Location, Location, Location

(continued from Corrupted Thread)

Lcoations: To make things faster (keep it snappy), I recommend that each player may only visit ONE location in any post-game. Any number of their non-KO'd warriors may visit it (or may shop/DP as normal), but if every hero goes to a different location, it'll add 15 minutes to the post game phase.

EXISTING LOCATIONS

Trading Post - The default traditional trading list. Any number of heroes may visit here, and doesn't count as your special location.

Middle-man - Where to contact DPs and hard-to-find Hired Swords (ex. the reclusive Witch.) Any number of heroes may visit here, and doesn't count as your special location.

Alchemist - for turning wyrdstone into Power Stones.

Apothecary - Saw Bones rules.

Cartographer - Sett 1

Fletcher - Set1

Smithy - Set 1

Muleskinner - Set 1

Merchant - Set 1 (The existing rules has it "sells everything at +1 rarity... maybe do without it?)

Drinking Den - Set 1

Gambling Den - Set 1

Surgeon - Set2 - No where NEAR as good as an Apothecary, but cheaper, less discriminating, and gives you +1 to find drugs.

Slaver - Set2

Pit Fight - Set 2

Twisted Goat - Set2 Another Tavern, albeit a nasty one. Could call "Drinking Den 2"

Selena the Healer - Set 3 - Darn good healer. Maybe call "Priestess of Shayalla"?

Omama ben Buyin the Merchant - Set 3 - A generic version of the Arabyan merchant... not a bad call.

Raging Bear - Set 3 - A third bar, though not so different that it probably deserves it's own list.

Exotic Wares - Arabyan Merchant

Black Market - Arabyan Merchant



While it does not fit in the "ruined" city, I like the idea that in a crowded city (like MiM), there would be many locations and even a Settlement Event chart. Unlike the Encampments, however, it wouldn't cost you money to live there... it's the middle of civilization!

I've not read Encampments 3! Just found a d/load for this on Tabletop Geeks which says it was co-written by Steve Gibbs who contributed on the couple of articles featured in Town Cryer.

I recall there being a selection of locations which could be visited instead of using the Trading chart. The warband would choose to set up a base camp around Mordheim in Sigmarhaven (good guys) or Cutthroat's Den (bad guys) and only be able to visit location in their home settlement.

There was another settlement on the Mordheim outskirts called Brigandsburg. This wasn't detailed with any special rules so maybe that's what Encampments 3 was all about...?

Yup, Encamp 3 = Brigandsburg.

Rather than breaking them into three settlements, it might be easier to make a have a list of what each type/alliance can visit. A grid, perhaps. (Harder on a forum page, but easy enough with a long list).

This way, it takes the locations, but separates them enough from the "Encampment" rules that people don't get confused or start paying money for the locations.

Another Location hit me:

Peddlar - An old codger who barters his way through the city. If you want to buy something, roll a D20 on the chart below. Upon rolling, you don't need to roll for rarity. Each hero that meets with him only rolls one each time. The Haggle skill may reduce the final price as normal.

1 - Let Me Sweeten the Deal - Roll once more on the cart below- if you purchase the item, he throws in a free Garlic.
2 - Hammer- Half price, rounded up.
3- Shield - Half price, rounded up.
4- Sword - Half price, rounded up.
5- Axe - Half price, rounded up.
6 - Helmet - Half price, rounded up.
7 - Crossbow - Full Price
8 - Pistol - Full Price
9 - Duelling pistol - Full Price
10 - Rope & hook - Half price, rounded up.
11 - Any ONE poison at base price
12 - Lucky charm - Half price, rounded up.
13 - Blessed water - Half price, rounded up.
14 - Hunting arrows - Base Price
15 - Healing Herbs - Base Price
16 - Holy (or Unholy) Relic - Base Price
17 - Lantern - Half price, rounded up.
18 - Mordheim map - Base Price
11 - Any ONE drug at base price
20 - Let Me Sweeten the Deal - Roll once more on the cart above- if you purchase the item, he throws in a free dagger.

