Encounter Clarifications

I'm still editing the summary, but thought I'd post something in the meantime. I answered some questions in the comments, but I figured I might want to revisit and rephrase some of my answers here.

hansotterson asked me to clarify the game's structure: what's the game about, and how do you play it? It's a horror-adventure game with scenes broken up into:

• horrific atmosphere, like meeting the captain, dealing with thirst and hunger, minor incidents on the ship or in port;
• traditional adventure encounters, like storms, sea monsters, raids, chase and pursuit;
• flashbacks to life before damnation, which set up relationships and thus aide in escaping damnation.

The traditional adventure encounters are generated randomly on the dice map. noahsgamechefpage asked for clarification on using the dice map: the dice map can actually be used any time the GM wants inspiration on what happens next, but the major events are intended to occur after sunset each day, with minor events and flashbacks filling up the rest of the time. Also, some of the major events and all flashbacks will create NPCs as a side effect. Can these be fleshed out? Certainly. When the Dutchman raids a ship, many of the living crew will be killed and eaten, others will try to escape, but a few may be taken captive as newly damned, which means the PCs can interact with them over the next couple days.

mark vallianatos had some questions as well about the guts of resolving tasks and conflicts, but I'll cover that in a separate post.

Major Events

I've mentioned major events. What are they? If a minor event is meant to merely convey mood, forcing the characters to explore the ship, a major event is meant to give them something to do. It's something big and unexpected that happens.

The dice map posted previously shows a box with an overhead silhouette of a ship in the center and four phrases posted at the four edges of the map. When the characters are finished temporarily with exploring the ship or taking care of needs, the GM rolls 3d6 on the dice map. Where the dice land determines what happens: the lowest result shows where the threat comes from, and the highest result shows what the threat endangers or otherwise acts on.

• The Damned: The dead crew, whether long dead or newly impressed.
• Unforgiving Sea: The raging Deep itself, or creatures in it.
• The Living: The land, its inhabitants, and their ships. Generally indicates a merchant ship, warship or pirate vessel.
• Uncaring Sky: The wind, clouds, sky, and flying creatures.
• The Ship (center): Self-explanatory. Might indicate a mast that breaks, or a sudden breach in the hull.

Interpreting the dice combos gives inspiration for what events to hit the characters with. Some suggestions:

• Damned v. Damned: several of the long dead attack the PCs.
• Damned v. Sea: the crew tries to force a PC to walk the plank.
• Damned v. Living: the crew makes a pirate raid or salvages a wrecked ship.
• Damned v. Sky: the crew tries to lash one of the PCs to the mast during the day.
• Damned v. Ship: a mutiny! Half the crew against the other.

• Sea v. Damned: a wave swamps the deck, possibly washing a PC overboard.
• Sea v. Sea: a whirlpool, which potentially slows the ship.
• Sea v. Living: the PCs spot a sinking ship.
• Sea v. Sky: thick fog rises, possibly slowing or threatening the ship.
• Sea v. Ship: crashing waves breach the hull.

• Living v. Damned: pirates attempt to board the Dutchman.
• Living v. Sea: marooned or shipwrecked sailors thinking they are about to be rescued.
• Living v. Living: the Dutchman interrupts a naval battle.
• Living v. Sky: the Dutchman find a ship fighting a gale.
• Living v. Ship: a fort on an island or a man o' war attacks the ship.

• Sky v. Damned: gulls attack at night!
• Sky v. Sea: a torrent of rain pounds the ship.
• Sky v. Living: a ship blown off course.
• Sky v. Sky: thunder and lightning.
• Sky v. Ship: gale force winds batter and toss the ship.

• Ship v. Damned: a mast falls, perhaps crushing or pinning a PC.
• Ship v. Sea: the ship runs aground.
• Ship v. Living: the ship unexpectedly rams another ship.
• Ship v. Sky: the sails are torn or the ship is becalmed, losing time until the crew does something.
• Ship v. Ship: one part of the ship collapses and breaks another, perhaps breaching the hull.

This should give a good idea of how the random events are played out, but I'll do a follow-up post.

Events Dice Map

Here's the dice map for randomly determining events during the voyage of the damned. I'm still working out the details on this, but it works pretty much like the dice map mechanics I've used in previous games: you roll dice on a printed version of this dice map and interpret the results based on where the dice land.