Impregnable?

Yes, this is a bad Dragon Age joke.

Yes, I made this meme from my pics for Mark of the Assassin.

Maker have mercy on me.

Politics of Thedas Memes

I found these the other day and they gave me a chuckle.  What do you think of them?  Do you agree?  Do you have something you would add or tweak?  😉

The Face of Thedas 800 TE: Tevinter, Part 2

Map of Thedas, edited (see how below)

More Major Settlements

Marothius - The town is a waystop for anyone heading up into the mountains and is known for its hot springs, but it has remained small. Far from roads, rivers, or ports, the stone houses are not picturesque, the streets are packed dirt and the locals squeeze tourists dry.  They are cold to outsiders but generous with each other, at least until matters of defense arise.  Then the top families, which rule in a council, begin struggling over how to proceed.  The one thing everyone agrees on in that a miracle recently happened which turned the surrounding hills multi-colored.  There are many theories as to what it means and which Old Gods are involved, but thus far, no reliable answers.

Minrathous - The island sprawl of this imminently defensible city is a wonder to behold, surrounded by ports and held by successive rings of high walls, fierce magic, and mighty golems.  Its ornate architecture is embellished by materials from all corners of the empire.  Height denotes status, with the temples crowning everything (and serving as the residences of the top mages), the spires of the most powerful families and great senate just below that, and so on down to the peasants who live at street level.  The catacombs beneath the island are legendary and largely mysterious; no one has mapped them all.  The city is burgeoning with visitors (both willing and unwilling) year-round, which leads to swift and merciless justice in the name of order.  Known for its arrogance, constant use of magic, and unending thirst for knowledge, Minrathous' grandeur is touted as the sign of its destiny to rule.  Great pains are taken to maintain, repair, and improve every edifice of note, especially after the great civil war led to attacks, sabotage, and even demolitions.

Neromenian - Once the stronghold of the tribe of the same name (before it joined the Tevinter tribe), this city is majestically perched atop steep cliffs that also protect its ancient port.  It is the heart of Tevinter's military tradition, with a grand temple to Toth and year-round training grounds.  It is also a major hub for the slave trade and its cobbled streets and intricate buildings are maintained by the slaves it keeps.  The city receives tribute in exchange for patrolling the region and ensuring the flow of trade - or else it impedes its neighbors until they give in.  There is no central vision for the future of Neromenian, however, so its gains remain in the stranglehold of corrupt officials.  The locals hold out hope and are known for their humor in the meantime.

Nessum - Bullying its neighbors at the slightest excuse, Nessum presides over trade between the Imperium and Kal-Sharok.  The inhabitants have a reputation for their confidence but save their belligerence for the upper world, mostly because they have come to respect the cut-throat ways of the dwarves.  The area is a regular stop for the Tevinter armed forces and traders, but the crushing tides are kept in check by proud and fierce locals.  The town is spotlessly clean, with some of the best lighting and cleanest water in the empire because of this.  Dolus suffers Nessum's ire the most because of its decadence, which the straight-laced community to the north despises with all its might.  But the land itself is difficult to defend, and a mighty artifact was recently burgled from Nessum's sole leader's possession, leading to violent crackdowns but no suspects. 

Perivantium - The dry plains of Perivantium hold one of the most ancient inland human settlements.  It is warmer and more desert-like, especially as the Silent Plains have spread their sands over the years.  This makes it an excellent repository for written works and delicate objects.  The sages of the city's library are sought from afar and charge a premium for their advice.  A legendary magical system of pipes carry hot and cold water to every major building, including a system of public wells that are strictly monitored and temple baths that are known for healing powers.  The luxurious streets seem to exist in a permanent hush that almost hides the whispers of bribery, theft, and nepotism.  A recent, mysterious and lavish gift to the temple of Razikale will be unveiled at some point in the new year, and the rumors are driving residents to distraction.  What is it - and who will the temple favor for it?

