The Waking of Willowby Hall: Goose on the Loose!

Creating your character

Quick Character Generation: Characters are generated live at the start of the session using zany starting gear tables designed with this adventure in mind. You could be a pipe-smoking, amnesiac wizard carrying a plant-reviving pot; or a surfer armed with door-making chalk and a pointy stick! Adventure-specific Random Tables: Each player chooses or rolls for their archetype (Optimist, Church Type, Retired Hero, and Drifter) and then rolls on adventure-specific starting gear tables for five pieces of gear. I'll provide the tables here so you can see what I'm talking about: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XGdQ_2Y_suHoUIeoXQ4vpALa3XpoU1_4/view?usp=drive_link Cairn Combat Stats: Players also roll for their characters' two stats: 1d6 for stamina (regenerates after each battle) and 3d6 for life (harder to regenerate - you need healing potions, scrolls, etc.). (These stats come from Cairn, in which they are called HP and Strength, respectively). Here's the template for the character sheet we'll use: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vqisPahz4dUl2xA8dUnTq3s9mJlrV_Kcfq6Cb7qvzE8/edit?usp=sharing

Preparing for the session

🎒 What You Need to Bring A microphone with clear audio and a quiet background. Headphones to prevent feedback and echoes A free Discord account for our voice call. An open mind and a love for creative problem-solving! (No dice, rulebooks, or Virtual Tabletop experience required!)

What Happy Chthonian 🤪👾 brings to the table

🕹️ How We Play 🤪 Rules Ultralight & Zero Prep: We use a streamlined, fiction-first framework designed to get out of the way of the story. No rules to memorize, no complex sheets, and zero homework before you show up. Theater of the Mind: No grids, tokens, or digital maps. The action happens entirely in our shared imagination, allowing for cinematic, rapid-fire pacing. I’ll use the Discord to share art from the adventure book and provide a digital dice roller. And we'll optionally use owlbear rodeo for anyone who wants to draw a map based on the GM descriptions. Tactical Freedom: Because there are no rigid rules or skill checks, you can attempt anything that makes sense. Use the environment, set traps, and fight dirty! Cairn Combat Stakes: No to-hit rolls—all attacks hit and hurt. Combat is fast, volatile, and dangerous. Survive by outsmarting your enemies and getting creative with your random, random gear.

Homebrew rules

One House Rule: No attribute scores or skills. Instead, we use Cairn's Die of Fate as the One Roll to Rule Them All. When outcomes are uncertain, the player rolls one six-sided die (1d6). If the roll is a 4 or higher, you succeed, if not, something bad happens. This is the secret sauce to this ultra light, ultra fast style. And one important rule to highlight for folks coming to Cairn from other systems: all attacks automatically hit. Combatants deal damage to their targets automatically, subtracting the value of the target's armor, without rolling to see whether an attack “hits.” This speed combat up, because there are never any misses. For those who want a breakdown of all the system rules, you can peruse them here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yJSP6SQuVvhXTQV5whEfs1aYb0SnqoqdcI1ZW_lZvOY/edit?usp=sharing

How Happy Chthonian 🤪👾 creates a safe table

Lines and Veils: I'll ask players their content preferences and avoid sensitive content Open Door Policy: All players are welcome to step away and take a break from the table without judgment. Breaks: We'll take a 10 minute break after every 90 minutes of play. Stars and Wishes: At session end, I'll solicit feedback about the session. Per Startplaying's rules, I don't tolerate players being nasty to one another. In response to minor transgressions, I'll point out the problem and give a warning. In response to repeat or unacceptable behavior, I will eject players from the server/campaign and then process the event with all involved. Finally, no character-on-character conflict (attacking or stealing from one another). The only exception is when such in-party conflict is enthusiastically endorsed by the whole table.