Testing the Day Stack System: The Secret Temple

Day Stacks work!

But maybe not so well for solo play...

After posting my idea for Day Stacks (managing time-sensitive adventures in a city environment with poker chips and a few special rules), I immediately went about trying to apply the Press Gang Questionnaire concept to it. However, because of the "openness" of a city setting, there were so many options for the heroes that I felt overwhelmed by the possibilities. Sure, the adventure's investigative storyline could have provided direction for the Press Gang questions, but then the flavor and fun of visiting a new city would be awfully muted, and the adventure would feel too dungeon-like. Still, I needed to test out this Day Stack concept.

Ironically, I had no trouble getting four playtesters to the table when I asked for help testing "a new RPG concept I had designed." Of course, I conveniently neglected to mention that the system I would be using with that concept was Advanced Fighting Fantasy for fear that the title would drive them away (as has apparently been the case for me during the last few months).

So, with players on board, here is how I prepared for yesterday's testing session:

First, I conceived of a simple storyline: After rescuing a boy being hunted down by Death Priests, the heroes learn that this sad little orphan has been having visions of Usrel, goddess of peace. She wants him to go to her temple in the city of Kaad. The heroes escort him there only to discover that there is no temple to Usrel in Kaad. Still, the heroes believe the boy's visions and enter the city to investigate.

Next, I outlined possible directions for that investigation.

The number of locations that needed visiting and re-visiting on the above flowchart told me that a fair deadline to set for this adventure would be just a little less than three days. If the heroes had not found the secret temple of Usrel and defeated the Death Priest mole among the citizens of Kaad by the second-to-last scene of the third day (around midnight), they would lose. Thus, they had a 35-scene limit.

To make sure the city felt "real" and that things didn't get too railroad-y, my first formal write-ups were two fun elements of city life - making money and meeting shady characters. Since keeping track of their funds for eating and renting a room would be necessary under the Day Stack system, the heroes would need financial opportunities. Plus, the shady characters would add random flavor to scenes and might spark interesting "side quest" opportunities, too.

Sources of Income in Kaad - When heroes ask someone for ways to make money, roll 1d6 and give the following answer:

1. Join a Hunting Party: Heroes with applicable Special Skills for hunting game in the woods or fishing in the lake will earn 6+1d6 gp by spending the first two Morning scenes of a day as Encounter Scenes.
2. Post a Service in the Town Square: An individual hero suggests a service and fee, then rolls LUCK; if successful, the Director determines when the service is performed, if the fee is met, and how many Encounter Scenes are required.
3. Trade Goods: Spend a Morning or Afternoon Encounter Scene at the Kaad Marketplace, where local and transient traders meet to exchange goods; a trader's SK+Bargain of 1d6+6 is determined before the opposed test is taken for the trade.
4. Gamble: Per every Night Encounter Scene gambling in a tavern, a hero puts up a stake, then rolls LUCK; failure loses the stake, but if successful, roll 1d6 - 1-2, the stake is returned, 3-5 the stake is doubled, 6 the stake is tripled.
5. Shakedown a Shady Character: The person asked will offer 1d6+4 gp to get something from a Shady Character. There is no guarantee the Shady Character will ever be met. Use this item only once per game.
6. Borrow from a Money Lender: Play one Encounter Scene, borrow 25 gp or more at 20% interest, due in a month.

Shady Characters in Kaad - Used to distract heroes, interrupt their progress, or as hirelings. If more than one roll occurs on this list and the same character is chosen, let the evolving narrative decide whether the same character should be used or if the result should be re-rolled.

1. Cozy Faldo, fortuneteller [SK 5, ST 6, Second Sight 3]; mostly a fraud, but sometimes she really "sees" something.
2. Jezzen Newt, thief [SK 6, ST 7, Locks 2, Sleight of Hand 2]; cowardly thief who dislikes confrontation, but likes gold.
3. Rel Doran, mercenary [SK 9, ST 10, Swords 3, Underground Lore 2,]; seasoned adventurer with a sordid past.
4. Casimir Tipton, potion dealer [SK 6, ST 8, Potion Craft 2]; looking to buy or sell suspect potions or potion ingredients.
5. Yevgenni, annoying bard [SK 4, ST 5, Song Craft 1]; he believes his singing is a gift to the world; total moocher.
6. Big Huge Xexo, artist [SK 7, ST 12, Painting Craft 3, Bargain 2]; really tall painter with ties to black market dealers.

Next, I wrote up the adventure, which is presented further below. I paid special attention to making the different times of day "feel" different even at the same location. Thanks to the Day Stack mechanics, this was the easiest city adventure write-up I've ever done, and I didn't even have a map! Plus, the current AFF volumes do not give any detailed information about the city of Kaad, so I had to make it all up! Still, it was very little trouble.


