[RPG] Innkeeper's Quest (GURPS Dungeon Fantasy)

[FumblingLinguist]

A stranger in a cloak descends upon the city of Zimar'an. It is just after sunset. The evening star shines brightly in the sky, and the other stars are beginning to join it, though the moon has not yet risen.

The stranger is you. You are a stranger because you have just arrived in Zimar'an for the first time after a grueling, nine-day journey from your home town of Pangang. (People told you it would only take three days. They lied.)

You've come to Zimar'an because Zimar'an is the second-greatest city in the world, second only to the great Ka. And Ka is said to be a strange place, with a strange language. Where the humblest taverns are made of solid stone. Where the people drink water from magic wells, without even mixing the water with wine first. Where the men wear makeup! No, you can't imagine living in such a strange place. That's why, when you left home on your 21st birthday to seek your fortune, you knew your final destination would be Zimar'an.

And you are wearing a cloak because cloaks are wonderfully practical garments. A drunken patron at your parents' inn once expounded to you at great length on the merits of cloaks, claiming among other things that you can hide from an ogre by wrapping a cloak around your head, because ogres are such "dummy wummies" they assume that if you can't see them, they can't see you. You rather doubt even ogres are that stupid, but you have to agree a cloak is a quite useful thing, good for keeping warm at night if nothing else.

You are...

[ ] A young man named Marūr
[ ] A young woman named Marūra

(This decision will not have a single across-the-board mechanical effect, but may have various small effects from time to time.)

You have an annotated map of the city. You don't really understand the significance of much of the information on it, but it does offer a few clear options in terms of first order of business:

[ ] Enter through the south gate. It's the direction you're coming from, and you want to get inside before nightfall.
[ ] Check out "goblin town". Looks like you'd have to pass by it anyway on your way to the south gate, so why not?
[ ] Explore the area outside the city a bit, then enter through the east gate. Surely you've got time, right?
[ ] By Heaven, you've never seen walls like this before! You're going to do a half-circuit around the city, just staring at the walls, before entering through the north gate.

Spoiler: QM Note

I've GM'd traditional TTRPGs before, but this is my first time attempting to do a form quest. I decided to start with two "easy" polls so that if I am missing something very basic, someone can point it out to me before we get too far into it. No GURPS knowledge will be required to participate, though I hope we'll get at least one or two GURPS aficionados in the mix. Character sheet to come.

 

[Kylia Quilor]

[X] A young woman named Marūra

[X] Enter through the south gate. It's the direction you're coming from, and you want to get inside before nightfall.

Let's see where things are going.

 

[Xilph]

[X] A young woman named Marūra
[X] Enter through the south gate. It's the direction you're coming from, and you want to get inside before nightfall.

 

[FumblingLinguist]

You trudge towards the south gate, lugging your enormous backpack. Your parents made sure you'd be well-supplied for your journey, giving you (among other things) camping supplies; two healing potions they'd never had reason to use with the local cleric just down the road and never been able to sell for what they thought the potions were worth; and a weird gnomish arrow-launching contraption for protection (though you feel pretty confident in your ability to defend yourself with nothing more than a broomstick or copper frying pan if it came to that). They also gave you 150 silver pieces, though you had to spend three of that for additional rations and suchlike when the journey took longer than expected. No matter—your parents may not have come from one of the seven great clans of Zimar'an, but you learned a lot about business watching them run their inn, and you expect to soon turn most of your silver into gold.

Spoiler: Character Sheet

Marūra (250 Points)

ST 12 [20]; DX 13 [60]; IQ 13 [60]; HT 12 [20].
Damage 1d-1/1d+2; BL 45 lbs.; HP 12 [0]; Will 13 [0]; Per 14 [5]; FP 12 [0].
Basic Speed 6.00 [-5]; Basic Move 6 [0].

Social Background

CF: Kaian Empire [0].
Languages: Harumānic (Native) [0].

Advantages

Alcohol Tolerance [1]; Attractive [4]; Charisma 3 [15]; Honest Face [1]; Improvised Weapons (Kitchenware) [1]; Lifting ST 3 [9]; Luck (Game Time, +0%) [15]; No Hangover [1]; Pack Rat [1]; Penetrating Voice [1]; Wealthy [20]; Wild Talent 1 (Game Time, +0%) [20].

Disadvantages

Chummy [-5]; Curious (12) [-5]; Impulsiveness (12) [-10]; Greed (12) [-15]; Overconfidence (12) [-5]; Sense of Duty (Adventuring Companions) [-5].

Quirks: Deeply invested in "making it" in Zimar'an (not some other town or city) [-1]; Imaginative [-1]; Incompetence (Sex Appeal) [-1]; Responsive [-1]; Will take on hirelings just to have someone to talk to [-1].

