Cairn: Session Zero

One thing -- for character art, see the great PC pic Gwen has come up with in her thread. Definitely want to try and stick with black and white art to maintain the OSR vibe if possible...

A sheet to use... click "create character" at the top right.

Didn't realize the inventory management had so much debate around it, but sounds good to start with RAW and go from there.

All right, submitted Sable the Prowler with black and white avatar. Hopefully that fits in with everyone's, but if not, I'll try to look for another pic.

Even with a brand new character, my inventory is almost full.

Also, I took the liberty of picking most of the character traits. I hope you don't mind.

OK submitted a sheet for the character I rolled up, Wren. Except for the name and gender, and opting to be only partially bald instead of completely bald, she is 100% random.

Alright, that's three! There's a chance I'll be able to look then over before the weekend, but... well, my time is diminishing! I'll see what I can do, otherwise we'll do a group review next week.

Got mine submitted too! With 4 str and his two-handed sword, Gann has high hopes for a long and successful adventuring career as a Marchguard!

You know you can swap two of the stats, right?

I saw that in the rules, but from what Harrigan said about the procedure I thought we were just going down the line.

STR isn’t needed for attacks, so I think it’s okay. Just means I’m gonna die very soon - which is fine too.

Just popping in from the con I’m attending. Loooong day tomorrow, but hoping for some posting on GP Sunday.

Sudo — swapping two stats is fine.

Hah perfect, I will definitely be swapping them then!

I am going to roll up a totaly random character today. For those who used AI to generate a character image, do you mind sharing your prompt?

Right on, Squid. I’m almost through my busy period, finishing up at the con late tonight…

Then we’ll give this puppy the attention it deserves and get going!

Alright! Here’s what I’m seeing…

Characters
Aline: Nessa the Foundling
Age: 27
Heritage: Rumored to have faeblood in their veins
Once Traveled With: a troupe of entertainers who vanished overnight.
Bond: A letter that might prove their heritage…

Drgwen: Wren the Rill Runner
Age: 28
Known For: Watercraft skills, transporting delicate goods, songs and tales
Bond: An old bark-bound journal

quillted: Sable the Prowler
Age: 36
Once Hunted: A Hollow Wolf. He took pity on the thing; it now serves him.
Bond: Once freed a Naiad from a choked stream. Possesses Silver Moss as a result.

SudoDragon: Gann the Marchguard
Age: 22
Oath to the Marchguard: Sworn because family lost everything. Carries a Marchguard Compass.
Bond: Once freed a Naiad from a choked stream. Possesses Silver Moss as a result.

Squid: Rowan the Greenwise
Age: 14 24
How the Wood has failed him: He was once poisoned by something in it.
Bond: Haunted by a beast of the forest he let die.

Do I have these summaries about right? Next I’ll look at trying some things together, rationalizing a couple of angles and generally drawing some connections between background elements.

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The Group Omen
Songbirds in the wood have fallen silent of late. A spectral figure has been sighted; it gazes longingly from a distance.

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Inventory
One or two folks had questions about the inventory — specifically about weather weapons and armor need to be accounted for… and they door. So indeed, those ten slots go quick. Like I said a while back, my experiences with 2e lead me to believe the inventory / encumbrance system is broken or at the very least not terribly fun. Let’s see how it shakes out for these five PCs and we’ll adjust if need be.

Looks good to me so far!

I had a typo for Rowan's age. He's 24, not 14.

Off to the general store to buy some armor to hopefully survive the first battle! :)

Alright, I’m planning to run Black Wyrm of Brandonsford, a modern classic OSR module by Chance Dudinack, one of my favorite adventure creators. Let me know if you’ve already run or played in this, otherwise…

The game will take place in Vald, and center on the small and remote village of Brandonsford. It is deep in a gnarled, hoary wood, and most easily reached by pole and barge, using the wide, shallow and slow-winding river it sits upon. The Woods north of the village are known to be old, and are rumored to contain ruins, faerie circles and old places of power.

Normally a pleasant if humble and slightly back-woods place, Brandonsford has a problem: a monster prowls the woods. People are missing, there have been a number of deaths, and there are rumors of other things creeping through the forest now that the fearful villagers have holed up and shut their gates. Reportedly, the Marchguard has been dispatched to help, but its unclear when that contingent might arrive — and as a result, the local Reeve has offered a bounty of one thousand golden coins!

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So if we’re heading in this overall direction, I’ll probably adjust the Omen to reflect a monster rather than a spectral figure.

Then, we should look at tweaks and connections with the PCs. Here are some stray ideas, but please let me know what you think:

Nessa: perhaps headed to Brandonsford because it’s close to the meeting place named in the letter?

Rowan: Might know Nessa, and be their traveling companion.

Wren: probably knows the river well and me be their transport for the other PCs. Might have more of a vested interest in investigating what’s going on because they have some goods to transfer to a caravan going north… which is missing.

Gann has been dispatched to join other Marchguards… and finds the others have not yet arrived.

Sable comes for the monster-hunting coin.

Wild idea: Are Gann and Sable brothers or cousins? Having the same bond is something we can perhaps leverage. Did that happen in their youth? (We can adjust ages to put them closer together easily enough.) Might be a neat story once the family turns to ruin and one of them becomes a Prowler while the other joins up with the Marchguard.

Like I said — just some thoughts, not married to any of this. Cairn is a little different than most OSR where you’re playing to discover who you are… character generation produced a *lot* of stuff to tie into. Might be fun to lean into old friendships, old flames, crushes, siblings, cousins, etc.

Ah, cool, and makes a little more sense. And if I’ve neglected to say it, indeed, coins can be spent at the armory, markets, general provisioners, etc.

Potential Group Omen
Songbirds in the woods around Brandonsford have fallen silent of late. A caravan from the north is missing. Hunters searching for the thing rumored to be responsible have not returned…

Couple of other little things:

-I’m going to go through your sheets and make them consistent. STR, DEX and WIL should all be in the 8 /8 format since those score can get damaged, and have have maxes. (It’s Current / Max)

-If an item is Bulky it takes up two inventory slots.

-If an item is in your backpack rather than in one of your hands or on your body, it might take a round to retrieve it, or perhaps a DEX save.

-Coins of up to 100 in count can be kept in a pouch in your ‘Petty Items’ area. Otherwise, sacks of 100 coins take up a slot.