This is great input. You are correct with your interpretation of GM-player haggle conflict. I agree that implementing them should be definitely fun, so I guess I will design a few spirits suitable for the next adventure locations. I will probably increase the difficulty of the negotiation, if the service takes a long time.
We had a great, very long (about 12 h) session last time and wanted to ask how you handle these regarding artha (fate/persona) rewards. We stuck to the rules and discussed the rewards at the end, though most players had finished their goal already before half time. Also,regarding our average session length of 5 hours, the players deserved in my opinion more fate/persona. Would you split such a long session in 2 and define new goals at about half the time (although, initially we did not know that we would play that long), or even stop at some point, discuss and distribute the rewards as usual at the end of a session and declare the start of the next session, effectively giving rewards for two sessions instead of one?
Thatās awesome that the players are willing to keep going for 12 hours. Iām wondering, though, why was the session so long?
If you plan on marathon sessions, then, yes, it would seem that you need to split it into smaller sessions for rewards.
An average session lasts 2-4 hours (DH, p 21), and the rewards are tuned to an average of around three or so hours with two conflicts (SG, p 224). So it would make sense that you would find a good pause point around 3-4 hours, usually at the end of a camp phase (or some clear cut in the action) and give out rewards.
Grind on!
Holy cow thatās a long session! @Koch is right on with his advice.
Well we started mid-morning as one of the players had an appointment in the evening. That appointment got cancelled on short notice and as we were having a great time, the session continued and time flew by as everyone was eager to grind on.
Thanks for the advice, I guess we should have given rewards and written new beliefs aber finishing the first dungeon. Though we do not have an immediate plan another marathon, I can not rule it out considering the current motivation.
Ha, thatās really cool that the players are into it. Hopefully, you had lots of snacks!
now Iām wonderingā¦
Which adventure did you run?
Which classes did they play?
Was there something that they particularly enjoyed? Was it goal that motivated them or getting out alive or looting something?
Have these players gamed together before?
Did you keep track of the total number of turns?
Iām always interested in what metaphorical levers were pulled.
Usually Iāll schedule in a break for lunch/dinner and that will give us two sessions.
The snack preparation that day was better than the preparation for the dungeons
First we played Thelons Rift (at the start of the session we were already in the Chamber of runes) in ~10 turns plus a camp phase, followed by a town phase. As I did not expect to have such a long session, I did not prepare a follow-up adventure, so I transferred āDer Zorn des BƤrenā (twhich means vaguely Wrath of the cave bear), an adventure from The Dark Eye which I know inside-out to Middarmark. I cannot remember exactly, but we finished the cave complex in about 15-20 turns with 2 camp phases.
We have Angraxa, a dwarven outcast, Killian a troll-changeling sorcerer, the Elf ranger Anel and the theurge Badul in the group. Badul has lost his memory (as character background) and he heard the rumor that the orb of power could see into the distant past of a person. Angraxa want to hoard relics, and maybe even learn how to forge them herself. Killian hopes to find spirits in such a mysterious place and Anel was just there for the loot.
Two of the players regularly play (very rules heavy) boardgames (like Gloomhaven) regularly but are kind of new to ttrpgs. With the other 2 I already played ttrpgs, mostly Splittermond and DSA (the dark eye) for over 25 years (with several long breaks). The BW/Torchbearer system is kind of a paradigm shift for us in a very refreshing way.