This session was played on 04/14/22 with PCs needing one day of rest; able to adventure again on and after 0416/22.
Foreword
I took four weeks off of DMing sessions of my much celebrated and influential ACKS. But play did not stop! A good friend stepped into the role of DM during that time and four sessions were played without my involvement. BROSR campaigns abide.
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| Patron Assassin Leonard Smalls |
I hope said "Dubs-titute DM" will do a guest post about the experience at some point or perhaps blog about it on his own outstanding blog here. If he does so I'll be sure to let you know!
During downtime in the month or so leading up to Session 54 a Patron assassin's guild big boss named Leonard Smalls ran a burglary of MadEye's emporium (PC Venturer level idk). Smalls was hoping to get an easy score ripping off the PCs who were flush with cash from the recent successful adventuring of the Nethercity with Dubs-titute DM.
Smalls did alright on the op, grabbing some coin but one of his operatives was caught by the guards during the heist. The operative was apparently a chthonic cultist and ran off at the mouth about the coming Awakening and how Smalls was going to lead the charge here in the city etc etc.
MadEye was curious about Smalls but he was also angry the Mandonio's Spear (Deceased PC Fighter Level 5) was copped from the heist. MadEye sent retainers to look into Smalls and where his hideout might be. Yet MadEye's guy was grabbed. Smalls sent word of blackmail. MadEye refused so Smalls cut off the prisoner's thumb and sent it back to MadEye.
All this downtime stuff happened on the day I was set to return to the DM chair; session day. It was entirely the Oracular Power of the Dice at play colored by Patron and PC decisions. As a DM you just sit there during these moments and marvel at how much better a story you're getting than if you tried to dream up a hook for PCs as per more common DND approaches.
I thought I was going to have an easy evening returning to DMing a dungeon delve on a homebrewed dungeon I had introduced to the campaign via a treasure map a few days prior. No. PCs wanted to use their session time to ATTACK THE PATRON ASSASSINS GUILD LEADER.
Session Report
I expected a sort of sneaky session but the PCs had like 60 heavy infantry mercenaries to bring to bare against the assassin's guild hideout. MadEye had rumormonged that Smalls' spot was at an abandoned orphanage in the Temple District. So it would take about an hour to march all the troops over there.
The Party decided to sent BillyBob (PC Explorer level 1) and Wesley (PC Thief level 3 I think...?) over there to check the place out first. They found it to be a single floor big mansion sort of place and BillyBob scouted to check out the possibility of rooftop access for himself or the syndicate members trying to escape that way.
Wesley knocked on the door to the hideout and pretended to want to join the syndicate as a new member so he could get a look inside. I rolled some reaction checks and the door was answered by a mid level bard syndicate sort who wasn't hostile but was sorry to say that Smalls wasn't hiring. From the doorway Wesley saw about a half dozen ruffians in the foyer playing cards and such. Rough looking fellas. And they gave off the vibe of some sort of weird cult.
Wesley and BillyBob decided to cut their losses and assumed this was about as much as they could learn from recon.
When I looked at the numbers and the fact the PCs intended to simply attack the building with mercenaries, I decided to run this operation and session as a Mass Combat. Since we play ACKS we used the ACKS Domains at War: Campaigns book for mass combat resolution. You must needs a mass combat resolution system to play Real D&D. Running this with like 120 d20 rolls per round for attacks would not have been feasible or fun.
Xanthos (PC Cleric level 5) was the General of the mercenaries because the only other PC qualified for the task without some sort of negative would be Daria (PC BladeDancer Level 6). PCs realized that Daria, being dumb as a rock, would have a negative to her Strategic roll if I ruled the need for some sort of opposed strategy roll between the PC platoon and the assassin's guild forces. Didn't want to risk it.
When the PCs marched their platoon of heavy infantry across the city I made a Reaction Check for each district they passed through to see if the local guards would take umbrage to this private little army or at least ask "oi where is your private army license?"
The guards didn't care.
I then made a check to see if Small's saw the little army coming and what he would think of it. When you run Patrons in session you kind of have to run them like NPCs wherein you have a bit of a better idea of what sorts of things the NPC might do since you either know the Patron player since he's one of your friends or you get to know him and his style through play.
Smalls was actually online and chatting with me here or there during the session but his responses weren't fast enough for me to apply many of them to the session play itself.
So the dice ruled that Smalls' people and ruffians who watch the neighborhood saw the PCs and their mercs coming. Smalls was ready to fight back when the PCs got to his hideout.
