The Goblovna1 has always been a bit sceptical of the whole 'roleplaying game' thing. In part because being handed a 300-page technical manual to read isn't her idea of a fun time.
Strange I know.
But evidently I've been doing something right as an ambassador for the hobby, because she asked me to run a game for her and two friends - themselves gamers. We settled on Scurry! from Stout Stoat games, because (a) the actual rules fit on one page, and (b) the allure of playing as a cute woodland creature was strong. Although, as things turned out, 'cute' may not have been quite the right word.
Characters were:
Helizabeth: A hedgehog poulticepounder, apparently unaware she is a hedgehog. Married to Weatherwarts the toad for three years, bearing him two children before he absconded.
Wee Bobbins: A robin mapmaker. Had an on-again, off-again casual relationship with Weatherwarts the toad. Apparently it's all about the tongue. It's now been off for entirely too long.
Stevie: A stoat willowweaver. Certainly not to be called Stevie the Stoat. Had a one-night stand with Weatherwarts the toad. He promised the world, and the next morning was nowhere to be seen. The bounder.
Our three heroes were on their way to visit the (allegedly) immortal, (allegedly) unknowing tortoise Sekani at the underground city of Summit, seeking information about their shared ex-lover. Nearing the city, they were approached by the magpie Cinead. Barred from entering the city as his guild - the all-magpie Knowers - were barred, he offered a trade of favours: if the party would have an ancient scroll left by the Titans (now-extinct humans) translated, he would aid them in finding Weatherwarts.
The party, of course, agreed. They were, however, dismayed to find that there was a lengthy queue to enter, as the city's Crestguard registered all visitors. And, to the horror of Wee Bobbins, even sealed the wings of birds with wax, to prevent flight in the burrows. Given that time was a factor, this wasn't going to work.
Helizabeth reconnoitred the area, finding a back gate where large animals brought carts of supplies for trade, though not before the group insulted a road-weary fox from south of the Twice-Built Titan Wall. With a judiciously placed honeyed oatcake, they were able to stop one such cart, and (with a certain degree of difficulty in Helizabeth's case) snuck into its bed, concealing themselves among its cargo. After easily evading a cursory search from a badger of the Crestguard, they were soon deposited at the loading dock of the Scribes Guild.
Stevie exited the cart with rather more speed than elegance, leading to one of the workers dropping a parcel which burst, spreading rags around the room and filling the air with dust. The party took advantage of the chaos to dash for cover, with Helizabeth's sensitive nose directing them towards a storeroom.
After a short period of moving from room to room, the party found themselves with a choice: take a doorway into a foul-smelling room, or climb one of two shafts - one smelling of baking pies, the other of dust. Wee Bobbins, their wings unbound, flew up the dusty shaft, dodging a scrunched-up sheet of paper to find a small room at the top, barely large enough for one beast. One of its three doors was just closing, showing a large space beyond filled with bookshelves and desks.
Deducing that this must be the library, the rest of the party followed. Helizabeth rolled across the library, establishing that the doors on the other side were locked. Stevie, meanwhile, found the library's inquiry desk. This, it was agreed, was a much more useful source of information on the whereabouts of Sekani.
The party also realised that nobody in the library knew they had bypassed the security on the gate. So long as Wee Bobbins concealed the fact that they hadn't had their wings sealed - easily achieved by wearing their raincoat - this ought to remain true. And as it turned out, they were right. The tortoise was in fact in the guest chambers through an adjoining door.
Unfortunately, it turned out that the party had been under a missapprehension about the knowledge of Sekani. The tortoise was certainly wise, but not in fact all-knowing - they had no knowledge of Weatherwarts himself, but offered a number of insights about the nature of men. Sekani then translated the Titan scroll, explaining that it contained instructions for the operation of a device used by Titans to hear voices over a great distance. Thereupon, they instructed that the vents should be opened, allowing cold air in so that the tortoise could hibernate for the winter.
On departing, the party saw the same fox whom they had offended arriving in the visitors lodgings, although she did not notice them. One of the librarians, however, asked the departing party if they had seen the Russet Queen, visiting from south of the Twice-Built Titan Wall - this, they realised, must be the fox.
I'm sure nothing bad will happen there.
Before leaving the city, Helizabeth visisted the Poulticepounders to obtain the ingredients of some poison with which to 'deal with' Weatherwarts. Wee Bobbins visited the Mapmakers to find a map showing the location of Blueberry Pond, the presumed home of Weatherwarts. And Stevie visited the Willoweavers to see the basket exhibition and to obtain some crafting materials.
Helizabeth and Stevie's visits went without problem. The clerk at the Mapmakers guild pointed out to Wee Bobbins, however, that her wax seal appeared to have fallen off... a thing that sometimes happens, no great cause for concern - just make sure to visit the nearest Crestguard post to have it reapplied. Which, of course, Wee Bobbins did, discovering that her identity needed to be cross-checked against a registration number.
Which she didn't have.
Fearing discovery, she cried out, flashed her red breast2, and swooped away while the newt guard investigated what seemed to be some commotion further away. The party reunited near the city gate, where Wee Bobbins informed her companions that they'd need to provide details to the guard to get out.
After a certain amount of bluffing from Helizabeth, another shriek-and-dash from a poorly-hidden Wee Bobbins, and some flirting from Stevie, the party departed the city hastily and with the impression that their return would be unwelcome, and found a quiet spot to await the return of Cinead. Once concealed, Wee Bobbins used her paints to make a copy of the translated Titan Scroll.
Cinead agreed to arrange transport Blueberry Pond in exchange for the translated scroll, and would return the next day to finalise the deal. Overnight, Helizabeth brewed her poison, and Stevie prepared weapons.
Did I mention that Scurry! has no rules for combat, or indeed for character death?
The transport turned out to be Tallfellow, a stork, who would fly the party to their destination. Cinead offered the possibility of extra work - he could help the party find Weatherwarts, and then they'd owe him a favour. This proposal caused them to distrust him, not helped when they insisted on retaining control of the scroll until they reached Blueberry Pond. Cinead, apparently not trusting the party, implied that they might not reach their destination - after all, the scroll would survive a fall, but they might not.
He, and they, appeared not to consider that this was a rather ineffectual threat to Wee Bobbins. Instead, the party determined to pre-emptively poison Cinead in self-protection - a plan which succeeded. Tallfellow, apparently not wishing to incur the party's displeasure, gladly agreed to take the party to Blueberry Pond. After all, there was good fishing to be had there, and Cinead was no friend of his - he only owed a favour.
Tallfellow made a couple of low swoops over Blueberry Pond, sending the residents fleeing for their lives, before landing to drop the party in the village square, Charlie's Angels style. The hunt for Weatherwarts is on.
