Let’s Play Wanderer: The Shadowed Realm! Part 2: Red Storm

The Earthbashers set off on their first quest, seeking proof of lost soldiers for Miriam Redwood, leader of the Red Storm band

Table of Contents

Let’s create our first Quest! I’ll draw a card on the Quest table, then roll a d6 to find out how many Tracks we need to gather to complete it.

10: Seek out proof of lost soldiers for a mercenary leader.
D6: 2 = 4 tracks

Miriam Redwood, mercenary leader of the Red Storm, returned to the Shrouded Realm bloodied and limping, her once great band reduced to a handful of crestfallen fighters. A couple of broken arrow shafts still pierced her sword hand. It would take a long time for her to wield a weapon again, and even that would take luck.

Bardin and Borgan had worked with them before. Seeing the band all but finished was heartbreaking.

“A horde of goblins as far as the eye could see,” Miriam told Bardin. “Javelins and arrows darkened the sky for a second, then they rained on us. We panicked. Thank the gods for those hordes never sticking together for long, or the entire Realm would be doomed.”

“I’m glad at least some of you made it safe.”

“We just met at the gates. Everyone fled to where they could, each in a direction. I fear for the others. The best I can wish for them is a swift end.”

Bardin shook his head and heaved his axe. “No one should spend their life wondering about that.” He remembered his younger brother, lost to the Shadows, a slave to corruption, treading the path of evil somewhere in the world. “Where was this?”

She gave him the directions. “Their tracks should be easy to see on the mud, but are you sure of that?”

“I am.” Bardin looked at Borgan. “But the final word is yours, brother.”

Borgan pulled on his beard. “No one should spend their lives wondering.”

Miriam smiled with pain. “Please, be careful. And thank you.”

Let’s set off! Our first encounter is always an event.

Events are things that happen on the way to a Location. These are obstacles, chance encounters, or finds while traveling. Resolve the Event as written for the card before proceeding.

We draw a card and then roll a d6 to establish the event’s Difficulty Score.

Event draw: King of Clubs
Lookout (B-Good)

That means we encounter a Good Being. Any encounters or finds from Events and Locations must be resolved first.

I’ll draw on the Beings - Good table.

Jack of Clubs: Shrouded traveler. Gain 1 Tracks, +1 Wits for this Quest.

Awesome! I gain 2 Tracks, since Borgan has the trait Nature’s Signs (+1 Tracks when Tracks are gained).

Borgan pointed to the lookout tower looming over the valley. They climbed the hill and found a wiry elf inside, keeping watch over the fields.

Bardin asked him about the Red Storm band.

“I saw the massacre,” he replied without turning from the window. “The mercenaries scattered when the horde surged. Three ran to the marsh, others to the hills or to the Realm. Most didn’t make it far. You can see the bits the goblins left behind from here.”

The brothers fell silent. They didn’t expect survivors, but learning the facts didn’t make it easy.

“Take this.” The elf handed them a map and pointed to an area with a drawing of small mounds. “The hills are your best chance for survivors.”

“What of the marsh?”

“The horde broke, and a large part swarmed the wetlands. I scouted the area, my friend, and saw what was left of the ones who fled there. The goblins are in a bloodied frenzy.”

Bardin nodded and put the map away. “Thank you for your help.”

As they left, the elf voiced a warning.

“Don’t linger.”

Now let’s see the Event difficulty.

D6: 3. Difficulty Score of 12, 2 damage on failure.
Wits check, 2d6+2: 9, fail.
HP down to 10.

Following the elf’s map, they climbed the hills as Borgan tracked the fleeing mercenaries. Bardin kept watch over the surroundings, axe in hand. The wind picked up, and he took a moment too long to notice the vicious hissing over it.

Two blurs leaped from the undergrowth toward Borgan’s back. Bardin tackled his brother to the side. He deflected a javelin but a second one bit him in the stomach. Meeting the pain with a roar, Bardin moved toward the small things with dark and green skin, teeth sharp as rusted daggers.

With two swift strikes he beheaded them. Clean and quick. Borgan didn’t understand what happened until the goblins lay dead. Bardin rushed to his side and helped him up. “Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine,” Borgan replied. “They hit you!”

“It’s nothing. The mail blocked most of it.”

“Bardin…”

“You heard the elf. Let’s move.”

We draw the Location now.

Four of Diamonds: River crossing.

