Rough Beasts pt. 1
Session 1
So with the tools we've created in Bladesworn I'm going to try and actually work on my WWI/Resident Evil setting. The original inspiration was from seeing this image:
At the time I was looking into a bunch of CoC and adjacent style games, especially Silent Legions, Kevin Crawford’s amazing OSR sandbox game of cosmic horror. Around the same time something about the new Resident Evil game got in my mind. I have only ever really played RE4 but it left a helluva mark on me. It’s one of only a few games I’ve ever beaten more than once. So, mashing these things together I got the idea for a horror sandbox game I wanted to run. As is often the case with me this became a bit of an obsession that I couldn't really figure out how too act on. I spent some time just dreaming up images and doing some research, but ultimately I fell into the old trap:
I wanted to run it as a campaign.
But then I needed to actually make it worth running for other people.
So I tried to figure out how to make it "good enough" and just sorta stalled out.
Also, all my current RPG groups are involved in other games. So, here I am, I have this desire to create this thing, but no clear way forward to elocute it to myself. So I grabbed Ironsworn and some other bits and pieces I've been noodling on and tried banging rocks together in hopes I get sparks.
Doing this solo makes it very low stakes and very low friction. I can just dive straight into the act of creation. And that's what this is. Here is a (slightly cleaned up) record of my first session using the tools that eventually became the stuff in Bladesworn. At this point not even everything existed. I had basically the new idea for progress tracks, I had my gear system from Blades Against Darkness, and I had the way I usually played Ironsworn (Ignoring all the moves and just treating it like World of Dungeons.)
What are we trying to accomplish:
Since we are stealing heavily from Resident Evil 4, I guess the obvious quest would be to Rescue the Burgomeister's Daughter.
Ask the Oracle: Where are we?
Opportunity: Flooded Container
Obstacle: Sunken Exit
NOTE: This is how I do exploration and it will eventually become a proper move. I use the Ironsworn Delve Aspect/Focus oracles to just set an obstacle and opportunity. Everywhere you go should have interesting things. You should never just roll the dice and tick boxes. Therefore everyplace has an obstacle and an opportunity.
Obviously we're in a flooded train and the train tunnels underneath the city.
Maria moved trudges slowly through water. Her boots are sodden with it and the light from her lantern flickers off the surface revealing a strange greenish tinge of absorbed gas. Her skin isn't burning so it must be innate. Or at least weakened. There is a train car here, the water sloshing gently against its sides. It could have supplies or tools, but she doesn't have the time to explore it. She has a job to do. Unfortunately, the way forward through the tunnels is flooded. She could press on, the way she knows from her maps given to her by the burgomeister but it will mean moving through the water which could come up to her chest. Maybe deeper. She might step into a sink hole and plunge beneath the surface. There are tunnels that lead off elsewhere. There could be another way, but her map doesn't cover that section.
I think what this means is that the known way is a 4 segment clock, and the unknown way is a 6 segment clock.
Starting a clock
I'm going to try and find another way around, that's why we're not exploring the train car. We're going to spend that time finding a better way around.
Take Action: Maria searches the underground for a better way forward
Wits (2) + 1 vs 10/10 = Hard fail. The worst possible fail. OMG. Okay, so because this is Resident Evil, I'm going to say it's a giant snake!
Maria carries her lantern out in front of her as she makes her way through the underground catacombs. The pale green light of her chemical lanter shines off the skulls around her. Perhaps we are under the cathedral? Suddenly she is rammed from behind and she dropps her lantern which goes skittering across the floor. A huge muscular coil wraps around her waist and drags her into the darkness and she see's a massive head, big as a horses head, rear back from her!
Ask the Oracle: Can she bring her gun to bear on this thing?
No. Damnit. Okay
Ask the Oracle: Can she get to her boot knife or are her arms trapped?
No. Holy shit both her arms are trapped. Jesus. Okay. How do we get out of this...
Note: For the yes/no oracle I use Scarlet Heroes. I will eventually adapt it to function with Ironsworn structure.
Take Action: Maria struggles to reach for her knife...
Strength: 1+5 vs 5/8 = weak hit. Obviously this I get my knife out, but this thing does it's damage. We rolled to see how bad of a giant snake this ting is and it's troublesome so it deals 1 harm. I'll take that on armor.
Take Action: Maria get's her knife out and stabs the beast before it can crack her ribs
Strength: 1+2 = 3 vs 2/9. Weak Hit. Maria does her damage, but also takes harm.
