ffutures | Revised (again) example of play (Reply)

Here's the example of how to play Forgotten Futures in the Tooth and Claw setting, revised yet again. I'm much happier with this version, though it's considerably longer. Since this is a fairly important bit of the text all suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Apologies that the HTML inside the cut was formatted by Word, so expect it to be buggy as hell...

The easiest way to understand an RPG is to see it played. In the example staring on the next page Judy is the referee, Bert and Nikki are playing Respected Paddiah and Respectable Shimmeth, brother and sister dragons from the country, and Jane is playing old Raetha, a faithful (though wing-bound) servant who is accompanying them on their first adult trip to Irieth, where they will stay with relatives whom they haven’t met since they were hatchlings. As the scene begins they’ve spent a couple of hours designing characters, learning a little about the setting, getting ready for the trip, and travelling towards Irieth.

Judy	Ahead of the train you can see a haze of smoke over the metropolis, and you remember the stories you’ve heard about the difficulty of flying over the city. Buildings appear to either side, becoming more and more frequent as you get closer to the city. Soon the train’s rattling between smoky-looking buildings, click-clacking over points as it finally slows to a halt in the grand Cupola station. There’s a strong smell of smoke, and an interesting smell of freshly-killed muttonwools from the direction of the station food stalls. There are crowds everywhere, dragons of all colours and sizes and even an occasional Yarge, presumably tourists.
Jane	(as Raetha, whose traits include irrational fear of Yarge) Veld save us! Yarge? We’ll be murdered in our caves!
Bert	(as Padiah, with singular lack of concern) That’s right, Raetha, we’re all doomed. Mmm… must be about lunch time, should we stop for a meal before we head on to Uncle’s place?
Nikki	(as Shimmeth) It’s a bit early, isn’t it? Besides, they probably have a meal waiting for us.
Jane	(as Raetha) Yes, miss Shimmeth. If we stay here who knows what horrors we can expect from the Yarge?
Judy	(in sing-song street vendor voice) “Get yer fresh swine ‘ere, they’re luvverly, only three crown a head. Fresh swine, three crown a head! Muttonwools, two and an ‘arf crown!”
Bert	Is that expensive?
Judy	About twice what you’d normally pay in the country. Oh, all of you; roll to notice something – Mind against Difficulty 6, please. (Anyone succeeding notices a small theft and presumably chases the thief – if they fail the theft will soon become apparent. The theft gives them a reason to meet two important NPCs, characters played by the referee, who will either help to stop the thief or return their property a little later)
Jane	(rolls two six-sided dice) Eleven. Blind as a bat. (in Forgotten Futures low dice rolls are generally good, high rolls are bad)
Bert	Nine. Can I use my Detective skill instead? (It’s usually better to use a skill than a characteristic. Bert took this skill because his character is planning to look for work as a journalist, and he thinks it would be useful. Detective skill includes some ability as an observer) That would make it… never mind, it’s still a failure.
Nikki	Eight. But my Mind is four, that isn’t good enough, I think.
Judy	Never mind then. (in another vendor’s voice) Honeyed pears, four for ‘arf a crown. Ripe as ripe can be! (in normal voice) Actually they look a little over-ripe.
Jane	(as Raetha) Them prices are scandalous,
Judy	A small scrawny-looking dragon wearing a porter’s cap and pushing a cart says “Carry yer trunks, ladies and gentleman? ‘Arf a crawn fer the first mile, then another ‘arf crawn for every ‘arf mile.”
Bert	(as Padiah) Sounds good to me. Do you know Goldsmith Street?
Judy	Like the back of me claw. Be a crawn and an ‘arf. These two trunks and the three bags?
Nikki	(as Shimmeth) Didn’t we have four bags?
Judy	You did. Shimmeth’s smaller case seems to have gone missing. The porter coughs reflectively and says “Veld! someone saw you coming. Better get the rest on ‘ere sharpish before someone nicks them too.”
Bert	I look around to see if I can spot the bag. Detective skill again. (rolls seven)
Judy	You don’t see it. Not surprising, in the bustle. (Since none of them saw the bag stolen Judy is assuming that the thief is already out of sight.)
Nikki	What’s in the bag? Anything valuable?
Judy	Not really, just your second-best hat and some scale-burnishing cream and a couple of books.
Bert	(as Padiah) We’d better get moving, we’ll just have to chalk it up to experience.
Nikki	(as Shimmeth) It’s easy for you to say that, I loved that hat and a Yarge probably stole it. We’d better get on, before something really valuable goes missing. You’d better help Raetha load the trunks onto the cart.
Jane	I start to lift one end of one of the trunks (as Raetha) Oww, my lumbago!
Bert	I’d better help, I suppose. What about you?
Nikki	What about me? Which part of being a gentledragon are you having trouble with here?
Bert	Okay, I’ll help lift the trunks aboard. Oof… (mimes lifting a heavy weight)
Judy	The porter helps you. (as porter) Veld, what ‘ave you got in ‘ere, yer hoard?
Bert	(very quietly) Umm… yes, actually.
Judy	(as porter) Blimey, we’d better not ‘ang around ‘ere then; right den of thieves, isn’t it? But that’ll be an extra ‘arf crawn for excess weight. (as herself) As soon as everything’s loaded he starts to wheel the cart towards the exit.
Nikki	(as Shimmeth) Come on! And if we pass somewhere that sells scale burnishing cream make a note of it.
