Expeditions

Maybe you've presented a threat and they're off to deal with it. Maybe you've dangled an opportunity and they want to seize it. Maybe they have plans of their own, something they want to accomplish, and it involves leaving home. It's time for an expedition.

Before the players leave town and head out into the wild, they'll make preparations:

they'll Chart a Course, Outfit, and maybe Requisition, and do whatever else they need to do before leaving home.

Once they're ready, they'll head out. You'll establish new situations as they move from place to place, make soft GM moves to prompt decisions and introduce challenges, and ask them, "What do you do?" You'll resolve the PCs' actions, using the basic player moves and the expedition moves (described later in this chapter).

They'll eventually move on. You'll transition to the next landmark or challenge.

You'll establish the situation there and repeat the process.

They might reach their destination with ease. Or, they might get lost. They might encounter something that distracts them from their goal. They might get beaten up so badly that they turn back and head home in defeat. It's all good—play to find out what happens.

Travel is an important part of Stonetop. It's a chance to flesh out and explore the wider world. It's dangerous and hard, which reinforces the importance of home and its relative safety. Travel isn't something to gloss over. Give it the screen time it deserves!

Preparations

"… a corresponding amount of supplies"

In other words, when they use a mess kit...

• a party of up to 4 will expend 1 use of supplies per day;
• a party of 5-8 will expend 2 uses of supplies per day; or
• a party of 9-12 will expend 3 uses of supplies per day.

If they don't use a mess kit, each party member will expend 1 use of supplies per day. Obviously, it's very favorable to bring and use a mess kit!

Pack animals can graze or browse, and carry enough extra feed to "cover" themselves. Use your best judgement for other animals. The Ranger's pet wolf can probably fend for itself, and small critters don't need much food, but wellheeled hounds probably need to be fed from the party's supplies.

If the party travels with a pack animal or a cart laden with at least 1 Surplus worth of supplies, then there's no need to track individual meals and uses. As long as they have access to their stash, they can effectively re-Outfit out of it.

Winter has been brutal and Stonetop is running out of food. Rhianna and Caradoc decide to go hunt the cave bears south of town, despite Blodwen's reservations. "Sounds like you're Charting a Course," I say. "How do you intend to get there?"

Rhianna: "Their lair is a cave in the bluff, right? If we follow the bluff south, we'll find them."

I look at the list and jot down:

O It'll take at least 1 day there and back (little need to worry about supplies)

O You'll need to bring at least 3 sleds to haul the meat home, if you want enough to feed everyone O You'll need to bring warm clothes O You'll need to watch out for crinwin O The way is grueling (cold, snow)

O You risk getting lost O You risk drawing the attention of the cave bears as you approach!

I read these off and Rhianna's like, "We risk getting lost? We're just following the cliff face south." Oh, sure. Of course. I cross it off the list.

Vahid convinces the others to visit Three Coven Lake in search of the Mindgem's ever-burning heart. "Just the four us," says Rhianna. "I'm not risking my crew on this." Andras insists on coming, though—mostly because he's sweet on Blodwen.

"How do you intend to get there?" I ask. They'll take the Highway to Marshedge, resupply there, then follow the Sruth upstream to Three Coven Lake. That seems legit, so I look over the list and write down:

O First, you'll need to travel to Marshedge O You need to wait until summer OR you'll need to bring warm clothes O It'll take at least 8 days (and 8 uses of supplies each, or 16 uses total if you use a mess kit)

O You need to watch out for nosgolau O It'll take at least 4 days from Marshedge, and a corresponding number of supplies O You need a knowledgeable guide OR you risk getting lost O The way is perilous, plagued with danger O The terrain is treacherous; you risk injury O The way is grueling; you risk exhaustion Vahid asks why they need a guide, given that they'll just be heading upstream. "Well," I say, "The terrain's pretty rugged. There will be places you can't stick to the river, and who knows how many little tributaries feed it."

"Hmm. I did spend time wandering the Steplands before I got to Stonetop. Maybe I've got the lay of the land?"

"Maybe. But you've never actually been to the lake, right? So you still risk getting lost."

"Ah," Vahid says. "Yeah, that makes sense."

Rhianna says "Okay, let's get us some bears. The four of us and my crew. Plus Andras, the new kid, to see if he works out. Outfit?"

"Sure," I say. "Don't forget, you'll need warm clothes. And at least three sleds."

Rhianna looks at her Inventory sheet. She knows she'll want her ◇ longbow and a

• ◇ wool cloak. She'll also carry a ◇◇ sled, putting her at 4 ◇ total. That's a normal load already, so she marks 2 ◇ in undefined for a total of 6 ◇ . She puts all 4 of her small item marks in undefined.

Rhianna also Outfits for her crew. They'll each carry a normal load, with a ◇ bow and iron

arrows, ◇◇ thick hides, and 3 ◇ undefined.

"There are six of them, including Andras. Some of them will have sleds… we'll figure out how many later."

Blodwen takes a normal load: ◇◇ thick

hides, a ◇ staff, and 3 ◇ undefined. She puts

all 4 of her small item marks in undefined. She's got her sacred pouch, of course, but it doesn't take up space in her inventory.

Vahid decides to take a heavy

load: the ◇◇ Mindgem, a ◇ wool cloak, his • ◇ wind-spirit flute, and 5 ◇ undefined.

Rhianna's unhappy about how much crap he's carrying. "Magpie" he says, with a smile and shrug. For small items, he marks his sanctified amulet and 3 in undefined.

Caradoc brings a normal load: the same

• ◇ spear and ◇◇ shield he brought on the last expedition, a ◇ cloak, and 2 ◇ undefined. He puts all 4 small item marks in undefined.

This is the first time Caradoc has brought a cloak on an expedition—it was a bit of a thing in the last adventure that he didn't have one. So I ask, "Where did you get that cloak, Caradoc?"

"Um… from Morwenna, I think?"

"Oh, totally! She catches you in the square as the crew is gathering. She's got a bundle under her arm and avoids eye contact. 'I… I was weaving this for you… before… and, well, the embroidery on the back isn't done, but if you insist on going out there again… well, you'll need something warm. So… here.' And she blushes and shoves it in your arms and runs off. What do you do?"

Vahid has convinced Rhianna to do this expedition to Three Coven Lake. Since they're going through Marshedge, Rhianna's keen to do some trading. "Let's bring my crew, a horse, a cart, and… 3 Surplus? We can trade for a donkey and supplies, and maybe turn a profit on whatever's left. We'll send my crew back with the horse and wagon, and load up our new donkey for the expedition."

"Smart," I say. "But you'll definitely need to wait until summer, then. It's planting season, and the horses are in use. And you'll have to Requisition."

They wait! When the time comes, Rhianna Requisitions. "What's this look like?" I ask. She says that she hinted at the plan to Fion a while back, and as planting finishes, they have a sit-down in the pub. Rhianna rolls +Fortunes (currently +0), with advantage because of her Logistics move.

On a 10+, I'd say how Fion liked the plan, and has a list of things to trade for. On a 7-9, I'd present Fion as suspicious, but give Rhianna a chance to convince her. But Rhianna rolls a 6, even with advantage, and Fion puts her foot down. "Look, I know what this is about. You're going after one of Vahid's unholy trinkets. Well, I can't stop you, but I ain't giving you my blessing. And you'll take one o' the horses over my dead body!"

Rhianna seriously considers going over her head—the trade mission really is a good idea! But, no… the town's Fortunes are only at +0, and they can't really afford a hit right now. "I'm sorry you feel that way, Fion," says Rhianna, raising a cup of whisky. "I guess we'll just do this the hard way."

