To be continued...

 

My new ToA journal is born today!

Another small addon today. Made a large ToA sticker and want to put it on a new dirt cheap notebook dedicated to my ToA games. I was struggling between two choices to stick it on. One is a black recycled fake leather with a more coarse surface, and the other one is blue and more rubber like plus a small pen holder on the side for my erasable black pen.

I finally decided on the blue one. 
By the way I like using those erasable pens. Darker and less effort than writing with pencils. No sharpener or a separate eraser needed.  The pen's cap is a special eraser without leaving crumbs. A 12 pen set costs 5 quid when I bought them. The notebook is 1 pound only. And I am happy.

And I just realise my notebook has a pocket built inside the back cover, and my mini character cards fit perfectly inside!!

Game on!

Solo Tales of Argosa: Episode 3 "Noonday Execution"

Previously, in Solo Tales of Argosa...
It's high noon. An execution suddenly turns into a battle.

Friends: The Overseer (Grindle the Greedy, Ranger Lv??), 12 Human Guards
Enemies: Doppelganger (HD4), Cultists x3 (HD1) [sword insted of knife, #3 being able to cast spells (Dark Slumber, Gabbling of the Jade Moon)]

[I'm using my custom range band battle mat to represent the battle situation. See here for further detail.]

Surprise round (Enemies)

Having surprised the guards around, the Doppelganger succeeded in freeing the three criminal cultists and arming each of them with a sword from the (supposedly dead) guards missing the night before. 

Amidst the commotion, Cultist #3 (Int16) casts Dark Slumber (range: far, duration: 1d6 x 10 minutes).
Int Check = 10 (success), DDM check = 6 (safe)
Effect: 4d4 HD worth of humanoids in a Close sized area to fall asleep (Helpless), vs Luck(Will)
Actual result: 4+2+3+3 = 12HD, 8 out of 10 Guards(L4) fail to resist (8,17,20,19,17,4 [#8],5,10,3 [#11],16).

The enemies quickly decide on the (easiest) escape route, which is to the right of the the execution site.
Cultist #1 moves to Guard #9 (helpless) and kills him automatically using a Melee action.
Cultist #2 does the same to Guard #10 (helpless).
A path is now cleared!

Round 1
Rolling for initiative. Doppelganger (Init16): roll=14 (success). Enemies act first.

Enemies' turn:
Since it's primarily a rescue operation, the enemies won't waste any effort on further bloodshed and choose to break through. Without being engaged in melee with any guards, all the enemies do double Moves to flee (into the Far range).

Friends' turn:
What will they do? Five obvious choices: i) Check out the fallen comrades, ii) Give chase, iii) Wake up the sleeping guards, iv) Summon more guards, v) Maintain order and safety of the public (now in panic)

Will the Overseer (Grindle) gives chase himself? Consult the Bones: YES-YES-NIL-BLANK
Grindle issues a quick order (one Action) to his captain (relayed by Guard #1) to manage the scene, and then moves out immediately with whoever available (Guards #2, #8, #11).

Should our party join the fray? 
Why not? It's worth a try.
Will the Overseer agree? Consult the Bones: YES-YES-NO (positive)
Cut cries out, "We have quick feet. Use us!" Grindle glances back with a quick nod. Now off we go!


To be continued...

Fistful of Lead FANTASY Full Set here!

I kept wanting this after watching Jon's actual play series. Until a few days ago I was thinking I won't have these books and play this game (pretty pricey given the page count on Wiley's website, couldn't find anywhere else carrying this title). 
But today the much expected full set of three volume (used copies on ebay) has just arrived at the door!

This is going to be very high on my list. Will definitely record my gameplays and experience here.
Cheers!

Solo Tales of Argosa: Episode 03 (Preview)

Coming up in SSSTOA-03 "Noonday Execution" (episode preview)

A big bloody battle is about to break out! 12 Guards (+ The Overseer: Greedy Grindle the Ranger) vs. 1 Doppelganger & 3 Criminal Cultists

Participants: 12 human guards [1HD] (+ The overseer ranger [??HD]) VS. 1 Doppelganger [4HD] & 3 Criminals (Our party choose to stay put and sit through the combat for the time being...)

