Paka's The Vault

[Yokiboy]

Here's the intro to our new TROS campaign. Many thanks to Paka, who came up with the idea.

In the center of the great continent Ecal-Pémos there rests a metropolis, simply called The Vault. It is the pinnacle of civilization. The centerpiece of the city is a huge dome with a great gate that seals Hell from the surface world.

Elves, dwarves and men populate the city, keeping Hell's Gate sealed. Gols were once a part of the Alliance, but were banished from the city, left to wander the world with no kingdom to call their own, hence their hatred of the civilized races. Elves have a song that details why the gols were banished but refuse to sing it for anyone.

When Hell's Gate was originally sealed, an army of the world's finest warriors was sent into the tunnels to fend off the forces of Hades. Once The Vault was sealed, their fate, known to them even when they volunteered to march into the depths, was too terrible to contemplate.

Sealing off Hell from the world has had severe repercussions. The damned now wander north when they die, stubbornly following the righteous dead to the Holy Gates, but they are shunned at the gates. They mill about in front of the gates, eyes black with hatred until a leader emerges and leads them southward to wreak war on the world. When this Legion of the Damned is defeated, the damned aren't banished, since hell is sealed, but it takes some time before they can make war again.

The Vault's Gatekeeper has always been an elf, just as the Mason General has always been a dwarf. The Captain of the Watch is always a man, since their short life spans mean that there are always fresh eyes on The Vault.

The damned are milling about and once again scouting parties have been seen south of the Great Rift. It won't be long now. The Captain of the Watch, the Gatekeeper and the Mason General debate loudly and publicly about the merits and flaws of opening the vault so that the damned might be marched into hell.

In order to open The Vault the key must be located. There's a legend related to The Vault Key, each generation a person is born that holds the key to open Hell's Gate. The Holy Order of the Key is an organization built around locating and protecting this key. So far they have successfully kept every key out of the enemies' hands, as they always now when the key is born.

However, something is amiss. Since the death of the last key, there existence of a new key has yet to be detected – this has never occurred before in the history of The Vault. There are rumors that the gols are once again massing under one banner, for what would be a first since their banishment, and they are searching the villages of the north burning everything in their wake. The Legion of the Damned supposedly have a powerful new leader, and their troops are massing cross the Great Rift, with scouting parties spotted throughout the north. Could the Holy Order of the Key have missed the sign? It was 18 years since the last key passed away.

Is the Legion of the Damned searching for The Vault Key? Could their new leader have felt the Calling of the Key? Are the gols also after the key? Are they helping the Legions of the Damned, or do they have their own agenda? Could The Vault Key be enough to unite the warring gols?  Will the Holy Order of the Key find the key in time? Will a war of three armies lay waste to Ecal-Pémos?

What part do you play in this unfolding drama?

TTFN,

Yoki

[Yokiboy]

Below are the characters of our story. Destinus is the Key, but doesn't yet know it. Brother Helix Defor is a knight of the Holy Order of the Key, sworn to protect the key with his life. Ghellin Blackmane is a con-man that hopes to make some money on this key business.

Destinus
"The only dumb question is the one not asked."

Concept: Young knowledge-hungry monk

Destiny (0) - not defined
Luck (1) - not defined
Drive (2) - to find the use of the Key
Passion (3) - a thirst for knowledge
Faith (1) - The Holy Order of the Key

Gift: Area Knowledge
Flaw: Minor Overconfidence

Skills: Academic and Farmer

Ghellin Blackmane
"I make my own destiny."

Concept: Con-man with a conscience.

Conscience (1) - suffers of a good conscience
Drive (1) - to become rich
Faith (3) - there are no gods
Luck (1) - uncanny ability to get out of tough situations
Passion (1) - I care for lost souls

Gift: Beauty of Legends (minor)
Flaw: Major greed - money

Skills: Thief and Courtier

Brother Helix Defor
"To serve and protect until death releases me from my duty."

Concept: A knight templar.

Drive (4) - keep the Key alive
Conscience (1) - knightly valor
Faith (2) - The Holy Order of the Key
Destiny (0) - they will sing about my bravery in combat
Passion (0) - hate gols for the killing of my family

Gift: Minor Patron, the abbot at his monastery
Flaw: Vow of abstinence (minor)

Skills: Knight and Clergyman

[Yokiboy]

After generating characters we had time to briefly discuss Kickers for our campaign.

Destinus is out gardening in his spice garden, when a rock from a catapult smashes through his monastery!

Brother Helix Defor walks into the monastery's most inner, and holiest chamber and finds his abbot trading the knowledge of where the Holy Key is to a representative of the Legion of the Damned!

Ghellin Blackmane has just sold some prime, swampland, real estate to a rich noblewoman and closed the deal with some love making. Unfortunately her husband walks in!

Now we are not sold on the last one at this time, and others were suggested such as Ghelling being run out of town by a mob, but I still think he could become better attached to the background story somehow, but we'll see.

The question that strikes me now, is how I go about coming up with Bangs, and driving the story through constant pressure, without a Relationship Map to keep it all together. We have trouble seeing NPCs playing a regular part in this drama, due to our views of the scale of the campaign.

We are after an epic adventure, a chase, where the characters are constantly on the move in their attempt to stay one step ahead of the gols and the Legion of the Damned. They will literally feel themselves sucked towards a confrontation where they are forced to open The Vault!

Does anyone have experience with playing a narrative RPG campaign using Kickers and Bangs, but without a Relationship Map? How did it go?