Art from Those Who Speak depicting Qarinus (see details below)

Qarinus - Built with strong fortifications on the Nocen Sea, its thick walls, distinct round towers, and famous domes have only become more powerful since the city embraced the rule of the Tevinter Imperium.  Though Qarinus lost to Minrathous as the capital, it came to prominence with the fall of Arlathan.  As the closest human settlement to the Arlathan Forest, it was the first stop for the flow of elven slaves and grew rich on the proceeds.  The city remains a major port, its inner wards pleasant and lush with tiled courtyards.  Wealthier citizens use horses and carriages to parade through the streets, covering their erotic pastimes with a veneer of pomp and civility.  The outer, more recent wards are crowded and more often besieged by creatures from land and sea.  Some have been lost to battle and rebuilt later, but the interior hasn't yet fallen.  But for those on the outskirts, despair is only as far away as the cold winds from the sea.

Solas - Once upon a time, Solas was an elven city in a sea of grasslands and an uneasy neighbor to Barindur, a human stronghold to the southwest.  Then, twelve hundred years ago there was a terrible rumble in the night.  If the elves ever knew what befell Barindur, they left no tales of it.  Solas was surrounded by the desert that swallowed Barindur by the time the Imperium claimed it six centuries later.  It has since been completely revamped out of pride and necessity.  Though its population is smaller, water and food are often concerns.  Its friendly reputation and position near the road keep it afloat through fees, guides, and storage, however.  Locals secure all kinds of cargo, no questions asked, so long as the coin is up front.  Such private strongholds are better defended than the small city itself, which has walls worn by the elements and roaming creatures.  But the inhabitants remain hopeful and let the opportunities come to them.

Tantyra - This small town stands apart from the empire in its location, strict religious devotion, and struggle.  Temple leaders and much of the population call for moderation and lavishing any riches on the gods.  Half the town, however, sees the potential in its position and craves more, each for him or her self.  Instead of blood in the streets, however, tranquility is maintained through the guile of those who dare to operate despite temple eyes and disapproval.  While the town is well guarded, it has many hidey holes and the wild mountains across the river see steady forbidden traffic.  Most buildings not related to the temples (and there is one of each) are in various states of disrepair, at least externally.  Exclusive dens, attics, and basements are where sinners go to imbibe the intoxicants that keep them calm and satisfied - for now.

Vol Dorma - The first city down the road from the capital presents a strong facade, but a facade is all it is.  Orderly, laid out from day one in well-patrolled grids, Vol Dorma is ridiculed widely for its many failings.  Incompetence is only one problem; campaigns of sabotage undercut the city on the larger stage as organizations both criminal and legitimate vie for local control.  Bribery, hostage taking, and other crimes complicate marriages, public events, and business talks.  In fact, high drama is possible in nearly any venture, leading most outsiders to pass through quickly before they get caught up in true messes.  All of this is covered up or ignored by Minrathous, so long as the flow of trade along the road remains uninterrupted.  The magisters have sent forces to sweep up Vol Dorma only a few times, including the last trade season, which has led to temporary calm.  But no one expects it to last.

Vyrantium - The City of Lights is a popular destination for all Tevinter citizens, nestled as it is in the middle of the northern sweep of the Imperium.  Craft guilds are the main power next to the magisters there, and together they have improved the city in nearly every respect.  In fact, they keep improving it obsessively, leading to disarray due to scaffolding, supply lines, and other hazards of construction.  It is said that this is their bid to keep locals busy, the ports bustling, and the tourists coming.  Skeptics worry about what will happen when the coffers run low, and just where the coin has been coming from, no one but the inner council knows.  Currently, it is easy to find a day's work, and slaves only take care of the most drudging tasks.  Romantic balconies, sweeping architecture, clean gutters, and paved streets set the scene for the most wonderful display of lights anywhere after dark.  Locals are given bonuses to arrange as many kinds and colors in and outside of their buildings as possible, and magisters give brilliant shows of magical fire and electricity on many days of the week.  Reflective surfaces are set up to refract the glow to dazzling effect, making seduction - and pilfering - almost too easy.

