Kids & Critters RPG Trilogy

KIDS & CRITTERS OLD SCHOOL RPG TRILOGY

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KIDS & CRITTERS OLD SCHOOL ROLE PLAYING GAME TRILOGY

© 2010 by Simon Washbourne All rights reserved.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS GAME DESIGN Simon Washbourne & Mark George (TfTW) Simon Washbourne (LoGB & IaDL) ARTISTS Gill Pearce Meg Baker Stephanie N Small Helen Roberts Jay Forster Allan Dotson Jerry D Grayson (BBG Logo) PLAYTESTERS Annette Washbourne, Nigel Uzzell, Janine Uzzell, Alyson George, Mark George, Robert Irwin, Phil Ratcliffe, Leigh Wakefield, Gary Collett, Phil Chivers, Mike Richards, Alison Richards, Ian Greenwood, Paul Simonet, Robert Watkins, and members of Innsworth Wargames and Role Playing United Kingdom (IWARPUK)

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CONTENTS I TALES FROM THE WOOD • Introduction • Creating a player creature • What are the creatures like? • Using Abilities, Lores & Skills • Tooth & Claw • The Way and The Bane • The Gamekeeper • Gamekeeper Creatures • Three Tales from The Wood 2 LASHINGS OF GINGER BEER • Introduction • Creating your kid • Doing things • Rolling dice • Idyllic England • Adventures 3 IT’S A DOG’S LIFE • What’s this? • Great Home • Tribal Legends • Characters • Character Roles • Abilities • Barks • Tooth & Claw • Gamemastering • Critters • Adventuring • Longer adventures • Real prairie dogs

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One thing that is essentially true is that all players except one take the role of a character in the game and, within the framework of the game, play the role of their characters by narrating and describing what they are doing in response to what is going on within the story. One player has a different role and is called The Gamekeeper (GK). We’ll come back to that later.

INTRODUCTION The Wood – a place where animals live, love, fight …...and die.

What is a roleplaying game? I would imagine that if you bought this product, you already know what a role playing game is and what role-playing is all about. If you haven’t role played before, then I am honoured that you chose Tales from The Wood (TfTW) to be your first.

What is Tales from The Wood? TfTW is what you and your players want it to be. It is a framework of rules for building your own fantasy story of adventure, fun, tragedy and excitement. Whether you choose to tell a tale of epic quests, great journeys and grand adventure or whether you prefer to weave a story based on relationships and the love of home and family, these rules will help you to do that. However, there is the backdrop of The Wood that will permeate all of your tales and all of the stories you tell will ultimately be

Role playing means different things to different people. At its heart it is a combination of storytelling, improvisational theatre, a game of make-believe or even a tactical wargame. Some role-playing games emphasize one aspect more than another and in some one or more aspects are virtually absent. TfTW is mainly a game of storytelling and makebelieve.

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affected by The Wood and its many inhabitants.

Remember that you are helping to create a Tale. This is a co-operative thing. There are no winners and losers. The better you respect each other’s characters and their part in the overall Tale, the better the game experience will be. Even the Gamekeeper is your friend in this, although her role is different to yours. It may seem like she is trying to ‘get’ you, but that’s not the case. She is trying to create scenes that will engage you and keep your interest and sometimes these will threaten you or scare you. Occasionally there will be a tragedy too, but this is normally only with the player’s blessing and where it helps to weave an interesting and exciting Tale.

What do you need to play? You need some players and a place to play. The former is easy, just grab a few friends and tell them about this great game you just found. The next may not be as easy, but as long as you have a room and places to sit and be comfortable, you are away. Next you need dice (TfTW uses ten-sided and six-sided dice called d10 and d6 respectively), preferably one of each type for each player, and a photocopy of the character sheet for each player. Finally, you need pencils and probably erasers too. Oh, don’t forget a few drinks and snacks.

It may seem difficult to know how to play the role of a mouse or a frog or whatever. However, we have found in play testing that generally players will pick a creature that they already have some knowledge of and that often helps to define the way that they play their characters.

The player’s role TfTW is an unusual role-playing game. It takes its inspiration from animal stories, like Watership Down and Duncton Wood, so the characters in this game are all animals. You are therefore playing the roles of creatures that can typically be found in and around the British woodland; animals such as Mouse, Rabbit, Vole, Squirrel and Hedgehog.

There is some help for you later on in these rules but it is certainly recommended that you are familiar with at least one of the novels listed at the end of this publication. The creatures do have their own individual abilities - Mouse for example is extremely acrobatic, Hedgehog is tough and good in a fight, Mole can dig tunnels etc. and this helps you to get a ‘handle’ on your character. That doesn’t mean that all rabbits have to cower away and all hedgehogs have to be awkward and stupid. You can put whatever personality on your character that you like and an aggressive rabbit or wise old hedgehog would be great fun to play.

You need to come up with some interesting characters drawn from the thirteen species of animal available to you, called the Creatures of The Way. Through your characters, you must live your lives in The Wood, react to things that happen to you and your friends and, for the length of the game session, play the role of the characters you are portraying.

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and the GK simply relates to the players what happens as a result. However, because life in The Wood is not always that simple there will be times when the GK will call for a dice to be rolled to determine whether an intended action was successful or not. This is often the case when external conditions could affect the outcome of what seemed to be a simple task, or when another creature is trying to stop the PC from succeeding. Be careful with the use of the dice in the telling of the Tale - use them sparingly and at dramatic moments when the fate of the creature is in the balance. Don’t let the dice and the rules get in the way of enjoyment and the telling of a good story.

The Gamekeeper’s role The game is coordinated by one of the players who has a different role to play in the game. She is usually referred to in games of this type as the Gamesmaster or referee. In keeping with the setting the referee in TfTW is called the Gamekeeper (GK). The GK has to spend time prior to an evenings’ gaming preparing the adventure or scenario, called The Tale, deciding beforehand what the PCs are trying to achieve and deciding what obstacles and help they will have along the way, be they natural, Man-made, of The Bane, or other creatures. The GK will also play the role of any creatures the PCs meet whether they are friendly, neutral or otherwise.

The dice used in TfTW are six-sided (d6) and ten-sided (d10). When the action calls for the player to roll a dice the GK will advise that type of dice to be rolled. Normally the characteristics of the creature itself will determine which dice is to be used - if the creature has the appropriate Ability (or Lore) then a d10 is rolled and if the creature does not have the appropriate Ability then a d6 is rolled. There are essentially two types of action in TfTW - uncontested actions and contested actions and the differences are explained later in these rules.

Whilst the GK may have set very clear goals for the players, the way they reach those goals may differ radically from those the GK had in mind. The GK therefore needs to be flexible and ready to ad-lib, or change direction partway through the Tale if the players start to do things that she hadn’t accounted for or written down (rest assured, they will). The players can always be steered back on course further on in the game if needs be. It is all part of the GK’s responsibilities to be flexible enough to see what the PCs want to do and adapt her version of the Tale according to the player’s wishes. At the end of the day, whilst the Tale is important, it is not as important as the characters who are telling it.

The Tale: The Wood Hello, my name is Grizzlegruff. I am a Gnome, and it falls upon me to recount this Tale. I am not a natural storyteller as was my good friend Oakfellow, who would be chronicling this Tale but for the fact that he disappeared recently and to date we have had no luck in finding him. I therefore dedicate this Tale to him, and to the memory of all the many creatures who live, love, fight and die in The Wood

The role of the dice Most of the actions performed by playercreatures (PCs) in TfTW are normal everyday activities where the players simply tells the GK what their characters intend to do

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Where does one start with a Tale of this magnitude? With The Wood itself perhaps? Yes that is most appropriate, The Wood. You should understand that The Wood is more than merely a home for the many hundreds of animals, birds, insects and other lowlier forms of life. It is a living, breathing and feeling entity.

No, one also talks of the Tanglebriars, that dark shadowy region of thorn and thistle, ancient and brooding wherein live the weasels and stoats and adders and crows gathering in their twisted cabals and ever ready to pounce upon the hapless intruder. Then there is the Frogmarsh, a largely open tract and from where, at night time, one can often hear the strange song of the Frog Lord and his minions drifting eerily around The Wood.

The Woods’ vitality is reflected in the health of its inhabitants and their health is good for The Wood. When The Wood suffers, we all suffer. Our relationship is linked, symbiotic. We need The Wood, The Wood needs us. We creatures who understand this relationship and seek to perpetuate and maintain this balance are followers of what has become known as ‘The Way of The Wood’ or more simply ‘The Way’.

That the Frogmarsh remains wet and misty is attributed to The River which splits The Wood and after twisting its way between the boles of the mighty trees spills out to feed the Frogmarsh before it gathers itself together again and continues its course to the lands of Man and beyond.

Through the ages there have been others who have sought to upset this harmony, thinking in their own warped mentality that somehow such an imbalance could be worked to their own advantage. This perversion of The Way is known as ‘The Bane’. Some creatures are more susceptible to its evil design than others. These misguided creatures are the rats, the weasels, the crows and the adders amongst others, but perhaps we should not blame them entirely for we believe that Man is by far the worst culprit and surely it is from Man that The Bane was first born?

Many creatures thrive on, or in, The River including of course Water Vole and Otter, but not forgetting that Pike is ever present and ready to pounce from the reeds that border The Deep Pond. Let me not neglect The Meadows bordering onto The Wood. This place of course is home to many animals, but most particularly to that most wary of creatures, Rabbit with her vast network of warrens creating a labyrinth in which one such as I without the Lore to navigate those twisting tunnels could (and have) become hopelessly lost. Unfortunately for poor Rabbit this does provide the ideal hunting ground for stoats and weasels when they venture from the Tanglebriars on their nightly forays.

When one talks of The Wood, it is generally accepted that one means the whole of the environs of The Wood, not only the Brightwood wherein grow the mighty Oak, the Ash, the Elm and the Yew and where dwell Mouse and Squirrel and Shrew and Mole who love its sun dappled grasses and quiet glades and the comforting fastness of the tall trees.

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THE WOOD

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CREATING A PLAYER CREATURE

The GK might even state that she wants all characters to be of the same type but then leave it up to you as a group as to which species you choose.

This is where you get to choose what kind of animal you will play and the abilities he or she has.

Assuming the choice is a free one there are thirteen creatures for players to choose from. The creatures described are generic for their type; for instance there are four species of mouse in the British Isles and whilst they do vary slightly the differences are not so great as to warrant four separate descriptions.

Players choice of creature

Choosing a creature The first step for you is to decide which of the various animals that you would like to role-play. You should generally take the role of one of the followers of The Way of The Wood, as many of the scenarios are to do with coming into conflict with The Bane in some way. Your GK could allow you to play a different creature; especially if you have a particular favourite and you come up with a good reason with the creature to be allied with the other PCs. You should be aware though that your GK may disallow it, as many of the creatures of The Bane are predatory and they can be very much more powerful than the PCs. If you want a creature just because it is tougher than the other PCs without a good story to go with it, then your GK is likely to disallow it straight away.

The variety of creatures within a given species can be handled by giving them different Lores. The Lores are described in detail later, but for example you could choose Wood Lore for your Mouse character and that would make him a Wood Mouse. Someone else could have a Mouse character with Field Lore, making him a Field or Harvest Mouse and so on. You should bear in mind that all of the rules for animal Traits, Abilities and Lores are subjective and although they have been thoroughly researched and play-tested there is nothing that cannot be altered or changed if there is anything with which you disagree. If a favourite animal is not listed then there are guidelines in the Gamekeeper Section of these rules to assist in the creation of additional creatures for use in TfTW.

All creatures of the same species As an alternative, the GK could run a game where all of the PCs are of the same species. You could all be moles for example, as in the Duncton Wood novels, all squirrels as in the novels of Michael Tod, or all rabbits, like Watership Down. In this case the GK will let you know her preferences at the outset.

Creature Characteristics PCs in TfTW are defined by the use of Traits, Abilities and Lores. These characteristics describe something about the creature in simple numerical terms so

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Fierceness (FI): This represents the animal’s combative ability and natural predatory instinct, as well as natural willingness to fight, kill and hunt. Carnivorous creatures obviously tend to have higher values than herbivores. A low value is indicative of timidity.

that players can gauge their character’s relative strengths and weaknesses.

TRAITS There are six traits in TfTW and these are: Alertness, Craftiness, Fierceness, Nimbleness, Sturdiness and Toughness

Nimbleness (NI): This is the Trait that represents the creature’s speed, agility and quickness. Its use is mainly for determining such activities as climbing, leaping and fleeing. Small creatures tend to be more nimble than large ones.

Traits are measured in numerical values. The higher the value of the Trait the more able the creature is in performing tasks associated with that Trait. A quick reference to the Player Creature Table on P.13 will show the strengths of some creatures compared to others as well as their weaknesses. Mouse for example is clearly the most nimble creature but not at all tough or sturdy. Traits are important because they govern the use of the various abilities of the creatures. The Trait value is added to the roll of the dice to determine whether the animal has succeeded in an action or not.

Sturdiness (ST): Sturdiness is again a measure of the size of the animal. However, it also represents the bulk and relative constitution of the animal. It helps in recovering from the effects of poisons or toxins, resisting disease and shrugging off physical punishment (particularly in Tooth and Claw). Toughness (TO): This Trait represents the sheer brute strength of the creature. Whilst size is the primary consideration, other things are taken into account; for example the strong forepaws of Mole. Toughness is used to determine what an animal can move, carry or drag, as well as the power it can get into a bite or claw attack.

Description of the Traits Alertness (AL): Alertness measures the overall perception and wariness of the creature. It takes into account all of the senses and includes ‘6th Sense’. Note that most creatures make up for the lack or poor ability in one of their senses by having heightened abilities in other senses (e.g. Mole is virtually blind but he has a very keen sense of smell or touch).

Higher Traits Players can raise their creatures’ Traits above the starting values by spending ‘experience’ points earned on adventures. The only limit is that in the case of Toughness and Sturdiness there are maximum values (listed in brackets on the Player Creature Table). The reason there are maximum values for these Traits is that these are largely determined by the actual size of the creature and therefore there is a

Craftiness (CR): General cunning, wit and intelligence are encompassed within this Trait. Usually, it is the predators who are the craftiest of the creatures in The Wood. It sees most use when using the various Lores.

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natural limit on how tough or sturdy a creature can be.

surfaces (cliff faces, walls, fences, trees etc.) as well as a measure of the animal’s intrinsic balance (moving along tops of walls, branches etc.). The difficulty level will be affected by such factors as the slipperiness of the surface being climbed, weather conditions, speed of ascent etc. It would normally be an uncontested roll.

The Governing Trait Each Ability (see below) has a Trait which governs it’s use, called the Governing Trait. When rolling the die to attempt to do something, the value of the creature’s Governing Trait is added to the die roll.

Flee (NI): This is the talent of the animal to avoid a pursuer, often by virtue of the animal’s small size. Speed, reactions and use of terrain features and cover are also handy. Flee can also be used in Tooth & Claw, substituting this Ability in an attempt to get away from an attacker. Flee is used only in contested situations.

ABILITIES Abilities are the natural ‘skills’ of the creatures in The Wood. Animal’s paws do not enable them to manipulate things very well so there are things that they can’t do. Squirrel can hold a nut or a berry to eat it, but she can’t tie a piece of string to a stick. Therefore player creatures are limited to a selection of tasks and aside from these Abilities, they have no ‘skills’ as such. A creature can attempt any of the abilities on this list.

Fly (NI): Only creatures that can actually fly can use this Ability (birds, bats). The Fly ability can be used uncontested, weather conditions having the most effect upon the difficulty level. It can also be used contested if the creature is in a chase or race situation.

If the creature has the Ability then the player rolls a d10 whenever the ability is used. If not, then a d6 is rolled. The only exceptions are Fly and Wisdom.

Hide (NI): The capacity of the creature to blend with and use cover and camouflage of The Wood to remain undetected. Usually used as a contested task verses a pursuer’s Track Ability.

It sounds obvious, but has to be stated that only creatures that can actually fly have the ‘Fly’ Ability. No other creature may choose to fly.

Intimidate (FI): Used to frighten other creatures or to gain an edge in Tooth & Claw situations. It is used in contested rolls only. An equal result is a standoff (a lot of growling or bluster, but with no-creature actually frightening the other) but a result in favour of one intimidator over another will mean that the loser is so terrified (or simply surprised or shocked) that it loses one round where it cannot do anything. In Tooth & Claw this could mean that a creature is defenceless and the winner gets a free bite or blow, or that the creature can

Wisdom is the province of the owl. Creatures may learn it but the cost is double the point cost of other abilities. In addition the ability needs to be taught by some-creature who already has Wisdom and is willing to take on a student.

Description of the Abilities Climb (NI): The measure of how well a creature can cling to vertical or nearvertical surfaces and move around on those

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make good his brief advantage to escape from a much larger opponent. In non-Tooth & Claw situations the result could indicate much more of a willingness to cooperate or the loser otherwise backing down from his or her original standpoint.

location, where they live and so on. It will also tell you about the geography and features of the terrain and other useful information about the area. As such, all creatures will have at least one Lore appropriate to the creature’s normal habitat.

Leap (NI): The skill of a creature to jump to great heights from the ground or across wide gaps, such as when Squirrel leaps from the branch of one tree to another. The use of the Ability will be affected by adverse weather conditions, slippery take off and/or landing etc. and will mainly be used in uncontested situations.

Where the Player Creature Table includes a specific Lore, it is because that creature is normally found in the habitat indicated by the Lore. Where the Lore is not specified or there is a choice of Lores then it is because there are a variety of different types within that species or that the creature can be found in a range of locations (birds for example fly far and wide).

Swim (NI): The talent of a creature to keep afloat in water and move in the direction it wishes. In contested situations it is also used to determine the quickest swimmer. Some creatures (Otter, Water Vole etc) may also use the Ability for moving about freely underwater. The Task Difficulty will be affected by such factors as the speed of the current, rapids, weather conditions etc.

Description of the Lores Beach Lore (CR): A rare lore in TfTW but nevertheless included for completeness, Beach Lore would be used to know when the tide is coming in (or going out) amongst the usual knowledge of the terrain and inhabitants.

Tooth & Claw (FI): The natural fighting aptitude of the creature. This Ability is described in its own section later in these rules.

Field Lore (CR): If you have this Lore, you will know all about sowing and harvest time and when the Roaring Dragon (tractor) or when the farmer’s dog are likely to be about and how to avoid them.

Track (AL): Using mainly the senses of smell, sight and hearing the animal uses this Ability to trail other creatures and to seek out hidden prey. The difficulty will be affected by adverse weather, the prey crossing water, delay in picking up the scent etc.

Gnome Lore (CR): This Lore is unusual in that it does not relate to knowledge of terrain or habitat but to a specific and elusive creature - Gnome. It confers a knowledge of Gnome and his habits, his constructs, smell and where one might find him.

LORES Lores are a combination of instinctive and learned knowledge of the habitat in which the creature normally dwells. A successful Lore check will tell you about the creatures that are usually to be found in that

A Gnome knows a simple sign language involving placing markers of sticks and/or stones on the ground or scratches on trees.

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This Lore also gives you a chance to work out what these messages mean. Man Lore (CR): Like Gnome Lore, this Lore does not confer knowledge of habitat but of Man - his constructs, tools, habits and the smell of Man. Man has a smell of his own, which is quite horrible to creatures not used to Man and this can be frightening to creatures without this lore. Some believe this to be the essence of The Bane. The Lore does not give creatures the ability to work out how to operate machinery or how to read, but they might recognize signs from past experience, or might be able to figure out a simple device, such as how to open a simple locked cage etc. Marsh Lore (CR): Aside from knowledge of what creatures live in the Frogmarsh areas this would also enable creatures to cross the marsh safely and know about the odd furless creatures that live there. Mountain Lore (CR): Another rare lore for denizens of The Wood. This Lore is likely to be known only to birds or creatures from far beyond the boundaries of The Wood. One specific use would be about how to avoid (or cause) rock-falls.

passages and escape routes. It gives creatures the ability to navigate such burrows as well as judging direction and depth. Wood Lore (CR): The most common lore for creatures of The Wood. Wisdom (CR): A rare and special Lore which costs double the normal points cost (i.e. 10 points instead of the usual 5). It represents an intimate knowledge of The Way of The Wood, a sort of ‘animal magic’ and with the ability a creature can perform almost magical feats. The GK is advised not to let this ability come to creatures too easily. Simply finding some-creature who can teach the character the Wisdom could be the subject of a long and dangerous quest. The use of Wisdom by player creatures should be kept to a minimum so the GK is best advised to ensure it remains a rare ability and is treated with a degree of reverence. The GK should also treat it as much as a tool for his own use to aid the players when they are at a loss giving appropriate prods and pushes, as for the use of the players. Each use of Wisdom requires the expenditure of a point of The Way. Wisdom is split into six main categories or levels of difficulty:

River Lore (CR): Knowledge of the River, its current and, to a degree, what is up or downstream beyond the fringes of The Wood. Tunnel Lore (CR): Any-creature can dig a hole in the ground (use Toughness as the Governing Trait) but this is the skill of the natural underground dweller, of digging vast complexes of tunnels and chambers, with confusing twists and turns, dead end

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Awareness (simple): Allows the creature to foresee or predict the outcome of a specific event up to a short while into the future. How long into the future a creature can see and the level of detail the GK gives depends on the needs of the creature as well as the needs of the story. This requires a few moments of concentration.

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Herb Lore (straightforward): There are a lot of useful plants and roots in The Wood. The animal will know which of hese are helpful in healing etc, and which are poisons to which creatures etc. It also provides the knowledge of whereabouts and when (time of year etc) they may be found. A successful check will find a plant suitable to the task needed. The animal receiving the benefit of the plant will recover a ‘scratch’ (see the Tooth & Claw chapter) in three days and a ‘maim’ in two weeks. It can also be used to counter the effect of poison. Wood Wise (moderate): This use of the Wisdom allows the creature to locate a specific item, thing or creature in The Wood. It might for example tell the creature where a lost friend is or where a Man trap is. This requires a few moments of concentration. Charm (hard): Used to befriend an otherwise unfriendly creature. The ability does not give the creature power over the other; it simply makes the other believe that the character is a very good friend for a short while (dependent upon the GK and the needs of the Tale). Contact Pan (very hard): Pan is the Lord of The Great Forest. He will give the answers to a few yes/no questions that the creature asks. Sometimes he will answer in a rhyme or a riddle, sometimes he will send an omen and sometimes he will not answer immediately but leave hints and clues to be found later by the creature. He will however always answer in some way, and does not lie.

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Summon Pan (formidable): Summoning Pan is something not to be taken lightly and requires the immediate expenditure of 2 points of The Way. If successfully summoned he will do more or less exactly what is asked of him. Often he will carry out requests exactly to the letter, so creatures need to be wary of how they word their request. Pan is the only deity that creatures acknowledge (even creatures of The Bane) and so they are easily cowed by the appearance of Pan. Pan appears as whatever creature he wishes but his aura is always that of the deity and there is no mistaking who he is. He will not appear to the same creature more often than once a month.

GNOME SKILLS Gnome Skills can only be learned and practised by Gnomes, since they all require a degree of manual dexterity that the other creatures of The Wood do not have. Many of them are things that Gnomes have copied from Man.

Description of Gnome Skills Boating (NI): With this Skill Gnome can build and repair a small rowboat or coracle or even a small sailboat. This Skill also covers the handling of such craft, although River Lore would be handy in the navigation of such a vessel. Cooking & Brewing (CR): The culinary talent of Gnomes to create lavish dishes, intoxicating ciders, wines and ales (which they love) and other assorted tasty food and drink (mainly salads and cold meals if

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Gnome doesn’t also have the fire-making Skill). Crafting (CR): Gnomes like to make little objects, containers and utensils out of the bits of wood, shells of nuts, flint, reeds, animal hairs and so on that they collect. Fire-Making (CR): The ability to build and containing a fire, using flints, sticks etc., just like a boy scout. First Aid (CR): The Gnome Skill of setting broken bones with splints, treating cuts and bruises etc. It is not a knowledge of herbs; it is purely the technical aspect. It allows a Gnome to heal a ‘scratch’ (see the Tooth & Claw chapter) in three days and a ‘maim’ in two weeks.

Traits cost a number of points equal to the new level of the trait. For example to increase the Nimbleness of Vole from 4 to 5 would cost 5 points. Only one increase may be ‘bought’ at a time using these points. Every Creature of The Way also has a natural connection with, or sensitivity to, The Wood and this is measured by The Way. There is more information about The Way later in these rules, but for now simply put a ‘1’ in the box on your character sheet. Names in TfTW could be based on natural things; plants, insects and so on or upon the characters physical features or abilities. Names like Acorn, Bracken, Thistle, SwiftPaw and Sharp-Ear are all good.

Marksmanship (NI): With this Skill the Gnome can make and use simple ranged weapons, throw stones, slings, bows etc. Musicianship (CR): All Gnomes like a good sing song when they get together and this Skill covers exactly that - singing, playing and even making a musical instrument.

Finalising your creature Once you have chosen a creature to play in TfTW and copied the basic characteristics over to a character sheet you have 5 points with which to improve the basic creature and to individualise your character. One completely new Ability, Lore or Gnome Skill from the lists costs 5 points.

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THE PLAYER CREATURES CREATURE FROG GNOME

AL CR FI NI 3 2 2 3 3 4 2 3

ST 2(3) 3(5)

TO ABILITIES Hide, Leap & Swim 1(2) 4(6) Hide & any two gnome

HEDGEHOG

3

1

3

2

4(6)

3(5)

skills Tooth & Claw or Intimidate

MOLE MOUSE

3

1

2

5

1(2)

1(2)

Climb & Flee

RABBIT ROBIN

3 3

1 1

1 2

3 3

4(6) 1(2)

3(5) 1(2)

SHREW

3

1

3

4

1(2)

1(2)

SPARROW

3

1

3

3

1(2)

1(2)

SQUIRREL TOAD

3 3

1 2

2 2

4 3

3(5) 2(3)

2(3) 1(2)

VOLE

3

1

2

4

2(3)

1(2)

Flee Fly & Intimidate Flee & Tooth & Claw Fly & Tooth & Claw Climb & Leap Hide, Swim & Intimidate Climb & Flee

WATER VOLE

3

1

2

3

3(5)

2(3)

Swim

LORES Marsh Wood or Field Wood or Field

Field, Man or Wood Field & Tunnel Any 2 except Tunnel Wood Any one except Tunnel Wood Marsh or River Field & Wood or Tunnel River & Wood

The Tale: Beyond The Wood Of the region beyond the Meadow I will say little. Suffice to say that the Meadow is bounded by a wall built by Man and beyond that is the Rookery, a line of trees that form a home to masses of evil-hearted rooks and crows, waiting to peck out the eyes of an unwary fool. This line of trees hides the Farm. I’ll say no more of that other than to mention the dismal sheep and cows who seem to know nothing of The Way and have learned to accept their lot as creatures of Man. Then there is the Hard River bordering The Wood on the other side along which swoop the Roaring Owls, great beasts loosed by Man seemingly to kill or maim any-creature foolish enough to want to cross. Not that I understand why any-creature would want to cross as on the other side are the lands of Man and those creatures bent to Mans’ will. Many suggest that The Bane begins and ends with Mankind and from what I have seen of Man who am I to argue?

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WHAT ARE THE CREATURES LIKE?

and males tend to be darker than females. Frog likes damp shaded conditions to keep his warty skin moist.

This is where you learn something about all of the animals that make good playercreatures.

Frog has a huge appetite and will continue to eat as long as food continues to be available. He tends to be active throughout most of the day.

Creatures of The Way Although a range of foodstuffs is described for each creature, most creatures will tend to have a nibble at almost anything especially when hungry. Those living near to Man in particular will have sampled much of Man’s food waste from rubbish bins and the like – it often boils down to what is available. Described in the tables are the foodstuffs preferred and normally eaten by the creature. Likewise enemies are far ranging - and birds of prey for example will eat most smaller animals, as will Rat, Fox, Stoat etc. The enemies described are mainly those that will prey upon the creature in question but sometimes they are enemies simply because they are in competition with each other.

FROG Where’s he likely to be found? The marsh and the pond What does he like to eat? Insects, slugs and worms How big is he? 3-5” Who are his main enemies? Grass snakes, foxes, stoats, weasels, adders, rats, owls, crows and otters Frog has a short body and long powerful legs used for leaping and swimming. His kind varies in colour from yellow to black

During the months of April to May Frog and his kin migrate to spawning ponds, travelling at night. Frog hibernates during winter months. When alarmed, which is often, Frog issues a weird loud shriek. Frog has a much larger cousin, Marsh Frog (6-7”) who is more aggressive, less common, and also eats fish, lizards and mice.

GNOME Where is he likely to be found? The Wood and the meadow What does he like to eat? Cooked fish, fruit, nuts, roots and cider How big is he? 10-12” Who are his main enemies? Man Whilst Gnome looks like a wizened old man, he does have different-looking relatives scattered far and wide. These relatives are called by many names such as Brownie, Pixie, Sprite, Leprechaun, Knocker and so on, depending on where they are from. Whilst they are all essentially the

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same, Gnome insists there are differences and gets very angry at any-creature that gets it wrong. Gnome dresses in simple clothing in shades of brown, green and grey. He has already lived to a great age, but since he hibernates often for very long periods of time (1000 years in one known case) he seems confused at the changes that have occurred in The Wood since he went to sleep and is more than a little forgetful. Gnome is a solitary type and females are very rare. There are a few of Gnome’s cousins around The Wood and the surrounding area, but they aren’t often seen together. When Gnome does have visitors, he loves to swap tales and make merry. Gnome loves drinking, smoking, drinking, eating, singing, drinking and dancing. He also likes drinking. Gnome likes to collect odd bits and pieces that he finds lying around and may have some useful bauble or trinket in his home. He lives in a hollow tree, but some of his cousins choose to live in small caves, haylofts or old abandoned animal dens. Gnomes tend to have names like Grizzlegruff, Oakfellow, Cloudberry, Dodderer, Sneezewort, Crimblecromble, Itchynose and Danglebeard. A very ancient, unpleasant but famous Gnome was called Rumplestiltskin.

Hedgehog and his family are amongst the oldest of The Wood’s inhabitants. Their ancestry stretches back as long as Gnome can remember. Hedgehog has other ancient names too: Hedgepig, Urchin, Hotchiwichi and Fuzzy Pig. Hedgehog hibernates over winter months. He is very tough and his spines are particularly useful in his battles with his oldest enemy the adder. Also useful against the adder are Hedgehog’s powerful jaws and ‘snagged’ teeth, which help him hold onto wriggling prey. As if all of that did not make Hedgehog one of the best fighters around, his spines also provide excellent defence against any would-be predator. Hedgehog is not the quietest of creatures. He tends to crash through undergrowth snuffling and snorting as he goes. Although his diet consists mainly of grubs and insects, he occasionally eats bird chicks and eggs as well as carrion and even some small mammals! (NOTE: Whenever an attacker rolls a '1' in Tooth and Claw against a Hedgehog it receives the equivalent of a ‘nip’ result on the Wound Results Table (see Tooth & Claw) against the Hedgehogs spines.

HEDGEHOG Where is he likely to be found? The Wood, hedgerows, meadow and in the field What does he like to eat? Worms, slugs, insects, grass snakes and adders How big is he? 8-10” Who are his main enemies? Adders, foxes, and The Roaring Owl

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Hedgehogs' spines act as a kind of armour (see Tooth & Claw Wound Modifiers Table). When curled into a ball, to all intents and purposes the Hedgehog is invulnerable to Tooth & Claw attack, but is also unable to move).

The tunnel systems are really food collecting areas and the true nest is below a large mound of earth or so-called ‘fortress’. Close to the nest are deep permanent tunnels, further out they become much more shallow.

MOLE

MOUSE

Where is he likely to be found? The Wood, field, meadow What does he like to eat? Worms, grubs, beetles How big is he? 5-7” Who are his main enemies? Owls, foxes, stoats, weasels and rats

Where is she likely to be found? The Wood, field, farm, meadow What does she like to eat? Corn, seeds, berries, acorns and nuts. How big is she? 2-3” Who are her main enemies? Owls, stoats, weasels, rats, cats, rooks and crows Mouse is the smallest rodent in The Wood. She is a natural acrobat, fast and agile. Mouse makes a regular winter retreat, but does not actually hibernate. Over these winter months, Mouse needs a large store of food.

Mole is generally a solitary creature. He has tiny eyes, and his vision is very poor. However to make up for this lack, Mole has an extremely sensitive nose which can pick up vibrations within his warren of complex tunnel systems. He has no external ears. Mole, like Hedgehog and Shrew is an insectivore. Mole’s family vary greatly in colouring and albinism is a common feature amongst his community. Mole’s fur is velvety, and always lies flat, which is a great thing for him as he can move both backwards and forwards in his tunnel equally well. Mole’s forepaws are extremely powerful for his body, and his spade-like paws allow it to tunnel underground at a very fast rate. Mole is also very aggressive.

The Mouse family is made up of several different types, who are generally named for where they live. Harvest Mouse, Field Mouse, Wood Mouse, House Mouse and Yellow Necked Mouse. They conform to the same basic characteristics, although there are slight size and colour differences. Mouse makes her nest from shredded grass and leaves in hedges and sometimes

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in the ground. Her friend the House Mouse makes his in buildings, and often uses shredded paper or old cloth. In the summer the Harvest Mouse makes a unique nest built in the stalks of growing cereal crops, grasses or reeds.

Her fur is a sandy brown colour, although some of her friends have other colours including black. She has long ears (not as long as Hares’) and large rear feet. Rabbit’s tail is short and pale or white.

ROBIN RABBIT Where is she likely to be found? Field, meadow What does she like to eat? Crops, grass and wild vegetation How big is she? 14-17” Who are her main enemies? Stoats, foxes, weasels, Man and disease

Where is she likely to be found? The Wood, field, meadow, farm What does she like to eat? Worms, insects, grubs, berries How big is she? 5-6” Who are her main enemies? Rooks, crows, foxes, stoats, adders, weasels and owls Robin tends to stay well clear of her male friends during the winter months, preferring the company of other females. Her male friends seldom move far from their own territory anyway. Robin herself likes to roam further afield, even migrating on occasions.

Rabbit is a herbivore. She particularly loves to eat cultivated plants and crops and there are few she won’t eat. That’s what makes Man one of her greatest enemies.

Robin has an elaborate display with her red breast, which forms part of her visual danger signal to other robins, trying to enter her territory. She nests in a hollow on a bank, or in a hedge. Robin normally lays a clutch of 4-6 eggs in her tidy nest.

A Rabbit bury or warren may house only a single family or may accommodate a number of families and cover a considerable area of land, involving a vast network of tunnels. There will be bigger warrens up to 50 entrances and exists. Rabbit is an active creature especially at night, although she is often about at dawn or dusk also. Rabbit is extremely wary and timid, and will give warnings to her fellows below ground when danger is present by thumping the earth with her hind feet.

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SHREW

SPARROW

Where is he likely to be found? The Wood What does he like to eat? Insects, worms, grubs How big is he? 2-3" Who are his main enemies? Weasels, stoats, foxes, rats, and owls

Where is he likely to be found? Wood, field, farm What does he like to eat? Worms, insects, grubs and berries How big is he? 5-6” Who are his main enemies? Rooks, crows, foxes, stoats, adders, weasels and owls Sparrow has a brown-streaked upper plumage, grey crown, and whitish chest. Sparrow is often found to ‘squabble’ when he gets together with his fellows and can be quite aggressive at times, sometimes mobbing larger birds in small groups to keep them away.

Shrew looks a little bit like Mouse. He has a pointed snout and a diet that consists of invertebrates (making him an insectivores). Shrew is equally active night or day.

Sparrow nests in a hole or cavity in a building or wall, or in tall hedges or ivy and sometimes his fellows nest in colonies. Sparrow’s nest itself is large and untidy. Up to five eggs are usually laid in a clutch.

SQUIRREL Shrew has a mildly toxic bite, which will be irritating to any-creature bitten by him. He is also very highly-strung and aggressive. Shrew’s fellows are the Water Shrew and the Pygmy Shrew. The Water Shrew is the largest. The Pygmy Shrew is more likely to be found in open fields than the other types. (NOTE: Toxic bite; Anycreature bitten (and receiving at least a ‘scratch’ on the Wound Result Table) by a Shrew that has an equal or lower Sturdiness will become affected and suffer a -3 penalty for 2 rounds following the bite. Creatures with a Sturdiness of up to twice that of the Shrew will also be affected for 2 rounds, but only at -1. Creatures with a higher Sturdiness will not be affected).