Skills

Axe/Mace (A) DX+1 [4]-14; Brawling (E) DX+1 [2]-14; Carousing (E) HT+1 [2]-13; Climbing (A) DX-1 [1]-12; Crossbow (E) DX+1 [2]-14; Diplomacy (H) IQ [4]-13; Fast-Draw (Knife) (E) DX+1 [2]-14; Fast-Talk (A) IQ [2]-13; First Aid (E) IQ [1]-13; Gesture (E) IQ [1]-13; Hiking (A) HT-1 [1]-11; Intimidation (A) Will [2]-13; Knife (E) DX+1 [2]-14; Leadership (A) IQ+3 [2]-16; Merchant (A) IQ [2]-13; Professional Skill (Bartender) (A) IQ [2]-13; Savoir-Faire (High Society) (E) IQ [1]-13; Scrounging (E) Per [1]-14; Search (A) Per [2]-14; Stealth (A) DX-1 [1]-12; Staff (A) DX+2 [8]-15; Streetwise (A) IQ [2]-13; Wrestling (A) DX+1 [4]-14.

Equipment

$5,000, 139.08 lbs. (Heavy encumbrance)

Backpack, Frame [Torso] $100, 10 lbs.
Balance and Weights [Backpack] $35, 3 lbs.
Bottle ×2 [Backpack] $6, 2 lbs.
Burning Glass [Backpack] $40, 0.25 lbs.
Caltrops ×6 [Backpack] $30, 1.5 lbs.
Candle, Tallow. [Backpack] $0.50, 1 lb.
Cheap Large Knife [Torso] Damage 1d cut, 1d-1 imp. $16, 1 lb.
Cheap Quarterstaff [Torso] Damage 1d+4 cr. $4, 4 lbs.
Cheap Small Mace [Torso] Damage 1d+4 cr. $14, 3 lbs.
Cloak [Torso] $20, 2 lbs.
Clothing [Torso] $0, 2 lbs.
Cord, 3/16" (10 yards) [Backpack] $1, 0.5 lb.
Crowbar [Backpack] $20, 3 lbs.
File [Backpack] $40, 1 lb.
First Aid Kit [Backpack] $50, 2 lbs.
Foul Pepper [Backpack] $50, 1 lb.
Garlic [Backpack] $5, 0.25 lbs.
Group Basics [Backpack] $50, 20 lbs.
Holy Symbol [Backpack] $50, 1 lb.
Iron Spike [Backpack] $1, 1 lb.
Lamp [Backpack] $20, 2 lbs.
Lockpicks [Backpack] $50, 0.1 lbs.
Mallet [Backpack] $15, 3 lbs.
Major Healing Potion ×2 [Backpack] $700, 0.5 lbs.
Map of Zimar'an, Annotated, Papyrus [Scroll Case] $90, 0.09 lbs.
Monster Drool [Backpack] $20, 0.5 lbs.
Oil, Pint ×4 [Bottles] $8, 4 lbs.
Personal Basics [Backpack] $5, 1 lb.
Pole, 6' ×2 [Torso] $10, 6 lbs.
Pouch [Torso] $10, 0.2 lbs.
Rations [Backpack] $2, 0.5 lbs.
Rope, 3/4" (10 yards) [Backpack] $25, 5 lbs.
Sack ×2 [Backpack] $60, 6 lbs.
Sandals [Feet] $25, 0.5 lbs.
Scorpion, 13.5" [Torso] Damage 1d+3 imp. $150, 6 lbs.
Scorpion Bolts, 13.5" ×12 [Quiver] $24, 0.75 lbs.
Scroll Case [Backpack] $75, 1 lb.
Shoulder Quiver [Torso] $10, 0.5 lb.
Silver Piece ×147 [Pouch] $2940, 2.94 lbs.
Sundial Miniature [Backpack] $40, 1 lb.
Tent, 4-Man [Backpack] $150, 30 lbs.
Wax Tablet [Backpack] $10, 2 lbs.
Whetstone [Backpack] $5, 1 lb.
Wine, Grape, Gallon ×½ [Wineskin] $4.50, 4 lbs.
Wineskin [Torso] $10, 0.25 lbs.
Wolfsbane [Backpack] $5, 0.25 lbs.
Wooden Stake [Backpack] $4, 0.5 lbs.

As you approach the gate, a goblin woman passes you in the other direction carrying two large buckets of something foul-smelling. There's a guard standing watch in a bronze helmet, red cloak, and white tunic, holding a staff. "Peace, sister," he says, "where are you coming from?"

"Pangang."

"Pangang? That's a real place?"

"Of course it's a real place, it's a town over in southern Harumān."

"Ah, over south. You didn't have any trouble with the goblin bandits out in the hills, did you?"

