The irregular column where I share links to the things that inspire me is back!
Today, I’m writing while a third atmospheric river in a week passes over my home state. It offered a new twist, a levee break near where I go shopping and attend Sounders practices. The repair seems to be going well and the flooding there is only bad enough to wet parking lots. Up in the North Sound things are not simple, nor easy. Their recovery is going to take a long time. The communities up there will learn on each other and those of us that can help, because it’s bad.
Working in a field adjacent to disaster prep I’ve given some talks about how RPGs can help people learn what to do in crisis through short games that are D&D adjacent (ability+skill/class, d20). Next month I’m giving a different but similar talk at OrcaCon in SeaTac.
Attendees can find it in their schedule as: Special Event: RPGs as Natural Disaster Prep Tools.
Hurricanes, Earthquakes, Volcanoes! Learn how to prepare using TTRPGs. Themed around community, and helpful for memory retention, these small, educational TTRPG games can help a community prepare for the natural hazards that are impacting them more than ever.
There’s obviously going to be an example about floods, bomb cyclones and atmospheric rivers too. If you are in the South Sound come to OrcaCon. I’d love to meet you.
Much of it runs counter to my previously cited works about the amount of leisure time available that should inspire characters to have hobbies.
There is almost no dedicated leisure time during the day. There is a regularity to the cycle, a monotony – each day more or less like the one before it and the one after – one imagines it was comforting to some peasants and deeply constricting to others, shaped by the continuing demands of peasant labor (itself structured by the heavy extraction regime they operate under, which consumes the leisure time they might otherwise have).
But your characters should still have hobbies — even if they are peasants.
Modern D&D is mostly in a near industrial format that allows for specialization.
Wide magic definitely enables specialization and light.
It’s more fun to have.
ACOUP also points out that days may not have breaks, but weeks likely do and there are fest periods annually.
In any case, for those long days in the fields or the long hours of spinning thread while keeping one eye on the large pot and the other on the tiny tot, our peasants would be looking forward to the next festival, the next feast day, the next major event…
This board is different than previous finds in that it was built in to the floor in a mosaic rather than on benches or tables. It was large and meant to be permanent.
People like to play games.
Sometimes people play games to avoid thinking about the Apocolypse.
A tube amp wireless router? A binary code typewriter with only a zero and one? A record player that can play 4 records – vocals, guitar, base and drum – at the same time? These are all gadgets that almost seem like they could exist, but of course they don’t.
The binary typewriter is going into my world right now.
Traveling the harsh lands of the Ferments? Find everything you need at WEST THUNDERMOON TRADING POST!!! Settled in the foothills of the Thundermoon Mountains a half a day’s ride west of Ourten, WEST THUNDERMOON TRADING POST is the go to location to find all of your hunting and travelling needs.
Run by the Maltunyn family for generations, they’re knowledge of the local terrain, as well as their selection of only the finest gear will ensure your travels will be safe and comfortable. Or you could pick up some of the finest furs and rations provided by master hunter Velthuria Maltunyn, and her daughter Keesrah. If you need a quick repair, or even an herbal remedy or two, Cay Maltunyn has you covered.
With the experience of generations, and a deep love of the land and air, the WEST THUNDERMOON TRADING POST is a must for any serious travelers of the Thundermoon Mountains. Visit the WEST THUNDERMOON TRADING POST today!!!
You can find that brochure throughout the villages and homesteads of the Thundermoon Mountains in The Ferments.
Keesrah Maltunyn, a human guide and drakewarden ranger with a raven named Crow, is the player character who calls the trading post home.
The West Thundermoon Trading Post is about two days south by southeast from Orten. The post is on the southerly road towards a desert region. That road runs roughly parallel to the Thundermoon River. In the hills and mountains are a few fishing and hunting families.
Ensuring environmental oddities of The Ferments are included.
Zonal word map of the Trading Post
Guarded entry
A wooden wall surrounds the Trading Post. The entry is where all merchants and visitors arrive. There are two large doors, which are barred at night. A guard stand rises to the left of the doors, as one exits. It can hold one medium creature and grants them half cover. A ladder provides access.
Elemental affinity: None.
Hazards: Breaking down the closed door requires a DC: 15 Strength check.
The guarded entry connects to the lava forge, the merchant stalls and the loafing sheds.
Lava Forge
A small semi-open air forge where Cay works as a sometime smith. The heat and bellows are from an active fissure where magma surges underneath the trading post. Malk, the goblin captain, now helps out. Malk and Borkin also store their own clutter there, including the smog-buggy.
