The First Four intro I’ve been wanting to play some solo RPGs for a while now, and I’ve been doing it in some fashion by playing around with game books, fantasy based 1 player tabletop (or traytop) games, and some scripted solo adventures (like Obvious Mimic or Archmage Press 5e solo adventures). some of those plays are more thorough than others, while some are more paused, depending on the time I have. what I was planning on trying for some time is a simplified unscripted dungeon crawler (not exactly an RPG, except in the OSR sense of it, as represented by pedit5, which I talked about before ) I started looking into it a long time ago, reading and re-reading the book (or portions of it), but now I am finally pushing for a first run. with already selected character names and archetypes from some months ago (during a trip or perhaps a break from climbing), the only thing pending is to start playing. for this, I printed some pages and booklets at work, and I will also keep track of some information here, at least as snapshots for the initial setup. putting all the information together and finally rolling some dice, the party characters look like this: {{monster,frame Clovenia Warrior (Level 1) Live :: 7 (6 + L) Wealth :: 11 (2d6) Attack Defence +L (slashing) +1 +1 armour :: Shield, light armour, heavy armour. weapons :: Any. attacks. :: L added to attack rolls. Items light armour. :: reinforced leather vest, pants and boots. shield. :: a heavy wooden shield, reinforced with metal bars and padded with fur. hand weapon. :: a fairly used broadsword. }} a warrior seems straightforward enough, with barely any decisions to make regarding their build. she will be the main damage dealer and tank, I guess. {{monster,frame Farluk Farduk Wizard (Level 1) Live :: 3 (2 + L) Wealth :: 16 (4d6) Attack Defence (+L) or -1 (crushing) armour :: None. weapons :: Light weapon, sling. attacks. :: L only added to attack rolls from spells (including scrolls). puzzles. :: L added to rolls to solve puzzles and riddles. spellcasting. :: A wizard begins with 2 + L spells. They should prepare then before starting the adventure (multiple copies are allowed). Additional spells (found or from levelling up), may be used immediately. Spells Blessing. :: removes a curse and some other conditions. Fireball. :: attack roll. against minions, slay a number of creatures equal to the roll minus the level of the minions (one creature minimum). doesn’t affect dragons. Lightning Bolt. :: attack roll. kill one minion or inflict 2 wounds to a boss. Sleep. :: instead of an Attack roll, defeat one boss of d6+L minions. doesn’t affect undead, dragons and some other monsters. Escape. :: normally, or instead of a Defence roll, the wizard teleports to the first room. Protect. :: +1 to a character’s Defence rolls for the battle. Items light hand weapon. :: walking stick. spell book. :: contains coded annotations for the known spells. writing tools. :: }} Farluk is the main spellcaster of the party. I went for a very traditional setup because the main thing for the first game(s) is to learn the mechanics, see if it is something for me, and have fun. \page {{monster,frame Ardanmalusa Cleric (Level 1) Live :: 5 (4 + L) Wealth :: 2 (d6) Attack Defence +L/2 (+L) (crushing) +1 +1 armour :: Shield, light armour, heavy armour. weapons :: Hand weapon, two-handed weapon, sling. attacks. :: L/2 added to attack rolls. L added against undead. spellcasting. :: Cast Blessing up to 3 times. Cast Healing (d6 + L life points) up to three times. When casting from scrolls, L is only added to Blessing, otherwise, as level 1. Items light armour. :: leather armour. shield. :: a metal shield with an engraved sigil. hand weapon. :: a silver metal rod. }} not having played yet, I cannot tell, but having some healing capabilities is a good idea in general. this is a similar composition to what I used for EOB. {{monster,frame Pettic Roque (Level 1) Live :: 4 (3 + L) Wealth :: 5 (3d6) Attack Defence (+L) -1 (slashing) +L +1 armour :: Light armour. weapons :: Light weapon, sling. defence. :: L added to defence. traps. :: L added to disarm traps. attacks. :: L added to attack rolls against outnumbered minions only. Items rope. :: can be used to tie monsters. lock picks. :: light armour. :: leather armour. light hand weapon. :: a long blade dagger. }} and finally my rogue (because rogues rule). the name comes from Pyramids, which was the book I was reading at the time (during that flight or ride, not sure what it was). we are now almost ready to play. let’s crack on, start discovering the world and what adventures will the party find on their way. enter the dungeon before entering the dungeon, the party buys a lantern (paying 1 gp each), which will be carried by Pettic, and Farluk selects the spells to memorize (Sleep, Fireball and Protect). after this preparation they are ready to start. the friends (or at least long term companions and allies) leave the village, venturing into the forest. after a few hours walk, they reach the entry of their first ever dungeon, in search of riches and establishing a reputation. adventure awaits. [after reformatting this a bit at Castle, I came back home and started the adventure proper at 