[ ] "There's goblin bandits in the hills? That's terrible!" Though you have no intention of returning home before you have something to show for your journey to Zimar'an, when you do you'll be on the lookout for these goblins.
[ ] "What are you talking about? There's no goblin bandits in the hills." You're pretty sure you would've heard of them if there were.
[ ] "Uh... no?" You're skeptical, but don't want to argue with a city guard.
[ ] WRITE IN

Once inside the gate, will you...

[ ] Just try to find lodging in the first inn you see.
[ ] Head for the waterfront—you figure there will be better options there, or at least more options.
[ ] WRITE

 

[Kylia Quilor]

[X] "Uh... no?" You're skeptical, but don't want to argue with a city guard.
[X] Head for the waterfront—you figure there will be better options there, or at least more options.

 

[Marlin]

[X] A young man named Marūr
[X] By Heaven, you've never seen walls like this before! You're going to do a half-circuit around the city, just staring at the walls, before entering through the north gate.

 

[FumblingLinguist]

META: Since I'm new to this, what's the best way to signal when voting a topic is closed? How long should I be waiting for people to vote? What's the best way distinguish different types of posts from each other—e.g. meta ones like this one vs. story updates? Is there something I should be doing to distinguish story updates with poll vs. story updates without poll? I would've hoped the forum had a guide somewhere but I don't see one.

 

[Celer]

[X] "Uh... no?" You're skeptical, but don't want to argue with a city guard.
[X] Head for the waterfront—you figure there will be better options there, or at least more options.

META: Since I'm new to this, what's the best way to signal when voting a topic is closed? How long should I be waiting for people to vote? What's the best way distinguish different types of posts from each other—e.g. meta ones like this one vs. story updates? Is there something I should be doing to distinguish story updates with poll vs. story updates without poll? I would've hoped the forum had a guide somewhere but I don't see one.

Click to shrink...

People vary widely in wait-times, but my general guess is that the more people involved in the quest and the more complicated the decision, the longer you should have a delay before a vote. I think meta updates vs story updates are generally done by how they're indexed, which I think works well (so the threadmarks is pure story, and the rest is index). I don't generally see sharp distinctions in posts for polled vs unpolled updates, which I don't mind.

 

[FumblingLinguist]

People vary widely in wait-times, but my general guess is that the more people involved in the quest and the more complicated the decision, the longer you should have a delay before a vote. I think meta updates vs story updates are generally done by how they're indexed, which I think works well (so the threadmarks is pure story, and the rest is index). I don't generally see sharp distinctions in posts for polled vs unpolled updates, which I don't mind.

Click to shrink...

Thanks. For practical I-have-a-day-job reasons, it looks likely that I'll mostly be updating on weekends.

 

[FumblingLinguist]

"That's good," the guard says with a smile. "Word is not everyone's been so fortunate." Then he says "peace" and you continue on.

Once inside the gates you can no longer see the golden glow of the sun from below the horizon, and the sky continues to darken as you make your way through the winding streets of Zimar'an. You do see one otherwise nondescript building with a large sign that says "INN", but you decide to ignore it for now—you want to see what your other options are. Eventually, you reach the waterfront. The harbor is protected by a breakwater, with the city walls extending along it.

As you suspected, you seem to have a lot of options here. A fair number of sailors seem to be making their way to an establishment whose sign shows a picture of a woman with a spindle. You can hear a great deal of talking and shouting coming from inside, but few other clues as to what the inside might be like. Another establishment's sign shows a picture of a double-bitted axe. A sign outside the door in three different scripts says, Harumānic, "No fighting. No gambling. No making your fellow patron's night harder." The messages in the other scripts are of similar length, though you have no idea what they say—you think one is dwarven, the other you have no idea. There's music coming from inside, though you'd guess this one is less busy. And those are just two of the options.

On the road, this is about when you'd be making camp, though you wouldn't quite be going to sleep. How will you take advantage of what the waterfront has to offer?:

[ ] Go back to the building with the sign that says "INN".
[ ] Check out the establishment with the spinner woman on the sign
[ ] Check out the establishment with the double-bitted axe on the sign
[ ] You have some specific things you're looking for for the night... (WRITE IN details)
- [ ] ...but you're not going to waste too much time looking for it
- [ ] ...and you're willing to take the time to search the waterfront thoroughly for it
- [ ] ...and you'll use your daily use of Luck on any roll for the search if necessary (can be combined with one of the first two options).

 

[FumblingLinguist]

Note: I hope to write a longer post later today. I encourage people to take the above vote as partly a chance to express how invested they are in picking a place to stay for the night.

 

[Celer]

[X] Go back to the building with the sign that says "INN".