Where is she likely to be found? The Wood What does she like to eat? Fruit, corn, nuts, bird eggs and shoots How big is she? 8-10” Who are her main enemies? Stoats, weasels and foxes Squirrel is a superb climber of trees and she can leap quickly from branch to branch with ease. However she also spends a lot of her time on the ground, gathering nuts and berries for storage over winter months. Squirrel does not truly hibernate. There are two types of squirrel generally found in Britain, Red and the much more common Grey. The Grey is slightly larger, but the Red tends to be prettier and even more graceful.

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Toad is just as greedy as Frog. Although Toad resemble Frog, he tends to crawl rather than jump or hop with his long hind legs. Toad is nocturnal, and does not hibernate in winter. Toad has an excellent defence -he can puff up his warty body to appear much larger than he actually is. Toad’s skin is dry, dull and warty. Colouration varies greatly depending on the season, but ranges from olive to brownish-black.

Squirrel is active throughout 24 hours, especially just after dawn and before sunset. His nests or ‘drays’ are built in a tree hole or, more commonly built close to the trunk or main branch.

TOAD Where is he likely to be found? Marsh, pond What does he like to eat? Insects, slugs and worms How big is he? 3-5” Who are his main enemies? Grass snakes, adders, stoats, foxes, and weasels

The Common Toad is the larger of the two species found in Britain, but the Natterjack Toad is the noisiest, with his very loud trilling croak. When he is alarmed he has the capacity to change colour.

VOLE Where is he likely to be found? The Wood, field What does he like to eat? Corn, seeds, berries, shoots and nuts How big is he? 4-5” Who are his main enemies? Rooks, owls, stoats, rats, foxes, crows and weasels Vole is larger than Mouse, which he otherwise resembles, but he has a rounder snout, and a shorter tail. There are two varieties of Vole, Red Vole and Field Vole, which conform to much the same characteristics other than different colouration. Field Vole has a tendency to burrowing extensively underground, (Tunnel Lore) and Red Vole is also called Wood Vole or Bank Vole. The Bank Vole tends to have a russet colouration, and his ears are more prominent than those of a Field Vole, which tends to have longer shaggier greyishbrown fur. Litters vary in size from 3-6 and

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there are usually several litters between spring and autumn.

USING ABILITIES, LORES & SKILLS There are basically two types of dice roll in Tales from The Wood - uncontested and contested rolls.

Uncontested rolls

WATER VOLE Where is he likely to be found? Riverbanks in The Wood, field and marsh What does he like to eat? Seeds, corn, nuts, berries and shoots How big is he? 7-8” Who are his main enemies? Pike, foxes, stoats and weasels Water Vole is sometimes referred to as Water Rat and it is from this name that ‘Ratty’ comes in ‘Wind in the Willows’. Although he does look a bit like a rat, with his long tail and course dark fur, Water Vole has smaller ears and a shorter, rounder muzzle making him much more attractive. He is much larger than their cousins the Red and Field Vole, and he is an excellent swimmer. Litters of 4-6 young are born throughout the summer in their extensive burrows built into riverbanks, or sometimes on the surface in dense reed bed.

When you try to use one of your Abilities, Lores or Gnome Skills where the GK decides that there is a chance that you could fail, the GK will call for a dice to be rolled. The type of dice rolled depends upon whether or not your character actually has the Ability, Lore or Gnome Skill in question. If you do, then you roll a d10. If you do not, then you roll a d6. To the resulting number, you add the value of the Governing Attribute for the Ability used. The GK will determine the Task Difficulty, which provides a target number, which the dice roll + Attribute must exceed in order for your character to succeed well. If the numbers are equal the success was only marginal. If the die roll + Trait is lower then the creature failed.

UNCONTESTED ROLL TABLE UNCONTESTED DIFFICULTY Simple Straightforward Moderate Hard Very Hard Formidable

TOTAL OF DICE ROLL + TRAIT 5 6 7 8 9 10

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Example: Mouse has fallen into the River and it flows quite quickly at this point. The GK assigns a ‘hard’ Task Difficulty, meaning that Mouse needs to get a total of 8 to be able to swim to the bank. Mouse has a Nimbleness of 5 and does not have the Swim Ability so has to roll a d6 and needs to get a 3 or more (because she already has 5 from her Nimbleness).

Contested rolls

If she gets a 1 or 2 then Mouse is rapidly getting washed away and desperately needs help. If she rolls a 3 then Mouse might make it to the bank but only just. She would be totally and utterly exhausted and needs several moments to recover. Whilst doing so another creature may wander past and spot her plight.........…

In these situations both or all of the creatures involved get to make checks. You need to determine beforehand what is at stake for the creatures involved. In Tooth & Claw this is easy, because the loser will probably be hurt or even killed. In other confrontations or contests, the stakes may not be so easy to determine. As long as each creature has a clear idea of what they stand to gain or lose, then they make an appropriate dice roll as usual. The creature getting the highest total wins the contest.

If she rolls higher than a 3, then Mouse swims ably to the bank, runs up it and scampers off.

HOW TO DECIDE HOW DIFFICULT THE TASK IS In uncontested tasks, it is usually better to let the characters succeed more often than not. Moderate is therefore the normal maximum level for most everyday activities, where you feel a dice roll would add a bit of drama to the scene. A hard roll would occur perhaps where bad weather makes a task trickier or where you simply want to show the characters what they are doing is dangerous. Bear in mind that a creature with only a ‘1’ in a Trait that doesn’t have the ability in question can only succeed a hard task by expending a point of The Way (see later).

Sometimes, especially in confrontations between animals and during Tooth & Claw in particular, it is not so much the situation that presents the obstacle to ability use but the opposition of another creature. This is termed a contested roll and is not made on the above table.

Example: In our example above, suppose that Mouse managed to stay afloat by getting the 8 result she needed. However the dreaded Pike happens to be about and spots Mouse on the surface. At stake for Mouse is being caught and probably eaten. At stake for the Pike is simply the possibility of filling his belly. Pike sweeps in on hapless Mouse. The GK rolls a d10 for the Pike (who can of course swim) and gets a 6 to add to the Pikes' Nimbleness of 3 for a total of 9. Mouse would be wise to try to escape. Mouse gets to roll a d6 getting a 3, which added to Mouse's Nimbleness of 5 (for a total of 8) is not enough. Mouse could declare that she is using The Way (if she has not already used all of her points) to get a total of 9 and just stay out of the Pike’s reach.

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Hedgehog’s Tale Hedgehog had finished explaining his plan to Mole. Mole emerged from beneath his paws, which he had placed over his head in exasperation at the sheer stupidity of what he had just heard. "You can't do it" he exclaimed, "it's madness and you'll get yourself killed!" Hedgehog was unmoved. He was going to prove that he was the toughest and bravest creature in The Wood by spending one whole night on the Hard River. “I’d best get going" said Hedgehog finally and, dislodging the pile of leaves in which he and Mole had immersed themselves, set off across the clearing. Mole didn't know what to do. He thought for a while and then decided that running round in circles whilst wailing loudly might be the best bet, so he did. When he had finished, and whilst he lay there panting for a while, it was then that he realised he was being watched. Sniffing at the scent, he was pleased to note the watcher was none other than his friend Squirrel. "I couldn't help but notice that you seem distressed" she said "anything I can do to help?"

Mole calmed a little. Squirrel had that effect on many creatures - something to do with her soft voice large eyes and appealing bushy tail, Oakfellow always says. It's Hedgehog,” blurted out Mole "he's intent on doing something really stupid and I haven’t been able to stop him". Mole then proceeded to explain Hedgehogs' plan to Squirrel whose face became graver as the story unfolded. "Oh dear, I saw Hedgehog talking with a couple of those vile weasels from the Tanglebriars only the other day and I would bet a pawful of nuts that they have something to do with this whole business" she said unable to keep the tone of concern from her voice. “You’ll have to go after Hedgehog and try to slow him down” declared Squirrel, “and I’ll go and get help” she added, as an afterthought. She turned and in one swift movement had bounded up the trunk of the nearest tree and was soon aloft in her own domain up amongst the leaves and branches. Mole started scurrying in the direction taken by Hedgehog, knowing that all the while he closed on his friend he was getting ever closer to the dreaded Hard River of legend, a place he had

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always avoided so far, and one which he had no particular desire to visit. Eventually, Mole could see the lumbering prickly form of Hedgehog’s rear in the undergrowth ahead.

TOOTH & CLAW This is where you learn all about how your creatures defend themselves against the creatures of The Bane.

The air at this point was already tainted with the unnatural scent of The Bane from the Hard River, but Mole bravely pushed that to the back of his mind and rushed up to his spiky friend, coughing to attract hedgehog’s attention. "I thought you might get hungry so I brought this for you "indicating the fat juicy worm he had found on the way. He pushed it towards Hedgehog, who promptly gobbled it up with barely a pause, licked his lips, and continued on his way. "I know where there are more like that" tried Mole gamely, realising that his gambit had not really worked as well as he would have hoped.

Overview

"Too busy” mumbled the rapidly receding form…

Whilst the Fierceness Trait represents a creature’s willingness to kill, Tooth & Claw is the actual fighting aptitude of a creature. In pretty much all role-playing games, some form of combat inevitably occurs, and this provides much of the excitement of such games. TfTW is a fight for survival and fighting occurs amongst animals just as it does amongst Man. However, some of the reasons that animals fight does tend to differ from the reasons that Man fights. Animals do not tend to kill wantonly and unnecessarily

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and in fact, except in the cases of predator verses prey (which tend to be one-sided affairs), death does not usually result from Tooth & Claw confrontations. Fighting in most cases is something to be avoided.

Reasons for fighting Having said that, there are many things that animals fight over that correspond to the reasons that Man fought wars throughout history. Territory is one of the greatest reasons for fighting amongst both Men and animals. Animals will guard their territory and will often attack creatures far bigger than themselves to protect their homes and their young. In mating season, many animals tend to become aggressive in order to find and then keep a mate. Some females become aggressive towards males after they have mated or after they have borne their young. Another very good reason for fighting is self-defence. Certain predators will hunt and kill prey without a second thought. Occasionally the intended prey will fight back. When fighting for one’s life, sometimes the intended prey can be very difficult for a predator to bring down, so it may be that the hunter goes off to tackle some-creature a bit easier. In the fantasy world of The Wood, there is another reason that sometimes playercreatures will become involved in conflict. Creatures of The Way are often performing quests in defence of The Wood and this often leads then into the path of their enemies, the creatures of The Bane. In this

case, there is often little alternative but to kill or be killed.

Knowing when not to fight Tooth & Claw will not always necessarily be fatal and will not usually be more than a brief flurry of activity, before one or other party flees. Sometimes, the sole purpose of a fight is to prove which creature is the stronger (which usually means the first one to get in a telling blow) and once this has been proven, the loser will just slink away. Once an animal has been hurt this will often be sufficient for it to quit the fight and attempt to flee. More often than not the victor will allow his opponent to get away, having proven himself the stronger (except of course in the case of a predator who intended to eat the vanquished). Mothers with young tend to fight to the death if protecting their young. Most smaller creatures will instinctively avoid getting into Tooth & Claw situations with larger creatures (although as mentioned above, player-creatures may tend to have different motives than ‘normal’ creatures).

How much conflict to include in TfTW It is really down to the GK to regulate how much Tooth & Claw occurs in her Tale and perhaps in each possible Tooth & Claw confrontation give one or two options other than simply entering into combat. It has to be borne in mind that the playercreatures are in the main smaller and less aggressive (ferocious) than their enemies.

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WOUND MODIFIERS TABLE

How is Tooth & Claw resolved? Tooth & Claw is carried out in basically the same way as any other contested Ability resolution. If the creature has the Tooth & Claw ability then a d10 is rolled, and if not then a d6 is used, and the result of the dice roll added to the Fierceness Trait of the creature.

MODIFIERS + Attacker’s (Victor’s) Toughness - Defender’s (Loser’s) Sturdiness +1 For Gnome using a weapon (hurled stone or a stick) -1 For Hedgehog’s spines

WOUND RESULTS TABLE RESULT 6 or lower 7-8 9-10 11 or higher

FLURRIES The creature with the highest roll, gains the advantage in that flurry of combat. (Each flurry is a mad blur of activity where the creatures are in a tangle of fur, teeth and claws and where each animal attempts to land a solid blow or bite and is at most only about a couple of seconds long).

WOUNDS The creature who wins the round of Tooth & Claw has managed to get in a telling blow, bite or scratch. The total by which the ‘winner’ exceeded the ‘loser’s’ roll is then added to the Toughness of the winner. From this number is taken the Sturdiness of the creature that lost the round of combat. Any other modifiers from the Wound Modifiers Table (below) are taken into account to leave a final number. This number is referenced against the Wound Results Table to determine how badly the loser has been injured, if at all. Where a creature chooses to escape rather than stand and fight, the player or GK may make a Flee roll, rather than Tooth & Claw roll. If the would be escaper's roll is higher than the attacker, it is assumed the creature got into cover, climbed out of reach, dived into a hole or whatever is appropriate to get out of the way.

WOUND SEVERITY Nip Scratch Maim Kill

EXPLANATION OF THE RESULTS Nip: The creature is knocked, nicked, or shaken and maybe even loses some fur, but no real harm is done. The creature might treat this as an indicative of the way the fight is likely to go, and attempt to flee! Scratch: The creature has been hurt, and is bleeding. All Ability rolls are made at -1 effectiveness, until healed. If scratched again, the effects are cumulative so the creature would be at -2 on all Ability rolls and -3 if scratched for a third time and so on. Maim: The animal is badly hurt. Possibly an ear has been ripped off or some other major damage. The animal is at -3 effectiveness on all abilities. Again effects are cumulative, so a maim result followed by a scratch becomes -4. Roll on the table below for the result of the maim Kill: Exactly that. The GK may allow the creature to expire slowly and carry out further actions (non combat) if he is left alone by his opponent, for a few rounds but no longer.

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To the result add the creature’s Fierceness in the usual way with the difficulty number being the wound result total. If the NPC rolls higher then it may carry on fighting but if is lower then the NPC will run (or slink, fly or whatever) off. This rule can also be used with the ‘kill’ result to see whether the animal can continue to function, and for how many flurries before succumbing to the Great Forest above.

MAIM RESULTS TABLE ROLL 1-4 5 6 7 8 9 10

INJURY None Ear Eye Nose Limb Internal Facial

EFFECT No effect -1 Alertness -1 Alertness -1 Alertness -1 Nimbleness -1 Sturdiness +1 Intimidate

HEALING DOES THE LOSER FLEE? If the GK has determined in advance what the NPC will do if wounded, then don’t worry about the next bit. However, if you need a bit of guidance about whether the wounded creature will stick around, possibly to suffer more punishment, then the answer is to roll a dice when one of the above results is scored against an against the NPC. The dice used depends on whether the NPC has the Tooth & Claw Ability or not, as usual.

A scratch will heal in a week and a maim will heal (apart from the permanent affects) in one month. This time may be reduced as a result of First Aid (Gnome Skill) or Wisdom; Herb Lore. With successful checks against these Abilities, a creature will recover a scratch in three days and a maim in two weeks. Example of Tooth & Claw: Splash, the water vole has come across a weasel from The Tanglebriars on her way to the Meadow to hunt. Rather than waste an opportunity for an easy meal, the weasel attacks the unfortunate Splash who, perhaps unwisely, decides to stand his ground. The weasel attack is rolled by the GK on a d10 (as weasels have Tooth & Claw) and to the 2 rolled is added the Fierceness of the weasel, which is 4, for a total of 6. The player rolls a d6 for Splash, and up comes a 5, which added to Splash's Fierceness of 2 gives a total of 7 and is surprisingl, enough to bite the weasel! The result of 1 is added to Splash’s Toughness of 2 for an overall result of 3.

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Looking at the Severity of Wound Table, this is below 6, so is simply a nip (even ignoring the fact that you would need to deduct the weasel’s Sturdiness of 2, before applying the result). The GK makes makes a d10 roll for the weasel to see whether he sticks around after the shock of getting a nip from Splash. He already exceeds the total without the need to roll dice (as he has Fierceness 4).

THE WAY AND THE BANE “Do not hurt where holding is enough Do not wound where hurting is enough Do not maim where wounding is enough Do not kill where maiming is enough The greatest creature is one who does not need to kill”

Splash is more confident now, so stays in the fight and both the player and GK roll dice again. This time, Splash gets a total of 6 and the weasel gets 12. The weasel has bitten the water vole. The GK adds the difference between the totals (6) to the Toughness of the weasel for a total of 10, and then subtracts Splash's Sturdiness (3) leaving 7. Looking at the Severity of Wound Table shows that a scratch has been dealt by the weasel who, seeing and smelling the blood, is driven into a frenzy (using a point of The Bane). The water vole on the other hand is lucky to still be alive albeit wounded and now at -1 on any further Ability uses. The flurries continue in this fashion until one creature has had enough or one is injured or killed. Suppose Splash decides to try to Flee from the maddened weasel. The player rolls a d10 (thankfully this is the extra ability the player chose for Splash at the outset) and this time adds the creature’s Nimbleness for a total of 10. She has to subtract 1 from this total (for the scratch) to give the GK a target of 9 for the weasel. This time the weasel fails to bite (the d10 comes up 3) and Splash safely slips away. The weasel could however now try to follow by using its Track ability but the GK decides that he will continue on to the Meadow, unfortunately for the rabbits that live there.

The Way The Way of The Wood is part ancient tradition passed down through centuries of animal life in The Wood and part a natural affinity with the life energy and vibrancy of The Wood and its denizens. It has become a way of life and a way of being. It is a sense oneness with the environment or with the natural order of things in The Wood. Being a Creature of The Way

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doesn’t preclude a creature from eating other animals and wildlife - far from it. Life and death is an accepted part of The Way of The Wood. What it does preclude though is the urge to kill for the sake of it.

USING THE WAY Creatures of The Way can tap into the spirit of The Wood and trust to it’s power to improve their chances of succeeding at tasks or to do a number of other helpful things. Increasing an Ability roll: A creature can use a point of The Way to add +2 to any use of a Trait, Ability, Gnome Skill or Lore. The decision must be made to do this before the dice is rolled. Increasing a result: A creature can use a point of The Way to add to the result after the dice has been rolled. In this event, the modifier is +1. This is useful if a roll was reasonable, but not quite as high as you would have liked. Roll dice again: A creature can use a point to roll a dice again. This is useful if a roll was the minimum or very nearly the minimum. If you select this option, you take the result of the second roll. Reducing wounds: A wound may be reduced to the next more favourable severity level. So a result of kill can be reduced to a maim by the expenditure of a point. Good fortune: A point of The Way can even be expended to effect a little bit of luck. Where the narrative of a scene has not clearly defined a certain piece of information the player might suggest something that sounds reasonable and make that suggestion become fact. Use of The Way in this manner should be at the discretion of the other players and the GK and shouldn’t be to effect major changes in a scene and can’t be used to change

something that has already been established as a fact. For example, if the characters are looking for a disused animal den to shelter in on during a particularly bad storm, as long as they are somewhere where one is likely to be found, one of the players could use a point of The Way to describe how he stumbles across and old badger set behind some concealing undergrowth. Or a mouse who has failed a swim check is slowly going under the raging river can use a point to describe how luckily a small branch floats by which he can cling to. Wisdom: A number of the Wisdom Abilities require the expenditure of a point of The Way.

RECOVERING THE WAY Creatures who have used a point or points of The Way are restored fully at dawn if they are diurnal (daytime) creatures or at dusk if they are nocturnal (night time) creatures. Creatures who are neither can choose when they always recover their points.

INCREASING THE WAY Creatures can increase The Way up to a maximum of 5 points, by spending points in the same manner that they increase their traits (increasing The Way to 2 costs 2 points, to increase it again to 3 costs a further 3 points).

The Bane Creatures of The Bane have lost their connection with The Way entirely. They no longer feel the oneness or the spirit of The Wood. The Bane makes them kill wantonly, destructively and without reason. What The Bane is exactly is not entirely certain but some creatures who choose to speculate on such things believe that it is

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due to the effect of Man and his machines on the natural order of things. Some believe that The Bane is simply another aspect of The Way.

HOW THE BANE WORKS Whenever a Creature of The Bane smells fresh blood and it has a point of The Bane left, that point is automatically used to fuel the creature into a blood lust. The creature becomes frenzied for three flurries and will attack any creature in sight. The creature will always go for a Creature of The Way first, but if there are none in sight then it will go for whatever creature is nearby. If more blood is drawn in those three flurries and the creature still has The Bane points, then that fresh blood will fuel a further frenzy, for three more flurries. This will continue until no further fresh blood is drawn, the creature runs out of The Bane or there are no further creatures nearby to attack.

RECOVERING THE BANE Creatures who have used a point or points of The Bane are restored fully at dawn if they are diurnal (daytime) creatures or at dusk if they are nocturnal (night time) creatures. Creatures who are neither can choose when they always recover their points.

really down to the GK to interpret in her own way. Any player-creature who commits such acts should get perhaps get a warning (maybe via Pan or by his own Animal Lord) and if he continues in this way, then he should receive a Bane point. In actual fact, it could make for some good role-playing having one PC battling against his darker nature, so do not necessarily dismiss the idea of player-creatures suffering The Bane at some point. It just shouldn’t be the ‘norm’ and it should only be used to develop some interesting and searching role-playing experiences. If you know a player is doing it just to be a badass, then you probably shouldn’t allow it to happen.

Creatures with both The Way and The Bane Some creatures have both The Way and The Bane. In this instance, it depends on which of the two aspects is the higher. If The Way is the higher (or they are equal) The Way keeps The Bane in check. Fresh blood will interest the creature, especially if it is hungry, but the creature will not become frenzied.

GAINING BANE Creatures who choose to kill unnecessarily or commit wanton acts of violence or destruction against The Wood or its inhabitants are likely to start to fall towards The Bane (or their Bane points will increase still further if they are already creatures of The Bane). This game is not really about playing creatures of The Bane, so the rule here is

However, if The Bane is higher (perhaps the creature has used a point or two of The Way), then use the rules for The Bane, until The Way is equal or higher again. The Bane cannot be lost once a creature is affected by it so the only way to keep it under control is to keep The Way the higher of the two.

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THE GAMEKEEPER

Adversaries

This is where some extra help can be found for the person running a game of Tales from The Wood.

Overview As the Gamekeeper, you have the tough but rewarding task of bringing all this information together to create an interesting and exciting Tale (at least starting the creation of an interesting Tale, as your players have to help you too) and of breathing life into The Wood and its denizens. For most role-playing games this may seem daunting enough, but for TfTW this would initially appear doubly so. There are no ‘stock’ adventure ideas in TfTW - no dungeon crawls, no barroom brawls, no caravan guarding jobs to be had. However, in a way this forces you to be more creative and think the adventure through and this in itself means the players have to also be more inventive in their play. Just sitting down and thinking hard about The Wood and its inhabitants will start to give a creative GK some simple plot ideas.

Actor, storyteller & director Your job is that of the storyteller, actor, director and producer all in one. Added to that you need to be at least familiar with the game rules. The game rules should not, however, get in the way of creativity and the Tale is far more important than any of the rules in TfTW. Treat the rules more as a set of guidelines that can be dropped if they begin to get in the way.

In The Wood there are the villains typical in most other role-playing games, there are the dangers to be avoided and the other ‘evil’ roles filled by the weasels and stoats and other Creatures of The Bane. There are also the sages (Owls and other creatures with Wisdom), the would be helpers, the ones with whom careful negotiation must take place to secure aid if needed -but a wrong word or misplaced deed and they can become a deadly enemy. Of course, the adventurers are the PCs and their friends, the Creatures of The Way. Most animals in The Wood are not ‘adventurers’, they merely go about their daily business of eating, rearing their young, avoiding being eaten etc. These are the NPCs (non-player creatures) and their attributes are essentially taken directly from the appropriate Creature Table.

Story ideas Reading the books listed in the introduction will give you some adventure ideas. Reading some natural history books will give further adventure ideas. However, as the GK you should try to ensure the game does not start to become a lesson in natural history. The right balance between realism and fantasy should be sought. To help you we have included some information about The Wood and the creatures that live there as well as three Tales, which may be told exactly as they stand or may be dissected for the bits you feel, will fit into your own style of play, or suit the players in your group. In addition the short stories Hedgehog’s Tale, and Frog’s Tale have been left deliberately unfinished in order that you

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may use the storyline presented to commence a simple adventure. The players create PCs from those presented (Hedgehog, Mole and Squirrel for example from Hedgehog’s Tale) and you read the first part of the narrative. The players then take up the Tale from there and see how it unfolds.

Passing time Hours, minutes and seconds are Man concepts. In TfTW animals do not live by the human clock but by their biological clock. This tells them when to wake up, eat, sleep and mate. The day is split into four parts Dawn, Day, Dusk and Night. Certain animals prefer to go about their activities at certain times of the day. Those who operate by day are ‘diurnal’, at night ‘nocturnal’ and during dawn or dusk ‘crepuscular ’. Player creatures do not need to worry about when they are active. For the purposes of their quests and adventures, they are active when they need to be and they can decide as a group when they eat, rest and sleep. You need not keep a slavish record of time elapsed in TfTW (unless you really want to). Generally, adventures will take place over several days and if it is important to know when things happen, you simply need to say that it happens at dusk or dawn or whatever. On occasion, for example, during a confrontation, you can handle what is going on in ‘scenes’. A scene is when something specific happens. Tooth & Claw, it may be useful to keep a stricter sense of time. The concept of flurries (discussed earlier) can be used in these situations.

A flurry in TfTW is a short period of time (in human terms a few seconds). Keeping track of flurries may be useful, for example, when Mole is trying to dig himself underground while Fox is rapidly approaching.

Movement & distance Gnome measurements are generally used to determine distance, when necessary. Gnomes are about one-sixth the height of a Man, so a Gnome mile is about one-sixth of a Man-mile. A Gnome foot is about 2 inches. A Gnome yard is about six inches. However, don’t get to hung up on distances. Creatures do not have set ‘move rates’ or anything similar in this game. Its more a question of what’s right for the story than what’s right in terms of how far a creature can move in some predetermined timescale. During a day a creature may travel a number of (human) miles equal to its (To + St)/2. This is the maximum distance normally possible. Birds may fly treble the normal range. During a flurry, movement is based on Nimbleness. The creature with the highest Nimbleness moves first and, relatively, the furthest. E.g. compare Mouse (Ni 5) and a fox (Ni 3). Mouse moves much more quickly and further than Fox in the short space of time represented by a round, but in a day a Fox may travel up to 6.5 miles compared to Mouse who can travel only 1 mile per day. Remember that one Man mile is equal to six Gnome miles.

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Animal speech Animals in TfTW do not ‘talk’ as such. Their method of communication is a series of gestures, grunts, growls, squeaks, squawks, caws, hisses, hoots and the like, all of which together convey the appropriate message. You may make this language system as simple or as complex as you like. The simple method is to say that all animals ‘speak’ the same language. An alternative would be to say that each species speaks a different language, so for example, for Mole to understand and converse with Mouse he would need to learn ‘Mouse talk’. There could be a common tongue (perhaps invented by Gnome) with each animal speaking its own language. Other possibilities are that ‘foreign’ animals speak a different language, for example an escaped pet hamster or zoo escapee. Creatures from other Woods could perhaps talk differently, or birds could have their own language, fish another, reptiles another and so on.

Guns Guns (called Thunderers by those creatures that are aware of them) kill. It is as simple as that. If a creature is hit, it dies. If a creature is trying to get away, it should get an opposed Flee roll against the GK’s roll for the Man firing the gun. If it is a farmer or poacher then it will have the appropriate skill (roll d10) but if it is a kid messing about or whatever then it is unlikely to (roll d6). Man generally has a Nimbleness of only 1 or 2.

A point of The Way spent may either be used in the normal way to increase the PCs chance of escaping or in this case may be used to reduce the wound from ‘kill’ to ‘maim’.

Cars Called Roaring Owls by the creatures of The Wood, these horrific beasts, like guns, simply kill any-creature hit by one. They travel at great speed along the Hard River, emitting a horrifying howling sound and belching out a foul stench that seems to cling to everything and reeks of The Bane. As usual, a point of The Way may be used to reduce any ‘kill’ result to a ‘maim’. Cars are also highly intimidating, and have a Fierceness, for intimidation purposes equivalent to 1 point per 10 mph the car is travelling. Of course, cars cannot be intimidated back.

Poisons Creatures of The Wood do not commonly come across poisonous substances. Generally Man may use poisons for a specific purpose (e.g. rat poison) or a creature with Wisdom; Herb lore may seek out a naturally growing poisonous plant for some reason. However they should really be used in way that is integral to, or important to, The Tale. You simply need to know the worst effect that is required of the poison (e.g. it kills, paralyses, causes sickness and vomiting etc) and the highest Sturdiness that the poison will effect, as well as whether there are any secondary or weaker effects at a higher Sturdiness. Example: The GK wants a rat poison in his Tale and decides that he wants it to kill ordinary rats. Accordingly he decides that the effect works on creatures up to 4

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Sturdiness. Over this and up to 6 Sturdiness, he decides the effect is to make the creature violently ill and at -3 on all Abilities for a whole day. At a Sturdiness of 7 or higher there is no effect. The poison must be ingested (eaten) and so is placed in foodstuffs that would appeal to rats. It might take an Alertness check to spot the poison on the food, maybe using Man Lore if the creature has it.

Fire Fire is extremely dangerous to The Wood and it’s denizens. All creatures (except Gnomes) are quite naturally terrified of fire, some believing it is the essence of The Bane, others believing it is one of Man’s beasts, and others thinking it is just a mad ravaging creature, wild and uncontrollable. Most however are just plain scared of fire. As the GK it is left up to you whether you want to create a Tale that will involve a fire in The Wood, and what ‘rules’ if any, you will use. It is certainly best left for individual GK’s to determine what effect they want by putting something as terrible as a fire in their Tale in the first place, and besides, fires follow no rules anyway.

Man There are no stats for Man, because it is not anticipated that you will include Man in your Tales for the purpose of bringing them into combat with the creatures. They may get into some form of conflict or confrontation, but they will not fight each other. Generally speaking creatures know little of Man, unless they have Man Lore. So all of Man’s works will be a complete mystery. In many cases they will be something to be

afraid of. The Farm and other homes of Man are terrible places, where even the dog and cat are under the complete mastery of Man. Only creatures who are deranged will go anywhere near Man.

The Tale: The Laws Lord Stag is always aware when The Wood is endangered and on those occasions he goes to the Meeting Stone at the centre of the Brightwood. By clashing his massive antlers against the Stone, he summons the Lords of all of the other creatures to a Gathering to discuss the threat and what is to be done about it. While the Gathering is in progress, The Truce holds sway for all of the animals in The Wood. During The Truce no hunter is able to attack his prey and so even the lowliest mouse is safe for the duration of The Truce. This is one of the most ancient of the Laws, and any creature guilty of breaking The Truce is either banished or slain by his Lord. Banishment is often considered the worse of the two punishments. Once it has been decided and agreed what is to be done about the threat, the Lords return to their own domains (still under the protection of The Truce) and gather their respective followers to let them know what is expected of them. Sometimes volunteers are chosen to perform duties, to gather information or even, on occasion, venture off on a long trek, depending on the nature of the threat itself. The next time the sun rises or sets, The Truce is over and hunters are able once again to go about their business. Of course, by this stage they are often very hungry...........

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Glossary Animal Lord: Every type of creature is ruled by a Lord who has gained his position by the right of The Challenge. Some Lords are very relaxed with their subjects and others, particularly those of The Bane, are tyrannical. Bane, The: An evil that is opposed to The Way and seems to be growing, particularly in the Tanglebriars. It causes creatures to kill without reason. Brightwood, The: The main wooded area, where most of the creatures live and where the Meeting Stone can be found. Clearing, The: The location of The Meeting Stone, where Lord Stag is often found and where the Gatherings take place. Challenge, The: The age-old tradition of rule by combat. The winner of the Challenge becomes the Lord of his animal kind. Deep Pond, The: Where the Pike can often be found. The place holds a fascination for Frog and some other creatures, as the water is cool and refreshing. Farm: An evil-smelling place where The Bane seems to be prevalent. Man lives there, with his slaves the Roaring Dragon, the cat and dog as well as the sheep, cows and chickens that he has bent to his will. Frogmarsh: A dank, dark and misty place where Frog and other creatures of a furless type gather to make weird noises at nighttimes. Gathering, The: The meeting of the Animal Lords; where any issues are raised or when danger threatens. Hard River, The (Road): Another place where The Bane is strong. The Roaring Owl swoops down to kill any unwise creature that tries to cross. Man: A creature with only two legs. Most are terrifying, but some creatures who

know Man better believe there are some that are not touched by The Bane. Meadow: A quiet sunny place, where the rabbits live. It doesn’t provide enough cover for many creatures of The Wood and Man comes here too often. However, the area is covered in holes down which Rabbit can escape from most predators, especially those that fly. Meeting Stone: An ancient dolmen, which has the quality, when Lord Stag clashes his antlers against it, of sending reverberations out across the whole of The Wood. This is how the Gatherings are called. Roaring Dragon (Tractor): The horrendous creature that lives in the Farm and scours the fields relentlessly to kill any-creature that gets in its way. Roaring Owl (Car): Related (surely?) to The Roaring Dragon. It scours the Hard River for its prey. Some say there are numerous Roaring Owls. Rookery, The: A line of old trees where the rooks and a few crows gather to work their evil. Tanglebriars, The: An old, dark and dense part of The Wood, where rats, stoats, adders and other creatures of The Bane dwell. Thunderers (shotguns): Dangerous things that the Man carries around to kill creatures by the power of The Bane. Truce, The: During the Gathering and for a short while afterwards, all creatures are safe from their predators. However, lately there have been rumours that some creatures, strongly tainted by The Bane, have been ignoring The Truce. Way (of The Wood), The: The ebb and flow of life and death, the natural order of things, the ‘spirit’ or power of The Wood.

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Frog’s Tale Big Eyes peered into the gloom. He blinked, gulped and swam forward to where a few twigs and dead leaves floated on the surface of the water and relative safety. The marsh behind him was strangely silent as if all of the frogs he had left behind were listening for sounds of his progress. Up ahead the tall, dark silhouettes of the trees looked both terrifying and magnificent to the humble frog who had never been this close to them before. He watched for a moment and listened to the strange sounds emanating from the direction in which he had to travel. Big Eyes had of course occasionally caught the louder cries and squeals that came across to the Frogmarsh from The Wood but what he could hear from this close vantage point filled the poor frog with terror. He blinked and gulped involuntarily. He felt sick. Big Eyes thought briefly about turning around and going back home. That, however, would be too easy and would be an admission of failure and cowardice. He would never gain anycreatures’ respect and would never become Froglord - something he had always decided he would one day aspire to. Even the beautiful Greenrush would not look at him ever again if he gave up now and he wouldn’t be able to bear the thought of her with any frog other than himself. Holding onto these thought Big Eyes dived again into the still moonlit waters and with a soft splash and headed for the far bank.

would be a simple matter of darting from his cover and opening his huge jaws. The pike knew he was the master of the River and the Pond. "Aye, if I could walk I would also be the master of The Wood", he said to himself, a small stream of bubbles drifting away from his gills as he did so. The pike’s massive mouth parted in what might pass for a grin amongst fish-kind as he pictured himself striding gloriously through the trees, all the creatures of The Wood cowering before him in fear. “Even the Stag, oh yes”, he thought, “especially the bloody Stag”. It was probably the fact that the Pike was not quite paying attention that saved Big Eyes’ life. The frog didn't realize this himself, of course. He simply saw it that he had had a tussle with the most terrifying creature that had ever lived and survived. Suffice to say that after much thrashing and foaming of water and several screams of fright Big Eyes the frog-hero dragged himself up the bank and flopped scared witless and exhausted onto the grass. Very soon he would become a Frog-Legend, if he could ever get his wobbly legs working again! The Pike meanwhile, cursed himself inwardly for a fool, but then decided he hadn't fancied frog for supper anyway and settled back into the reeds, there to await another hapless swimmer-by, almost as quickly forgetting that the frog had ever existed.

The pike was waiting patiently in the reeds at the edge of the pond. He knew that if he waited long enough somecreature would swim past and then it

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GAMEKEEPER CREATURES This is where you learn about the animals that oppose The Way and those that might help out the PCs or might hinder them in their adventures.

Creatures of The Bane These creatures are generally those twisted by The Bane and as such are the deadly enemies of the player-creatures, who are all creatures of The Way. Aside from that, most of these animals tend to find the smaller Creatures of The Way to be very tasty and they are often on the top of their food lists. Creatures of The Bane have at least 1 point of The Bane. They have no points of The Way.