Why I'm Not Using XP for Dragon Age

Page 32 of the Dragon Age core rulebook

One of the first things I noticed when reading the core rulebook was the passage above, which made it clear that there were two, equally acceptable ways of advancing characters during play.  The first one presented was the lesser-seen option (at least in many other games) of simply awarding a new level after major events have occurred and enough obstacles have been overcome.  This method relies largely on the GM to be aware of how much has happened and when everyone is ready for new abilities.  It also requires a trust in the GM that not all groups have.

The second option written about was the standard way of awarding experience points, to be tracked per character, based on obstacles faced and the difficulty PCs had in overcome those obstacles.  I am well acquainted with XP points after many years of playing other systems, notably D&D, where XP can pile up quickly.  I am also duly fatigued and unimpressed with this mechanic, and have seen it increasingly as a sacred cow and a throwback that is far less necessary than many people believe.  

This is not to say that anyone is wrong for using them or liking them.  There are players who are genuinely jazzed to receive points at the end of encounters, as one more sign of what their character has gained.  There are groups that have reasons to put less trust in their GM's discretion regarding leveling, and there are GMs who certainly appreciate the guidance that XP provides.  There are folks who want to keep that old-school vibe going, as well, and that nostalgia can be a major reason why they show up to the table.  It can be quite important.

But the arguments for clinging to XP break down in a number of ways once they're examined, not just closely but with an eye toward more modern gameplaying.  First and foremost, in systems like Dragon Age XP does not act as a currency.  You do not buy abilities or anything else with it; it simply piles up until you reach the next threshold.  Thus, you can measure advancement in others ways without the number-crunching and be just fine.  The numbers don't have the sheer substance that they do in point-buy games.

For group play, XP can often complicate matters because characters are likely to advance at different rates.  If someone can't make it for a session or if a character can't make it into the fray, the character won't gain anything while the others gain points toward the next level.  The more this happens, the more behind they will be.  And if the GM decides to award the whole party the same amount of experience regardless of participation, then the reward factor per person is likely to diminish.  It can seem less satisfying if everyone is getting the same amount no matter what.

Some will say that XP allows GMs to reward players who participate more with a special bonus, thus encouraging healthy competition and role immersion.  XP is an incentive to roleplay and take risks.  That may be needed for some players, but each GM needs to consider who they are running for.  I have not run for anyone who needed such incentives for over a decade.  If you show up at my table, you know what you're there for - and you want to be there to be a character, explore a world, and do stuff.  If you don't want to actually get involved, you won't last long in my games.  That is just the stone cold truth, and honesty is necessary here.

Likewise, some cling to XP as a mechanical sign that the players have made choices that really matter and have real results.  I can definitely see this point of view; roleplaying games should generally translate in-game concepts into out-of-game mechanics.  That's part of what they do for us.  The video games had XP so you could see how close you were to your next round of character upgrades.  The computer kept track of every piece of XP for each character, but characters tended to level within a few encounters of each other, so it all worked out behind the scenes.  

But do GMs really have to spend time doing the same work as the computer in this case?  If a game is run as a complete experience, then there will be many signs that players have changed the scenario.  NPCs will act differently.  Nobles might rise or fall because of the PC's interference.  If Dragon Age has shown us anything, it is that the tide of historical events can be shifted by a group's dogged efforts.  Likewise, there will be many other rewards, from gear to followers to titles.  The core rulebook supports a wide variety of results that will be far more directly useful during play than XP points.  

In a system in which XP is not an actively used to build up a character on a point-by-point basis, it loses a lot of luster.  Retaining the mechanic can satisfy the habits that many of us have obtained after years in other systems, and can help many groups, but might not be doing as much as you believe for the actual feel and flow of your game.  If the GM can be trusted to run fair scenarios, then the GM can likely be trusted to gain an idea of when the characters are ready to advance.  If the group communicates well and openly, the worry of going too fast or slow can be mitigated, if not eliminated outright.  And if you've never thought about it much, perhaps now is a good time to start.

