Adventures in Soliverance - NPC Kenku

 As part of the groundwork for the game I put together character profiles for the main NPC's that you can choose to be part of your group in the game, this will help during the process of making the narrative game as I can relate back to this document when trying to understand how certain choices made in the game by the player would be perceived by the NPC's or how they may react etc. I also intend for 3 possible outcomes for character to character interactions based on the players perceptions which itself can be based on how many conversations the player were willing to have, basing these 3 outcomes as good/neutral/evil similar to the D&D and ethical belief system of the Lawful-chaotic alignment chart.

1. KENKU

Name - Batswoop

Unlike most races, Kenku names are unique verbal snippets rather than words. Because Kenku identify each other by sound, names mimic noises and voices:

• Warriors take combat sounds like Sword Slice, Bow Twang, or Skull Crack.
• Criminals use animal noises—Barker, Growler, Whiskers, or Squawker. This sends covert signals.
• Artisans pick craft sounds: Metal Hammer, Chisel Chips, or Brush Strokes.

Class - Rogue/Assassin

So this gives understanding to the name of this character now as being an assassin they would aim to be as silent as possible, hence the name being a very stealthy silent sound.

Appearance - Imagine a humanoid raven, stalking the rain-slicked streets of your favourite fantasy metropolis, cloak pulled tight to conceal glittering black feathers. This is the Kenku, though wingless they possess unrivalled talents of infiltration, deception and thievery. Their signature mimicry allows near-perfect imitation of voices and sounds. Yet beneath the sneaky exterior lays profound melancholy - the Kenku remains haunted by the loss of their wings and voice.

The Kenku were winged ravenfolk who dwelled on the Elemental Plane of Air in service to a mysterious, powerful patron. In their greed and hubris, the Kenku conspired to steal a prized treasure from their master and escape to the Material Plane. But their scheme was discovered, and the furious patron cursed the Kenku for their betrayal.

This primal curse contained three terrible afflictions:

1. The Kenku's wings burned away, banishing them from the skies forever. Even today, Kenku feel compelled to dwell in towers and high ruins, longing for their lost flight.
2. The spark of creativity was snatched from their souls, leaving the Kenku unable to conceive new ideas or create original works. Their talents now lie in mimicry and duplication.
3. Finally, their voices were ripped away, forcing the Kenku to communicate solely through sounds and voices copied from others. Kenku speak via disjointed mimicry.

Cast out of the skies and bereft of original thought, voiceless Kenku were left to wander the Material Plane as exiles. Without wings, most survived through cunning and thievery in downtrodden cities. Their talents developed towards infiltrating, spying, scamming, and other roguish deeds.

Kenku now live in nomadic flocks, each member contributing how they can, from elders who share wisdom to hatchlings learning survival skills through mimicry. United by loss, the Kenku dream of reclaiming what was taken—a dream that sometimes compels them toward adventure.

Batswoop is about 5 foot tall with silky black feathers covering his form, wearing tattered black hooded robes with red glyphs as a trim over the top of brown leather armour adorned with plenty of pouches containing a number of smoke bombs, throwing knives and invisibility potions etc. For weaponry Batswoop owns an ornate pair of Ebony daggers shaped like talons with feathered handles that hold a raven head as a pommel, one with sapphire eyes and the other with ruby eyes, choosing to kill targets with the ruby eyed blade and defensive kills being made with the sapphire eyed blade. Around his neck is always a silver necklace with a pendant in the form of an all-seeing eye, the symbol of his flock of assassins symbolising their inner eye and dream of regaining their wings, creativity and voice. 