ADDERS Where are adders likely to be found? Wood, Field, Beach What do adders like to eat? Most small creatures, carrion, worms How big is an adder? 24” An adder’s main enemies are? Hedgehog, birds of prey, crows, rooks Britain’s only poisonous snake, adders prefer dry habitats and hibernate from October to March/April. Adders are active throughout the day. Adders have reddish eyes and a black tongue, which they use to scent their prey. Adders tend to be pale grey with black markings but females are brownish in colour and tend to be larger than males.

Mating occurs in May or June and there are violent battles between males over females at this time. The young, born in egg sacks, which break immediately, appear in August or September and number 5-15. Adders are one of the few reptiles that are about for 24 hours a day. Note: When an Adder bite causes at least a ‘scratch’ (see Wound Results Table in Tooth & Claw section) any smaller or same sizes creature will die (compare Sturdiness). Up to twice the size of the adder the effect of the poison is to become very ill for the whole day, and all activity is at -3.

BUZZARDS Where are buzzards likely to be found? Wood, Field What do buzzards like to eat? Most small creatures, carrion, worms How big is a buzzard? 24” A buzzard’s main enemies are? Man The buzzard is a majestic bird of prey and one of the most common. It has a very large wingspan and is much larger than a crow. Though variable in pattern, most buzzards are brown above and creamy below, with heavy brown spots across the breast and dark barring on the wings. They nest in trees and sometimes in craggy cliffs, and make nests from sticks and stems, often decorated with fresh sprays of greenery. They lay a clutch of 2-3 eggs.

CROWS AND ROOKS Where are crows and rooks likely to be found? Wood, field What do crows and rooks like to eat? Insects, worms, grain, carrion, mouse, vole How big are crows and rooks? 17-19"

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A crow or a rook’s main enemies are? Cats, foxes A crow is slightly larger than a rook, but they are otherwise similar. Both have black plumage and beak, beady eyes and a fondness for carrion (dead meat). Both are strong fliers and are aggressive, with evil reputations, similar to that of their larger cousin the raven. Crows are rarely seen in flocks, much more often seen either singly or in pairs. They sometimes roost with jackdaws and rooks most often in woodland. Rooks on the other hand roost in high treetops in what is known as a rookery where an average of 25 nests will be, but larger rookeries do exist containing up to 2000 nests although this number is very rare.

with no natural predators but a wide range of prey. Almost any creature in The Wood is fair game to cunning the fox. A fox has reddish fur, with a pale underside and black on the ears and front of the legs. The tail is bushy and tipped with white. Foxes have proven to be extremely adaptable, many living alongside Man even though they seem to be enemies. Foxes are highly vocal animals, often for several hours after sunset. Sounds include intermittent high-pitched barks and a hoarse wailing bark. A single litter of 4-5 young is born to the female (called a Vixen) in late March, and the family groups may stay loosely together, although the Vixen generally looks after the cubs.

GRASS SNAKES FOXES Where are foxes likely to be found? Wood What do foxes like to eat? Mouse, Vole, Rat, Hare, Rabbit, Birds, eggs, fish How big is a fox? 25-30” A fox’s main enemies are? Man The fox is Britain’s largest surviving carnivore, and the terror of The Wood,

Where are grass snakes likely to be found? Wood, Marsh, River bank, Field What do grass snakes like to eat? Frog, Toad, newt How big is a grass snake? 48” A grass snake’s main enemies are? Stoats, weasels, rats The grass snake is Britain’s largest reptile. There are many different colours and the upper-side may be black-brown, grey, olive or reddish. It hibernates from October to April. The grass snake prefers open woodland, grassland, hedgerows, marshy areas and along riverbanks and pondsides. Never far from water the grass snake is an excellent swimmer. The grass snake does not eat the small mammals that are so important to adders,

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sticking mainly to eating Frog and Toad as well as newts. The grass snake hunts mainly by day.

What do pike like to eat? Fish, water vole, baby swans How big is a pike? Ask a fisherman A pike’s main enemies are? Man, otters, mink Pike are enormous and dangerous predatory fish. They have long bodies of mottled colouration. Pike wait amongst rushes and reeds, where their mottling makes good camouflage and then they make a sudden dash to clamp their prey in their massive jaws. Almost any small creature finding itself in the River is fair game for the monstrous pike.

RATS

KESTRELS Where are kestrels likely to be found? Field What do kestrels like to eat? Mouse, Vole, Sparrow, Robin, beetles, worms How big is a kestrel? 12-14” A kestrel’s main enemies are? Man The Kestrel is the most common bird of prey over most of Britain. Its most frequent habit is that of hovering, as if hanging on a string, its wings beating rapidly or flickering lightly according to changes in the wind. Kestrels have long slender wings and tail, and often hunt their prey by the side of the road (Hard River). They nest in old crow’s nests, in cavities in trees, barns or other buildings.

PIKE Where are pike likely to be found? River, Deep Pond

Where are rats likely to be found? Almost anywhere What do rats like to eat? Almost anything How big is a rat? 9-12” A rat’s main enemies are? Large birds of prey, foxes, cats, stoats Brown rats tend to be larger than the black rats, but otherwise the two types conform to the same basic characteristics. Brown rats are much the more common of the two and have a more aggressive nature. They have course fur of colour appropriate to their names, although there is a little colour variation and they have long, thick, scaly, almost naked tails. Rats are prolific breeders, are adaptable to almost any kind of habitat, often found in Man habitations, will eat almost anything and are carriers of all kinds of diseases because of the abundance of lice and fleas they carry. Gestation takes only 10 days and litters can number up to 10, so it is easy to see why

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rumours of rats in The Wood sends shivers down the spines of every-creature.

STOATS Where are stoats likely to be found? Wood, Field What do stoats like to eat? Mouse, vole, rabbit, hare, rat, robin, sparrow, mole, eggs How big is a stoat? 12” A stoat’s main enemies are? Foxes, birds of prey Often referred to as Hob, the word Stoat actually means bold and this is certainly true of this sleek predator. Stoats use their intimidatory ability to the full when hunting Rabbit and Hare, which are much larger than themselves, to paralyse them with fear before pouncing for the kill. Stoats have a dull brown coat with white breast and a black tip to their long tails. In the winter months the stoat’s coat may turn entirely white except for the black tail tip. The stoat’s body is long and slim. The breeding nest may be in a litter filled ditch, niche in a stone wall, under a hedge or occasionally in rabbit warrens. The young are born in April or May and the litter numbers 6-12.

WEASELS Where are weasels likely to be found? Wood, Field What do weasels like to eat? Mouse, vole, rabbit, mole, sparrow, robin, eggs How big is a weasel? 8” A weasel’s main enemies are? Foxes, birds of prey

Also known as Kine, weasels have a vicious bite and are related to stoats, as well as to badgers, mink, polecats, otters, pine martens and ferrets. All are carnivorous, and many have a bloodthirsty streak. Like stoats, weasels have a light breast and under belly but they have shorter tails with no black tip and are much smaller. In fact weasels are Britain’s smallest carnivores. They rest in burrows taken from other species or in crevices in walls but do not have permanent dens, except for breeding. Young are born from April to May and a litter numbers 4-6.

Other Creatures of The Wood These creatures are all normally non-player creatures. If truth be told, they are all probably Creatures of The Way rather than The Bane but tend either to have their own agendas or concerns and therefore cannot become too involved in the smaller concerns of the player-creatures. Alternatively, they are big enough to push the player-creatures around and get them to do the tasks and errands that are required to keep The Bane in check. The GK may however allow players to choose from these animals if she wishes. Be warned though, part of the fun and excitement of TfTW is due to the fact that the creatures the players get to choose from are largely much weaker than the others and therefore the fight for survival relies more upon exceptional role-play and less on the ‘let's fight it out again’ attitude of other role-playing games. These creatures have points in both The Way and in The Bane. As long as they have

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at least equal points in The Way as they do of The Bane, then they can keep their Bane in check. However, if they have fewer points in The Way their Bane takes over. (See the chapter headed The Way and The Bane for further information about this).

Successive generations may continue to occupy and enlarge the set. Mating takes place in spring, but the young are not born until the following year. The litter normally consists of up to four young. Badger has many other names such as Grey-Pate, Bawsin, Brock and Baget

DEER Where are deer likely to be found? Wood What do deer like to eat? Grass, heather, moss How big is a deer? 48” (at shoulder) A deer’s main enemies are? Man

BADGERS Where are badgers likely to be found? Wood What do badgers like to eat? Mouse, vole, frog, snails, fruit, nuts, worms How big is a badger? 26 -32” A badger’s main enemies are? Man Badger is amongst the largest and most powerful of the creatures of The Wood. Badger has strong legs and claws as well as powerful jaws. It has a coat of stiff short hairs, which are whitish with a black bend behind the tip giving Badger a grey appearance. Badger has a white head with a black stripe over ear and eye. Badger is essentially a nocturnal animal. He is cousin to Weasel, Stoat and Otter but prefers to eat 'easier' foodstuffs such as windfall apples worms and blackberries than do his more bloodthirsty relatives. Badger lives in a network of underground chambers and tunnels called a set and is a sociable creature tending to live in groups.

Deer are herbivorous, and chewing animals related to cattle and sheep (though they will not thank you for reminding them of this). They need to eat large volumes of vegetation and whilst feeding are vulnerable to predators (although only Man remains as a hunter of Deer in Britain), so have the habit of eating quickly then retiring to the safety of thick cover, where food is regurgitated and eaten at leisure. Most species of deer sport antlers, but only the male of the species. Dealt with here is the (native) Red Deer, but also native to Britain is the smaller Roe Deer. The stags (males) are at their most aggressive in the rutting season (September). Each stag will have a 'harem' of about 15 females. Stag is the most noble of all creatures in TFTW. He is usually the Lord of The Wood, and most sensible creatures will take notice of what he says.

HARES Where are hares likely to be found? Mountain, Field

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What do hares like to eat? Grass, leaves, shoots How big is a hare? 19-24” A hare’s main enemies are? Foxes, stoats Hares are distinguished easily from Rabbit they are larger, have longer rear legs, longer ears and do not burrow. The hare is much more solitary than Rabbit, and can often outrun or outmaneuver most predators. The hare has powerful back legs with which he can leap astounding distances, or deliver nasty blows to would-be attackers. He also bites and scratches. Mountain hares are smaller than their lowland counterparts and have shorter ears and legs. Mountain hares have blue/grey fur tending towards white in winter, whereas brown hares have (surprisingly) brown fur. Hare is also known as Puss, Sarah or Grass Cat. Hares are mainly active at dusk and at night although sometimes in the spring they may gather in small groups during the daytime when the pre-mating ‘boxing matches’ and chases take place.

Like snakes, lizards are reptiles and, also like snakes they have a scaly skin. They love the warmth, seeking sheltered, sunny positions. They have to hibernate over the winter months. On the upper side, Lizards are grey-brown or red-brown in colour, broken by pale or dark spots. On their sides are rows of yellow, white and sometimes black spots. Lizards are quite good climbers and can swim very well. Sand lizards are bigger than common lizards. Slow worms are also lizards but, like snakes, have no legs and are by far the largest, being up to 20” long.

NEWTS Where are newts likely to be found? Marsh, Pond What do newts like to eat? Grubs, snails, worms, tadpoles, insects and even other newts How big is a newt? 3-5” A newt’s main enemies are? Crows, kestrels, foxes

Hares breed and shelter in a small surface scrape known as a ‘form’. The young are called leverets. The mountain hare sometimes dig small burrows or take over old rabbit warrens.

Newts can be mistaken for lizards, though they are not reptiles but amphibians, like Frog and Toad. They have a long slender body with a short head and long tail. The skin is very thin. Crested (or ‘Warty’) newts are far bigger than their common cousins and their skin produces an irritating secretion to keep predators away.

LIZARDS

OTTERS

Where are lizards likely to be found? Wood, field What do lizards like to eat? Worms, grubs, insects How big is a lizard? 5-7” A lizard’s main enemies are? Crows, kestrels, foxes.

Where are otters likely to be found? River What do otters like to eat? Fish, eel, Frog, Toad How big is an otter? 30” An otter’s main enemies are? Pike, mink The Otter is cousin to the badger as well as the stoat and weasel. They have sleek streamlined bodies (excellent for swim-

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An owl’s main enemies are? Larger birds of prey, fox Owls hunt at night (the Short Eared Owl does most of its hunting in daylight). Owls are extremely effective predators. They have excellent hearing, which they use to follow their prey before striking. Most owls live in the woodland, but Barn Owls tend to live in disused farm buildings (hence the name). Long Eared Owls tend to live in deeper woodland so that they can also range over the fields. Short Eared Owls sometimes visit coastal marshes. Other owls are the Little Owl and probably the commonest owl, the Tawny Owl. ming) and usually have brown fur. Their fur serves to trap air to their bodies when they dive below water to keep them warm. In some cases, otters live close to the sea, and swim as easily off the sea coast as do fresh water otters inland (these otters would have Beach Lore rather than River Lore). Otters are able to track, using their whiskers to pick underwater vibrations. Otters normally live solitary lives, apart from the breeding period, usually late winter or early spring. After a gestation period of 9 weeks 2-5 cubs are born and it is 2-3 months before they are able to swim. Mink are alien to Britain, but having been introduced are becoming a pest, and certainly competition to otters.

OWLS Where are owls likely to be found? Wood, field, farm What do owls like to eat? Small animals and small birds How big is an owl? 14-16”

SWANS Where are swans likely to be found? Pond, river What do swans like to eat? Water plants How big is a swan? 48 - 60” A swan’s main enemies are? Pike The Mute Swan is native to Britain. Others migrate into Britain during winter months, from colder climates - Arctic Russia and Iceland, where they take residence on streams, rivers, ponds and lakes across the country. They are extremely large white birds that honk and hiss (if their size is not enough) to drive off intruders. They have orange and black, or yellow and black bills and are otherwise essentially white, although young have brown plumage at first. They nest near water or in emergent vegetation and lay 5-7 large eggs in a huge pile of leaves, stems and roots.

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CREATURES OF THE BANE CREATURE ADDER

AL CR FI 3 2 3

NI 3

ST 4(6)

T0 2 (3)

BUZZARD

3

2

4

2

8(12)

6 (9)

CROW/ROOK

3

2

3

2

5 (8)

4 (6)

FOX

3

3

3

3

9(11)

6 (9)

GRASS SNAKE KESTREL

3

2

3

3

6 (9)

3 (5)

3

2

4

4

5 (8)

4 (6)

PIKE

3

1

3

3

7(11) 7(11)

RAT

3

2

3

3

4 (6)

3 (5)

STOAT

4

2

4

3

4 6)

4 (6)

WEASEL

4

2

4

4

2 (3)

2 (3)

ABILITIES

LORES

Hide and Tooth & Claw Fly and Tooth & Claw Fly and Tooth & Claw

Wood, Field or Beach Wood

Track and Tooth & Claw, Hide, Intimidate, Tooth & Claw and Swim Fly and Tooth & Claw Hide, Swim and Intimidate Climb and Tooth & Claw Climb, Track, Intimidate and Tooth & Claw Climb, Track Intimidate and Tooth & Claw

Man and any other (not Tunnel) Wood Wood, Field or Tunnel Field River Man and any one other Wood, Field or Tunnel Wood, Field or Tunnel

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OTHER CREATURES OF THE WOOD CREATURE

AL

CR

FI

NI

ST

T0

ABILITIES

LORES

BADGER

3

2

3

2

8 (12)

8 (12)

Tooth & Claw

DEER

3

2

2

3

14 (21)

14 (21)

HARE

3

2

2

3

6 (9)

5 (8)

LIZARD

3

2

2

3

2 (3)

2 (3)

Flee or Tooth & Claw Hide, Climb, Swim

NEWT

3

2

2

2

1 (2)

2 (3)

Hide, Swim

OTTER

3

2

3

3

7 (11)

6 (9)

OWL

3

5

4

3

5 (8)

4 (6)

Swim, Track, Tooth & Claw Fly and Tooth & Claw

Wood and Tunnel Wood and Man Field, Wood or Mountain Wood and Field Marsh and Wood River

SWAN

3

2

2

3

10 (15)

8 (12)

Fly, Swim

Wood, Wisdom and any one except tunnel River and any one other except tunnel

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Designing more creatures There are many different species and varieties of animals, not touched upon in these rules. In particular amongst the bird kingdom there are hundreds of types of bird that either visit these shores or reside here – magpies, jackdaws, cuckoos, thrushes, blackbirds, starlings, kingfishers, woodpeckers, tits, herons, hawks, jays, swallows, to name just a few. It is impossible to print stats for every one in this game. All we have done is give the flavour of the game and if other creatures are required, where no rules exist, then the following chapter is intended to be of help. You should be able to design a set of stats for whatever creature you need in your campaign using existing animals as a guide and of course referring to appropriate reference works. A player may particularly want to play his favourite creature, for instance a Bat, and provided the GK is happy to do so, these rules will help in the design of the basic creature. Sometimes the GK will require a specific animal for a scenario; a Wallaby for instance (which, from escaped stock are now firmly established in parts of Britain) or an escaped pet hamster or guinea pig. One of the scenarios at the back of this book shows how a newly designed animal can be used for a specific scenario idea.

RESEARCH YOUR CREATURE The first thing to do when designing the characteristics for any new animal is to read at least one good reference book about that particular animal (it is preferable to read more than one, as well as

watching any nature programs that are on TV about the animal). Make notes about the animal (especially its size, food, habitat, life-span, enemies etc). Once you have a good basic feel for the animal compare what is said about it, to animals already described in these rules. You can use the animals in these rules as a good guide to the one you are designing.

WHAT TRAITS DO I GIVE IT? You should normally start with the creature’s Traits. For player-creatures these tend to be in the range of about 13 to 16 or so in total across the six Traits. Alertness: This Trait is around 3 for most creatures. There tends to be the least variation in this Trait, as predators need to be able to find, hear or scent their prey and animals near the lower end of the food chain need to be aware of hunters in the vicinity. A large number of creatures have a limited ability in one of their senses but invariably make up for the lack in having heightened ability in another sense, such as Mole, who has poor eyesight but exceptional ‘touch’ (hairs on his sensitive nose). Craftiness: Craftiness is 1 for the smaller animals or herbivores etc. Carnivores tend to be more cunning as they have to catch wary prey. Animals that live longer also develop more cunning and are likely to have a greater Craftiness. Few animals exceed 3. Fierceness: Similarly this Trait tends to be greater amongst predators than amongst their prey. Some creatures can be particularly nasty fighters for their life or when defending their young. However here we are talking about ferociousness in ‘normal’ situations. Fierceness is 1 amongst simple, often domesticated, animals (cattle, sheep

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etc) and 2 for other non-predators. 3 or higher is the level for hunters and killers. If the creature is not noted for being particularly powerful or it has a weak build, then the value may be reduced by 1. Toughness and Sturdiness will generally be within a point or two of each other. These attributes may be improved by up to half again of their initial starting values with points awarded by the GK after the successful completion of adventures. This represents growth of the animal beyond average size and general toughening up due to experience but not to unrealistic heights. Nimbleness: If a creature is small, it is likely to be nimble. If a creature is noted for its climbing ability (e.g. Squirrel) it again is likely to be nimble. The average will be about 3. Many animals are recorded as being agile so be careful before making your creature into a super-nimble acrobat, only go above 3 if the creature is exceptionally so. Mouse has about the highest nimbleness at 5, so starting values will not normally be higher than this. Sturdiness: You need to compare the animal’s actual size in inches on the table (do not include the CREATURE tail in the aniSIZE STURDINESS mal’s length). 1 The length of 1-3” 4-6” 2 the animal will 3 be an indicator 7-9” 4 of its Sturdi- 10-12” ness. Basically, 13-18” 5 the score de- 19-24” 6 rived from the 25-30” 7 table will give 31-36” 8 its Sturdiness 37-42” 9 Trait. Howev43-48” 10 er, if the +1 animal is par- +6”

ticularly noted for its tough pelt or its resistance to toxins etc (like the Hedgehog) you then add 1 to the basic Sturdiness value. Toughness: Toughness starts at the same value as the creature’s (unmodified) Sturdiness. If the animal is noted for particularly powerful claws or limbs (such as Mole’s forepaws), or can deliver horrendous bites, or has a strong or stocky build, then possibly add 1 to the starting point.

WHAT ABILITIES SHOULD IT HAVE? Whatever the creature is good at becomes an Ability in TfTW. Again, exercise caution here. Just about all creatures can stay afloat and paddle to the bank when tossed into water, but many wouldn’t choose to go for a swim, for example. You need to come up with around two or three abilities. If the creature has a high total for his Traits, then he might only have one Ability.

HOW ABOUT LORES? Wherever a creature is normally found becomes a Lore. Some will have more than one Lore or a choice of Lores, because they range far and wide (birds) or because they have a specialist Lore (Mole).

FINISHING TOUCHES If your final creature has Traits adding up to somewhere between 13 and 16, two or three Abilities and a Lore or two, then you are probably somewhere near the mark. Compare your finished version to the other creatures of the same type. If it doesn’t look out of place, then you more than likely have it. Be careful. Don’t listen to everything your player says about a creature if he wants you to design his favourite for him. Do your own research and make sure you stay within these guidelines.

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BEWARE Something else to be wary of when designing the characteristics of a new creature is that you will often find reference works that cite examples of animals performing extraordinary feats outside of what would seem typical for the creature in question. Treat such references with a degree of care and where the example quoted is clearly out of the ordinary then ignore it, or consider it more in the terms that this creature was no ordinary example of the animal and represents a more unusual one, maybe even a player-creature!

EXAMPLE: DESIGNING A BAT A player is particularly keen to play a Bat character and has convinced the kind GK to allow her to play one since it is well within keeping with the game, and should be an easy one to integrate into the Tale. Reading some books about bats, the GK sees that there are rather a few species of bat in the world -about 900 in all. There are however only 18 types in Britain and the following seems about standard. Bat is a small flying mammal that lives on insects. Bat has virtually useless eyes; however this is more than made up for by ‘sonar’. Bat relies upon sound impulses, which she emits and then detects the rebound with her expanded ears, after the sound waves bounce off an object. Bat has inferior flight to birds -the wing membrane does not repair well when damaged. Bat is also virtually useless when on the ground because she has had to sacrifice the use of her hind legs. She does however cling well onto vertical surfaces.

Bat is about the size of Mouse making her Sturdiness 1 (1 -3" on the table). There is nothing to suggest Bat is particularly strong so Toughness is also 1 (indeed there are grounds for reducing Toughness, but nothing should start lower than 1). Nimbleness should be 2 as Bat is next to helpless on the ground, and not as agile as a bird in flight. As a predator (albeit of insects) Craftiness is 2, and equally her Fierceness should be 2. Bat does however have an excellent Alertness with her sonar and expanded ears so there are certainly grounds for giving her a 4 in Alertness. This gives a Trait total of 13, which is fine for a PC. With regard to her Abilities, Bat naturally gets Fly and a choice of any Lore. Track (using sonar) becomes the last Ability of Bat, making her a well-rounded creature fit for adventure once the player has spent 5 points to increase attributes or buy a new ability.

CREATURE POINTS TOTALS Some role-playing games require some sort of game ‘balance’, where characters start off equal. TfTW isn’t about that; it’s about what makes for an interesting story. If a player wants to simply play the most powerful character then this may not be the game for that player. However, if you really want to look at some sort of system for determining which creature is the strongest then this may interest you. (The animals were not created using this system; I hasten to add, it simply worked out this way after we had already

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designed the creatures based on the framework presented previously). First of all, each Trait costs a number of points equal to the next level, so a Trait of 1 costs 1, to get that trait to 2 costs 3 points (1+2 =3) and so on.

TRAIT COSTS TRAIT 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

COST 1 3 6 10 15 21 28 35 44 54

Here are the point costs for all of The Crea-

CREATURE BAT FROG GNOME HEDGEHOG MOLE MOUSE RABBIT ROBIN SHREW SPARROW SQUIRREL TOAD VOLE WATER VOLE

COST 41 42 61 47 40 42 45 43 45 41 42 44 40 41

tures of The Way: Here are the point costs for the Creatures of The Bane:

So, for example Frog’s Traits cost a total of 22 points (1+3+6+3+3+6). Each new Ability, Lore or Skill costs 5 points. Wisdom costs 10. Arguably Fly should cost 10 points too. Things like Hedgehog’s spines and an adder’s venom also cost 5 points each. So Frog has three Abilities and a Lore for a total cost 4x5=20. Combined with his Traits the point cost of Frog is 42.

CREATURE ADDER BUZZARD CROW/ROOK FOX GRASS SNAKE KESTREL PIKE RAT STOAT WEASEL

COST 54 98 68 116 73 74 95 59 74 64

Remarkably, all the player-creatures, apart from Gnome (who is a special case) fall within the range 40 to 45 points in the main, using this system. You could use this system if you like, to ensure any new creature that you design for player-characters is balanced compared to the others.

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Here are the point costs for the other creatures of The Wood:

CREATURE BADGER DEER HARE LIZARD NEWT OTTER OWL SWAN

COST 103 236 64 49 36 89 97 132

HOW MANY POINTS TO AWARD This really depends on the GK and how quickly she wants the characters in her Tale to advance. I suggest around 3-5 points per completed adventure, maybe with 1 or 2 additional points if the characters did spectacularly well or overcame a particularly dangerous adversary.

Experience from adventures This is where you learn how your character gets tougher as he survives his adventures.

EXPERIENCE POINTS In most role-playing games there are rewards available for the characters for succeeding in their quests and adventures. In TfTW, the rewards come in the form of additional character or ‘experience’ points that can be spent in the same way as the five points available when creating a character. See the following table:

EXPERIENCE AWARD TABLE CHARACTERISTIC TRAIT* NEW ABILITY NEW LORE NEW GNOME SKILL WISDOM THE WAY**

Notes: * For the Toughness and Sturdiness Traits, there is a maximum level dependent upon the creature type. ** For The Way, the maximum is 5.

POINTS NEEDED EQUAL TO THE NEW LEVEL 5 5 5 10 EQUAL TO THE NEW LEVEL

You could even award points based upon the enemies encountered, using the tables on page 40. For example, you could say that 10% of the points cost for the animal (round down) is earned as experience, to be divided amongst the player-creatures, for defeating or overcoming the animal (so an adder would be worth 5 points and a fox would be worth 11).

Animal Lords There is a Lord for each type of animal in The Wood, except Gnome. The Lord is the only one entitled to speak to Lord Stag at Gatherings and it is the Lords who decide what should be done in times of peril. Animal Lords demand respect and, if they don’t already have it, gain Intimidate for free. If they do already have it, they gain a bonus of +1 on any Intimidate checks they make. Animal Lords have other advantages and privileges, depending on the type of animal they are. To become an Animal Lord is as simple as making a challenging to the current Lord. An animal can only challenge a Lord of the same type. There is only ever one Animal

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Lord of each type in The Wood. The challenge is always to the death. An Animal Lord almost always has maximum Toughness and Sturdiness, Tooth & Claw Ability and a higher than normal Fierceness. They will certainly have The Way (or The Bane) at 2 or higher. They are hard to defeat, which is how they got to be Lord in the first place. There is nothing stopping player-creatures issuing The Challenge, but they need to have gained quite a few experience points before even thinking about it.

THREE TALES FROM THE WOOD Here you have three adventures to get you straight into your game.

Oakfellow and the Gypsies OVERVIEW FOR THE GK A small group of gypsies have set up their camp in The Wood. One of the gypsies, ‘The Old Mother’ had heard tales of a ‘Little Man’ in these woods and had set her son the task of finding and capturing it. After several patient days searching, the son Orlando, found Oakfellow’s tree-den and set a trap for him. The trap worked and soon poor Oakfellow found himself in a cage in one of the gypsy caravans. The simple idea of this scenario is that the PCs must find out what has happened to Oakfellow and then make a daring rescue attempt.

OAKFELLOW’S DISAPPEARANCE How the PCs find out that Oakfellow is gone is up to you and your group. If there is a Gnome in your group or if one of the PCs is friendly with Oakfellow, then he could discover that Oakfellow’s home is empty and doesn’t appear to have been lived in for a few days. If not, it could simply be noted by one of the Animal Lord’s (of the same type of creature as one of the PCs) that Oakfellow didn’t attend a recent Gathering (he never misses a Gathering) and that Lord will ask his fellow to investigate. Else, the whole group could be together for some reason and stumble upon Oakfellow’s tree, and discover that there are signs of a disturbance in the vicinity.

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NOSING AROUND The PCs may want to look around Oakfellow’s tree-den or the immediate area around the oak tree for clues. What they find is very disturbing. The den hasn’t apparently been occupied for a few days although it has signs of interrupted use (half-eaten food and so on). Outside the den, characters can find signs of trampled grass, snapped twigs and branches and so on. Also, with a straightforward Awareness check, an odd thing can be found squashed into the soil. It defies description to those who fail their moderate Man Lore check, other than it isn’t large and it smells of The Bane. Those who succeed, realise it’s something that men use to prove to animals that they have tamed fire (it’s a cigarette end). There is a comparatively easy trail of Man pawprints leading away from Oakfellow’s den, in the direction of The Hard River.

AN UNWELCOME MEETING At the edge of the gypsy encampment (which is located near where the Hard River crosses The River (i.e. near the bridge)) the PCs will come across a small group of foraging rats (in numbers, have one rat for every PC in the group). They have come from across the Hard River seeking food, which seems to be in abundance here. They are just planning how to get at it when the PCs stumble into them. The way you play this encounter is up to you. If the PCs had sent ahead a scout (say a bird or a mouse) then the scout might spot the rats without being noticed and report back to the group. In this case the group might avoid the rats altogether, at this stage.

If the group bumps into the rats as a whole, the rats will become interested in what the PCs are up to and will ask questions. They will be tight-lipped about what they are up to themselves. They could be intimidated to go away, if there is a PC in the group scary enough to do that. The rats are not particularly brave, but they will hang around a short distance away to keep an eye on things. However, the rats have been here a while and they do have information. They saw The Man (Orlando) and saw him take a sack with something moving inside it into one of the caravans and, when he came out, the sack was empty (the rats have Man Lore). They won’t pass on the information about which caravan it was very readily or without something in return.

WHAT DO THE RATS WANT? There is a dog in the camp that appears to be a trained ratter. They need a diversion, so that they can make a dash for the food (which is actually in the ‘discard pile’ near the edge of the camp, close to where the rats have been lurking. The dog can be seen not far from the pile (which smells foully, but hey, that’s rats for you). In fact the dog is tethered and can’t quite reach the pile, so if the PCs are crafty enough and scout the position out, they will be able to deal with this part with little danger.

THE HORSES There are some horses tethered nearby, again at the edge of the trees so these are approachable without having to leave the cover of the undergrowth. They are reasonably talkative for beasts enslaved to Man, although they are not much interest-

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ed in what goes on in the encampment. They do explain that the gypsies are generally animal friends, except the one who owns the dog. He is cruel to his dog and to the horses. This man is of course Orlando.

FINDING OAKFELLOW The PCs cannot see Oakfellow out in the open. That means he is likely to be inside one of the caravans. If they haven’t found out from the rats which one it is and one of the PCs has Wisdom, he could find out that way. Otherwise, they will have to scout around inside the encampment a little. If they are not sneaky enough (use Hide) they might set the dog off. He is a ferocious little terrier. The dog is tethered near to the caravan where Oakfellow is being held. BRUTE (THE DOG) AL CR NI FI ST T0 3 2 2 4 8 6 The Bane: 2 Abilities: Intimidate, Man Lore, Tooth & Claw, Track Note: Brute is a trained ratter and gets +1 on any check where rats are involved. If he smells blood and goes into frenzy, he will always attack the rats first if they are nearby

INSIDE THE CARAVAN Once inside, they will find that Oakfellow has been put in a large parrot cage, which is on a small table, in a cluttered interior. It’s comparatively easy for creatures with good Nimbleness to get up to the table, but getting the cage open is a bit of a problem. A hard Man Lore check is needed to figure out a way of opening the cage. If they fail or if they dither too much, the dog will start barking outside. This will bring ‘The Man’ (Orlando) to investigate, with a cudgel in his hand (thinking there are thieves about). (Note: If the group has no Man Lore, then Oakfellow can tell them what to do, but assume that this takes a little time to explain and treat it as if they failed their Man Lore check).

THE GETAWAY Once the group has got the cage open they need to get to the trees, probably past both the dog and The Man (depending on whether they were noticed earlier). This may take a few Flee checks and maybe even an Intimidation check on the dog, if he corners one of the PCs. This is pretty much a free-for-all; so let the players come up with some good ideas or help them escape.

GETTING INSIDE Characters could go in through the window if they are capable of flying or up the steps and through the door if they have to rely on their paws. They have to negotiate the dog too. Assuming they have a reasonable plan to get in, allow this to happen, especially if they think of a good use of The Way to do so. If they dither too much or make too much noise, then the dog will certainly go for them.

THE RATS, AGAIN However, when and if they get back to the relative safety of the trees, the rats are still there. If one of the PCs was wounded earlier (or if not Oakfellow certainly got injured in his struggle with The Man), then the rats will become frenzied at the scent of blood. They will give chase and attack them. If the PCs manage to outwit, outfight or simply outrun the rats then they will have no fur-

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ther trouble on their way back to Oakfellow’s home.

WRAPPING UP The gypsies move off the following day. If the PCs managed to get away with Oakfellow, then everyone is happy and the Gnome will throw a party. Each character will receive 4 experience points. If they didn’t save Oakfellow, then he will still be with the gypsies when they move off. The characters will receive 2 experience points each. There is a chance that they will catch up with Oakfellow later on. For example, if the PCs go on to do the Wolf’s Bane adventure that takes them to the sea, they could find the gypsy caravan there and maybe attempt another rescue.

Along the Riverbank OVERVIEW FOR THE GK

THE GATHERING Redflank, the Lord Stag has called a Gathering of the creatures of The Wood by crashing his mighty antlers against the Meeting Stone. Lordly representatives of all of the animals of The Wood are present Fox, Mouse, Weasel, Squirrel, Badger, Rat, Otter, Vole, Crow and all the rest. The PCs will be hiding at the back, behind all of the Animal Lords. The Truce is of course in force so all of the creatures are safe until the sun rises in the morning for it is now night time. Redflank brings the excited chattering to a close with one further crash of his powerful antlers. When all is quiet he begins. “You will all no doubt be aware that over the last few weeks the level of water in the stream which feeds The Wood has been falling”. There are a few nods and worried glances at this point especially from Sleek the Otter Lord and Wash the Lord of Water Voles.

The River that feeds The Wood has been drying up for a couple of days. This is a cause for concern as The River brings life to The Wood. The PCs will be selected to investigate the problem. They will have to cross the much-feared Hard River and will have an encounter with a nosey sparrow, a nasty adder and some unpleasant rooks.

“Well, the water in the stream is now down to a mere trickle. I went there to take a look myself only this dusk-time, at the request of Lord Sleek, and I have to report that the signs are not good. Certainly it is my view that if something is not done about this worrying situation shortly the balance will be upset and The Wood will suffer”

Their journey will bring them to a building site where the men have packed up and little work has been done (the developers have run into financial problems). Unfortunately some of the barrels they had stacked up near the riverbank have fallen in, causing a blockage and creating a mucky pond on the site. Oh, and a colony of rats live near the site too, who must be negotiated with in order to remove the blockage.

Redflank waits until the uproar subsides and then continues. “What we need is a volunteer or two to investigate the problem. It will no doubt mean a long and hazardous journey upstream across the Hard River (a few horrified gasps from some of the creatures at this point) and further afield than many of you will have ventured before. WHO WILL GO?”

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At the last three words the PCs will feel Redflank’s eyes boring into them as other creatures cringe away from his gaze. Once the PCs have ‘volunteered’ the remaining creatures will shout "Hoorah!" in relief that somecreature other than themselves is going and then disappear into the undergrowth or the branches of the trees around the clearing. Redflank will then wish the PCs luck, and advise them to go as soon as possible, and that when they get to the Hard River they should cross quickly and stop for nothing even if they feel the eyes of the Roaring Owl burning into them.

THE DRYING RIVERBED The PCs will presumably head straight for the Riverbank and they will see that is down to a very worrying trickle. The muddy and dried out river bed reveals dead fish, bits of washed up twigs and some Manthings, which both look and smell a little of The Bane.

(Note: If you are feeling really mean you could throw in an encounter with a fox or a couple of stoats approaching the PCs and taunting them a little. However The Truce is still in force so there is little for them to worry about at the moment although the GK could remind the players that it is very nearly dawn by now).

THE JOURNEY UPRIVER Following the course of the water upstream the PCs will reach the Hard River late in the day. Those with Man Lore will begin to recognize the strange and rather horrid smell as they approach. Others will begin to feel uncomfortable and more than a little intimidated by it. Those that have been stuffing their faces a lot during the day may feel queasy. Nosing around the area the PCs may notice that the River actually goes underneath the Hard River through a kind of tunnel. Any who make a straightforward River Lore check will realize that in this tunnel is the home of an old and surly Otter called Chaser. So the PCs are faced with a choice here. They could cross the dreaded Hard River, or

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they could try the tunnel underneath and risk upsetting a large ferocious creature.