Other preparations

These might happen before the PCs Outfit and Requisition or after, or sometimes in the middle of making choices.

Zoom in and out as appropriate, switching between loose play and scenes. Gloss over the hours spent interviewing townsfolk, but maybe play out the scene where they interrogate the sketchy newcomer or try to convince the smith to hand over the bronze armor.

You might even jump back and forth in time as they take care of all the details.

Don't sweat it.

Trading & bartering

If the PCs want a special item for the trip—like bendis root, a nice lantern, or a bronze weapon—they'll need to Trade & Barter. This takes time. If they're in a rush or have other priorities before they leave, this won't be an option. See the Homefront chapter for details.

Gathering information

The PCs might have questions they want or need answered before leaving. They could Know Things ("Has anything like this happened before?") or Seek Insight ("I go down and investigate the scene of the attack").

They might interview an NPC to see what they know, and/or use playbook moves like the Blessed's Call the Spirits.

Reward and encourage research, but keep in mind how long these things take. If they dawdle, tell them the consequences and ask. "Yeah, sure, but it'll take a few hours and the longer you wait, the harder it'll be to follow that trail."

Bringing NPCs and followers

Established followers like the Marshal's crew will usually join an expedition if asked, but they might need convincing if the mission is foolish or against the follower's goals.

Other NPCs might offer to join the PCs, or insist on doing so. If the PCs seek out NPCs to join them, then you might offer an opportunity or maybe introduce someone interesting. They might Know Things ("Do I know anyone who'd come into the Woods with us?") or Seek Insight ("Who here is useful or valuable to me?"), and/or Persuade ("Rheinal, we need your help").

Candidates could also become apparent through a Muster, or organically in play.

As always, follow your principles and your sense of the world. Begin and end with the fiction, but also be a fan of the characters and ask questions and build on the answers. "No, there's no alchemist in town.

But the tanner sure knows their chemics…

what's their name, and how well do you know them?"

If an NPC comes along, and they'll follow the PCs' lead, then write them up as followers with tags, an instinct and cost, HP and damage. Otherwise, just flesh them out as an NPC, in as much or as little detail as you like.

Well-trained beasts (like hounds or the town's horses) also count as followers, but livestock like goats and sheep don't. You can tell a good hound what to do. A goat?

Not so much.

Followers Outfit just like PCs. You decide what other NPCs bring with them, now or later as you see fit.

Putting others to work

Before they go, the PCs might set the townsfolk to work. For example:

They could Muster, getting the town ready for trouble. Have them roll before leaving; they'll need to choose "the muster holds together even without your presence" if they want it to stick while they're gone.

They could Pull Together, having folks repair the granary or prepare fortifications or whatnot. They should commit resources up front, but shouldn't roll until they head home. That way, the players learn the success of the effort at the same time their characters do.

They might set individuals to a task, like searching the Chronicle or keeping an eye on Ergben. They might need to convince the NPC to do it. If the NPC is a follower, the task might trigger a move (like Seek Insight or Defy Danger)—in which case, have the player roll for the follower when the PCs return home, to see how it went. If the NPC isn't a follower, then just decide what happens and reveal it when the PCs return.

Make note of any such projects, so that you don't forget them later.

Miscellaneous

Your players will certainly come up with other things to do before leaving. Follow the fiction and your principles. Zoom in and out as you see fit. Tie their actions back to the townsfolk and ask lots of questions.

If they trigger a move that impacts their preparations or that would be quickly resolved, have them roll it before they leave.

If they trigger a move that takes time to resolve, roll it when they return.

Sometimes, the PCs get into the field and a player realizes that they should have done something before they left.

Let simple things go with, "Yeah, sure, of course." For more involved activities, consider playing it out as a flashback. Frame a scene in the past and play it out normally, with moves and rolls and such. When the scene is done, jump back to "now."

The key thing about flashbacks is that they shouldn't contradict or nullify anything that's happened "on screen" already. For example, if the PCs have already gotten lost trying to follow some tracks, don't let them flashback to borrow a bloodhound.

It's your call whether to allow a flashback, keeping your principles in mind.

When in doubt, ask the table at large for their opinion.

Flashbacks

While out on the bear hunt, Blodwen realizes that she'd really like to have borrowed one of the horse's moves, "Sniff out danger on the wind." She asks if she could have done that.

Blodwen can calm animals with a touch and they generally love her, but these horses are rather nervous, so this isn't a sure thing. I decide to do a flashback: "Okay… it's back this morning, before you all left. You're in the stable, the horses are still sleeping. Which one do you wake up, and how?"

"Oh, Fflur, I think. She's the more sensible. I put my hand on her nose and whisper her name, and offer her a little handful of barley." Fflur munches and nuzzles Blodwen's hand, asking for more. "I need a favor first, old friend. I'm going out in the Wood today, and I could use your sense of smell. Can you lend that to me?"

That's Persuade, but Fflur's instinct is "to panic," so it might not be easy. Blodwen rolls +CHA and gets a 7-9: "Fflur's like, 'But, how will I know if something bad is nearby?' You'll need to give Fflur some concrete assurance."

"Oh, sure. I remind her that she'll be safe in the stable all day, and I weave her a protective talisman. Does that work?" Sure it does. Fflur agrees. Blodwen updates her notes, and we jump back to right now, in the Woods. "I want to sniff the wind for danger," says Blodwen. And away we go!

Running the journey

The PCs have made their preparations.

They're doing this. "We head out," they say.

They're looking at you. Now what?

Break the journey up into points of interest and legs of travel. The points of interest are the landmarks and the spots where you know something interesting will happen. The legs of travel are the paths between those points.

Then, run the game:

1) Establish the situation: they're either on a leg of travel, or they've arrived at a point of interest. Describe the environment, provide details, ask questions, portray characters, etc.

2) Make a soft GM move, especially an exploration move. Maybe your move introduces one of the challenges from Chart a Course.

3) Ask "What do you do?" or otherwise figure out what they're up to.

4) Resolve their actions. If they trigger a player move, do what it says (and see Player moves for player moves specific to expeditions). If they roll a 6- or ignore a threat, make a hard GM move. Otherwise, say what happens.

5) Repeat. Continue to update the situation, make soft GM moves, ask what they do, and resolve their actions until there's nothing interesting left to say or do in the current situation. Then, transition to the next leg of travel or the next point of interest.

Legs of travel

Look at the PCs' route and find the next point of interest—the next landmark or spot where you plan to frame a scene.

Identify the path that the PCs will take to get there. That's the next leg of travel.

If the leg of travel is trivial—uneventful, through familiar terrain, relatively short—then gloss over it. Briefly describe the weather, the route, and how long it takes, then frame a scene at the next point of interest. "You head down the path into the Great Wood. It's a fine, warm day, and in a few minutes you're standing at the Stream."

Otherwise, play out the leg of travel as a situation, one that's mostly handled through loose play. Here's how.

Frame the action

Say where they find themselves, and how long they've been going (minutes, hours, days). "Okay, you head out? A half-hour later, you find yourselves past the Old Wall, stepping onto the West Road. An hour later, you're surrounded by the Flats, Stonetop a blip on the horizon."

Describe the environment

If the leg of travel goes through unfamiliar terrain—an environment that the players have never seen before, or one that has changed significantly since the PCs last came through—then spend some time describing the environment.

Start with the obvious details: the nature of the terrain, its size and scale, the weather, and anything that they couldn't help but notice. Provide up to 3 impressions from different senses: things they see, hear, smell, or feel (physically or emotionally) as they travel. The Book II entries for each region include examples.