Elemental affinity: Earth, fire, lava
Hazards: Those knocked prone who fail their DC by five or more take 1d8 fire damage from the forge. Forced movement can result in the tools of the trade being knocked all over, turning the Lava Forge into difficult terrain. Oh, and beware of a lava flare — who knows when that will happen.
Allies: Cay, Malk and Borkin may be present
Occupancy: Four medium creatures.
The lava forge connects to the guarded entry, to the trading stalls and the hunting gate.
Trading stalls
One large and two smaller open stalls sit in the large enclosed central space of the post. Various homesteads and outsiders come through with their wares on a seasonal basis. There’s a central fire pit with some large stones and simple benches frequently with a stew pot and hot beverages available.
Elemental affinity: Fire, air
Hazards: The cook pit can become a fire hazard, doing 1d8 damage to those who fall into it and setting their flammable gear on fire. It provides 10′ of bright light and 10′ of dim light at night.
Allies: Neighbors may be present depending on the season. They will almost always limit their help to rallying the Maltunyns.
Occupancy: 3 in the large stall, 2 in each small stall and room for 12 more medium creatures.
The trading stalls connect to every other zone except the hunting gate.
Loafing sheds
Like everyone in the Six Kingdoms the Maltunyns have space for beloved animals. These sheds are designed for equines, canines as well as the rare bovine or more exotic companions. There are small cabinets for feed and tack.
Elemental affinity: Cold, air
Hazards: When occupied the animals could be feisty.
Allies: None typically
Occupancy: 7 medium creatures.
The loafing shed connects to the guarded entry, the trading stalls and the Maltunyn home.
Hunting gate
Known for the gate that Caile leaves open it’s actually the place where Cay raises herbs. There’s also the gate to the hills where Keesrah and Velthuria hunt. It’s also a lower land, near the river.
Elemental affinity: Water, plants
Hazards: During heavy rains the mud creates difficult terrain. A rapid freeze after rains can lead to icy conditions.
Allies:
Occupancy:
Thundermoon River bridge
A few weeks ago there was a small wooden bridge over the river. Then the mephit mudslide took it out. Now a ford those that cross must be wary of mud mephits who settled in the area after the slide. Heavy rains may bring them back and upriver there is a threat that the open lava could change the river’s path.
Elemental affinity: Mud, water, maybe lava
Hazards: During floods the ford is impassable terrain without aids — ropes, other people or animal companions. Mud mephits may strike at random, the little chaos beasties they are.
Allies: One of the Maltunyn animal companions are frequently in the area.
Occupancy: This is a large space without a limit as it connects to the hills and mountains.
Thundermoon River bridge connects to the hunting gate.
Maltunyn home
A two-story wooden building, the ground floor of the home is mostly accessible to the general public. The main room is a mix of general store with goods on consignment, smithed tools, dried or smoked meats and a few tables with chairs for visitors. This room can be entered from either the hunting gate through a small side door or the main entry connecting to the trading stalls. An outer stair to the second floor reaches the roof of the loafing sheds and a narrow platform along the wall running to the guard stand. There’s a small open kitchen/stove with a root cellar stretching under the homestead wall near the river.
The second floor is two bedrooms and a small aviary.
Elemental affinity: Smoke
Hazards: Bar fights are rare, mostly because Cay is a smith and Velthuria is a scout.
Allies: If the trading post has visitors one of the family or goblins is always present.
Occupancy: 10 medium creatures
Up above the roof of the second floor is a small optical telegraph. A small group of mousekin operate it while living in a converted trading stall.
Velthuria is Keesrah’s mother. A human scout with a small dog, she is the primary hunter and runs the operations such as rentals of the three stalls for merchants.
Cay is Keesrah’s father. A human smith with a miniature pony, he uses a magma powered forge, Cay can craft anything with metals. He also grows herbs.
Caile is Keesrah’s brother, a human with a small dog. Smitten with one of the Drudzhar Caile sometimes wanders off on his own. Ally, but adversary sometimes.
Malk is a goblin captain and was saved in session one. A colonialist they are searching for resources for the Queen. They may become an adversary.
Borkin is a goblin cart driver. They are less colonial and more willing to help the Maltunyns, especially in defense and general labor. Malk is still their boss.
The family is trained at rallying defenses and ranged attacks.