Gah!! Styro got in quick while I was writing this. It may sound a little bit odd now but I don't have time to change it.

Yes. Encampments 3 contains the rules for Brigandsburg and the article on Tabletop Geeks is the 'lost' article that never made it into Town Cryer. I believe that Da Bank managed to get his hands on the article from one of the authors a year or so ago and released it to the Mordheim community.

Werekin, I like where you seem to be taking MiM in regards to having locations other than the trading post but without the layer of complexity giving by encampments (e.g. sawbones and alchemist from Corrupted Characters, a drug den from your latest blog post, etc).

@styro... it will be interesting to see what feedback you get for locations around Mordheim. It may very well turn out though that what werekin is doing with MiM is more directly transferrable to Mordheim more so than the work done by cianty and werekin for BTB.

Quote :

1 - Let Me Sweeten the Deal - Roll once more on the cart below- if you purchase the item, he throws in a free Garlic.

I laughed out loud at that. Awesome list, Styro!

I was curious (not being a D&D fan)... how would a D20 work in Mordheim?

There's no D20 rolls in Mordheim! It's a quick list that works by way of a reference.

There is a layer of... confusion more than complexity with the original Encampments release. It's a big put off for players who just want to get stuck in. As Rational pointed out, I managed to find some coherency in Corrupted Characters with respect to marrying the Alchemist and Apothecary to warp-taint. There's something similar I'd like to do with the Encampments. It's a real shame those ideas don't crop up in peoples campaign.

If I can untangle the existing options and present them alongside the 'criminal' ideas I have collected researching the City of Bridges it might make for a more thrilling urban campaign!

The Brigandsburg article only seems to add the Church. Everything else is a duplication of the other two settlements. There's also a lot of duplicated entries between Sigmarhaven and Cutthroat's Den anyway.

Thanks guys!

werekin wrote:

There's no D20 rolls in Mordheim! It's a quick list that works by way of a reference.

Er, that's what I was thinking. Reference. Of course. *eyes shift*

Well, if all locations are available at all times (barred only to warbands that are too evil or too noble), then the first one to go is the merchant. +1 to rarity makes no sense with "trading post" being a normal one.

Although, it might work if you have something smuggled or shipped in... the idea that instead of looking in a shop to see if they have something, you pay to have something shipped in, so you're bound to get it eventually.

Shipping Merchant - Pay upfront for an item. You cannot receive the item this game. After any further game, you may have a hero visit the merchant and roll for rarity for the item, add +2 to your rarity roll. Add an additional +2 to the rarity roll after each additional game since you first ordered the item (a roll of 2 always fails... some merchants are just lazy!) Once you have found said item, that particular deal is finished, and the modifier drops down to nothing. You have order several items from the shop at any time, but one hero may not order several items at the same time (the exception is braces of pistols). Multiple items require either more than one hero to visit, or one hero visiting on more than one location. While a hero is checking in to see if another order has arrived, he may file a new order.

I always just use random.org and their integer generator program whenever I don't have my 7.62mm ammo tin full of dice handy.

I suppose the idea would be that Heroes from every warband can visit the marketplace. Not sure how that works with Beastmen and Skaven unless you consider that they can despatch dupes/sympathizers to carry out instructions.

Virtually unattainable rare items would be cropping up at the city's auction houses. Players bidding against each other to see who gets the best new toys.

Beastmen & Skaven - It's also amazing what you can do with a heavy cloak. I'm sure there's plenty of neighborhoods full of tradesmen that will overlook hairy hands for the right money.

Auction House - I like! It's also a simultaneous action, which makes it interactive. Always a boost.

So, to clarify/reiterate:

Every non-injured hero may do ONE of the three.
1. Visit the marketplace.
2. Look for a DP / reclusive HS.
3. Visit a Special location. Each warband may only visit ONE location each post-game, but more than one of the heroes may visit it.

Yes the encampments were unfinished, confusing, and mostly ripped from Warhammer Quest... not that that is a bad thing!