Interactions 

Lizardfolk character mistakes the Kenku's necklace as a symbol of another of her gods as an Imix symbol (her religion is based on the Mayan one and the Imix is a symbol of the underworld and representative of the very idea of multiple different dimensions and existences. Consequently, it's also associated with madness and insanity). Due to not being able to explain otherwise due to lack of voice brings frustration to the Kenku.

good - After conversing with both characters you understand the mixed communication due to the Lizardfolk being blinded by her faith and the Kenku unable to use language, and are able to act as a go between and explain what each character believes the symbol is to each other

neutral - You pay no attention to these characters and learn nothing of their squabble over the necklace and it goes no further.

evil - You understand both sides of the characters belief over the necklace but take one side over the other depending on your own perceptions;

 If you take the lizardfolks side you believe that the Kenku has succumbed to a madness due to their own curse and defend their plan to remove the creature from the group during the trip in the tomb where they attempt to attack the Kenku who stabs the Lizardfolk with their Sapphire-eyed dagger.

If you take the Kenku's side you believe that the Lizardfolk's god is a false god and is actually the patron who cursed his race and she has been sent to cause more pain to his already insufferable life and she is actually one of his marks, allowing him to take her life with his ruby-eyed dagger.

The Kenku is fascinated by the Dwarves ability to constantly fix things around the village. could they possibly fix his curse, the dwarf is equally interested in the craftmanship of the Kenku's daggers. But you could mistake the Kenku's excitement at the Dwarf possibly being part of the party as the Dwarf being a mark for them to kill and may either leave one of them behind or bring both to see what occurs.

good - You bring the characters closer together after constantly conversing with the Kenku and learning about their curse and if they both make it out of the tomb the Dwarf will promise to build the Kenku a mechanical pair of wings.

neutral - The Kenku is never able to communicate with the Dwarf due to inability to access language but the Dwarf can still find out the origin of the daggers from just observing them if they are ever brought out in front of him.

evil - The Dwarf learns of the Kenku's assassin background rather than just a rogue and learns nothing of their backstory so has no empathy refusing to have anything to do with them and if they also learn of your lies about the Pericolosum in the mine entrance to the tomb he will assume you are in cahoots with the Kenku to kill someone in the group and sabotage one of your exits. 

The Wood elf cares for all forest creatures and so has a positive affinity for the Kenku, well aware of the tragedy of their race since elves are one of the eldest races in the land. They can work well together and even help overcome the Kenku's language barriers if left to work together in groups. However the Wood elf can offer a romantic interest to the player as well so depending on their own perception of each character can lead to jealousy over the closeness of the two or perceived jealousy from the player of the Kenku if not spoken with enough i.e. if you follow a romance option with the Wood elf but don't communicate with the Kenku you may perceive their actions as jealousy rather than wanting the wood elf to help explain what they mean to someone.

good -  The Kenku is able to form good relations with the rest of the party through the Wood elves assistance with language and move away from the assassins flock into a new one within the village now among friends, and you can still attain a romantic relationship with the Wood elf herself if good communication is had with both characters.

neutral - No advantage is gained or lost with the Kenku's language barrier nor a full romantic investment with the Wood elf is reached as neither character is fully communicated with.

evil - Out of jealousy from yourself you can attempt to kill the Kenku and he will stab you in defence with the Sapphire-eyed dagger but not deliver a killing blow, this leads to the Wood elf leaving the adventure. Or out of perceived jealousy from the Kenku you are in a situation where they reach for their blade and you instinctively push them down a hole but it turns out they were reaching for a throwing knife to help with the task at hand your own lack of communication attempts with them meant you didn't understand how precise they were with them. This may occur differently as the situation has you stood on one side of a hole with a button on the other side needing to be pressed and the Wood elf can also do this among others.

Due to the Warforged's aversion and disinclination to battle and violence they do not naturally see eye to eye with the Kenku, who's' whole line of work is violent death. The Warforged will desire to have the Kenku not involved with the group so any choices of splitting the group they will choose the group without the Kenku however you can try to help them understand each other a little better and why the Kenku has gone down the path they have chosen and why the Warforged is against violence.

good - The pair will come to an understanding of each others life journey's and how they came to be who they were with the significant stances on violence, similarly to the good interactions with the wood elf, the Kenku will find a home within the community of Wyvernpond and find they no longer need to follow a life of an assassin and thus can live a much more peaceful life.

