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[Dariush]

Meh, a poet. I doubt she'll be of much use. 25 AUW.

She's perceptive, agile and intelligent. I'm sure that we can find something for her to do, if she's interested.

"Sit on this tree for eight hours straight and watch for signs of feline activity."?

[JosephWongKS]

Year 1, Month 2, Day 1

"I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to disclose that," you answer with a smile of your own.  "But I can tell you that anyone who finds the cat would certainly be suitably rewarded, say, to the tune of 10 AUW?"

After some bargaining, you and Mira eventually agree that 25 AUW (including a non-refundable upfront payment of 5 AUW) represents a fair and equitable compensation for her time and effort in searching the Misty Forest for the cat, and she'll start first thing tomorrow if you'll show her the way to the forest.  (Note:  This will take you 2 Time Units, so you'll have only 6 instead of 8 Time Units tomorrow.)  You also tell her that she has to find the cat within the week, and that the cat's name is Frisky.

This piece of business concluded, Mira returns to her room to check and pack her supplies for an extended stay at the forest.

(Time consumed - 2 Time Units)


What  do you do now?

(a)  Visit a person or a place?  (Please specify)

(b)  Try to find out more about someone or some thing? (Please specify)

(c)  Try to find out more about the city and its institutions?  (Please specify what is it that you want to learn)

(d)  Try to find out more about the city's relationship with its neighbours?

(e)  Try to buy something?  (Please specify what it is that you want to buy)

(f)  Randomly explore the city and see what you find?

(g)  Something else?  (Please specify)


You have 5 Time Units left for today.

Spoiler:  Current Missions (click to show/hide)

Client - Godfrey Bertrand
Mission - Find his cat, which was last seen in the Misty Forest.
Deadline - Year 1, Month 2, Day 7
Reward - 200 AUW

Spoiler:  Advantages and Disadvantages (click to show/hide)

As a golem dwarven former-Deputy Assistant Vice-Foreman of a crossbow mine, you have superb knowledge of mining techniques and will be able to advise adventurers on methods of underground exploration and means of breaching fortified locations.  You also have expertise in appraising the quality of crossbows. 

However, as a golem you generally find less favour with religious institutions and pious adventurers, since they tend to distrust persons who are natural immune to the typical method of divine punishment. 

Spoiler:  Notable persons and institutions in Aqualonia (click to show/hide)

Note:  The list below is incomplete and may not be fully accurate, given that you entered Aqualonia only a month ago and has spent most of that time looking over the refurbishment of your office

Vargo “Redbeard” Krautheimer, Mayor of Aqualonia – Generally considered a fair and able administrator.  Rumored to have some dwarvish ancestry in his heritage, given the vast size of his beard and the care which he lavishes on it.

Cult of Dakuwaqa – The largest religious institution in Aqualonia.  Venerates Dakuwaqa, a man-shark who swam his way up to the celestial plane and punched his predecessor off the throne.  Dakuwaqa is the patron of fishermen and sailors, and enjoys offerings of fresh fish.

The Smelly Donkey – Despite its insalubrious name, it is one of the most popular inns and public houses in the city, attracting a large and diverse group of customers.  You have been to The Smelly Donkey yourself a couple of times during the past month, when you longed for the smell of beer just like mother use to brew.  Richorn is the barkeeper and owner of this place.

Godfrey Bertrand - An elector of Aqualonia for the past 25 years.  Rumored to be a "crazy old coot" who "never accepts any visitors".  Has offered you 200 AUW to find his cat within a week.
 
The Dancing Dragon - A public house in the western harbour district of the city.  From Walde's description, appears to be a rather rowdy if not downright dangerous place.

Nyemya's - A public house near the city centre.  From Walde's description, appears to be an upmarket establishment.

Spoiler:  Assets and Liabilities / Income and Expenses (click to show/hide)

Note:  It is assumed that you own all clothing, accessories and other personal items befitting a golem of your station and lifestyle (as described below).  Only exceptional and unusual items are listed below.

You currently own:
293 AUW
The lease to a modestly-furbished office / shop-front in a modest part of town, with attached living quarters upstairs
An excellent false beard, hand-woven by your mother and carefully washed and combed on a daily basis by you
The very first crossbow you ever mined – it is made of an alloy that no-one in your clan was able to identify, and although it is too small for your hands you still maintain it in excellent condition

You currently owe:
Owed to Stronginthearm Stronginthejaw:  2,000 AUW

Your current income (Per month):
Whatever you are able to earn from your business

Expenses (Per month):
Modest lifestyle:  25 AUW (A higher grade of lifestyle projects a higher degree of success, and as the saying goes, success (or possibly just the appearance thereof) attracts success.  However, this comes with a cost – the next grade of lifestyle costs 50 AUW per month)
Rent for your modest office-cum-residence – 100 AUW

Spoiler:  Adventurers' Traits and Attributes (click to show/hide)

Walde
-  Profession:  Lumberjack
- Strong (This means strong by human standards.  It doesn't mean he's stronger than you, a golem)
- Garrulous
-  Friend of Gyles

Gyles
-  Profession:  Mushroom Picker
- Mycology Lore
- Quiet
-  Friend of Walde

Mira
- Profession: Poet(?)
- Literate
- Dextrous
- Currently looking for "Alabaster Stormclouds", rumored to be the last piece of verse composed by the famous poet Achebe Ekwensi

Spoiler:  City Map (click to show/hide)

Legend

1.  Main temple and shrines of Dakuwaqa
2.  Castle Aqualonia - Militia barracks and defensive position
3.  City Hall
4.  Residence of Godfrey Bertrand
5.  Your office and residence
6.  The Smelly Donkey
7.  Major market-places
8.  The Dancing Dragon
9.  Nyemya's
10.  To Walde's home

[Dariush]

F.