Keep your descriptions concise. Players will zone out if you give them too much detail, and they'll ask questions when they want or need more.

If the leg goes through familiar terrain—an environment that the players have seen before—then just describe the current weather and maybe remind them what this terrain is like.

Ask questions

Keep players engaged and create a sense of time passing as they travel by asking lots of questions.

If the leg goes through unfamiliar terrain, then ask the characters questions about the terrain or what it's like to travel through it.

The Book II entries for each region include questions you might ask, and you can always ask questions like:

• What's the most striking thing that you notice about this terrain?
• What is the best/worst/most unexpected thing about this leg of the journey?
• What have you heard about this area?
• When were you here last? How has it changed?
• How are you dealing with the weather?
• What are you looking forward to?
• What are you thinking/worrying about?

If the leg goes through familiar terrain, you should still ask questions, but focus those questions on the weather, or what the PCs are thinking or talking about. Or suggest that they Keep Company, and let them ask questions of each other.

Portray NPCs

If there are any NPCs on the journey, describe what they're up to, what they're talking about, how they're reacting to this leg of travel. Maybe ask players what they have their followers doing, or how they think their followers act.

Add details, answer questions, clarify the situation

Elaborate on the situation as much or as little as your players' interest demands. If they're engaged and enjoying themselves, asking questions and offering more details, then let things breathe and spend some time just talking about the leg of travel.

Likewise, if there's confusion or disagreement about what's going on, try to clarify and get everyone on the same page.

Make a soft GM move

Once the situation is well-established, and you feel like it's time to nudge things along, make a soft GM move.

• Present a challenge you listed when they Charted a Course
• Present an encounter from your prep, or from the setting guide
• Have an NPC or follower get into or start some trouble
• Stir up conflict between the PCs
• Offer them an opportunity to do something as they travel, or else to arrive at the next point of interest.

Your exploration moves will be particularly useful here.

You might stay in loose play and make your move while still zoomed out. "Dark clouds start to loom and you can tell that a storm's brewing. Do you want to press on or seek shelter?"

Or you might zoom in, frame a little scene and make your move there. "A few hours later, your hound starts barking for you to follow him. When you catch up, he's in a clearing with a torn-up carcass, crows pecking at it. A wisent, probably, and pretty fresh. What do you do?"

Resolve their actions

Ask them what they do. If they trigger a player move, resolve it. If they roll a 6-, or if they ignore an established threat, then make a hard GM move. Otherwise, say what happens.

A player's action might prompt you to zoom in and frame a scene (if you haven't already). Great! You're in a scene now.

See Player moves for player moves that the PCs are likely to use while traveling.

Repeat

Have you zoomed in and framed a scene?

Cool. Play out the scene—establishing the situation, making soft GM moves, asking "what do you do?" and resolving their actions—until the scene is finished. Then move on to the next scene or situation, or zoom back out to loose play and resolve what's left of this leg of travel.

Is there still more to do in this leg of travel? Like, another challenge for you to present or another encounter to present?

Make a soft GM move to introduce it, then resolve their actions, and see where that leaves you.

When there's nothing left of interest to say or do on this leg of travel, then briefly describe the rest of it—the weather, the terrain, how long it takes—and frame a scene at the next point of interest.

Points of interest

A point of interest is either...

• a landmark that has not yet been seen in play (or that has changed since the PCs' last visit);
• a specific place where you plan to frame a scene and make a GM move; or
• the journey's destination.

So, the first time the PCs ford the Stream "on screen," it's a point of interest. After that, it's only a point of interest if something significant has changed or if you plan to do something there like have the PCs encounter the Quiet Twins.

Some points of interest will be obvious and known in advance; others will be surprises.

You can prep them between sessions or decide on the next point when the PCs head out from the current one. You can even add a point on the fly, in the midst of a leg, often in response to a player move.

If you want inspiration, refer to Book II.

Use the "terrain" or "discovery" sections for the region through which the PCs travel, and/or the "sites" section for whatever group or power is relevant.

Frame the action

Establish the PCs arriving at the point of interest. Say when they get there. Zoom in, make it a scene.

Normally, you'll frame the scene with the PCs at the point of interest, having already arrived. But if you want to build tension—because you know there's danger lurking, or you want them to feel like there is—then frame the scene with the location in sight but still at a distance. Then watch the players get all twitchy and suspicious.

Describe the environment

If this place is unfamiliar to the players, then describe it. What makes it distinct from the surrounding terrain? What are its obvious, defining features? Provide up to 3 impressions using different senses (see the entries in Book II for ideas). Add more details as they become relevant.

Pick impressions and details that matter:

• Any scene: light, visibility, space, anything constant and unignorable (wind, rain, heat, cold, sound of a stream, etc.).
• Social scenes: the people present, details that reflect their physical or emotional state, their attitudes, the "feel" of the place.
• Exploration scenes: footing, line of sight, likely paths, details that tell the place's story and reflect what has happened here.
• Action scenes: dangers of course, but also footing, clearance, distance, obstacles, line of sight, relative positions, momentum, things to knock over/fall from/burn, etc.

If the PCs know this place, because they've been here before "off screen" or because they picked the spot themselves, then consider asking them to provide some of these details. "Vahid, you've been to this pool before. What's it like?"

If this place is familiar to the players, then just remind them what it's like and point out anything that's changed since the last time they visited it in play.

Ask questions

If this is the first time the players visit a known landmark in play (like the Stream or the Crossroads), ask the characters questions about the place. The Book II entries for each locale include questions you might ask, and you can always ask questions like:

• What's the most striking thing that you notice about this place?
• What here tells you that this is a place where/of/that __?
• What have you heard about this place?
• When were you here last? How has it changed?
• How does this place make you feel?
• What are you thinking/worrying about?

Build on the answers they give you, reincorporating them into the fiction and asking follow-up questions as they occur to you. Take notes, and call back to these details later in play.

Portray NPCs

If there are any NPCs on the journey, ask yourself how they'd react to this place.

Drop this into your descriptions to remind the players (and yourself) that they're here.

Maybe get ready to make a soft GM move with (or against) an NPC.

Add details, answer questions, clarify the scene

Flesh out the scene as much as you need to, in response to player questions or PC actions. Draw a quick map or picture if you think it will help. Figure out who's where and doing what. If there's confusion or disagreement about what's going on, try to get everyone on the same page.

Make a soft GM move

If you zoomed in on this place solely because it's a landmark that hasn't been seen on screen before, and you don't really have anything else to do here, then just offer them an opportunity. "Okay, does anyone want to have a conversation in-character? Or do something else here? Or do you move on?"

Otherwise, make a soft GM move. Say something that provokes the PCs to act and/or that increases tension. Your exploration moves (next page) will be particularly useful here.

Resolve their actions, repeat

Play out the scene. Ask them what they do.

Resolve their actions. Establish how the scene and the situation has changed. Repeat, moving the spotlight around between PCs. Play to find out what happens.

If this point of interest is their destination, or if things have taken a dramatic turn, then this scene might roll into another scene, and another. Great! The journey is over, at least for now.

When the party decides to move on, figure out what their next point of interest is, what the next leg of travel is to get there, and frame the action on that leg of travel.

If they decide to go home.

Exploration moves

Add these to your arsenal of GM moves once the players leave town and head into the wider world. These same moves get used when exploring sites, but here, we'll discuss how to use them as part of a journey.