neutral - With little to no interactions with the pair they will continue to avoid being in each others presence and continue with their opposing views on violence and lifestyle choices.

evil - Depending on the characters viewpoints you side with can alternate how they end with each other, if you side with the Warforged they will commit their last act of necessary violence by burning away the Kenku's hands so they can no longer use them for violence which will utterly traumatise the Kenku who's brought back to the memories of his races wings being burnt. The Warforged then self-destructs so as to never be able to commit acts of violence ever again.  If you side with the Kenku then they will get sick of the Warforged's lack of violence unless attacked and will stealthily attack them with a throwing knife to a key point on their back that removes their aversion to violence however it also restarts their processors and they no longer remember their history of the war or the loss of their closest friend which is where their human name came from instead responding to the original serial number designation given to them UBX51292

There is a jealousy from the Kenku aimed at the half-orc due to one having little to no use of language with the half-orc being able to perform to crowds with their voice. Though the Kenku doesn't understand that the half-orc is one of the worst bards in the lands.

good - The Kenku will use it's mimicry skill to emulate the half-orcs voice and together will be able to produce a more harmonious tone.

neutral - You pay no attention to these characters and learn nothing of the Kenku's jealousy of the half-orcs voice.

evil - If you choose to see the Kenku as nothing more than a killer and don't try to understand where their jealousy comes from they will go on to slice the half-orc's throat at some point so as to be no longer triggered by the singing from them.

The changeling is an unknown when it comes to the group, almost a reflection of the player character due to their ability to change into anything and will take a keen interest into any of the other characters if given the ability to do so. The idea of conversing with the Changeling is to learn more about yourself though ignoring this entity will lead to them being negatively viewed and thus become a more negative character. They will take on appearances to start demoralising or antagonizing the rest of the group like in the case of the Kenku - growing wings etc.

Adventures in Soliverance - progress

 After having to restart the beginning of my narrative game on Twine, due to inabilities of the software to format players choice when it came to party members for setting out on the adventure with as well as a more researched set of opening paragraphs with descriptive details and an intro provided to the player I've almost finished what I can describe as the 1st chapter - not that its a novel with multiple chapters but if I break down the whole narrative game into sections where the player has a major circumstance to navigate with minor interactions with NPC's before ending in a major player choice it becomes more organised both on the player and designers end of the product.

So this initial chapter has all the aforementioned ingredients ending in a major choice, which NPC will not be part of the group whilst also telegraphing conversations and choices being a key component to the gameplay, hopefully allowing for the social behaviour of talking to people before making decisions starting to be developed within the player.

However discussions with tutors and peers around the implementation of this format of telegraphing the importance of conversation within the game has led to some takeaways that may result in further editing of the format and gameplay.

- Don't hide important things from the player, so the info provided by the tavern owner can't be important to the story but just additional info that could explain behavioural patterns or lore for that particular racer class type, an Easter egg for current players used to the D&D/fantasy background. For example the Kenku race can only imitate human voice so with this knowledge in mind the player will observe the NPC's actions rather than their word, this may lead to the player thinking the character is rude or obnoxious from just their interaction without speaking to the tavern owner first but this is partly the point that players should be interacting more with character both in game and in society - we can't just rely on one bit of information gathered through a singular interaction to base our ideas and conclusions of a person on.

- Keep the game short, people won't want to interact with NPC's for hours. A concise and well developed format can get the change across to players as well if not better than a novel which requires too much player investment and can put off some players thus denying the larger social impact that is intended.

- Make the choices impactful throughout the game, now that the initial choice has been made the following ones can be more impactful, play on the players emotions towards certain character to increase immersion and the emotional involvement towards the gameplay. 

- "Show don't tell" allow the player to make their observations about the NPC's and what actions occur this will allow for more natural choices and decisions to be made and a more successful result when the player reaches their own unique conclusion at the end of the game.

To continue this story with the idea of setting it out in to chapters I looked once again at the structure of the other Twine narrative game 57 degrees North which was formatted with 5 chapters, the final one being a conclusion. 

