One thing I've started to do in my D&D campaign is that whenever the group enters a city I hand each of them a printout of a list of rumors that they hear. Each sheet contains the same rumors and the general rule is that the learn the rumors at a rate of 4 per hour that they are in the city. Most of the rumors have absolutely nothing to do with the campaign but are simply there for the sake of flavor, to give a little more depth to the game. And, of course, some of them are designed just to make my group laugh.
Here's a list of the group of rumors that the group learned on their recent trip to the City of Ormpetarr:
The Ormpetarr Rumor Mill:
Dozens of local rooftop gardens were robbed of all their onions. The local authorities are puzzled by this bizarre theft, but are not actively pursuing the case due to other higher priority crimes.
The tower of the mage Ijifil mysteriously vanished for a period of several hours one day last week. None of the servants within the tower seemed to be aware of anything unusual having happened, but Ijifil mysteriously disappeared and has not been seen since.
A group of bandits, rumored to have been posing as Ansar Knights, were slain by real Ansar Knights and their underground fortress was destroyed to the very last stone. Their lair was discovered by an unknown band of adventurers who apparently were captured, set free, and who then informed the Ansar Knights about the bandit lair.
A local blacksmith's forge was broken into several nights ago. The thieves stole only the charcoal and an anvil, leaving behind numerous expensive weapons.
Lirtol Rutan, The Count of Chariots, was recently dethroned as the reigning champion of the unofficial chariot race league. At the age of 17 he had achieved an unprecedented 57 consecutive victories. He was defeated by Eva Lilyeyes, a 14 year-old girl who shows promise on the race circuit.
An unknown band of adventurers recently helped reestablish the local thief's guild in their secret lair, from which it was rumored the thieves had been forced to flee due to some unknown monster or monsters.
Local peasant farmers reported a record harvest this year. They attribute the bumper crops to large numbers of a mysterious red and black beetle. Local sages and mages have studied samples of these beetles and have come to the conclusion that is a new species of beetle. They have named it the Crop Beetle.
A mysterious group of horsemen have been sighted in the regions of Elbudar. These horsemen, believed to be some form of undead, are surrounded by a field of extreme cold that can quickly freeze a man to death.
The conquest of Sherrco continues to the East, with their armies recently capturing Trayoon, Lawson, and Dregfeld. Additionally, forces now besiege the cities of The Krag, but the city simply shut its doors to the outside world and they are expected to be able to withstand a siege of several years. Two armies have been seen advancing on Arrafel and Thresh through The Chondalwood, but they are meeting heavy resistance. An army entered the South Rossak Mountains Northwest of Lawson but it has disappeared.
The Nagawater has been unusually calm in recent weeks and fishermen are reporting very poor hauls in recent weeks. Some fishing boats have not returned from what were once considered safe fishing grounds and some fishermen suspect that nagas are migrating up from the southern end of the lake. Local fish prices have almost tripled.
Two bards were arrested for brawling in the city market recently. Witnesses report that they were both vying for the affections of the same lady and that on this particular day they both started to sing the same song. Cheering witnesses, when questioned by town guard, claimed that they were not cheering on the fight but rather that they were cheering that the two musicians had stopped singing.
Once a day for the last 6 days it has rained silver pieces from the sky in six different locations in the city. In each reported incident about a hundred or so pieces of silver simply appeared about 30' above a crowded street and fell down on the people down below. This unexpected boon created only minor disturbances.
Lord Dunham the Valiant is offering a reward of 100 g.p. for the return of Her Majesty, a prize winning rose bush, which was reported stolen 8 days previously. Lord Dunham the Valiant is quite concerned for his beloved rose bush.
The League of Horticulture has postponed its annual flower show out of respect for the many contributions of Lord Dunham the Valiant and the recent theft of Her Majesty, which was favored to once more win the contest for Best Rose. Several competitors have voiced complaints over this decision, claiming that some of their plants were expected to bloom on the day of the competition, which was to be 4 days hence, and they now have no chance of competing fairly in the competition.
Dame Lemora Limona was recently seen with her hair done in a tall coif that was wrapped around a tiny birdcage with a gold and ruby encrusted statuette of a bird in it. Local goldsmiths and jewelers claim to have started receiving a big increase in requests for custom bird cages and various statues of small animals.
A wandering adventurer, riding on a magnificent white warhorse and accompanied by 10 squires riding 10 very fine black stallions and escorting 10 pack horses loaded with hundreds and hundreds of swords, recently purchased nearly every single long sword of quality in the city. It is rumored that he purchased as many as 400 swords in total. He also purchased an additional packhorse, hired an 11th squire and outfitted him with matching livery and black stallion as his other squires. He then rode out of town, heading south.