Your exploration moves are:

• Provide a choice of paths
• Hint at more than meets the eye
• Offer riches at a price
• Present a discovery
• Point to a looming danger
• Introduce a danger, person, or faction
• Bar the way

Provide a choice of paths

Present the proverbial fork in the road and ask them which way they go. There might be other paths, and they might do something different, but you're presenting the obvious options and prompting them to choose.

Try to give them some indication of how the options are different. Otherwise, their choice isn't meaningful.

The available paths don't have to be literal paths, or they don't both have to be. For example, the choice could be between stopping and exploring this ruin, or pressing on towards their destination.

As a hard move, provide a choice between paths that they don't want to take.

"The cave is maybe 30 or 40 paces off to your right, no sign of movement around it. But, Blodwen, you spot tracks in the snow. Big ones, leading from the cave and off to your left. What do you do?"

"Okay, the sleds are loaded. Are you going to head back the way you came? The crinwin will almost certainly notice you if you do. Or you could cut deeper into the Woods and try to circle around them, but that'll take longer. What do you do?"

"As hard as you push yourselves, by the time the sun's almost set, you're still a good half-hour away from town, maybe more. Do you press on, traveling in the dark? Or do you start looking for some place to spend the night out here?"

Hint at more than meets the eye

Drop a hint that there's something interesting here, a discovery to be discovered or a lie to be uncovered. This move often spurs the players to Seek Insight or Know Things or otherwise look closer.

To make this move, point out something out of place or something fraught with meaning, but don't say what it means. Be a little coy about it. It's a hint, not an announcement.

"Blodwen, while Rhianna and her crew are butchering the bear, you get this... feeling. Like, sort of a chill, and not just from the cold. You think you're being watched. What do you do?"

"Vahid, as you watch the crinwin flee, you realize that they all headed for this great big redwood pine, maybe fifty paces away. Just the sort of tree where they'd nest. Everyone else is catching their breath and wiping off crinwin blood. What do you do?"

Offer riches at a price

Show them something valuable, but costly or difficult to get. Then sit back and see if they think it's worth it.

Consider "riches" to be anything the PCs would consider valuable. That could be actual riches, or just some sort of supply or resource they desperately need. And consider "price" to be any sort of cost: time or safety, effort or attention or retribution.

As a hard move, offer something that you know one of the PCs (or NPCs) on the journey really wants, but in a way that would derail or jeopardize the overall expedition.

Bonus points if the opportunity is fleeting, increasing the pressure to go after it.

"Rhianna, while they're butchering the bear by the stream, Lowri calls you over and points out a huge set of hoof prints. 'Ceirwmawr, I'm sure of it. Fresh, too.' His eyes gaze off deeper into the Wood. 'It'd be a feat to sing of, that's for sure. Not to mention a whole lotta meat.' What do you do?"

"You know, if that is a crinwin nest— and it sure looks like one—there's probably all sorts of stolen stuff up there. Like, all the things they've swiped from people this past year. Maybe even your grandmother's ring, Caradoc. What do you do?"

Present a discovery

Discoveries are interesting things that the PCs find but that aren't inherently or immediately dangerous. They might be useful or valuable, or just something mysterious that's worth investigating. See the Discoveries chapter, starting on Discoveries.

When you make this move, you just put the discovery in front them. Describe it, tell them what they see/hear/smell/feel, what (if anything) it does. Make it clear that this is something of note. What they do next is up to them.

"Blodwen, while you and Vahid wait for the others, the wind picks up and starts tossing puffs of snow about. But then you realize that, no, those puffs are a little too intentional, and you hear—no, more like sense—a laughter in the wind. There's a wind spirit flitting about. What do you do?"

"Yeah, Vahid, now that you're closer, and looking up at it, you can see that it's definitely a nest. A papery thing, like a wasp nest, but way, way bigger. This must be what the crinwin live in. What do you do?"

Point to a looming danger

This is the claw-print in the mud, the wolves howling in the distance. This is the piles of sticks, strangely neat and tidy, sure sign that a hagr dwells nearby.

Use this move to foreshadow future dangers, to make the PCs nervous and to prompt them to investigate or take precautions. Or flee. They could also flee.

Here's a good twist on this move: instead of telling them what they find, ask them what they find that tells them __ is afoot.

You can also ask a question that gets them thinking about the danger without revealing any specific sign of it. Like, "Caradoc, what sort of experience do you have with feathered drakes?" Or, "Vahid, what have you heard about the nosgolau, the nightlights that are said to haunt the Flats and lure travelers off the road?"

"Rhianna, you've all been quietly trudging for a couple hours through the snow when the hair on the back of your neck stands on end. What do you see or hear that tells you that you've entered crinwin territory?"

"Blodwen, as you sniff the air, you catch the unmistakable scent of a predator, one of the bears, you're sure of it. And not coming from the cave… it's coming from the east, towards the Stream. What do you do?"

Introduce a danger, person, or faction

With this move, you're putting a danger on screen. You're not pointing to it, it's not looming, it's here, what do you do?

Alternately, you're introducing an NPC and giving the PCs a chance to interact with them. Or, you're revealing that there's a subset of creatures or people that they didn't know about before: different strains of crinwin, a cult within the Hillfolk, rivalries and allegiances among the Fae, etc.

As a hard move, you'll often introduce a danger by jumping straight into a fight or action scene. A stealthy foe or a hidden hazard might even attack and deal damage before the PCs can react!

"Okay, so you all creep towards the Stream. You hear the rush of water, and then you see it. It's huge, like a horse but stouter, pacing back and forth at an opening in the ice. Its snout darts into the water and pops up with one of those silvery, scaly slug-things that you sometimes see in the Stream, and it just gobbles it down. Ugh. What do you do?"

"Crunch crunch squeak. Huff huff huff. Crunch squeak. Rhianna, it takes you a bit to realize it, but you're hearing footsteps in the snow, and heavy breathing, and scrapes of the sleds… from the party, of course, but also coming from up in the trees, all around you. And just as you realize that, Eira pulls back on her bow and shoots. 'Crinwin!' she yells!"

"They're all gazing up at that nest, Caradoc, when you notice a pair of big pale eyes watching you from behind a tree at ground level. As soon as you register what you're seeing, the eyes are gone, and there's a scurrying up the tree. Then those eyes poke out, looking down at you. It seems… different… than the others. Curious, rather than angry.

"What do you do?"

Bar the way

They encounter an obstacle, or hit a dead end, or discover they lack something needed to move ahead. They've got to find a way through, or over, or to backtrack and find a way around.

Describe what's barring the way forward, and maybe give an option or two for what they could do instead.

"It's just not going to happen, Caradoc. You can barely scale the bluff yourself, and don't see any way to drag those sleds up here laden with bear meat. And it's not like there's anything up on the Flats for you to tie a rope around, either."

"You drag the sleds northeast but, shortly past the Stream, the drifts get much deeper. It'd be grueling to wade through and there's no way you'd get home by dark. Looks like the only path left is back through crinwin territory. What do you do?"

Use other moves, too!

Just to be clear: you can and should use your standard GM moves while the PCs are on a journey. Ask provocative questions ("what's your crew doing to get on your nerves?"), demonstrate downsides ("you're falling behind under all that gear"), separate them ("down the hill you go"), use up their resources ("expend 3 uses of supplies each, or 3 total if you use a mess kit"), tell them the consequences/requirements ("you need fire to use a mess kit, but a fire will draw attention from the crinwin"), and so forth.

Resolving Chart a Course

When the PCs Charted a Course, you gave them a list of requirements and challenges.

Requirements

Hopefully, they addressed the requirements (like "You'll need to bring __" or "You need a knowledgeable guide") before they left. If they didn't, tell them the consequences of not being prepared. If they persist, either bar the way or add some extra challenges to your list.