Just finished working out the details of the enemies using random rolls and the Bones:

• The three criminals are human cultists [1HD].
• How many of these cultists know spellcasting?  Consulting the Bones (Y = x1, YY = x2, YYY = x3). Result: Y (x1)
• How many and which spell(s) does that cultist knows (d2 for number, d4 for spell selection, ToA p. 188)? Result: 2 spells (Gabbling of the Jade Moon, Dark Slumber)   
• Instead of knife, the Doppelganger managed to procure three swords from the victims (those MIA guards) and has just passed the weapons to its three comrades in the surprise round.
• The cultist spellcaster is about to cast a spell in this surprise round.  Which one? We'll see ...

Special feature: A test run of my custom range band battle mat.

Update: Episode 3 is out!

Solo Tales of Argosa 02: The Execution Site

Previously, in Solo Tales of Argosa ...

Hook #2: On the spot (upon the party's arrival, generated by the "City, Town, Village" random encounter table in ToA, p. 141)

[48] Execution A magistrate (= the overseer "Greedy Grindle" in our case) is presiding over an execution in the square. Three middle aged criminals are to be hanged. A small crowd has gathered. 3d6 guards are in attendance, along with the burly, hooded executioner.  Consult the Bones to determine if there is a rescue attempt by related ne’er do wells.

Questions: Who are these criminals? What have they done? Are they trying to break free, or are there accomplices somewhere in the shadow? How about that hooded executioner? If the criminals manage to escape, shall we ask the overseer to commission us to pursue the runaways?   

The execution scene feels a bit surreal, the atmosphere is confusing (using the Deck of Signs) and our party feels compelled to witness how things develop. 

Number of guards = 12

Well... one fifth of the guards are here. Doesn't look like a commonplace thievery or tussle. 

Is the crime serious? 
["likely", 1 Fate die locked to YES]: +NO +YES = YES (Fortune die = nothing) These criminals are somewhat dangerous.

Sulani asks one of the locals why so many guards are here. 
[Deck of Signs: "Ambush"]: The night before a few prison guards went missing. 

Is there any rescue attempt?
["not sure", roll normally]: YES + YES + YES + Sun = Extremely positive, and with direct assistace! 
Cut notices something off when setting his eyes upon the hooded executioner. But what is that exactly? He just can't tell ...  

Is the executioner a normal human? 
["not sure", roll normally]: NO + NO + NO + Skull = Extremely negative, and actually it turns out to be a monster...

Skimming the bestiary section, I gather this creature can be either a doppelganger or a lycanthrope. (Who cares about balanced encounters? 😎 )
Let the Bones decides again...
Doppelganger: YES, YES, Nil    vs.    Lycanthrope: YES, NO, Nil
Doppelganger it is!

To everyone's surprise, the executioner breaks the shackles on the three criminals barehanded. 
In addition, the doppelganger stuns the guards and the overseer by revealing its abhorrent appearance. Amidst the shock, it swiftly tosses some weapons (from those prison guards "lost" last night) to the trio...
"Guards!!" In a cold sweat Greedy Grindle waves his left arm and the guards are ready to battle at once. 
The crowd [6d6 = 20 people] begin to rush away from the gibbet frantically, many screaming and cursing in shock, fear, and disbelief.

Our party is but newcomers, so they'd better stay put for now to see how things settle. Who knows who will attack us if we draw arms at this very moment?

TO BE CONTINUED ...

Solo Tales of Argosa 01: My first adventure party & the starting point of my sandbox campaign

I. The Adventure Party 
Here is my very first party, consisting of three PCs:

PC #1
CUT, human male fighter (Argosan, hunter, sassy), age 20.   
STR 17  DEX 15  CON 15  INT 11  PER 14  WIL 12  CHA 11  INIT 13   
Skills & Abilities: leadership, athletics, stealth, detection, wilderness lore, traps & locks, adaptable, ranged, protector, expert guard, deadly strike

PC #2
BULFIN, half-skorn male barbarian (organlegger, withdrawn), age 21.
STR 13  DEX 12  CON 17  INT 9  PER 12  WIL 11  CHA 8  INIT 10   
Skills & Abilities: leadership, athletics, acrobatics, wilderness lore, watercraft, ferocious rage, wild born, apothecary

PC #3
SULANI, human female artificer (Argosan, street acrobat, sly), age 26.
STR 13  DEX 15  CON 11  INT 16  PER 10  WIL 10  CHA 12  INIT 15   
Skills & Abilities: acrobatics, apothecary, general lore, deception, stealth, divine lore, alchemy & machanica

Party bonds:
"Saved people from fire" (Sulani & Cut)
One day Sulani's workshop bursted into flame during a dangerous experiment. The fire quickly spread to the houses and shops nearby in the small town. Cut, a sword for hire, went by and helped Sulani save the residents there. Now without her workshop and being hard pressed to compensate the locals, Sulani decided to escape the town and joined Cut to look for new means of livelihood, not excluding adventures.