One of my core precepts as a gamer and designer is that sacred cows aren't sacred to me.  I have found that it is worth examining underlying assumptions we take for granted in our games, whether they are older or newer.  It is worth questioning value judgments we have made years ago or simply gone along with because some things do change.  It can open up our styles to experiment, and in this case, the core rulebook presents the option to do so.  I got rid of XP in D&D some years ago without considerable trouble, and it saved time that became increasingly precious as my life became more hectic.  Nate has told me he is fine if we never use it again in any system (except ones like WoD, where you spend the points).  

As our DA game progresses, you will not hear about XP awards and now you know why.  If you have experimented with leaving XP behind, or if you have other thoughts to share, feel free to comment.  I am by no means telling anyone how to play or feel, but I am inviting folks to examine the issue and their first reactions objectively, to experiment if their groups agree, and to take nothing for granted as necessary to their experience of gameplay.  If you, like me, are struggling to find time and energy to partake in your favorite hobby, you owe it to yourself to look at all ways you spend your time and energy, and to be honest about how much it is worth it to keep up that running tally on a character sheet that will change numbers but do little else.

The Adventures of Caelius, Part II

Game still from Dragon Age II

For New Year's Eve, I ran our second session of Dragon Age.  I was still able to keep everything digital, even though I pulled out some sticky notepads and a pencil due to hold habits.  It had taken a while to run again because I came down sick twice in December, first with a (luckily brief) flu and then after a week of wellness with an allergy.  I needed my sinuses to clear up well enough to talk for hours, as well as the energy to think in some depth.  I discovered that I had written up more notes than I remembered working on, however, so that helped.  I also got to run while wearing my new Tevinter shirt, which was an extra point of amusement.   =)

In-Game Events: The session began after Caelius left Marelanna in the pit, determined to purchase her from the lot.  He consulted with Gallus to figure out how much she should cost and how to best try to haggle his way into getting her as her personal property.  With Gallus' help, he was able to get a few silvers knocked off the price and claim her immediately.

They pulled into Asariel's port that evening, and Gallus suggested they stay at an inn while they could get away from the ship (and the horrible stench around the docks).  After some searching, however, he could only find a good deal for them at a whorehouse a decent ways away.  Marelanna suggested a visit to the market to find an herb on the cheap that could burned to improve the smell of wherever they were going to stay.  They played up her "special natural knowledge as a knife-ears" to get a discount on their room and food.

They started the next day well enough but were soon met by soldiers from their ship who were seeking slaves.  They hurried back to the ship to discover that a section of tombs had been blown up in the early morning hours and in the chaos, slaves had escaped into the city.  A unit was sent to investigate the explosion while another couple units were set to guard the remainder on board and explore the clues near the ship.  Caelius and company quickly hit the streets to recover as many escapees as they could. 

The uncovered a sick escapee who'd tried to kill herself by ingesting what she could get her hands on while hiding in a tannery.  With some help, Sonia was able to stabilize the slave and get her sent back with the town guard.  Two more slaves had stolen enough cloth to cover up with and were captured when Caelius caught them trying to steal better clothes from a busy little stall in the market district.  He nearly killed the slave he struck, but managed to leave enough for Sonia to heal.

While at the market, Caelius bargained with Juter, a former slave turned engraver, to have Marelanna's collar emblazoned with his name in exchange for spreading word of the engraver and his smith sons to the ship.  This would make Marelanna stand out from the other slaves.  As a slave who earned his freedom, Juter assured the group that he would make sure no one he knew would remove collars from any escapees who might approach them.