Take Action: Hit it again!
Strength: 1 + 5 = 6 vs 1/10 Weak Hit. Maria does her damage, but also takes harm.
Harm marked in two conditions, once for each point of harm
Finish It: Kill the Snake
Target 6: 4/4 Strong hit
Just as it lunges towards her, mouth agape to swallow her whole Maria turns her knife around and stabs upwards, between two of the scales on the beasts softer underside. It let's out a horrific shriek and begins thrashing about. In its pain and it slams it's head into the ceiling, cracking the stone. Maria escapes from its coils dives away as a mass of broken stone comes smashing down, crushing the monster.
Okay. That was freaking brutal... Two harm is a lot to deal with.
There might be a bit of a death spiral that is too strong. Even so a trait that let you take damage with no cost and a quick heal time could provide a good buffer.
Anyway, dead snake. I might be able to get something out of this... I could cut out this things venom glands and have a potent poison... But then again, I could just declare a poison in my kit. I'm even a plague doctor after all... I think I'll just keep looking for a way out of here...
Take Action: Maria continues her way through the underground trying to find a way around that doesn't require her to slog through the water.
Wits: 2 +5 = 7 vs 6/10 Weak Hit.
Note: At this point I had adapted the move to include the option to choose to fail on a weak hit to allow some tactical meta-gaming. My hope is to make the system a little more game-like so that it is more interesting as a solo enterprise.
On a weak hit choose 1:
You get the effect as established, but also suffer the consequences.
You get only the consequences, but the pain gives you strength. Gain 2 grit.
Honestly, I need to make some progress here, so I'm not going to take the Grit, I'm actually going to tick a the clock.
As I see it, this place has me on scale and potency. It's both significantly large and significantly dark and full for monsters for me to compete with it there. In my favor, it's just a bunch of tunnels made by people. It's not beyond the realm of possibility that a person could map it, so I can at least get one tick.
Ticking the clock once for the one factor in my favor
Ask the Oracle: Where are we?
Opportunity: Sacred Trail: The sound of bells and chanting
Obstacle: Toxic Enclosure: Iron maiden with miasma
Maria works through the tunnels. Her lantern is cracked now and a vein of shadow runs through the light in front of her, right in the center of course. She is moving carefully, after her run in with the snake. Around the next corner she sees a green miasma creeping along the ground. At first she thinks its gas, but she shines her lantern around the room. In the corner are what she initially assumes to be canisters of gas, cracked and the poison flowing out of them. Closer examination reveals they are not canisters, but… coffins? No worse. Iron maidens. Ranks of them, maybe ten, set up in the hallway ahead. The green gas flows out of only a few of them and fills the room at ankle height.
In the distance, Maria can hear the chanting and the gentle ringing of bells…
Okay well… we've gotta get through here. I can see two basic options. One: We sneak through. Two… we use some sort of short term flamethrower attachment to our rifle. And underslung flame belch thing. A heavy wax covered cylinder in a cheap metal tube that burns with a gout of flame for almost a minute… That's flipping cool. We totally have one of those.
Ask the Oracle: Do we have more than one?
Emphatic no. These must be pretty rare. Welp. I'm not wasting that… yet. Depends on what comes out of these containers…
Maria checks the seals on her mask, checks her belts and pouches are tied down, and begins trying to move between the Iron Maidens without disturbing anything…
Face Danger
Shadow (3) + 4 = 7 vs 7/9 Fail.
Alright. We have a choice here! I can spend 1 grit to add 1 to my action die and get a weak hit, or I can accept the fail and take XP. I'm going to spend the Grit, because I can't afford to lose another roll in this quest. This makes it a weak hit, so I get the effect as established, but also the consequences… which is that I wake up whatever is in these coffins…
Maria is working her way between the upright coffins. The serene faces of the Santa Domina set into the metal. Hands folded across the breast. Here two of them are set too closely together. Maria considers going around, but she looks back and by the green glow of her chemical lantern she sees a tendril of vapor curling after her, like a root seeking water. Perhaps it's in her mind? She pushes forwards, squeezing between the two iron maidens and as she does so she brushes against one of them. Too fast, she's gone out and past the place and she keeps moving. Looking back over her shoulder the fog grows thicker…
Ask the Oracle: Does whatever happens happen right now?
Emphatic No.
Alright, so we have a choice, do we go and try and listen to these voices? There is singing nearby. We can smell incense. Obviously there are people here. Maybe they can help!