"Sailing" (Cut & Bulfin)
Travelling around Lake Argosa looking for jobs, Cut came across the lone, quiet half-skorn Bulfin at a roadstead. Cut was impressed by Bulfin's knowledge of watercraft and healing skills and thus invited the barbarian to join him to look for adventures.

II. The Starting Location (using the outpost generator in The Midlands, p.112):
My campaign began in Westguard, a recently established outpost around 40 miles (6 hexes) upstream of Throbbing Rill (the major river to the south of the Low Plains). 

Outpost: Westguard
Size: 300 people
Age: 6 years
Primary objective: A temporary "neutral ground" of trading opportunity with otherwise hostile thuel. [iv]
Overseer: "Greedy" Grindle (ranger, very scruffy [1] [4])
Patron: A wealthy private researcher [5]
Guards: 60 (20%)
Buildings: meeting hall, general store, barracks, blacksmith, rations store, hunters & growers market , domiciles, buildings & employees for trading
Additional goods/services: weaver, texiles [6], apothecary, herbalist [19], bard [20]
Gear availability: generally one rarity category higher than normal (M, p. 42)


III. Three Initial Adventure Hooks
Note: I come up with three starting adventure hooks. Instead of generating the notice board ad type of rumours, I want the hooks to be more engaging and contain certain temporal elements (recent, on the spot, latent).

Hook #1: Recent (a complication in the outpost, from M, p. 114):

[16] The overseer mercifully agreed to house remnants of a local thuel clan, the Stone Jaws, after they were recently massacred by hostiles (other thuel, skorn, etc). The survivors, mostly women and children, are living in a tent encampment in one corner. The whole outpost is distrustful, on edge, and uncertain as to what will happen next.

Thoughts: The Stone Jaws clan used to be a major trading partner with the outpost. After the massacre,  the refugees had no choice but fleed downstream to Westguard as the last resort. Greedy Grindle was willing to host them temporarily, but demanded a (steep) price in return. 
Questions: Who were behind the massacre, and why? Do we want to help out the Stone Jaws? Are there any (important) hostages? Can we strike a deal with Greedy Grindle to subsidize our expedition?


Hook #2: On the spot (upon the party's arrival, generated by the "City, Town, Village" random encounter table in ToA, p. 141)

[48] Execution A magistrate (= the overseer "Greedy Grindle" in our case) is presiding over an execution in the square. Three middle aged criminals are to be hanged. A small crowd has gathered. 3d6 guards are in attendance, along with the burly, hooded executioner.  Consult the Bones to determine if there is a rescue attempt by related ne’er do wells.

Questions: Who are these criminals? What have they done? Are they trying to break free, or are there accomplices somewhere in the shadow? How about that hooded executioner? If the criminals manage to escape, shall we ask the overseer to commission us to pursue the runaways?  


Hook #3: Latent (created by the Dungeon Generator in ToA, p. 218) 
The dungeon is rumoured to be a lost buried city dominated by an Eye Terror (HD11-12!!).
Using a d12 scatter diagram, the dungeon is said to be located 6 hexes (~36 miles) away and 4 o'clock to the outpost (see the annotated map below).
The party heard the bard singing out loud a poem when walking to the central square:

Beneath the prairie, a city sleeps,
In tombs where ancient silence keeps.
Buried deep, its secret lies,
Guarded by an unseen eye.

Eye terror waits in shadowed halls,
Its gaze a curse that never falls.
Watching ruins cracked and old,
Where tales of death and gold are told.

Treasures gleam in chambers dark,
Jewels that spark a siren's spark.
But none who dare disturb the rest,
Escape the terrors deadly quest.

(Further details such as the size [possibly quite large], the objective, and the reward, are to be determined upon embarking on the quest.)

Questions: How much is what the bard sings about true? Is the bard singing this simply to inspire foolhardy heroes, or is it possible that Greedy Grindle (the overseer) pays him to do so (to recruit treasure hunters)? What does the location of the dungeon (a buried city sitting right at the mouth of the forest) tell us? 

Continue on to Episode 2!