[Shades]

go visit the western shore in search of The Dancing Dragon, I guess.

I liked your previous suggestion better Dariush, so I'm voting for that. (which probably comes under a, or maybe c, on this list)

[JosephWongKS]

go visit the western shore in search of The Dancing Dragon, I guess.

I liked your previous suggestion better Dariush, so I'm voting for that. (which probably comes under a, or maybe c, on this list)

Can I confirm this means you are voting for "go visit the western shore in search of The Dancing Dragon"?

[forsaken1111]

I'd say we should explore the city, but in a more specific way. Source different vendors which supply equipment and supplies we may need later. Things like weapons and armor, potions, scrolls if they exist. Standard adventurer equipment. When we are preparing expeditions later on we'll need to know where to get this stuff, and even in the short term we can 'issue' these items to our adventurers to ensure a better chance of success.

If they use or lose the items in the course of the adventure, the value of said item will be deducted from their fees or rewards, so there is little risk involved.

[LordSlowpoke]

I'd say we should explore the city, but in a more specific way. Source different vendors which supply equipment and supplies we may need later. Things like weapons and armor, potions, scrolls if they exist. Standard adventurer equipment. When we are preparing expeditions later on we'll need to know where to get this stuff, and even in the short term we can 'issue' these items to our adventurers to ensure a better chance of success.

If they use or lose the items in the course of the adventure, the value of said item will be deducted from their fees or rewards, so there is little risk involved.

+1.

[Dariush]

We already know where TDD is (due to the maaaaaagical map). We can safely assume it'll have a number of willing adventurers and we can always buy stuff later. Thus, for now we should search for potential empoyers.

[JosephWongKS]

(due to the maaaaaagical map).

I can't help but feel that there's still a gap between your expectations for this thread and what this CYOA is intended to be like (I hesitate to say "the reality of this game" for fear of giving the wrong impression that "reality", however defined, is a feature or goal of this CYOA).

[forsaken1111]

(due to the maaaaaagical map).

I can't help but feel that there's still a gap between your expectations for this thread and what this CYOA is intended to be like (I hesitate to say "the reality of this game" for fear of giving the wrong impression that "reality", however defined, is a feature or goal of this CYOA).

I'm not really sure what the intention here is either. Perhaps you could explain it just a bit. Is this intended to be a serious fantasy game where things have realistic (as defined be reality in the game) consequences, or a silly romp through adventure and circumstance meant only to entertain? If the latter, then ignore my suggestion and I'll simply watch.

[JosephWongKS]

I'm not really sure what the intention here is either. Perhaps you could explain it just a bit. Is this intended to be a serious fantasy game where things have realistic (as defined be reality in the game) consequences, or a silly romp through adventure and circumstance meant only to entertain? If the latter, then ignore my suggestion and I'll simply watch.

It's meant to be a "theme park" like World of Warcraft, in that there's something for you to see and do everywhere you go, but a "sandbox" in the sense that it's a freeform game and we are not limited by a dialogue wheel or computer memory space.

Within this general framework, the decisions you make, in relation to what I provide for you to see and do, will have "realistic" consequences - for example, if you had chosen to walk into The Smelly Donkey and start punching everyone in the inn, then the city militia will swiftly come after you with a heavy fist.  If you insult authority figures, then they will use their power to punish you.  And so on and so forth.

And because of that, I will make sure to provide you with a warning and/or red flag every time you make a decision which has consequences which you may not expect but which Durin as a character in the setting should reasonably be aware of.  For example, during the conversation with Walde and Gyles, if breaking off the conversation would have offended them, I would have highlighted it.  I'm not trying to "kill you" (as Dariush accused) and there will not be any unforeseeable traps or tricks.  I'm not a killer DM, and you do not have to poke everything with a ten-foot pole or spell out everything you want to do in exhaustive sequence and down to the minutest detail.

Also, I'll freely handwave things that I do not think are particularly interesting, like having to visit a place for the first time (with the chance of getting lost etc) before you can identify its location. 

Does that sound fair and fun to you?  If this playstyle and approach is in not in accord with the people following this thread, I'm happy to stop the game and start afresh with a different idea / approach.


EDIT:  On further reflection, it seems that I'm spending more time explaining and justifying my approach than on writing the actual game itself, and the plot hooks I dangle seem to be constantly missed and/or rejected, especially by Dariush.  I'll close this thread and perhaps come back with a revised approach or idea another time.