THE TEST RESULTS
The players immediately grasped the time-sensitive nature of their plight as soon as three poker chip stacks were placed in front of them and they understood that they only had 35 scenes in which to solve the mystery. So, of course they wanted to get to investigating in the first scene, but when I told them of the -1 penalty to their Stamina for skipping breakfast (and that they'd need to pay for food and lodgings), their attention to their meager funds made them realize that money would become a problem soon enough.

Almost instantly, the city got "real" to them and their strategies shifted. They carefully considered how much they were learning during the first two or three Encounter Scenes versus money spent on food and, eventually, lodging. They made friends with a bard who helped them defray the costs of rooms, and they asked one of the NPCs for advice on making money. I rolled "shakedown a shady character" and then a shady character, and quickly improvised a need for the NPC to get a book back from that shady character.

Amusingly enough, that shady character got rolled again when the heroes visited the one-eyed dwarf in prison. So, with the shady character's belongings confiscated by the Watch, the heroes had no problem getting the book! (They loved that part, especially because I was as surprised by the outcome as they were.)

Moved on by the ever-shrinking poker chip stacks, the players tried to be as efficient as possible - but that proved to be dangerous. There were two threads to this mystery - find the secret temple and identify the Death Priest mole - but the players seemed to erroneously believe that the faster they found the temple, the easier things would be for them.

They were wrong.

By ignoring the murder of Sara Whitegrove (for which I made sure to drop the references heavily once I saw how fixed they were on only the secret temple), the heroes never acquired the Candle of Serenity that would have made the final confrontation with the Death Priest easier to handle. By the evening of the second day, they'd located the secret temple and decided to open it, despite having many more scenes left to figure out how Sara's murder was connected to the temple.

The Death Priest was revealed in that moment, and the fight went badly without the magic candle. Two heroes were slain before the Death Priest could be put down by the remaining battered champions.

The players admitted afterwards that they had gotten too worried about paying for food and lodgings and rushed things along. That little dose of budgeting reality felt as much of a threat as the adventure's unknown villain!

Happily, the players never felt railroaded by the Day Stacks or the storyline and enjoyed the nice mix of roleplaying through character interaction along with mechanical rolls for Awareness, Bargaining, Law, and Lore.

NOTE: The random shady characters were a hit!

Afterwards, once the players realized what ignoring the murder of Sara Whitegrove meant to the outcome of the adventure, they all unanimously agreed that the balance of the Day Stack scenes and the deadline I had determined were very fair and of an appropriate challenge level. They wanted me to immediately run the adventure again to try the scenes in different ways! Though it might have been an informative second session, it wouldn't have been much fun, what with all of the surprises and plot twists spoiled by our post-game analysis. so I didn't do it, but their enthusiasm was quite gratifying!

So, ultimately, Day Stacks will be my go-to city adventure system for the time being. The structure made it VERY easy to create the adventure, and running a city in a semi-sandbox fashion felt just right for time-sensitive objectives.

If I can make this system work in solo play, I'll definitely post it.

For those interested in the entire adventure, below are the notes I used to run it. Super-specific details like what NPCs or buildings looked like and such are not included. Consider most to be medieval fantasy standard or whatever. Also, the entries are organized in storyline order, but players were not railroaded into that order.

THE SECRET TEMPLE

After safely escorting little Jasper to the city of Kaad to visit the temple of Usrel, goddess of peace, the heroes learn that the city does not have a temple to Usrel, despite little Jasper's insistence that Usrel told him through his dreams to come to her temple here. Can the heroes learn the truth about Kaad?

The heroes have 2 days and 11 scenes to discover the truth using Bargain, Con, Law, Leadership, Lore, Sneaking, and other appropriate skills. Social Class, money, trade, and magic will modify encounters. Other rules may apply.

Gatehouse - always 1d6+4 men on duty - Watchmen [SK 5, ST 8, Bows 2, Swords 1, Chain Cuirass].

With years of peace in Kaad, the Watch will let strangers enter if they are reputable traders with goods or if they have special credentials; The Watch will tell the heroes that there is no temple of Usrel in Kaad, only temples to her sisters Asrel (beauty, love) and Libra (truth, justice). They may also tell them to see Watchmaster Tannen if the heroes look like the sort that can help them solve the murder of Sara Whitegrove. They'll always suggest the Weary Wayfarer Tavern.

Weary Wayfarer Tavern - Room, 1 gp/night shared, 2 gp/night single; Meal, 2 gp; Ale 5 sp.

Morning-Night: Morris Olgenthorp, owner; a trustworthy source of information when the asker is drinking ale.