Maria continues through the catacombs. She must be getting closer to the surface, to the places people use. There are sconces in the walls that are stained with soot and although all the bones that are here are ancient, there are signs of movement. Booted tracks in the mud. In the distance she hears chanting and she moves towards it.
When she arrives she comes in slowly, creeping in and peering at the scene. She sees a handful of people. Maybe ten or twelve. They have lit a kerosene lantern and they are huddled around it singing in low voices. She makes her presence known, scuffing a boot against the ground, but she slings her rifle and raises her hands.
"Who are you? What do you want?" Says the woman leading prayers, clearly the one in charge. Some of the others cower or go for weapons. Some of the people have rifles or pistols. Others little more than crowbars.
"I'm sorry to frighten you. Please. I mean no harm. I'm a traveler in the service of the Church." And with this she reaches into her coat and removes a badge given to her by the Cardinal. "
"Oh thank the Choirs!" Says the woman. "You've come to help us."
Maria considers her response, she'd like to help these people, but she needs to save the burgomeisters daughter. She decides to not contradict the woman for now.
"What's the matter, why are you huddled here in the catacombs?"
Take Action: Can Maria bluff her way past this woman?
Shadow 3 + 6 = 9 vs 9/9! Holy crap. I'll spend the Grit to boost the success, but it's also a double? Let's look on the plot twist table…
An assumption is revealed to be false. What has Maria assumed at this point… Well, I haven't fleshed this out very well… Maria is here to rescue the burgomasters daughter… Oh man, that's it…
"We're in hiding," the woman explains. She goes on to talk about how the Lady Sofia, when she arrived things started changing. First the prince, her betrothed was taken by The Red Death. After that, the lady locked herself in the tower. She saw treachery everywhere. Said it was the people of the town who had poisoned her lover. The city guard was tasked with hunting out the betrayers. As the search became ever more rigorous, the people were more and more in danger. Tribunals were set up, and then simply burnings in the streets. Now the town has turned on itself. Most stay indoors, or try to gather enough supplies to flee. This woman, Helen, and her flock have hunkered in place. They are trying to get enough supplies to make their escape.
"Will you help us?"
"What do you need?" Asks Maria.
"There's a stash of supplies in the church in Beggar's Square. One of us, Julio was a layman at the church. He said he had stashed it there as things were starting to get bad. He went to fetch it, but that was yesterday. I'm afraid something has happened to him."
Seems even in the tabletop, we can't escape fetch quests. Good news is I can probably get some progress towards the path to the keep while I'm topside too.
Maria agrees to get them the supplies so that's 2 Grit for following our motivation.
"But how will you escape?" She asks. "There are a set of iron maidens farther down the hall from here. A strange green vapor emanated from them… and I might have disturbed something when I came this way."
Helen's face pales a little at this news. "Oh devil's blood, you didn't!" Helen exclaims and Maria explains the situation. "We don't have anywhere else to hide and those things shouldn't be able to get in here." Maria thinks for a moment before giving Helen her Dragons Breath round. "Here. Take this, it should be enough to hold anything at bay, at least for a bit." Hellen takes the weapon.
"Thank you." Helen says.
Also, I think this is what Maria fights for! She genuinely believes that her purpose is to help those who this war has hurt. This means I also get to heal my Strained condition. The question is can I share intimacy with these people and heal heart too.
"Before I go, do you have any food?" Maria brings out some preserved rations. "We could make a stew, you could give me a lay of the land, help me figure out what I'm up against." When Helen sees the dried pressed meat she nods emphatically and Maria removes her mask and gear. She is slim and dark and like everyone in this world her eyes are hollow and haunted. She looks tired, but she doesn't stop fighting.
When Helen and the others ask Maria who she is and where she comes from she tells them the truth. She was young when the war started. After the first year, when so many men had died the nations started recruiting women and she went into battle. She dreamed of finding her husband who had left the year before, but she didn't seriously believe she would, and she never did. When The Red Death swept through the trenches she fled like so many others. She wasn't proud of it, but she hadn't believed in the war in the first place. She had only wanted to find the man she loved. Now with even that gone she had dedicated herself to the church and trying to save the people left behind by the war and the plague.
There you go, that's some intimacy shared! Heal our Broken condition too!
So that's everything from the first session. This was really nice for just being able to dive in and make stuff. Some of these ideas I had sorta sketched out in my mind. Other's, especially the things about the character came to me through the act of play and that was exactly what I wanted out of this. I wanted the ability to have the act of play inspire content.
More to follow!