Mass Combat commenced at the abandoned orphanage and assassins's guild hideout.
ACKS Mass Combat allows something called Heroic Forays where the PCs can "zoom in" on the mass combat with what their PCs are doing in a standard DND skirmish fight most of us are familiar with. The d20 rolls, spell slinging back and forth stuff. The PCs decided to do a Foray against the 20 or so ruffians that were guarding the foyer of the house.
Daria got super buffed with many divine spells before the fight and she was a major force just slicing through tons of ruffians. The PCs and their hench generally didn't have too much trouble with this Heroic Foray. I don't remember many details except on of Smalls' bards had a Wand of Cold and was able to pop it off at the middle ranks of the PCs' marching order. Xanthos's 3 war dog hench-pets were killed and he's sense decided to stop bring hench animals into fights since "it seems cruel".
Schizo (PC Mage Level 1) was a new player who I'm sure was confounded by all this mass combat stuff also got got by the cone of cold. Sorry newb! One of the veteran players said "welcome to the campaign!"
Some other henchmen died from the cone of cold as well, including Bridget (Xanthos henchlady) and Durasmon (Acton's hench). I don't know who these folks are since they were apparently brought into the campaign while I was on my break.
After the Heroic Foray we ran some Mass Combat attacks and the PCs mercs gave about as much as they got from the swarm of syndicate ruffians. As the mass battle raged on the PCs tried to figure out what section of the house Leonard Smalls was hiding in so they could push their forces in that direction. The ruffians were fighting them back from room to room and the place was becoming a mess of bodies and broken furniture.
Xanthos made his Strategy Roll vs Smalls and I ruled that winning this allowed the PCs to figure out the general direction Smalls was hiding. We ran another Mass Combat phase and the PC's mercs did better this time, taking few losses in a kitchen leading into a "planning room".
Once the PCs pushed and fought their way into Smalls' planning room they found most of his commanders and such there but they were ready to surrender after failing a Morale Check. Smalls himself slipped out a secret door behind the chimney just before the PCs busted into his room. I made a Wilderness Evasion roll for Smalls to see if he escaped into the throng of the city and asked PCs if they wanted to pursue him now or just tied up all the ruffian prisoners and wrap up the session. They chose the latter.
So Smalls the high level Assassin Patron is still out there somewhere...
MadEye's henchmen that was taken prisoner the previous day was found dead and stuffed in a chimney, his throat cut. Mandonio's Spear (a holy relic) was found burned in the fireplace as per the Patron's decision made earlier that day.
There was quite a bit of treasure there but as per the ACKS Domains at War rules most of the XP value of that went to the General of the platoons used in the action. Xanthos gained thousands of XP and leveled and most of the other PCs got a few hundred for the Heroic Foray which gives XP the same as normal DND style combat.
It was getting quite late so we wrapped up here.
Afterword
The biggest take away from this session for me was that it was possible to quickly throw together a scenario based on the oracular power dice and the Patron's notes. Within about 10 minutes I went from "oh... you want to do WHAT?!" to "ok I'm ready". It's important Patrons have a clear list of their manpower, resources, and floor plan of their spot if applicable. I also advise Patrons to have some list of contingencies for a DM to use if PCs come to their land or attack their house or whatever.
Having most of this handy made throwing this session together relatively easy.
One player mentioned this session made it clear that Pcs shouldn't underestimate the resources a Patron has. Perhaps the PCs assumed there would be many fewer men in site and their heavy infantry would easily take the hideout down. It's not that the PCs or their mercs lost but it certainly wasn't easy. So I agree PCs should always be careful when dealing with Patrons and combat.
Another player mentioned that "domain play starts at level 1". Very true. My more veteran players jump their new Level 1 PCs into downtime play quickly and advise the new PCs joining the campaign lately to do the same. This ends up being Domain play insomuch as it's rarely too early to begin engaging with the world outside of session play.
Lastly there were critiques from some players in the days following this session that Patrons are unfair insomuch as they get "free XP" and "free resources" or something. Also, that they can read these session reports and know where PCs are and what their goals are and he like.
The OSR sorts who signal against BROSR folks such as myself say similar things.
I'll field some of these critiques and give a bit of theory about Patrons v PCs.
Firstly regarding session reports: I've begun writing and releasing session reports a few weeks after the session proper so much of the info will be out of date to the campaign state and Patrons who may be antagonistic to PCs. I don't think Patrons reading this will get much actionable info in these reports that they couldn't spend a couple of days in downtime getting. Something like the PCs taking 60 mercs into the Temple district and attacking the assassins guild would be common knowledge throughout the city in like 2 days and throughout the region in like a week. So hearing about it hear on the blog 3 weeks later is fine.