The Seventh Keg, a local tavern of ill repute and questionable clientele and drink, shut down for a week and recently reopened under the name of The Artesian Well. Most of the former clientele, upon trying to enter, were turned back by a squad of large, well dressed and well armed guards. A few, after showing sufficient coin, were allowed to enter. The Artesian Well has become a new favorite location for those with money, and the food and liquor now served is some of the finest in the city. Many question where Gark Blackeye, a half-orc once known for his slovenly demeanor, came upon a sudden influx of money and manners.
If you like this idea feel free to use these rumors. If you really like this feel free to come up with your own rumors and add them here!
Take care and have a great day....
ciao,
john.
PS I must tip my hat to Cyrano De Bergerac for this idea!
And here are the rumors that they will learn when they get to the next city:
Great Gorge Rumor Mill:
Torrence Rustbridge, the owner of the famous Rustbridge Tavern and the last surviving member of the Rustbridge Clan, passed away in his sleep early last week at the exalted age of 503. Per his wishes the tavern was declared Free To All and for 5 days his passing was mourned in grand style. Amongst the rare items found in his cellar were three bottles of The Ale of the Gods, a hogshead of Mithril Hall Golden Mead, four bottles of drow whiskey from the city of Erelhei-Cinlu, a full case of Myth Drannor wine, and a bottle of brandy of unknown origin labeled Baron de Sigognac. After the alcohol ran dry and per Torrence's wishes, the Tavern was completely razed and the cellars filled in. Several prominent dwarves are believed to be in negotiation with the city to buy the land and build a memorial to Torrence and his wake.
The Essl River recently flowed the color purple for several hours one morning. The next morning its color changed to bright green. On the third morning the color was pitch black. Nothing poisonous or harmful was done to the water. Only its color changed briefly for several hours. Several prominent mages are currently investigating the matter.
Llidfustconroy Gaxaninarus-und-massondunby, a gnome underdark explorer of some renown, became the latest victim to lose his life attempting to canoe the Essl River through the length of Great Gorge without the aid of magic. He died when he was thrown from his canoe going over the Mithrilanvil Falls and his body was smashed against the side of Lady Issena Warsmith's tower. The last attempt to run the river was by Captain Quigley Steelbellows in the Year 1350 D.R.
The Hammerheads, an elite military unit of the Great Gorge army comprised of 150 dwarven women recently left to join the united forces fighting to contain the growing threat that originated in Sherrco. The sight of their braided beards softened the heart of many a young dwarven lad as the dwarven lasses left the city. An all-male dwarven mercenary unit is being raised to go fight beside the ladies. There is no shortage of recruits.
In a magical cooking experiment gone horribly wrong the famous chef Thorir Butterankles accidentally created a bread golem that wrecked his kitchen and escaped out onto the streets of Great Gorge. The golem was quickly and easily dispatched but not before several citizens on the street were injured and several merchant stalls were overturned.
Two weeks ago saw the 283rd Over-Under Relay Race. This all day event which features teams racing through a randomly determined course and involves alternating segments devoted to running, wagoneering, running backwards, chairoteering, running blindfold, horse riding, running while carrying a keg of ale, donkey riding, running while carrying another person, swimming, more running, and a final stage racing pack lizards. For the 5th straight year in a row and for the 100th time the Upper City has claimed victory. The victors were paraded through the street on the shoulders of the losers and the ensuing victory party, paid for by the losers as per the tradition, was one of the best ever on record.
Farmona Arnfinn, a bard of minor fame recently spent 4 weeks precariously perched atop the peaked roof of The Tower of Worl Manex. When asked why Farmona said that she was looking for inspiration and Worl Manex agreed to let her use his tower, famed as one of the highest in the city. That was 8 weeks ago and to date no new works have emerged from Farmona's lyre. Some citizens are jokingly suggesting that she return to the top of the tower for a few more weeks.
The Eye of the Storm Mercantile Company recently unveiled a new line of merchant custom built ships to sail the expanses of The Black Desert. Their new ships are faster and better armed than their older vessels. Some of the older vessels were broken up and sold for scrap but most of them were privately disposed of by the company. In addition to the new ships they have started hiring more employees to replace their recently retired employees, which seems to have been over half the company. The company is paying exceptionally well for experienced sailors and is even paying quite well for manual laborers and deck hands.
