The sidebars that appear throughout the game discuss the reasoning behind the various design decisions, as well as some of the changes made from the playtest version to the final product. These are very conversational segments that make designer intent clear. While some other Gumshoe games have similar sidebars, I think these are much more relaxed in tone. If you are familiar with the designer notes in 13th Age, these have a familiar feel to them. Gumshoe by Way of Swords and Sorcery That means anytime I see a fantasy city with conspiracies, factions, ancient magical secrets, quirky rulers, and messed up laws, it’s going to catch my attention. I love Waterdeep, Camorr, Karnaca, Sigil, Doskvol, Avalon, and countless others because of the weirdness, wonders, and treachery that I encountered in Lankhmar. I also wanted to note that this book carries on a Pelgrane Press tradition. It uses “She/Her” pronouns for the Gamemaster, and while I get that this was much more inclusive when the practice started, “They/Them” really is my preferred way to go on this. City of the Serpentine

The reason these are all related is that they are all rooted in contracts and agreements, which are the metaphysical and metaphorical foundation of the city. Trade and commerce are forms of worship. This has interesting implications, like the beggars selling stones or the fact that churches are run like banks. Literally – churches are big-time moneylenders, but the vig takes the form of acts of devotion rather than more cash. This idea that everything can be (and should be) bought and sold in a fair and open way is foundational to almost all interactions in the city. You only know how to physically reach Colony if it specifically summons you, and that’s rare. When Colony nudges you with a request, you may refuse at the cost of 1 Morale damage. If Colony insists or attempts to possess you fully, you may resist at the cost of 6 Morale damage. If this defeats you, special circumstances occur (SotS p. 87). In the comments below, let us know if there are aspects of swords & sorcery in your own game that you’d add or change on this list.Instead of rolling for different abilities, sometimes a character can propose that they spend X amount of one of their pools to declare that something happens. This must make sense for the pool being spent. For example, someone with Servility might say that they blend into a crowd and are unnoticed, instead of making a Stealth test. Someone with City’s Secrets might propose they spend X amount of their pool to find a shortcut to a location to arrive there before a rival band, instead of rolling the dice to race them. Description: Anyone will tell you that “the Drowned” is a ridiculous conspiracy and that the rumors aren’t true. Often, the person telling you this is already a member of the Drowned.

The aspirations for nobility are a big theme among the monied, and the satire dial on this is turned up as far as it is with the nobility. My favorite bit is the “new old” neighborhood, which the monied are trying to build up as the classy place to live because they can’t get into the actual classy districts. The ways they do this are hilarious (to me) and utterly beg for fraud.

Sample Adversary – The Drowned

Investigative abilities: Servility 2, Trustworthy 2; Ancestry (Drowned) 5, Felonious Intent 1, Scurrilous Rumors 1 Another one of the fun setting details is the Guild of Architects and Canal-Watchers. In a city that is constantly sinking and constantly being rebuilt, it would take almost miraculous effort to keep that city functional. The Guild of Architects and Canal-Watchers are all sorcerers granted special permission to practice if they internalize all corruption, to keep the city functional. This is a huge secret, and there is a special retirement home in the lower levels of the city for the most obviously corrupted and mutated members of the guild. Corpse Astray That foundation of commerce folds into the expectation of law. Certainly, law’s job is to provide an environment where commerce can safely be plied, but its priorities are also shaped by that emphasis. The very worse crimes in the city are things like counterfeiting and fraud, with things like murder, or even theft, coming as sloppy seconds. The idea is that these things (and the corruption of sorcery, which is also super illegal) are existential threats to the city, and everything else is mere inconvenience. Powerful allegiances that give you influence in one or more factions across the city, but which can earn you equally powerful enemies…

And yet, there are still LOTS of contracts written and lots of business done, which in turn demands people to do it. Government legitimacy flows from the handful of rulers selected by the goddess, but then distributed through delegation upon delegation, until it reaches the point where the state of committees and official bodies of law in the city can be as much a matter of improvisation as any legality. For players who love bloviating and paperwork, this is an absolute delight.Every time I read a new iteration of the same ruleset, I think about how approachable it is to someone new to the system, and I would feel more comfortable introducing someone to Gumshoe with this game than many other iterations. That doesn’t make those iterations bad, but this one is so clear about what it wants to do, and so forgiving of improvisation, that I think it presents the core concepts very well. I’m also extremely pleased that this isn’t just a good genre application of an existing ruleset, but also an engaging setting in its own right. Ancient Curses Swords of the Serpentine is a tabletop roleplaying game (RPG). It supports 1-7 players (with a sweet spot of 4-5) playing fantasy heroes inspired by sword & sorcery fiction, and one Game Master (GM) who keeps the adventure moving and plays the foes and supporting cast, also known as Supporting Characters. Drives (what is best in life?): To risk all for an ally, to conquering the weak, and to uncovering that which is hidden I mentioned the carnivorous birds and the funerary statues. Birds have a lot of cache in the city, in part because Denari was originally a swan spirit who changed with the times and what her worshippers needed. The people in Eversink are more likely to have watch geese than watch dogs. I love the scenarios that spring to mind from that setting detail. Having the Drowned as Enemies means that Colony considers you an enemy and a threat. It will tirelessly work to infect you, exile you, or kill you – whatever it needs to do to eliminate you as a threat. Expect danger from anyone, because other than an examination with Leechcraft there’s no easy way to tell who is infected.

At fledgling power, we have is a Conan who is more thief than warrior. He’s adept at breaking and entering, good in a fight (especially if he fights unconventionally) but without tactical mastery. He’s young, and only knows how to relate to others through posturing and insults. As noted before, the whole city is sinking, at various speeds. Importantly, it’s the buildings that are sinking, not the land, not the roads, not the canals. Just the buildings. This is weird enough in its own right, but it’s important to note that people are aware of this and do all kinds of crazy people-like stuff to deal with this, whether it’s shoring up the walls as things sink to create super-basements, to lifting a building on supports to build a new bottom floor rather than let a treasure sink. That this allows easy justification of all manner of subterranean adventures is delightful, but it ALSO means that the city has incentive to build up, so you get something that’s very vertical and difficult to navigate in places, which is pretty much ideal for a city of adventure. Chapter Eleven: Corpse Astray (example adventure about family, betrayal, body snatching, and revenge) Words of the Serpentine: Finishing the Book– Kevin Kulp on reviewing the print proofs and the home stretch. You round the bend past the lower fort and there she is: the great city of Eversink, sprawled out on scores of islands across the sheltered water. Her jeweled and crystal turrets are reflected in a shimmering bay full of hundreds of brightly colored boats. Architecture from a dozen eras towers above a tangle of grand plazas and narrow canals. Temples to her goddess rise above the mansions and tenements, calling her people to prayer. She may be ancient and corrupt, slowly and inexorably swallowed by an endless bog; but she’s alive in a way most cities aren’t. She’s a melding of faith and stone and wood and water – and mud – that’s unique in all the world.Wealth is handled interestingly. To reflect the idea that character fortunes will go up and down, it’s a value that’s set at the start of a game. Technically, it’s a 1-5 rating, but practically it’s a -2 to +2 rating, with -2 being “super broke” and +2 being “rolling in it”. In addition to giving some fictional framing, any rating other than zero turn into an investigative ability that works like an allegiance with wealth or poverty.