19:13] with some effort, they push open the double doors that lead to the entrance of the dungeon. (6) it is spacious but empty, with an alcove immediately to their left. at the far end of the room, two corridors are available, left and right. they choose the left one. (23) reaching an unlocked door, they hesitate for just a second, anxious about what they might find. after opening it, they encounter a wide room, apparently empty (9) and with a corridor that leads to a dead end. intrigued and disappointed, they remove take a few minutes to search a bit more thoroughly. the room is just empty (4), and they just decide to go back to the entrance to try the other path. (4 / 41) nothing seems to have changed and after opening the corresponding door, the new (and smaller) room they find has a (3 / 7 and 4) shelf with what looks like a potion (Potion of Healing), but it is protected with a bear trap. thankfully, the leading Pettic identifies it in time, stopping Clovenia inches away from triggering it (4+1: > 4). he disarms it and the wizard retrieves the Potion of Healing to identify it. after a quick inspection, the party decides to give it to the warrior. going through the new door on the right, they go into a small vestibule, with a second door opening into an (8) empty corridor, leading to another door. the dungeon (or at least the area closest to the entrance) seems abandoned, were it not because of the room with the trap. being suspicious, but also a bit reckless, they search this corridor. umm… that’s interesting, (6 - 1) the texture is different from the rest in an area of the left wall, past the first bend. Pettic (66 / 5 / 3) finds the mechanism that allows the door to open, inserting his blade in the wooden panels to release a latch carefully. moving slowly, he gets his head through and all is quiet. some metal reflects the light of the lantern and for a second he pictures swords and axes in the hands of foes, and shrivels, covering the lantern. there is no sound, no movement. could it be an ambush? or are they unaware of the party? \page then he realises the room is actually in the dark now, and he DIDN’T ACTUALLY see anybody, just the reflections. shushing the party and letting a beam of light come out, he takes another peek. it is clearer now, just racks of weapons. phew!!! the party enters and takes a look, reconsidering their options. Pettic and Farluk Farduk get slings and the party decides to change places for the next, with Ardanmalusa swapping places with the rogue. the rear guard will use their slings if some battle ensues. they have a good idea of the layout of the rooms they already went through, and the south door is probably some storage. they try that one. (65) and they are correct, or perhaps it was some hiding spot or an abandoned corridor (as it would otherwise lead to the entrance). it seems empty, and they search (1 / 4). while they are distracted looking carefully into the small space, 6 wandering hobgoblins (L4) enter the armory and attack them from behind (they might have heard noises, or seen the light of the lantern). this first fight is happening in very bad conditions, with the party in close quarters, limited in their reactions, and outnumbered. the rogue and the wizard, who were closer to the door, take the brunt of the attack. at least only 2 hobgoblins can attack them. Farluk Fardukk (1) is caught completely off guard and is wounded by the blade of one of the hobgoblins, while Pettic manages to dodge the attack, despite being surprised. now he reacts, drawing his blade (which was sheathed while searching) and striking down the hobgoblin that attacked him (6 - 1 > 4). the instincts and fear of the wizard make him release a fireball, perhaps an overkill, but he is seeing 5 hobgoblins in front of him. (5 + 1 - 4) 2 hobgoblins are immediately obliterated by the roaring fire exploding in their faces, with the reflections of fire on the metal from the armory behind them, as if engulfed by orange heat. the warrior and cleric cannot do much. if only they have picked up a bow or something similar!. the three remaining hobgoblins are not deterred and advance. the wizard is aware of the attack now, and almost (4) avoid the newer hit, but he doesn’t. it is looking grim for him now. the hobgoblin facing the rogue goes too high and misses (5 + 1 + 1 > 4). if they were fighting in some open space, like the armory, the rogue would manage jump and flank their foes, but being in a corridor makes it impossible. Pettic goes low and lunges forward, (3 -1) but misses. Farluk Farduk is worried, and just swings his walking stick, (1), striking nothing but air. Ardanmalusa touches her silver rod to the shield and a pulsing light goes from her to the wizard, curing his wounds fully (2). perhaps due to this influx of vitality, he now manages to avoid a new hit from the hobgoblin in front of him (5). Pettic cannot say the same thing (2 + 1 + 1 = 4) and suffers a wound. “argh! dirty hobgoblin, die!”