With this in mind I also want to utilise the story structure of the hero's journey to give way to. a basic structure to the game allowing for me to pay more attention to the conversations and players to NPC interactions. The basic Hero's journey principle is detailed as follows: 

If I split this into the 4 chapters and keep the 5th one as a conclusion to the story it will keep things structurally simple.

Here we can see how I've given each section a brief annotation with the idea of how my games story progresses through this format, using the Tomb or adventure as the special world section with the idea that during the journey the player character has to change to adapt to the different thing that has occurred as they return to their normal life, this structure is something advanced upon by Dan Harmon as he scripted stories during his direction of both series' "Community and "Rick and Morty"

If I continue to break this down it can then be used to decide what interactions to add or neglect in the story for the players to have a choice in.

1. They are in zone of comfort - Player starts in the world in particular the village of Wyvernpond.

2. But they want something - Player needs money as their finances are dwindling.

3. They enter an unfamiliar situation - Having to work in a group / entering the tomb / feeling a connection to certain NPC's

4. Adapt to it - Overcome some form of puzzle or trap in the tomb through teamwork (this will rely lightly on who they chose to be part of the group and also who they team up with in the tomb)

5. Get what they wanted - They find treasure possibly the most so gain the position of treasure hunter guild member.

6. Pay a heavy price - They find out that they are the child from the opening paragraph that everyone is searching for to end the war or kill / they lose a member or more from their party during the adventure.

7. They return to their familiar situation - Arrive back in Wyvernpond 

8. Having changed - They have a new place in the world with the info they learned / they have to deal with their loss / they understand the need to interact and work with others.

The hope is that if the player character goes through this process and learns the lesson that I as the designer want to bring about as the social change form this being a transformative game then with the player being immersed and involved with the decision making during gameplay they will also learn the lesson and a successful conclusion will be achieved.

Research in Context Guest Lecture - Gary Bratchford

Dr Gary Bratchford – Photographer & Associate Professor

Dr Gary Bratchford is currently an Associate Professor of Photography at Birmingham City University but is also a recognised writer, editor and curator whose main areas of research include visual sociology, visual culture and collaborative visual methods which he uses to explore the intersections between vision, visibility and the ways in which image-makers engage with these themes contexts and geographies (Birmingham City Institute of Creative Arts, 2024). 

One of his pieces of research that links to my own practice was his 9-month project on socially engaged photography and wellbeing which had been commissioned by Halton Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and Liverpool photography organisation, Open Eye Gallery (Bratchford, G et al, 2018). 

- It's a collaborative and participatory art practice where the project is co-produced between artist and participant.

- Cartiere (2016) suggests the aim of SEP is to generate change by intervening in social relations.

- SEP (art, photography, film) is often firmly embedded in the place in which it is sited and grapples with the social conditions, political contexts and unique histories of the environment.

- But it's also portable. This portability allows for intersubjective encounters - projects where people and ideas meet to create something new, that didn't exist beforehand (Bratchford, 2019).

This study used several different research methodologies to gain the results and outcomes of the study, starting with qualitative data research in the form of 'asset mapping'. Ordinance survey maps were observed of the area as well as documented photography (visual survey and Social semiotics) of the area to search for observable findings that could correlate with the quantitative data that showed that residents of the Windmill Hill area of Runcorn believed they were unhealthier and more likely to die than others in the surrounding area.

The following set of data was found from the sources of: National Index of Health Deprivation, Office of National Child Measure Programme, Employment and Worklessness Census (2011), National Index of Multiple Deprivation IMD (2010) and Big Local Ward Profile Statistics.

This data somewhat informed Gary of why residents perceptions of their own health was so negative.

