Dwarf Fortress RPG

Multiplayer Adventure Mode, also known as the DF Role-Playing Game, was a fun little gaming get-together of a few players from the forums using the QAGS role-playing system. These are the game logs and summaries of each session. The original forum thread: http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=2029.0

Dramatis personae

The players in this drama so far, in order of appearance:

• The King, royal guards, Morul, humans, baby dragon, unroyal guards, The Prince, various animals, Armok, and anyone else besides the protagonists - brilliantly played by Sappho, our GM
• Dumat Rigothul "Dumat Craftedpants" - played by yrs. truly Turgid Bolk
• Oddom Idobur "Oddom Rockhero" - Rollory (retired)
• Vallan Lombukog "Vallan Permanencychoke" - reality_unknown
• Edos Umrilbor "Edos Pinechunk" - Dreamer
• Urvad Talinlikot "Urvad Drumink" - Necro
• Nural Zas "Nural Crystal" - Markatta
• Tok Zickelnursher "Tok Fiercewaddles" - Anti-Paragon
• Rakust Shashzon "Rakust Hellhelm" - Xotes
• Urtur - Pathos
• Athel Sakrirthushrir - Flamester

Source(s): Dramatis personae

Summary and logs

Sessions generally lasted a few hours; these summaries are only the main plot points. I edited the logs to remove most of the irrelevant stuff (but usually not typos).

Session 1

In the first session, Dumat, Vallan, Edos, and Oddom are sent by the King to avenge their families' deaths at the claws of the great Dragon. If they return with its bejeweled left eye, they will each receive a wonderful prize. They set off, sleeping in the friendly human Morul's hut on the way. Once they arrive and enter the lair, they see a group of humans has just slain the dragon and taken the eye for themselves! The dwarves attempt to negotiate for the eye to no avail. As they plot some way to get it, the humans get lost in the cave system of the Dragon's lair. The dwarves return to the entrance and debate whether to ambush the humans. Oddom's dragon egg (which he had pilfered from the lair) hatches, and the other dwarves start talking about the hatchling. As they talk, the humans emerge from the cave!

Session 2

In the second session, we learn the story of Vallan and Dumat's arrival at the capital years ago, where they were forced to kill a large cat. We then rejoin the group at the cave entrance. Dumat, Oddom, and Edos take cover behind a boulder, and Vallan has climbed to the top of the entrance, waiting to drop large rocks on the humans as they emerge. Oddom tries to keep his new baby dragon quiet, while the others try to remain hidden, throwing rocks (and a nearby rat) and firing a crossbow. The sun has just set, so the dwarves have an advantage in the dark. As the human leader walks out to confront them, Edos pickpockets the eye from her, just before Vallan strikes her down. The dragonling gets hungry, and escapes Oddom's grasp, leaping at the three remaining humans and taking one down. As it feasts on the man's face, two more miniature dragons emerge from the cave and join it. The other humans decide to retreat back into the caves. The tired dwarves decide to go home with their dragon eye, leaving the baby dragons behind. On the way they argue about what they should tell the king. They make it back to Morul's place before collapsing in sleep. (Oddom was played by Sappho in this session.)

Session 3

At last, in the third session, they make it back to the capital. They finally settle on telling the king it was they who slew the Dragon. As they approach the capital boasting of their deed, they meet Urvad, who is on his break outside. Urvad informs them that the king is now in prison, overthrown by the prince, who claims the king was foolish to send our group to die. The dwarves are stunned, but they go see if they can claim their prize. The young prince rules harshly, and refuses to meet with them and honor his father's promise. They are kicked out of the city, and informed that anyone wishing to immigrate must travel to the immigration office, located in a fortress to the south. The dwarves (well, mostly Dumat) are outraged that all their possesions and rooms have been taken, and they are being treated like strangers instead of heroes.

One sympathetic guard lets on that he knows who they are, but if their succesful return was made known, the prince could not hold power. Anyone who speaks of them will be punished. The guard tells them to get immigration papers in the south and start their lives over. Urvad goes to see the king (on display in the prison), but it turns out the king really is something of a bumbling fool. He doesn't understand what has happened, cannot help them, and refuses to say where he stashed their prizes. As Urvad lets the rest of the group know this (out at the cliff face), a crazed dwarf comes running outside, screaming something about "rough...color!" He runs at them, brandishing a dagger, but Edos quickly cuts him down. The guards at the entrance seem indifferent to the maddwarf. Dumat moves to finish him off with a crossbow bolt to the head, but the crossbow breaks as Dumat pulls the trigger. Vallan comes over to bandage the crazy guy's wounds (and search his pockets). In despair, Dumat throws away the eye they worked so hard for, but Vallan quickly snatches it up so he can sell it. The dwarves figure their only remaining hope is to travel south and get immigration papers.