PCs have asked why should a Patron assassin be able to exist in secret. They didn't know about Smalls until this session and that didn't seem fair especially since the Patron ran a burglary against them. Interesting critique to be sure but it falls flat with me. As far as the story element is concerned why should PCs treat a Patron any different than an NPC? The BROSR has well documented this phenomenon that PCs are more scared or respectful of Patrons than NPCs due to the fact that it's a time honored tradition in DND play to insult and belittle a DMs NPCs. But it really shouldn't be the case anyway.
"But Patron adversaries are more likely to run ops against PCS!" Ok perhaps. But in practice I haven't actually found this to be the case. If I was running Smalls as an NPC Assassin that had a beefr against the PCs I'd have had him assassinate one of them, not burgle. So honestly he was kinder and gentler than I'd have been.
So in theory I get what PCs are saying but in practice it's not been an issue. And the BROSR is about actual play not theoretical ponderings.
As far as Patrons getting "free resources" or "free XP" I find this to be a silly critique based on jealousy or resentment. I'd direct such critiques to Mr Wargaming's video where he explains that BROSR gaming is about trust and serving the campaign as a whole; not just your own PC or play.
Additionally, there's nothing stopping a PC from quitting session play and instead becoming a Patron player. Some in my campaign have due to time concerns or simply preferring the play style. Session 54 indeed proved that Session Play is very powerful indeed. Being able to slow down and zoom in on the campaign world and hit a goal in a more focused way than Patrons makes PCs a force to be reckoned with now and then.
On top of that Session Play is simply good fun and Patrons can't do it. For now....
Deceased
Dama (L1 Venturer) played by RR. Current total xp: 75. DECEASED. Poison gas in Session 3.
Darius LeVay (L1 Assassin) played by JB. Current Total XP:451. DECEASED. Poison gas in Session 3.
Donald the Guardsman (L1 Fighter) played by MP. Current Total XP:570. DECEASED. Intra-party justice in Session 3.
Felix (L1 Thief) played by Nicholas. Current Total XP:431. DECEASED. Poison gas in Session 3.
Hektor (L1 Paladin) played by Moai. DECEASED. Cause of Death: goblin warg rider throat removal surgery in Session 2
Leonidas the Inquisitor (L1 Cleric) played by RR.Current Total XP:498 DECEASED. Frozen undead blistering cold aura left his skin frostbitten and broken in Session 6. Body not recovered.
Mard the Mage (L1 Mage) played by Nicholas. DECEASED. Frozen undead blistering cold aura left his skin frostbitten and broken in Session 6. Body not recovered.
Yolo Baggins "My friends call me Swaggins" (L1 Gnomish Trickster) played by J. DECEASED. Paralyzed and eaten by ghouls in Session 12. Body not recovered.
Jack Filcher (L1 Thief) played by C. DECEASED. Shot full of arrows by Inthorn's brigands in Session 12. Body not recovered.
Swoleous Maximus (L1 Paladin). DECEASED. Captured then drawn and quartered by Inthorn the Brigand warlord in Session 12. Posthumously named "Petty Hero of Turos Tem" by Legate Valerian. Ashes offered a place of pride in the Hospital.
Damianus (L1 Cleric). DECEASED. Captured and beheaded by Inthorn the Brigand warlord in Session 12. Posthumously named "Petty Hero of Turos Tem" by Legate Valerian. Ashes offered a place of pride in the Hospital.
Bucky (L1 Barbarian). DECEASED. Became a illegal pit fighter during his downtime. Had two bouts to the death, winning the first and losing the second. Was killed by Young Jack Sparrow who sashayed into the ring, drank rum, and mogged on Bucky before putting a dagger into his ribs, killing him. This happened during downtime between Session 17 and 18.
Broll Wolf-Eater (L1 Barbarian). Current total XP: 1079. DECEASED. Carried off by harpies after falling for their enchanting song in Session 19.
Brother Franklin (L1 Cleric). DECEASED. Decapitated by a mad cultist of a Lovecraftian slime thing in Session 19.
Felix the Elder (L1 Bard). Total XP 825. DECEASED. Captured by mad cultists and fed to a Lovecraftian slime monster in Session 19.
Templar Flavius Africanus (L1 Cleric). Total XP 7. Killed by the claws and beak of mad harpies in Session 19.