Though initial observations of the Windmill Hill area had only shown lots of green areas and a pleasant looking area a further look and interactions with the locals through semi-structured interviews during more data collection through photo walks, where disposable cameras were offered to participants of the study where they could take photos of things that interested them in their local area or had an impact on their day to day life. He was able to illicit information such as transportation to the are being poor due to slim roads lots of mini roundabouts and bus routes not entering the estate due to this whilst also being infrequent causing a lack of freedom for residents who felt trapped in the area.  However the photo walks also encouraged participants to see the positives of the local area and get them talking with each other raising a community spirit and also "It led to them feeling 'socially engaged' - duty bound to highlight their environment for positive change and use their photos to open dialogue with local authorities." Some of these groups that formed during the study such as the Runcorn Women's photography group have remained long after the research was conducted producing annual calendars among other products showing that the social and emotional benefits of the photography were a result of the process not just participants taking part.

An end product of said photography sessions was a published book "As and When" which featured photographs from the participants as well as their creative writing about why they took the photo, it's significance to them and the area, as well as an instillation in the Open Eye Gallery in Liverpool to display their work and show the participants their observations and opinions on the area mattered ass well as producing a greater political agency for change.

Tangible benefits of the research and interactions with the Windmill Hill community:

- Social Benefit - A sense of belonging.

-Cognitive Benefits - Improved concentration.

- Health Benefits - Improved mobility, vitality and an improved sense of rejuvenation.

- Emotional Benefit - less stressed, worth, value, recognition - greater sense of purpose, socially and politically.

- Greater political agency.

- Better visual literacy and communication confidence.

How does this relate to my own practice?

Whilst an initial observation would find very little similarities between photography and game design the quote below from Garry Bratchford as to why he chose to conduct the commissioned piece of research is rather telling.

"This topic matters to me because I am passionate about the arts, communities and wellbeing. I am inspired by those who see the potential for all three to foster positive changes. To work with those who understand that each element can enrich the other in a cycle of learning, if given the right affordances, such as time, patience and the room to accommodate setbacks as ‘part’ of the learning process. The co-authoring of arts-based engagement can be insightful and empowering. It can be a resource and a tool to effect change and contribute to a greater sense of wellbeing."

I find this duty for the wellbeing of a community as well as the idea behind socially engaged practice to be very similar to the concept of pro-social or transformative game design. Both are initiated with the purpose to bring about a positive change in social behaviours and require an in-depth and ranged variety of research methodologies to bring about success. With the outcome not being overtly displayed to participants during the process where Gary replaces the covert methods of on/off topic formats of transformative games to semi-structured interviews whilst participants take part in the research, with the interviews not being fully structured so a more natural response can be achieved. It's also useful to acknowledge how basic equipment was used during the stud such as disposable cameras to allow for the greatest amount of accessibility for participants rather than using the most advanced equipment that would require training and possibly alienate the participants, this could be transferred across to my own practice by relying on traditional formats for game design like TTRPG's, card or board games to allow for a wider audience to take part and increasing the chance for a more global impact.

Research in Context Report - Intro

Introduction

Since starting the Game Design Masters course, I have always stated that I wish to do more than just make a game, by this I mean to make a game that does more than just entertain, to provide some benefit to society through some transformative means. This has led into researching contemporary game formats that lend themselves to therapy or some other socially beneficial construct.

Understanding this research pathway has informed me on the types of individuals to speak to during the ‘Personal Research Studies’ section of his report. Firstly I have conducted a semi-structured interview with Dr Dean Marshall a lecturer in Psychology with the aim to ask questions on how this understanding can lead into a more successful development of a traditional tabletop role playing game like dungeons and dragons which he also runs separately from his teaching by understanding how the level of information given to players can change the outcomes of their decision making processes. The second individual is Emily Short, creative director of FailBetter games and author of ‘NPC conversation systems’ with an extensive blog on her journey to create immersive conversations in narrative games. Discussing how important conversations are in providing the players with the correct level of information to make informed decisions.

Alongside this I have attended a series of lectures and the Yorkshire Games Festival for the ‘Practitioner Lecture Series’ section of the report choosing to evaluate the talks by Gary Bratchford who used photography to produce pro-social events and groups to counteract negative thoughts and conventions within a set destination as well as Jim Thompson who discussed including playfulness in all creative ventures and evaluating how playfulness could be added to therapy with the purpose of increasing engagement from a younger audience to avoid reactance theory.