CROSSING THE HARDRIVER If they choose to cross the Hard River you should describe the unnaturalness of the ground nearby and the decaying feel to the grass and weeds growing at its edge. If they nibble any vegetation nearby it will taste foul. Once onto the cold surface of the Hard River they will feel open and vulnerable. There is no cover and any-creature used to being able to burrow to escape predators will be most anxious that they cannot even scratch the surface of this terrible place. As they cross the ground will begin to rumble and a loud horrendous noise will fill the air as around the bend in the distance comes the terrible Roaring Owl. If the PCs cross individually, roll randomly for which one is crossing when the car comes. Play up the sounds, the tremendous vibrations underpaw and the wicked stench of The Bane. The car is intimidating (6) and

opposed intimidation rolls are called for. If the PCs win (unlikely) they will safely speed across. If they lose they will stand still in abject terror as the Roaring Owl bears down on them. PCs with Man Lore may add +2 to their dice rolls, as they will be more aware of these things. The car has a 1 in 6 chance of hitting any PC standing still. Using a point of The Way will save any unfortunate creature about to be squashed.

UNDER THE HARDRIVER If the PCs choose to go through the tunnel (under the bridge) they will most likely meet Chaser the Otter. As expected he is not in a good mood. The main reason this dusk for his surliness is that there is insufficient water left in the River for him to have a good swim or to catch any decent fish. He is therefore hungry and might be tempted by a small mouse or a frog or something. The PCs should have a chance of getting to the bottom of his problem by talking and role-play and certainly those with River Lore will have a good idea why he is in an even worse mood than usual. If they explain their quest to Chaser he will let them

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have passage, but if they upset him even more he will not let them pass.

INTO THE LANDS OF MAN Having crossed the Hard River, the PCs will be in the dangerous lands of Man. They will mainly be traversing open fields and meadows. By the Riverbank there will be enough cover to hide themselves in so they would be better off staying close to it. The day will be largely uneventful but late on a nosey sparrow called Chitter will spot them and fly down and start to ask annoying questions. She will flit about their heads in an excited fashion and ask: “Where are you all going?” “What are a strange mixture of creatures like you doing travelling together?”, “Where have you come from?” and “That’s a long way isn’t it?” etc, etc. The PCs would be best not to tell this talkative sparrow of their quest or it may spell trouble later. Indeed they would probably do well to scare her off altogether.

A SLIPPERY ENCOUNTER At dusk or nightfall, there will be an altogether more dangerous encounter with Flick the Adder. He is hungry and on the hunt for easy prey. One of the PCs may well seem like easy prey. Flick is not daft and he will wait until one of the PCs is alone, which is bound to happen at this point as they are all likely to have different eating and sleeping habits. Whilst Flick is lurking, give the PC a chance to sense his presence before he strikes. Flick will first of all try to intimidate the PC but will then go for the kill. Other PCs nearby might hear some noises (Roll Moderate Alertness on the Task Difficulty Table) and (hopefully) and come to investigate.

Flick will not go after a Hedgehog if there is one in the group, and if a Hedgehog comes to the aid of the attacked PC, Flick will probably not hang around. He may make a few choice and sly remarks before he slinks off though. Either way a concerted show of strength by the PCs or a ‘nip’ result in Tooth & Claw will be enough to see off this mean old snake.

THE ROOKERY Early in the morning as the PCs continue their journey they will spot dark shapes in the line of trees edging the field ahead. They have come across a rookery of about 50 birds. Most are asleep and not too bothered by the approaching creatures. However a few of them, namely Blackhood, Darkbeak, Beadeye and Ragwing are looking for a bit of excitement and these approaching creatures look like easy meat to the rooks. You could have the PCs make hard Alertness rolls to spot the fact that 4 of the rooks have noticed them and are only pretending to be asleep. The rooks will swoop down upon the PCs and attempt to peck, harass and bully them. They conform to standard rook characteristics. If the PCs are strong enough (if for example they have a Hedgehog in their midst, or if they collectively have reasonably high Toughness, Sturdiness and some have Tooth & Claw ability) then you could allow this to develop into a fight. If the PCs are smaller and weaker then you should allow another escape, perhaps letting them spot a thorny bush to hide under or a hole for them to escape into. This is a potentially dangerous encounter and the GK should be prepared to let PCs

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use The Way and to listen to any reasonable suggestions from the players as otherwise they may not survive. Even Chaser the Otter could turn up and scare the rooks away if they are getting the better of the PCs.

THE RAT COLONY

THE BUILDING SITE

Blacktooth, who is The Rat King’s henchrat, will be at their head, followed by Redeye and Greyfur. Blacktooth will begin to question the PCs aggressively trying to intimidate them at the same time. Any PCs that are not intimidated (or intimidate him back) will cause Blacktooth to be agitated, as he is not used to this. He is certainly not used to being questioned himself, and will show clearly his agitation if this happens.

Toward the late afternoon, the PCs will begin to encounter an evil stench and this will become stronger the more they press on. It smells of The Bane, of Hard Rivers, of Roaring Owls and of Man. Beneath it all is another faintly recognisable smell (make a hard Alertness roll to discern that the smell is of rats). Looking ahead the PCs can now see that the ground has all been churned up as if the Mother of all Moles has been digging here. Amidst all of this churned earth are bits of shiny stuff and twigless branches stuck in the ground and other indescribable objects scattered around. Those who succeed Moderate Man Lore checks will recognise the fences and signposts as ways of keeping Men out (or in!) and the shiny things as cans and bottles (sometimes with nice sticky-sweet-watery-nectar stuff in them) and other bits of Man rubbish. As the PCs approach they will see that there is a vast pool of water spreading over the churned up ground in the middle of the site, turning everything to mud and muck. Out of the pool or lake of water comes just a trickle of water down the streambed. It is now easy to see that some of the larger Man things are lying in the stream blocking off the flow of water.

As the PCs get closer and continue to ponder what can be done, a group of rats will approach them from all sides, from tunnels and hidey-holes and from behind mounds and Man litter.

(Note: Blacktooth is aspiring to be The King Rat but he is painfully aware that he is too weak to challenge the current occupier of that position. He does have a moderately large number of supporters amongst the rats in the colony and wouldn’t be adverse to a civil war to usurp the present incumbent from the ‘throne’. He may see the PCs as a way to shortcut his challenge for the leadership especially if there is a tough looking Hedgehog in their group. It really all depends on the PCs and how they approach the conversation with Blacktooth. Essentially this is a great point for the PCs to really role play their characters).

KING RAT If the PCs insist, they will be taken before the King Rat. Blacktooth won’t volunteer to take them though, preferring to keep them away from King Rat. However, at some point a messenger from King Rat will turn up to have a word with Blacktooth (news travels fast in the colony and King Rat has eyes everywhere) and to ask him to bring the visitors to him.

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enough of his minions to remove the blockage, but what is he after?

NEGOTIATIONS Negotiations could go several different ways. Perhaps the PCs could side with Blacktooth to help overthrow King Rat. Perhaps they could tell King Rat that Blacktooth is planning a rebellion? Other possibilities exist. For instance, King Rat is looking to move the colony to a better spot. If the PCs tell him where they come from, he will get very interested. If they mention The Farm, then he will definitely help out, for information on where to find this Farm. The PCs will be led around a huge winding network of tunnels and twisting passages (that will require a hard Tunnel Lore check to negotiate without a guide) to the King Rat’s cavernous lair. He is the largest and fattest rat the PCs will have ever seen. He is surrounded by mouse slaves, who are feeding him and grooming him. There are several rat bodyguards inside and at the entrance to his lair.

DEALING WITH THE RATS There is a large network of tunnels in and around the site. There are about 100 or more rats in the colony. Whilst the rats have no real reason to kill the PCs they could easily do so, so there is always an element of danger in any negotiations. If it doesn’t occur to the PCs, you could make it apparent that there are more than enough rats here to clear the blockage in the River, but that they need to have something to negotiate with. The henchrat Blacktooth could probably gather enough rats to do the job, if the characters side with him. King Rat could certainly get

There are many ways this could go and it depends on any good ideas that come from your players as well as maybe some helpful nudges if they become stuck for ideas.

THE CONCLUSION Once they have successfully persuaded the rats to unblock the River, the home journey is straightforward (unless you want to add further adventures on the way back). You can award some points to be spent by the players on their creatures to improve their attributes or to buy new abilities. There are 5 to 7 points available per character for concluding this adventure successfully (as it was a very dangerous one). (Note: You could always use this scenario as a way to introduce the next adventure perhaps the Rat King had a task for the PCs to carry out in exchange for his help in unblocking the River. Maybe Greyfur heard about The Wood and decides to follow the PCs back (with some of his own followers) and then starts to cause trouble in The

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Wood, or maybe one of the PCs becomes addicted, like Redeye, to beer and would even go off on his own to the lands of Man to find more. There are many possibilities). The creatures met along the way: Chaser the Otter AL CR FI NI ST T0 3 2 3 3 7 6 The Way: 1 The Bane: 1 Abilities: River Lore, Swim, Track, Tooth & Claw Chaser is a grumpy and hungry old otter. He will help the PC’s if they explain their mission to him (and may even show up suddenly to help out against the rooks if the PC’s get into any trouble at the rookery). Chitter the Sparrow AL CR FI NI ST T0 4 2 3 3 2 1 The Way: 1 Abilities: Field Lore, Wood Lore, Fly Chitter is an annoying and nosey bird. He will be a pest and a nuisance until scared off. Flick the Adder AL CR 3 3 The Bane Abilities:

FI NI ST T0 3 3 4 2 2 Hide, Intimidate, Field Lore, Tooth & Claw Not a pleasant creature, Flick is however very wary of hedgehogs. Darkbeak, Blackhood, Beadeye, Ragwing AL CR FI NI ST T0 3 2 3 2 5 4 The Bane: 1 Abilities: Fly, Tooth & Claw, Man Lore, Field Lore

Snaketail (King Rat) AL CR FI NI ST T0 3 3 4 2 6 5 The Bane: 2 Abilities: Intimidate, Climb, Man Lore, Tunnel Lore, Tooth & Claw Snaketail is now quite a venerable rat who has had a long life and fought hard. He really doesn't want any more problems that give him a hard life and knows that one of his subordinates is looking eagerly at his throne. He would appreciate some help in determining which one of his Henchrats it is and flushing him out. Blacktooth (Henchrat) AL CR FI NI ST T0 3 3 3 3 5 4 The Bane: 3 Abilities: Man Lore, Climb, Tooth & Claw, Tunnel Lore, Intimidate Blacktooth is a very sneaky Rat, who is not above using devious means to further his own ambitions and progress in the rat colony. He has a number of rats who are dedicated to his cause and several others who might be ready to side with him but are less fanatical. Redeye (Henchrat) AL CR FI NI ST T0 2 2 3 3 4 4 The Bane: 2 Abilities: Man Lore, Climb, Tooth & Claw, Tunnel Lore Redeye has acquired a taste for alcohol and constantly searches the site for cans with drops of beer left in them. Since his problem started his eyes have reddened (hence his name) and his desire to be the leader of the rat colony has lessened. He could probably only be certain of calling upon help from one or two old friends if needed but could be a useful ally if he could be sobered up for a while.

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Greyfur (Henchrat) AL CR FI NI ST T0 3 3 4 2 3 4 The Bane: 1 Abilities: Man Lore, Climb, Tooth & Claw, Tunnel Lore Greyfur is a young rat but possibly destined for great things and favoured by Snaketail. He has several strong allies amongst the rats in the colony and is not satisfied to continue living on this site, but rather fancies sending scouting parties to look for another place to live. If he hears of The Wood he will want to learn all he can.

Wolfs Bane OVERVIEW FOR THE GK The simple premise of this Tale is that a Wolf has recently escaped from the local zoo and has made its way to The Wood. The PCs are to investigate what it is and find a means of getting rid of it. This will ultimately lead the PCs on a long journey further away from their homes than they have ever been before, to the fabled Sea to find a rare plant that only grows there. The plant is believed to have powers to dispel the great beast that has invaded The Wood.

SETTING THE SCENE Maybe one or two of the PCs will see this huge shaggy beast loping through the trees. Maybe some-creature else will spot a carcass of one of Redflank’s herd of deer (and there are no animals in The Wood big enough to bring down a deer!) Some nights there is a terrific howling through the area sending shivers down the spines of many a creature - even so that badgers and foxes are scared. Several of the smaller creatures will be terrified out of their wits and The Wood is

under a palpable pall of doom. No-creature wants to set paw outside its den for fear of the beast. Some-creature has to end this reign of terror. The PCs are just right for the job. Their respective Lords will ask them to look into it. Stag is afraid to call a Gathering; for fear that the Beast doesn’t respect the Truce and slays every-creature in attendance.

ASKING AROUND The PCs will need to visit some of the more intimidating creatures in The Wood, to get their information. You are welcome to roleplay the encounters in as menacing a way as you like, with lots of licking of lips from The Fox Lord and maybe have The Owl Lord still picking at the bones of a small rodent when the PCs arrive. Nobody knows what the monster is except the following, which have their own ideas: Owl: Using Wisdom, the Owl Lord ShadowWing, has learned that this is a ‘Wolf’ from a place far off across the sea. He also states that many years ago, in the dim-distant past, wolves ruled The Wood, but that their enemies were the cunning foxes of those long gone days. Gnome: (Oakfellow or Grizzlegruff perhaps?) – The long-lived forgetful Gnome may remember a sea plant that made a smell that was unpleasant to Wolf-kind and made them go away. He suggests a visit to either or both of The Owl Lord and The Fox Lord, if they haven’t visited them already. Fox: Using Wood Lore (a formidable roll for the most information) the Fox Lord will recall ancient tales passed down through generations of foxes that in bygone times wolves and foxes used to battle for supremacy. Foxes had numbers and cunning,

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wolves had strength and size. When fox cunning had all but wrested The Wood from the wolves, there was a strong Wolf Lord who came down from the far North. However, cunning Reynard, Lord of Foxes at that time, used the mythical Sea Onion to rid the Wood of Greysnout, The Last Wolf.

A JOURNEY TO THE SEA Few creatures in The Wood know of the ‘Sea’. Any with Beach Lore will. Those with River Lore may do (Hard roll). However, birds fly far and wide. If the PCs re-visit the Owl, it will not be there and if they wait for it, it will come back some time but is hungry and a bit aggressive – small creatures beware! The other birds that fly far and wide are the rooks, which live in the Rookery, near the Farm. A visit to them may prove fruitful. PCs may come up with other ways to discover where the Sea is. Don’t make this too difficult – you want them to go there; after all it’s where the adventure is!

ENCOUNTERS ALONG THE WAY On their long and arduous trek from The Wood, following the river to the Sea, the PCs will have the following encounters. As usual, how you and your players deal with them is largely up to you and how you like to role-play. A Fisherman: Any-creature interested in grubs and maggots (Mole, Shrew and Hedgehog especially) will love the small box by the side of The River that is just full of really lovely juicy ones. What the fisherman does if he sees them is up to you. Water Voles: Ssome feisty water voles (one for each PC in the group - use standard

water vole stats) who tell the PCs to go around their territory. However they are either easily intimidated or ready to flee if involved in a serious tussle. Small Boys: A gang of boys with a homemade raft-boat. They float around on it a bit then they pull it ashore and run off home for dinner (or whatever). PCs could possibly use this to continue their journey – especially if there is a Gnome amongst them. The Town: A particularly nasty area, where it smells of The Bane and the water tastes foul. Any-creature with Man Lore knows this place for what it is. Others find it foul and intimidating. If you are really mean you could set up an encounter with a small dog or cat. Sand Dunes: Not far beyond the town are the sand dunes that lead on down to the beach. Amongst the dunes lurks an adder who will attack the smallest member of the group. Use standard adder stats. The Beach Crab: This could be a strange meeting. The crab is being harassed by a seagull who is trying to turn him over to get at his underside. The crab is scuttling this way and that trying to get away. If the PCs are brave enough they could make the seagull fly away, for easier prey. The crab, called Pinchme, will be grateful to PCs if they save him from harassment and will help them find what they are looking for.

THE SEA ONION It is a form of sea kelp, with a very strange smell. Even the PCs don’t like it much. This needs to be taken back to The Wood. Because the sea kelp smells so bad, animals encountered on the way back will keep away.

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THE RETURN HOME If you wish you could add an adventure on the return journey. One idea, if the PCs failed to rescue Oakfellow in the first adventure (Oakfellow and the Gypsies), is to have them come across the gypsy caravans again, as they made their way to the seaside. (Orlando has been charging money to tourists to view The Little Grey Man. The Old Mother isn’t very happy about this, because she didn’t really want to imprison the gnome; she only wanted to talk to him).

DEALING WITH THE WOLF How the PCs then deal with the wolf is up to you. The wolf does not like the smell of the sea kelp, so if they have enough of it, they could for example place it at strategic points around The Wood, or go to the wolf’s den and put it in there. They might even want to talk to the wolf and tell him there is more where that came from. Let anything that sound reasonable work.

WRAPPING UP

Adder AL CR 3 2 The Bane: Abilities:

FI NI ST 3 3 4 1 Hide, Tooth & Beach Lore

T0 2 Claw,

Pinchme the Crab T0 ST NI CR FI AL 3 3 2 1 3 2 Abilities: Beach Lore, Tooth & Claw, Swim, Pincers, Shell (+2 TO, +3 ST on the Wound Modifiers Table). Pinchme is neither touched by The Way or by The Bane. He is a very strange creature and speaks very oddly. You could even have characters make Craftiness checks to determine whether they understand him properly. Lupus The Wolf AL CR FI NI ST T0 3 3 5 3 10 10 The Bane: 4 Abilities: Tooth & Claw, Track, Wood Lore, Man Lore

There is an experience award of 5 points per character (+2 points if they rescue Oakfellow from the gypsies on the way home). They will be hailed as heroes by the creatures of The Wood and Lord Stag will call a special Gathering to honour their exploits to date. The creatures met along the way: Water voles AL CR 3 1 Abilities:

FI NI ST 3 3 3 Swim, River Lore

T0 2

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ABOUT TALES FROM THE WOOD

RECOMMENDED FICTION

Very few gamers get too enthusiastic about role playing games where you play an animal; even less so when the animals in question do not use swords and spears and have no special powers. That is exactly why myself and my co-designer Mark George sat down one day in around 1986/87 and started to write Tales from The Wood (TfTW).

William Horwood: Duncton Wood, Duncton Quest, Duncton Found, Duncton Tales, Duncton Rising, Duncton Stone (moles) Gerry Kilworth: Frost Dancers (hares), Hunters Moon (foxes) A.R. Lloyd: Marshworld, Witchwood, Dragon Pond (weasels) Denys Watkins Pitchford (B.B): Little Grey Men, Down the Bright Stream (gnomes) Chris Freddi: Pork & other tales (several different types of animal) Michael Tod: The Silver Tide, The Second Wave, The Golden Flight (squirrels) Richard Adams: Watership Down (rabbits) Aeron Clement: The Cold Moons (badgers) Brian Carter: Night World (badgers) Colin Dann: The Animals of Farthing Wood, In the Grip of Winter, Fox's Feud, Fox Cub Bold, The Siege of White Deer Park, In the Path of Storm, Battle for the Park, Farthing Wood - The Adventure Begins (several different types of animal)

It didn’t take too long to thrash out the basics into a form where we could do some playtesting. There was one extra trait at that time – “luckiness” (now replaced by The Way), but other than that, the rules are essentially the same now as they were then. We played a lot of TfTW during the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, whilst constantly tinkering with the rules, adding more creatures and developing the background. Everyone who played it loved it – even so we realized it was a niche game and not worth the risk of publishing. Still, I always felt TfTW was too good to just languish in a folder somewhere and with the growth of the pdf, I put together a free pdf for download from my old “Geocities” website sometime around 2002. I was amazed that people found it, liked it (and some even played it). I decided to put a better version together and, with Mark’s permission, started selling it first on RPGNow and later, in print via LULU. I was further surprised that it sold reasonably well, reaffirming my view that some gamers want something a bit different nowadays.

RECOMMENDED NON-FICTION Any good natural history books would be highly useful, but these are some of those consulted when designing Tales from The Wood. Ron Freethy: Man & Beast, British mammals Tony Soper: Discovering Animals, British mammals Roy Brown: Wildlife of Britain, British animals Rob Hume: Observers Birds, British birds

Simon W

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Introduction

GINGER BEER RECIPE Makes 5 litres (9 pints) Lemon -1 large, zest and juice Cream of tartar -5 tsp Sugar -450g (1 lb) Fresh root ginger -25g (1 oz), peeled and bruised Boiling water -2.3 litres (4 pints) Cold water -2.3 litres (4 pints) Fresh yeast -15g (½ oz) Toast -1 slice METHOD Place the lemon zest, cream of tartar and sugar in a large bowl or plastic bucket. Add the bruised ginger. Pour the boiling water over the mix and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the cold water and lemon juice. Allow to cool until the mix is luke-warm. Spread the yeast on the toast and float it on the mixture. Cover with a clean cloth and leave in a warm place for 24 hours until frothy. Remove any scum from the top of the mixture, discard the toast and syphon the beer into sterilised bottles, avoiding any sediment. Seal the bottles with screw caps or corks secured with wire. Leave for 3 days in a cool place before drinking. Drink within the following 3 days or the ginger beer will taste too yeasty.

What is role-playing? In role-playing games (RPGs), the action takes place in the imaginations of the players rather than on a board as in other types of game. By using a set of rules, players construct game characters to act as their alter egos living in the world they have created. In essence, the players are creating a story as they go and much of this story is simply a verbal interchange between the players. One of the players takes the role of the gamesmaster (GM). This player has the task of creating the adventures, much like an author writing a story. However, unlike an author, the GM doesn’t always know what the characters will do. This is because the other players play the characters. The GM directs the flow

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of the game; describes the things the characters see and hear and speaks for the people the characters come across as they progress through the adventure. Sometimes the outcome of characters’ actions is not a foregone conclusion and this is where the game rules will help. These rules describe how the GM and players can determine the success or otherwise of actions that they take as they adventure in the game world. In Lashings of Ginger Beer (LoGB) the characters are not the heroic types that you find in most other rpgs. However, this game does emphasize character interaction more than many and should therefore lead to a highly rewarding role-playing experience.

do? Well, there are camping hols a plenty, mysterious smugglers caves to explore, ghostly haunted houses to poke around in, secret passages in ruined castles to discover, all manner of suspicious villains to report to the police for real (and imagined) crimes. Nasty people can of course be spotted a mile off, and every circus that comes to town holds its own mystery to solve. And, once solved PC Plod is always on hand with his trusty bicycle to arrest the villains of the piece, or to clip the kids around the ears for wasting his time (without the possibility of being hauled before the court!).

What is this game about? You are a 13-year old kid living in Idyllic England. Idyllic England is an unreal place, a sort of fantasyland along the lines of those versions of England, which appear in such works as The Famous Five, Swallows and Amazons and The Secret Seven. In Idyllic England the time period doesn't really matter - suffice to say that kids ride bicycles not BMXs, they read books such as ‘Boys Own Adventures’ since there is no such thing as Sega or Nintendo and most importantly they never swear and are rarely rude to grownups. All right, you may ask, but this is a role-playing game so what is there to

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Creating Your Kid

CHARM Being able to smile sweetly and get away with anything. That is charm. Younger kids tend to be more charming.

Attributes To play in a RPG you need to create a character that is the persona that you pretend to be in the game. In LoGB the character you need to create is a nosey kid. Kids are initially defined by four attributes. These attributes are rated on a numeric scale, where the higher the number the better. They help to determine how well each kid performs in his or her day-to-day activities, whether they are at home, at school or more particularly when they are on an adventure. The attributes are: TOUGH This is a measure of the kid's strength, resilience, build and all round physical ability. It is useful in sports, outdoor activities and particularly useful in fights. It tends to be higher as kids grow older. DEFT Speed, agility, athleticism and coordination are all measured by this attribute. This is useful for many outdoor and sporting pursuits. Deft reduces as kids grow older. CLEVER A bright kid is an intelligent and quickwitted kid who does well at schoolwork and is good at remembering things and working things out. As kids get older, they learn more and therefore become cleverer.

AGE For the most part, it is the age of the kid that you create that decides what the initial attribute levels are. The higher the number, the better able your kid is. To determine your kid’s age, you need to either choose an age from 10 to 15, or roll a dice and add 9 to the result. Write this age on your character sheet. Initial attribute levels are determined by starting age. Look up your kid’s age on the following table and write the numbers for each attribute on your character sheet. Then add 1 point to any attribute you like. Write down the final attribute levels (numbers) on your character sheet. TABLE: KID AGE &ATTRIBUTES Age 10 11 12 13 14 15 Grown up

Tough 1 2 2 2 2 3 4

Deft 3 2 2 2 2 1 1

Clever 1 1 1 2 2 3 4

Charm 3 3 3 2 2 1 1

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Kid type

to see Auntie Mable.

After attributes have been decided, you then need to determine the things that your kid knows or is good at. This depends on the type of kid, which can be a Swot, a Truant (Tomboy) or a Good (‘normal’) kid. You get to choose. GOOD KID

Good kids will go on to become bank managers, solicitors, doctors, accountants or politicians. Girls will of course get married and become housewives. SWOT Swots are from backgrounds similar to those of good kids but could be, for example, an only child and therefore molly-coddled by mummy & daddy. They are not good at sporty things (too rough) but they excel at schoolwork. Swots prefer to spend leisure time in the library or in their rooms with their noses stuck in their books. There will rarely be more than one Swot in any gang. Swots will go on to become Professors, scientists, inventors and train spotters.

Good kids -these make up the vast majority of kids in Idyllic England. They have a father who works in the bank or in insurance a mother who is a housewife (as all mothers in Idyllic England should be - no such thing as the women’s movement here) probably an older brother or sister and a family pet. A Good Kid will live in a suburban semi detached house with ample room at the end of the garden for a tree house or den. Father will have a Rover car or maybe a Wolsey or Morris which he uses for work and at weekends to take the family on outings or drop the kids off at the train station, when they go off

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What is my kid good at?

TRUANT OR TOMBOY

These are called skills, abilities, feats or traits in other rpgs. They are learned or taught skills and knowledge. All player character kids in Idyllic England are adventurous and resourceful. They see things that grown-ups and most other kids do not see. Accordingly all your kid is automatically good at two things Hide and Snoop. These are already written onto the character sheet and you have a level of 2 in each. You can spend points to improve them from your point allocation detailed below.

These kids are the naughtier kids of Idyllic England. They tend to be the opposite of Swots; that is good at sports but poor at their studies. They may even use strong words or phrases like ‘damn it’ and ‘blast’ or even on occasion ‘bloody hell!’ (as long as no grown-ups are nearby).

The other things a kid is good at depend upon the type of kid she is. You have 8 points to split amongst them. Simply assign some of your 8 points to each thing.

Truants are fond of games and pranks that lead other kids astray, such as cherry knocking and apple scrumping but because they are better at these things, they do not usually get caught. By present day standards Truants are not bad kids by any means and they do not get into trouble with the police - they are simply naughty by Idyllic England standards. There will rarely be more than one Truant in a gang. Truants go on to become footballers, racing drivers and game designers.

If you want to choose things that are not a part of your kid type, you need to assign a greater number of your points. Swots get Truant skills at three times

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the cost. Truants get Swot skills at three times the cost. They both buy Good kid skills at double the cost. Good kids buy any non-good kid skills at double the cost. So a Swot could, for example put one point into each of his 6 listed skills, and then put two points into Act Innocently (effectively making that skill level 1 too). Any player can choose to increase Hide or Snoop for one point per point of increase.

Things your kid is good at GOOD KID Act Innocently Camping Hobbies Sports Ride Bicycle Spot Nasty People

Example of creating a kid I grab a character sheet and roll a dice, which comes up 5. My kid is therefore 14 (I could have chosen his age had I wanted to). I write this on my character sheet. I also come up with a name for him at this stage Daniel (Danny). Looking up the attributes on the table for a kid of 14, I see that all four attributes will be rated at 2. I have an extra point to add, so I increase Deft to 3. Next, I decide that my kid will be a Good Kid. With the 8 points, I put one point in each of the things listed, except for Act Innocently. I decide my kid is not going to be good at pretending. I write the selected things down on my character sheet, with a ‘1’ alongside each. This leaves 3 points. I want my kid to be especially good at snooping, so I add a point to Snoop skill, bringing it up to 3. I also want my kid to be good at climbing, so I can assign a level of 1 to Climb Trees & Walls (this costs both points that were left over, because it is from the Truant list). I add this to my character sheet too.

SWOT Sciences History Geography Languages Music Useless Facts TRUANT OR TOMBOY Fighting Wriggle (from Grasp) Climb Trees & Walls Catapult Throwing Things Lie Convincingly

Danny is now nearly ready to go and solve a few mysteries. But I still need to know what he is able to do with the things he is good at. There are also a couple more things I need to know about Danny before he is ready for adventure.

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Doing Things

CAMPING This represents the knowledge that the kid has of outdoor-type things – the way to pitch a tent, to build a campfire and so on; this is normally based on the Clever attribute.

Overview These are the skills of the kids in Idyllic England. They represent the things that kids will try to do, when they are out searching for clues to the mysteries that they come across every time they go on a weekend biking expedition, or a visit to their Aunt’s house. ACT INNOCENTLY The ability of the kid to make whatever he is doing look like he is just ‘being a kid’. Useful for covering up what your character is doing, when spotted by grown-ups. Usually used with Charm.

CATAPULT This is the skill the kid has to make and fire a catapult (a short, strong ‘y’ shaped stick with a strong length of rubber-band strung between the forks). For making a good one it is based on Clever, for accurately firing it use Deft. CLIMB TREES & WALLS This is the ability of the kid to scramble over high walls and up trees; it is usually used with Deft. FIGHTING This represents how good a kid is in a scrap. There are no martial arts and no fancy moves – it is simply rough-andtumble wrestling and maybe a punch or two. Used alongside Tough. LIE CONVINCINGLY The ability of the kid to tell tales and to persuade grown-ups that they are not doing anything they shouldn’t be doing. Used with Charm. GEOGRAPHY Knowing where places are, some local knowledge and map reading; used with Clever. HIDE The skill of the kid at finding somewhere to secrete herself when she might otherwise be spotted. Under a bush,

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behind a tree, in a ditch, under the stairs or just in the shadows - they are all likely hiding places for resourceful kids; this can be based on Clever or Deft.

the scene when the villains are gone or to spot ‘peculiar goings on’. All kids in Idyllic England can do this, to some degree. This is Clever based.

HISTORY This is knowledge of people, places and events in the past. If the kids find an old castle, history might tell the kid some things about the castle. It is used with Clever.

SPORTS The kid is generally very sporty – he could be good at football, cricket, rugby, horse riding, hockey, swimming, canoeing, and archery and so on; normally based on Tough or Deft.

HOBBIES The kid might have a hobby – it can be anything like stamp collecting, model railways, needlework, kite flying, cookery, and mechanics and so on. You get to choose one. Normally used with Clever, it could be Deft based.

SPOT NASTY PEOPLE This is the almost innate ability of the kid to know that a grown-up is a villain, or is up to no good. A good skill for the GM to get the kids hooked into an adventure. This skill is most often used alongside Clever.

LANGUAGES Your character has a particular knack for French, German and other languages normally taught in schools in Idyllic England. Normally used with Clever.

THROWING THINGS The kid is adept at throwing sticks or stones (or boomerangs). Used with Deft for accuracy or Tough for power and range.

RIDE BICYCLE This is exactly as it suggests. Most kids can ride – this is doing it well; it is most often Deft-based.

USELESS FACTS These are the sort of odd facts that a kid might know from reading a wide range of books or from the news and so on. It is another useful tool for the GM to give the players a clue about something to help move a game along if they are stuck. It is usually used with Clever.

SCIENCE The kid knows something of physics, chemistry and biology. Probably some first aid too. Used with Clever. SNOOP This is the ability of the kid to get facts and evidence, be it getting up close to the villains and listening in to their conversations and plans without being spotted, or to find clues and evidence at

WRIGGLE (FROM GRASP) The kid is good at crawling into or out of small gaps or tunnels. It is also useful for getting out of a firm grip. The ability your kid needs to get away from nasty people or bullies and so on. This is most often a Deft-based skill.

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Rolling dice In Lashings of Ginger Beer, the dice used are the ordinary six-sided dice that you find in board games like Monopoly. In most cases when you roll dice to determine whether your kid succeeded when trying to do something you need at least one five or six to come up. Often you will roll more than one die. Where the rules are different (for example rolling on the Useful Items Table, the rules will explain how the dice work). Sometimes rolling dice can break up the flow of the game and can get in the way of good role-playing. So, there is a rule of play for LoGB and that is to roll dice only when there is a real need to do so – i.e. where the game situation means that it would be more exciting to do so. If it would get in the way of a good story, don’t do it. Where a kid is trying to do something that he or she has a skill in, the player rolls a number of dice equal to the skill level plus the most appropriate attribute for what he is trying to do. For example Tommy, a Truant, is firing his catapult at an open window to try to get a message into the room where villains are holding his friends captive (he has wrapped a note around the stone). If he has a 2 in catapult and 2 in Deft, then the player gets four dice to roll. If a kid has no appropriate skill, the player simply rolls a number of dice equal to his character’s most appropriate attribute.

At least one five or six is required in order to succeed. Where more than one 5 or 6 are rolled, the result of the action is even more spectacular than the character wanted. MODIFIERS Sometimes the GM will decide that the task is especially easy. If this is the case, you will require fours, fives and sixes to succeed a task. If the GM decides what you are doing is especially difficult you may succeed only if you roll at least one six. The GM usually tells you in advance whether the task is easier or harder than normal so that you know what you need to roll. CONTESTED ROLLS Sometimes a player will want his kid to do something that is being opposed by another kid or a grown-up -say a race or a ‘scrap’ or similar. In these cases, both players or the player and the GM roll the appropriate number of dice. The one who gets the most fives and sixes is the 'winner'. Where the result of a contested roll is a ‘draw’ - i.e. both ‘contestants’ rolled the same number of fives and sixes this means they were equal for that part of the action. If, for example, it is a fight, neither side got in a telling blow—it is a kind of standoff and a chance to reassess the situation. If it is a race then they are running side by side, or in a chase the chaser has gained no ground on the other.

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can use the skill Wriggle from grasp to get away, or can fight them, simply to shove them away or something, but cannot stay in a prolonged fight with them.

Narrative play In LoGB, you are creating a story in Idyllic England. To help do this, narrative control is passes to the players when their kid’s succeed at doing things.

Fighting In a fight, the loser suffers a one-point reduction in their Tough attribute. This represents tiredness, being 'roughed up' and general wear and tear. It does not represent wounding as such -although it could represent a bloody nose, split lip or black eye. When Tough is reduced to 0, the kid is out of the fray -either he is exhausted or demoralised or on his rump crying. Either way, he has been beaten. You will see that there is no strict ‘round-by-round’ combat system in LoGB like there is in other rpgs. This is because combat is not really a feature of the game. It is really more a case of dealing with the whole ‘scene’ based upon the result of the dice roll. You can break the action up a little if you need to or if you feel it important for a particular set piece. Something else to bear in mind is that kids do not fight with grownups. They

Using Tommy as our example again, Tommy’s player rolls 4 dice. One of them comes up a six, so he say’s “right, I pull back the rubber band, line up the open window and let loose the stone. It flies straight and true through the opening”. The more fives and sixes rolled the more impressive the result and the more narrative control the GM can give to the player, within reason and within keeping with the Idyllic England style. Going back to Tommy, if he had rolled two sixes the player could add, for example, “the stone lands perfectly on the lap of Sammy, who was tied to the chair against the far wall of the room”. Where the players fail their rolls (i.e. they don’t get a five or six) the GM can narrate their failure if he wants to. Alternatively, the GM may want to pass responsibility to the players to narrate both successes and failures. The GM can overrule anything that seems ‘out of place’, or if a player tries

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to narrate a failure into some sort of a success.

kids are too clever, too nice and altogether too goody-goody to be true. The villains on the other hand are generally a bit stupid and always have that ‘up to no good’ look about them. They are always frightening or of dubious character to the kids but not really that nasty when measured by today’s standards. The boys in Idyllic England wear shorts, except the older ones of 15 who might wear long trousers almost as a badge of seniority. The girls wear pretty dresses unless they can get out in their shorts without their parents seeing them. The tomboys tend to wear dungarees or shorts, like the boys, in the summer.

