Daniel (@dungeondive) returns to the Mangy Monk to finish session one of The Broken Cask and give a verdict. The verdict is warm: super fun, totally chill, exactly the feeling of an evening in a cosy tavern.
The recap is the pleasure. A roast duck turned out to be a transmogrified mage who resumed his shape moments before slaughter and put Odo to sleep in a rage. A crafter guest left a tip worth +1 on the next Mind roll. The mess got cleaned in time for a party of wizards who came for a themed dinner and the tomes on the shelves, tipping double and leaving extravagant gear that can promote a regular into a hero. Oelia was sent shopping with loose gold and came back with Bogan’s Best Beans. Ten gold upgraded the common room to an average drinkery — then a rearrangement wrecked the feng shui and cost a day putting it back. Shrews in the ornamental beds were dealt with, to a neighbour’s gratitude. Finally Odo brewed a new beer with his visiting ex-wife Zalia, the concoction opened a magical portal, Zalia fell through it, and the session ended early.
His one reservation: target numbers sit low enough that failure is rare. But winning isn’t the point — the story threads are.
A portal in the brewhouse and a missing ex-wife. What’s the best unplanned story a solo game’s dice have handed you?