Young Character Adventure Seeds - Page 3

Rising · 09-13-2018, 12:33 PM

I ran a GURPS Vikings campaign once that started off with a few sessions about the characters' shared childhood experiences in their village.

A few incidents I remember were:

* The kids being send out to collect herbs and plants in the forest. Nothing major but they were old terrified because they thought there were trolls in the forest.
* One of the kids being bullied by a group of older kids (from wealthier families) and the other characters defending their friend. It turned into a fist-fight broken up by the adults.
* Fleeing in total panic from a "troll" (really a hunter in a big bearskin cloak).
* Helping one of the kid's older sister by bringing her love-interest a present.
* Hiding from the adults because they wanted to explore the lake to see if there really was a sea-serpent in the lake. The adults found them and dragged them back home screaming.
* Watching the smith at work and listen to his stories about his raids to the East.

It wasnt really my intention but it turned on that it produced a number of roleplay opportunities later on in the campaign. They felt a connection to their village and the villagers and their experiences shaped their characters later on:

* The village healer they had helped (reaction roll: very good) turned out to be very willing to assist them later on when one of the characters was almost declared an outlaw.
* The bullies continued to be bullies later on in life but now only with more power and wealth. The leader of the gang became their arch-nemesis and more than once tried to spread lies about the characters.
* The hunter in the bearskin cloak continued to have a reputation as a "dangerous man" and they kept insisting that the hunter probarbly had troll-blood in his veins.
* The sea-serpent in the lake wasnt there of course. But the characters used it as dumping ground to hide some bodies later on in life (power struggles can get nasty).
* They remembered the smith's stories about his raids in the East which made it possible for them to later on in life find a hidden treasure AND the smith exceptional metalworking skills (16+) made him a good mentor to one of the characters later in life.

It was quite fun actually and not as difficult as I had imagined. But I have to admit I also do have a good group to play with :)

AlexanderHowl · 09-13-2018, 04:04 PM

One thing to consider is the relationship between the village, the Manor, and the Church. A typical market village will also possess the local Manor and the local Church (it provides the government, market, and religion for three other villages including itself). When people travel to the market village for Sunday services or to visit the weekly market, they are capable of discussing local matters with their neighbors and the people in neighboring villages.

An attentive Manor lord will meet with the prominent villagers after church services every Sunday services and will make sure to provide lunch for them and their families (a relatively minor expense that allows him or her to avoid future troubles). With the local priest in attendence, the Manor lord can hear concerns before they lead to conflict, give incidental fines for minor crimes, and collect incidental fees. A peasant could ask to talk to the Manor lord during such informal gatherings and request funding for business ventures such as planting an orchard or purchasing horses for plowing. A wise Manor lord would understand that his or her prosperity depends on the prosperity of their peasants and, over the decades, could end up with enough land to make him or her as wealthy as a baron.

Children would accompany their parents to such meetings and would meet the children of the Manor lord and the Manor servants. Familiarity early in life would improve communications between the future Manor lords and his or her future subjects, allowing for a smooth running of the possessions of the Manor lord. Of course, too much familiarity might end up with a peasant girl or two becoming pregnant, but a wise Manor lord would make sure that the girl(s) receive a dowry large enough to get her married off quickly into another Manor and will make sure that any resulting children receive an appropriate dowry and/or apprenticeship for their station. With such gifts, a Manor lord will appear just and wise, and he or she will receive loyal service from his or her peasants.

The adventure opportunities for young children are great and varied. While the son of a Manor lord will likely be a page in another household, his page will natural lead any group of local children. His daughters also might become a leader of the local children and, as long as she keeps her activities secret, she can lead them on any number of adventures until they get old enough for exchanging more than glances.

09-13-2018, 12:33 PM	#21
Rising Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Denmark, Europe	Re: Young Character Adventure Seeds I ran a GURPS Vikings campaign once that started off with a few sessions about the characters' shared childhood experiences in their village. A few incidents I remember were: * The kids being send out to collect herbs and plants in the forest. Nothing major but they were old terrified because they thought there were trolls in the forest. * One of the kids being bullied by a group of older kids (from wealthier families) and the other characters defending their friend. It turned into a fist-fight broken up by the adults. * Fleeing in total panic from a "troll" (really a hunter in a big bearskin cloak). * Helping one of the kid's older sister by bringing her love-interest a present. * Hiding from the adults because they wanted to explore the lake to see if there really was a sea-serpent in the lake. The adults found them and dragged them back home screaming. * Watching the smith at work and listen to his stories about his raids to the East. It wasnt really my intention but it turned on that it produced a number of roleplay opportunities later on in the campaign. They felt a connection to their village and the villagers and their experiences shaped their characters later on: * The village healer they had helped (reaction roll: very good) turned out to be very willing to assist them later on when one of the characters was almost declared an outlaw. * The bullies continued to be bullies later on in life but now only with more power and wealth. The leader of the gang became their arch-nemesis and more than once tried to spread lies about the characters. * The hunter in the bearskin cloak continued to have a reputation as a "dangerous man" and they kept insisting that the hunter probarbly had troll-blood in his veins. * The sea-serpent in the lake wasnt there of course. But the characters used it as dumping ground to hide some bodies later on in life (power struggles can get nasty). * They remembered the smith's stories about his raids in the East which made it possible for them to later on in life find a hidden treasure AND the smith exceptional metalworking skills (16+) made him a good mentor to one of the characters later in life. It was quite fun actually and not as difficult as I had imagined. But I have to admit I also do have a good group to play with :)

09-13-2018, 04:04 PM	#22
AlexanderHowl Join Date: Feb 2016	Re: Young Character Adventure Seeds One thing to consider is the relationship between the village, the Manor, and the Church. A typical market village will also possess the local Manor and the local Church (it provides the government, market, and religion for three other villages including itself). When people travel to the market village for Sunday services or to visit the weekly market, they are capable of discussing local matters with their neighbors and the people in neighboring villages. An attentive Manor lord will meet with the prominent villagers after church services every Sunday services and will make sure to provide lunch for them and their families (a relatively minor expense that allows him or her to avoid future troubles). With the local priest in attendence, the Manor lord can hear concerns before they lead to conflict, give incidental fines for minor crimes, and collect incidental fees. A peasant could ask to talk to the Manor lord during such informal gatherings and request funding for business ventures such as planting an orchard or purchasing horses for plowing. A wise Manor lord would understand that his or her prosperity depends on the prosperity of their peasants and, over the decades, could end up with enough land to make him or her as wealthy as a baron. Children would accompany their parents to such meetings and would meet the children of the Manor lord and the Manor servants. Familiarity early in life would improve communications between the future Manor lords and his or her future subjects, allowing for a smooth running of the possessions of the Manor lord. Of course, too much familiarity might end up with a peasant girl or two becoming pregnant, but a wise Manor lord would make sure that the girl(s) receive a dowry large enough to get her married off quickly into another Manor and will make sure that any resulting children receive an appropriate dowry and/or apprenticeship for their station. With such gifts, a Manor lord will appear just and wise, and he or she will receive loyal service from his or her peasants. The adventure opportunities for young children are great and varied. While the son of a Manor lord will likely be a page in another household, his page will natural lead any group of local children. His daughters also might become a leader of the local children and, as long as she keeps her activities secret, she can lead them on any number of adventures until they get old enough for exchanging more than glances.