Getting better at doing things The kids in LoGB are at that age where they can learn new things very quickly. In game terms, this means that at the end of each adventure, the kids have an additional point to add to any one of the things they are good at or to gain a new one. The GM may award an additional point to any of the players for good role-play, within keeping with Idyllic England. These points are ‘spent’ in the same way as when creating a kid.

In Idyllic England things are always measured by the kids’ perspectives. Summers are always long and hot, adventure is everywhere the kids look and most other kids are stupid, because they are not in their gang. There are numerous camping holidays, cycling weekends, visits to long lost aunts and uncles, but mysteries and adventures are always never far behind.

About The Gang The kids always form themselves into a gang and give their gang a name. Choose (or select by a random method) an adjective from the first list and add it to something from the second list. This is the name of the gang.

Idyllic England Mysteries galore! Idyllic England is not a real place. It is a place that exists only in fiction. The

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About Useful stuff

GANG NAME, LIST #1

The following is a list of items that kids in Idyllic England might need on their adventures. They are listed in approximate order of importance to kid’s in Idyllic England, with Lashings of Ginger Beer coming top of the list, of course.

Admirable, Adventurous, Courageous, Dauntless, Dynamic, Fabulous, Famous, Fantastic, Fearless, Gallant, Glorious, Honourable, Legendary, Magnificent, Mysterious, Resolute, Secret, Terrific.

GANG NAME, LIST #2 Club, Crew, Gang, Dozen, Patrol, Squad, Trio, Troop, Duo, Trio, Quartet, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven.... etc

About Language In Idyllic England, the swear words that exist are not as they are today and the language used is much more quaint and old fashioned. Try to bear this in mind when playing the game. Here are a few words to help you: SOME IDYLLIC WORDS WORD/PHRASE Beastly Chums Corking Darn it! Dastardly Drat! Frightful Fuddy-duddy Higgledy-piggledy I say Jolly jape Prank Rotten luck Rotter Smashing Spiffing Wheeze Wizard!

ENGLAND

MEANS Nasty, horrible Friends, pals Great, brilliant An expletive Wicked, evil An expletive Terrible, awful Boring person messy, Listen up, look here, hello Good laugh Joke, trick Unlucky Idiot, Superb Wonderful Plan, caper Cool, excellent

You can choose one item from the list. You automatically have this item. It is yours. It was a birthday present off mum and dad or you bought it with saved-up pocket money or whatever. So if your kid could choose to have a bicycle or if your kid has a Hobby, Photography, then he could choose to have a camera. Once you have chosen your ‘free’ item, you can choose two more. Choose something you want your kid to have and roll a dice. If the dice comes up with a number that is equal to or higher than the number in brackets alongside the item then your kid has the item. If the number on the dice is higher, then your kid does not have it. Keep on rolling until your kid has a total of three items from the list. You cannot roll for the same thing twice.

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USEFUL STUFF LIST Ginger Beer (2) Bicycle (3) Two-man tent (4) Sleeping Bag (3) Bumper Boys Own Adventure Stories* (2) Scruffy Dog (4) Torch (2) Penknife (2) Wristwatch (2) Binoculars** (3) Camera (4) Sketchpad & pencils (2) Bag of Marbles (2) Bullseyes (sweets) (2) Aniseed Balls (sweets) (2) Ice Cream (2) Gobstoppers (sweets) (2) Buns & pop in a cafe (3) Big chocolate bar (2) Kids cinema ticket (2) Canoe & paddles (5) Rope (4) Fishing rod, hooks & gear (3) Cricket bat, pads, ball & stumps (3) Hockey Stick, ball and kit (3) Football boots and kit (3) Drums (5) Guitar (5) Trumpet (3) Violin (4) Milk, pint (2) Bread, loaf (2) Eggs, dozen (2) Bacon, 1lb (2) * Swots would have the ‘Big Book of Science’ or ‘1000 Amazing Facts’ instead. * Girls would have ‘Girls own Romantic Adventure Stories’ instead. ** Swots may prefer to have a microscope

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About Currency

About Pocket Money

Idyllic England uses pre-decimal currency; that is Pounds, Shillings & Pence. In LoGB it is best to avoid getting into this sort of detail - assume the kids always have a few shillings handy.

This is vital to kids. However it often gets spent on rubbish. Rather than slavishly keep track of money, the following rule applies. Kids must roll the number or less on the table at the beginning of each new adventure to see if they have saved enough pocket money to get any item they want. This assumes there are at least a few weeks between adventures.

About Getting Older These are not particularly important in Idyllic England. There is a kind of timelessness about the place. No matter how many adventures, mysteries and scrapes the kids get themselves into; they do not seem to get any older. Summer hols come and go, Easter breaks seem to occur with fantastic regularity and school seems to be something talked of in passing, but never encountered, like a thing of myth. As time does not really matter, neither do birthdays. An adventure or game session might involve a birthday once in a while (often somebody else’s, like one of the player character’s brother or cousin) but do not worry about them. Likewise Christmas is occasionally talked about (usually as a chance for some snowbound adventure) but otherwise it is just another holiday. You can let all kids take a free roll on the Useful Items table for Christmas, if you wish. Ignore ageing completely and simply play all the kids through all of their adventures as if time is not passing. For the most part time is irrelevant in Idyllic England, so why worry that your kids do not seem to grow up?

About Brothers & Sisters A kid’s brothers and sisters are important because it can mean extra birthday and Christmas presents. A bigger brother can also provide the means with which to threaten the local bully. A younger brother or sister can be a big disadvantage -you might have to put up with looking after them once in a while and the kid will always tell tales on you unless you bribe them. To determine how many you have, roll a d6 and subtract one from the result. This gives 0 to 5 brothers and sisters. Roll a dice for each - odd being a brother even being a sister. Then roll again for each - odd being older, even being younger. Roll another dice for each, being the age difference (from 1 to 6 years older or younger).

About Scruffy Dogs As a rule there will be only one scruffy dog in a gang. The kid who has a scruffy dog can train it. For each point of Clever the kid has, he can teach the dog

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Adventures

to obey a one-word command plus two free commands. So a kid with a Clever attribute of 2 can teach his dog four one-word commands. One of these must be to come when his name is called -so the dog must have a name.

The Big Top Adventure

EXAMPLE COMMANDS Sit, Worry, Chase, Attack, Guard, Lie, Fetch, Bark, Still, Beg, Heel and so on.

About Playing the game The aim of the game is to have a bit of fun. The rules are there as guidelines only as a bit of a framework upon which to base events. They may be ignored or tailored to suit individual gaming styles or simply to suit the situation. The rules are by no means realistic but they do help to set the style of role-playing in Idyllic England.

INTRODUCTION It is early in the summer holidays and Harry Zane's Circus has come to Brimchester (or wherever the game is set). The kids are full of anticipation and excitement. They saw the circus posters advertising the event weeks ago and have been saving their pocket money diligently in order that they can go. Some of them have even had to do extra chores around the house to be able to save up enough money for a ticket. GM’S INFORMATION Harry Zane is not only a Circus Owner, Showman and Ringmaster, but also an international criminal and dealer in sto-

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len antiques and art treasures. The Big Top is a perfect cover for his nefarious activities, which take him all over Europe. Three of the stars of the Circus are also in on Harry's shady activities. These are Hercules the Strongman, the Trapeze Artist Marco the Magnificent and Mr. Big the Midget Clown. What has brought Harry’s Circus to town is that the Brimchester Art Gallery and Museum are currently putting on a special display of work from the wellknown artist Victor Moylan. A while ago an American collector, Elmer West, approached Harry and commissioned him to obtain a ‘Moylan’ or two. ENTER THE KIDS The kids will be waiting in the queue to get their tickets to see the early evening show. From where they are standing they can see the hustle and bustle of the show/people wandering around amongst the tents and caravans -clowns on tall stilts, fire breathers in spangled clothes, possibly even an elephant or the lion cages at the back! How jolly exciting! When the kids are about to get their tickets, one of them gets jostled out of the way by a large sweating man in a pale suit and hat. The man (Elmer West) bursts through them shouting 'Out of my way you kids (I say, how rude!) and carries on through to the caravans and tents beyond. A ‘Spot Nasty Person’ roll will determine that he was not a pleasant type,

and will also enable the kid to see exactly which caravan the man was heading for (Harry Zane’s). A ‘Useless Facts’ roll would determine that the man had an American accent. The kids will get great seats right near to the front of the ringside so there is plenty of scope for the GM to get the kids involved in one or two of the acts. Perhaps one of the kids could be dragged out by the clowns and have a custard pie shoved in his face (or do the same to one of the clowns) or maybe a kid is made to stand against the target for the knife thrower who will surround the kid with well aimed knives (unless he or she moves!). The main purpose of this part of the adventure is to ensure the kids see Hercules the Strongman, Marco the Magnificent Trapeze Artist and Mr. Big the Midget Clown. Their acts should be described enough that the players take the hint but not overdone. Certainly other acts should receive attention too (Lion Tamers, Tightrope Walkers, Trampolinists and so on). Once the show is over and the crowd begins to disperse, the kids will notice the ‘Man in the Pale Suit’ approaching the Ringmaster (Harry Zane) and the two of them will be talking in hushed whispers and definitely acting suspiciously. Any kid that can sneak close enough will overhead snippets of the conversation, along the lines of: Ringmaster: “Yes, yes of course we'll get them tonight, don't worry” Man in Pale Suit: “Good I'll be bringing

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the money tomorrow night; you'd better have the goods” Ringmaster: “We're professionals, Mr. West, do not concern yourself, just have the right money with you, £2000, agreed?” Man in Pale Suit: “Yes, that's right, see you tomorrow and don't damage them”. The Ringmaster will then return to his caravan, where Mr. Big, Hercules and Marco are waiting in readiness for the robbery, which will be going ahead tonight.

down the wall of the building. NOTE In Idyllic England there are no sophisticated security devices, valuables are protected by simple locks and bars. Besides that there are very few real criminals in Idyllic England, which is not surprising with so many smart-alec kids about!

Any kids found snooping around the site after the show will be told to leave and if they do not take the hint they will be forcibly ejected. What rotten luck!

THE BRIMCHESTER CHRONICLE The burglary makes front-page news in the local newspaper. The kids will be able to read their parents copies, or will see the newspaper when they visit the shops to buy their bullseyes.

THE ROBBERY Harry Zane, Mr. Big, Marco and Hercules leave the Showground at the dead of night, in Harry Zane’s Jaguar motorcar, and drive into Brimchester and park in the alleyway at the back of the Brimchester Museum & Art Gallery.

The article mentions the forced window and bent bars, and the fact that nobody could possibly have climbed up the wall, Besides there is no-one so small as to be able to get through the bent bars; it has the local police force completely baffled!

Then Marco scales the wall to the third floor window of the old building taking a rope ladder with him, which he fixes to the bars of the window. He then climbs down and Hercules climbs up the ladder, forcing open the window and bending the bars enough for Mr. Big to squeeze through.

The kids should have ideas of their own, of course. There would be little point going to the police without further proof of their suspicions though. A further visit to the circus would seem to be in order. Hoorah!

Mr. Big then enters the Gallery and takes the paintings, passing them to Hercules who takes them down to Harry who puts them in the boot of his car. When Hercules and Mr. Big have done their bit, Marco again climbs the rope ladder, removes it and climbs back

TO THE CIRCUS AGAIN! The kids will have to find a way back into the Showground. Some may have enough money saved up to get tickets, but others may have to sneak in through one of the many gaps in the hedges surrounding the field, where the Big Top is sited.

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The action doesn't take place until after the show, so if the kids watch the acts again don't forget to mention the great strength of Hercules, the agility of Marco and the diminutive size of Mr. Big. By now the kids should be certain of who the robbers are. If the kids do not watch the show again, they will have to wait around until after the show and when the audience has departed. Sneaking around amongst the caravans is likely to be a hair-raising experience. There are all manner of show people wandering around; lions roar from their cages as the kids pass by, leashed dogs bark at them and so on. However, eventually the kids will find Harry Zane’s caravan. Standing on guard with his huge arms folded across his barrel-chest, is Hercules, still in his leopard-skin costume. The kids may be able to sneak to a window round the back, where they will be able to see The Man in the Pale Suit talking with Harry. On the table next to them is an open case with lots of money inside, and next to it are two large, flat, well-wrapped parcels! What the kids possibly do not realise, is that Mr. Big and Marco are patrolling nearby to ensure that Harry and Elmer are not disturbed. It is inevitable that one of the kids will be spotted by either Harry Zane (whilst they are peering through the window) using his ‘Spot Nosey Kids’ skill or by one of the other criminals outside. This

could develop as a chase amongst the tents and caravans outside as the kids scatter. Or Mr. Big could try to win one of the kids over with his ‘Makes Kids Laugh’ skill, and then nab one of them. CAPTURED! Eventually most of the kids will probably get caught. They will be rounded up and ushered into a spare tent where they will be tied up and gagged (try doing that to a kid these days!), whilst Elmer gets away and Harry decides what to do with them. If one of the kids gets away, he or she could go to the police. The police will take their time; questioning the kid very deliberately in a disbelieving fashion and pretending to take notes. They will constantly ask the kid if he/she wants some orange squash or ginger beer and biscuits. They listen attentively and repeat whatever the kid says “Oh, the Midget, I see” and “Aha, so the Circus people did it, did they?” and so on. ESCAPE! Back at the Showground one of the kids could try to work loose the bonds. If one of them succeeds they could un-tie the others. Then they must buy time for the police to arrive, or one of them could go to get help on his/her bicycle. The ones that stay around will see Harry Zane heading towards his car with the parcels under his arm. The kids may try to get the parcels from him. Or they could go to Harry Zane’s caravan and try to get the suitcase full of money.

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Basically the GM should let the players try anything which is a good idea and within the spirit of the Idyllic England setting. THE VILLAINS ARRESTED! Either way, the police can arrive just in the nick of time (provided at least one kid actually went for help), and after a chase and brief, not-too-violent struggle, arrest all of the villains and recover the paintings. The kids will be rewarded and of course get their pictures in the next edition of The Brimchester Chronicle. GM’S NOTES There are some additional ‘abilities’ in this scenario, especially for grown-ups. These are: SPOT NOSEY KIDS Works in a similar way to the kids’ skill of Spot Nasty Person. This is the ability to spot the sort of kids that are likely to report the villain to the police. SHOUT LOUDLY Enables grown-ups to stop kids in their tracks, whatever it is they are doing. MAKE KIDS LAUGH The skill of the clown to get the kids ‘on their side’ so that the Grown-up appears non-threatening.

THE VILLAINS DESCRIBED Elmer West, Art collector Tough 4, Deft 1, Clever 5, Charm 1 No skills of note Harry Zane, Showman & Criminal Tough 5, Deft 2, Clever 4, Charm 2 Shout Loudly 2 Spot Nosey Kids 2 Whip 2 Hercules, Circus Strongman Tough 6, Deft 1, Clever 2, Charm 2 Bend Iron Bars 3 Firm Grip 3 Mr. Big, Midget & Circus Clown Tough 4, Deft 3, Clever 2, Charm 3 Make Kids Laugh 3 Wriggle from grasp 2 Marco, Acrobat Tough 4, Deft 4, Clever 3, Charm 1 Acrobatics 4 Firm Grip 2 The skills listed are not the only skills these villains might have, but they are the more important ones that might crop up during the scenario.

FIRM GRIP This skill opposes the kids’ Wriggle from Grasp ability.

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The Mystery of

at night, have owls hoot in the woods, have the kids getting scratched on thorns and thistles, have branches of trees snag in their hair like bony fingers grasping at them.

The Haunted Castle

It would be best if the crooks have already gone by the time the kids get there and there will not be much to see until daylight in any event. However, when the kids start to search the castle, they will find tyre marks from the crooks’ vehicle and one of the more Clever kids may also find a piece of herringbone cloth torn from the jacket of one of the crooks.

GM’S INFORMATION Four crooks have robbed the local branch of the Mid Counties Bank and after a car chase have thrown off their police pursuers. They have found their way to the ruins of Brimchester Castle (in the dead of night) and have stashed the loot to be picked up in a few days, when the heat is off. INVOLVING THE KIDS Of course, the kids are camping in the woods at the foot of the hill upon which the castle is situated. At the dead of night, one of the PCs will awaken to the strange sounds and eerie lights coming from up at the castle. It is very spooky. The GM should play this bit up as much as possible. If the kids try to investigate

CLUES & MYSTERIES In the morning, or when the kids are next in town, they will see the report of the bank robbery in the local newspaper (the Brimchester Chronicle). They will also learn that there is a £100 reward for information leading to the recovery of the money. Later on in the day one of the kids could spot a ‘nasty person’ in the town with a torn herringbone jacket... The kids should not attempt to tackle these dangerous criminals themselves but should carry out sufficient investigations and obtain enough clues and evidence to be able to convince the police of what they are saying. Maybe the kids could even find the loot at the same time that the crooks return to pick it up, possibly resulting in foot and bicycle/car chases down the hill into town. There are many other ways this basic plotline can be developed.

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The Kid Nap Caper

KIDNAP! Whilst cycling through the centre of Brimchester (or the main town of your stories), one of the kids hears a plea for help from a car just passing by. In the car is a young boy who has obviously been crying, and is now apparently struggling with a woman in the back seat of the speeding car. The driver of the car (a black Wolsey) has shifty eyes and could be spotted as a ‘nasty person’. The kids can easily follow the car out of Brimchester on their bicycles, to a large house a mile or so into the country. The house is hidden behind a large gate, high wall and thick bushes. If the kids wriggle through the bushes or watch from the gate, they will see the boy struggling with the two grown-ups as they take him into the house.

GM’S INFORMATION This is the only adventure in this book where there are actually no villains and no nefarious deeds taking place. The kids are supposed to assume there is something going on and it is your job to make sure they get hooked into the mystery. The kids are meant to believe that there has been a kidnap. In actual fact the ‘kidnappers’ are the boy’s uncle and aunt; they are looking after Thomas whilst his parents are away on a business trip. They do not actually mistreat the boy, but having no children of their own, they have very little patience with him. It doesn't help that he is such a spoiled brat.

WATCHING THE HOUSE By now the kids should be hooked. If they attempt to watch the house they will see that one or other of the adults is with the boy at all times when playing in the garden. At some point, when the boy is in his room (upstairs, and visible from the bushes) he will have seen the kids watching the house and will throw a hastily scrawled note out of the window which says that his name is Thomas and that he has been kidnapped by these nasty people, and they must rescue him. THE RESCUE If things go the right way, the kids will plan a daring rescue or they may try to tell the police. In the former case they

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will need to get rope or a ladder (there is one round the back of the house) to help get the boy out of his room (perhaps under the cover of darkness). They will then discover what a brat the boy is and when he has had enough of the game he will demand that he is taken back to his aunt and uncle. In the latter case, the police will require more than just the kids’ suspicions that Thomas has been kidnapped, to bring them round to the house. However, if the kids do convince the police, they will be in real hot water when the truth of the affair becomes clear!

Camp Raids GM’S INFORMATION This short scenario can be introduced to another adventure as a kind of sub-plot or, can be used as a short stand-alone session on its own.

return to their camp site having had a day’s adventure in the nearby town or on the beach or up at the castle, and find all their tents pulled down, their camping gear strewn around the place, up trees, hidden in bushes and so on. It will take hours to sort out. Nothing is seriously damaged or broken kids in Idyllic England do not do that sort of thing, but it should be enough for the kids to want revenge. How that revenge is taken is up to the player characters. They might sneak to the ‘enemy’ camp and do the same with their tents. Or they might set a trap and ambush the enemy gang. There are plenty of ways they can get their own back. Note: The enemy gang will have the same number of kids in it as the player characters.

The idea is that a gang of kids local to Bassett Wood often camp near to the stream during their summer hols. They are very territorial and will not like it if another bunch of kids camp nearby. The action takes place when the PCs also decide to camp in the woods downstream from the local gang. RUMBLE IN THE WOODS The kids are on their camping hols and Bassett Wood looks like an ideal place to pitch their tents. They pitch their tents about half a mile from the other gangs’ camp. The kids will first know of it when they

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The Mysterious Manor

get to see all the animals on the farm! GM’S INFORMATION In the woods near the farm is the old Gresham Manor, which is reputed to be haunted. This reputation generally keeps people away from the place, which has been deserted for 20 years or more. However, it is this reputation that makes Gresham Manor such an ideal place for a bunch of crooks to set up their printing presses, in the disused cellar of the house and to go about their criminal business of forging banknotes. It is of course intended that the kids somehow stumble across this activity and once again save the day! Just what would Idyllic England do without them, huh? ON THE TRAIN The Summerswold Hills are about two hours away by train. As train journeys themselves are such fun, this in itself should prove to be a great day.

INTRODUCTION One of the kids has an aunt and uncle who live on a farm in the Summerswold Hills and who have invited their nephew or niece and his or her friends to stay on the farm with them for a week of the summer (or Easter) holidays. This is absolutely smashing, because near to the farm are some hills to go hiking and climbing, and some woods to explore and no doubt adventures to be found! Uncle Fred and Aunt Mavis are also wonderful, because they make some great dinners and teas and they will let you stay up really late. And you

Whilst on the train, have the players make Spot Nasty Person rolls to see a thin-faced weasely looking man in a pin-striped suit and carrying a briefcase, glaring at them. A little later the man will leave his seat and one of the kids will notice that he has dropped a piece of paper. The piece of paper turns out to be a crisp new £1 note. Any kid studying it closely may notice that it looks a little ‘odd’, especially if he/she has another to compare it against. Chasing after the man to return the note is possible. If the kid catches up with the Thin Man and returns the note, the

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man will snatch the money back and, without a word of thanks turn and stride away with a ‘huff’. This will probably soon be forgotten as the kids arrive in Summerswold Station, where they will be met by Uncle Fred in his old farm truck and driven the few miles along winding country lanes, up into the hills to the farm. Aunt Mavis has prepared a super tea of hot buttered crumpets and jam with huge wedges of fruitcake and, of course, lashings of ginger beer. The kids will have a little time after tea to look around the farm, and watch Uncle Fred fetching the cows in before they are ready for bed.

how you want to play it. The kids may explore the Manor getting in through a broken window or whatever and find the printing press in the basement, with the building empty. Of course, the forgers could return, while the kids are snooping around. Or the kids could hear strange sounds from within (the presses going) and move closer to see what is going on…. Or they could see a thin man they recognize (from the train) going into the house…. From here play it as you see appropriate but make sure that it is an exciting adventure!

The Secret of Demon Rocks

INTO THE WITCHWOODS In the morning the kids will most likely want to explore their surroundings and a good place to start would seem to be the woods, which can be seen growing over the hills about half a mile away. Uncle Fred is already out working, but after breakfast Aunt Mavis will ask the kids where they are going. When they mention the Woods, she will tell them that the woods are called The Witchwoods and that they are to be careful. She will also pack them some sandwiches so that they do not need to come back for lunch. She will however tell them that tea will be at six o'clock. THE MANOR HOUSE Whilst the kids are wandering around in the woods, they will eventually come across the Manor. How you deal with this depends on what the kids do, and

INTRODUCTION The uncle of one of the kids has written to the kid’s parents recently. In his letter he mentions that he has recently inherited an old disused lighthouse from his old great-aunt. How she came by it is a mystery to him, but he says in his letter that he has been there to look it over and it is a solid-built affair, near to the village of Shoremouth, on the south Cornish coast. What he hasn’t yet decided is what to do with his wonderful lighthouse! However, he is thinking of doing it up and using it for holiday lettings. In the meantime (his letter goes on to say), “if little ……….. (the kid’s name) and his friends want to have somewhere exciting to stay for the holidays, he would happily let them be the first to try out

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the lighthouse”! He says that he has left a key with old Jeremiah Boodle in the village, if the kids are allowed to go and he will let Mr. Boodle know when the kids are coming to stay so they can get the key from him. Directions to Mr. Boodle’s cottage are included. A lighthouse! What an adventure! MR. JEREMIAH BOODLE After the train and taxi journey, the kids will find Jeremiah Boodle’s cottage in Shoremouth. Outside the cottage on a small hand-painted board is a sign that reads “Captain J Boodle. The only real guide to the Wrecker’s Caves. Tours start here daily”.

He is an old man, at least a hundred (the kids will reckon). As he hands them the keys to the lighthouse he says “Of course, it’s on the Demon Rocks, you know. Them’s awful dangerous when it whips up a storm. That’s why the lighthouse was built. Course, that put paid to the Wreckers too.” If the kids press him, Jeremiah will tell them more. “The Wreckers was livin’ in the village. There was three of ‘em. Dangerous fellows they was. They made a livin’ steerin’ ships into the rocks and then takin’ the stuff the ship was carryin’. Then the lighthouse was built, so the Wreckers made one last haul. They heard of a treasure ship that was due by, and so they snuck into the lighthouse, clobbered the keeper and turned out the light. They then put a light further along the shore, so that the ship thought it was missin’ the Demon Rocks, but it crashed right into ‘em. Wrecked it were. Then, as they was down at the rocks picking up the treasure, the keeper awoke and sounded the alarm. Well, them Wreckers was eventually caught, and put in prison, where they rotted, but the treasure was never found, to this day.” Jeremiah goes on “There’s plenty of caves down there, the place is riddled with ‘em. People thinks the Wreckers managed to hide the treasure, but despite all the searchin’ it ain’t never been found.” He then asks “I s’pose you kids would like to see the caves, wouldn’t you?” Assuming the kids say yes, arrange-

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ments can be made for the following day. THE LIGHTHOUSE A half a mile out of the village along a track through some rough terrain, the kids will find some cliffs overlooking the sea. Set in the cliffs are some steps leading down a little way to a causeway. At the other end of the causeway is a little rocky island with dangerous rocks all around it atop which sits the lighthouse. The fact there is a causeway may not be lost on the kids -the island will be cut off from time to time. (A kid who makes a Clever roll, plus any appropriate skill, maybe Geography will realise this).

EXPLORING FURTHER Looking out across the sea, the village of Shoremouth can be seen as can another larger, more modern lighthouse, across the other side of the bay. The kids can settle down and explore the island (such as it is) from here. They can also see some caves in the cliffs, probably the ones that they are going to see tomorrow with Mr. Boodle. (If a player suggests that his kid wants to go to the caves now, remind them of the tiring journey, the need to get themselves sorted out and fed and so on. After tea and suchlike, it gets darker, it begins to rain and the sea starts to get up a bit, beginning to cover the causeway).

Anyway, at the moment the causeway is clear and the kids can go across to the lighthouse, which isn’t that large and has an old look about it. Kids can make a Snoop roll to spot that above the door is a date (1850) indicating when it was built. The lighthouse is arranged on 3 floors-the entrance floor includes a small kitchen area, the next floor is the bathroom and separate wc and the upstairs room is a small bedroom. In the bedroom is a metal ladder fitted to the wall, which leads up to a trapdoor in the ceiling, opening out to the outside and a balcony running around the whole upper area, which houses the oil-powered light in the middle. There is also a large bell up here.

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THE WRECKER’S CAVES This bit of the adventure is designed to allow the GM to give his players more information and leads if he feels they need them to resolve the mystery of the whereabouts of the treasure later. Mr. Boodle tells them that the cliffs are riddled with caves, which is why the treasure, if there ever was any, hasn’t been found yet. It doesn’t stop people looking though! He even mentions that there are rumoured to be caves under the lighthouse. A NASTY MEETING Partway round their tour, the group will have a run-in with two shifty looking characters Albert Sloop and Barney Gribbens. One of the kids will spot them trailing them and listening in on what Jeremiah and the kids are saying. The men, when spotted will come out and sneer at Jeremiah, telling him to stay away, the caves are theirs and they run the tours around here and such like. It becomes very nasty and Jeremiah will take the kids away from the men who threaten him and tell him not to come back or it will be the worse for him. Jeremiah will explain to the kids as they are leaving the caves that these two scoundrels have been looking for the treasure for years, since they came to the area from ’up north’. As they haven’t found the loot, they are trying to take Jeremiah’s trade away from him and have been taking tours through the caves themselves, whilst keeping an eye on anyone who comes and goes, in case they find anything. He says they’ve even threatened him with harm from

time to time, as a measure of how dangerous they are! WHAT NEXT? From here there are many ways to go with this adventure. The kids will probably want to explore the caves on their own (in fact this would be a good idea if they don’t suggest it themselves, you could steer them towards it). In the caves, they would then need to find more evidence of a cave under their lighthouse - a very small passage leading off in the right direction that only a little kid (good at Wriggle from Grasp) can get through, to see a small cave beyond, which even he cannot get into. Or perhaps the scruffy dog runs off and comes back minutes later with a gold coin in his mouth. The villains have suspected that there is a cave under the lighthouse for a long while and overhearing the kids in the tunnels convinces them. They decide to go to the lighthouse itself to explore. The kids will not all be able to get down the passage, but their lighthouse might hold a clue. They might think to go back and search it. If they do, under an old reed mat on the ground floor is a rusty iron trapdoor. After a struggle they can get it open and will see (with the aid of lamps or torches) a cave below, with an iron ladder fixed to the wall leading into the darkness. A thorough search below will reveal a cave with cracks and crevices and hidden in a crevice is a sack with gold coins inside, some spilling out as the

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sack has rotted. However, as they search, Sloop and Gribble come to get the treasure. They will get it off the kids and shut them in! They are hopeful that this will buy them time to get far away from here long before the kids are found. However, they haven’t bargained for these kids! GETTING AWAY! There must be a way for the kids to escape. Go with anything reasonable - the trapdoor hinges snap or one of the kids can wriggle through a gap or whatever. When they do get out though, they see the tide is in and the causeway is covered. They can see the villains just clambering up the cliff steps with the gold coins. If they don’t think about it, you might need to help the players here. The light in the lighthouse still works. So does the bell. It would make a great alarm! The local police will soon round up Sloop and Gribbens and the kids will be able to claim treasure trove and receive a handsome amount of money for their trouble. THE VILLAINS DESCRIBED Albert Sloop Tough 4, Deft 1, Clever 4, Charm 2 Spot Nosey Kids 2 Barney Gribbens Tough 5, Deft 1, Clever 3, Charm 1 Shout Loudly 2

Firm Grip 2

ABOUT LASHINGS OF GINGER BEER This was the first role playing game I wrote. It must have been around 1985. LoGB was a much different beast then and used a percentile system. After playing it a few times, it went away into a folder on my RPG bookshelf for a few years. I then broke it out to play a few more times, after which I submitted it to Valkyrie Magazine (sadly now long gone). I was pleased that it was accepted for publication; appearing in Issue # 7. A few years later, I worked on LoGB some more and, in about 2001, I released it as a free pdf download on the Web, with a couple of other free RPGs . It was at this stage, I thought about publishing the game for sale. In 2003, after another rewrite and adding a bunch of adventures, I started selling the pdf on RPGNow. It sold slowly but steadily, always to positive reviews. I also printed up a few copies (less than 50) on my home printer, put them in zip-lock bags and sold them locally and on ebay. These might be collector’s copies in years to come! After a limited print run via LULU, LoGB has now found its place in this little collection of three rpgs. I hope my little homage to Enis Blyon’s Famous Five will bring you as much fun as it has brought me over the years. Simon W

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IT’S A DOG’S LIFE WHAT IS THIS? ________________________________________________ It’s a Dog’s Life is a role-playing game (RPG). In RPGs the action takes place in the imagination of the players rather than on a board as in other types of game. By using a set of rules as a framework, the players create game characters (player characters or PCs which, in this game, are prairie dogs) to act as their alter egos, living in the world they have created. In essence, the players are creating a story as they go and much of the story is simply a verbal interchange between the players. One of the players takes the role of

the gamesmaster (GM). This player has the task of creating the adventures, much like an author writing a story. (Interestingly, It’s a Dog’s Life has been described as ‘Watership Down’ on the Great Plains). However, unlike an author, the GM doesn’t always know what the characters will do. This is because the other players are playing those characters. The GM directs the flow of the game, describes the things that the characters see and hear (and smell and taste) and speaks for the other characters (critters) that they come across during the course of the adventure. Sometimes the outcome of a character’s action is not a foregone conclusion and this is where these rules will help. These rules describe

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how the GM and players can determine the success or otherwise of the actions of their prairie dogs as they adventure across the plains. This is a deliberately ‘rules-light’ game. This means that there are not rules for everything that characters might want to do, but the rules are simple enough to cater for most things with a little judgment. Even so, if the rules start getting in the way of telling a good story, then ignore them or use them sparingly. It’s a Dog’s Life is a fantasy game, but not in the traditional sense of elves, dwarves, magic and swordplay. The prairie dogs in this game take the place of the heroes that you might be used to playing. Although It’s a Dog’s Life is fantasy it does have its basis in reality and a lot of what is written about prairie dogs in these rules is taken from fact. There are more reallife facts about prairie dogs in the last chapter of this book, just in case you are interested. Some of these facts might even find their way into your own games and they will certainly help you understand more about these interesting critters. However, the game is not about playing real prairie dogs but fantasy ones. So don’t let real-life natural history rule your games - after all this is a game, so just go and have some fun with it!

Dice in the game In most role-playing games dice are used to judge whether a character succeeded at a task and It’s a Dog’s life is no different in this respect. The dice used are twenty-sided dice (denoted as d20) and standard six-sided dice (denoted as d6). Sometimes more than one d6 will be rolled and this is denoted by a number in front of the ‘d6’, so if 2 dice are needed, the notation would be 2d6.

Sometimes a number is to be added to or subtracted from the result of the dice roll. That would be denoted as d6+1, or d6-1 and so on. Occasionally, these rules talk about d3 or d2. In the former case, this means that the result of the dice roll is divided by two (rounded up) and in the second case, the result is divided by 3 (in effect a 1, 2 or 3 =1 and a 4, 5 or 6 = 2). D20 The d20 is used when rolling to see whether an ability has been used successfully or not. The number rolled needs to be lower than the target number. D6 The d6 is used when creating your character attributes and when rolling for damage in Tooth & Claw; in this case, generally speaking, the higher the number, the better.

Example of role-play GM: Recently some dogs have gone missing including the healer, Sedge. He was last seen yesterday around sunrise, harvesting some plants that grow a short distance from Great Home. Nicky: (playing a Brave called BurrowDigger) That’s not good, is he our only Healer? GM: No, fortunately, but he is a very wise dog, who is thought to grow the best crop of Dropseed anywhere. He also brought back a mighty Brave from death once, with a single Bark. Nicky: Wow, very skilled! GM: Yes and several Scouts including Moon-Dog and Swiftly-Finds-Stuff wish to go and find him. But they need a strong Brave and they ask you and

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your twin brother, Dark-Paw (a Sentinel) to go with them.

GREAT HOME

Steve: (Speaking as Dark-Paw) “Sister, I think we must go with them and find what has happened to Sedge”.

________________________________________________

Nicky: “Yes, you are right brother. Moon-Dog, we will go with you and Swiftly-Finds-Stuff, if you show us the way”.

I am Talks-With-Birds, the High Speaker of Great Home. I speak for High Chief Strong-Heart and it falls upon me therefore, to tell you something about the way we live.

GM: You all begin to scamper through the wilderness of the prairie. It is particularly dry at the moment and dust begins to settle in your fur as you travel. You come to the outer edges of the town past the older disused burrows and growing plots. Make a Watching Ability roll; if you do not have Watching, the default is your dog’s Alertness. Nicky: Burrow-Digger has not got Watching, but Alertness is 3 and (rolls a dice) I rolled a 15….oops! Not good. Steve: Aha, of course Dark-Paw does have Watching 3, and with his Alertness of 5, I need 8. I rolled 4 any good? GM: You see a small speck of red liquid. You have seen this stuff before. Blood! Steve: “LOOK!” says Dark-Paw, speaking sharply but quietly. GM: The Scouts offer to look around and they easily follow the path of blood and the sick smell gets stronger. Nicky: “This isn't good. We should be careful” GM: suddenly you come upon the disturbing and sickening body of a dismembered prairie dog…………..and so on. The game is afoot!

The Tribe

Strong-Heart has his burrow right in the middle of our town of Great Home. In his burrow are his own personal chambers and the chambers of his immediate family, called his Tribe. The Lodge is also here and it is in this hallowed hall that the Great Councils take place between Strong-Heart and all the other Tribal Chiefs. Of course, Tribal Speakers also attend the Great Council, so the Lodge is well known to me. We use it for our own Tribal Councils too. We are the Dawn Eagle Tribe and we are ably led by Strong-Heart and his mate Berry. Then there is myself and the ten other Elders of the Tribe together with our own mates and pups and other adults. The Elders are: Leaf-Paw, the Healer (my own mate), Storm and Crow-Face the Sentinels, the Scouts Wander-Free and Lone-Dog and the Braves ManyScars, Snaggle-Tooth, Stone-Paw and Torn-Ear. The remaining adults have no particular role in our family other than to share food gathering duties, dig new chambers, look after the young pups, clean out our burrows and so on. Some of them are old and just happy that they are still useful to the Tribe and others are yet young and eager to take up more challenging roles when they are ready.

