Recruiting: GARGANTUA (Into the Odd)

[Pulpatoon]

You stand at the top of a giant beanstalk. The climb was grueling, despite the footholds established by a generation of adventurers who have come this way before you.



Across a field of cloud stands the impossibly huge black block of The Castle. Its crenellated heights are blurred and blued by the vast gulf of air that separate them from you. It may be taller than the beanstalk you just climbed past the clouds. It is wider than any mountain you have ever seen

This is CASTLE GARGANTUA.

The dungeon: Castle Gargantua. A procedurally-generated dungeon of gothic horror and immense proportions.

The setting: Sorta Industrial Age-ish, more or less Europe.

The system: Into The Odd. It's a very light-but-playable system built for old school play. Here's a free copy of the player-facing rules. It's great.

Posting rate: I expect to keep myself to a strict regimen of 3 significant updates a week (fighting my tendency to drown in the players in multiple daily updates).

NOTES
This is a game and a dungeon with HIGH LETHALITY. Characters will die, and get quickly replaced.

This dungeon contains some sexual content. This is genre-appropriate for Gothic Weird Fantasy, but I'll probably downplay it a fair amount. Just so you know.

Any interest?

[Scott308]

I played Into the Odd at Gary Con earlier this year. Pretty fun system. However, I don't think I should join any more games right now as I'm pretty much at the limit (or beyond even) of what I can play and keep up with right now. Character creation is super easy!

[Pulpatoon]

I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it! If you find the time, we'd be happy to have you!

Chargen is super fast and easy. There are three attributes (Strength, Dexterity, Willpower), and HP, and your equipment is determined by cross-referencing your HP with your lowest attribute.

There are no classes, but you may start out with weird and powerful artifacts, like, say a Bone Magnet. These arcana are open to interpretation, and are blatantly designed as rule-breakers, but may require a lot of imagination to apply to any given situation.

Combat is fast and deadly and probably best avoided.

All in all, it's a game that is designed to emphasize player creativity and problem-solving.

[mjulius]

I'm subscribed to this forum so once we have gathered our 'Quorum of the Foolhardy' I'm ready to leap in!

[Grognardsw]

Based on how you play, I think this would be entertaining. One can never have too much oddity.

[Pulpatoon]

Welcome aboard, and delighted to have you, mjulius and grogs!

[Stirling]

Feels like a weird cross between some steam punk Gothic and Grimm Bros fairytale.

Any races playable or all humans and do we have 'class' type attributes or skills.

Intrigued to see how the random charge plays out if folk end up with body adaptations and wooden legs.

I have an enduring list of characters who due heroically or fail trying the epic. Room for one more.

[Pulpatoon]

Starting out, everyone will be classless humans. As you encounter weirdoes, replacement characters might be drawn from them.

Into The Odd assumes generic, competent characters. You can do anything that seems plausible, from shooting a bow to picking a lock to activating a magical device, based on how you describe your actions. There is, however, a hack of ItO, called Maze Rats, that more-or-less emulates traditional D&D classes, including a pretty amazing system for randomly generating spells. If, at a certain point, we feel like the adventure would go better by importing some of these mechanics, I'd be open for it. But I'd like to start out with straight ItO, rules-as-written.

[OGRE MAGE]

As awesome as this sounds, I just cant pull off another game right now.

If you run games as well as you play, this should be fantastic.

I just wish I had the time.

Good luck! I may be lurking in the corners of this one.

[Pulpatoon]

Thanks, OM! If you change your mind later, this should be a pretty easy game to add folks into.

[coil23]

I think humans are always classless but I think I know how you meant it here. I am interested in playing and look forward to flights of fancy mixed with wholesale slaughter (of us).

[GreyWolfVT]

Alright...I finally made a decision I'm in..
Classless, odd, strangeness, weirdness that sounds like me.

[Wizard Lizard]

Hello!

I just registered on the website and have never played Play-by-Post before but have a fairly amount of gaming experience and can surely fit the requirement as I spent an awful lot of time on the Internet.
If you'll have me, I'd love to play! I had the book at hand so I rolled up a character!

---------------------------------------------------------
Vanis Huckle, Novice Sweet-Maker (Great, but Hated for It)

STR 11 (2hp)
DEX 9
WIL 5

Musket (d8), Hatchet (d6), Hawk, Phase Key

[Pulpatoon]

While we're waiting for the carpenters to drive the last nails and sweep away the sawdust from our brand new campaign forum, let's go ahead and get started!

HIGH AND MIGHTY GUZZLERS!
Players, Friends, if you post on these pages
Put your prejudice aside,
For, really, there’s nothing here that’s outrageous,
Nothing sick, or bad—or contagious.
Not that I sit here glowing with pride
For this adventure: all you’ll find is laughter:
That’s all the glory my heart is after,
Seeing how sorrow eats you, defeats you.
I’d rather play laughing than crying,
For laughter makes us human, and courageous.

— François Rabelais, Dungeon Master

TO SET THE MEASURE OF YOUR CHARACTER
You have three Ability Scores. Roll 3d6 for each. Swap two, if you really must.
Strength (STR): Fighting, fortitude, and toughness.
Dexterity (DEX): Stealth, athletics, and reflexes.
Willpower (WIL): Confidence, discipline, and charisma.

