GM TOOLS · PREP THREE, EXPECT FOUR

The Three Roads

Roll an obstacle, then prep three ways past it: the obvious road, the oblique road, and the wrong road. The fourth road is whatever the players invent. Prep the first three. Expect the fourth.

THE OBSTACLE


A trial, duel, or contest is the only socially acceptable way to settle the matter.

The obvious road


Cost
Seize the objective by force — achieves the thing, loses the goodwill.
Catch
It works today, but closes the door to a future alliance.

The oblique road


Cost
Convince a minor functionary to look the other way for a personal favour.
Catch
It takes long enough that something else changes.

The wrong road


Cost
Sacrifice a pawn or ally to create an opening.
Catch
The enemy wanted them to take this road all along.

THE FOURTH ROAD

Leave this blank until the players speak. The moment someone proposes a path you did not prep, write it here. It may be brilliant, foolish, or both — that is the point.

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Twenty Cappadocian Adventures

Twenty short, table-ready adventure seeds set in the painted valleys, the underground cities, the salt roads, and the cave-chapels of the Cappadocian theme — each two or three pages, each playable in an evening, each keyed to a month of the year. A taste of The Hollow Country while it goes through layout.

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This result was generated using material from CHILDREN OF NEW ROME, a roleplaying game set in the Byzantine Empire.