Example City Phase

Muddy and bloody, the Four Aces stagger back to the surface. The guild consists of Weela Longtoes the bug keeper (gnome, Path of Cups), Alisander the morbid necromancer (human, Path of Wands), and Lucind the archaeologist (troll, Path of Cups). They are well aware that there’s only three members of the Four Aces—they think it’s funny.

Step

GM: As you return topside, you are met at the gates of the Underworld by the All-Watch. By this point, you’re familiar with the red painted eye on their full-face helms. Do you all pay your taxes?

Weela is carrying 120g total and an elephant idol statue. She erases 60g from her adventurer sheet.

Alisander is carrying 26g, six rubies pried out of the elephant idol, and a variety of dire whale scrimshaws depicting a profane ritual. He erases 13g.

Lucind is carrying 51g and an old, torn-up book titled Ye Gorgonic Ecstasies. She erases 25g.

After pausing for a moment for everybody to do their bookkeeping, the GM continues to facilitate the rest of the phase.

Step

GM: OK, where’s your guy’s guild roster? What noteworthy deeds did you accomplish this delve?

At the start of the City Phase, the guild has 2 Fame. When the guild arrives at the surface, the GM picks up the guild roster and erases the oldest deed accomplished (reducing their Fame to 1). Each guild member brainstorms a little.

Weela: Well, we successfully stole the eggs from that basilisk, which is pretty impressive.

GM: Definitely.

Weela updates the guild roster. This sets their Fame back to 2.

Alisander thinks a little bit and doesn’t have anything meaningful to contribute.

Lucind: We learned about the primordial elephant people by investigating the ancient elephant shrine. I don’t think anybody in the City knew anything about the elephant people before us.

GM: Hmm. I mean, I agree that this is interesting lore and new information, but it’s probably not noteworthy.

1. Death and taxes

The guild remains at Fame 2.

Step

3. City Events

The GM draws from the major arcana deck and consults the City Events table. They draw the Hanged Man [XII], which gives a rumor:

A fallen star dwells on an island in the Boundless Moat, and his daughter came with him into exile. Both star-beings struggle adorably with human culture. The star wishes for someone to marry his daughter. As a dowry, the star will grant a wish to anybody who marries her. However, the daughter will interpret the wish. It would be wise to keep her happy unless you want the wish to go sour.

The GM makes a mental note of this.

Step 4. Turn in contracts 2. Noteworthy deeds

GM: OK, step 4—contracts. You have the eggs you were hired to get. Are you going back to Hugo Underhill, the master of the Malign Menagerie?

Weela: Yes! Absolutely. I have the eggs in hand and grin real big when we see him.

The guild delivers the six basilisk eggs they managed to procure and are paid 50g per egg. Per their guild roster, the guild splits the loot evenly—a cool 100 gold apiece.

The GM role-plays Master Underhill’s delight at this new addition to his menagerie. Master Underhill goes on to tell the guild about a rumor that he’s heard concerning a fallen star and star-daughter dwelling in the Underworld, and their purported wish-granting capabilities.

Because they fulfilled a contract, each guild member gains 1XP.

Step

GM: OK, you just got paid. What upkeep level is everybody going to get?

Alisander: I have some things I want to sell first.

GM: Sure.

During this step, each adventurer tries to liquidate their assets by selling them at the Omphalic Market.

Alisander: I have six rubies and some dire whale scrimshaw.

GM: Remind me where you got the rubies?

Alisander: From the elephant idol.

GM: Right, right.

The GM had noted the prices these treasures would bring in their notes, and quickly looks them up.

GM: OK, Alisander the scrimshaw goes for 20 gold and the gems are 30 gold each. That’s, uh…

Alisander: 200 gold.

GM: Thanks. Anybody else?

Weela: I want to sell the elephant idol.

GM: A merchant will give you 150 gold for it.

Lucind: What about this book I got? I’ll sell it.