Once they're in the field, make soft GM moves that threaten the things they need, and/or to show their downsides. Put the guide in danger. Describe how loud the horse and cart are or how heavy the firewood is.

When it's time to make a hard GM move, consider targeting these same resources.

What do they do when their guide is injured, or the horse runs off in a panic?

If they no longer have what they need for the journey, make them feel it. Show the downsides or tell them the consequences or just bar the way, and see how they cope.

Presenting challenges

Once the PCs head out on the journey, you need to present the challenges that you warned them about, plus any others that they couldn't have seen coming. That includes both surprises that you've prepped in advance, or things that arise naturally from the fiction or the dice.

As you resolve a leg of travel, ask yourself whether this is a good place to introduce a challenge. Likewise, as you pick points of interest, pick spots where you can introduce a challenge.

You can also introduce a challenge after you've framed a scene for any reason, often in response to a PC's move.

Usually: introduce a challenge by making a soft GM move. Ask the PCs what they do and resolve their actions. Repeat as needed.

The PCs might overcome the challenge quickly and easily or things might snowball into a steaming mess. Follow the core loop and play to find out what happens. When the situation is resolved, move on to the next one.

If you introduce a challenge in response to a 6- on a PC move, then feel free to drop them right into the thick of it. If someone gets a 6- to Forage and one of the challenges is "you risk getting lost," then you can just have them get lost as your hard move. You don't have to threaten them with getting lost, first. They're lost!

Present each challenge only once. After the party deals with it, then tick that challenge off your list. Present a different challenge, or the next point of interest, or the next leg of travel, or have them arrive at their destination.

With that said: a challenge that they've addressed could come back to haunt them if they make poor decisions or if the dice don't go their way. Yeah, they might have

Struggled as One to handle the treacherous mire of Ferrier's Fen, but they're still in the fen! A 6- on a future roll could still send someone plunging into the water, and running off blindly into the mists is still a good way to get drowned.

The PCs are en route to Three Coven Lake from Marshedge. Their current leg of travel has them following the Sruth into the Steplands. This seems like a good time to add a challenge: "the terrain is treacherous."

I keep things zoomed out and tell them the consequences. "The rain has made the soil loose and muddy. If you stick to the river, you'll be Struggling as One, risking a fall or even a mudslide. What do you do?"

Rhianna uses her Read the Land move, asking for the best way through. I improvise, saying that the southern slopes look a bit rockier and more stable. She leads them that way and gets advantage on her Struggle as One roll. Good thing, too, because Caradoc and Vahid both roll a 6-, getting caught in a mudslide. Rhianna uses her 10+ result to rescue Vahid (yanking him back from the scarp), but Caradoc is in trouble and starts to get swept away down the slope!

We zoom in and play out the scene. Caradoc barely manages to save himself, taking some damage, getting very muddy, and losing all his supplies in the process. They take a brief rest and press on.

"The way is perilous, filled with dangers"

This isn't a specific challenge, it's more of an ongoing threat. Save it for truly dangerous legs of travel: Ferrier's Fen, the Steplands near the lakes, the Labyrinth, etc.

On each leg of perilous travel, and each time they Make Camp in a perilous area, point to a looming danger or introduce a danger that's already been established. Then see how they respond.

For their next point of interest, I pick a spot where I can introduce another challenge: a valley where three tributaries of the Sruth come together, and they risk picking the wrong one and getting lost. I frame a scene with them overlooking the valley, describe the environment, and introduce the danger. "It's not clear from here which one leads to Three Coven Lake. Pick wrong and you'll end up lost or at least wasting lots of time. What do you do?" Vahid Knows Things (recalling his previous wanderings in these parts) and gets an 11. I reveal that they want the southern fork. Huzzah!

Their next point of interest will be wherever they Make Camp, and this leg is just more rugged, muddy hills as they follow the tributary. They've already dealt with the treacherous terrain, but I also said that the way will be grueling. So, I present a choice of paths. "Rhianna, you're humping up the twentieth slope today, and it's just a wet slog. You've got a few hours of light left. Do you want press on and Struggle as One with CON? Or look for a place to camp, maybe hunt a bit?" They opt to stop and Forage Deprivation, but get a 6-. This area is perilous, so I aggressively introduce a danger. A Hillfolk ambush it is!

If you like, have them roll the Die of Fate.

Weather

The weather is an important part of any journey. It colors the whole trip and can be a challenge all by itself.

You decide when it rains and when the sun shines, based on your agenda and principles but also on your sense of theme and story. Include the weather when you describe the environment ("It's a chilly morning, a thin fog blanketing the land") and invoke the weather with your GM moves. Announce trouble by describing how the wind picks up and the canopy sways and the sky goes dark. Bar the way with a blizzard. Separate them in the fog.

If you want, let the Die of Fate guide your choices. For example, you could ask the players what sort of weather they hope for, then have them roll a d6 to see how well fate complies. If they're sneaking into a mercenary camp in winter, they might hope for winds and snow to hide their approach. On a 1 or 2, nope, it's a clear, still night with a bright moon, so cold that every step squeaks. On a 3 or 4, there's a driving wind or a gentle snow. On a 5 or 6, yeah, just what they wanted.

Another way to use the Die of Fate is with preset results, based on the season. Here are some general tables that do just that.

Use these as-is, or make your own for specific locales and specific seasons, informed by the most recent Seasons Change move.

late winter/early spring

Weather tables

spring/early summer

Player moves

These moves become relevant while the PCs are on an expedition.

Loot, load, and inventory

If a PC or follower acquires something in the field (like loot) and wants to bring it along, they have to add it to their inventory.

Small items (things that could fit in a pocket, purse, or boot with room to spare) don't count against a character's load. The player can just add it to the Small items section of their Inventory sheet. There's no hard limit on how many small items they can carry, but you can call shenanigans if you think they're being unreasonable.

Items with a or ◇◇◇ count towards a character's load. Remember: 3 ◇ or less is a light load, 4-6 ◇ is normal, and 7-9 ◇ is a heavy load. They can drop (or give away) items from their inventory to make space, or they can discard (or give away) undefined ◇.

If they want to carry 10 ◇ or more, or something very heavy/awkward (like an unconscious ally or a loaded sled), then not only will they be slow and noisy, but they'll also risk exhaustion, accident, and/or injury.

Tell them the consequences, then continue to make it a significant part of the fiction and your moves.

Ask questions about the stuff they produce.

"What kind of food did you bring?" "Who did you get that from?" "What made you think to bring that?" You're not (usually) trying to challenge their decisions; these questions provide texture and help you portray a rich and fantastic world.

They creep up towards the cave entrance, and peer in. "It's really dark in there," I say. "Are you going in blind, or what?"

Caradoc says, "I'll use my lantern!" It's not a standard thing on the Inventory sheet, but it is one of his special possessions (a gift from Sawyl), so he can produce it with this move. He moves a ◇ from "undefined" to the slot with " Sawyl's lantern," then says ◇ he'll light it. "You have a tinderbox?" He doesn't, but it's an option in the Small items section of his Inventory sheet. He moves a mark from his undefined small items to the tinderbox, uses the tinderbox to light the lantern, and hands it over to Blodwen, so that he can wield his shield and spear. (Technically, she should now add it to her sheet and maybe give Caradoc one of her undefined ◇ , but we all expect this to be temporary so we just ignore it for now.)

"Okay," I say, as they leave for Marshedge. "The first two days pass without incident. You find yourselves making camp, just before dark, at the wayside near Titan Bones. Mark off two uses of supplies each, or 4 total if someone has a mess kit."