If the location does not have a Being or Thing listed, the player rolls 1d6 and compares the result:

1-3: Gain 2 Tracks

4-5: Draw 1 Being

6: Draw 1 Thing and gain 1 Track

D6: 5, draw 1 being.
Beings can be Good or Evil, so we roll again to find out. 1-2 for Good, 3-6 for Evil.
D6: 5, evil.
Seven of Spades: Great orc.
Stats: DS 10 | HP 5 | Atk d8 | Def d10 | Morale 10

Borgan followed the tracks to a shallow river crossing choked with broken javelins, blood-soaked cloaks, and goblins corpses. Three people chained together stumbled through the passage under the watch of a massive, armored orc carrying a giant cleaver. Bardin recognized them as members of the Red Storm.

“Why would the orc kill the goblins?” Borgan whispered.

“The elf said they were mad with bloodlust. I think the orc wants them alive. For the Shadows, probably.”

“What do we do?”

Bardin clutched his axe. “Stay here and wait for me. Be prepared to run.”

“Bardin!” Borgan protested, but his brother was already barreling toward the orc.

Initiative d6: 5, free attack!
D8: 1. Ok.
D10 defense: 7, no damage.

To hit an enemy, we roll 2d6 + our Combat stat. If the total is equal or higher than the enemy’s DS, it’s a hit. If not, the enemy hits us instead.
2d6+4: 10, hit.
No damage again.
2d6 + 4: 6. Yes, I rolled double 1s.
I take 4 damage. Down to 6 HP.
I’ll eat a ration. It doesn’t use a combat action.
Heal d6+1: 2. Grrr. HP 8/12.
2d6+4: 8, miss. He hits me again for 2 damage.
2d6+4: 12. I deal 3 damage, leaving him with 2/5.

Whenever an enemy falls to half HP, rounding up, it does a Morale check with 2d6. If it’s higher than its Morale, it flees and we win the battle.
Morale check: 6, the orc fights on. The check is repeated every time I deal damage now.

2d6+4: 11. I rolled an 8! In Wanderer, rolling max damage makes the dice explode, so we roll again and add the result. This can happen indefinitely, and it also applies to enemies!
I rolled a 5 for 13. The orc rolled 6 defense, taking 7 damage!

Bardin rushed toward the orc, splashing water and heaving his axe, getting in a preemptive attack, but it just glanced on his armor. He turned with a scarred face and a terrible smile.

“This is how it’s done, dwarf.” The orc swung his crude cleaver too quickly for his large size, drawing blood. “Two humans, an elf, and now a dwarf. A good day for our army.”

Bardin dodged a blow but took another slash on the ribs. The smile vanished from the orc’s face as he struggled to pull the cleaver from the armor’s rings. Bardin’s axe swiped low, slicing off the orc’s leg.

He knelt and grunted, thrashing with the cleaver, but Bardin cut his attacking arm and finished the Shadow creature with a clean blow.

When the combat is a success, roll 1d6 to see what is found:

1-3: 1 Track

4-5: 1 Thing

6: 1 Tracks and 1 Thing

D6: 1 = 2 tracks for me.

The next phase after the Location is the Tracks Check.

We actually have 4/4 Tracks. Quest completed!

Let’s move on to the Epilogue and draw on its table:

5: You become emboldened by your success. + 3 Spirit or +1 HP.
I’ll pick +3 Spirit.

Next, we roll a d6 for the Reputation gain.

D6: 3, gain 2 Reputation.

The character then recovers all HP and 3 Spirit. Add Rations to the player’s inventory so that their total is 3. Shuffle all the cards to form a new deck.

Spirit accumulates, so I’m with 9 now. It can be used to add +1 to any roll, which is quite useful.

Borgan ran to his brother as the great orc fell lifeless. Glancing at his wounds, he curbed an admonition to tend to the captives. Bardin followed.

The mercenaries shivered and recoiled to their touch as the Earthbashers untied them. Their wide and glassy eyes betrayed the Shadows clinging to their minds, leaving them broken. The road to recovery would be long and uncertain, but at least they breathed and would return home.

Hope still burned, however faint.

Back at The Shrouded Realm, Miriam Redwood cried at the sight of her band members in a mix of shame, relief, and commiseration.

“I can never repay you, Earthbashers. Thank you.”

“Focus on everyone’s recovery. Yours as well.”

“He’s right,” Borgan added. “Remember that accidents happen. It’s not your fault. Be easy on yourself so you can be there for the ones you care about.”

She nodded with a sad smile, and Bardin knew that advice wasn’t meant only for Miriam.

And that’s it for our first Quest. A short one and quite lucky with the Tracks gain.

Very fun game loop. I’ll post more sessions to make sure new mechanics get some love.

Thanks for reading. All feedback is very much welcome!