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Our Tribal Totem, the Dawn Eagle comes from our legendary hero FliesWith-Eagles. She taught us our Tribal Bark, which has been passed down many generations and many of our traditions come from her time, like the Tradition of Feathers. This is where young adults are first given their official Roles in the Tribe. At this stage, we hold a ceremony whereby they receive their first feather, denoting their new status. Later, additional feathers can be awarded for acts of bravery and so on, as when Flies-With-Birds fought the Eagle to save her pups. Anyway, I digress. Our lands consist of a number of burrows and chambers connected by tunnels. Just beneath the entrance to our homes we have built a listening post so that our Senti-

nels can wait and check for sounds before risking their heads by looking out of the entrance hole. Above ground, we construct mounds for our Sentinels to have a good view of the surrounding area. From here they can watch for predators whilst our pups play and whilst Leaf-Paw and her helpers work on their plots, tending the plants that grow all around our tribal lands. The burrows of the other tribes that make up Great Home radiate out from our home burrows like the rays from the sun. The nearer burrows are reserved for the tribes of the greatest status. This is a simple question of the size and the strength of the tribe.

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The most fertile soils are right here in the centre of Great Home. This is where the grasses and plants are more succulent and receive the attention of the best Healers of Great Home. Most of the burrows are connected by one route or another underground, but only the Scouts know all of the underground ways. Journeys across town are usually quicker using the bestknown paths, which are normally partly above and partly below. Sentinels guard the entrances and exits of the common ways. The further out from the centre of Great Home you go, the tougher life is for the tribes that live there. On the outer fringes of the town, a little less than half a day away, the tribes are the smallest and have the least status. They are the first to be attacked when there are predators about, their crops are the poorest and beyond them is only the vast open expanse of the untamed prairie. These lesser tribes often have no Speaker or Healer and so tend to be poorly represented at Tribal Councils (if their Chiefs bother to attend at all) and they often rely upon other tribes for help when they have sickness or injury. Their Scouts are amongst the most adventurous though and they know the most about what exists

beyond the outer reaches of the town. The burrows nearer the centre change paws from time to time as tribes gain in strength and others lose some of their power or status. Sometimes there are skirmishes between the tribes and these can lead to raids and open slaughter. The Councils are where grievances are supposed to be aired, but this doesn’t always happen. So it is a constant battle for tribes to maintain their position. We have to ensure that one day, when the time is right, our Chief Strong-Heart is replaced by a powerful Brave, lest one of the other tribes seek to usurp our own place at the centre of Great Home. Fortunately, that day is far off, as Strong-Heart is still in the full flush of his vigour and youth.

Feather Tradition The Tradition of Feathers is an old one dating back to the time of Flies-WithEagles. Although the eagle is our Totem, feathers of many different kinds can be worn. Other tribes have adopted the tradition, even though their own Totems might be some other critter. Some tribes don’t use feathers as adornments - they use bits of twigs, old bones, sharp thorns or porcupine quills - sometimes pushed

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through their ears or other parts. Within the Tribe, wearing feathers denotes the status of the wearer. Initially, one feather is awarded for a dog that is given a Role within the Tribe. For many members of the Tribe, this is the height of their status and they are never awarded more than one. Other, more adventurous dogs go on to be decorated with two or more feathers. The feathers are held in place by a cunning method. First of all, a dog chews the quill of the feather so that it becomes rough and serrated. Then a paste of plant juices and special saps is applied to give the serrated edges extra hold. Once in place, the feather will normally hold good for many moons before it needs fixing again.

Ceremony For the purposes of the game, you can assume that the player characters have already received their first feather. In fact, a great place to start your campaign might actually be at the Feathering Ceremony itself. All the player characters could be young pups who have just been assigned their Roles and are together in the Lodge nervously awaiting the arrival of Chief StrongHeart with the feathers that mark their new status in the Tribe.

and a lot of playful frolicking takes place afterwards (if you get my drift). Our Sentinels need to be extra watchful on these occasions and I take great pains to ensure that all of the Dreamcatchers hanging around the Lodge are in perfect condition in case a ferret or coyote should be wandering past.

Earning more feathers

Feathering Ceremony A prairie dog is awarded her first feather when she has been assigned a Role in the Tribe. This feather is presented by Chief Strong-Heart in a grand Feathering Ceremony. The whole ceremony is presided over by myself and is a moment of great pride for the recipient and great joy for the rest of the Tribe. Much merrymaking

Whilst most dogs only ever receive the one feather, some dogs go on to earn further feathers, normally for acts of bravery but there are other things that can earn a dog a feather. Braves will obviously earn feathers for courageous acts, outStancing dangerous enemies, lead-

Feathers You note the number of feathers that your dog has won on your character sheet, in the space provided. Each feather gives your prairie dog extra status within the Tribe. A dog with two feathers is always classed as a Tribal Elder and this has its own privileges. However, the personal effect on a dog with a feather or two is extraordinary. A feather seems to instil a sense of selfbelief and pride, a feeling that the dog is protected by the spirits of the dogs of the ancient Legends. This translates, in game terms, to a resource that can be drawn upon from time to time during the game session, to improve a character’s chances of succeeding at actions they would otherwise have failed at. For each feather that a dog has, she can draw upon this inner spirit once per adventure, to add a bonus of +2 to a single dice roll and turn a failure into a success. There is more about this in the chapter headed Abilities. If a feather is used in this way, it doesn’t go ‘away’, it is available to be used again in the same way in the next adventure.

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ing the Tribe to victory over another tribe and so on. Healers may earn feathers for finding a cure for the Black Death or nursing an important Tribal Elder back to health after injury. Scouts can earn feathers for finding new sources of food or for locating new lands to build new towns.

Dreamcatchers An extension of the Feather tradition; Dreamcatchers are fetishes made by Speakers and Healers of great power and wisdom. Dreamcatchers are crafted to protect against certain predators and to drive them away. There will usually be Dreamcatchers all around The Lodge to protect the Tribe whilst they are at their Councils. I have made many Dreamcatchers in my time – sometimes alone and sometimes working with others. They are made using several varieties of grasses and feathers from different birds and imbued with power in a ritual known only to a few of us. Making Dreamcatchers The type of critter is specified beforehand (because the feathers and grasses used differ for each critter type, as does the arrangement and design of the fetish). Three different types of grass and the feathers from two different types of bird are required in the making of a Dreamcatcher. In addition, the praire dog must have Plant Lore, Critter Lore and Wisdom all of 4 or greater, before they can make one. Of course, 2 or 3 dogs working together can make a Dreamcatcher, provided each requisite is covered by one or more of the dogs. It also requires successful Very Hard Critter Lore and Plant Lore rolls, otherwise all it is a very interesting but useless trinket. A Dreamcatcher will only work once against one critter of the type it was designed to ward against. Once used, it no longer has the power against the critter and a new one must be made. However, if all the rolls are successful in the making, it will never fail. How long the critter stays away is another matter!

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Daubing

those far away days, these were our enemies.

Speakers have devised a way of mixing mud of various hues (sometimes mixed with plant extracts for extra variety) and daubing this mixture onto the fur of prairie dogs—Braves and Scouts are particularly keen on these markings and they often wear them when preparing for battle or adventure as a kind of ‘war paint’. The designs are stylised and based on the shapes and markings of various critters of the prairie.

Then one day, those prairie dogs having gathered together were merrymaking and dancing outside their homes. As they were continuing in this way, Coyote arrived among them. Coyote said, “You are all dancing?” “Yes”, they replied. “All of you shut your houses tightly. We will dance. All keep coming, all keep coming”, said the Coyote. “All of you dancing, holding paws with each other; come with your eyes tightly closed”. So, the prairie dogs closed up their tunnels with the rocks they used for that purpose and began to dance with Coyote. As they danced Coyote grinned a wicked grin showing his sharp teeth. From one end of the long line of dancers, he came biting them. One of the more wary prairie dogs hadn’t shut his eyes as tightly as the others, for he was not taken in. He saw that Coyote was biting the dancers. That one, whose name was Watcher said, “Everyone Run! He is come killing us!”

TRIBAL LEGENDS ________________________________________________

The Prairie Dog and the Coyote (Adapted from Native American Folklore) Long ago it is said that somewhere out there beyond the big prairie, prairie dogs had a town. It is also known that the ancient prairie dogs used to roll big rocks over their burrows at night whilst they were sleeping to keep out the rattler and the ferret as even in

Those ones who heard Watcher ran to their homes. As they were unable to get into their burrows quickly because they had closed the entrances, Coyote continued biting. The Coyote then piled together all he had bitten and ate a great feast. Prairie dogs no longer bar the entrances to their homes and always ensure that their Sentinels are watchful in case Coyote should ever come back to trick his way into their towns.

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Thunderhoof and Kynos For a long time Bison ruled the plains. They roamed where they wanted and because of their huge size, were untroubled by coyotes and eagles who hunted smaller prey. Kynos, The Lord of the prairie dogs being mindful of what Coyote had done to another town, saw that the plains could be a safe home to both dogs and bison. So went out to find Thunderhoof, the Lord of the Bison to seek his permission to live on the plains.

Thunderhoof laughed at the audacity of the little dog that approached him and was tempted to squash him under his mighty hoof. However, Kynos persisted and said “If you let us build our homes on your plains, we will forever tend the crops and grasses that grow there and in doing so will ensure that even in times of drought there is food to sustain all of us”. Thunderhoof was impressed with the fearlessness of the prairie dog and could see how this arrangement would benefit his herd. He was particularly aware of the suffering that his herd

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had endured the last time that drought came to the plain. So he removed his hoof from over Lord Kynos and nodded his great shaggy head in assent. Since that day, prairie dogs and bison have become great friends. Kynos brought his tribe to the prairie and founded the First Town, which he named Thundertown after the Bison Lord.

The Scout and the Owl (Adapted from Native American Folklore) Once, long, long ago, there stood a large prairie dog town at the base of a mountain. This town may or may not have been Thundertown, the tale is not clear. All around about the base of this mountain were the sky-holes and door-mounds and pathways of the grandfathers of the prairie dogs. At the very top of the mount was the home of a wise old Burrowing-owl. One summer it rained and it rained and it rained. As it rained, so the waters rose to the tops of the dog’s best crops of dropseed and blue grama. The prairie dogs did not like this for it made them wet and threatened their homes. Then the prairie dogs began to curse the rain, for they could no longer go to the fields to collect food. The Elders decided to call a Great Council. Every-dog trooped to the council, which was gathered in the Great Lodge. “Now,” said the chief, who may or may not have been Lord Kynos, for again the tale is unclear, “Our fields are flooded. We are short of leg and we can't go into the lakes to gather food, and here we are therefore going hungry”. They talked and talked but could find

no answer until at last a young Scout piped up that it would be well to apply to their grandfather, the Burrowingowl, who lived in the top of the mountain. The Scout, called Swift-Paw, was chosen as messenger to the Burrowing-owl. He climbed to the top of the mountain and respectfully asked the owl for his help. The old grandfather Burrowing-owl, asked what the matter was. “My grandfather,” said the prairie dog, "in council we have considered how to stop the rains; but all of our efforts and devices are quite futile, so that we are forced to apply to you." “Ah, indeed,” said the old Owl, scratching the corner of his eye with his claw. “Go down home, and I will see what I can do tomorrow morning. As you all know very well, I am a Speaker. I will set aside four days for fasting and meditation and sacred labours. Please await the result.” The youngster humbly bade him farewell and departed for his town below. Next morning the Burrowing-owl gathered a large quantity of beans, of the kind that smell not pleasantly. He went about for a long time, hunting at the roots of bushes. At last he found one of those ill-smelling beetles, with its head stuck way down in the midst of the roots. He grabbed him up and took him home. When he arrived there, he gave the beetle a great pile of beans to eat. Then, when the beetle had finished, he placed another great pile before him. The beetle ate them all till he was broad of girth. While the feast was going on the Owl found round piece of buckskin and he was running a thread of twisted

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grasses round about the edge of it with his beak and claws, leaving two strings at either side, like the strings with which one draws together a pouch. Then he grasped the beetle and squeezed the beetle into the bag. Not so strongly that he was killed, but so that he exhaled a great deal of foul wind into the bag. The bag was swelled until it was so full with struggling wind that it could hardly be tied up. When the morning of the fourth day came, and the rain still continued, in fact increased, the old Owl took the bag of wind out to the mount before his doorway. Now, you know that if one goes near a Tip-beetle and disturbs him, that Tipbeetle will rear himself on his hands and head and disgorge breath of so pungent a nature that nobody can withstand it. Woe to the nose of that dog that is in the neighbourhood! It will be so seared with this overpowering odour that it cannot sneeze, though desiring never so much to do so. You also know how too many beans affect a dog. Conceive then, the power of the medicine contained in that little bag.

emptying it of its contents, and the sky was as clear as it is on a summer's day. Out from their holes trooped the prairie dogs, and sitting up on their haunches all round about the mountain, they shouted at the tops of their shrill voices, in praise of their great Speaker, the Grandfather Burrowingowl. Behold, thus it was in the days of the ancients. And for that reason prairie-dogs and burrowing-owls have always been great friends.

The Eagle and the Brave The Brave, Broken-Paw (named after an injury from a fall as a pup) was watching over her pups one day, when a nearby Sentinel let out a warning bark that told of the approach of a mighty eagle. Broken-Paw tried in vain to get all her pups to safety, but the shadow that passed overhead told her that she was too late. Without thinking, she leapt towards the massive feathered beast

The old Owl hit the bag one whack of his wing. The clouds, before so thick, glaring with lightning, trembling and swirling with thunder, now began to thin out in the zenith and depart, and the sunlight sifted through. The Owl hit the bag another stroke, behold, afar off scudded the clouds as before a fierce blast. Again the old Owl hit the bag with a huge beat of his wing. The clouds were resting on the far away mountain-tops before he had lowered his wing. Then, with one mighty effort, he gave the bag a final whack, wholly

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that was swooping down on her terrified pups. She hit the eagle and dug her claws and teeth into its side. The startled eagle took off not expecting such a savage attack, taking the fearless prairie dog with him. The eagle managed to hook her into his sharp talons and sped off towards the mountains with its struggling prey. Broken-Paw was not yet finished. She bit into the eagle’s leg and started to draw blood. The eagle was in pain and decided that there must be easier ways to eat and so dropped the prairie dog, who fell a long way down to the earth. Broken-Paw was badly broken again, but the Sentinels had seen where she fell and directed the Scouts to find her. They brought her back to be healed and found gripped tightly in her teeth an eagle feather. It was this, they say, that slowed her fall and saved her life. She earned her new name Flies-WithEagles and so began the Tradition of Feathers - the wearing of feathers in the fur, both for passing into adulthood and for acts of bravery.

The Sentinel and the Locust Now many moons ago there was a town out on the prairie where lived the Sentinel, Stands-Tall. The Dark Death had been striking at every town across the prairie at this time and no-dog knew the cause, but the town was afraid and the Sentinels were alert for danger. Now a little locust came hopping along to the edge of Stands-Tall’s vision. Many Sentinels had ignored the little locust for they are no threat to town or

tribe. However, Stands-Tall was ever cautious and shouted to the locust to go away. The locust smiled and said “But I am not harmful to you”. The Sentinel remained firm and said again “Leave our town, or I will bite you” and with that the locust left. Now I am not saying that locusts are responsible for bringing down the Dark Death, but what I will say is that the plague persisted and for many moons other Tribes suffered horribly. However, not one prairie dog from StandsTall’s town has ever died from the Dark Death since that day.

CHARACTERS ________________________________________________

Creating your character The first step for a player of It’s a Dog’s Life is to make a prairie dog character. The GM will not do this; she has plenty of other things to do but she will help you through the process.

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racter and write this number down on your character sheet.

For a start, the GM will describe some of the background and stuff that your character would know about Great Home and the prairie dog traditions. This will help you decide what kind of Role you might like for your character; that is whether you want a big tough Brave, a stalwart Sentinel or a slightly unhinged Speaker. The steps of the character creation process are as follows: •

•

Roll attributes: You roll a single dice for each of the four attributes of Size, Agility, Alertness and Wisdom. There is an optional method, which your GM will explain if she is happy for you to use this other method. Put the resulting numbers in the spaces on your character sheet. Choose a characteristic: You need to think about what physical or social feature is the most apparent thing about your character. Write this down on your sheet.

•

Choose a Role: There are six Roles, although the Wildling isn’t a Role as such. Check that your dog has the minimum Attribute required for the Role chosen. Write your chosen Role on your sheet.

•

Barks and Abilities: Write down the Barks and Abilities that your character automatically receives for the Role you have chosen.

•

Select further Barks and Abilities: You get further points to increase your dog’s Barks and Abilities or to acquire new ones. Write the final levels down in the space on your sheet.

•

Name your prairie dog: If you haven’t thought of a name already, you need to choose one now.

Attributes

•

Dreams: You need to know what are the aims or goals that drive your dog to a life of adventure, rather than just stay safe and secure in Great Home like the vast majority of prairie dogs. Write your Dream down on your sheet.

Attributes are a numerical way of defining a critter for game purposes. They are the natural or born traits of the critter. They help determine what a critter is capable of and form a yardstick for comparing the relative strengths and weaknesses of prairie dog characters and other critters.

•

Feathers: All player characters have been presented with their very first feather for being accepted into their Role in the Tribe. Put a ‘1’ in the space on your sheet.

•

Wound points: Add six plus the Size attribute of your cha-

To determine your characters attribute levels, simply roll one dice (d6) for each and write down the numbers in the order they appear on your prairie dog character sheet. Now total up the numbers. If they equal or exceed 16, do nothing more at this stage. If they total less than 16, you can add points to any attribute or attributes, so that

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the overall total is brought up to 16. You cannot raise any individual attribute above 6 at this stage.

most useful to Scouts and so prairie dogs need at least a 4 in this attribute to become a Scout.

Alternative attribute method Alertness Some players prefer to decide the This attribute is a measure of the critattributes for their character in a nonter’s overall attentiveness; taking into random way. This is often because account all of the senses - sight, they already have a scent, hearing and Legendary Attributes good idea of the type touch. It is used to Attributes for prairie dogs are a maxiof character they be aware of apmum of 6 at the character creation want to play. If this is proaching predators stage. Some critters have far higher the case, then this or to notice unusual attributes, particularly Size. method can be used. things a long way Simply distribute 16 away. Because of However, as characters are taken through their adventures and Prairie points amongst the this, Sentinels reTales begin to be made about them, four attributes in any quire at least 4 in their legendary status increases. This is way you like, subject Alertness. measured in the game by Legend Points to the usual minimum (LP). of 1 and the maxiWisdom mum of 6 in each Wisdom is imporThese are points that are given out by attribute. tant to Healers and the GM at the end of adventures and Speakers, both of they may be used to increase Attributes above their starting levels. Using this method, whom require at you have more conleast a 4 in this trol over your character choices. Howattribute. Wisdom is a measure of the ever, you do not have the potential to critter’s knowledge, memory, reasonend up with a truly magnificent prairie ing, will and worldliness. A high value dog, with high scores in every in Wisdom means the critter is likely to attribute. consider problems before acting, whereas those with low Wisdom often act Size rashly. This attribute is a measure of not only how big the critter is, but also its hardiness, strength and general toughness. A big critter can get more Your prairie dog character is different power into its bite, is more able to to the other dogs of the Tribe. This is withstand punishment and appears because she has been marked by Lord more intimidating to smaller critters. Kynos for heroic things and eventually Size is most important to Braves and to have tales spoken about her extherefore needs to be 4 or more for a ploits. prairie dog to take this Role. Because of this, your prairie dog is Agility likely to have some characteristic or This is a measure of the critter’s overtrait that sets her apart from other all nimbleness, speed, surefootedness dogs, so that they can see immediateand stealth. An agile critter is more ly that there is something special likely to be able to scramble through about her. small gaps, dart swiftly over open terrain and outmanoeuvre a pursuer. It is

Characteristics

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This characteristic are born, so they Examples of physical characteristics can be physical or tend to have loftier White fur, grey fur, matted fur, little or social and can initialgoals, which are the no fur, a streak of a different colour ly been as either a characters Dreams. running through the pelt, two-tone fur, strength or a weakThese are goals or large or deformed ear or ears, different ness, although this aims that they have coloured eyes, only one eye, long snout, is not necessarily the long tail, no tail, deformed tail, deand it is these goals formed paw, unusual bark, unusual case. It is simply that drive them to scent, cute, mean-looking, scarred and something that their life of advenso on. makes your characture. ter a bit unusual. It Examples of social characteristics must be something For many gaining Excitable, bad tempered, lazy, humble, that becomes obtheir first feather is dreamer, likeable, nosey, loner, forgetvious to other enough. They have a ful, bossy, thoughtful, kind, determined, critters, if not stuffy, artistic, taciturn, brash, bold and Role in their Tribe, so on. straight away, shortso they have status ly after first meeting and this will mean and associating with her. that their voice will be heard in Council. They will also be more attractive to The characteristic can be almost anypotential mates. thing that your GM deems appropriate. There are no special rules for them as For a few others this simply won’t do. they are simply designed to give a litThey have much higher aims and their tle more ‘colour’ to your character and minds are full of the legends of Thunto be role-played accordingly. dertown, Kynos, Flies-With-Eagles and all the other myriad of Prairie Tales If a situation crops up where you and recounted by their Speakers. They your GM decide that the characteristic want to be spoken about with awe and may prove an advantage (or handicap) reverence, they want to be the centre then you may be able to have a bonus of the great tales; they want to do or a penalty to a roll, but this option things that mean something. should be used sparingly. Characteristics are simply intended as an aide to For game purposes, it is simply a matrole-playing your character, not as a ter of deciding what makes your specific part of the game mechanics. prairie dog opt for a life of adventure rather than taking the easy option that most other dogs take. Why does she want to cross the prairie? Why does she stand up to fearsome critters Ordinary prairie dogs do not have lofty when others would just run? What aims. The height of their achievement makes her tick? will be finding a mate and rearing a family. They will be quite content with Choose an interesting goal for your this. Let’s face it, with all those predacharacter; something that she could tors about, living long enough to have reasonably achieve. Some of them are a family is quite an achievement in fairly short-term goals, such as finding itself! a mate or protecting a cub or things like that. These will tend to be achievHowever, this is not enough for playable in one or two sessions and will be er-characters. They are already classed as easy. Others are long-term marked for better things when they

Dreams

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and will only be reached after a great quest full of perilous encounters and difficult choices. These will be termed difficult. You can make your dream as tough as you like. With the GMs help you need to determine whether it is easy, moderate or difficult to achieve and assign a number to it of 1, 2 or 3 respectively. The number is the number of extra Legend Points that your prairie dog will earn if she achieves her dream during the adventure or during a series of adventures. If she achieves her dream, she can then add a new one to replace it. Just about every dog has dreams of finding Thundertown. All dogs talk about it, but of course some Dream about it. You do not need to add this Dream to your character sheet. It is assumed. It is known as The Great Quest. Example Dreams The Great Quest (5) Find a long lost sibling (1 or 2) Become a Tribal Elder (1) Become Chief of the Tribe (2) Become Chief of Great Home (3) Become Chief Speaker of Tribe (2) Visit five Dog Towns and learn a new tale in each (2) Out-Stance a ferret (1) Kill a ferret single-pawed (2) Save an Elder’s life (2) Find a cure for The Dark Death (3) Found a new colony (2 or 3) Find a mate (1) Gain a second feather (1) Gain several more feathers (2) Be awarded the most feathers ever (3) Follow the Bison-Way to the end (2 or 3) Go up into the mountains (2)

Feathers Your character has a Role in the prairie

dog society. Therefore she has acquired her first feather already. Feathers are more than a mark of status to the wearer. They mean that the character has proved herself to be worthy of respect and therefore it is a matter of great personal pride to be awarded a feather. They are worn as a badge of honour. It is this great sense of personal achievement that can help your character in dangerous situations. By drawing upon the spirit of her ancestor, or the spirit of her tribe, she can add +2 to any roll once per moon for each feather she has been awarded.

Wound points Wound points are a numerical rating that helps you keep track of the injuries that your prairie dog character might suffer during her adventures. These wounds might be scratches and bites given by other critters during fights (Tooth & Claw). Wounds might also be caused by accidental means, like falls and so on. Your character has a number of wound points equal to 6 plus her Size attribute. So, with a Size of 4, your dog would have 10 wound points. (In fact all critters in the game have wound points worked out on the same basis. So, a Bison with a size of 54 would have 60 wound points). As your character becomes injured, her wound points will fall by the amount of damage suffered. When wound points reach 0, your prairie dog is unconscious and dying. She will need a Healer very quickly. When wound points fall below 0, your prairie dog is dead.

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Wound points may that they might see Example names for prairie dogs be recovered by rest around them, for a Dreams-of-Mountains, Stone-Face, and by healing characteristic of the Dark-Eye, Runs-With-Bison, Moon-Face, through the Tend dog or after another Bright-Eye, Burrow-Digger, SharpWounds ability of critter on the plains. Sight, Never-Fear, Far-Gaze, StarHealers. By resting, Sometimes they are Dreams, Snake-Friend, Wolf-Dog, prairie dogs recover named, like FliesGorse, Thorn, Sand, Cloud, Eats-TooMuch, Long-Tooth, Quick-Foot, Sees-All, 1 wound point each With-Eagles, after Little-Mouse, Bison's-Bark, Sleepynight. With a Healer something they have Head, Always-Hiding. tending them, they done. They may can recover 3 points even be given a new every 2 nights of full rest. name as a result of their exploits, again like Flies-With-Eagles. Using Tend Wounds, a Healer can lick a wound clean and heal injuries. Using Plant Lore, Healers can restore lost wound points even more quickly. See Selecting your Role will give you addithe Tend Wounds ability for more intional abilities. Roles are discussed in formation about this. more detail later.

Role

Sometimes, even death is not the end for a prairie dog. There are Healers out there who can recall the departing spirit with their Bark of Life. Check out the section on Barks, for more information.

Name Sometimes in roleplaying games it is difficult to come up with suitable names. In It’s a Dog’s Life it is vitally important not to choose a name that doesn’t sound right. The whole mood of a game can be changed if you pick an unsuitable or outright silly name. ‘Deputy Dawg’ would be amusing, but not at all in keeping. Prairie dogs are often named for things

Abilities & Barks Your character will start with level 1 in each of his Unique Ability, Unique Bark, Tribal Bark and Second Ability.

Example of character creation First of all I roll a dice four times, getting 2, 2, 4 and 5. The total is only 13, so I get a further 3 points to put where I like (16-13=3). I decide I want to play a Healer, who I will call Sun-Dancer, so I put 1 extra point into Wisdom, making that the maximum of 6. The other 2 points go into Agility and Size. The final Attributes are as follows: Size 3, Alertness 4, Agility 3, Wisdom 6 Sun-Dancers Size of 3 gives him 9 Wound Points (6+3=9). Looking at the list of Abilities and Barks for a Healer, I decide to place my 4 points equally between Tend Wounds, Bark of Life, Tribal Bark and Plant Lore. With the extra 4 points I take another Bark (Bark of Weakness) at level 2 and add another 2 to Tend Wounds. Abilities and Barks now look like this: Tend Wounds 4, Plant Lore 2, Bark of Life 2, Bark of Weakness 2, Tribal Bark 2

Prairie dogs also get a Tribal Bark. This Bark is unique to the Tribe and all members are taught it from a very early age. Barks are dealt with in greater depth in a later chapter. You then have a further 4 points to distribute amongst these Barks and Abilities as you wish. After that, you have a further 4 points to obtain levels in any other freely available abilities or allowed Barks or to

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improve those you have already from your Role. However, no Ability or Bark may be improved to higher than 6 at this stage.

CHARACTER ROLES ________________________________________________

Character creation, continued Finally Sun Dancer has the Dream of healing a dog that is suffering the Dark Death and with the GM we decide this is worth 3 Legend Points when completed (as it will be hard to achieve). I then write a ‘1’ in the box for Feathers and Sun-Dancer is ready for a life of adventure. I decide on a social characteristic of ‘claustrophobic’. With the help of the GM, we decide that my dog doesn’t go mad or get terrified underground - it is more of a strange preference for being outdoors in the sunshine - but to other dogs it is seen as very odd indeed.

There are six Roles that you may choose from. These are the Roles that prairie dogs can take up when they reach adulthood. Some dogs never take up such a Role - they are content to look after tribal burrows, the pups and the crops. Others will have had Roles in the past and are now aged and whilst they may be able to pass on the benefit of their experience to younger pups, they cannot any longer be relied upon to fulfill the very demanding duties associated with each Role. Each Role provides one Unique Ability and one Unique Bark. These are skills taught by Elders to dogs who take that Role. They are handed down and are secrets known only to them. There is also a second ability taught to dogs, but this is not necessarily unique to the Role.

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Brave

wounded that you cannot protect your family against the other two. This is why Stancing is so important to a Brave. Some Braves are not actually that able at fighting but never get found out because they are more intimidating than their enemies. Every Tribe must have Braves. They are probably the most numerous of all the Roles but also lose members the quickest. Whenever one Brave is killed, there is always another pup waiting in the wings for his feather to take up the challenge of defending his Tribe and seeking glory for himself.

Unique Ability: Stancing Unique Bark: Bark of Courage Secondary Ability: Tooth & Claw Many dogs fight. It is a part of their nature, from their early years as pups fighting with their siblings to get the best food. It is the strongest of these that usually go on to become Braves. However, simply being able to fight is not necessarily the only resposibility of the Brave. Braves are warriors and they do need to be big and tough. They also need to be fearless and aggressive. They need to be aware of how to fend off critters far bigger than themselves. They sometimes need to work as a team in order to do this. Most of all, they need to be able to fend for themselves though. Braves need to make themselves known. They do not always need to fight. Making your opponent stand down is often the best way to deal with an enemy, especially one that could hurt you badly even if you can win the fight. Better to scare off three opponents than kill one and be so

Of all the Prairie Tales recounted by Speakers everywhere, it is the tales of Braves that are most called for and the most numerous. If there is a ferret loose in the town, it is always the Braves who are called upon to face it. If a quest is to be undertaken, Braves are always required in the party. If a new Chief is needed, a Brave is likely to be the one to fill the vacancy. The Braves burrows tend to be near the centre of the tribal community, where they can mass together to defend, or receive orders from, the Chief. Their homes tend to be sparse and functional. Sayings of the Braves The Brave must be seen: What use if your companions are attacked and you are skulking? The Brave must be courageous: What use if you are seen but unable to act? The Brave must be strong: What use to act, if you cannot hurt your enemy? The Brave must lead: If you do not show boldness, why should others follow?

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Healer

towns, once it takes hold. A few of the most gifted Healers have had some success in curing dogs that contract The Dark Death as long as they spot the signs early enough. Healers also have the job of looking after a towns food crops. Those without skilled Healers tend to eat poorly and often need to supplement their food with a little water, which is not good as water is always in very short supply. The best Healers make sure that the crops they grow are the best available and that they are lush and succulent. Healers are skilled in recognising other plants too - ones that we should normally avoid. They make sure that these plants do not infest our plots so that young pups do not accidentally nibble at them and become poisoned.

Unique Ability: Tend Wounds Unique Bark: Bark of Life Secondary Ability: Plant Lore A tribe needs at least one Healer if the tribe is to grow and be strong. No tribe without a Healer lives in any place other than the very outer fringes of Great Home. Healers are present at birthing. They ensure the mother is fit and well and will improve the chances of both the mother and her young surviving the ordeal. Healers tend the sick and injured. They know how to clean wounds to prevent infection and aid the healing process. They have skill in removing poisons from open wounds and know how best to look after prairie dogs with fevers and other ailments. Some also know how to look after other types of critter with injuries or illnesses (those with Critter Lore). Healers can recognise disease, particularly the early signs of The Dark Death; the evil plague that can wipe out entire families or even whole

A Healers’ burrows will normally be fairly neat and tidy. Healers tend to have a ‘larder’ where they keep a variety of plant stuffs, both for food and for their healing properties. Some of the wisest of Healers can create Dreamcatchers. Sayings of the Healers (Adapted from Native American tradition) Everything on the prairie has a purpose, every disease an herb to cure it, every critter a mission. This is the Healer’s theory of existence. From Wisdom comes all power. It is from Wisdom the Healer has the power to heal and make feather charms. Healers know that all healing plants are valuable and must not be misused-used.

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Scout

more muck and dirt they leave stuck in their fur, the less chance they will have of being spotted or scented by other critters. Accordingly, there is an unspoken competition amongst Scouts, to see who can get the scruffiest of all. Scouts love their Daubings though. They like to have designs of other critters on their fur as they say it helps them blend in against all kinds of backgrounds.

Unique Ability: Scouting Unique Bark: Bark of Location Secondary Ability: Critter Lore, Plant Lore or Tooth & Claw Scouts tend to be loners. They might occasionally do their scouting in pairs but more often than not they like to be free of their restraints imposed by the tribe and go out alone onto the Prairie. Scouts tend to be the wildest and untidiest of prairie dogs. This is for several reasons. One, because they are energetic and always out and about and have little time for the washing and grooming that goes on amongst the other prairie dogs of the tribe. In their Role as Scouts, they are required to be constantly exploring and seeking new ways, over and above ground, through bushes and thorns, over sun-baked dust bowls and through muddy puddles. All this muck and dust leaves their fur grubby and matted. The other reason though, is that Scouts will always tell you that the

Scouts are sent out to investigate rumours and of critters seen in the area, near the fringes of town. It is also the job of Scouts to seek areas to build new towns, or to find new sources of food and so on. Those tribes who have no Healers might also rely on Scouts to find water when they need it. In any group sent out on the prairie, it is always wise to have a Scout around because even in areas they do not know; they have an uncanny knack of being able to find their way home. Scouts burrows are often on the edges of the tribes range. They tend to be as scruffy and ill kempt as their owners. Often unoccupied for long periods, they may contain odd bits and pieces of twig and bone from their far wanderings. Sayings of the Scouts The Scout must be quick: What use are your findings if you tarry too long? The Scout must be stealthy: What use are your findings if your enemy knows you are there? The Scout must be nimble: When you are seen, you must run like the wind. The Scout must know his enemy: What use are your findings, without knowledge of your enemy?

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Sentinel

When travelling with adventuring groups, Sentinels learn how to nap when on the move, so that they are ready for duty at a moments notice. They are always alert and keeping a watch on the skies for that telltale speck in the sky, the rustling bush or a scent on the breeze. They know which things spell potential danger and which ones they can ignore. Many Sentinels can fight too. It is not a requirement of the Role and some swear that it hones their senses to danger if they cannot. Some learn more about other critters instead. Most learn both abilities sooner or later.

Unique Ability: Watching Unique Bark: Bark of Warning Secondary Ability: Critter Lore or Tooth & Claw The Role of the Sentinel is one of the most important of all of the roles of the tribe. Sentinels are charged with the duty of watching over Healers tending their crops, the pups at play, the entrances to our homes and the travelling groups at sleep. To function properly, Sentinels must have keen eyesight, excellent hearing and a nose for danger. They must learn where to stand for the best vantage point in any situation and they must be able to stand upright for very long periods, without stinting. Wind, rain, hot or cold, Sentinels must endure all in their duty. The Role of the Sentinel may not seem as exciting as that of the Brave or the Scout, or as charismatic or strange as that of the Speaker or as welcome as that of the Healer but they have in their paws the key to the continued well-being of the whole town.

Sentinels tend to have their burrows nearest to the surface and at the outer edges of the tribal burrows. Their burrows are often designed so that any sounds on the surface can be amplified within and they are positioned downwards of the prairie wind so that smells from above will waft around in the chamber, giving advanced warning, even when not on duty. Sentinels also have ‘guard posts’ set just below the surface, which serve a similar function. Sayings of the Sentinels The Sentinel must be vigilant: What use are you to your companions, if they cannot rest? The Sentinel must know his enemy: What use being aware, if you don’t know friend from foe? The Sentinel must endure: What use your vigilance, if you are too tired to watch?

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Speaker

turn away a Speaker. They bring news and stories from far away; it is always a time of great excitement when a travelling Speaker comes to town. Some of the other critters on the plain are also interested in the tales that a wandering Speaker may bring and many are the tales of a Speaker saving herself from being on the menu of some lonely fox or snake. Owls, in particular are known to trade Prairie Tales with prairie dog Speakers.