 

[FumblingLinguist]

After seeing the waterfront, you decide maybe it doesn't have what you were looking for after all. You return to the inn you saw earlier, where a silver gets you a room for the night and a Kaian pentacle as change. The inn is a roughly rectangular building, built around a central courtyard where food is served, but the courtyard is emptying out at the kitchen is closed, so you're left eating the last of the jerky and hardtack in your pack. Tomorrow, your real adventure will start.

You've been planning on seeking out hired help as part of getting established in Zimar'an. Now that you've actually arrived, you need to decide what kinds of hirelings in particular to look for. You'll also need to decide what kind of pay to advertise—you have a rough idea of the typical going rate for different kinds of work, but you can try to get by offering less, or offer more in an attempt to maximize the chances of finding what you want.

Choose one or more of the following. For each selection, specify the pay you'll offer, and (optionally) any specific requirements beyond the basic job title (possible specific requirements are too numerous to list, so are necessarily "write ins"):

[ ] Basic hirelings (typical pay: 10 silver/week)
- [ ] Guard
- [ ] Laborer
- [ ] Native Guide (can specify terrain specialty at no penalty—"sea" probably makes the most sense given that Zimar'an is a port city)
- [ ] Servant (can specify cook, entertainer, manservant, potion-taster, or weapon caddy at no penalty)
- [ ] Torch-Bearer
[ ] Skilled hirelings (typical pay: 20 silver/week)
- [ ] Agent
- [ ] Apprentice (by default, a wizard's apprentice, but you can roll at a penalty to try to recruit a demonologist, elementalist, or necromancer's apprentice)
- [ ] Archer
- [ ] Brute
- [ ] Cutpurse
- [ ] Initiate (by default, an initiate of one of the accepted Kaian gods such as Karshim, queen of the gods, or Pimthun, goddess of the sea; but you can roll at a penalty to try to recruit an initiate dedicated to druidism, shamanism, or the evil god Kishumzur)
- [ ] Killer
- [ ] Sage
- [ ] Skirmisher
- [ ] Squire
[ ] Expert hirelings (typical pay: 40 silver/week):
- [ ] Artificer
- [ ] Barbarian
- [ ] Bard
- [ ] Cleric (by default, a cleric of one of the accepted Kaian gods like Karshim or Pimthun, see above, but you can roll at a penalty to try to recruit a cleric of Kishumzur)
- [ ] Holy Warrior (same god options as cleric)
- [ ] Knight
- [ ] Martial Artist
- [ ] Scholar
- [ ] Scout
- [ ] Swashbuckler
- [ ] Thief
- [ ] Wizard
- [ ] Other (all of which will impose a penalty on the search roll: Demonologist, Druid, Elementalist, Necromancer, Psi, Shaman, etc.)

Spoiler: GM Note

This particular breakdown of possible professions is based on the character temples found in the GURPS Dungeon Fantasy series. There are obvious similarities to Dungeons & Dragons' character class system, though the correspondence is not exact. Familiarity with GURPS shouldn't be necessary to make a choice here, though players who are familiar with the game are welcome to try to write-in proposals to seek out hirelings with very specific abilities from the game, and try to sell other players on said proposals.

Other things to do:

[ ] Try to get caught up on the latest rumors in the city
[ ] Advertise your services as a freelance adventurer
[ ] Go somewhere
- [ ] The Pantheon of Zimar'an: it's one of the more obvious points of interest on your map, apparently located more or less in the dead center of the city
- [ ] The Royal Palace: your map shows it on the eastern side of the city
- [ ] The Old Temple: your map shows it on the northern side of the city
- [ ] Goblin town, also known as "that cluster of ramshackle buildings you passed on your way in to the city"
- [ ] The waterfront:
- - [ ] That place with the spinner woman on the sign
- - [ ] That place with the double-bitted axe on the sign
[ ] Go looking for something else (WRITE IN)

 

[Celer]

OK, our largest known problem is goblin bandits in the hills, so that's what I'm thinking we want to prepare for in hiring. But I also don't think we want to hire anyone yet: much wiser to work for others for a few months while we get our feet wet, meet some people, and have a better sense of what needs doing and who is hiring for it.

But obviously we need someone to talk to, so let's grab a servant for now, ideally someone who can tell us more about the place. We'll sign on to any gigs we get as a pair, at hopefully a relatively small loss.

[X] Basic hirelings (typical pay: 10 silver/week)
- [X] Guard

[X] Go look for someone who's part of an established party and looking to hire new people.

 

[Marlin]

[X] Basic hirelings (typical pay: 10 silver/week)
- [X] Guard

[X] Go look for someone who's part of an established party and looking to hire new people.

 

[ozymandias]

[X] Skilled hirelings
- [X] Sage at 20
[X] Go somewhere
- [ X ] The Pantheon of Zimar'an: