I've never been so good at allowing players free reign on the shopping list, and when it comes down to it, shopping for your character is such a labourous activity both for players and gamesmasters.
My Main problem is that 'handing over the lists' is SOooo meta gaming, rule breaking, unrealistic, bullsh*t. I cant do it, I cant stand it, I dont like it. I wont allow it.
If I walk into a shop, I have no clue which product is better than another, unless I'm a biochemist, or well versed, or have gathered enough information from enough sources. and this is modern society with product guarentees.
(Actually in moscow, russia, there are no guarentees, and sometimes products can be down right dangerous to buy, I've bought a single beer, and woke with the most incredible hangover, while other times, drunk 20 of them and just felt an ongoing need to pee. Dont even get me started on the piracy and bad quality of clothing, food, DVDs, practially anything)
So, in a Medi-eval world, a Poor quality society, where standard is far from standard, and prices are so plausibly different, how can characters even contemplate walking up to a street vendor, and asking for a 'plus seven vorpal sword of dragon slaying' and expecting an answer? let alone a Longsword, in a City preparing for war, (where the king has essentially taken all weapons for his soldiers)
So, Characters, contemplating weapons and items and such, Its a much more long winded process. Multiply this by access to said items, a city wide/country wide ban on magical items, causing the prices to escalate from black market demands.
In an effort to curb this 'false economy' situation, I went through many years of university, programming, game design theory and a few more of actually hard time programming, to create a simulation that gives me a fairly accurate set of equipment availabilities. YET, at the end of the day, any given change in the plot of the story, destroys any given single instance of the world.. I need a dynamic, created world, that exists, continuously to map out such things..
Which is what I'm doing next..
In between time.. as a result of discussion, its determined that players will go in 'combat order' based on charisma, for who goes first, and spends money first to buy their equipment, based on their needs, that the rest of the team considers appropriate, and the cash? still grouped.
------------------------------------------------------------
The Adventurers stared long and hard at the Fort. The skeletons did not so much stare back, but merely stared endlessly. Shivers could be felt down everyones spines, so they took a few cautious steps back, and retreated from the fort. Amarta was camped nearby, She had Teleported back to the fortress and had to fight her way out of the door, propping a chair against the door. She set up camp, cooked up a hearty stew of chicken and vegetables, and waited.
It was agreed, fighting skeletons, while, hurt, bleeding, magicless, tired, unprepared, and unarmed for such, would be a bad idea. Town on the other hand.. was a good idea, especially a few ales, and soft pillows, and maybe some companionship for a few nights..
During the last few weeks, Barbarian RID and Lady Mary had been assigned 'Transport duty' and had travelled back and forth, delivering goblin heads for the bounty, and purchasing food for the Fortress. After the first few skirmishes on the borders of the forest, they had made a new path, skirting round to the south to avoid such troubles, and had marked their new path with the remains of the donkey that was killed in such a skirmish.
So, RID showed them the way.
Skady set up camp each night, chosing a hidden valley or covered area for maximum protection. Unfortunatly, being more at home in a city, he failed to notice that distance is so much more important. The fire was easily seen, provided the spotter was in a tree, anywhere from 5km away or greater.
They had been spotted.
The first night it was merely a shape in a the extreme distance, of which only Ospy could see them.
The second, it was three shapes, Scady and Ospy could see them riding, but the rest of the team were unable as of yet.
The third, it seemed it was three riders. but strangely enough, again, only ospy and scady could make these shadows out, to the rest of the team, nothing.
They Hid.. Scady managed to find a tree, having softened soil, had toppled into a nearby tree, but then managed to take root enough to stay alive, had grown in the support of this second tree. This provided a great location between two intertwined branches to hide the entire team.
A rider, mounted upon a grey horse, clad in greys and greens, rode up approximately 200metres from the heroes. His cloak covered his body, and dew still beaded on its fabric, the hood covered his head. Upon the back, a heavy load of rolled cloth, possibly some small saddle bag and an obviously placed longbow and longsword. he stopped, looking out from under a hood, he pulled back his cloak, checked his weapon, and sighed.
Scady, thinking to climb down silently and sneak around to reveal himself from a different location than the group, reached out to a branch to start moving, to which the Stranger rode his horse closer a further 50 metres and pulled back his hood.
The group gasped.. an elf.
Flashes of stories went through their minds, elves, forest dwellers, dark or light, magic users and skilled bowmen.
"I know that you seek to stop me," He called to the trees.
The group did not move.
" I have what you seek," he called again, and pulled his horse around. He drew out the knife, and cut the bundle from his horse, It landed heavily, with an Oof, and the Elven rider turned and spurred his horse off.
"wait!" cried Scady, but it was too late, the rider had gone.
The group clambered out of the trees and down to the fallen rug. they pondered kicking it, stabbing it, but eventually they opened it. A portly fellow, robed, and carrying a few choice items, emerged from the cloth, he looked at them groggily. "Hi" whispered the fellow, and promptly passed out.
Opsy recognised Eagleowl, as did Draco and Harvey.
For Harvey, it was back when the time distorted forest had swept him away into another area, and he encountered the other group. Draco and Eagleowl were companions back then, and Ospy, when the old man had teleported the two and the skeletons had been summoned up to the fortress.
So, it seemed as good a time as any to make camp.
In the morning, fully rested, Eagleowl made conversation, and told them of his ordeal, having been captured by the elves and magically tortured. the elves merely felt sorry for the fool and dropped him off, literally.
It took barely a few days more to get back to town. Scady's ability to set up a well hidden camp seemed to have improved, and within no time they were within the city walls once again.
The city was bustling as ever, trade was high, but moods were low. the northern kingdom indeed was being attacked it seemed, or rumours had it so. The local lands were still at a loss for bandits and goblins, and several villagers had cleaned out and moved east to safer lands.
The kings guard was ever vigilant to watch for local problems, and magic was more illegal than ever. Our Mages, Harvy, Amarta and Ospy, and our new Eagleowl, all changed their clothes slightly to look like priests.
Upon arrival at the Bursar, with lady mary as guide, The bursar was a bit taken aback by the number of heads to be presented this day, 33, Not including the goblin cheiftain.
A bonus 5 gold for the cheiftains head, the group felt a proud lot, and enquired as to how to disspell a curse. The bursar, knowlingly, told them of a special place to contact a special person, to get knowledge about such things, but to be careful, as even this was considered illegal activities.
After a few small mishaps, they managed to find the gentleman, and arrange to go to the tavern that seemed magic friendlier, and talk with him.
Magic, now punishable as treason, made it very very expensive. for a mere 100 gold, the man could safely identify the magic used to create the weapon, but it would take a full month, and 1000 gold were of expenses, to de-curse the item.
The team could not pay, but were willing to lose the hammer that the goblin also used, as payment, as Draco was keen on fighting with this deadly and fearsome blade that could extend from a shortsword, to a longsword.
Later, Discussion with a blacksmith and a cobbler, a fletcher and a chandler, and the advenrturing party were almost ready to go back to their fortress and dispatch this most troublesome band of skeletons.
but scady had one last task up his sleave.
Tags: Bane_Star Russia Gaming Group Shopping Bargaining