They look at each other, and realize that no one has supplies in their Inventory, or a mess kit. "Well, you can Have What You Need for supplies and a mess kit. One diamond of supplies gives you 4 uses, and the mess kit is one diamond itself."

The "veto" clause in the move is there to maintain plausibility. It means that you can say "no" when a player decides they've been wearing a bunch of mummer's bells while they've been sneaking through a silent ruin. It also means you can reveal an unwelcome truth when appropriate, and "Andras has the mess kit," says Rhianna. "He insisted on coming, he can do the cooking." She moves one of his undefined ◇ to a slot on the follower sheet, writing in "mess kit."

"Okay. I've got the supplies," says Caradoc. He erases an undefined ◇ . He's about to mark one by "Supplies," but realizes that he's going to expend all 4 uses, so he doesn't bother. "Hey… it says here that a mess kit requires fire and water. Does that mean we need to provide firewood, too?"

"Not necessarily," says Vahid. "We established that merchants usually stock the waysides with wood and dried dung for fires. Sort of a leave-a-penny, take-a-penny thing. And the waysides all have wells." I agree… they've got fire and water covered.

"Hmm," says Rhianna. "Two days used up 4 supplies. We've got another eight days ahead of us… so that's 16 more uses of supplies. Or four more diamonds." She, Blodwen, Vahid, and Andras each convert one of their undefined ◇ into supplies.

"What sort of food are you carrying, mostly?" I ask.

"Well," says Rhianna, "It'd have to be something lightweight, enough to fill bellies, but only when cooked. Hmm. Looks like we're eating oatmeal, kids."

say things like "Wait, a clay pot? Didn't you tumble down a rocky slope earlier? I don't think anything fragile like that would have survived."

One of Rhianna's crew just came back with a rusty spade and Rhianna's sure of it—this is crinwin territory. They hope to sneak through and avoid a fight, kill the bears, then find a way up the bluffs and head home via the Flats.

"So, you're being sneaky?" I ask. "Sounds like you're Struggling as One, and the danger is that the crinwin notice you. What does this look like? Are you all together, or spread out, or what?"

"We go single-file, weapons out," says Rhianna. "Just a couple paces between us. Lowri scouts ahead, he's got the sharpest eyes. I'll go next, and you three follow me. Step where I step. The rest of my crew will bring up the rear. I'll look for the firmest ground, least likely to make noise. There's no point in hiding… we'll just have to move quietly and hope that no one's watching."

Okay! I tell Rhianna she can roll +INT or +WIS, since she's looking for the firmest and quietest path, but everyone else will be rolling +DEX to follow her steps. Rhianna's crew rolls +1 (they're stealthy), but Andras rolls +0 because none of his tags apply. The dice hit the table.

"Okay, anyone get a 6 or less?" Vahid did. "Okay, cool. Don't mark XP just yet. Let's see… oh, yeah. All that weird gear you carry, because of Magpie? It's not stowed right for this stealthy stuff. You're snagged on something and if you try to move, it's going to fall and make a lot of noise. What do you think it is?"

"Marbles," says Vahid. "I've got a big pouch of them." He moves an undefined mark on his Inventory sheet to a slot and writes in "pouch of marbles."

"Why do you… no, never mind. That pouch is now snagged on a branch, suspended like this, and one of the marbles fell out, hit a rock. CLINK! Everyone's stopped, holding their breath. If you shift even a little, it'll spill open and make a ton of noise. Anyone got a 10+, able to help him out?"

Rhianna does. "Any sign of crinwin? Like, did they hear that clink?"

"Yeah," I say. "It's painfully quiet. You're all stock still, not even breathing, and you then you hear it. 'Clink! Clink! Clink clink CLINK!' in the distance. Crinwin, mimicking the sound. A way off, but maybe getting closer? What do you do?"

"I motion for everyone to be still, then I take that rusty spade we found and I hurl it behind us, north and east. I'm hoping it'll hit a tree and draw their attention while we skedaddle. Yeah?"

"Smart. Sounds like you're Defying Danger with INT?"

"I got a 10+ on my Struggle Together. Doesn't that mean I can just do it?"

"Oh, right, sorry. Yeah, it's like you say… you throw the spade, hurl it maybe 30, 40 paces away. It ricochets off a tree, PING. And then the crinwin start going 'PING! PING!' and you can tell they're moving in that direction. What do you do?"

"I slip back to Vahid, unsnag his pouch, give him a dirty look, and we get out of here."

"Cool! Okay, off you go. And, Blodwen, what was racing through you mind during all of that?"

The PCs have put fire to the crinwin nest and started heading back toward Stonetop. I tell them the requirements. "Between the fight, and the nest, and the bears… it's getting late. If you want to get home before dark, you're going to have to Struggle as One. The danger is that you exhaust yourselves, or take too long, or run into something else out here. How do you do this?"

"Let's put two people on each sled and haul ass. Vahid, Caradoc, and I will each take one, pared up with one of my crew. Blodwen, you take point with Eira and Lowri, keep us going the right direction and watch for trouble. Yeah?"

Everyone agrees. "Blodwen, you'll be rolling WIS. Everyone else, I think either STR or CON, your choice. Vahid, you've got a heavy load, so roll with disadvantage. Rhianna, your crew isn't hardy or athletic or the like, right? So I think they're +0?"

"Really? Lowri and Eira are navigating and watching for trouble. And they're all Woods-wise." That works for me, so, sure, they roll +1.

Everyone rolls. Vahid and Caradoc both get a 6-. I could put Vahid and Caradoc in a spot together, but I feel like spreading it out.

"Vahid, you're hauling, hauling, hauling, right? Your nose is running, your eyes are watering, your lungs are burning. When was the last time you worked this hard for this long?"

"Oh, I pull my weight around the village," he says. "It's not a matter of hard work, it's the damn cold that's doing it to me. My lungs are just raw."

"Sure, cool. Anyhow, you start stumbling. You get up each time, but you and Andras are falling behind. Does anyone have a 10+ and a way to help them out?"

Rhianna does. "I curse a little, then tell Lowri to take over for Vahid. And I have Eira to take over for me. We'll rotate through, every ten minutes or so, two people get a breather."

That takes care of Vahid, but Caradoc still has a 6-. "Okay, you rotate like, three times, pacing yourselves but making progress. Then, Caradoc, there's a lurch on your sled. And a grinding sound. Something tears. Vahid, you see that they've hit a log, buried in the snow. A branch snagged the sled, and the whole thing is stuck. Anyone else got a 10+?" They all look around, but no one does. Blodwen and Rhianna's crew both got 7-9s. "Okay, Caradoc, mark XP. What do you all do?"

And we play out the scene from there.

Vahid, Caradoc, Blodwen, and Rhianna make camp near Titan Bones. They've got Andras with them, but left the rest of Rhianna's crew behind. After handling the logistics, I propose that we Keep Company and everyone agrees. "Okay, who wants to ask the first question?"

Rhianna goes first. "Andras, what do you do that's endearing?" Andras is a follower, so it's my job to answer. "I think, mostly, he's just being competent and helpful and doesn't need to be told to do anything. He's come a long way since you first took him under your wing. And maybe, too, the way he's mooning over Blodwen. It's pretty cute."

That makes me wonder how Blodwen will react, so I take my turn. "Blodwen, what is Andras doing that you find annoying or endearing?" (Notice how I didn't choose one or the other; I'm genuinely curious how she feels about him.) She thinks about it a bit and says that she keeps catching him looking at her, then pretending he isn't. He's been doing it most of the trip." "Is that annoying?" I ask, "Or endearing?"