Session 4

The fourth session came to pass, and Rollory (aka Oddom) said he probably couldn't participate any more, but Markatta (Nural) and Anti-Paragon (Tok) joined the game. Nural has recently been assigned guard duty, and is told to escort the group to the immigration office in the southern fortress. As they prepare to leave, Oddom suddenly jumps up with a wild look in his eye. He begins shouting about reeds, trees, and "The proper surface to work on!" and runs off into the forest. Dumat knows with cold certainty that Armok himself has possessed their friend; they cannot help Oddom now, only hope to see him again someday. They press on without him. Halfway to the fortress, Vallan trips into a pile of dung in the path...a rather large pile of dung. Nural notices a rotting rabbit corpse (which saddens him greatly), and the group hears a twig snap in the nearby trees! The sun is setting, and they can only see a large shadow moving towards them. Urvad climbs the nearest tree, while Nural and Dumat back up to the cliff face in fear. Vallan moves to attack it with his pick, but as the thing lumbers out of the forest he thinks better of it and scrambles up the rock wall.

Everyone starts throwing things at it, and as it steps towards them they see it's a large black bear! Nural tries to distract it by throwing a plump helmet, and Urvad throws some nuts from the tree, all to no avail. The bear steps forward, sniffs the dung, then stands and lets out a terrifying roar! Nural shoves Dumat out in front, then Dumat hides behind him. Finally Urvad throws a rock at the bear's eye, enraging him. Nural enters a martial trance, draws his small scimitar, and lunges at the bear. He hits it in the side! Vallan throws his axe at the bear's back, gouging it, then jumps down to attack some more. The bear begins to run away. Nural attempts to end its misery, taking wild inept swings at it, and with a mighty last swing he sticks his sword in a tree branch.

Finally the group arrives at Morullecad, the great southern fortress, and enter the immigration office. The immigration officer is on break, however, so they're forced to wait. A kitchen dwarf named Tok comes to deliver a meal, and Dumat asks him where the crossbow shop is. Tok takes a look at the broken crossbow, then takes it and mysteriously begins to work. As everyone looks on, he reveals the crossbow, now fixed, with menacing cave fish bone spikes. Everyone is amazed that this artisan works as a lowly fish cleaner. (Then people had to leave, so this session ended akwardly. Cliffhanger!)

Session 5

After a small break, we ran the fifth session. Pathos (aka Urtur) and Xotes (Rakust) joined the game here. The dwarves are waiting to get their immigration papers, in order to move back to the capital and somehow restore the King to power, or at least obtain their prizes. Tok goes back to the kitchens, while the immigration officer munches on her lunch. Edos tries to talk her into cutting her lunch break short, but she's having none of it.

As he speaks, a couple more dwarves show up for immigration papers. Urtur, a guard from another fortress, impatiently pushes past the line and tries to get his papers, but is similairly stonewalled. The office is getting crowded now, and the various dwarves go on discussing their situations and arguing with the officer. Rakust runs outside in a fit of paranoia, while Urtur attempts to seduce the officer in hopes of stealing her valuables (and fails miserably). Tok returns to collect the meal tray, and Urvad begs him to get him a drink.

Eventually she informs them they'll need to fill out certain forms from the office next door, then come back. Dumat finally becomes so frustrated that he leaps up on the desk and begins shouting! He tries to call everyone to action against the tyrant Prince, and says everyone should move on the capital to take back their livelihoods. The entrance guards hear the racket, and come in to see what's going on. Dumat shouts at them to join the cause, but instead they move in and threaten to take him down by force. Anarchy breaks loose, with Dumat fending off one guard and Rakust taking swings at the other. Desperate to stop the violence, Dumat shouts that he hears the goblin alarm! Now everyone becomes alarmed and confused, and the guards jump behind the desk to avoid the fight.

Soon the heroes straighten out what's going on, and help to convince the cowering guards that there really is a goblin seige happening by screaming about the marksmen and terrible claw wounds. Edos and Dumat quickly go to the forms office and grab some papers, and take some minutes to figure out which ones they need. The guards figure out that the fortress doesn't have a goblin alarm, so there can't be any siege, and as they come out of the office everyone runs for it.

As they all run from the law, towards the capital, Urvad slips in some dung near the cliff face. Figuring they're safe, the other dwarves help him up and rest for a second. Then they hear a sound nearby in the forest...you guessed it, the same bear from last night comes sniffing up. The braver dwarves prepare to scare it off, and Edos almost smacks it the nose. Suddenly another roar comes from the forest! The bear turns to face it, and a second bear emerges. Right in front of the dwarves, the two mighty bears rear up and begin to fight. In true dwarven fashion, the dwarves sit back and watch the show (and place a few bets). Eventually the fierce fight ends when the original, injured bear kills the other. For it's bravery, the dwarves decide to name it, and Urvad comes up with "Longermust, The Howling Pike of Smiting." A baby bear then also appears at the edge of the forest, apparently Longermust's child. They happily wander off into the forest, and the dwarves resume their walk to the capital.

Session 6

The dramatic conclusion: the sixth session. Flamester (Athel) joined us. I'm too lazy to summarize it so go read the log!