I like Styro's idea to pull the locals out of the encampment rules as post game actions for heroes. I'll be watching for ideas to borrow.

Addendum - Visited the marketplace only takes up a hero's time if he is searching for rare items. Whether or not you have a hero visit the marketplace, you may always buy rare items- they are commonplace enough items that you can trust a henchman or errand boy to fetch them for you.

Good to make that explicit, Styro. I assume that 'marketplace' is the same as 'trading post' in your original post.

Consider using D66 to make the amount of outcomes 36, and then assigning two rolls to the things you want to make it most common the merchant has. Then you don't go outside the D6 system, and you still get about the same.

Lemming: Well, I used "trading post", werekin used "marketplace". Doesn't matter which it is, really.

Master: Fair enough. Good to see you again, buddy!

Wow. I just spent an hour composing and placing a post on this topic... And it was all lost in the void when my house-guest disconnected the net by watching junk on his laptop. I couldn't restore it and I'm too frazzled to redraft anything tonight. Maybe tomorrow...

What's the old joke?

Q. "What do guests and fish have in common?"
A. They both stink after 3 days.

Good call man. I do enjoy the stink of fish when they're fresh and being prepared for dinner!

Not wishing to offend any Canadians or Irish folk here on the forum when I mention that my honoured guest happens to be both, and it's a diabolical blend!

For the good of gaming I worked up my investigatory comments again on blogger with the benefit of its auto-save function.

http://libermalefic.blogspot.com/2011/01/joy-of-market-place.html

Settlement Events:

Quote :

There is also a superfluous random event to resolve between each location visits. (ie, Two locations visited requires one roll on the Events chart to find out what happens in between as the warband carouses around town.) A warband carousing around town is lacking subtlety! Another crucial flaw when there are organised crime networks, Chaos cults, and law enforcement patrols to worry about.

Thus, if traveling is a dangerous thing, the net BAD has to outweigh the net good- this makes it more prudent to stay at home, rather than go out.
Thus, I recommend the following ratio (assuming you’re using D66):
1/3rd bad – 12 events
1/6th slightly bad – 6 events
1/6th dead even (nothing good, nothing bad) – 6 events
1/3rd good – 12 events
This means that you have a 50% of getting something bad, 33% of something good, and 17% of nothing (or next to nothing) happening.
OR, another alternative-
1/3rd Bad – 12 events – Effects everyone
1/3rd Bad – 12 Events – Specific Warbands (if you’re that warband, you’re hurt, otherwise you get off easy)
1/3rd Neutral /Good – 12 events – Small gains, or escaping harm.

Also, an important factor, I think, is SPEED- Anything longer than a Pit fight is too long, and will significantly slow things down. Thus, it might make sense that any “fights” are merely a stat-check, a dice throw, or are resolved next game. For example:

“Bounty Hunter – Your turn your head, to see a muscular figure shadowing your every step. Determine which shopping hero he is hunting. During the next game, roll a 1D6 at the start of each round: on a roll of 1, a Pit Fighter Hired Sword appears on a Random Table Edge, with the sole intention of hunting your hero down. If you go the entire game without rolling a 1, you managed to shake him in the marketplace!

So, to spit-ball some specific events (Mordheimer hammered into me, “fluff first, rules second”)

Wrong Turn – You go around a corner and witness a local gang slaying. You are now witness to a terrible crime, and are outnumbered ten to one. By charm or intimidation, you must convince the thugs that you’ll keep your trap shut… if you fail, you’re in for a world of hurt.

Masked Maiden – While traveling through the festivities of the street, you find yourself being winked at by a pretty female, whose face is hidden behind a domino masque. Who is she? A past connection, or a future love? You find yourself blindly following her down the streets for almost an hour, with only a small chance of actually catching her.

Fortune teller – On a tattered blanket on the side walk sits an old fortune teller who claims that he knows exactly what you’re looking for. Do you pay him for him services, or brush off the old man without paying him a penny?

Bystander – You pass by a local man being mugged in a back alley. Do you attempt to help the poor victim, or try to pass by without attracting attention to yourself?