Henkel family
River fishers in the ponds and streams of the low Thundermoons the Henkel family are halflings with river dogs. They are indebted to Keesrah after she rescued Taier one of their younger teens.
The Henkel family are trained at pestering and melee attacks by Keesrah.
Adversaries
Clan Drudzhar
A group of goliaths who live higher in the Thundermoon Mountains. Clan Drudzhar and the Maltunyn’s have been arguing, and sometimes openly fighting, over hunting territory in the mountains for years. One of their children is in love with Caile.
Their home is high in the scrub mountains and was recently near the mud mephit floods. They and the Maltunyns use different styles of traps and will frequently destroy each other’s snares. Birds of prey are their most common companions.
Elements of mud and lava
Mud mephits, magmin and lava elementals roam the Thundermoons. These adversaries are manifestations of The Ferments, a land that refuses to be tamed.
Children of Chorl
Punch-chickens raided a market stall, but quick action by Keesrah and her acquaintance Ellis ended the theft and the punch chickens. The two later learned that the Children of Chorl raided Ourten too. These human-animal hybrids seem to be hiding in the hills or plateau near Pirna Farms, now Ellis Mill.
Kon colonialists
While saving the lives of Malk and Borkin pushed off the investigation by the Queen’s goblins into how the resources of The Ferments could replace the tar trees of their homeland. That colonial raid and investigation may expand.
Downtime and Quests
Keesrah is researching how to create Serpent Scale Mail armor. She’s learned that the elemental drakes do not leave behind enough resources. The dragonkin raiding Spinebloom Farms do. Keesrah completed her armor.
Previously some work was done to reinforce the guarded entry which connects to the road Outsiders arrive along.
Maybe you know some people like me — nerds, happily embracing their hobbies that were once considered abnormal but are now mainstream enough they sell out arenas.
Most who read this blog are here for the dungeons and the dragons. Communal storytelling with dice and friends is what unites us. You probably already have the core elements of the games you love, but your family still wants to get you things over the holidays that stretch from late November to early January. Pass them this guide.
Almost all links are direct to the supplier or to Bookshop.org. When you can, shop locally and/or directly.
Our hobbies and communities grow with support.
For the experienced roleplaying game fanatic
First off, expand their Appendix N. The Tolkien-esque stories that founded fantasy RPGs are well known. There’s so much more available now.
Expand their 5e games outside of Wizards of the Coast. Your RPG nerd friends already buy themselves the official D&D products they want. But you can help them incorporate wider tales.
Labyrinth Worldbook from Kobold Press as part of Tales of the Valiant a 5e system.
Game Master’s Guide from Kobold Press is one of the best collections of advice and subsystems (so I’ve heard). I don’t have either of these yet.
Making Enemies from Keith Amman is his latest guide to better monsters for fantasy games. As usual Keith focuses on expanding stat blocks into tactics, but in Making Enemies he gets into how to build those stat blocks for several systems.
Try other games! Talk to your friend and see what they already have or where their interests lie. There are a lot of other popular RPGs out right now. While Daggerheart and Draw Steel are supported by some of my mutuals on Mastodon. The one that intrigues me the most is the forthcoming Plotweaver system. It is the engine behind the Cosmere RPG and supports political stories beyond what D&D does.
Twilight:2000‘s update is a fun read of the classic post-nuclear exchange apocalypse game that helped me consider the Army. Song of the River Prince is a more cozy fantasy. With light mechanics and tales quite different from the high fantasy of D&D.
You can always get your geek new dice (Artisan Dice are my dream) or support a mapmaker (Deven Rue or Dyson Logos are two I enjoy) in their name. Or order a custom map. Someday the World of the Everflow, Telse and The Ferments will get custom maps. My favorite dice box maker is Elderwood Academy. A gift card to Hero Forge works too.
There are other options, but those are some of my favorites.
For the newbie
While the Tales of the Valiant Starter Set is below $15, get it. Or, stick to the WotC products because your nibblings or friends’ kids don’t want the off brand stuff. I grew up with the Odyssey video game system and Gobots. I get it — sometimes finances mean support how you can.
But when the price isn’t significantly different get;
Stranger Things: Welcome to the Hellfire Club if they are into Stranger things.
The battle boards from Beedle & Grim’s look great for a not-quite newbie or someone who consistently plays the same class. I’m currently running an Artificer, and Rogues are my second most played class.
And for those who want to be a newbie DM, Return to the Lazy Dungeon Master is the best collection of simple advice to focus on the players, their characters and empowering their story options.