Less than a month ago a small band of kobolds suddenly appeared along Copper Boulevard of the Upper City and started raiding anything and everything in sight. The city guard was called in, as were several groups of adventurers who were visiting the city and they counter-attacked the kobolds. The kobolds, however, were apparently backed by some wizards as a series of fireballs blasted away at the local defenders and set several buildings on fire. Despite being surrounded the kobolds managed to escape. Six wooden buildings were completely destroyed and 5 stone buildings were gutted. There were less than 30 deaths compared to nearly 100 dead kobolds. One of the destroyed wooden buildings revealed a once hidden basement level that contained what appears to have been a meeting room for the Cult of the Dragon. It is believed that the residents of the building were in league with or in control of the kobolds and they were mages who assisted in the entrance and escape of the kobolds.
The Sapphire Shields, an all-female group of elven adventurers from Shadowmere recently passed through town on their way to join in the campaign to contain the undead horrors around Elbudar. The company of nearly 100 warriors was a sight to behold and won't soon be forgotten by many a resident of Great Gorge. Sadly, it is believed that they were ambushed and slain to the elf as they never arrived at Castles Coalcracker or Blackheart and they are weeks overdue to arrive at Dell's Ford.
A recent outbreak of petty thievery, mostly picked pockets and goods lifted from merchant stalls, has plagued the city for several weeks. These thefts have sometimes been accompanied by a quick breeze and some sages and mages believe that a thief using magically enhanced speed is behind the thefts. To that end the city has started cracking down on thieves and the town guards have started doing random searches of anyone who they feel looks or is acting suspicious. This has resulted in numerous thieves being caught and jailed but has done nothing to alleviate the rash of petty stealing.
The gnome engineering company, The Long Noses, was recently excavating a new basement for a new dwarven tavern in the Lower City when they broke through into a previously unknown tunnel. One end of the tunnel led to a secret door that opened up into a deserted house in the Upper City and the other end terminated at a series of over a dozen well stocked rooms several hundred feet beneath the city. From one of these rooms a secret tunnel was discovered and this tunnel led into the underdark. It is not known who crafted or used these tunnels and rooms, some of which were quite luxurious. The rooms and tunnels have been under secret observation for two weeks now and no one has been spotted using them. The word on the street is that a secret organization of drow necromancers has infiltrated the city and is acting as scouts for a drow invasion.
Ryndil Cherrybelly has recently started buying up all copper coins at 10% above their base value. It is believed that he has amassed nearly a million copper coins so far. No one knows why he is doing this and he is being very tight-lipped about everything, except to reveal the bodies of several thieves who unsuccessfully tried to break into this home.
Two days ago at the intersection of Lead Alley and Fire Lane it rained copper and silver coins for a couple of minutes. Locals living in the area were quite pleased and don't seem too concerned about the cause of this sudden boon, especially as several gold and platinum pieces were amongst the shower of wealth.
Four days ago a very large, nearly 8' tall human male fought his way through the north gate of the city. The hulking brute killed 14 guards, several of whom were knocked over the 30- tall wall by his massive hammer. The man was then seen to leap over several buildings and suddenly disappeared into the Essl River. A magically assisted search turned up no sign of the mysterious man. There is a 1,000 gp bounty on his head.
Dame Sarlinna Stormstaff recently lost her prized hunting hound, Warchief, while hunting in the foothills east of the city. The dog was last seen chasing a large jackrabbit through an area of high shrub when the dog suddenly disappeared. A reward of 2,000 gp has been offered up and many locals, including some adventurers, have been searching for the dog for the past week.
Bread Golem... AWESOME! Would the Manual of the Bread Golem be a recipie?
What I love about this tactic is that it not only adds flavor and depth to an area but look at all those hooks with which you can lure players into adventures. Just turn them loose and let them lead for a while. Great stuff, chief!
Oops. Double post.
Quote from: SlapzillaBread Golem... AWESOME! Would the Manual of the Bread Golem be a recipie?
No special recipe, just some bad yeast! :D
Quote from: SlapzillaWhat I love about this tactic is that it not only adds flavor and depth to an area but look at all those hooks with which you can lure players into adventures. Just turn them loose and let them lead for a while. Great stuff, chief!
These rumor mill sheets are sometimes dangerous for my group, as they sometimes will completely get sidetracked by something completely off the wall that has nothing to do with the campaign! I sometimes wish that I could forget the conversation where my group thought that the theft of onions from rooftop gardens might somehow be linked to their quest to recover the 10 rings that were used centuries ago to destroy an evil lich king. Someone in the group thought that onions were needed in the creation of liches and convinced the rest of the group of this fact (they aren't allowed to look at the Monstrous Manual during sessions!). So, instead of tracking down the ring that they knew was in the city they put that on hold and went out hunting for onion thieves!
And thanks for the compliment! My group does look forward to these sheets whenever they enter a city!
This is an awesome idea Mock26. I'm might try some varient of it the next time (whenever that finally comes) I have a chance to run something.
