Kickstarter Update #10
It was when multiple babies were launched into the air that I thought to myself. Jerod, you have done something truly wonderful here. A flurry of outwit, bluffing, and the all-important running for your life checks were made leaving a very powerful but currently stupefied witch holding a changeling.
The players had framed Darcy Porden for destruction of property after finding out he received his wealth from colonial best practices. An affront to the decree of nature. They had also stolen infant lord Porden at the behest of the Goblin King and were indebted to return it to the mortal world against one of the player’s more nurturing feelings. Currently they were driving Aloise Porden into the arms of another man in an effort to uphold the fairy accords.
All in a night’s playtest session of Goblin Market.
We are getting down to the nitty gritty of rules tweaks. While the main mechanics and game play rules are built on solid bedrock the corners continue to be smoothed out. The major changes I made after the last playtest resulted in something much easier to understand for the players.
The Animus Scale
Ditching the ideas of good vs evil removed some objectable aspects and introduced a much more gray game. Which is exactly what I was trying to create in the first place. This is known as the Animus Scale. Players can break or uphold the nine laws to change their own animus.
I love the idea of players considering changing the narrative of the story so they can gain more power. It doesn’t make them good or bad. It simply changes them. And if they don’t like what they have changed into they have to work hard to metamorph back.
Oh, Just One More Thing
One significant update made during playtesting was how to start a city scene. As it stood, whoever was the ringleader chose the task, location, and goal for the next scene. The disadvantage is the ringleader also suffers the consequences of the final check roll. This worked. It was fun. If a little directionless.
Goblin Market puts a lot of onus on the players to carry the storyline moving forward. The escort is there to help with rulings and any npcs the players want to interact with. City scenes (the main role-playing sections) start with a known location to establish setting and end with a clear goal.
The inbetween is a vast swath of unregulated shared storytelling confined only by the time limit of 20 minutes. This can be daunting for some players. Even the most experienced players need a little gunpowder to spark their imagination. We knew at the end of the scene the players would frame the outcome to change their animus one way or another based on laws. So, I just took the law that was being considered on the back end and introduced into the beginning. Now, the laws act as a theme to the scene. It doesn’t restrict it in any way. Just gives it a bit of a direction.
The Mortal Pacts
The mortal zeitgeist sprung these laws into creation. A largely agreed upon ruleset tempered by the Victorian Era. Hypocrisy notwithstanding, the good folk of the world strive to uphold these mandates.
- The oldest law. Causing the death of a mortal is often met with death itself.
- Shun the seven sins. The surest way to damnation is temptation.
- Material goods are sacred. Stealing in all forms is akin to sinning.
Nature’s Decrees
The natural world was ruled by the fairies and their beastly allies since before the mortals tread their dark forests. For a time it appeared the two would coexist in peace. But mortal progress brought pollution, enslavement, and inhibitions. So the fairy world withdrew seeking aid from beyond the veil.
- What is dead, remains so. Returning the deceased is an affront to nature.
- No mastery over others. Freedom in all things is the cornerstone of life.
- Self preservation. Never act in such a way as to hinder yourself.
The Wyrd Accords
There are very few guidelines, much less anything written down to govern Nighttide folk in their daily lives outside of the Goblin Market. But while holding residency there are rules to be followed by goblin, fairy, and witch alike. The accords were handed down from the Empress of Night herself.
- Shroud the Nighttide. Do not bring attention from the outside world to the market.
- Word given is bound. Pay debts or you will find yourself without the protection of a liege or the market itself.
- Sanctuary. Do not kill fairy folk within the confines of the market or market city.
If playing Call of Cthulhu is like Sherlock Holmes and Brindlewood Bay is like Murder She Wrote, then Goblin Market is the spiritual successor to Columbo. You already know the end goal. You just don’t know how you get there!
The coolest comment I got last week was someone stating they had been playing rpgs for almost 40 years and had never played anything like Goblin Market.
Final Thoughts: Lights, Camera, Action!
Like most things in life, being open to the opportunities availed to you requires an open mind and a healthy amount of luck. An idea was floated, and I would be a fool to pass it up. One of my play testers has access to a camera. And lights (well a whole play theater to be honest but let’s not jump ahead of ourselves). And we mutually know a production technician…
Which leads to me doing something that is awesome with the help of highly skilled professionals. In the next month I am hoping to have several things completed up to and including: a fully completed written ruleset, inserts for lore, how to cheat sheets, and a live playtest recording showing how to play Goblin Market.