. the hobgoblin falls to the floor (5 - 1). seeing the tenor of the combat change, his companions start to flee. the rear (now the front) of the party look at each other and node: the hobgoblins should die here and now. Pettic takes down his (4 + 1 - 1). the wizard is not so dextrous and misses him with his stick (3 + 1 - 1). anyway, he doesn’t expect to see that hobgoblin ever again, disappearing through the armory. “uff, that was unexpected. let’s go back to the armory.” after the fight under the lintel between the empty corridor transformed into a closet and the armory, the party goes back to the armory and take a breather. [I am not checking for wandering monsters because I played the previous battle as happening at the edge of both rooms.] the rearguard folks switch to their slings. going through the other door of the armory, towards the north, the party reach an empty intersection of corridors, going in all directions. they go east, thinking about connecting it with the path they came from. the door they open (23) leads to a room at the end of a corridor. there they face 7 armed goblins (L3). time for another fight, this time in more favourable conditions. two slings spin in the air, launching two bullets. (5 - 1 / 3 - 1) one of them hits and knocks down a foe. the party spreads and both the skirmishers take their time to switch to close combat weapons. but Clovenia is already rushing the goblins, followed by the party cleric. a flurry of blows (5 + 1) takes down two enemies. Ardanmalusa is not successful (2 + 1/2 = 2). in the one against one fight that ensues, (4) the wizard is untouched, the same as the rogue (3 + 1 + 1). the heavy hitters deflect the attacks against them with their shield (4 + 1 + 1) and broadsword (2 + 1 + 1). unfazed, they retaliate. the cleric seems to be too slow, or perhaps her rod is too short. whichever the cause, her strike goes wide (2 + 1/2). the warrior compensates by taking down one more foe (2 + 1). with this, the goblins start to flee (3). the rogue fails to chase them (1), but Farluk Farduk (5 - 1) stick hits the back of the head of one of them. this battle ended swiftly, with only 2 goblins escaping, and leaving some treasure. the party finds a gem (5 - 1) worth ((2 + 1) * 5) 15 gp. not bad, but also not as glorious as they would have expected after an hour and a half of exploring. they open another door leading to a small cubicle (41) [cropped due to being very close to the edge], surprisingly full of (5 + 1) some kind of vermin, (5) 2 vampire frogs (L4)? (1 + 1/2) the cleric hits air, but the warrior (4 + 1) takes down one with a direct stroke to the bulk of the body. a bullet flies from behind (6 + 3 - 1), from Pettic’s sling, smashing the last vampire frog. (1 - 1) no treasure is found, and the party takes some time to search, swapping position, so that the more armoured members keep guard. this time is also empty, but there is no patrol nor surprises either. the party decides to go back to search the previous room, on their way to the intersection of corridors. \page upon closer inspection, a clue is found (5) by Clovenia, in the form of some parchment with strange markings, and a purple wax seal. “I’ll keep this. it might be meaningful moving forward.” going back to the intersection, (1 / 4 / 6) a group of 8 fungi folk (L3) erupt from a side corridor, surprising the party! [23:00. this adventure is taking a long time, probably because I am also writing this chronicle. time for a break (a movie and sleep). back to the party at 7:50 the next day.] leaving with a cliffhanger for the night, because otherwise I would be playing for hours :: at least the party learnt and adopted a formation with the armoured members at the back, to protect them from unexpected ambushes if possible. something they started doing after being surprised a few times. the cleric defends successfully (6 + 1), even without being able to raise her shield. Clovenia, instead (2 + 1), feels a sting in her back, and poison entering her body. “on our back!”, she shouts, prompting the party to turn around. she strikes. (4 + 1) a fungi like creature falls, another takes its place, while Ardanmalusa fells its companion (5 + 1/2). from the back, one bullet from Pettic (4 - 1) and (6 + 5 - 1) a barrage from Farluk Farduk, a display of skill (or luck). four more foes fall, leaving just two of them, who hesitate for a moment seeing the carnage and, against their best instincts, choose to stay and take down as many people as possible of those who befell their comrades. the cleric deflects the hit with the shield (3 + 1 + 1), but (1 + 1 + 1) the warrior reactions are slowed by pain and an appendage hits like a hammer. tensing the body, with the adrenaline kicking in, the poison is resisted. arching in pain, the broadsword slices the air, and the attacking fungi folk as well. there is only one left, promptly turned to mash by the cleric (4). the combat concludes, the party breathes, assess their wounds and their progress. take a moment to have a quick snack and think. there are two possible ways forward. “where did those come from?”