Getting the narrative details right

 Whilst writing up the text for a narrative game, to ensure that there is the highest chance for success with immersion, having the right level of description of the environment is imperative.  Having too many details will leave the player with no curiosity as all their possible questions will have been already answered, and too little will be too vague that the player won't feel involved with the environment.  Key items also need a little extra detail to indicate importance or the idea that the item can be interacted with, similar to how in a traditional visual game these items would be highlighted or have an NPC voiceover discuss said item.

Utilizing the collaboration with Lance Muir who will be a 3D modeler of props and items means that I can continue to discuss the level of detail with him so he has enough detail to work with but also a little freedom to add their own touch or serendipitous evolution of ideas to occur where they come to the table with ideas that can then push forward my own development of descriptive paragraphs. In the meantime, I have also started looking into research and development towards my opening scene through message boards and forums as well as already well-recognised games of D&D and other fantasy games.

My current set of introductory pages setting the scene for 'Adventures in Soliverance: Tomb of the Last Alliance' 

Below are a series of questions posted from Lance to give him the adequate amount of information required for him to start the process of creating 3d forms. Using these questions in conjunction with the following research and described workflows should establish a good step by step process for my own descriptive writing.

Questions for John

Village

-                     What technology level is the village at? (bronze age, stone age, iron age, magic?)
-          What primary materials are the buildings made of? (sandstone, stone, mud, bricks)
-          Other than the wyvern skeleton what is a prominent landmark or noticeable feature of the village?        (Large statue, church/town hall, Tower)
-          Is the village quite ordinary to look at upon first glance or is it fairly decorative? (painted                       buildings, carved decorations, flora & fauna)
-          Is the village in a defensible location, does it have man-made defences or do they use the landscape        as defences? (built on a hill, moat, walls and gates, sat in a valley with a narrow passage leading           in)
-          Are the different services within the village easily identifiable? (Skyrim style shop signs, market               style area for trading)
-          Are there any ruins or derelict areas in the village from any previous inhabitants or is it a                       completely fresh founding site?

Tavern

-          Where is the bar located from the entrance?
-          How ornate is the furniture?
-          What kind of decorations does the tavern have?
-          Is there more than one floor?
-          What style of seating does the tavern have? (tables and chairs, booths, etc)
-          Is the tavern exclusive to a certain race or type of people? (Adventurers, soldiers, human only,               exotic race only)
-          Are there any events that have taken place in the tavern that have impacted the way it looks or               feels?
-          What level of patronage does the tavern serve? (Everyone, upper class, middle class, working               class)
What kind of lighting is used within the tavern? (Candles, lanterns, torches, natural light, magical light)

One interesting workflow I found online was an example from D&D dungeon master message boards about coming up with a process that is both descriptive and engaging by tackling as much of the five senses as they can to give the reader/player more immersive elements to engage with.

So if I utilise this in two examples for both Wyvernpond and the tavern making bullet points to cover the bases that can then be further developed into written text or the Twine.

WYVERNPOND

Environment

Ferns, Spruce, Larches trees. 

Forestry and overgrown mossy boulders upon a bed of lengthy grass. 

A huge gorge cuts the landscape leading towards the lake at the centre of the village - an indicator of where the beast crash landed before decomposing leaving remains within the lake. 

Dew upon the ground and drops of rain trickling down the branches before dropping to the ground a reminder of the downpour that occurred recently.

Sunlight now beaming is blocked by the forestry leaving sporadic beams poking through to ground level.

Atmosphere

A stillness and serene environment that emits an element of peace and tranquillity. The War taking place within the continent has not come anywhere near this place and it feels like it has never known of any conflict.

Senses

As you get closer to the village the sounds of tinkering from the tools being used either mining the fossils or the blacksmith/fletcher/woodworker hard at work.

The flowing water down the gorge and bubbling away with the buzzing of dragonflies and other insects zipping about at the waters edge.

The musky smell of vegetation from a deep taiga biome is very present overpowering any smells until you get closer to the Tavern where rich meaty smells waft from the kitchen. 