Strigany Witch – You turn a corner sharply, barging over an middle-aged woman on the street. She looks up from her trampled eggs and hurls curses at you in an Eastern accent. Was she really a gypsy witch, or a mere charlatan?

Street Performance – You find yourself transfixed by a local street show- a witty satire about a bumbling Sigmarite Priest. Is it purely harmless entertainment, or will just watching it brand you as a heretic? As you are gleefully distracted, is someone pinching your pocket? Worst all of, is this carnival show staged by one of Nurgle’s children?

Press Gang – Suddenly, you are boxed in on all sides by a gang of sailors, eager to have you join their crew. Are they pirates forcing you illegally, or are they Imperial Navy, justified by cruel laws? Can you fight them off alone, or will you be spending a short time at sea?

Random Inspection – A group of guards stand watch, taking a close look at everyone going by. Unblemished humans may have little to fear, but mutants and the darker races must now think fast, or risk capture.

Red Light District – You find yourself near a house of ill repute… if your hero is not strong of will, you may find yourself light of purse with many hours wasted.

One Drink More – You find your mouth dry and your hand shaking- you are in strong need of a stiff drink. Whether or not you intended it, you find yourself steering towards an alehouse of some sort… or perhaps returning to one.

Mugging – You find yourself cornered by thieves, intent on emptying your pockets. You must either overpower them, or find yourself poorer and severely beaten.

From Hell – You take a short cut through a back alley, only to stumble across the most horrid thing you’ve ever seen – a knife-wielding man, standing over the carved corpse of a young woman. On the walls and streets, the maniac has painted in blood the sigils of Dark Gods. You run away, horrified, hoping you’re not the next victim. The killer doesn’t chase after you… in fact, he grins as you flee, as if he has all the time in the world…

Bad Chicken – you stop by the grocer and pick up a fantastic deal – two chickens for the price of one! Only after the entire warband has feasted do you understand why they’d been reduced: the meat had gone off, and now everyone in your gang is affected.

Wanted Poster – You turn around a corner, and are surprised to see- YOU! Your face has been planted on hundreds of WANTED posters. In your haste to quarrel with others in a public place, you have earned a bounty on your head. Luckily, there’s only a reward if you’re returned Alive… although that might change.

Wronged Sibling – You find yourself challenged by a young man who claims that you have wronged his beloved sister, and must fight you in order to reclaim his family’s honor. Whether or not you ever knew said sister, you can’t seem to convince him otherwise. Let us hope that you are the better duelist. If you cannot finish here on the streets, he seems inclined to help out any of your enemies.

Superstition – After walking underneath a ladder by accident, you find yourself hit with a slew of terrible coincidences. Popped buttons, holes in your pockets, chipped weapons. Can you shake your bad luck before it affects you on the battlefield?

Orcish versions of a few of these for humor's sake:
Succulent Piggie instead of Masked Maiden – While traveling through the festivities of the street, you find yourself being within a few paces of a very tastey looking pig. It squeels in terror as you lunge towards it. You find yourself blindly following it down the streets for almost an hour, with only a small chance of actually catching it.

Bad Runt – you stop by the 'grocer' and pick up a fantastic deal – a goblin from anuvver mob is asleep and alone! You nab it and throw it in da cooking pot. Only after the entire warband has feasted do you understand why they’d been reduced: it had overdosed on some bad fungus, and now everyone in your gang is affected.

Keep up the good work lads!

Hey guys, this intrigues me, so I might hang out for a few posts, even though I'm not certain whether I'm back here for good, since I cannot get my friends to play Mordheim with me anymore, through no lack of trying on my part.

Oh and Hey Styro, good to see you still alive and kicking

How about:
Mr. Mumblos Magnificent magical concoction of magic! - On a Tavern, you happen upon a man who hands out potions to random drunks, as he is very convincing, and promises to buy you an ale to get it down with, you accept. After a while you start to fear whether this was just a cunning scam to get a sleeping draught in you, or worse?

