This game is going to the sewers

I've started running not one but two Fantasy Trip game. One that takes once a month with the mostly-Monday group, and the other is Nate and a nephew. As both groups wanted to move to a more urban setting, it is back to Edge City, my Ank-Morpok analog (well, I have the maps and may as well use them!). 

Of course, the first run through with the new group saw a 50% party kill. Which served, I hope, to point out just how deadly OSE types of games are. On the bright side, one of the two characters was technically my own, though one of the players was going to play him when we got together. He could not make that first session, and as the game needed 4 characters, I played Bruk the barbarian. Who was killed by a skeleton.

The game this weekend actually finished the set piece but did take a fair amount of time to get started. Both players brought character and none of them were legal 32-point characters. I did end up allowing for 33 points but there was some major character renovation going on. For one player, this was his first time playing The Fantasy Trip, and was use to D&D 5e. I think old-school rules and not being able to do everything and be basically a superhero at level 1 was throwing him off (and yes, I may be throwing shade at 5e but I really don't like that version). 

The players had just docked at a river dock, when they hear a scream and see a very large rat carrying something off into a warehouse. Following the guards, the just catch the end of the rat tail disappearing into an office in the back corner, being chased by the 4 dock guards. We have a human rogue type of character, a goblin artificer carrying a blunderbuss, and a gargoyle who cannot speak common. The goblin has been his translator. Still not sure why some players want to carry a gun in a fantasy game; in TFT you fire once and yes, it can do a fair amount of damage but takes 12 rounds to reload, gunpowder is expensive and hard to come by, and it can literally blow up in your face. And honestly, really not sure how a short goblin carries a blunderbuss. But carry on!

The guards are around an open grate in the floor that leads to the sewers. "I'm not going down there!" one says. "They don't pay us enough for that!" says another. The sergeant looks over at the newly arrived adventurers, and asks why they are in Edge City. "Adventure and gold" seems to be the common answer. 

"For a gold piece each, if you can track down that rat and bring back what it had." With a yes, our trio heads to the sewers down the stone stairs. 

setting up the game

No, not all these rats were involved

First encounter - they live!

I finally got around to using my Lasers & Dungeons sewer set. Though it is not set up in a particularly logical manner in hindsight. I may re-arrange it for the next foray. I also used another room set for a min-dungeon off of the sewers. Just as with the Discworld series, Edge City has been built on the bones of other cities and so has a fairly vast subterranean ecology. 

One of the characters actually has Naturalist, so caught sight of the slimes before they (slowly) attacked. The gargoyle has an halberd and used it most effectively - he actually got double damage and killed the first slime quickly. Our naturalist lost two arrows missing both shots. The second slime was more difficult to kill, but eventually it too splashed into the water. Which also splashed on the goblin who was none too pleased to have sewer water on him!

Moving up there was a T intersection, and seeing as the left went nowhere, moved to the right. A pipe was flooding the sewers with more effluvia, increasing the stench a great deal. Getting over that, there was a sewer entrance to their left, bit a glint of something shiny in the other area caught their eye. Off in the corner, there appeared to be a debris pile caught up in the current. Having a flying gargoyle really helped: he flew over, made a good landing, and found a small chest with some gold a jewel in the pile. On his way back, the goblin was attacked by a giant sewer frog! The gargoyle's pole attack helped, and the naturalist got one shot off but missed due to the surprise nature. A quick battle ensued, and the giant frog was killed. 

Moving back to the sewer entrance, they could see a slight shadow and what looked like torchlight a few rooms ahead. There was what seemed like a bridge over actually clear water, which took most of the aroma away. The walls themselves, once they crossed the bridge and went through the archway, were an entirely different style; ornate and well-crafted. 

The next room a giant spider attacks. While our roguish naturalist got away, the spider attacked the goblin and managed a bite! And dealt 4 points of damage. And he failed his strength roll and succumbed to the spider venom! And sadly, he was the only one who spoke Gargoyle! The spider got attacked again but it scuttled away, having gotten a taste and not wanting to die. Raising his torch in a salute to their fallen comrade, the spiderweb get torched but fizzles out pretty quickly as it is also fairly damp in these sewers. 

Passing two tall statues, they come into the room with two torches lit. A barrel is against the wall, a bookcase covers one wall, and there is an open casket with a skeleton holding a sword, a statue behind the casket, and a banner with a golden gryphon behind that. The statue is holding a ruby-pommeled sword. Taking the sword, our remaining adventurers notice that the stone statues are now watching our rogue. The gargoyle leaves the room, but the statues ignore him. Attempting to throw the sword to the gargoyle, the statues catch the sword instead. Grabbing the beer barrel with its odd arms and legs, the rogue gets ready to leave. Running through the door, both statues missed him. They are unable to move, so he made it safe and sound. I had more normal bad rolling here, unlike the spider.

Retracing their steps, they leave. The guards ask where the goblin was and try to pay only 2 pieces of gold. A fairly rapid discussion and they get 3 gold for the return of the beer golem. And then the game ended. 

I think it went pretty well: we did lose one character, and I forgot to give out XP which I'll do now. The gargoyle will get 100 XP for his killing attacks, as well as the player playing in character for both the goblin and the gargoyle. Our rogue the same - though not as effective in a fight, he did spot the ambushes other than the giant frog. And Nate always plays in character well. 

The frog did not get his goblin snack

I also got to use a lot of my stuff which is good. Yes, most of the creature encounters were set up around what I have, just like the original D&D games. And yes, this will be re-run for the next group so I'll leave it up, though I may re-arrange the sewers a bit. And they may find a dead goblin with a blunderbuss in the sewers...Of course, TFT is hex based, but the tiles work well enough though the tiles are square based. I think it did help in setting up how things fit together and the space. What I can't figure out yet is a good way of using all my fake coins, though they did open the little chest I do have and get the gold. Along with an odd stone disk that they do not know what to do with yet (and neither do I but I'll make something fun up for the next outing!)