Morning-Afternoon: Gretchen, server; overheard a one-eyed dwarf talking to the cheesemonger Verner about Usrel.

Evening-Night: Olga, server; gossips about Sara Whitegrove to a random Shady Character. Sara was a pretty priestess of Asrel who just dropped dead two days ago. Olga thinks Sara was having an affair with the candle maker, Ebben Trestle.

Verner's Cheese Shop - Hunk, 2 sp; Wheel, 1 gp; Special Batch, 10 gp.

Morning-Evening: Verner Clove [SK 6, ST 8, Cheese Craft 4, Forest Lore 3, Staves 2, Bargain 2], owner, former adventurer; was once part of the "Tanglewood Trio," adventurers who split up for mysterious reasons; the one-eyed dwarf, Moarden Warbreaker, a priest of Usrel, was one of the Trio; he was arrested by the Watch for harassing citizens; Verner thinks Moarden is a little crazy and should have given up adventuring years ago when they all split up.

Night: Closed, secure (-2 lockpicking); there is no money on hand when closed; night watch present on a 1 on a 1d6.

Watchtower - HQ of the Watch; always 1d6+3 men on duty - Watchmen [SK 5, ST 8, Swords 1, Leather Cuirass].

Morning-Afternoon: Watchmaster Tannen [see below] is perplexed by the death of Priestess Sara Whitegrove who just dropped dead in the street between the candle maker's shop and the hatter's shop; he welcomes assistance and wonders if the crazy one-eyed dwarf who gave the Watch a hard time the day before and got locked up is somehow involved. If the heroes have the credentials in some sort of law, Tannen may give them a pass to visit the one-eyed dwarf in prison.

Prison - always 1d6+3 men on duty, as above; a Shady Character is imprisoned here on a 1-2 on a 1d6.

Morning-Night: To speak to a prisoner, get a pass from the Watchmaster, win an opposed Law or Leadership test, or bribe the guard on duty. Moarden Warbreaker will eagerly tell anyone who will listen that a sign from Usrel told him that there is a Death Priest hidden among the people in Kaad. Evil is coming. Only the "Star of Brass" can stop it, but Moarden doesn't know what it is. He hoped Arviz the artifact dealer would know, but the Watch arrested Moarden before he could get there. A second visit to the prison will reveal that Moarden "just died" in his cell just like Sara Whitegrove did.

Candle Maker's Shop - Candles, one dozen, 1 sp; Ornate Candles, 1 gp.

Afternoon-Evening: Ebben Trestle [SK 6, ST 9, Candle Craft 3, Swords 1], owner; he will not cooperate with any questioning and will threaten to call the Watch. On a shelf in his shop is the Candle of Serenity, an artifact of Usrel discovered by Sara Whitegrove while she was deciphering the walls of the temples in Kaad. The candle unlit forbids evil priests from casting spells; when lit, it blinds them. She never told anyone she got it from Arviz who did not know what it was, but she asked Ebben to hide it in plain sight for her. The candle can be spotted by Second Sight.

Night-Morning: Closed, secure (-1 lockpicking); 2d6 gp on hand, night watch present on a 1d6, 1-2.

Arviz's Artifacts & Curios - a mix of junk and minor magical items randomly priced; chance of serious artifact: 1 on 1d6.

Morning-Evening: Arviz [SK 8, ST 6, Evaluate 3, Legend Lore 2, Second Sight 1], owner; an eccentric "artifact" dealer and collector of antiquities; loves to talk when he is shown new things to evaluate; knows that the Star of Brass is an old book that can be found in the Library of Kaad; Sara Whitegrove had bought a candle from him recently, one he had found in the shop's basement; if asked about a temple to Usrel, Arviz will indicate that he believes he'd once read that there had been one here 300 years ago just after the War of the Wizards.

Night: Roll 1d6; Closed (1-3), secure (-6 lockpicking, plus enchantments against strength); Open (4-6) with Arviz doing private dealings with a Shady Character (1-2), a local needing help (3-4), or a stranger with exotic goods (5-6), night watch present on a 1d6, 1-2. [NOTE: There is a second entry for this location below.]

Library of Kaad - freely available tomes on history, religion, magic, monsters, and the sciences of the times.

Morning-Afternoon: Open to the public; the Star of Brass can be found by playing TWO consecutive Encounter Scenes, OR one and only one player passes a LUCK test. The Star of Brass's writing cannot be deciphered by anyone until it is in the presence of Jasper, then magical words will glow out of it, stating "Place the Rose of Asrel on the Eastern Scale of Libra to find the House of Usrel." None of the old librarians on staff have any useful information to provide about the book. Watchmaster Tannen may be here (Director's choice) and, if so, will ask the heroes if they've learned anything about Sara Whitegrove.