A good rumour-mill is very useful, even essential, in a player driven game. When I was running 2ed FR I used the "Current Clack" from various source materials extensively, filling it out further with more local tidbits. One thing they did with that source that is useful is to create separate lists for each month - further developing some of the rumours over time. Not all developments need be obvious either - some may appear entirely unrelated, at least until too late. These at first are often best more "distant" ones. The device helps on a second level to make the setting as a whole seem more "alive" and in a society which is largely il- (or marginally)literate rumourmongers, both local and traveling, make great professional NPCs. (They're a well established guild on Panisadore.) If printing is on the rise in the world the potential exists for some really nasty guild wars as well, and/or they become the first journalists. If you're PC's have further "professional" backgrounds (bardic, merchant, military/mercenary, etc.) that they keep up, you might further sprinkle a few more tailored rumours in their individual lists after they've been in town a day or so - seeming mundane things like market fluctuations (say a sharp increase in the price of imported rice and better prices on exported barley) can point to other, more significant patterns. This can not only integrate background elements which might otherwise end up ignored by the players themselves but encourage even further development of more individual secondary skill sets and contact networks. If you've read Eddings' Belgariad, Silk's constant, almost compulsive side dealings in various markets can offer many ideas (even without the spy network hidden among some of those dealings).
I've been wanting to run a player driven game, and this sort of thing sounds exactly like what I would need to make it work. Unfortunately, my players seem to prefer story driven games, but maybe this sort of thing would motivate them.
This does remind me of the list of random names I printed out for my player driven game that never got off the ground.
i update rumors regularly as well. I actually do it per town on my wiki pages for the town at the bottom. As the players perform noteworthy tasks, they get included in the rumor pagfes, which do eventually get erased as only somehwat current info is on them
Would definitely make a good use for Gather Information/Knowledge Local. I'll try this. Any tips on making them random/organic?
Quote from: Kapn XeviatWould definitely make a good use for Gather Information/Knowledge Local. I'll try this. Any tips on making them random/organic?
I sometimes use the local newspapers for ideas, and I also watch people. A woman walking her dog down the street could lead to, "Lady Dunstan's pride and joy, her dog Diamond, broke her leash while out for a walk and has been missing for 2 days. She is offering a 100 g.p reward for the return of her beloved pooch. Hundreds of locals have been making a nuisance of themselves in their vigilant search for the dog." Or, a squirrel running along a tree branch with a nut in it's mouth could lead to, "A squirrel was seen carrying a ruby hat pin along a tree branch. Several youth followed the squirrel to a park and uncovered a treasure trove of small gems and pieces of jewelry. Many people have come forth claiming certain items, but it looks like the youth may walk away with a sizeable amount of wealth from any items not claimed in the next 10-day."
Just about anything from the modern world can apply to a fantasy world, with a little tweaking of the facts (thus the reading the news and watching the world around me). A fight in a bar could be two rival bakers getting into a brawl over who's bread is the best. Some kids joyriding in dad's car could be some kids joyriding in dad's chariot. Or a commercial from the television could be turned into an advertisement yelled out by the town crier. Songs can sometimes give you ideas (Bad, Bad, Leroy Brown could be about a burly knucklebone player who cheaps someone and is now on the run).
Also, feel free to use any of mine! I've got some more lists elsewhere, but they are on different storage devices. I'll see if I can find them. Of course, I'm hoping that people will post there rumors here so that everyone can share and make it easier to come up with new ones.
Take care and have a great day....
ciao,
john.
I always try to encourage the training and use of knowledge skills or other things that are not combat related like profession. And interacting with the population. I will consider enforcing this with rumors, thanks Mock26.
I wanted to ask since Im not familiar with all of the terminology you all use... When you talk about player-driven you mean that the plot centers on the different players´ motivations and individual stories as opposed to story-driven that would be more centered on a general plot regardless of the players characters?
Quote from: BlueSilenceI always try to encourage the training and use of knowledge skills or other things that are not combat related like profession. And interacting with the population. I will consider enforcing this with rumors, thanks Mock26.
I wanted to ask since Im not familiar with all of the terminology you all use... When you talk about player-driven you mean that the plot centers on the different players´ motivations and individual stories as opposed to story-driven that would be more centered on a general plot regardless of the players characters?
Actually, I'm not that familiar with the terms either. I merely use the rumors to add a bit more depth and realism to my world. I think that you are right in that player-driven generally means that the main focus is on the players and their goals/motivations/backgroun and there is less of a central plot (such as save the world) in the game. But, I could be wrong. Hopefully someone who is more familiar with the term can answer it better. I'm just a cheerfully grognardic greybeard old-school DM.