"Annoying," she says. "Even though I'm doing the same thing to Caradoc." Oh? Oh!

I ask Blodwen to go next. "Caradoc, who or what do you seem to be thinking about?" As if she needs to ask. "Morwenna," he says. "Definitely Morwenna." I ask how we can tell and he's like "Oh, I'm just sitting here moping, the cloak she made for me pulled tight. I'm kind of fingering the hem and staring off into space." He gives a longing sigh.

I ask Blodwen how she reacts. She goes over and gives him a bowl of porridge. "Want to talk about it?" she asks.

"No," he sighs. But then he blurts out "I mean, what am I supposed to do? Just stay home and do nothing when there's danger afoot? Let other people take care of it? Like, Rhianna? Or, like, like you? Gods, I thought women wanted someone brave and tough and all that. But no, not Morwenna. She just wants me to stay home and dig in the dirt."

"Ain't nothing wrong with staying home and tilling the earth," Rhianna says under her breath. (I shoot her player a little grin.)

The scene plays out, with Andras looking a bit sullen. Rhianna uses Take the Measure to ask if she can trust him to keep things professional, and I'm like "For now, yeah."

Vahid hasn't asked a question, so he goes. "I sit down next to Rhianna and offer her a smoke. What new thing do you reveal about yourself? I'm interested in that comment, about staying home and tilling the earth."

Rhianna's always cagey about her past, and I half-expect her to cop out and say something like "Nothing. I tell everyone to shut up and get some sleep." But out here, without most of her crew around, she opens up a bit. "I was betrothed, once," she says. "To a boy named… Urien. He was a farmer's son. Worthless with a spear, but gentle and good with animals. You'd have liked him, Blodwen." Vahid asks what happened and she sighs and shakes her head. "Got sick. Caught the fever in late autumn, was dead by winter." She gives a little smile. "Life sucks, then you die. Grab onto the ones you got." And then she's like, "I'm looking straight at Caradoc when I say this."

"What?" he says, acting like he doesn't get it.

Deprivation

If PCs don't get food, drink, or rest, then at first the only consequence is that they don't get to make a choice when they Make Camp. But the longer they go with insufficient food, water, or rest, the more danger they're in. Start by asking them to Defy Danger (the danger being their hunger, thirst, or exhaustion). Escalate with a debility, then more debilities.

Make increasingly aggressive GM moves (tell them the requirements or consequences, show downsides, reveal unwelcome truths, etc.) as they endure more deprivation. Use the GM moves for afflictions. Between sessions, write up their deprivation as a threat.

The party is en route to Marshedge in early summer. The first two days were uneventful, but this is the first time we've seen Titan Bones on screen, and there's danger there, so I've zoomed in and they're Making Camp. We've already decided that they're making porridge with a mess kit, using fuel left in the wayside's common supplies. "But just enough to cook with," says Rhianna. "It's plenty warm. No need to announce our presence." They set a watch order.

"Are you doing anything to prepare for the nosgolau?" I ask. Vahid rigs up some twine strung with little bells, propped up on blocks of firewood. "If anyone wanders off, they'll trip the wire and wake the rest of us." Nice.

We use the Keep Company move, and there's some delightful teen drama.

They settle in to sleep and I have to decide if and when the nosgolau show up. I'm pretty sure that they will. I ask Blodwen to roll the Die of Fate to see which watch they appear in, and I figure if she gets a 6 then I'll let them off easy. But, no, she rolls a 2. Vahid's shift.

I ask Vahid what he does to keep awake, and what he's thinking about, and then I introduce a danger. "Like an hour into your watch, you realize you're watching this light off in the distance, up on Titan Bones. And then it's closer, and you hear a whisper, someone calling your name. Someone who probably isn't there, but who you feel compelled to go to. Who is it?" Vahid says it's Isra, his best friend from long, long ago. There's a custom move for this, so I have Vahid roll +WIS and surprise, surprise, things don't go so well…

After a week on the road, mishap and misadventure have depleted the party's supplies. They're all out, and still a couple days from Marshedge. Rhianna goes a-hunting, bringing Andras with her.

"Are you, like, hunting game? Looking for plants to eat? What's the plan?"

"Hunting game. This is what we do back home for a living." Sure, of course. She rolls (with Aid from Andras) and gets a 10. They roll a 3 for provisions, and decide to avoid danger or risk.

"Well, that's not great. What do you think you brought down?"

"Probably just some birds," says Rhianna. "Maybe a few mourning doves?"

Works for me.

Meanwhile, Blodwen and Caradoc are foraging near the road, looking for edible plants and the like. Caradoc is Aiding; Blodwen rolls +WIS and gets an 8. They roll the d6, for 2 uses of provisions.

That's a small number, but Blodwen's trying to impress Caradoc. "What's the danger or challenge?" she asks.

"Hmm. Blodwen, on a hunch, you follow a swath of wildflowers up and around a curve in a hill, and there, coming from a dead old tree still gripping the side of the hill, there's a big buzzing sound. Bees! There's lots of honey in there, for sure, 2 uses of provisions, but you'll have to get it out. That's your challenge. Or you can turn around and go home safely but emptyhanded. What do you do?"

Later, after resupplying in Marshedge and heading out towards Three Coven Lake, they once again find themselves short on food. Rhianna takes Andras hunting again, but the rest of them stay at camp. They're well off the roads, now, and don't want to take chances.

Rhianna and Andras roll to Forage and, alas, they get a 5. The party's getting close to Three Coven Lake, less than a day away (not that they know that). My notes include a run-in with Hillfolk who are devoted to keeping people away from the lake, and this seems like a good time to spring it.

"Okay, it's a dreary, miserable day, but at least it's no longer raining. Rhianna, you and Andras have tracked a big old ram through the hills for a bit, and you finally brought it down while it was drinking from the stream. There's plenty of meat for the taking, like maybe 8 provisions worth? Andras has gone down to butcher the thing while you keep lookout."

That's just me setting the scene. Now I use the Hillfolk's monster move, outmaneuver their prey, and I go hard. "You're scanning the hills around you, and then, like, out of nowhere, there's a mounted warrior on one of the peaks. A Hillfolk. He whistles, and as he does, you realize the trick—he's a distraction! You see Andras look up, too, and right then, an arrow comes from out of nowhere and tags him for 1d8 damage. Is he still up? Okay, cool, I think it took him in the leg, he's down and grabbing at it and his eyes are darting about in a panic, what do you do?"

Going home

The PCs will eventually turn back and head for home. Now what?

The return journey

In general, gloss over the trip home. The points of interest that you described on the way out probably haven't changed much.

The party already faced the challenges you established when they Charted a Course.

The trip home might still be long, and grueling, and even dangerous, but unless there's something new, just handwave most of the journey.

The trip home is a time to ruminate and consider. Describe the journey at a high level, maybe asking the characters some questions. "Vahid, what part of that Green Lord's tomb do you keep thinking about?"

"Blodwen, how are you feeling about Danu right now?" "Rhianna, Caradoc... what are you going to tell Wynfor's mom?"

Suggest that the group Keep Company. It's a great way to explore how the expedition has affected the PCs and their relationships. It also adds a sense of time passing.

If the party wraps up an expedition at or near the end of a session, then you might even skip the return trip entirely. Take care of any bookkeeping that would happen when they arrived home, either now or between sessions. Then start the next session with the PCs already at home, maybe with some time having passed. Some love letters can be useful here!