. they search the intersection, on the lookout for more trouble. nothing to be found, not indication of what to expect. adopting their exploring formation again, with the heavy hitters in front, they march west, entering a smaller room with… nothing visible (10 / 6). but something happened (1+3): the gem that Ardanmalusa had is gone! the healing potion is also gone, with all the money Clovenia had next to it! so is Farluk Farduk walking stick, which was on his back the Four had heard stories about this from more experienced explorers, tales of riches lost in the blink of an eye, a whiff of ear barely felt seconds before noticing, thanking notes left instead. apparently they have been assaulted by invisible gremlins. very pissed, they go back their searching pattern, maybe they can be tracked to their lair, or left something behind. absolutely nothing. “well, it could have been worse. the old Trublefold got all his weapons stolen, left with nothing but his armour. he was lucky to survive to tell the story.” “Trublefold is a drunk. I wouldn’t put a gram of trust on his words, entertaining as they are.”, responds Clovenia, pragmatic (realistic, she likes to think). “North or south?”, they flip a coin. “heads. North it is.” (55) a corridor extends behind the door, with a bend on the right. it’s empty. they move west. (54 / 6 / 6) a room infested with skeletal rats (L3), 7 of them. while Pettic swaps his sling for the blade (bullets would not hit), the cleric crushes one (1 + 1 + 1) with her silver rod, bones and sinew turning to ash at the contact. (1 + 1), Clovenia is not used to creatures so small, and misses. (5 + 1 + 1 / 2 + 1 + 1 / 3 + 1) all except for Farluk (2) manage to ignore the first hit. two more undead rats attack the cleric (1 + 1 + 1 / 2 + 1 + 1) and one of them finds some purchase for its teeth under the armour. the one that joins against the warrior, misses (3 + 1 + 1). another is turned to ash by Ardanmalusa, while the warrior fumbles (2 + 1 + 1 / 1). it is the same for the rogue (2 - 1). the wizard tries to kick and punch (1 - 2 + 1), unsuccessfully. a gash opens in Pettic’s leg (1 + 1), while the frantic wizard and the shield bearers avoid all the incoming attacks. (5 + 1 + 1) two more rats turn to ashes when hit by the silver rod. the warrior finally manages to strike one down (2 + 1), this one an inert pile. (3 - 2 + 1 + 1 / 2 - 1 + 1) rogue and wizard try to catch the fleeing rats. Farluk Farduk does so running to kick one of them on its hind, splattering its bones on the wall, while the last rat scurries away. \page “search pattern”, signals Pettic. nothing to be found, and only one door in this room. “south”, they say in unison. (13) a winding corridor opens. moving forward, they see 3 giant centipedes (L3). the party waits (slings ready). even outnumbered, the centipedes turn to fight (6). [9:20, breakfast] in a quick confrontation between mandibles, swords and sling bullets, the warrior receives a wound, while the cleric strikes down one of the centipedes. from the back, Pettic one ups the wizard and a deluge of bullets drops on the centipedes (6 + 6 + 5 - 1), extinguishing their lives. the party continues. (54) a room similar to the one they came from opens. there is a door on the north side and… (12) it looks like they found the lair of a small dragon! this must not be the final encounter on this dungeon (2). there is always more to explore. the party knows about dragons, how they can be bribed, or present a quest at times… it might be sleeping, it is unclear yet, but they cannot risk approaching the dragon to check, it might be faking it and waiting to take the upper hand. dragons are cunning and dangerous. all the encounters up until this point :: “Attack!” the rogue switches to his blade, all rush forward, the wizard waits. (3 + 1 / 2 + 1/2) the scales of the dragon protect her. she rises, looking at them from beady eyes, from the ceiling, opens her jaw and breathes fire (2). only Clovenia manages to avoid the flame. Ardanmalusa’s shield is useless against this. Farluk Farduk decides to protect Pettic with a magic aura, which allows the rogue (5) to be just a bit faster and dodge. all attack. while the warrior flanks and tries to hit, and the rogue sneaks close to the think paws of this dragon, the cleric unleashes a series of blows on the dragon (6 + 6 + 4). the wizard attack from the distance, badly wounded. the dragon breathes fire again. Pettic is the only one unscathed, the magic aura still helping him. but Farluk Farduk falls to the floor with a scream of agony and pain, mortally wounded and (thankfully) unconscious, his body badly charred. immediately, Ardanmalusa kneels next to him and putting her rod on the floor, casts Healing (6 + 1), fully reviving him. the burns start to heal and the skin to regenerate, the wizard still in agony but alive at least. while recovering, he cannot attack, which is good by him. Clovenia hits! (6 + 5), opening a third wound on the dragon. through the scales, some of the most vulnerable parts are accessible now, the dragon is visibly damaged. but she doesn’t panic. which is good by the rogue, although (2 - 1) he cannot hit. once more, the dragon breathes fire, and only Pettic avoids it. [I just realised that I am not applying defence bonuses to the breathed fire save check, but I am applying the benefits of Protect…] the party is in dire straits, and they go all in. it is not looking good, the dragon manages to ignore all the blows, as they land on the scales or hit just air. roaring, she attempts to bite Pettic twice. with