[BrendanC]

I ran a brief campaign of a similar scale, and instead of a relationship map of individual NPCs, I made a higher-level map detailing the relationships between organizations in the world. When I was statting out NPCs for an upcoming game, I'd note their status with the various groups. Then I could figure out how they'd be likely to act in response to members of a given group based on the high-level relationship map. It worked pretty well for the rather brief campaign I tried it with. I'd definitely try it again.

[Yokiboy]

I ran a brief campaign of a similar scale, and instead of a relationship map of individual NPCs, I made a higher-level map detailing the relationships between organizations in the world. When I was statting out NPCs for an upcoming game, I'd note their status with the various groups. Then I could figure out how they'd be likely to act in response to members of a given group based on the high-level relationship map. It worked pretty well for the rather brief campaign I tried it with. I'd definitely try it again.

Hi Brendan, that is so obvious it completely escaped me. Thanks for the help, that will work perfectly. We have as you can tell several organisations, armies, factions, etc. starring in the story, I'm still to set in my ways to get all the cool stuff I can do in a narrative RPG.

Thanks again,

Yoki

[BrendanC]

I'd love to hear more about how this works out in your game. It sounds like a fascinating setting.

[Yokiboy]

I'd love to hear more about how this works out in your game. It sounds like a fascinating setting.

As I stole the idea from Judd, I have promised him an Actual Play story, so I will have to give it my best effort. We just have to iron out the kickers, making sure everyone's happy, then I'll do my bit of the preparations, and off we go.

Btw, what do you think of Ghellin Blackmane's kicker, is it alright? It seems to me that Ghelling could easily get away from or defeat the angry husband, escape town, and go one conning people in other parts of the country. Hopefully the player would try to get more involved in the story than that, but who knows.

TTFN,

Yoki

[BrendanC]

Btw, what do you think of Ghellin Blackmane's kicker, is it alright?

I think it sounds like a great scene, but I don't see how it's going to tie Ghellin into the other plot threads. As it is, it feels isolated from the rest of the story. Maybe instead he could be attacked by Gols or even the Legion of the Damned looking to get back the expensive-looking trinket he "liberated" the day before? It's cliche, but might draw him into the plot more easily. In other words, throw something at him that will link him into the relationship map, and you're probably better off.

[Yokiboy]

I'm with you Brendan, I suggested some such variations on his kicker. I'll let you know what we'll eventually come up with, but I think it should tie in to the relationship map somehow. Of course the guy walking in on him could be aligned with one of the other groups, and if off'ed they'll find out somehow. It's more work certainly, but I think the player in question needs some assistance.

[Judd]

Btw, what do you think of Ghellin Blackmane's kicker, is it alright?

I would express my worry to the player that it would be difficult to tie him into the rest of the campaign.

It is fine to have a scoundrel among the high and mighty types...having a Han throw in among the Lukes and Bens is fine but I'd talk to him and the rest of the group about how to tie him in with them.

Perhaps he could be childhood friends with one of them or something, perhaps even with a loyalty SA?

[Yokiboy]

I would express my worry to the player that it would be difficult to tie him into the rest of the campaign.

I agree the Ghellin should be tied in closer to the story. We are meeting again next week to iron out all remaining questions, and then I'll take a week or so to prepare a relationship map and a list of bangs.

I like the idea of changing the "lost soul" passion to a loyalty towards Helix perhaps. Of course Ghellin could even be the father of Destinus, who is a teenager. We'll surely work out something, the player is new to the whole idea of narrative roleplaying (not that I'm much more experienced unfortunately) and might just not realize the importance. We didn't have much time to discuss kickers last time.

[Kaare Berg]

Hi Yokiboy,

Have gone through the same growth as you are about to embark on, you might want to check out my actual play reports. There is a list here on the BW forum.

Hopefully some of these might save you some of the grief and headaches that I had during my "epic" campaign.

I would particulary check out Ralph and Ron's comments here . They really helped define the way my group now plays.

Not to mention the way I plan my scenarios.

About the Ghellin Kicker, like you said, all he has to do is grab his pants and jump out the window. Now what if the Nobleman is standing between Ghellin and the banknotes/letters of credit/money with a sword drawn. You're hitting both a SA and a flaw pitting it against Ghellins survival instinct.

- K

[Yokiboy]

Have gone through the same growth as you are about to embark on, you might want to check out my actual play reports. There is a list here on the BW forum.

Wow, that's a ton of Actual Play stories. I'm starting at the top of your list for now.

Hopefully some of these might save you some of the grief and headaches that I had during my "epic" campaign.

I would particulary check out Ralph and Ron's comments here . They really helped define the way my group now plays.

Not to mention the way I plan my scenarios.

Sounds good on all levels, thanks. I might PM you if I have further questions. I love the whole narrative roleplaying concept, but it just refuses to come naturally to me, as I am trying to unlearn what I've spent the last 20 years doing.

About the Ghellin Kicker, like you said, all he has to do is grab his pants and jump out the window. Now what if the Nobleman is standing between Ghellin and the banknotes/letters of credit/money with a sword drawn. You're hitting both a SA and a flaw pitting it against Ghellins survival instinct.

I'm with you, the kicker in itself is not bad at all, but it's not great for the story. It could certainly be turned into something for a regular game, but here we already know that we want to focus on The Vault and its Key.

TTFN,

Yoki

[Kaare Berg]

Quick idea,

Ghellin has the "I care for Lost Souls"  passion. Build a kicker around a lost soul that somehow is connected to the Key (a small orphan girl is ideal). Then lead Helix to the girl via his kicker.

While these are fending of gols intent on getting to this kid. Another force of gols are bombarding their destination, a monastry.

And so on.

Happy weekend.