Hit Points: Roll 1d6.

IMPEDIMENTA AND ODDMENTS
Starting equipment is determined by comparing your highest Ability Score with your Hit Points. Consult player-facing pdf, or just ask me.

The expedition is equipped with all the basics: lanterns, basic climbing, mapping, camping equipment, and rations.

Each PC may have a Companion. Roll their Ability Scores in order and give them 1 hp and a sword. (Companions make great back-up PCs when your first character snuffs it).

If you have an Arcanum, what does it look like, and how did you come by it?

OPTIONAL AND EXTRANEOUS FRIPPERY
Roll two 1d6 (don’t add them together) for as many of the following as you would care to have randomly generated:
Appearance
Physical Detail
Mannerism
Personality
Costume
Hobby

RUMORS, LIES, AND SCURRILOUS INNUENDO
You each know two rumors about the Castle Gargantua.
Choose where you heard these rumors: The Church, The Battlefield, The Mysteries, The Alley, The Sea, The Wood, The Kitchen

Then roll two 1d8. If your WIL is over 13, roll a third 1d8.

[Pulpatoon]

Oh! And it's Campaign #503! Link those rolls!

[GreyWolfVT]

Kurt should be tied to that campaign number now.

[hedgeknight]

As awesome as this sounds, I just cant pull off another game right now.
If you run games as well as you play, this should be fantastic.
I just wish I had the time.
Good luck! I may be lurking in the corners of this one.

My complete sentiments, word for word, line for line!

[Stirling]

Have you a list of rumours or do we invent them?

Here is my provincial character, how does it fit?

[coil23]

I can fill out the character sheet if this looks ok to you. Regarding equipment: I was hoping to do some substitution that would be more fitting for this character (though likely less powerful from a strictly utility perspective). The chart assigns me the equipment in cell 16/3 hp. I would like to swap some things from cell 14/1hp. So my proposed final list would be: cane, acid, spyglass, burnt face. (And I am willing to sacrifice 1-2 hp and up to 4 ability points if you will let me keep that custom equipment list. ) Let me know what you think.

P.S. I decided to save the personality I mentioned to you before because I loved it so much I wanted to save it for someone less likely to die in the next 5 minutes. Though I am warming to Horton's charms by the second. Oh, I just love my children!!


Horton Portencium

US-Gargantua campaign (Pulpatoon), Into the Odd RPG system

Strength 12
Willpower 12
Dexterity 15

hit points 2

race existentially tired
alignment resigned
demographics 51yo male, 5’11”, 165#
encumbrance the world and all its woes

description- Horton is a fatalistic, long-suffering, withdrawn shell of a man. The pervasive existential exhaustion, stooped posture, and usually methodical pace make him seem much older than his true age and belie a surprisingly spry man who is as silent as a ghost as he goes about maintaining his beloved library. The right side of his face was burned in a fire long before he came to the church and he is either cryptic or silent on any questions regarding this matter. The disfigurement can be unsettling to onlookers so Horton is accustomed to wearing a plain brown robe with the hood up or a long stocking cap that drapes down the right side of his face. Since the left side of his face looks fine, he often dryly comments that his beauty is sinister though no one seems to understand this reference or care.

He is too world-weary to be sour, though does seem to be actively allergic to optimism. His wide knowledge and aloof perspective have led to some teaching and consulting. Not only used to quiet boisterousness in the library, he has also become something of an arbiter for others’ disputes (*heavy sigh*). While an articulate and thoughtful man, some would say that his success as arbiter has more to do with an overwhelming pall of ennui that simply leeches away belligerence and momentum in others. Horton would merely like to be left alone to his reading, his beloved sorting and orderly filing of library materials, studying of languages, history, puzzles, and codes, and drinking alone. Oh, and please try to keep the noise down.

background- church librarian who wishes everyone would make a little less noise and leave him in peace; people barely notice him floating around in the background so much that he overhears many things as he goes about his duties in the library (and in life too, actually)- this is how he heard rumors about Gargantua although coming across something in a book would fit as well; no one remembers when he first came to be at the church, he just seems to have always been there, sighing somewhere in the background or poring over a book

equipment
* spyglass
* stoppered glass vial of acid
* a fine, solid oak cane, plain except for a finely carved book sitting upright atop the cane(work done by a grateful citizen in town after Horton’s extensive help on a past matter)

[Pulpatoon]

Regarding equipment: I was hoping to do some substitution that would be more fitting for this character (though likely less powerful from a strictly utility perspective). The chart assigns me the equipment in cell 16/3 hp. I would like to swap some things from cell 14/1hp. So my proposed final list would be: cane, acid, spyglass, burnt face. (And I am willing to sacrifice 1-2 hp and up to 4 ability points if you will let me keep that custom equipment list. ) Let me know what you think.

Let's see. The most significant difference between the two is that 14/1 has an Arcanum (hugely beneficial) and 16/3 has a burnt face (less so). You're keeping the face, so that's easy.
The difference between the axe and the walking stick is cosmetic, so that's easy to approve.
The acid and the spyglass vs. the net and fire oil is where it gets into judgement calls. Both sets are useful, but I'd say that acid/spyglass are more potent/rarer finds.

Okay, let's split the difference. Drop that DEX to 15 and HP to 2, and you've got a deal.