Sometimes, though, returning home is as much of an adventure as the initial journey, maybe moreso. If the PCs…

• bring something/someone back that makes the trip more difficult or dangerous (like a few sleds full of bear meat or a pampered, whinging minstrel);
• are lost, badly injured, out of supplies, or hunted;
• are racing to get home before something bad happens; or
• return home by a different route, with new challenges and points of interest…
• then Chart a Course back to Stonetop and play out the trip home just like you resolved the initial journey.

Arriving home

Before the PCs arrive home, consider:

• How long have they been gone, and how has their absence been felt?
• If they suffered casualties, who back home will be most affected or upset?
• What have folks back home been up to?
• If the PCs Requisitioned any assets, how has that impacted the village?
• Did any threats advance towards their impending dooms?
• Are the PCs Returning Triumphant, or could they with some effort?
• Could the PCs' return cause panic or reveal calamity, triggering Meet With Disaster?

Think about how you'll reveal the answers to these questions in play. Make yourself a to-do list. Then play out the PCs' return home and any scenes that naturally follow.

See Aftermath in the Homefront chapter for full details.

What if they… don't?

It's possible that the PCs might not want to return home. They might want to continue exploring an area, or resettle in a different town, or just leave and never come back.

To help prevent this, remember to bring it home. While the PCs are on an expedition, ask about NPCs that they care about. Remind them of their responsibilities back home.

Ask them who or what they miss the most out here. Do this consistently, so that the PCs feel connected to the village. Returning home will feel like the obvious thing to do.

If they consider staying in the field, remind them of the consequences.

Folks might assume that the PCs are dead, their jobs will go undone, lesscompetent folks might take charge, etc. Practically, the PCs won't be able to Outfit without access to a friendly town, or Level Up without at least a temporary home base.

That said, it's not your job to force them home, it's your job to play to find out what happens. Sometimes it makes sense for some or all of the PCs to stay in the field (for example, to unite the Hillfolk against the southern slavers) or to leave town for good (because, say, the Seeker has become a liability). This might mean the end of the campaign, or the end of a particular PC's story. But it might also mean some significant change to how the game plays. See Shake-ups for ideas.

What to prep

If you know that an expedition is in the PCs' future, there's plenty you can prepare in advance. You don't need to prepare these things, but prep can help make the journey go more smoothly in play.

First, chart the course. Look at where they're going, their likely route(s), and make your choices for the Chart a Course move. Write them down with little check boxes next to them, so you can tick them off as you present them in play.

Next, draw a map of the route that you expect them to take or the area you expect them to traverse. Grab a map of the vicinity around Stonetop or the World's End region and highlight or add the points of interest relevant to the journey. Consider making a more zoomed-in map for areas that aren't very well detailed on the regional map.

Identify your points of interest, including…

• any landmark that has not yet been seen in play (or that has changed since the PCs' last visit);
• any specific places where you plan to frame a scene and make a GM move; and...
• the journey's destination.

Then identify the legs of travel between each point of interest. Note how long the leg will likely take.

For each leg of travel or point of interest, make a few notes:

• A brief description, no more than a sentence.
• 2-3 impressions, ideally hitting senses other than visual.
• Some questions you want to ask of the players.
• Any challenges (from Chart a Course) that you plan to introduce there.
• Any other dangers or discoveries you expect to be encountered there.

For regions or locations described in Book II, you can either copy the relevant details or just add a page reference to your notes (and maybe bookmark the page). Feel free to add questions or other details of your own devising!

Prepare up to 7 potential encounters—dangers, discoveries, or events that you can drop into the journey in response to a player move or just to break things up. Use the region's dangers and discoveries in Book II for guidance and inspiration.

For each encounter, limit yourself to 1-3 sentences but try to tie them into a larger story. For creatures, include a disposition or activity—what are they up to and how are they likely to react to the characters? For any encounter, use it to show the characters (and more importantly, the players) the bigger picture. For example, don't just have them encounter a random hagr; have them encounter a hagr who is sullenly building a new home for itself because the Mother of Spiders and her brood chased it out of its old home.

Consider making a Die of Fate table for the weather, for events while they Make Camp, or for encounters they might have while traveling through a perilous area.

Create each site, danger, discovery, and NPC they are likely to encounter, in as much or as little detail as you feel valuable and appropriate.

Finally, write up any followers or other NPCs that you expect to join the party.

Let's think back to the first adventure. Crinwin (in service to a hypnotic, childcollecting swyn) are going to abduct Pryder. Rheinal, Pryder's father, will stagger back into town, injured and covered in crinwin blood. I expect the PCs to track the crinwin and try to rescue Pryder.

I Chart a Course in advance, writing down these requirements:

O You must first travel to the scene of Pryder's abduction, and follow the tracks from there O You'll need to bring a decent tracker O It'll probably take at least a day there and back, maybe more O You risk getting lost (losing the trail)

O You'll need to watch out for crinwin (obviously) and other dangers of the Wood like nailadd, feathered drakes, and Fae O You risk drawing the attention of crinwin Next, I zoom in a little on the "Vicinity" map and expand it a little, showing the path that the crinwin took and the nearby landmarks (the Red Grove).

I list my points of interest and legs of travel:

* The Stream. It'll be the first time they cross the Stream in play. I note its page number in the almanac and skim it.

* The Great Wood (~1 hour). This will be the first time exploring the Wood in play. I crib impressions and questions from the almanac, and add "What sign of a warm, early spring do you notice?"

* Scene of Pryder's abduction. I jot down some impressions ("Blood on the stone that hit Rheinal" and "Pryder's crinwin-charm, discarded in the brush"). I'll ad-lib any investigation that they do, but this is where they'll find the trail.

* Following the trail (~5 hours). More travel through the Great Wood. They risk getting lost here. They'll pass by the Red Grove, so I skim the entry in Book II, but I doubt they'll go there.

* Camp site. Not a specific location, but they'll need to Make Camp. I'll play the location by ear, but they'll need to watch out for crinwin or other dangers.

* More trail (4-5 hours). I'll ask some questions like "What's the worst part of hiking through the forest?" and "What do you find yourself missing from home?"

* Old Crinwin Nest. Like a giant wasp hive, torn apart by crinwin under Sajra's sway; signs of crinwin killing each other.

* More trail (4-5 hours). They're getting closer, so they risk drawing attention of crinwin as they travel.

* The Swyn's Lair. An old Green Lord barrow. I'll work this up as a fullfledged site for them to explore.

For possible encounters, I review the Great Wood entry in Book II and come up with:

* Three feathered drakes roaming the area, hunting deer & wisents; catch the PCs' scent and think they look slow and tasty.

* The crinwin that Rheinal wounded, dead and abandoned by the others.

* A grumpy Fae named Thornthumb; kicked out of the Maker-tomb by (and lost his hoard to) the swyn; tries to steal from PCs; willing to help against swyn but will ultimately swindle/betray them.

* An old Maker-ruin just off the tracks; old Forest Folk glyphs on trees/rocks nearby; half-dozen crinwin are excavating it on Sajra's behalf

* Crinwin, loyal to Sajra the Swyn, on patrol or keeping watch.

I put sticky flags in Book II by the entries for feathered drakes, crinwin, nailadd, and swyn. I write up Thornthumb using the steps for "Creating Fae" (Book II, Fae).

I create the swyn's lair as a site Sites and make notes about the abandoned crinwin nest and the older Maker-ruins. I pick dangers and discoveries for each.

I make notes on portraying NPCs (Rheinal, Pryder, Wynfor, etc.). Rheinal might join the PCs, and he'll take orders, so I write him up as a follower.

I'm ready to go.