Solo Adventure #2: Kargan Blacktusk
Play Report while testing my d8 simple system.
Continuing along with the adventures of Kargan. I had about half an hour during lunch today to sit down and play out the solo adventure. Hey we squeeze in the time we can, right? Well here is my play report of what our āheroā did.
Kargan heads east. The wind cuts over the hills. He moves fast, following hoof ruts and a few drops of blood.
Roll Wits 1 + Track 1 = 2d8.
Results: 8 and 4.
Solid success.The trail is clear. Fresh. Three horses, heavy riders. One smaller horse or pony. Likely the girl.
He keeps moving. Light fades. I ask the oracle if he sees a campfire ahead.
Roll: 2.
Yes.A thin orange glow flickers behind a line of black pines. He approaches low. I roll
Agility 2 + Survive 1 = 3d8.
Results: 7, 5, 2.
One weak success. Complication.He creeps close, but a sentry shifts in the dark and spots movement. A voice calls out. Steel scrapes.
Roll Agility 2 + Fight 1 + Armored 1 = 4d8 to react and strike first.
Results: 7, 6, 2, 1.
One weak success.He surges from the shadows and buries his axe in the sentryās chest, but the man screams as he falls.
The camp erupts. Two men grab weapons. One drags the girl toward a horse.
Kargan charges the nearest attacker.
Might 2 + Fight 1 + Heavy 1 = 4d8.
Results: 8, 8, 3, 2.
Two solid successes. Exploding 8s give 2 more rolls: 6, 5.No extra 8s, but he cleaves the man down.
The last man spurs the horse to flee with the girl.
Kargan can try to leap and drag him down. Risky.
Agility 2 + Fight 1 = 3d8.
I push for +1d8, taking 1 Stress. Stress now 2/3.
Roll 4d8: 8, 7, 6, 1.
Solid success.He grabs the riderās leg and yanks him to the ground. The horse bolts. The girl tumbles into the dirt, screaming.
Kargan plants a knee on the banditās chest and ends him with the axe.
The camp is silent again except for the girlās sobs and the crackle of fire.
I ask the oracle if the girl is hurt.
Roll: 5.
No, but there is an opening.She is shaken but alive. She stares at him in terror, but she does not run.
The merchant might live if Kargan brings her back fast.
He wipes his axe and looks back toward the road.
Kargan sighs as he knows he canāt just leave this girl alone.
End.
Paperwork Section
Current NPCs Met:
Dying merchant (alive but severely injured, pinned under cart)
The merchantās daughter (rescued, shaken but unharmed)
Possible Threads:
Return the daughter to the dying merchant before he succumbs
The merchantās fate (will he survive?)
Karganās mounting stress (2/3) and his dislike of helping others
The unnatural silence and emptiness of the road (something drove others away)
Oracle
d8 oracle:
1 yes, and it is worse
2 yes
3 yes, but it costs you
4 unclear
5 no, but there is an opening
6 no
7 no, and things get worse
8 something unexpected happensCharacter
Name: Kargan Blacktusk
Concept: Brutal wandering sell-sword
Edge: killing faster than fear
Trouble: anger never cools
Drive: get paid and keep moving
Stats
- Might 2
- Agility 2
- Wits 1
- Heart 0
Skills
- Fight
- Intimidate
- Track
- Survive
Gear tags
- Heavy
- Armored
Special
- Once per scene, re-roll one die
Hits: 8
Stress: 2/3
That push mechanic during the leap for extra dice actually heightens the whole sequence nicely. The way Kargan's stress builds even as he succeeds adds a subtle texture that pure success rolls wouldn't capture. I've played around with similar stress acumulation systems and the sweet spot always seems to be when players feel the squeeze but not punished,which this hits well.