Unique Ability: Prairie Tales Unique Bark: Bark of Command Secondary Ability: Critter Lore or Plant Lore Speakers often seem to live in their own dream worlds; this could be because they are always thinking up new stories to tell. Their heads are filled with faraway places, strange and ferocious critters and wonderful legends of yore. Or, this could be due to the odd berries and fungi they eat. It is said that Speakers best Prairie Tales are told just after they have eaten some unusual berry or other. One thing is certain. Speakers are extremely knowledgeable and, as the saying goes, knowledge is power. If the Braves go on to become Chiefs of their tribes then Speakers are the voices of their tribes. When young Speakers are learning their craft, they often go on long journeys across the plains. They visit other Dog Towns, passing on the tales of their own tribe and learning new ones from the tribes they visit. Speakers are the most welcome of any prairie dog in any town; you should never

A Speakers burrow is likely to be a clutter of feathers, grasses, odd weeds and strange herbs. There are likely to be strange Daubings on the walls of their homes and peculiar smells permeating around. Like Healers, some of the wiser Speakers are able to create Dreamcatchers. Sayings of the Speakers (Adapted from Native American tradition) All things in the world are in two. In our minds we are two, good and evil. With our eyes we see two things, things that are fair and things that are ugly. We have a right paw that strikes and makes for evil and we have a left paw full of kindness near the heart. One foot may lead us to an evil way; the other foot may lead us to a good way. So all things are two, all two. The traditions of our Tribe are handed down from father to pup. The chief is considered to be the most fearless and leader of the Tribe. The Speaker however, is thought to have more inspiration. He is supposed to be in communion with the spirits. He daubs himself in the designs of other critters such as the raccoon and decorates himself with the plumage of birds, such as the dove, eagle and hummingbird.

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Wildling

Wildlings are on the whole a bit feral and wild - far more so than Scouts. They are born loners and although they probably crave the company of other dogs, they often find the rigid tribal structure difficult to get used to. Wildlings tend to be always on the move and often borrow old holes and so on rather than dig their own burrows. When they do dig, they are usually little more than scrapes in the ground.

Unique Ability: None Unique Bark: Bark of The Wild Extra Bark: Bark of Mimicry Secondary Abilities: Critter Lore and one other, of choice Wildlings are prairie dogs that live outside of normal prairie dog society. They have no tribe, no status and quite probably few friends. Often the friends they do have are critters other than prairie dogs. As such, the Wildling is not a Role in the prairie dog society, but for game purposes is considered a Role. How they came to be the loners that they are will vary from one Wildling to another. She may have been the sole survivor of a dog town wiped out by the Dark Death or by a savage Ferret. He may have been born some way away from the nearest town, perhaps with his mother dying in childbirth or being killed by a predator. He may be an outcast from his Tribe. Some Wildlings are prairie dogs that were orphaned from a young age and brought up by some other critter, like a ground squirrel or even an Owl!

Their ‘speech’ tends to be a little hard to follow for other prairie dogs that possibly see them as a bit simple or deranged. Wildlings have two characteristics rather than one, with scruffy, smelly, bald patches, one eye, scarred, loner and similar being common. If you want a Wildling character you need to determine with your GM how he came to grow up outside of the prairie dog community. All four of the Wildling’s attributes need to be 3 or higher. Instead of a unique ability, they have two secondary abilities and instead of the Tribal Bark they have the Bark of Mimicry. They do not need to meet the minimum requirements that other Roles need to meet for this Bark. Wildling characters have no Tribal Role and therefore do not begin play with a feather. They can earn feathers later however and could even take a ‘second’ Role. Sayings Wildlings have no sayings. They have no hierarchy and therefore no handeddown traditions. What they have learned, they have learned for themselves and each Wildling will have different views on survival.

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ABILITIES

are appropriate and some pointers are given in the ability descriptions.

________________________________________________

Overview Abilities are the learned knowledge passed down through generations of prairie dogs. In other games they might be referred to as skills. Using abilities is relatively straightforward. Mostly, you will describe what your character is doing and the GM simply lets your character do it, especially if it is well within your dog’s capabilities. Sometimes the GM will ask you to make a roll, when for example, your character is trying to do something for which the there is a chance that she will not succeed or that the GM simply wants to determine how well your dog succeeded (having already decided that you will be able to do it).

Making an Ability check You roll 1d20. If the roll is equal to or below your character’s most appropriate Attribute + Ability + Modifier, then she succeeds. If the roll is higher, then either she fails or there is an added complication even though she succeeds. The attribute used is the one most appropriate to the task and there are suggestions listed for each Ability in the Ability descriptions. If a character does not have the Ability, but tries to carry out an action the default roll is based upon the Attribute + Modifier.

Modifiers Modifiers are found in the table below. Typically they range from +5 to –5. The GM will determine what modifiers

Task difficulty table Task Difficulty

Modifier

Easy

+2 to +5

Straightforward

+1

Moderate

0

Tricky

-1

Hard

-2

Very Hard

-3 to -5

A natural roll of ‘1’ is always a success and a ‘20’ is always a failure.

Increasing Abilities Abilities can be raised above their starting levels using Legend points gained from adventures. New Abilities can also be gained by using these Legend Points (LP), although some Abilities are available only to prairie dogs who have the appropriate Role. To increase an Ability that your character already has costs 1 LP per level up to 6. Over 6, the cost is 2 LP per level. The maximum level for a prairie dog is 12. Only 1 level can be ‘bought’ at a time using these points. New abilities cost a point to level 1.

The Abilities explained Critter Lore (freely available) The knowledge of other critters, how to recognize them, what they are like, what they eat, whether they are friendly and so on. Wisdom is the base attribute for using this ability. Modifiers might be negative if the prairie dog has never come across the critter before (i.e. just heard about it) or positive where the critter is common.

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Daubing (requires Critter Lore & Plant Lore) This is the ability of the dog to daub fantastic designs in a sort of mudplant paste onto a prairie dog’s coat. The designs are often copied from the natural markings on the pelts of other critters. The task difficulty is always moderate. Once daubed, the design lasts for two moons and then must be replaced. The effects of a successful daubing depend on the design being daubed onto the pelt of the dog. Badger Chipmunk Eagle Owl Raccoon Wolverine Rattler

+2 to Stancing ability rolls +2 to Scouting ability rolls +2 to Watching ability rolls +2 to Critter Lore or Plant Lore ability rolls +2 to Prairie Tales ability rolls +2 to Tooth & Claw rolls Protects against poison. Gives any Healer a +2 to her Tend Wounds ability against the effect of poison on the dog that has been daubed with the Rattler design.

Any dog can be the recipient of a Daubing, but a dog can only have one type of Daubing on her coat at any one time. The bonus is added to Attribute rolls if a dog does not have the particular Ability in question. Daubing is a Wisdom-based ability. Fleeing (freely available) This is the skill of being able to escape a predator. It takes account of the dog’s ability to make sudden sharp turns, weave between and over rocks, uneven terrain and otherwise use any features that might help the dog get away. Plant Lore (freely available) All prairie dogs know which plants they can eat. This ability gives them know-

ledge far beyond this. It means the dog knows in which type of soil their preferred foodstuffs will grow, how best to cultivate the land around their home burrows and knowledge of plants, roots and fungi that have medicinal or poisonous qualities. Some dogs, Speakers in particular, use certain herbs and fungi to induce visions and dream states to open their minds to the ancient ones and to visions of the past present and future. Wisdom is the base attribute used for Plant Lore rolls. Negative modifiers may be applied if the plant is rare or the prairie dog is looking for a very specific plant or if the prairie dog is out of her own habitat. The modifier will be positive if the dog is in her own town or the plant is very common. Prairie Tales (unique ability - Speakers only) The knowledge of the legends and lore of the prairie dogs - Lord Kynos, Thunderhoof, the First Town, Flies with Eagles and so on. This Ability allows the Speaker to weave wondrous tales from these legends and to craft their own tales on the spot. Prairie Tales are amongst the few entertainments in the prairie dog world, so Speakers are very welcome in all towns across the prairie. Wisdom is the main attribute used for making Prairie Tales rolls, Modifiers would be positive if about a dog’s own tribe, or negative if making up a tale for the first time and so on. These are the stories and legends of ancient times and places in dog lore. They tell of heroic deeds, fantastic battles, wonderful adventures and olden wisdom. They tell of battles and bravery, love and kindness. They are used to teach as much as they are used to entertain. Speakers are the repositories of many

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of these tales. First off, they learn all they can of their own Tribal Totem and Traditions. Then they learn to tell them to others. Then they learn how to create new tales or reinvent old tales according to their own style, often bringing something new to the tale so that they can be repeated down the years, keeping them fresh and exciting. In this way, Speakers have become the most respected and welcome of all the dogs who travel across the plains. They are well known for bringing news from afar and a new Speaker in town is always good for an evening’s entertainment. One of the most told Prairie Tales is that of the First Town of Thundertown. Its location has passed into myth and is a place constantly sought by the most adventurous scouts. It is believed to be located at the foot of a mighty and virtually un-climbable mountain that reaches to the stars. Sentinels believe that from the top they could keep watch over the whole prairie and need never fear predators again. Scouting (unique ability - Scouts only) The ability to move around without being seen heard, or scented. Using the cover that is available and lying low where necessary, a Scout can get very close to another critter with little chance of being noticed. Agility is most often the attribute used for Scouting rolls, but in some circumstances Alertness might be used. Weather conditions and availability of cover might lead to modifiers to the roll.

Stancing (unique ability - Braves only) The skill of intimidation and making oneself appear bigger and tougher than perhaps is the case. It is used to put across a point in an argument or more often to gain an advantage in a confrontation. Stancing, when used well will tend to make fighting unnecessary as the loser in a Stancing contest will often back off completely. Stancing can be used against any critter - if the character also has Critter Lore, a successful roll will add +1 to the dog’s Stancing roll. When Stancing, both critters in the contest must make an ability roll (those with no Stancing ability simply use their size). If both succeed, it is a standoff for the time being, they are hunched up against each other snarling, bristling, nose to nose and so on. This lasts for a few heartbeats and they can both try again. If both fail, they are simply pacing around one another, slightly standoffish, but cannot roll again. Both will back off. If one succeeds where the other fails, then there is a victor and the loser may slope away with his pride dented. (If he ever has to fight the winner at some future point then he will have a negative modifier in Tooth & Claw of – 2). Size is the base attribute used for Stancing rolls. Swimming (freely available) In the event of a dog coming across a body of water, this might be a useful ability if she should fall in or need to get across. The difficulty would mainly depend on how fast the water is flowing and so on. Tend Wounds (unique ability - Healers only) This is the knowledge of wounds, dis-

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ease and illness; their causes and treatment. It is also how to staunch bleeding cuts and bites and prevent infection. The Healer does this by licking the wound and possibly even biting out pieces of infected flesh. Saliva, mixed with the right plants (see Plant Lore) may be even more effective. On its own, a Healer can restore up to 1 wound point per 2 levels of ability (minimum 1). Cleaned up in this way wounds will be clear of infection. Used together with a successful Plant Lore roll, the ability will restore 1 wound point per level. Tend wounds can also be used against poisoning, disease and so on. Wisdom is the base attribute for this ability. Modifiers might be applied for particularly severe wounds, or for delays in tending wounds. The Dark Death is always at least a Hard roll. With Critter Lore, a Healer can tend the wounds of other critters. Tooth & Claw (freely available) Tooth & Claw is the ability used when two critters fight. The ability has its own section later in these rules. Agility is the base attribute used for Tooth & Claw rolls. Watching (unique ability - Sentinels only) This is a great skill passed down to Sentinels from generation to generation. It is the ability to stay alert in all situations and in all weathers and of standing at rest although completely awake and ready. Using this ability, the Sentinel will spot the swooping hawk or stalking ferret long before they have a chance to do any harm. Sentinels can also see much further across the plains than other prairie dogs, because they know how to stand to gain the fullest advantage of their own body size and any advantageous features in the land around them. Most

Watching rolls will use Alertness, but there may be occasions when Size will be important. Poor weather conditions or rough terrain are likely to lead to negative modifiers. Example of using Abilities Sun-Dancer the Healer has had a few adventures and along the way has gained another Feather and the abilities of Critter Lore at level 2 and Daubing at level 1.He is attempting to daub the scout ‘SwiftlyFinds-Stuff’ with the design of the rattler, because the scout knows he is approaching rattler territory and wants to protect himself in case he is bitten. Sun Dancer’s player rolls a d20 to determine whether the effect of his daubing is successful or not. Sun Dancer has a Wisdom of 6 and with his Daubing of 1, he requires 7 or less. He rolls the dice, which comes up 9. Not enough. Unfortunately Sun-Dancer’s skill isn’t sufficient to give Swiftly-Finds-Stuff the protection he needs. Later on Swiftly-Finds-Stuff comes bounding back to the Healer in a panic. As expected, he ran into a rattler who bit him and although the Scout was able to get away, he is now weakening from the effects of the venom. Sun-Dancer attempts to use his Tend Wounds ability. He has a 4 in this, which with his Wisdom means that the total is 10. The GM says it is a Moderate Ability roll to stop the poison, so rolls a d20. It comes up 12! Too high. However, Sun-Dancer has 2 Feathers, so the player tells the GM that Sun-Dancer will focus on one of the Feathers he has earned, drawing upon the spiritual forces of his ancestors and invest some of this into his healing. This gives a bonus of +2, turning a failure into a success and preventing the spread of poison through Swiftly-Finds-Stuff. (Of course, had the Daubing worked in the first place, he would have had a +2 bonus without having to draw upon a Feather). Now to deal with the bite wounds he suffered!

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The use of Barks

BARKS ________________________________________________

What’s in a Bark? Every prairie dog barks. That is how we talk to one another, together with the way we stand, make faces and so on. However, our Barks are different. These have power. They tap into spiritual forces beyond our ken. Some Speakers say that these forces are from within. Others say they come from spiritual forces all around us. Many believe the spiritual power comes directly from Lord Kynos himself. A few hold to the more mundane view that we and other critters are somehow pre-conditioned to obey the Bark. Me? I subscribe to the view that Lord Kynos is behind the power that is within our Barks. I also think that if our Scouts can ever locate Thundertown, we might actually find the answer there. What we do know is that our Barks can have an effect upon other prairie dogs and some other critters too. Each of the Roles in our tribes learns their own unique Bark, taught only to dogs who take up that Role. Tribal Barks are a bit different. They are taught to every dog of the tribe. They are used as a means of identification and have other powers too.

Barking takes only a heartbeat to perform, so a Bark can be used at just about any point in the action, including during flurries of Tooth & Claw. A Bark may be used once at the fullest capability during the period from when to moon is at its highest, to the following moon (i.e. in a day). In other words any Barks used are recovered at the next moon. However, if a Bark can be used more than once in this period if a Bark of a lower power is used. So, a dog with a Bark at level 2 could use a level 1 bark and then still be able to use it again at level 1 later on. A dog obviously cannot Bark more times before the next moon than she has levels in the bark. The Bark of Life differs in that it can be used only once at its fullest capability in the span of 6 moons. After the seventh moon (a week), the Bark is again recovered in full. No rolls are needed to determine the success of the Bark. It works automatically. The only thing that is not necessarily automatic is another critter’s reaction to the Bark. Some of the Barks have very specific details of the game effect, like the Bark of Courage and other Barks are deliberately open to interpretation, based on the demands of the story

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and so on. This is really down to the GM and what works for the situation. You state the effect that you would like the Bark to have and the GM decides whether that is reasonable and either allows it to happen or allows it to have a limited effect, depending on circumstances and so on. A Bark is as much a plea for help from the GM, often when everything else has been tried or a way to drive the story along. Bark of Blindness (only available to Speakers and Healers) This Bark affects a critter’s senses so that whatever is that critters best sense; he is to all intents and purposes ‘blinded’. It affects a critter for a number of flurries equal to the level of the Bark. Bark of Command (unique to Speakers) This Bark may be used to force a critter to do something that is otherwise against his wishes. The command is contained in a number of ‘words’ equal to the level of Bark, so at level 1 it might be ‘sit’ or ‘silence’ whereas at level 6 it could be ‘attack the rattler in the tunnel’. A critter cannot be commanded to die although it might be commanded to jump off a cliff, which might produce the same result! Bark of Confusion (only Scouts, Sentinels, Speakers and Wildlings) Makes the Bark sound as if it is coming from elsewhere as a distraction - it is either specific i.e. “behind that rock” or “from that burrow”, to more general i.e. “all around” or “behind them”. Any critters this Bark is aimed at will believe the noises to be coming from the place the dog suggests and at the very least are likely to investigate or look in that direction.

Bark of Courage (unique to Braves) This is used to instil a sense of fearlessness into the Brave herself, plus a number of other friendly critters equal to the level of the Bark. This results in the dogs affected gaining +1 on all their Tooth & Claw rolls until the end of that particular combat. Bark of Friendship (only Speakers and Wildlings) This Bark makes critters believe the Speaker is their very good friend. It works on a number of critters equal to the level of the Bark. It wears off gradually over a period, usually completely by the next moon. Bark of Life (unique to Healers) Using this most wondrous of Barks, a Healer may bring a dog back to life. It is said that the Bark recalls the departing spirit. This Bark may be used only once before the seventh moon, at its fullest level. It will revive a dog who has been reduced to negative wounds equal to the level of ability. So, a dog with Bark of Life at level 1 can revive a dog (or other critter) who has been reduced to –1 wounds. Bark of Location (unique to Scouts) This is used to get soundings from the echoes of the Bark and enables a Scout to pinpoint exactly where he is, where major obstacles are and so on. It effectively gives the Scout a mental picture or map of the surrounding area. It is especially useful in tunnel complexes. Bark of Mimicry (only Scouts, Sentinels, Speakers and Wildlings) A rare and special Bark available only to certain prairie dogs and even those require Critter Lore at level 4 or higher and their own Bark or their Tribal Bark also at 4 or more. This Bark allows the dog to mimic the sounds made by other critters, so that they could

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impersonate a rattlesnake to scare off intruders and so on. They don’t look like the critter in question though, so if seen, it blows their trick. Bark of Strength (only available to Braves, Speakers and Healers) This Bark increases the damage level in Tooth & Claw, so that the dog causes damage of the next damage dice (see Tooth & Claw), for the duration of the fight. Can be used on one dog only, per level in the Bark. Bark of Stunning (only available to Healers, Sentinels and Speakers) This Bark causes critters to stumble and become dazed and for several flurries or more. Small critters might be knocked senseless and larger critters might simply have to shake their heads a little to clear the effects before carrying on. Bark of Warning (unique to Sentinels) Used to alert all the dogs of the Tribe (or nearby) of approaching danger and the nature of the danger. It immediately awakens sleeping dogs (‘let sleeping dogs lie’ is not a maxim of Sentinels) and causes intruders to baulk slightly, buying even more time for the tribes Braves to get alert and ready. Some intruders are actually put off completely by a Bark of Warning. Bark of Weakness (only available to Healers and Speakers) Any one critter this Bark is directed at will become weaker, causing one level of damage less in Tooth & Claw per level of Bark, for the whole battle. Bark of The Wild (unique - Wildlings only) This Bark attracts or summons a critter to the aid of the Wildling. The critter called can be more or less any that are nearby, but the rarer the crit-

ter called, the longer he might need to get there. Those more likely to come quickly are those that are friendlier to prairie dogs, but even so sometimes a Wildling can call an Eagle to his aid. The summoned critter will not necessarily do exactly what the Wildling wants, but sometimes just the mere fact that a critter turns up at all will suit the dog’s purpose. Tribal Bark (unique to Tribe members) Each tribe has its own Bark. A lot of information is passed by the Bark, such as the name of the tribe, its status, the Chiefs name, the location of the tribe and so on. It is used to tell other dogs who you are and where you are from. It even tells of your own status if you want it to. The Bark can also be used when approached by a critter of the type the tribe is named after the Tribal Totem. The critter will very likely recall his association with the Tribe (the GM can make a Wisdom roll, if required to help gauge the possible reaction) and depending on the nature of the critter might help the dog or stop and talk, or might simply not eat him if he was going to or might just turn away and ignore him.

Improving Barks with Legend Points Legend points can be used to increase levels in a Bark, on a point for point basis up to level 3. Beyond level 3 up to level 6, Barks cost 2 points to increase by one level. Barks cannot be increased beyond level 6. New Barks can be bought using LP, if the Bark is of a type available to the dog’s Role.

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Example of how Barks are used The Wildling, Tangle-Fur, is scampering around a rock, when suddenly a Ferret launches himself out at him. There is nowhere to hide so Tangle-Fur lets out a Bark of the Wild, which he has at level 3. He decides the situation is pretty dire so uses the Bark to its fullest. The GM reasons that a level 3 Bark is pretty powerful and so describes an Eagle that was swooping overhead that seems to have been alerted. It won’t be there immediately, but it gives the dog hope, so he turns and faces the ferret. The ferret hasn’t spotted the Eagle yet (the GM makes an Alertness roll for the ferret) and leaps at the Wildling, who backs away. Too late, the ferret is upon him and a flurry of Tooth & Claw ensues. As the two separate, the ferret is unharmed (the Wildling has Tooth & Claw 2 plus Agility 4, requiring 6, but rolled 16) and the Wildling is badly bitten (the ferret has Tooth & Claw 8 and Agility 6, requiring 14 and rolled 11) and has suffered 5 wound points. However, as the two circle each other readying themselves for another flurry of Tooth & Claw, the ferret notices the shadow of the Eagle as it passes overhead. The GM decides that that is enough for the ferret and that he will make a bolt for cover. The Eagle swoops past and then continues on her way. She wasn’t even hungry and isn’t actually sure why she swooped down so low and it’s soon forgotten as she continues her way to her nest in the distant mountains. Tangle-Fur breathes a sigh of relief and legs it before the ferret plucks up the courage to come back out into the open again.

TOOTH & CLAW ________________________________________________

Overview Fighting occurs amongst critters for many reasons - predators hunting prey (not often much of a fight, admittedly), territorial, females protecting their cubs and so on. In It’s a Dog’s Life there are other reasons too, because the characters are adventurous and will become involved in quests and missions and so on that takes them far away from Great Home and to places full of danger. Although it is usually best to avoid combat, sometimes it is inevitable. When it does occur, it is called Tooth & Claw. Combat between critters is essentially a very simple affair. Often they size each other up first (Stancing) and then when they get to grips, it is a simple melee of mad activity, snarls, yelps, bites, failed bites, barks, flying fur and slashing claws. Amongst all of this there may be a few telling bites and possibly lots or a little blood. Sometimes there is a killing blow. There is no art to it, no great tactics or anything. It is just a tangle of fur, teeth and claws.

Flurries The combat is broken down into several ‘flurries’ of a few heartbeats or so. During each flurry, each critter involved makes a Tooth & Claw ability roll. This is at Moderate, on the task modifier table, unless there are any modifiers the GM thinks are appropriate. Any combatant who succeeds has managed to hurt the other during the

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flurry. Roll damage according to the size of the critter on the Tooth & Claw Damage Table (below). It might be a single bite or an accumulation of scratches and nicks, but the end result is that when the flurry is over, the critters part and one or both of them have been hurt.

Other actions in Tooth & Claw During a flurry, dogs that are not involved in fighting can take a number of alternative actions. They can help their friend in the fight and if they do, both dogs in the fight get to make Tooth & Claw ability rolls against the one roll of their opponent.

Tooth & Claw damage table Critter Size 1 2-3 4-5 6-7 8-10 11-13 14-16 17-20 21-24 25-28 29-32 and so on

Wounds Caused d2 d3 d6-1 d6 d6+1 d6+2 d6+3 d6+4 d6+5 d6+6 d6+7 +1 per 4 Size

If they both succeed, they both hurt each other and if they both fail, then neither hurt the other. If one succeeds where the other fails, then one is the ‘winner’ of that flurry. They part facing each other, snarling (or whimpering). It is important to note that this all happens at the same time. There is no ‘initiative’ or similar, where one critter ‘goes first’. At this point they can decide again whether they want to have another go at each other. The ‘loser’ of a flurry (if there is one) often calls it a day at this point and would tend to back off. There could even be a brief Stancing conflict (again). If this happens, the ‘winner’ gets a bonus of +1 to his Stancing roll. If both critters decide to continue the fight, another flurry of melee ensues.

Dogs can Bark either during a flurry or between flurries. Barking only takes a heartbeat. Dogs can also choose to flee but only between flurries. Once a flurry of melee is in progress, the dog will have to wait for a pause before she can turn tail.

Fleeing Sometimes the only sensible alternative to fighting is running away, especially where you are likely to be on the menu if you lose the fight. If you decide that your character will flee the confrontation, this essentially boils down to a mad chase across the land, where the pursued is trying every endeavour to throw off her pursuer. She will try every trick in the book - scampering over and under rocks and boulders, through bushes and shrubs and making sudden sharp turns at intervals, all the time looking for the safety of a hole or somewhere to take cover. The rules for fleeing are really as straightforward as the rules for Tooth & Claw. The pursued makes a Fleeing Ability roll (using Agility only, if the character does not have fleeing) and the pursuer makes a Hunting Ability roll. Depending on the nature of the terrain, the pursued may need to make a hard, moderate or a straightforward roll. A hard modifier would be appropriate where there is

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very little natural cover and straightforward would mean that there are plenty of things to get in the way of pursuit.

Tooth & Claw Outcome There will be four possible results. The character will succeed and the pursuer will fail. In this case, the prairie dog escapes and manages to get down a hole or simply gets clean away. The pursuer probably gives up and finds easier prey. Alternatively, if the storyline demands it, the pursuer might hang around the area trying to pick up the trail (Hunting + Alertness) or lie in wait somewhere. The next result will be that the character fails and the pursuer succeeds. In this case, the character is caught and despite her best efforts is now forced to take part in a flurry of Tooth & Claw. After that flurry is over, she could turn tail and run again, or continue to fight. The final two results are that they both fail or both succeed. In these cases, the chase is on. Neither critter has gained or lost ground over the other. After a short narrative describing some detail of the chase, both roll again as above.

Example of Tooth & Claw A prairie dog Brave is set upon by a ferret who was lying in wait in some bushes. There is no chance of Stancing beforehand and the Brave failed to notice the ferret. The Brave has Tooth & Claw 2 and Agility 4. The player rolls 1d20 and gets 5. Success! The GM (for the ferret) rolls 12. The ferret has Agility 4 and Tooth & Claw 7 for a total of 11. However, the GM determines that the ferret surprised the dog and so gets an ability modifier of +1 and so his total is 12, meaning he succeeded too. The Brave has Size 5, so rolls d6-1, for 2 wounds on the ferret. The ferret has size 8 and rolls d6+1, for 4 wounds on the Brave. They fly apart snarling and barking. Facing each other now, they circle and stare at each other. The Brave is the most wounded as he took 4 wounds and has only 7 left. The ferret took 2 and so still has 12 left (the player doesn’t know this though). At this point, it might be sensible for the prairie dog to turn and run, but even then the ferret might still catch him. The player decides his Brave will try Stancing. He makes a roll. The dice comes up ‘6’. The Brave succeeds as his ability of 2 means he needed 7 or less, with a Size of 5. The GM rolls for the ferret, who has Stancing 5. He needs 13 or less, but rolls a 20 - a failure! (20 always fails). The GM decides that the ferret has had enough – he wants easier prey and was surprised at the toughness of this prairie dog. He says to the dog “You were lucky this time, I’d watch your bac k in future if I were you” and turns and slopes off. The player could say he wants his dog to give chase, but he was lucky and he has survived a fight with a ferret. If there was a Speaker here, he might have a Prairie Tale told about the encounter. As it is, he’ll just have to see the Healer about his bloody wound.

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GAMEMASTERING

roll dice can be a disaster if they fail.

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The art of being a GM The GM has a big job on his hands. He has to know the rules pretty well, has to design the scenarios and has to be ready to react to the actions of the players and apply common sense when the rules don’t provide an answer. It isn’t just his job to make a fun game; both the GM and the players share that responsibility. If you’ve run games before, then you probably know many of the tricks that you can use to keep a game going and to keep the players interested. However, if you are new to running a game session, then the following paragraphs will help you. Even if you have been a game master in other games, you might find something helpful for your It’s a Dog’s Life campaign.

Applying the rules It’s a Dog’s Life is not primarily about rules. It is primarily about drama, action and telling a good story. The rules are there to provide a structure to your game sessions and to provide some of the answers to what will happen when characters do things. The rules cannot possibly contain all of the answers though. The idea is to get into the habit of choosing the times when to apply the rules strictly and when to ignore the rules, for the benefit of the story. The dice for example, are good to build an element of surprise into the actions of the players, but sometimes, when your scenario demands that the characters succeed, asking the players to

A good rule of thumb is often not to let the roll of a dice determine whether a character succeeds or fails in a task, but to determine the level of success or failure. So, say a character is seeking information vital to the next part of the scenario but fails the roll, you could decide that he picks up a few hints or finds out that some other critter can help him, but he doesn’t discover everything he wanted to know. Thus the game doesn’t stumble to a complete halt, the players still have some leads and openings to continue the adventure.

GM characters There is sometimes the temptation to create a NPC to go along with the player characters. This is sometimes necessary, especially if the players are short of a player for some reason, especially if they are lacking a particular Role between them. However, you must always remember that the player characters are the heroes. The scenarios should focus upon them and their exploits, not on the characters that you create. Keep your characters in the background, unless the players bring them to the fore or ask about them. Don’t spend long parts of the game session describing what your characters are doing.

Don’t railroad Players are clever and often come up with ideas that you hadn’t considered. Their characters sometimes go off in directions that you couldn’t possibly have detailed in your scenario. The thing not to do here is to try to force them back on track by making it impossible for them to go any further unless they do what you want them to do. In fact the whole point of role-

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playing is that it is a game choices. The players are free beyond the boundaries that otherwise be imposed by other of game.

about to go would types

You can use various tricks to get the players back on track, if you need to. They could meet some critter along the way or they could find a clue that puts them back on course. Better still, let the players go where they will and do what they want. You can tweak your scenario to suit. If the players didn’t know what was in your scenario in the first place, it can’t hurt to change it. You can cut out the less important parts of your scenario if you need to, or bring them back in later on

A prairie dog’s perspective

ments of time and for longer periods, you could use times like ‘when the shadows are long’ or ‘as the sun is high in the sky’ and so on.

Distance There are no miles, yards, feet or inches. Use expressions like ‘a paw away’ (very close) a ‘dog’s length’ for a foot or so, ‘a few dog’s lengths’ or a ‘snakes length’ for a yard or so and a ‘short dash’ or a ‘bison length’ for a couple of yards. For longer distances, bear in mind that critters cannot see as far as we can (except birds) so you can be far vaguer with your distances. Use terms like ‘a long way away’ or ‘half a day away’.

As a GM, you have the job of ‘making it real’ for the players. Of course, Prairie dogs can’t talk, don’t make maps, don’t really have magic barks and so on. However, for game purposes great liberties have to be taken with these things. For extra colour and to help ‘dehumanise’ your games a bit, try not to use directions like north and south etc. Use terms like ‘towards the mountains’, ‘bisonward’ (for the direction the herd goes) or ‘homewards’ and so on.

Time For periods of time, Tooth & Claw is broken down into flurries. You can use ‘heartbeats’ for very short mo-

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Glossary Bark: A ‘call’ that has spiritual or mystical power Berry: Elder of the Dawn Eagle Tribe, mate of Chief Strong-Heart Blue Grama: Lush prairie grass, one of our favourites for eating Brave: The defenders of our burrows, a Role Broken-Paw: Flies-With-Eagles’ original name Council: Meeting of the Tribal Elders Council, Great: Meeting of all the Tribes of Great Home Dark Death: A deadly disease that kills within moons Daubing: Marking the coat with a paste of mud and plant juices in designs often copied from markings on other critters Dawn Eagle Tribe: The name of our Tribe Dreamcatcher: Fetish made from grass and feathers to ward off predators Elder: High status Tribe member, with at least two feathers Feathering: The ceremony that young pups undergo when they have been given a Role in the Tribe Feather Tradition: The use of feathers to denote bravery and status. Some Tribes use things other than feathers, like porcupine quills and thorns Flies-With-Eagles: Legendary female prairie dog Great Home: Our town. A collection of many Tribes Great Quest: The Dream of every dog to some day find Thundertown Many dogs never actually begin the Great Quest, but they still talk about it

Healer: A Role. A dog who heals the sick and tends the food plots High Chief: The Chief of a whole Town. Great Home’s High Chief is Strong-Heart High Speaker: The High Chief’s Speaker Kynos: The Lord of Prairie Dogs; a figure of legend Leaf Paw: An Elder Healer of the Dawn Eagle Tribe. Lodge, The: Meeting place for the Tribal Councils Moon: A period of time (a day) Prairie Tales: Legends, stories and Tribal Traditions handed down by Speakers Role: A special position granted to a worthy dog Sand Dropseed: One of the prairie dogs favourite foods Scout: A Role. A dog that finds things out on the plains Sentinel: A Role. Guards our pups, our food and our homes Speaker: A Role. A teacher and storyteller Stands-Tall: A Sentinel from the legends Strong-Heart: The High Chief. A Brave Swift-Paw: A Scout from the legends Talks-With-Birds: Great Home’s High Speaker Thunderhoof: Legendary Lord of Bison Thundertown: Mythical lost town across the prairie Tribal Totem: A critter after which the Tribe gets its name Tribe: A family of prairie dogs under one chief Wildling: A feral prairie dog without a Role

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CRITTERS

Abilities: Stancing 3, Hunting 3, Tooth & Claw 5

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These critters are bad-tempered, powerful fighters: they don’t have too many enemies, because they can take good care of themselves. They like to burrow, have white stripes on their faces and nasty long claws. They like a good story though, so you might be in luck if you have one to tell.

Armadillos Size d6+6 Agility d3 Alertness d6-1 Wisdom d3 Abilities: Bony plates; Armadillos can ignore d6 wounds every time they are hit in Tooth & Claw. These are weird critters indeed. You don’t see then too often. I saw one once, I think, many moons ago but it was dark and I can’t be too sure. He was kind of lumbering and snuffling around, nose to the ground. Not much for talk, so I’ve heard. They have this tough skin that stops most of their predators like Coyotes. Still, they are a bit dim, so Coyotes can often trick them with their wily ways.

Bats Size d2 Agility d6+1, Alertness d6+1 Wisdom d6-1 Abilities: Flight 6, Sonar 6 (as Bark of Location)

Bears Size d6+30 Agility d6-1 Alertness d6-1 Wisdom d6 Abilities: Hunting 3, Fishing 6, Tooth & Claw 9 Bears are massive great critters. They have dark fur all over and great slobbering muzzles full of wicked teeth. If that isn’t enough, they can use their massive paws quite deftly to pick us up and shove us into their foul smelling maws. Sends shivers down my spine. Still, you aren’t likely to find them near Great Home and if you are questing, your Sentinel will see them long before they become a danger to you.

Bats are like little flying mice. You don’t see them that often, because they flit around in the dark of night catching moths then disappear off to Kynos-knows-where in the daytime. The bats I have spoken to tell me they don’t fly as gracefully as birds because they have different wings. They do however have this unique ability to get around in the darkness though a bit like our Scouts, I think. They generally seem to be nice little critters but difficult to talk to for any length of time.

Apparently, they have cousins called Grizzlies or some such who are even bigger and have worse tempers. Legend has it that you need to pass a cave full of these monsters to get to Thundertown, so may Kynos be with you.

Badgers

Bison are amongst our greatest friends, ever since the time of Lord Kynos and Thunderhoof. Bison are huge, so huge in fact that they some-

Size d6+6 Alertness d6

Agility d6 Wisdom d6

Bison Size d6+50 Alertness d3 Abilities:

Agility d3+1 Wisdom d6+1 none of note

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times don’t even notice us and that represents our biggest danger from them. They have great shaggy heads with horns sticking out on top. Bison roam the plains in great herds and eat grass most of the day. They are particularly fond of the grasses that our Healers cultivate for them. Bison like to wallow on the mounds that surround Great Home. This can be very destructive, but our Healers know that this helps to create hollows where rainwater can collect and so help in the growing of crops. Of course, the Bison also leave plenty of dung behind, which helps fertilize the area, although you sometimes have to be quick to avoid being covered. Being ‘splatted’ the young pups call it.

Bobcats Size d6+6 Agility d6+3 Alertness d6+2 Wisdom d6 Abilities: Stancing 5, Hunting 7, Tooth & Claw 6 Now these critters are terrible and ferocious. If you see one run; that’s my advice to you. They seem to know no fear. I’ve heard that they will attack animals many times their own size, which is considerably bigger than us prairie dogs. They’ll eat you as soon as look at you, as well as mice, rabbits, birds, gophers - you name it we’re all on the menu.