GM: A bookseller appraises this as a modern volume merely meant to look ancient. She offers you 3 gold in a condescending way.

Lucind: Eh. I’ll just keep it. Maybe I can sell it to someone stupider later.

GM: OK. Upkeep?

Weela: Common.

Weela pays 50g for common upkeep. She refills her pack with items from the impoverished and common equipment lists.

Alisander: Alisander is flush with cash. He’s going to live the life of luxury that he’s accustomed to.

Alisander pays 100g. He refills his pack with anything from the Omphalic Market’s lists.

5. Upkeep

Lucind: I’m just going to save my money. I’m not spending anything on upkeep.

Alisander: I’ll pay for you if you want.

Lucind: No, that’s okay. I’m in pretty good shape, actually.

Lucind doesn’t pay anything so is destitute. She starts the next Crawl Phase Stressed and buys nothing during this phase.

Step

6. City Actions

GM: What City Actions does everybody do?

Weela has been cultivating a species of dream moths in the City. She has brought back some rare flowers that she wants to feed the dream caterpillars. This has been an ongoing Support action. The GM has (secretly) determined that hatching the dream moths requires six steps of Support.

Weela: I want to feed the flowers I found in the Spires to my dream caterpillar colony.

Using flowers found in the Underworld is clever, but the GM thinks that some gold should also be spent. They lower the cost of the Support action as a reward for the flowers.

GM: OK! Sure. The flowers are a good idea. You’ll also need to spend 10 gold for basic maintenance in terms of water, care, and space.

Weela pays the cost and adjusts her gold totals. The GM updates their notes that Weela has taken another Support step on her moth project.

Lucind: Because I’m destitute, I’ll Beg and Busk.

GM: What does that look like for you?

Lucind: Well, I’m primarily an academic, so I’m going to stand on the City’s squares and rant and rave about academic subjects.

Everybody has a pretty good laugh at this image. Weela and Alisander both have the ally Bond with Lucind, so Lucind’s player charges her Bonds with those two characters.

Lucind draws from the minor arcana deck and gets a Knight of Swords. Since knights have a value of 12, she adds her Wands 1 for a total of 13 gold in donations from her public performance.

GM: Alisander?

Alisander: I’m going to Prepare Components. Alisander chooses the spells Brainfever, Control Undead, and Necromancy. He writes these components down on his adventurer sheet, with each component taking a slot.

Step

GM: OK, so everybody has their actions done. Uh, let’s see. You all meet back up at a tavern. Do you want to go back to the Rat Cellar?

Weela: Ha ha, yes yes.

GM: OK, you descend the familiar crumbling stairs down into the basement bar. You get your cups and pull yourself a draft of the terrible, licorice-smelling liquor called rat’s milk. The same unsavory characters as always are there— arm wrestling, getting in spitting contests. There’s a job board in the corner. A big rat is gnawing on the cork of the board. What do you all do?

Lucind: I go over, try and pet the rat, then read the job board.

The GM has pre-constructed a table of contracts. They draw 5 cards and read the corresponding contracts to the guild.

The guild role-plays together. None of the contracts sound particularly appetizing to them for one reason or another. They did not complete Alisander’s quest last Crawl, so they will continue pursuing that goal. They briefly discuss what they think their leads are. The guild decides to try to go towards the Sepulcher of Titans dungeon.

Step

After the session, the GM opens up their notes document and goes into their random tables—specifically, their Meatgrinder table and their City Events table.

They delete the entries on the Meatgrinder table that have been drawn. After thinking a little about how the factions in the Underworld have changed because of the guild’s actions, they write some new Meatgrinder entries.

They delete the old City Event rumor about the star-daughter. They write a new rumor based on the Meatgrinder entries they just wrote.

The GM looks over their maps and makes sure they’re all up to date.

In general, the GM doesn’t create new “plot.” They just think about the environment and make notes about potentially interesting consequences that could arise from the adventurers’ actions.

7. Plan the next Crawl

8. Restock the Underworld