Folk Moot at Rhosgobel mini-game

[Devil]

Hey folks. First time poster, long time lurker. So, I'm running the early stages of the Darkening of Mirkwood (interspersed with Tales from Wilderland), and am about to run the folk moot at Rhosgobel in 2948. I thought I'd really make my players part of the vote there, so I decided to create a mini game as a way to role-play through the vote while affecting the outcome more dramatically. The basic rules for the session are listed on the attached page, a Roll20 doc, and I also have some GM notes about how each significant NPC will try to affect the outcome each round (ie who they try to either favor or block using Inspire, Awe or Courtesy skills). Just thought I'd share for the gang here, but I'm new to forums and I don't know how to display a JPEG image in this post...can anyone help?

[Glorelendil]

Not seeing the attachment.

[Devil]

Yeah, I don't know how to display the attachment...

[Glorelendil]

Yeah, I don't know how to display the attachment...

I believe it's an "Image" tag, with the url in between:

Code: Select all

[image]url[/image]

[Devil]

Ok, try this:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/762 ... 20Moot.jpg

[Glorelendil]

Oh wait...I probably shouldn't be reading this if I don't want spoilers, huh?

[zedturtle]

Oh wait...I probably shouldn't be reading this if I don't want spoilers, huh?

Eh. YWWV (Your Wilderland Will Vary). Or more accurately, MWWV. I don't expect people to remain completely unspoiled on Darkness for the eight years or so that it will take to get through it.

[Devil]

Oh wait...I probably shouldn't be reading this if I don't want spoilers, huh?

I thought it was pretty evident from the wording in the first post that this was for GM's. In any event, the Folk Moot is only the second thing that happens in a campaign of 30 such events; and I don't think that provided image gives away too many details of the future of the campaign.

Anyway, I was curious about fellow GM's thoughts on the tactic of turning the folk moot into more of a social encounter - in the DoM it reads as more of an expository event where the players don't really do too much other than observe. Also, I'm looking for ways to personalize the vote (the Woodman PC's father, for example, is against Ceawin's inclusion because he doesn't want to lose any more sons to the dangers of the forest, and Ceawin's request would require several young Woodmen to escort the trade caravans through Mirkwood).

So my thoughts are to give the major speakers (Ingomer, Hartfast, and Fridwald) different objectives each round, to keep the pieces moving. For example, Hartfast in the first "round" speaks in favor of Ceawin, and in the second round in favor of Mogred (keeping the warriors as allies instead of enemies). Fridwald would speak against Mogdred, and then against Ceawin, that sort of thing. Of course the PC's are able to speak to the Moot themselves and try to alter the position of the petitioners for their own purposes.

(I was inspired a bit by the Fate game "Diaspora" for the structure of the social "combat", if anyone is familiar with those rules.)

[Falenthal]

I want to take a deeper look at it and think a bit your proposal, but on a first glance I think it's very well thought and I'm going to adopt it definetly for my campaign. I wanted the player's to take part in the moot, but without being the main speakers. Your way seems like fun, simple to understand and more or less quick (sometimes social roleplaying tends to feel boring when it's too long. Heroes want to risk their lives at every action.)

[Falenthal]

I like a lot the first part, where PCs can "automatically" take part in the Moot if they have a high Standing, are Woodmen or have a high Valour, but also if they succesfully Introduce themselves. I foresaw the problem with my players that they may not have a high enough Renown (optional rule that simulates Standing with foreign cultures) to participate. The chance to introduce themselves is simple enough, but very appropiate and elegant. I'm ashamed I hadn't thought about it.

I have two questions:
Why can't PCs use the same skill twice in a row?
What do you mean when you say "PCs can speak, alternating between each of Ingomer, Hartfast and Fridwald."?
They can speak after each one of them, or only after all three of them have spoken? Could you give an example of how the Moot would be played?