My preferred geeky coffee is Found Familiar. My current favorite is Fae Magic. My preferred geeky tea is Friday Afternoon Tea. It helps that they’re local-ish too. A friend recently tried Many Worlds Tavern. I’m looking forward to a flavor report.
Beer people should head to The Brewmaster’s Taproom. My go to wine shop is All Things Wine and when in Walla Walla I support Tempus (we’re in the club), Sleight of Hand (also in SoDo), Balboa and Echolands. If you ever tour the dub-dub send me a message. It’s a fun town for those that love flavor experiences.
For finer liquors I enjoyed a taste of The Dalmore recently and would love more. It was a rare scotch that my non-peaty-preferring wife would enjoy with its softer, luxurious mouth feel.
Straightaway cocktails are the best packaged cocktails for people who want smaller servings on hand.
For soccer fans in the Puget Sound
If your soccer friend doesn’t read Sounder at Heart they must. It’s another place I write. There’s a special on annual support right now at 20% off.
Reign tickets are cheaper than Sounders tickets and you’ll be supporting the best women in the world. For the Sounders fans that don’t have tickets get the two-pack. Avoid getting Men’s World Cup tickets at the current pricing unless your budget is quite a bit bigger than mine.
Not from the local area? 1996 Designs makes excellent large brick people of your favorite American soccer teams.
For being prepared without being a Prepper
Working around emergency and crisis managers is reminding me of a few ways to be prepared.
Have a plan when the emergency happens. Know your neighbors and the organizations that will help when disasters happen, because they will happen. A communications system that involves receiving alerts from multiple sources is vital — that should include a radio, as well as your local alerts system and free services on social media. Have backup power, even light solar for portable devices is helpful. You need at least three days of food and water, but if your budget of money and space allows a week or two that’s better.
I also keep an Amazon list for my family that lives well away. People can also decide to support the website.
None of the above products or services pay me except Sounder at Heart, the website I founded and ran from 2008 to 2019 and rejoined in 2022, Factal (and those linked resources are free to the general public) and the two supplements mentioned in line paid me a one-time commission.
In session three the focus was on Keesrah. A duet session handled on Discord due to let turnout, session three was a fine example of the intent behind The Ferments campaign — always find a way to play D&D.
Session four was held at Logan Brewing in Burien, as is typical. Keesrah and Guarese attended.
What did the other characters do? We’ll use downtime to talk about the use of their homesteads as bastions, Xanathar’s downtime actions and/or improving their defenses for Militia Actions. And, due to player feedback we’re including traps in Militia Actions to embrace the case where a homestead may be solo or light on membership.
Keesrah heads into the scrub mountains for food to celebrate the visit of the liquor-creating family of halflings from downway. Her mom is on the trip.
During this trip in horrific weather a mudslide forces a change in path, and eventually she is attacked by mud mephits. It’s a fierce encounter on the edge of failure. But together the two managed to hold off the mephits.
Later in the trip home they notice a fox, Rennard. Using spellcraft, Keesrah learns that fox is the companion to Taier Henkel. Tier is missing, and presumed dead.
Keesrah and her mother, Velthuria, need to cross the mudflow to return home. Using some craft, luck and Crow the Raven the two managed to safely cross the mud mephit slide. Keesrah is punched by a mud mephit swimming through the flow.
After the flow and storm subsides Keesrah and Caile (the brother) head into the hills to talk to the Henkels and then the Drudzhars. One of these conversations goes much better than the other.
As a sign of fellowship, and because of Caile, Taier’s memorial is to be held at the Trading Post — there’s also easy access to the liquors from the visiting family.
The celebration goes well, except for the fight between Caile and Keesrah.
Learned clues
Keesrah Maltunyn learned that the Henkel halflings get along with Clan Drudzhar.
Caile is friendly with both the Henkel halflings and Drudzhar.
Taier Henkel washed away in the mephit mudslide.
Keesrah rescued Taier’s fox Rennard.
Taier’s body was encased in mud by chwingas claiming he gave them a piece of his soul.
Chwingas released Taier when Guarase Spinebloom said he’d find them another bit of soul — maybe his.
Ken raiders with an ambush drake made their presence known. One donated its soul.
Guarase earned a Charm of Heroism granted by the semi–domesticated fey chwinga that now live in the Spinebloom’s rice marsh.