Having caught sight of a person near an older section of tombs the night before, Caelius wondered if perhaps sympathizers had been using them as a hideout.  He opted to take a route through a ramshackle section of Asariel and while the group made their way past an abandoned estate, they saw signs of squatters.  Gallus and Caelius moved in from the front while Sonia and Marelanna went around to the back.  

To their surprise, the upper floor had weaknesses in many areas.  Caelius had a wall collapse on him, pinning him momentarily but revealing the terrified slaves huddled against a far wall.  Gallus and Caelius had to test stability as they went, leading three slaves out of the peril.  After some stellar patching up, they turned the escapees over to the town guard and pressed onward.

The tombs they suspected were older, largely unkept, and unguarded.  Some kids playing a game nearby reported that they saw some women head into the Carvades family tomb.  The kids were sent off with some coppers and a message to call for the town guards.  The group found the tomb unlocked and dark, but some of the candles left for visitors were missing.  On their way toward the back, they began to hear sounds of distress and were met by five terrified slaves who were fleeing some kind of ghost.

The phantom was of a very old man calling for his son, Xalvius.  Gallus crept back to a room which chronicled the family tree to find that Xalvius was the son of Gnaeus, who was listed as living to an advanced age.  They opted to try to talk to the specter, which led them to Gnaeus' sarcophagus - which was empty and had apparently never been used.  The echo claimed to have been essentially buried alive.  In a howling and scratching fury, the shade vanished.  The slaves swore that they had only started a small fire for warmth in an unfinished room of the tomb, where they wouldn't disturb the dead.

Caelius led the way not to the ship but to the grand temple of Dumat, one of the towering marvels of the Imperium outside of Minrathous.  Built entirely of imported volcanic rock, it was seeded with incense which made the entrance appear like the smoking maw of a great dragon.  The clergy were told about the shade and the crime, and after full interviews, everyone was released.  The Carvades family had fallen into fierce infighting.  Those who lived were the ones who fled the city, including Xalvius, who had inherited his father's estate.  Gnaeus was believed to have finally died of natural causes.  The family had not been dedicated to Dumat and had not turned to the temple for Gnaeus' service, but the temple would surely be investigating.

Observations: We were more comfortable with stunts this time so it didn't take as long to make our choices, and we used them for combat, exploration, and so forth; we even used one spell stunt.  Nate expressed a desire for even more stunts, so I'll have to go searching for them (but if you know of any, please comment and let me know where I can find them).

I tried my hand at building and using hazards with the ramshackle estate, which seemed to go over well.  I know I'm going to get a lot of use out of those guidelines because they are so generalized (without being useless as guides to how severe a situation can get).  All kinds of challenging problems with an environment or situation can be outlined as hazards quickly, which excites me.  I love flexible systems like that and I'm looking forward to devising ways to use more hazards in upcoming games.  I will likely port that system into other games I run, as well.  If you have hazards you've created, I'd love to see them.  The ones I used were as follows (and keep in mind that they are the first such hazards I've made): 

Floor collapse, moderate - Perception: Seeing or Hearing TN 13 to notice; 2d6 damage (armor reduces) if fail, and Speed is reduced by 5 until healed; a successful TN 11 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check halves the damage.


Wall or ceiling collapse, major - Perception: Seeing or Hearing TN 15 to notice; 3d6 damage (armor reduces) if fail, and taking 10 or more damage means character is pinned; a successful TN 13 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check halves the damage, no pin. 

I got to use my slave cost rules right off the bat, since Caelius was insistent.  We did more bargaining than I anticipated and the party managed to get past the price-gouging the city is infamous for, but it worked out.  Nate hadn't spent much on equipment to start with so his character had leftover silvers, but he spent the lion's share on Marelanna.  He was very happy about his purchase, however, and she began looking out for the group without having to be ordered to do so.  Her fortunes are now tied to theirs.

There will be more to come in Asariel before they leave, but the next stop is mighty Minrathous - and who knows what will happen in the greatest city in Thedas?  If you have any thoughts or inspiration to share, please do.