the second bite (3 + 1 + 1 / 1), it is the rogue’s turn to fall unconscious. Clovenia fails to hit (1) as does the wizard (2). the rogue is revived, his wound closing, looking at his comrades badly hurt, and another curtain of fire floods the room. only the cleric makes it. the warrior knees falter and she collapses. (5 - 1 + 1/ 2 / 3 - 1) none of the efforts of the remaining party seem effective, only Pettic managed to hit. they are thinking hard about what can be done now, with all at the edge of a terrible defeat and sure death just after a couple of hours of starting their first proper adventure together. if they could only hit the dragon once more. but SHE breathes fire on them: “how do you dare to come to my lair!?” Pettic screams in pain, mostly physical but also because he just saw Ardanmalusa and Farluk Farduk collapse next to him. he is on the brink of death, deep in a dungeon, behind corridors and doors, a lantern in his hand. if he fails, his body will probably not be recovered, and nobody would know what happened to him. neither his friends from his hometown, nor his drinking bodies. not even Julienne. no longer outnumbering the dragon, he cannot gain any advantage, but yet he tries. it wouldn’t be worth trying to find his way back on his own. if he manages to kill the dragon and find some healing potions, he might still be able to help his party, as they fell just seconds ago. clink clank the blade hits the robust crimson scales (4 - 1). the dragon has a single target now, and HUNGER. Pettic is defenceless against her first bite (1), the teeth gnashing and tearing his body apart. \page the lantern falls to the ground, the oil spilling and the flame flickering weak. the shadow projected by untold reaches enlarges and fuses with the surrounding darkness which grows as the light extinguishes slowly. Pettic is too tired to scream, he barely feels that pain any more, his spine broken in half. before the light of the lantern dies out, a pinprick of light reflects on the rogue’s teary eyes, blurry. “Julienne….”, a weak whisper as the last bit of air leave his lungs. his eyes glaze. the dragon eats, she wasn’t expecting this, but she is content now. she has food, darkness, time to recover. she sleeps in the peaceful dungeon. the room where it happened :: [11:20] \page outro and so, the First Four were defeated on their first proper adventure together, a chronicle I am telling on what to me is a Sunday morning, in that time that precedes going to climbing again. it was a fun game, definitely an absorbing one. I probably made some mistakes regarding the rules (some of which I realised almost instantly, and decided to see through until the end of the adventure) and I reckon I could have followed a different strategy. the start was a bit clunky, admittedly because I was writing at the same time and perhaps paying too much attention to record the correct roles. things started working better for me once I understood a few rules better (so that I didn’t need to constantly go back to the book) and by using a different die per character (while also using the same pair to roll rooms). keeping the character information on paper as the main source of truth (instead o going back to the snapshots in this chronicle) also helped a lot. this is definitely a paper and pen game and keeping everything on the table makes for a smoother gameplay. this is how my table look like at the end (plus the laptop and the iPad with the books) :: all in all, it is the first game I complete in a long time, which feels good, and it can only improve when investing a bit more of time. true, I would have loved for the party to survive the encounter with the small dragon, to then go back to the village and recover (if possible). that way I would have also gained some experienced with levelling up and a higher level party, but starting a game with a total party kill (TPK) is a good way of letting go, and putting the value in the process, not in the result. what is next for this game? I plan on re-reading the rulebook and organising a bit better the pages I printed. I have a couple of small booklets that I didn’t use which might be useful to keep all the tables at hand (I think this is the most important part, at least with the core game). other than this, I will probably take a look at the books I have, and the additional files I found on BoardGameGeek to keep only what makes sense to me and avoid duplicates. I also have a bunch of videos I wanted to look at a fully digital playthrough, a more traditional one, or this one. it is really easy to find more which also talk about preparation, and perhaps applying some tips and ideas for more full-fledged solo TTPRGs might be a good thing (this is one of the reasons I like to create this chronicle, for instance). with this, perhaps I will put together a rooster of characters informally or formally (there is an expansion to manage a guild, for instance), and set some time aside soon for another run. and… I will keep track here, as I’ve been trying to do for the last year or so. :: the Training Grounds (also the Fallen Grounds, for the First Four) :: {{wide}} {{wide}} {{wide References: game: Four Against Darkness / on BoardGameGeek }}