Burrowing Owls Size d6 Agility d6+1 Alertness d6+2 Wisdom d6+2 Abilities: Flight 10, Hunting 7, Tooth & Claw 4 These birds are about the same size as we are - so they really only represent a danger to some of our smaller cousins and perhaps our pups. However,

Legend has it that it was a Burrowing Owl called Who-Who, that befriended Lord Kynos after he led his tribe onto the prairie and became his first Speaker. It was Who-Who that showed Kynos’ tribe how to dig into the ground to build their homes and also taught them about all of the other critters on the plains. He taught them that Wisdom is just as important as bravery and this friendship has extended through to this very day. Burrowing owls can often be found living near or in the outer fringes of Great Home and other dog towns.

Chipmunks Size d6-1 Agility d6 Alertness d6 Wisdom d6-1 Abilities: none of note These are friendly little critters. There are lots of different tribes, but I can’t really tell the difference. They sometimes get a bit uppity if you tell them this though. Like we’re supposed to know? Anyhow, they have stripes extending down to the base of their tales, which are a lot longer than ours. Their colour varies from dull yellow to grey-brown. They eat nuts, seeds and fruit.

Cottontails Size d6 Agility d6+1 Alertness d6+1 Wisdom d3 Abilities: none of note These critters are about our size. They are a bit wary (even of us) but can be quite friendly. I reckon they are a bit lazy too, because they like to take over our old burrows on the edge of Great Home, rather than dig their own. Sometimes they just make their shelters in brush heaps. They are a bit simple; so don’t expect to get too much sense out of them.

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Coyotes Size d6+9 Agility d6 Alertness d6 Wisdom d6+1 Abilities: Hunting 3, Tooth & Claw 5, Silvertongue 4 (treat as a Bark of Command, but let characters make Prairie Tales/Wisdom rolls to get away) Never trust a Coyote. That’s my best advice to you. If he says something to you he is only trying to win your trust, so he can get close just to eat you. Remember the old Prairie Tale? Don’t listen to his devious words. He eats nearly anything, so like I said keep out of his way. You can tell him from his cousin the fox by his greyish coat.

Eagles Size d6+10 Agility d6 Alertness d6+1 Wisdom d6+2 Abilities: Flight 10, Hunting 9, Tooth & Claw 6 Much as I feel an affinity with Eagles being our Tribal Totem and all, I don’t really feel an urge to put my Tribal Bark to the test. Eagles are so big; I wonder whether they would even hear it. I doubt I could get my Bark out even if am Eagle was coming for me anyway! As I said, they are huge (even when seen from a distance, which quite frankly, is close enough) and swift and deadly. They will eat many types of small critters, although with the vigilance of our Sentinels and the protection of our burrows, we prairie dogs are safer than many.

Ferrets Size d6+3 Agility d6+1 Alertness d6+1 Wisdom d6 Abilities: Stancing 6, Hunting 7, Tooth & Claw 8

Now this beast is a fearsome proposition, I can assure you. For a start, it is bigger than us but not so big that it cannot come down into our burrows to seek us out. Ferrets are light brown in colour except for their feet and evil killer eyes which are dark as the night. They feed mainly upon us prairie dogs and our cousins the ground squirrels. Why us? Kynos only knows, but they seem to derive enormous satisfaction from it. I have heard of whole tribes being wiped out by just one or two of these berserk killers.

Foxes Size d6+8 Agility d6 Alertness d6 Wisdom d6+1 Abilities: Hunting 4, Tooth & Claw 5, Silvertongue 3 I must admit that I can’t really tell much of a difference between foxes and coyotes, but then I don’t normally hang about when they are around. There are even different types of foxes, according to one Speaker I met. These critters are quick and deadly and, like Coyote, very wily. They are quite happy to eat us as well as others of our friends, so be warned.

Gophers Size d6-1 Agility d6 Alertness d6 Wisdom d6-1 Abilities: none of note This is another friendly critter, the Gopher. They like to burrow and, unlike us, prefer to stay in their tunnels all of the time. So you might find them a bit, well, sort of ‘earthy’. They also like to store their food in their cheeks, which seems odd to me. Doesn’t it get all soggy in there?

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Ground Squirrels Size d6 Agility d6 Alertness d6 Wisdom d6-1 Abilities: none of note Now these critters are our cousins and although they are loners, they have the attitude of one or two Scouts I know. There are loads of different types, some have stripes, and some have spots (they don’t daub them on like we do). They like to burrow and are about our size too. They don’t bark though. You can usually rely on help from these guys, if you need it.

Hawks Size d6+6 Agility d6 Alertness d6+1 Wisdom d6 Abilities: Flight 10, Hunting 9, Tooth & Claw 5 Always keep one eye on the sky. If it’s not an eagle up there, you can bet it’ll be a hawk. Not as big as an eagle, but that isn’t much comfort to the likes of us. Just get down your burrow as quick as you can. These flying critters can see the whole prairie from up there and can spot movement almost anywhere. If you can find a hawk feather, you’ll be lucky, so they say. Get it to your Speaker sharpish.

Jackrabbits Size d6+3 Alertness d6+1 Abilities: Jumping 12

Agility d6+2 Wisdom d6-1

seem very quick on their feet, if not in their heads. They seem to eat almost any kind of vegetation (no taste!) and, like us, can make do with little or no water. The most remarkable thing though, is how far they can jump. If you put 20 Braves nose to tail, I am sure a Jackrabbit could clear them in one bound.

Kangaroo Rats Size d3 Alertness d6 Abilities: Jumping 8

Agility d6+2 Wisdom d6

Jumpy critters these and I don’t just mean they can jump a long way. I mean they seem edgy and nervous all the time. Highly strung. Still, I’m not surprised; they have more predators than we do. There are apparently lots of different families of kangaroo rats but, quite frankly, who cares? Still, get one to stay still long enough and you will find them to be friendly enough.

Lions Size d6+25 Agility d6+1 Alertness d6+1 Wisdom d6 Abilities: Hunting 8, Tooth & Claw 9 You think bobcats are scary? Well, you run into one of these terrors – makes a bobcat look like a rabbit. Lions are rare and I have only second paw accounts. Perhaps they exist only in Prairie Tales? Just as well really.

Lizards

This critter is too up himself, if you ask me. He looked down his nose at me, like he just trod in something. Still, my Bark is worse than my bite, I like to say, so after he had been taught a little lesson, he was more willing to treat me with a bit of respect. Jackrabbits have long ears, long legs and

Size d6 Agility d6+2 Alertness d6 Wisdom d3 Abilities: Hunting 2, Tooth & Claw 2 There is an old Legend that says that if a lizard bites you, it will hold on till it thunders. There is another that says if a critter catches hold of a lizard’s tail

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the tail will drop off. Then, later on the lizard will come back for his tail and join it back on again. Those two Prairie Tales just show how weird a critter a lizard is. You’ll find them basking in the sun by day or under a rock (or even in our old burrows) at night.

Mice

haps they have Roles in their society too?

Prairie Dogs Size d6 Alertness d6 Abilities: Tribal Bark 1, of note, unless the dog

Agility d6 Wisdom d6 otherwise none has a Role*

If you haven’t been paying attention, these are the critters that this game is all about.

Size d2 Agility d6+2 Alertness d6 Wisdom d6 Abilities: none of note There are many types of mouse, most of which are a browngrey colour with white bellies and long tails. They are nimble little critters that eat seeds, plants and some insects. They build their nests under rocks and such. Members of the Little Mouse Tribe even live side-by-side with these little guys. There are some mice, called Grasshopper Mice (who are quite common on the plains) that feed almost exclusively on insects. Yum!

Pikas Size d6-1 Agility d6 Alertness d6 Wisdom d6-1 Abilities: Whistle (several types, similar to Barks though fewer) These critters are a bit like us and a bit like rabbits. They tend to like the mountains, so you don’t get them around Great Home very much. They Whistle, so that’s how you know them. Some of our Scouts reckon their whistles are a bit like our Barks, but I’m not so sure. If they are though, per-

Raccoons Size d6+6 Agility d6 Alertness d6 Wisdom d6 Abilities: Tooth & Claw 3, Hunting 2 These critters get everywhere. They are very nosey and love to learn new things and have loads of tales to tell themselves, if you can get then to talk to you, rather than have you for a tasty snack. Truth be told, they go for smaller critters than us, as a rule. Anyhow, you can tell a raccoon by his markings - a ringed tail and black round the eyes. These are great designs to copy, when you are being daubed.

Rattlesnakes Size d6+4 Agility d6-1 Alertness d6 Wisdom d6 Abilities: Death Rattle (as Stancing) 8, Tooth & Claw 3, Hunting 4, Poison bite (victim has to make a Moderate ability roll using Size to avoid being paralysed and loses one hit point per flurry thereafter whether he succeeded or failed the first roll, unless he makes a further Moderate ability roll)

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If you hear an eerie rattling sound, get the hell out of there. It means rattler is near and about to strike. In actual fact, if you hear it, you can assume you are dead already. They strike quickly and their poison is deadly. Not much a Healer can do. So don’t get bitten.

Shrews

They might even have a go at you. Smaller critters like mice are definitely on the menu. Black with white stripes and bushy tales; that’s how you’ll recognise them if you don’t smell them first. Mind you, the smell is enough to knock you out completely. Luckily, it’s only a defensive thing - it is intended to ward off predators like Coyotes and other bigger critters.

Wolves

Size d2 Agility d6+1 Alertness d6 Wisdom d6-1 Abilities: Stancing 2, Tooth & Claw 1 Shrews are quite aggressive for such a little critter. They can catch you by surprise too, because they look a bit like mice. They prefer watery areas though and aren’t often seen in the daytime. They eat loads of insects and grubs and things. Must need it with all that aggression.

Skink

Size d6+15 Agility d6 Alertness d6 Wisdom d6 Abilities: Stancing 3, Tooth & Claw 8, Hunting 5 Now these critters are pure legend, I am certain. They are like big coyotes or foxes, so the tales would have it. More vicious though and they don’t need the trickery of those critters either. Not as vicious of the next critter though.

Wolverines

Size d6-1 Agility d6+1 Alertness d6+1 Wisdom d3 Abilities: Hunting 2, Tooth & Claw 2 Skinny little guys these things. No fur either, so no wonder they like to bake themselves in the sun and hide away at night when it goes cold. They look a bit like snakes except they got legs too - pretty fast runners when they want as well. Never seen a lizard bothering any of us. They talk kinda funny so it’s hard to understand them. They’re ok though.

Skunks Size d6+6 Agility d6 Alertness d6 Wisdom d6 Abilities: Odour (as Stancing) 6, Hunting 2, Tooth & Claw 2

Size d6+8 Agility d6 Alertness d6 Wisdom d6 Abilities: Stancing 5, Tooth & Claw 9, Hunting 7 Luckily, we don’t see these around very much. They are large, shaggy, brown-furred monsters. They are also exceptionally ill-tempered. You don’t stand a chance if one catches you whilst he is hungry. If he is not hungry, he will probably just kill you anyway. Some even kill deer and elk. And deer and elk are real big. Probably couldn’t kill a Bison though, but I bet they would have a good go.

Smelly critters, these; only when you catch them by surprise though. Otherwise they are a bit temperamental.

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ADVENTURING ________________________________________________

Overview It’s a Dog’s Life is a game all about adventures and quests. Adventures can be one-off scenarios that begin and end after an evenings play. They can be designed like short stories, each of which starring the same cast of characters (maybe with a slightly changed cast, if players can’t make it, or new players come along). Best of all though, is when adventures are linked in some way and so that what went in the last adventure has a bearing on the next one. These are called campaigns. Designing adventures can be a bit daunting. The thing is you shouldn’t bust a gut over it. The more it is planned out, the less easy it will be to play. There are some sample adventures near the end of this book, to give you a feel for the type of thing that makes a good It’s a Dog’s Life adventure. The beginning adventures can be simple tasks given by Chief Strong-Heart, like the adventure called Ferret Trouble. However, after a while this approach will get a bit stale, so you may need to vary it. There are many ways to do this. If a one of the players is a Speaker, you can say that she has some sort of vision after eating a certain plant. This vision could be in the form of a riddle or a visit from Lord Kynos or just a faraway place or event. A Scout could come across something out on the prairie - strange tracks, an unknown critter or a dead body. A Speaker from some distant town could come to

Great Home with a Prairie Tale that could lead to a new adventure. Be creative. Once you begin differing the way to introduce scenarios to the players, you will start to develop a campaign structure to your games.

Campaigns Campaigns are a series of adventures that usually have a common thread or greater goal that strings the adventures together. Campaigns tend to have common elements throughout the adventures. These elements may be that there is an ultimate aim for the players - maybe they are trying to track down one very powerful foe and each adventure brings them clues that bring them closer to their enemy. The Great Quest is an example of a campaign that will be played over several or more sessions leading to a fabulous climax - the dream of many prairie dogs, Thundertown itself. Maybe the characters have their own personal agendas - a Speaker might want to become the Chief Speaker of Great Home. A Healer might want to find a cure for The Dark Death. A Scout might want to find Thundertown. A Brave might want to be Chief. A Sentinel might simply want to find a mate. These are the characters dreams and so they should be working towards these goals anyway. They make a fantastic way for GMs to come up with adventures that the players might be really keen to play. Players might have other ideas for their characters and often these are a great source of material for GMs struggling to come up with adventures of their own. Don’t be afraid to plunder the players ideas for campaigns and adventures. It means they have a lot more personal stake in your game. Campaigns work best when the player

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characters have lives of their own too and where you play out sessions that have a real meaning for their characters.

Earning Legend Points Adventures are where characters earn status within their tribes and even gain reputations beyond their own tribes, perhaps throughout Great Home and even in other dog towns. After each adventure, the GM will award Legend points. The number of points varies from about 1 to 3, depending upon the nature of the adventure, the difficulties faced and the way the players played their characters to the spirit of It’s a Dog’s Life.

more than two Roles Feather: An extra feather for the first point spent (this is extra to the Feather the dog has already got from her Role). Then 2 points for the next (third) feather. Then 3 points for the next and so on.

Adventure seeds Some of these are just short ideas to throw into an ongoing campaign or game session. Others could be fully fleshed out into whole adventures or even longer quests and campaigns. •

• If the group has a Speaker with them, and that Speaker can succeed in telling the Prairie Tale of their adventures before the chief, or the chief or Speaker of another tribe, then another point can be awarded to each character, as they bask in the glory of their adventures. These Legend points can be used to increase attributes, abilities or Barks or learn new ones. Alternatively, a character can learn a second Role, if she has sufficient Legend points. Attributes: 2 points per point up to 6. Then 3 points per point up to 8, which is the maximum Abilities: 1 point per point up to 6. Then 2 points per point up to a maximum of 12 Barks: 1 point per point up to 3. Then 2 points per point up to a maximum of 6 New Role: 6 Legend points. The prairie dog gets the Unique Ability, Bark and Secondary Ability of the new Role all at level 1. He is also awarded a second (or additional) Feather. It is extremely rare for any dog to have

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A strange lost critter comes to Great Home, from far across the prairie Crops are being eaten or destroyed by an unknown thief or unknown thieves and the Healer wants to know who or what it is A quest to accompany a Healer or Speaker collect feathers and other materials with which to make a Dreamcatcher, to replace one in the Lodge that no longer has power Looking for lost pups or scouts that wandered off across the prairie A Speaker character trying to learn new tales from other towns Accompanying a Healer who is looking for rare plants to combat the Dark Death Exploration; searching for new place to establish a colony Tribal disputes, wars and politics A lost critter with strange markings or daubings on his fur, that could be a ‘map’ to the location of Thundertown The Bison haven’t been seen for many moons. Where are they? High Chief Strong-Heart

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•

wants some brave dogs to go along the Bison-Way to see if they can find out where they are or why they don’t pass by Great Home anymore The Great Quest (there are some ideas for incorporating The Great Quest into your campaign later on in this book).

LONGER ADVENTURES ________________________________________________

Killer Ferret Some prairie dogs have been going missing from the outer fringes of Great Home. Some of the tribes that live out that way have got together to petition Strong-Heart for a gathering of the tribes to get something done about it. The result of the Great Council is that the player characters are summoned before chief Strong-Heart, who tells them that he wishes them to go out to the area where the disappearances have occurred and see what they can find out. Their job is to see what the cause is and try to reach a solution if possible or if not, report back with their findings. He suggests they talk to the Elders of the Running Gopher Tribe who have lost more of their number than any of the others out that way.

Any Scouts in the party will know that they need to travel mountain-ward from the time the sun rises, till it is high in the sky. If there is no Scout, then the characters will have to ask around and the journey will be twice as long. Out here, there are many deserted burrows; several lived in by other critters such as mice and burrowing owls. The grasses are poor and sparse. The characters will be treated with a little suspicion, unless they have a Speaker in the group or until they tell the Tribe why they are here. They will learn that their have been several disappearances, the most recent of which was only at sunrise. It was Grass-Fur the Tribes only Healer, who had wandered too far looking for a plot of decent soil. The Tribes only Sentinel couldn’t be everywhere at once and despite his warnings, she wandered out of his sight. The group is shown by Boulder, the Sentinel, the last place he saw her. The group will probably want to head in that direction, as it is about the only lead they have and the Healer might still be alive. If they have a Scout, the group can follow her trail. Otherwise they will have to just head that way and hope for the best (perhaps having an encounter with a critter of some sort as they get off track a little). They will eventually find the remains of a critter in a patch of longer grass. There is blood everywhere. The body is the

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Healer, but there is not much left of her. (A Critter Lore roll will show this to be the work of a ferret). A short distance from the body (Watching roll for Sentinels in the party) will reveal a strange ring of woven grasses, with feathers attached. It is a Dreamcatcher. A successful Plant Lore or Critter Lore roll will reveal that it is unfinished, but only needs a little more work. It is designed to ward off a ferret. A scout will be able to find the tracks of the killer ferret leading towards some disused tunnel entrances at the very outer edges of Great Home. The ferret is in the burrow asleep, sated after his dawn feast. However, it is not long till the sun goes down and he will be back out for another night of hunting and killing. The ferret needs at the very least to be chased away from Great Home. It would help if the characters could get the Dreamcatcher completed. They are unlikely to be able to do it themselves (they won’t have the necessary ability levels), but they could find someone to help from among the nearby tribes. Alternatively, if the group is strong in Braves, then they might be able to out-Stance or out-fight him. Black-Foot The ferret is a fairly typical one, called Black-Foot, with stats as follows: Size 7, Agility 5, Alertness 4, Wisdom 3 Abilities: Stancing 6 (13), Hunting 7 (11), Tooth & Claw 8 (13) Wound points: 13 Note: The figure in brackets is the total d20 roll needed, not including any modifiers.

Dog Trouble Some prairie dogs from a dog-town some way across the plain towards the mountains are looking for a new home

as the soil around there own has become poor and the bison don’t come by as often as they used to. There are a dozen of these dogs - hardened Braves and a couple of Scouts and Sentinels, all under the Chief called Rock-Claw. These dogs have matted and ‘spiked’ fur, with bits of bone and twigs thrust through it, and ‘war-paint’ daubed on their faces. Some even have a porcupine spine or thorn thrust through an ear. (Think ‘punk’ or Mad Max in style here). They are members of the Bloody Porcupine Tribe - a cruel and heartless tribe of thugs and murderers. Rock-Claw is following reports from one of his scouts of a town rich in food and comfortable burrows just ripe for the picking - Great Home. However, he is aware that the Chief is strong and will not just give up his position that easily and Rock-Claw does not intend to risk losing his life in a challenge. Their plan is to attack a weaker tribe on the outskirts of Great Home and kill the chief, Braves and any others who put up a fight, enslaving the rest. Then they intend to work their way around the other tribes nearby, building their power and strength, moving in towards the centre as they go taking the females and putting down any resistance. The eventual aim is to make a challenge upon Strong-Heart for leadership. However, even then they don’t plan a fair challenge. Oh no. Rock-Claws’ own Speaker, SnakeTongue is planning to ingratiate himself with the tribes of Great Home, so that he can get close to Strong-Heart. At the appointed time, Rock-Claw will challenge Strong-Heart. Snake-Tongue

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will then poison Strong-Heart (using a particular plant he knows) - not to kill him, but to make him weak and nauseous and easy for Rock-Claw to best in Tooth & Claw. Then Great Home will be theirs. This isn’t really an adventure as such, it is really a whole ongoing story that you can play through either as part of an ongoing plot-line with the characters perhaps coming across bits and pieces of the plot as they go about there other adventures. Maybe they find some of Rock-Claws Braves harassing some prairie dogs of another tribe, or perhaps they find some of his Scouts stealing some of the best crops from around the centre of Great Home. They could run into a ‘workparty’ of dogs being forced to dig tunnels by some Braves and Sentinels of Rock-Claws tribe, or even run into an old friend who has been beaten up and badly disfigured, for standing up against them. Alternatively, they could come back from a long adventure to find Great Home almost overrun by the Bloody Porcupines. Perhaps there has been a Rock-Claw Role: Brave (Chief) Size 6, Agility 6, Alertness 4, Wisdom 2 Abilities: Stancing 5(11), Tooth & Claw 4(10), Bark of Courage 3, Tribal Bark 2 Wound points: 12 Snake-Tongue Role: Speaker Size, Agility 3, Alertness 5, Wisdom 6 Abilities: Prairie Tales 3(9), Plant Lore 3(9), Critter Lore 1 (7) Bark of Command 3, Bark of Weakness 1, Bark of Confusion 1, Tribal Bark 3 Wound points: 8 (Note: The figure in brackets is the total d20 roll needed, not including any modifiers).

huge civil war and members of StrongHearts Tribe are now fighting a guerrilla war from hidden tunnels in some abandoned area of town. Use this in a way you find interesting.

Plague Town A small dog colony a few days away from Great Home has been hit by The Dark Death. You could allow the group to come across this town whist they are travelling the plain on some other quest or mission or simply have a Scout from that town come to Great Home for help from the Healers (in the latter case, the Scout could actually have brought the Dark Death with him, meaning that Great Home itself is at risk, bringing the whole problem ’closer to home’, especially if one of the player characters is unfortunate enough to have come into contact with the Scout). Anyway, the characters will find the colony in a rather pathetic state— untended plots, poorly maintained guard posts and burrows, hardly any dog around and a smell of rot and decay from within and around the vicinity. Luckily, this smell keeps most predators at bay too. The characters will need to come up with a cunning plan. If they have a Healer or Speaker, then a Plant Lore roll will tell them that there is a very rare herb that grows near the mountains (a long way away!) that is supposed to be able to cure the Dark Death. A successful Prairie Tales roll will mean that the Speaker recalls the tale of an ancient and venerable Hermit who lives near the foot of the mountains, who is believed to be the sole survivor of a great plague in his own town many dog-generations ago. (If rolls are failed, the characters can

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always go and see their own HeadSpeaker or even the wise burrowing owl that they know about, either of whom can tell them bout the above). These stories will probably lead the characters on the long journey to the mountains. They will definitely need a Scout with them, for the path is hard and dangerous. Sentinels are a must too. If the characters do not have characters of these types in their number, you could allow an NPC to join them. Alternatively, you could allow them to become lost several times (if they don’t have a Scout) perhaps leading them to other adventures along the way whilst all the time dogs back home are falling to the Dark Death, or they could be attacked by more predators along the way (without a Sentinel). Eventually, their path will lead to the Hermit. He is the whitest, oldest and frailest-looking prairie dog they will have ever seen. He is both a Speaker and a Healer. His name (though it is long since he heard it spoken, is StarBorn, because his mother gave birth to him under the brightest star there has ever been. This was in a time, so he says, when Great Home was but a small colony of his old town of BisonWay, which fell to the Dark Death all those moons ago. Star-Born is a bit strange, and talks in an odd way because he is unused to company. His home is full of little side tunnels full of bits of bone, old dried plants, feathers, part finished and finished Dreamcatchers and so on. He is a font of Wisdom and old knowledge and can help the characters with their quest. This is a chance to learn! This scenario gives the GM opportunity to allow the characters to learn new Prairie Tales

or other abilities from the Hermit. He is happy to pass on his knowledge to the group. They can also learn a bit more about the location of Thundertown—as the old dog heard a Prairie Tale from a Speaker when he was just a young pup, who had met a very old Bison who knew of a herd that passed that way occasionally. Star-Born Speaker & Healer (Hermit) Size 1, Agility 2, Alertness 4, Wisdom 9 Abilities: Prairie Tales 6 (15), Plant Lore 5(14), Critter Lore 4 (13), Bark of Command 6, Bark of Life 6, Bark of Mimicry 3. Wound points: 7 (Note: The figure in brackets is the total d20 roll needed, not including any modifiers).

The Old Wolverine On one of their quests, the characters will come across a very nasty critter indeed - a wolverine! This could be during or part of any adventure and would work well as a part of the previous adventure, especially as the mountains are a more likely place to find a wolverine. The wolverine will step out in front of the characters from behind a boulder and block their path, ideally in a narrow mountain pass or somewhere difficult to escape from the wolverine. However, the wolverine (called Bite-ofDeath) is old, lost and has suffered a badly mauled paw, which he got in a fight with another wolverine. The paw is causing him great pain and in fact he isn’t that hungry, having eaten quite recently. If a character Healer is available, he

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can see that the wolverine is injured and appears to be in pain. The Healer may be able to help, with critter lore. Without a Healer, the characters will have to talk to the wolverine before they can find out about his injury. This is possible, because the wolverine doesn’t attack straight away as they would perhaps expect from this beast (if indeed they recognize it as such). If they get talking, the wolverine tells them his name is Bite-of-Death. He is grateful for any help and will teach any dog some of his best Tooth & Claw or Stancing moves and tricks. Bite-of-Death Wolverine Size 10, Agility 3, Alertness 2, Wisdom 5 Abilities: Tooth & Claw 8(11), Stancing 5(15), Hunting 5(7) Wound points: 16 (Note: The figure in brackets is the total d20 roll needed, not including any modifiers).

The Great Quest Locating Thundertown is the ultimate dream of very many prairie dogs who have the spirit of adventure within them. Scouts constantly venture far and wide, seeking trails and following paths that lead out across the plains. Speakers swap Prairie Tales in the hope that there will be clues in some of the new stories they learn. Sentinels at watch will sometimes look to the skies for a glimpse of the top of a faraway mountain that might just possibly be the location of that mythical place. Many dogs give up on the idea and settle down to a life in Great Home. Content as they seem, there is still an occasional ache in the hearts of most dogs that they didn’t pursue their Dream. For other dogs, the yearning is too strong. These dogs are called to The Great Quest; that is forever following the slightest of hints, the merest of suggestions and the oldest of trails with the slimmest of hopes that they might eventually discover a route that leads to the First Town. None so far has found it, or if they have, they have not returned to talk of it. How do you get to Thundertown? This is a question for you, as the GM to decide. You don’t need to do it straight away, but sometime during the adventures you are going to have to provide some answers and so you need to think about it now. It could be at the end of a very long and very ancient Bison-Way, criss-crossed several times by other Bison-Ways, sometimes making it difficult to find the original trail. It could be, as one of the legends suggests, up through a pass in the distant mountains. Some legends even suggest that you need to pass through a cave full of grizzlies to get to Thundertown. Perhaps Thundertown is

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across a raging river or huge canyon. Maybe the path to Thundertown leads through a dark forest. It could be that all of these things are true or none of them. But, during the course of their adventures, you should allow the characters to pick up snippets of information or find clues that will keep them getting nearer to their Dream. One Prairie Tale speaks of a critter, just known as ‘The Puzzle’, whose pelt markings are some sort of secret message that if worked out, will give directions to the location of the First Town. What will the characters find there? One option is that Thundertown is the largest Prairie Dog town that there has ever been. An ancient, yet vibrant and beautiful town set against the backdrop of a mighty mountain rising up out of the land and reaching up into the clouds. The place is dotted with pleasant little plots, pools of sparkling water, colourful herbs and plants and well cared for burrows. The Tribes are all well fed and want for very little. It is idyllic and alluring and everything anydog ever dreamed of. The High Chief is a direct descendent of the Great Kynos himself and will make anydog welcome for there is room for everyone and food is plentiful. Everydog is happy and their lives are blissful. Another option is perhaps exactly the opposite. Perhaps the ancient town is a run-down dilapidated dump, full of malnourishment and disease. Maybe the High Chief is a tyrant and has a personal army of thuggish Braves who enforce his strict rules and keep the populace down, cowed beneath his spiteful paw. Maybe his Chief Speaker has set up a weird cult of worshippers of The Mountain - in the shadow of

which Thundertown sits in its wasted and lifeless misery. Perhaps the browbeaten populace is looking for a new leader from afar away across the prairie, spoken of in their ancient prophecies; a hero who will show them how to rise up and throw off the chains of their despotic overlord. Maybe Thundertown is just an empty, lifeless shell; deserted perhaps, many moons ago and now just a place of empty memories and weed-choked plant beds. Maybe in the tunnels and chambers of the town, there are some secrets to be found; mystical powers that were known in Lord Kynos’ day but lost in the passing of time. The characters could explore these echoing halls and quiet chambers uncovering the mysteries held within. Perhaps the chambers are now home to some other deadly critters - a family of ferrets or chamber of rattlers. Maybe, because the passages are old and uncared for, there will be rockfalls and cave-ins. It could be a bit like a ‘dungeon adventure’. Perhaps there are even spirits of the dead drifting around, whispering to the characters for good or ill. Another option is that Thundertown is not real. It never existed, except in Prairie Tales. The Great Quest is just enlightenment and Thundertown, a Nirvana. Take an idea from above, change it to suit you and your players. Or make up your own version of Thundertown. You know your players best and you know what they will be happiest with. Go with it. Happy adventuring!

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REAL PRAIRE DOGS ________________________________________________ Prairie dogs are truly social animals and live on the central plains of North America, in Wyoming, Colorado, and South Dakota and so on. They are closely related to ground squirrels. There are five species of prairie dog; Black-tailed (the most common), White-tailed (slightly smaller and live in the mountains), Gunnison's, Utah and Mexican. They all have small ears, short tails and muscular little legs. Their buffcoloured fur blends in with the earth in which they dig their burrows.

imately 400 million prairie dogs, once were reported from Texas. Although prairie dogs still locally are common, today less than one percent of the prairie dog population and habitat remain. Within the towns, dogs live in social groups called coteries that work together to collect foodstuffs and nesting materials and cooperate to fend off threats from intruders, which may be predators or dogs from other coteries. A typical coterie consists of between 4 to 6 adults and their young of up to a year in age. Beyond 1 year, the young will often relocate, taking over abandoned holes, digging new holes on the edge of the town or travel up to several miles away to start new towns.

Size Prairie dogs vary in size from 11 to 14 inches and weigh from 1 to 3 pounds. They can live for up to 7 years but males tend to live no longer than 5. The females give birth to only 1 litter of 1 to 6 pups and the breeding season begins late winter to early spring.

Towns Prairie dogs live in areas known as ‘towns’, which are marked by low mounds of bare dirt and sand where they have excavated it from their burrows. Huge prairie dog towns, such as one that covered 25,000 square miles and supported a population of approx-

Many of the burrows in a town are interconnected, so escape routes are left open if a predator chases a dog down a burrow. Other critters also use little used or abandoned burrows, including mice, rabbits, some reptiles and ground-nesting birds. The towns are watched over by dogs that stand upright atop the earth mounds and keep a sharp eye out for signs of intruders. When they spot danger they give a warning bark and every dog bolts for the safety of its burrows.

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IT’S A DOG’S LIFE

Communication These barks are the dog’s way of communicating. They include warning barks, territorial calls, defence barks, fighting snarls fear screams and tooth chattering. Prairie dogs are well adapted to avoid predation. The eyes are located high on the head and are able to focus on overhead objects very well. Taller view-blocking vegetation at the edges of towns is cut down by the animals, who are then able to stand upright on their mounds for an unobstructed view of their surroundings.

Food In and around the town grow the plants and grasses that form the diet of prairie dogs. The volume of plant material on the town itself is much reduced, but because of the constant grazing, the annual production and protein content of the plants is greater than that growing on the surrounding grasslands. When most of the grasses are gone, prairie dogs must feed on the other plants that have become established. Some of these are preferred foodstuffs and some are not. Accordingly prairie dogs will begin to feed on a wider variety of foods when the preferred types are decreased.

Predators There are a number of predators that hunt prairie dogs, such as coyotes, bobcats, foxes, badgers, eagles, hawks, rattlesnakes and most of all, the feared Black-footed ferret, whose diet consists primarily of prairie dogs.

ABOUT IT’S A DOG’S LIFE I’ve always liked reading animal books and it was after reading Duncton Wood (and several of the follow up novels) that I started to write a Duncton Wood role playing game. During the course of writing the game, I was on a visit to the USA and my trip took me to the Devil’s Tower in Wyoming. There is a large prairie dog town at the site and seeing those cute little critters got me thinking. I bought a little booklet all about prairie dogs and, whilst I was on my holiday, I started to write It’s A Dog’s Life, using the basics of the system I had been writing for the Duncton Wood rpg. In around 2002 I put a basic version of the game on the web for free download. All the while, I was still working on the game and, following a number of highly successful playtest adventures, I started to add to what was already there, until it became a fullyfledged game and more-or-less what it is today. I realized that a game about prairie dogs was always going to be a niche product. However, I have some hopes that a small number of jaded gamers, fed up of the traditional dwarves, wizards, space pirates and vampires might just find something a bit different in this game and give it a go. It’s a Dog’s Life is one of my wife’s favourite role playing games and it certainly holds a very special place in my heart. In fact, I’m planning a new campaign right now… Simon W

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TALES FROM THE WOOD Player Creature Sheet

NAME

CREATURE TYPE

THE WAY

ABILITIES, LORES (& GNOME SKILLS) SKILLS)

TRAITS TRAITS ALERTNESS

(AL)

CRAFTINESS

(CR)

FIERCENESS

(FI)

NIMBLENESS

(NI)

STURDINESS

(ST)

TOUGHNESS

(TO)

INJURIES

SYSTEM BASICS

•

If you have the required Ability, Lore or Gnome Skill, pick up a d10 If you do not have the required Ability, Lore or Gnome Skill pick up a d6 Roll the die

•

Add the appropriate Trait

•

•

NOTES

If the result is higher than the difficulty, you succeed Using The Way: • You may add +2 if you use a point of The Way before you roll • You may add +1 if you use a point of The Way after you roll • You may roll again if you use a point of The Way. However, you must take the second result • Use a point to “edit” things •

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LASHINGS OF GINGER BEER GENERAL INFORMATION NAME: KID TYPE: AGE: ATTRIBUTES 1) TOUGH: 2) DEFT: 3) CLEVER: 4) CHARM: THINGS I AM GOOD AT

MY BELONGINGS

1)

1)

2)

2)

3)

3)

4)

4)

5)

5)

6) 7) 8) OTHER STUFF

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IT’S A DOG’S LIFE NAME

TRIBE

ROLE

FEATHERS

SIZE

AGILITY

WISDOM

SPIRIT

ABILITIES

BARKS

WOUNDS

CHARACTERISTICS

LEGEND POINTS

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Look out for these great games from Beyond Belief Games & Cubicle 7: BARBARIANS OF LEMURIA (BoL) The sword & sorcery role playing game, with rules that really do reflect the genre. Available in PDF from RPGNow, or in print from it’s publisher Cubicle 7 Entertainment or your local hobby store

SUPERS! COMIC BOOK ROLE PLAYING GAME Fast character generation, simple rules, great fun. This is the heroic supers game you’ve been waiting for. Available in PDF from RPGNow, or in print from it’s publisher Cubicle 7 Entertainment or your local hobby store KIDS & CRITTERS OLD SCHOOL RPG TRILOGY Tales from The Wood Lashings of Ginger Beer It’s a Dog’s Life HISTORICAL ADVENTURES OLD SCHOOL RPG TRILOGY Go Fer Yer Gun! Medieval Mysteries 1940 – England Invaded! COMING IN 2011 OTHER BoL PRODUCTS: Dogs of W*A*R A real man’s role playing game of modern gung-ho mercenary adventures using the Barbarians of Lemuria rules. Available in PDF from RPGNow or in print from LULU.COM. Legends of Steel (BoL Edition) BoL setting book for the world of Erisa, by Evil DM Productions and Beyond Belief Games. Available in print from LULU.COM, in PDF from RPGNow or direct from the Evil DM website. Barbarians of The Aftermath BoL setting book for post apocalyptic role playing, by Jabberwocky Productions. In PDF from RPGNOW or print from Cubicle 7

WEBSITES CUBICLE 7 ENTERTAINMENT: BEYOND BELIEF GAMES: LORDS OF LEMURIA: EVIL DM PRODUCTIONS:

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www.cubicle-7.com/ www.penandpapergames.com/forums/forum.php www.freeyabb.com/d6fantasy/portal.php http://evildm.blogspot.com/

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