Xendi (L1 Explorer). Total XP 6. DECEASED. Carried off by harpies after falling for their enchanting song in Session 19.
Yllmeeton (L3 Shaman). Total XP 4,563. Bludgeoned by the corpse of a bowmen by Rosie Odonnel hag in Session 21.
Longinus (L2 Assassin). Total XP 2,036. Had his face ripped off by Rosie Odonnel hag in Session 21.
Mandonio (L3 Fighter). Total XP 4,779. Charred to a leprous crisp by diseased Dragon breath in Session 22.
Corydon (L1 Joker). Total XP: 0. Burnt to a crisp by chimera breath so thoroughly his corpse wasn't even fit for the crows. Died with a smile on his face and a song in his heart. that's life and as funny as it seems... some people get their kicks, stomping on a dream... In Session 25.
Donny Keebler (L1 Elven Spellsword). Total XP 2,238. Had his legs burned completely off by chimera fire breath in Session 25.
Marina (L2 Fighter). Total XP: 2,204. Burnt into ash by a chimera fire breath in Session 25.
Gundro (L2 Gnomish Trickster). Total XP: 2,575. Had his mouth and tongue bitten off by a lizardman ambusher in the dank sewers below Cyfaraun in Session 26.
Polydoros (L1 Fighter). Total XP: 0. Had his legs ripped off and eaten by Akira monsters in the dark canopy of the Viaspen Forest in Session 28.
Odrum (L1 Explorer). Total XP: 287. Javelin to the heart from the hands of weird vine goblins hidden in the walls of Ferigno's lair in Session 30.
Garvin the Nutless Wonder (L1 Mage). Total XP: 0. Fell off the side of Ferigno's lair 20 feet to his death in Session 30.
Blackmoon (L1 Assassin). Total XP: 768. Choked to death by BOB from Twin Peaks while stealing treasure from Ferigno's dragon horde in Session 30.
Xanthus (L2 Cleric). Total XP: 2,364. Choked to death by BOB from Twin Peaks while hanging out on the roof of Ferigno's lair in Session 30.
Lord Zyklon (L1 Elven Spellsword). Total XP: 0. LORD ZYKLON DISEMBOWLED LORD ZYKLON upon finding himself on the losing side of the Desolation of Turos Tem.
Turin (L1 Cleric). Total XP: 0. Eaten by Wargs in Session 32.
Rat Face (L2 Thief) Total XP: 1,577. Seemingly grabbed in the dark by a Xenomorph in Session 36. In a sinkhole your party can hear you scream!
Smarticus (L1 Mage) Total XP: 0. Captured by a Xenomorph in Session 36 for all the party to witness. Taken deep into a sinkhole.
Hearticus (L1 Cleric) Total XP: 0. Gored to death by giant horned beetles in Session 39 after projectile vomiting all over himself from the stink of sewer sludge.
Mickey Mouser (L1 Thief) Total XP: 0. Gored to death by giant horned beetles in Session 39 in the happiest place on earth: the Cyfaraun sewer!
Aenes (Level 1 Paladin) Total XP: 62. Swarmed by giant flies in the sewer beneath Cyfaraun in Session 40.
Acianus (Level 1 Mage) Total XP: 0. Chopped to pieces in Session 42 by a six armed demon statue from behind and quickly forgotten about by his compatriots who saved MadEye and lamented Hardar instead. But I'll never forget you Acinanu nanu...nanite... nananaa...
Hardar (Level 2 Mage) Total XP: 2,832. Chopped up in Session 42 by a six armed demon statue as he held his Darth Vader Choking Grip spell long enough for his compatriots to escape an unwinnable battle. His dream to become the most evil being in the universe suffers eternally the indignity of being remembered for self sacrifice and laying his life down for his friends.
Nubbs (Level 3 Thief) Total XP: 4,017. Swarmed by scarabs which bored into his ears and brain in Session 45.
Grummz (Level 1 Dwarven Vaultgard) Total XP: 0. Ripped limb from limb by a throng of skeletons and their undead golem leaders in Session 46.
Grommzs (Level 1 Dwarven Vaultguard) Total XP: 2,168. Torn to bits and eaten by trolls in session 48
Rapunzel (Level 4 Priestess) Total XP: 11,540. Torn to bits and eaten by trolls in Session 48.
Schizo (Level 1 Mage): Total XP: 0. Frozen to death by an assassin's guild ruffian bard wielding a Wand of Cold in session 54.
Alexa this is so sad play "Down in the Willow Garden" by the Everly Brothers
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