A crisp freshness in the air heightened by the coldness present after heavy rain, though in the few spots where direct sunlight can hit your skin a welcome warmth is present.

TAVERN - The Last Glass Brewery

Environment

Stone floor made up of large flat pieces of stone mined from surrounding areas, with little bits of moss creeping through the gaps between the stones. Wooden frames make up the wall borders which themselves are made up from clay over stone, with intricate curved beams embellishing the frames in an almost Norse style, occasional shields and swords are hung up as ornamental features each with their own history.

A sturdy square build with a capacity for 30 individuals on the ground floor a variety of different sizes of wooden tables with accompanying tables pepper the stone cobbled floor, whilst the upper floor contains 10 rentable rooms with a staircase to the owners quarters.

As you enter the abode a large open fire sits in the wall opposite usually occupied by  a few weary warriors resting up and regaling one another with their most recent adventures.

To the right hand side of the room sits the serving bar with the innkeeper pouring out drinks for customers periodically resting to engage with any who linger at one of the stools placed before the bar. as their assistant runs food to waiting customers from the small stove and cooking area behind the bar.

Atmosphere

A hearty rich atmosphere of drinks being enjoyed and majority of customers in good spirits chatting with each others both locals and travellers alike. The odd individual keeping to themselves but everyone respecting each others needs and desires.

Senses

The roasting fire keeps the place warm and toasty.

The rich smell of fresh meats and veg being stewed and roasted as well as meals being brought out to customers mixed with stale ale soaked into the wooden benches, chairs and stools. 

Perhaps one visitor covered in some substance is separate from all others due to the smell emitted from them.

Fairly dark as the place is only lit from candles held in a chandelier above or the huge fireplace against one wall, the occasional torch sconce attached to a wooden beam but definitely shadowed areas in the corners of the room.

With the room full of patrons the hustle and bustle of conversation is loud, belly laughs and roars of competitive discourse between warriors and barbarians.

The following are some selected descriptors used in other well known games of D&D

THE YAWNING PORTAL

  

The Yawning Portal is far-and-away the most famous inn in the world. It’s a three-story stone building with a slate grey roof and several chimneys. A signboard that simply reads “The Yawning Portal,” hangs on chains from a black iron pole above the front door, announcing the entry to the inn. Well-worn boards cover the floor, but the main impression is of comfort. Rich blue tapestries of fairy-tale adventurers decorate the wood-panelled walls of the common room, which consist of a bar and tables of stout wood.

The inn was built in 1306 DR by Durnan the Wanderer on the ruins of Halaster’s Hold. The famous adventurer returned from Undermountain with his adventuring companion Mirt the Merciless nearly two centuries ago, laden with riches. In this place Durnan built his inn and began a gold-rush of adventurers into the deadly dungeon.

The Entry Well

What dominates the bar, and lends the inn its name and reputation is the giant stone well in the centre of the common room. The well is 40 feet across, and a waist-high stone ring is built around to prevent customers and objects to falling in. This yawning portal is the famous Entry Well that leads down into the dungeon known as Undermountain, the Dungeon of the Mad Mage.

For a single silver shard you can enter the inn and hear tales of adventure. For a single gold dragon, you can venture down into the well, into the unknown. And for a single gold dragon, you can return. Many who enter the Well never return, and all who do, come back changed.

The Tavern

Balconies on the tavern’s second and third floors overlook the well, with those floors accessed by way of wooden stairs that rise up from the taproom. Guests sitting at the tables on the balconies have an excellent view of the well and the action below.

The tavern is a loud, boisterous place, crowded with adventurers. The clientele of The Yawning Portal is mostly Waterdavians eager to hear the tales of adventurers who have returned or who are making their way into the depths of Undermountain. Adventurers readying themselves to enter the Undermountain can be found here listening rumours and stories about the dungeon. On the periphery, cloaked factors lurk, eying up adventurers who may take their quests.

