Troika! x Barkeep on Borderlands sesh 9 GM Commentary
We play Barkeep on Borderlands with Troika! Characters are Witch (ancient undead parchment witch), Assassin (journeyman of guild of sharp corners) and Necromancer (just that). Check pregame and part one and two and three and four or even five, six, seven, eight
Errands
After beating paladins the team decided it is time to sleep. At 23:00, they still had around three hours to party but with all their Stamina and Luck depleted they didn't think to risk it. They went back to their apartment rented from one lady in Iron Fens.
I just ruled out they have already paid for a place to stay before the adventure begun because if not they'd be looking for a place for next few hours and be shivering over every copper coin. I don't need them desperate, that is where the adventures get derailed easily. Also bars already suck them out of the money a lot.
They didn't sleep until 2:00 because of all the noise outside but then slept through the night, ate a breakfast (already paid for, it's a proper bed and breakfast establishment), regained their everything (to me Luck regains automatically every dusk and dawn, and Stamina through both rest and breakfast) and went out fresh and ready (I declared their clothes are still dirty, not enough time to wash all of the underground exploding coal mines, ya know?).
First they visited goblin culinary critics in an inn in River Downs, spoke a lot about their adventures, shared experiences and said goodbye. This whole contact with critics was to check the antidote but since the PCs didn't found it it was just for talk.
Then the team went to check in at Academy, talked with hangovered reception lady about delayed tuition, dorms, student cafeteria and all that stuff. Then the group went to Kerod the Adventuring Wizard they rescued from underground, spoke with him and asked if he would join their dancing crew. After he made them say what would be their wish he decided to join their travel to 'other realities'.
On one hand it is an Adventuring Wizard so he would be interested. On the other they didn't really tell about Crystal Spheres and stuff. I felt I don't have any point against him joining. I only added he is not a good dancer.
Unicorn "Hunt"
Then the team went to Off-Central Park in order to find a unicorn. There are no rules for it in the book so I made them up. I decided each them they search I will roll on a table of random encounters of the Citywood district and then on a table of animals. Each entry to be used only once, so there is a timer after which they will surely find a unicorn. But players don't know it.
First animal they encountered were three sleepy black bears, laying in the sun. PCs went straight to deeper wood avoiding the bears. In there they found a group of white monkeys with broken cart on which they had a lot of bananas and banana-frying machine. The team decided to help the monkeys, they removed broken wheel, attached their sledgehammer to an axle in order to help move the cart. The idea was so brilliant I just ruled it worked.
As a gift of gratitude one of the monkeys gave them a weird item. Eight small flat red glasses in a silvery metal thingy. Like a bracelet but way too small and totally not comfortable to wear. It turned out to be a magical item, each glass allowing one to see something else - something far, past, future, alternate version, microscope, night sky (actually space above the atmosphere), one not working (shows invisible) and a red eye looking at you from the other side. *I saw an item in another book, a jewel that lets you see things (past, future, far) and added from myself spidery flair (eight eyes) and other powers.
General Comments
It was actually quite a boring session from my perspective. A lot of exposition and improvisation, a lot from me but not much from the players. I was really fond of the monkey action and them trying to understand the magical item.
I think there are two Damocleses Swords above the heads of my players. One is that the Yongardians - space lawyers from catacombs - will seek revenge so I can spike my random tables with them. Another thing is that the Witch looked for a long time through the red-eye-looking-back glass which means some spider entity got a pretty good look at where is it's precious Eight Eyes of Clarity and will seek them. So I will add some spider encounters if they visit one place twice from now on. And if there is any random spidery encounter in the Barkeep book I might twist it too.
The last thing is something I noticed. My players really listened when I spoke about the adventure and incentives and actually follow through on four leads. For one they look for the Antidote - not particularly eagerly, but the adventure doesn't really point toward it too much. More actively they seek ingredients for new Antidote - they already have giant's nail from catacombs, they located unicorn and phoenix already and are really interested in Someone's Apartment -> which means soon they'll get the last one. Third thing is they got worked up on a wish from Madame Smiling of the Whirling Mummy dance hall which they also vigorously seek. And if everything else fails they can just stay in town, access the library in magical Academy and potentially seek their way out of here posing as students.