Night: Roll 1d6; Open 1-3 on 1d6 with scholars doing "private" research; otherwise, closed, secure (-5 lockpicking), night watch present on a 1d6, 1-2.

Temple of Asrel - a small outdoor temple with a rose garden; there is a marble statue of Asrel holding a stone rose here.

Morning-Evening: Roll 1d6: 1-3, Alanna is there, 4-6, Phaena is there. Each alternates days on duty. Priestesses wear red robes and are always young, beautiful women. Their mission is to remind all to find beauty in life and to make loving others a priority.

Alanna [SK 4, ST 6, MAGIC 4, Priestly 1] is new and doesn't know much about Sara, saying that Phaena knew her better.

Phaena [SK 5, ST 8, MAGIC 6, Priestly 2] can reveal that Sara was scholarly and deeply understood the connection between beauty and truth. Sara had recently mentioned that she was looking for an important artifact that the sister goddesses "needed" her to find. Sara was going to leave the priesthood (as most young women of Asrel do when they get older) to study. Phaena does not know about Ebben's connection to Sara, but she does remember Sara mentioning something about a candle when they talked about Sara's studies.

Either priestess may use a spell of Bless, Commune, Heal, or +4 to social tests for one Encounter Scene if a gift of love or beauty is made. However, neither will allow the stone rose to be removed unless they see the Star of Brass inscription.

Night: On a 1-3 on 1d6, there are 1-3 young lovers hanging around the temple. They will alert the Watch if necessary.

Temple of Libra - a large edifice with a grand entrance hall, Watchmen barracks, and a trial room where justice is served. Closed on Highday. In the center of the entrance hall is a statue of scales, the symbol of Libra. If the stone rose from Asrel's temple is placed in the left scale, nothing will happen. If it is placed in the right scale which points eastward, the scale will move (shocking the priests), the building will shake, and cracks will form in the hall's domed ceiling, appearing to wreck it. In reality, the cracks form a map of Kaad, indicating the location of the secret temple of Usrel, hidden beneath Arviz's Artifact & Curio shop. A key will drop out of the ceiling, to be used on the trap door in the basement of Arviz's shop.

Morning-Afternoon: The temple is bustling with activity. The male and female grey-robed priests are busy detecting lies and helping the Watch dispense justice. There is a 1-5 chance on a 1d6 of seeing a Shady Character in trouble with the law. Talking to the priests of Libra is difficult without an appointment or a legal imperative with authentication. Watchmaster Tannen may be here (Director's choice) and, if so, will ask the heroes if they've learned anything about Sara Whitegrove.

Evening: Priests will be debating interpretations of law in the grand hall; some Watchmen will be on duty.

Night: Closed, secure (-8 lockpicking), night watch present on a 1d6, 1-3.

Basement, Arviz's Artifacts & Curios - see above for the basics of the shop.

In the basement, the room is filled with junk. An appropriate Special Skill test will reveal that the basement is larger than it should be and, thus, is somehow magical. In the center is a trapdoor with a lock which can only be opened by the key released from the ceiling of the Temple of Libra. Arviz decided years ago to just ignore the trapdoor. Before opening it, the heroes will be confronted by Watchmaster Tannen, the Death Priest spy Moarden had warned them about. Tannen had killed Sara Whitegrove because the girl was starting the figure out that there was a secret temple to Usrel hidden in Kaad. She had already begun deciphering the symbols in the other temples. He also killed Moarden for getting too close to revealing him. Tannen had only recently been "activated" by his brethren to seek out the secret temple once word of Jasper's dreams had spread, and now the heroes had done the work for him. He can safely kill Jasper and desecrate the temple so that its power cannot hinder the "new war" on the horizon. Death hungers, and Tannen will oblige!

Watchmaster Tannen, Death Priest [SK 10, ST 15, Priestly 2, Swords 2, Great Sword 2334456, Chain Hauberk, 0122223; Power of Death: Kills target with Stamina less than Devotion who does not pass 2 Luck tests, Curse: Stamina damage equal to Devotion, Smite All: roll damage twice and add, Ill-Luck: target -1 to all rolls]. The Candle of Serenity in his presence will stop him from casting spells; if also lit in his presence, he is blind and at -6 to attack.

If Tannen is killed, opening the trapdoor will release a bloodcurdling howl and a stale stench from the darkness beneath. If Jasper is there, he will sense that something is down in the 300 year-old temple, forbidding its return to the surface. The heroes will have to enter the temple and clear the evil to return Usrel's influence to Kaad and halt the rise of a new war. With Arviz to vouch for them, the heroes become Kaad's champions and are freely readied for their trip into the depths...