I just discovered the power of reveal an unwelcome truth. Entire adventures can spawn from that one 🙂
We just finished the one-shot session, Bastien Wauthoz, Eric Nieudan and I, and I had nothing planned beforehand, yet it seemed as though this simple DM move just created an entire adventure.
What I came to the table with was an idea about starting out with a battle between airships, because hey… Airships! What happened was rather different.
I told the players that people we’re yelling outside and that there was some sort of trouble. They leave the inn, where they had both slept after a long journey, to find out a halfling girl had been murdered.
Naturally they ask questions like; “What happened to her?”. It sounded like they were studying the situation, so I told them to roll discern realities. A miss! So I revealed the unwelcome truth that something powerful had torn her in half (no, I didn’t get any “quarterling” jokes).
I didn’t know what had done it, but they later got the opportunity to ask “what should we be on the lookout for?”, and first thing that came to my mind was “werewolf or owlbear?”, so I just went with the latter.
Now we have a cult of demon worshiping humans and halflings, who’s leader is making experiments on animals to reshape them into the image of their birdheaded god (his symbol was a bird skull).
This has been an amazing session, and I hope we can end this adventure at a later time. They went back to town to gather supplies and hire some extra hands, meaning that it is an excellent point in the game to introduce new players, as they both suggested.
This was fun! Just wanted to share a great experience 🙂
Thanks for sharing!
It was actually also the first time, I DM’ed for complete strangers. I was wonderfully surprised 🙂
Awesome 😀 I’m glad it went well!
Aaron Friesen Me too! I was a little nervous prior to the game. 🙂
I can understand that thoroughly.
Also, I really adore the owlbear. When I ran a one-shot, the owlbear ended up more terrifying to the PCs than the Ettin they decided to stalk, manipulate and then kill. Of course, I guess you only need to say, “And as the bearhug tightens your vision goes hazy and the pain shoots as your forearm snaps. What do you do?” once to get your point across.
Lol, my moves haven’t been that hard. Yet. My “behind the curtains” move of increasing the known number of owlbears from one to 3 or 4 might eventually get there, though 😉
Yeah, but I /was/ running a one shot. Had to hit the gas and show them what my baby can really do when you get it out on the highway 😀
One-shot should give GM’s less quarrels about hurting the characters. It’s fun to barely survive. Or almost survive 😉
We did almost survive. And my druid saved the fighter ass more than once. Great game, lot of fun. You don’t have to stress next time Kasper Brohus.
You survived. But At some point I was actually worried you wouldn’t, but that was mostly because the dice gods decided that both both of you should either die or get a bucket full of XP 🙂
I’ll go for the bucket, then! 😉
Well, it seems like that was what you got 🙂 I really think I should be harder with my moves 😉
You changed your photo Kasper ! I could’t recognise you.
Day 32: They are getting suspicious of my true identity.
Report 368: We’ve been obviously spotted. He’s getting nervous.
Soooo Jealous I am…
Hope you enjoyed it my french pals 😛 Bastien Wauthoz Eric Nieudan
We did! For sure! Grégoire Pinson
Care to join? Grégoire Pinson
Not possible for Kasper and I to share our respective diary. My work’s finishing too late 7PM and the game’s finishing too early10:30PM. I would appreciate, for sure.