As Durnan, despite his old age, is still a brawny man, who keeps his old great sword visible among the racks, the Yawning Portal remains safe from toughs, though it is Waterdeeop, so brawls are still a common enough occurrence.

Curios on Display

A staggering variety of curios and oddities adorn the taproom. Traditionally, adventurers who recover a strange relic from Undermountain present it to Durnan as a trophy of their success. Other adventurers leave such curios to mark their visits to the tavern, or relinquish them after losing a bet with Durnan, who likes to wager on the fate of adventuring bands that enter the dungeon. Occasionally, something that strikes Durnan’s fancy can be used to pay a bar tab.

A Typical Evening

On quiet nights, guests in the Yawning Portal gather around a large fireplace in the taproom and swap tales of distant places, strange monsters, and valuable treasures. On busier nights, the place is loud and crowded. The balconies overflow with merchants and nobles, while the tables on the ground floor are filled with adventurers and their associates. Invariably, the combination of a few drinks and the crowd’s encouragement induces some folk to pay for a brief trip down into Undermountain. Most folk pay in advance for a ride down and immediately back up, though a few ambitious souls might launch impromptu expeditions into the dungeon. Few such ill-prepared parties ever return.

Groups seeking to enter Undermountain for a specific reason generally come to the tavern during its quiet hours. Even at such times, there are still a few prying eyes in the taproom, lurkers who carry news of the comings and goings from Undermountain to the Zhentarim, dark cults, criminal gangs, and other interested parties.

Room and Board

A typical dish served at the Yawning Portal consists of quipper and chips (5sp). Shadow dark ale is a popular beverage served at the taproom (5cp). Rooms to let at the inn (when there’s room) rent for 8sp per night.

A TRANSCRIPT OF THE OPENING EPISODE OF FANTASY HIGH FROM DIMENSION 20

Brennan: We're gonna be playing a little role playing game for you guys, thanks for coming and playing with us. This season marks the beginning of our adventure into the world of Fantasy High, where we ask the question that has long gone unasked: What would happen if John Hughes ran a game of a tabletop RPG? And we're gonna find out today. Swords, high school, puberty, magic, it's all coming together. We're going to descend to somebody's home, why don't we have this decided by a roll of the dice? That feels fine to me.

Lou: Oho, yes.

Murph: Sweaty palms.

Brennan: Hell yeah, we're gonna go downtown.

[pirate music plays]

Ally: Yep.

Zac pretends to play a fiddle.

Brennan: [grandiose] As the clouds part, a flock of gulls flies over the Marigold River heading down to an area of wealth and expansive taste. It's downtown Elmville, and we see that amongst the manors there is a colossal, gilded man o' war, [like a pirate accent] a pirate ship, great and mighty, that has been dry docked and dragged out of the river, all the way up onto land and turned into a mansion. We see vast hedgerows and various bankers and also pirates dragging chests of gold up through hedge mazes and topiary and fountains, and we see, out on a little sort of clay patio: Lou, would you describe yourself for the other players?

Lou: [pretentious voice] Oh, of course, hello, I'm Fabian Aramais Seacaster, I'm a half-elf. I'm, of course, the son of the famous William Seacaster, the great adventurer who sailed the Celestine Sea, freeing slaves and raising up nations. I'm a fencer by trade, I also know how to glass blow and I'm quite good at calligraphy. And I am absolutely thrilled to be here at the Aguefort Adventuring Academy, very excited to kind of start on my adventure of becoming an adventurer much like my father, that I may too, one day, take up the mantle of the Seacaster name and sow my heroism across Spyre.

Brennan: You're out on a lovely day. You wake up early in the morning, you had a great green protein shake made by your halfling maid Cathilda, and you're out on the patio with your fencing instructor, Herzon, practicing.

What's most interesting with these examples so far is how the information is so concise yet still can be separated into similar categories like the E.A.S.E process detailed earlier. Perhaps because the players are experienced with this format of gaming whereas newer players may require more details.

The most important takeaway is understanding the balance between too much and too little information and what you want to draw the player towards during gameplay.