Session four
This was the first session featuring the Spinebloom homestead. It is a series of mostly underground dome structures in a desert environment. Many Spineblooms have some druidic magic and they use this and their traditional growing methods to have the least influence on the environment as possible.
The same river that goes past the Maltunyn’s flows to the Spineblooms. Since The Ferments are infested with extreme elemental influences the desert and scrub mountains are close than is practical in a typical world.
Keesrah and Caile travel along that river to try to find Taier’s remains. That journey includes meeting Guarase who helps them search. There is a mud casing hidden in the rice marsh the Spineblooms farm.
Unfortunately there are also chwingas, little elemental sprites whose morality is not the same as humanity. These chwingas rescued Taier, but kept him cased as a way to protect him during the mephit mudslide.
In order to get Taier free the chwingas demand another soul. Somewhat confused, Guarase agrees. Then the goliath figures out that they mean his soul.
During this exchange the non-chwingas notice two advancing elves and an ambush drake. Keesrah sends Caile and Taier home.
Guarase and Keesrah fend off the elves, while the drake and those elves destroy a third of the rice marsh including many chwingas. When one of the elves is dropped unconscious in the marsh a chwinga captures its soul.
The elves also damage a Spinebloom home.
Keesrah and Guarase learn of more threats to The Ferments, more friends that could be made and the challenges to come in a land that threatens their livelihood.
The second session of The Ferments campaign, an East March style took place again at West Thundermoon Trading Post.
Again, the session started with rolling on the random encounter chart. Only one of the encounters happened, as there was a lot of great roleplay between the characters.
That encounter was with “Chickens with arms and fists” also referred to as “punch chickens.” These larger-than-a-turkey chickens have humanoid arms coming out of their wing joints and are semi intelligent.
Session two started with a brief recap of the last session and a reminder of the nature of the East March campaign — problems come to you.
Then Keesrah spoke to her brother, Caile, about the situation with the open door up to the game trails. That conversation leads to the discovery that the brother is dating one of the goliaths in the rival clan up in the hills. Keesrah leans on the young love bird to keep the doors and gates closed as the brother mocks Keesrah for the fight with the fire snakes.
Ellis, a guest (another PC) enters the compound seeking materials for their homestead. He’s taken over an abandoned plateau homestead nearby. Those religious zealots left the region nearly 30 years ago during the time of the born generation. With decades of wear on the home, mill and other equipment Ellis will have to work hard to reopen the spring-fed mill and granary.
Needing smithed goods, Ellis chats with Keesrah’s father, Cay, and the goblin Malk. During those conversations Keesarh and Ellis learn that Malk is not merely a refugee, but has strong goals to learn how to take the magma and steam power from The Ferments to the Queen.
This learning is specifically called out in the quick recap as a note for all players. As was the brother's love interest.
One piece of advice I try to follow is to remind players of the clues their characters learn. Our memories of a game are more fallible than our characters' memories of their lives.
Learned clues
Malk (goblin leader) is a taker. They want to take whatever they can from The Ferments that helps the Queen.
Keesrah’s brother has a lover up with the Goliath Clan Drudzhar.
Ellis homestead was previously abandoned by religious zealots during the Born Generation when magic returned.
Someone is creating animal hybrids.
Those first three clues are from the conversations between the characters and the named NPCs.
The fourth clue was an interjection because I could tell the table needed some action, plus there were two random encounters rolled and we hadn’t gotten to either.
Using the open door to the game trail from session one, and the obvious wealth of the trading post as inspiration the punch chickens were the easier of the two random rolls to integrate.
Punch chickens
Three punch chickens are discovered by Ellis’ lynx, Lenny. The lynx flushes them out of one of the merchant booths. Those armed chickens are carrying some goods away, sprinting towards the open door.
What are punch chickens?
Statistically they are axe beaks (Black Flag page 371) that punch rather than poke. Their special ability of Evasion turns out to be too significant for 2.5 combatants.
Deadly encounter
This is a deadly encounter with two characters and one combatant animal companion. The action economy combined with consistent dodging means both characters are dropped unconscious. The final roll comes down to Ellis’ lynx versus a wounded punch chicken. The lynx lands the fatal blow.
Keesrah did bar the door preventing a simple escape, so even if they had completely failed there was a narrative success available via the peasants and non-heroic NPCs.
Keesrah’s mother, Velthuria, helps the group heal.
During the recovery the group used some social checks to learn that the punch chickens likely originate from a group that myths call the Children of Chorl (an evil transmuter who tried to create various hybrid creatures).