Bert	I take a last look around for the bag, dash over to the vendor and give him a half-crown for a bag of pears, then follow them out of the station.
Judy	As you walk from the station you see the vista of the park surrounding the Cupola, Tiamath’s ancient seat of government, but turn left onto one of the avenues heading West towards your cousin’s home. A couple of minutes later you hear someone say “Just a moment!” and look round to see a large elderly looking dragon, with his wings bound with the red cords of a priest, bustling towards you carrying Shimmeth’s bag. “I say, is this yours?”
Nikki	(as Shimmeth) My hat! And my burnishing cream! Did you find it at the station, Blessed… um
Judy	(Uses slightly pompous voice) Blessed Kellis of the Mission to the Yarge at your service, miss… ah…
Nikki	(as Shimmeth) Respectable Shimmeth Oshetivon, Blessed Kellis.
Judy	(as Kellis) Delighted. Fortunately my companion noticed a miscreant making off with your property and pursued him. (as herself) He hands you your bag. As he does so a Yarge steps out from behind him.
Jane	(as Raetha) Eeek! A Yarge! Nasty squishy things they are, like to murder us all in our caves!
Judy	(as Kellis) May I introduce one of my parishioners, Miss Keleg. (as herself) The Yarge coming towards you wears cloth over much of its body, and seems to have blue tattoos over as much of the skin you can see, including its face. It has two long curved swords in sheaths attached to its mid-section, and moves like a predator. (as Keleg) Ah is Keleg of de Yegith Archipelago, de Yarge calls dem de Cannibal Isles. (as herself) You notice that its teeth are sharpened to points (as Keleg) Some calls me Keleg de Dragon Slayer.
Bert	(as Padiah) Umm… dragon slayer? (as himself) I move so that I can protect everyone from her.
Judy	(as Kellis) Oh, reformed, of course. Quite reformed. (as herself) Keleg smiles, showing her pointed teeth again. Jane, I think Raetha needs to roll her Body against Difficulty 5.
Jane	Thought so. (Rolls a 4) Okay, I made it.
Judy	Then you don’t faint.
Jane	(as Raetha) Veld protect us all!
Judy	(as Keleg) Amen, sister, praise be to Veld! (as herself) She moves towards you, arms outstretched.
Jane	I retreat rapidly (as Raetha) Eek! Yarge!
Judy	(as Keleg) You is in me prayers, sister, I is praying you find de courage to embrace in de light of Veld. (as herself) Make another roll, Difficulty 4 this time.
Jane	Seven, exactly what I needed. I jump onto the wagon to get out of reach of the horrible thing.
Judy	What’s your Body?
Jane	Four
Judy	The cart sags noticeably but doesn’t collapse. (as porter) Hey, get off the bleedin’ cart!
Bert	(as Padiah) Tell me, Holy Kellis, what brings you and your… um… parishioner to Irieth?
Judy	(as Kellis) Unfortunately the Church is cutting back on some of its more …ah… far-flung missions, despite our success. Did you know that nearly twenty percent of the Yegith natives now worship Veld? (as Keleg) Praise be! (as Kellis) Praise be indeed, Miss Keleg.
Nikki	(as Shimmeth) But why close the missions, Holy Kellis?
Judy	(as Kelliis) I fear that there may be a political element, Respectable Shimmeth, perhaps even some jealousy. Most of the missions to more civilised countries have achieved much less success, but there is something about the worship of Veld that seems to strike a chord in the heart of the Yarge of Yegith (as Keleg) Praise be to Veld!
Bert	(as Padiah) Perhaps we’d better get on. Raetha, get down from there, you can walk on the other side of the cart if you’re worried.
Jane	(as Raetha) But Master Padiah…
Bert	I roar “Down!” as loudly as I can.
Jane	I sulkily climb down and make sure that the wagon is between me and the Yarge.
Judy	(as Kelliis) We seem to be going in the same direction. Perhaps we should stay together to protect the ladies from any further banditry.
Nikki	I move over to Padiah and whisper “Do you think it’s a good idea?”
Bert	Why not?
Nikki	I can’t help thinking that all this is too good to be true – a missionary and his convert turn up to stop our stuff being stolen, when we’re lugging around our hoards. I think they’re setting us up for some sort of con. And you notice that they don’t seem to have any luggage, why were they at the station?
Bert	Mmm… Good point. Okay, I turn to Kellis and say “Thank you so much, but we really can’t detain you and Miss Keleg, we’ll be very slow getting there with all this luggage.”
Judy	(as Kellis) Oh, we’re in no hurry. (as Keleg) No, we has all de time in de world. (as herself) While you were talking you’ve been walking on away from the station, and the streets seem to be getting a little narrower and run-down looking.
Bert	I turn to the porter and say “Are you sure we’re going the right way?”
Judy	(as porter) “Short cut, sir.”
Bert	(as Padiah) I think we’d prefer to take a more scenic route, see some of the sights on the way.
Judy	(as Kellis) But not until we’ve discussed your donation to the Church mission fund. (as herself) He seems to have pulled out a large pistol from somewhere while you were talking to the porter, and Keleg has drawn her swords and is grinning at you again. The porter says “They said they ‘as their hoards in the trunks.”
Bert	(as Padiah) I say! You scoundrels!
Judy	Will Kellis and Keleg the dragon-slayer really steal your hoards? Is Kellis really a priest? Is Keleg really a cannibal? Or a dragon-slayer? Do you really want to know? Find out in our next exciting episode…
Nikki	What? We’ve only been playing for a couple of hours!
Judy	Only kidding. But the pizza must be about ready by now, let’s take a break and eat.
Bert	Works for me…
	They adjourn to the kitchen.