rpg

4873 readers

2 users here now

This community is for meaningful discussions of tabletop/pen & paper RPGs

Rules (wip):

Do not distribute pirate content
Do not incite arguments/flamewars/gatekeeping.
Do not submit video game content unless the game is based on a tabletop RPG property and is newsworthy.
Image and video links MUST be TTRPG related and should be shared as self posts/text with context or discussion unless they fall under our specific case rules.
Do not submit posts looking for players, groups or games.
Do not advertise for livestreams
Limit Self-promotions. Active members may promote their own content once per week. Crowdfunding posts are limited to one announcement and one reminder across all users.
Comment respectfully. Refrain from personal attacks and discriminatory (racist, homophobic, transphobic, etc.) comments. Comments deemed abusive may be removed by moderators.
No Zak S content.
Off-Topic: Book trade, Boardgames, wargames, video games are generally off-topic.
No AI-generated content. Discussion of AI generation pertaining to RPGs is explicitly allowed.

founded 3 years ago

MODERATORS

Avogadro@ttrpg.network

sirblastalot@ttrpg.network

TripHammer@ttrpg.network

Primarch@ttrpg.network

BrentTaylor@ttrpg.network

Plots for Monster Chess Pieces? (ttrpg.network)

submitted 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) by juergen_hubert@ttrpg.network to c/rpg@ttrpg.network

5 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I am currently running a "dungeon delving" campaign (in the Ptolus campaign setting), and one of the characters has decided that she wants to get some side income by carving chess sets out of monster carcasses they have come across and selling them.

This is novel enough that I feel I ought to develop some further plots from this. So, any ideas for:

the kind of people who might buy such chess sets
what kinds of shenanigans might develop from something like this - supernatural or otherwise?

all 6 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old

[–] gnufuu@lemmy.ca 1 points 6 days ago

Are your maps based on square tiles by any chance? What if a chess figure suddenly attacked someone who's standing on a threatened tile according to chess rules? The nature of the attack could be based on the monster the piece is carved from.

[–] goldseal@dice.camp 3 points 1 week ago

@juergen_hubert
Buyers are probably novelty buyers: rich or well-off wanting to impress.
A gift for
- son/daughter graduation
- husband anniversary
- guild master (maybe bribe?) / superior birthday
- winning a chess tournament

Shenanigans
- there's a thief who started 'collecting' them
- anyone who loses a match experiences violent emotions
- they move at night by themselves
- one church forbids playing with them, citing recent violent case

[–] TribblesBestFriend@startrek.website 2 points 1 week ago

The same old guy keep coming back buying pieces from the toughest monsters they have.

Maybe he’s a necromancer that wants to raise the said monster … but maybe it’s nothing

copy cats start to appear
someone ask the PC to be his apprentice

[–] I_am_10_squirrels@beehaw.org 1 points 1 week ago

No Country for Old Gnomes has a side plot where one of the characters started whittling and her figurines became popular and she was accidentally famous even though no one knew who she was.

Maybe the chess sets become a popular collectors item but everyone believes it must be someone else that made them - your PC is just selling them. Or someone thinks the PC is a copycat of the true artist and the pc needs to prove otherwise or risk their reputation. Maybe someone starts buying up all the chess sets to create false demand then reselling them along with some copycats, tarnishing the PCs reputation. Many opportunities for shenanigans.

[–] Susaga@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 week ago

As a plot hook, you could have some rich jerk commission a custom chess set made using the bones/hide of a powerful, possibly endangered creature.

A rival could show up, trying to use monster parts to make checkers tiles.