Brisham Wood - Campaign Turn 2

Back to 5 Leagues From the Borderlands as I’m learning the differences between this game and 5 Parsecs From Home. I’ve played the starter scenario battle “offline” and am really looking forward to getitng to a battle!

Preparation Stage

After getting lost and wandering off the path, the Silver Hawks have made it to Woodcross. This is a settlement known for its market day once a week, where artisans, farmers, and others who live nearby come to trade.

Envisioning this place, I can imagine that the actual town population swells to several times the number of residents. There are small booths and carts set up under the trees, dogs barking, people having a good time (and, in some cases, a bad time when there’s a disagreement). Goats and donkeys graze quietly, waiting until they need to pull the carts back down the road to the farms or cabins where they came from.

A few folks pause and look suspiciously at the Silver Hawks. Nobody knows who these road-worn travelers are, and they look well-armed. Maurice leads them over to a tent where the town elder holds court. They introduce themselves and their goals, discussing their bona fides. This goes well, and eventually the elder, a man with a distant look on his face named Deegon, tells the group of old times and how they’ve changed with the appearance of new threats. (The group gains +1 Adventure Point from this interaction).

Over the rest of the day, they spend a total of 1 gold on upkeep: feeding their draft horses and themselves, a bit of drinking, lodging for a few days, etc. They meet a few more locals, getting a sense of who the locals are, etc., although this doesn’t really turn up anything solid.

Chert finds a small altar near the market clearing, though, and kneels quietly, going through the comfort of the rituals he has performed for years. The old gods smile upon him, and he is blessed (+5 to rolls on the Injury or Flight in the Darkness tables the next time he needs to do so).

The group has very little gold to spare, though, so they don’t do more than “window shopping” here on Market Day. And despite the wide diversity of faces here, they don’t run into any old friends or connections, either.

Instead, they confer with Geedon and decide to help patrol the area the next day, looking for threats or anyone who might need help.

Adventure Stage

As I suggested above, they’ve chosen the Ride Patrol option for their adventure this campaign turn (roughly a week in length).

This involves patrolling the local area and looking out for bandits and trouble.

When undertaking a Patrol for the town watch, you are on the look-out for anything you might run into along the way. Patrols are often less risk and can be a good option for a weaker party or a party that is recovering from injuries.

Throughout their patrol, fortunately, they don’t run into anything particularly dangerous. They see some local wildlife (and leave it alone) as well as the occasional hunter or forager.

Photo by Irina Iriser on Unsplash

Late in the second day, they run across a quiet forester named Tiffany. She’s a bit older and grizzled, but she has grown increasingly frustrated with the lack of any real support against the threats faced by the people of Brisham Wood. She decides to join the Silver Hawks, at least temporarily (in game terms, as a follower).

And that’s it - no battle this time. (I expect to go find one intentionally in the next campaign turn, though.)

Resolution Stage

For a “victorious” patrol, we gain 1 Adventure Point. Each hero gets 1 XP for surviving, though that’s not quite enough for anyone to get an advancement. And with no battle, none of the followers get a “Flash of Insight” (a sort of advancement for them).

On their return to Woodcross, it seems things have stayed quiet in town as well. The market day is over, so the remaining residents are cleaning up and generally making preparations for the next one in a few more days.

Wrap-Up

I knew that “Ride Patrol” was an easy option, but I didn’t realize it had such a significant chance of no battle at all. That’s kind of okay, but next time I want to bust out the maps and tokens. (More on the setup options later).