In the last two articles in this series (links above) we discussed the basic Yes/No oracle (part 1), random word prompts (part 1), how to modify the Yes/No oracle based on context (part 2), and some elementary roleplaying techniques, which also worked with context (part 2). Today we soar to new heights or hit rock bottom with Extreme Yes and Extreme No answers.
Do you need Extreme Yes/Extreme No content in your solo game. Absolutely not. It adds a level of complexity and requires more work from that Game Master side of your brain. What is more, even if you embrace the concept fully, there are situations in which the Extreme answer adds little to nothing to the scene. Take the coin toss example from the last article. The outcome of a coin toss is a simple binary answer. It is heads, or it is tails. For another example, if your oracle says there is no secret panel in the desk you are searching, an Extreme No isn't any different than No would be.
That being said, the Extreme answers can boost the tension and expand the context of game, whether or not the outcome is ideal for the character. Let's see how it could work.
Your character crawls up to the edge of a ridge, so you ask the oracle if there are any creatures on the other side. A Yes answer could tell you that there is an appropriate number of, oh lets say goblins. By this we mean appropriate to your context expectation. If goblins are pretty rare for this area (maybe due to the efforts of the militia), then a hunting party of around half a dozen could be considered a reasonable Yes reply. An Extreme Yes could indicate there are a dozen or even two dozen goblins, which is too many goblins for a hunting party. Now the context of the adventure has been altered by this dangerous number of goblins being where you wouldn't expect them to be.
Taking the same question, a No answer is pretty simple. There are no creatures worth noting on the other side of the ridge. If there answer was an Extreme No, this could mean you see a dozen dead goblins on the other side of the ridge, or that the landscape on the other side of the ridge is far too difficult for any creatures to be present. The simple No answer fits in with the context of the adventure so far. The Extreme No answer changes the context. Why are there a dozen dead goblins? Now you have a mystery. If the other side of the ridge is very difficult terrain, perhaps you need to skirt the area to make headway in your endeavor. All the answers drive the game forward, but the Extreme answers can frequently alter the game context.
Still using the same d6 lets change things a little more. On a 1 or lower the answer is Extreme No. On a 6 or higher the answer is an Extreme Yes.
Now lets get back to John and see how he is doing.
After receiving the necessary land marks to the valley containing the forsaken tower, John heads back to his mother's ranch to get his adventuring gear.
Lets take a few moments to fill in some blanks that John will need when he reaches the ranch.
As the member of a rural militia, he would have inexpensive and easy to use gear like leather armor, slings, and spears. Yet, we know, from the context of the character that he is trained in many different armor and weapon styles. Searching about for an answer to this query we pose the question to the oracle, "Was John's father a warrior?" There is no reason to think he was or that he wasn't, so this is simple unmodified roll; the outcome of which is a 6, an Extreme Yes.
Now we know that John's father was not just a warrior, but he was a warrior of high renown. That could mean many things. So going back to our random word generator we get the results "Exchange, Disappointing, Ward" This says to me that John's father, lets call him Ian, was a mercenary (fighting for an exchange of work for money), who was the body guard (thus he had a Ward), of a ill favored (Disappointing) brother of the Baron.
A logical next question would be, considering that his mother is a widow, "Did Ian die in service as a bodyguard". There are a lot of ways for a man to die, but as is said, "live by the sword die by the sword". We will roll this at a +1. Another 6 raised to 7. With an Extreme Yes not only did he die to protect the ill favored noble, but in the process was given a hero's burial, and his tools of trade (armor, weapons, etc.) would have been given to the family as keep sakes, probably along with enough cash to see they could live off of, if used wisely.
Did Ian live long enough to train his son? With such a dangerous job it is quite possible he didn't, so the next roll is made at a -1. This comes up a 3, which is reduced to 2. Not an Extreme No, but then again would an Extreme No have changed the context here? Probably not.
We are left with a conundrum. Who did train John? Even if there were a lot of weapons and armor in his home, he would still need instruction in their use. Going back to our random word generator we get Reward, Metaphorical, Parent. This sounds like another warrior, that is near enough to the family to be like an uncle (Metaphorical Parent) to John, settled in the area with honors (Reward), and when John came of age this warrior oversaw John's training in arms.
A couple final questions before we make it to the ranch, does John's mother, Ann, approve of John's choice of vocations? We have no direct context that suggest one way or another, but having lost her husband to warriors work, I feel she would be strongly against it. So let call this a -2. A roll of 3, brought down to 1, indicates that not only is she against it, she is vehemently against it.
Did John's "uncle" (lets call him Morgan) train him in secret? I would say probably, so this is rolled at a +1. We get a 5 so the the total is 6, an Extreme Yes. This once again changes the context, such that Ann doesn't know her son has been trained to be a warrior. Thus, our protagonist is going to have to sneak out with his fathers armor and weapons, and failing to sneak well he will have to face the wraith of Ann. We know she is an independent rancher, and thus probably a very strong willed woman to deal with.
Lastly, is there a special place the armor and weapons are kept? I would argue yes for three reasons. One they are a very important keep sakes of her dead husband, of whom she is proud. Secondly they are highly valuable, and theft does sometimes happen even in the most tight knit of villages. Finally, they would be located in such a way that she can keep an eye out that John, which we established was a mischievous lad, doesn't wander off to play hero; just like he plans to do.
Given the context, we need not roll to find out that the arms are kept in a special place, but perhaps some random words will give us an idea where they are supposed to be. We get the results, Remember, Repulsive, Merchant. I wrack my brain for a minute, before I realize that the gear is probably kept in a locked glass case (Remember) that she purchased from an unscrupulous merchant (repulsive here is being stretched, but I think will work). We can infer, thus, that the case is badly made and has a lock that can be opened with a butter knife.
Looking back over these last three articles, we can see the details are piling up. Perhaps before John continues his adventure we will need a bit of book keeping about the campaign. This is so characters, like Terrance Forester (whom expects a bit of a tip for the knowledge he shared) don't get buried under new details as they come in.
We can tackle that in the next article with Lists and Cards.
W.D.
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