An example of solo play

An example of solo play

A few people have responded to a previous post wanting to see a working example of how some solo play I have tried actually worked. This is a breakdown of my last attempt, to the best of my recollection!

Shiv McCool and the Phylactery of Tears

My Cutter, Shiv McCool, is contacted by the Circle of Flame for a job.

I roll once on the score generation tables, getting a result like “hide something from another faction”, or similar. Can’t recall the exact wording.

I look at Shiv’s status and relationships with Duskwall’s factions. (I went through a solo crew creation previously to tie Shiv into the setting). He has +1 with The Circle of Flame and -1 with The Weeping Lady.

The Circle of Flame are feeling some heat. They want Shiv to hide an object they stole from The Weeping Lady called “The Phylactery of Tears”

So I just daydreamed that up from looking a the faction descriptions and imagining what might be going on.

Shiv wants to know a bit more about the two factions before he takes on the job. So in true Cutter style he literally grabs a thief he knows who works the area and roughs him up a bit to extract a few facts.

Ok this is what really set up the solo mission for me – using Gather Information to establish some facts. I roll Shiv’s Command action and resolve the Effect with Force to find out what this guys knows. I note down the questions:

1. Who is the Weeping Lady sending to look for the phylactery?

2. Do they know about Shiv and where he is?

3. Who are The Weeping Lady’s Allies, if any?

4. Why does the Circle of Flame want the Phylactery?

5. How am I vulnerable?

Using the questions generated from Gather Information I go ahead and make up some cool answers, adding clocks to them where appropriate, basically fleshing out the tasks Shiv needs complete to succeed with the mission.

After a quick bit of brainstorming, I come up with the following answers and some clocks where appropriate:

1. Volunteer do-gooders are going from door to door in Shiv’s neighborhood, asking questions and appealling to people for help to find the phylactery. Do-Gooders sniffing around – 6 segment clock

2. They know The Circle of Flame has moved the artifact into Shiv’s neighborhood. See above.

3. The theft has been reported to the Bluecoats. A patrol is searching the streets and questioning local gang members. The Bluecoat patrol – 4 segment clock

4. They want to use children’s tears in a nefarious ritual. But they pay well, so Shiv is happy. He’s a questionable character.

5. Shiv knows that Randal, that drunken fool of a dockworker, has been threatening Shiv lately. He will shrely point the Bluecoats Shiv’s way. The snitch – 4 segment clock

I thought it would also make the game interesting to add a coutdown clock to represent how close the Weeping Lady’s minions were to finding out where Shiv had hidden the phylactery.

Phylactery of Tears – 8 segment clock

The mission: Shiv has to neutralise the forces against him before they find the Phylactery.

Shiv starts off by paying a visit to the local rogues of his neighborhood. Most of them are desperate folk who are scared of the likes Shiv. He uses stand over and intimidation tactics to suggest that trouble would be upon them if they told the Bluecoats anything.

Shiv uses Command and Force in a Controlled situation and gets a complete success which clears the Bluecoat clock completely. He has intimidated the local gangs into complete silence. The Bluecoats get nothing and leave the precinct frustrated.

But the Do-gooders have been busy, going from door to door asking if anyone has seen anything or knows anyone suspicious.

Now I decide that I will need to roll to resist the Effects of the Do-gooders and their door to door nonsence. I’m going to go with Influence. The locals know Shiv, but they are scared of him. Will they talk? I roll a partial success to resist and check off two segments of The Phylactery of Tears.

Someone has described seeing Shiv skulking through the streets late at night with a duffel bag held close.

Next, Shiv decides to go after Randal. He could expose Shiv’s name to the allies of The Weeping Lady. Not good. He goes down to the docks that night to kill Randal. 

I play out the action of a fight. Mostly at Risky. By the end Randal’s 4 segments are cleared and Shiv has taken two stress.

The do-gooders are getting closer. They start offering free food for the ally-dwellers, and those folk start talking.

I roll Influence to resist damage to the Phylactery of Tears clock again. Not a good roll – the clock takes another 4 segments, leaving only 2 segments left!

The do-gooders have been pointed to the ally way where Shiv keeps his stash. He’s mad. There’s only one thing left to do. He confronts the do-gooders, and tries to scare them off.

Stepping out of the shadows Shiv pulls out his fine blade and smiles menacingly. “You’d better get outta here before I start cuttin’!”

I roll Command and Influence again, at Risky this time. If they recognise Shiv later there could be trouble for him. Rolling ok I clear 2 tracks from their 6.

Some of the do-gooders look nervous, but the others are incensed and suspicious. “How dare you?! The Bluecoats will hear of this! What have you got to do with this anyway?”

I resist more damage to the Phylactery of Tears clock as some of the do-gooders recognise Shiv from the descriptions they heard of the Phylactery Thief earlier. There’s only two segments left. This could end badly. I decide to use Insight, as Shiv spots the most frightened do-gooder and puts pressure there. I take a Devil’s Bargain  too – at least one of them reports the incident and my description to the Bluecoats. It will cause trouble later, but I’m still not linked directly to the Phylactery. I roll well and only take 1 segment off the countdown clock.

The gaggle of do-gooders eye Shiv suspiciously. He glares at them manacingly and starts striding towards them down the dark ally way.

They have 4 segments on their clock. The Phylactery of Tears countdown has one segment left. Things are tight.

Shiv barrels into the do-gooders, skittling them like pins. He keeps his knife close but doesn’t use it. He can’t expect to kill them all and any that flee will send the Bluecoats. He just wants to frighten them.

I roll Mayhem and Influence for Effect. Rolling well, I clear the the final 4 segments on the Do-Gooders sniffing around clock.

Mission accomplished!