Nobles son - On your way to the market you bump into a kid wearing sort of smart clothes, as he starts to yell at you, you laugh at him and tell him to get bent or taste your steel. As he runs off he screams: "Don't you know who my father is?" ... And off course you don't but he might be important?

Drunk Ogre - While trying to go to your favourite pub, there's (again) an ogre who've felt asleep in front of the door. Will helping him home grant you a reward? And if not, how will you get past him to get that wonderful ale?

Dark Alley - While passing an alley, you spot a flash of light coming from something in there, could it be a gold coin, a forgotten knife, or even better, a mirror!? (Or a carefully staged ambush?)

Rainy day - All the rain have caused the sewers to give up, and the market is flooded, the bad thing is you have to swim, the good thing, free loot!

Firebrand Redemption - As you go about your business, you see a woman being hunted by an angry mob, labelling her a witch, do you walk by? Attempt to catch the witch? Or do you attempt to talk the mob out of burning her?

Having events occur in-between visits to special locations is fun for filling the narratives. Trouble is they detract from the visits themselves and bog down the whole experience.

On the other hand Random Haps work fantastically (once) during games and the recurring themed happenings from a scenario like Last Orders! can really fuel the flavour.

The themed ideas above strike me as a more of a basis for your typical random happenings around a city!

I'd blame the housing rules and the interruption events for the lack of popularity in Encampments! A 'leaning' exercise is required to make them accessible. That and a treaty which embeds the special locations in campaign play.

Regards,

Werekin.

Thread Necromancy!

Werekin: You mentioned in your Liber article the idea of each Warband being able to access 1D3 Locations in the post game... while this is what the encampment had, (and it is YOUR setting), I would recommend you keep it to "one per hero not taken out of action." This may mean that a warband MAY be able to hit a lot more locations, but it keeps it simple: 1 uninjured hero equals 1 choice.

So, in each post game, you may:
~Buy Common Goods: You may buy common items from your local store. This may be done to your heart's content, and does not require a hero to use his Search action. Heck, you don't even need an uninjured hero to do it!
~Search for Common Hired Swords: You may hire common hired swords that are likely to appear in this campaign setting. For Marienburg, that would be most human HSs, HSs from the Core rulebook, and any maritime HSs. Rarer hired swords, like Cathayan Swordsmiths, would require the Agent (see below).
~Buy common warband members: You may hire members from your warband list.

Any hero that was not injured may also Search one of the following locations:
~Rare Dealer: Each hero that Searches may attempt to find ONE rare item. Each hero grants only 1 rare roll.
~Agent: A hero may Search for a DP through an Agent. Likewise, they may also search for hard to find Hired Swords, such as Witches (Reluctant roll), and ones that are not common within the campaign setting (Ex. Ninja).
~Sawbones
~Alchemist
~Exotic Animals
~Slaver (may purchase henchmen from other warbands at x2 price. If different race, will be killed on a roll of TLGT. See Encampment 2 for details.)
(Etc, more locales)

Thus, the "rare" search, the DP search, and the location rules are all woven into one set of rules, known as Searching.

Also, may only 1 Event Roll per player- keeps things moving.

Perhaps the Event table is weighted - bad events on the bottom good events on top. The Better, Safer locations ADD to your settlement event roll, visiting locations in the shady parts of town SUBTRACT from your event roll (as you're more likely to get mugged). The events could also affect a random person that searched... so if you want to play it safe, merely stay at home and don't wander the streets. Send your expendable Youngbloods out on errands, while your valuable guys stay home... or, alternatively, send your stronger heroes out, as they are more able to take what is thrown at them.

Interesting thoughts Styro.

I wasn't fussed with the 1D3 locations either. I like the idea of any Hero having the option to go to a location if they didn't go out of action instead of searching for a DP or a rare item. I see it as making locations a top-tier option together with the other options. I guess the flip side is ensuring that the locations are balanced enough so that it isn't better to ALWAYS send all heroes to locations instead of searching for DPs / rare items.

Your ideas about the events might work well also.