The Camp Phase

The

amp Phase

‘There is food in the wild,’ said Strider; ‘berry, root, and herb; and I have some skill as a hunter at need. You need not be afraid of starving before winter comes.

But gathering and catching food is long and weary work, and we need haste.’”

• The Fellowship of the Ring, J. R. R. Tolkien

T here is some common wisdom about making encampments in the Underworld encapsulated in a song. The song has become so popular in guild-haunted taverns that it has trickled out into the general population. This song is usually called the “Camping Song,” and it’s sung to an ancient melody. The Camping Song runs thus:

O! Underneath hill and barrow go Where cold sun’s absent Five rivers flow

In the Spires, want not for light Fallen wood kindles Unwanted sight

In the Ruin, a quiet bower Ring with garlic Feast th’ vampires Isles in Moat, ships land upon First make fire Beware Fastitocalon!

In the Castle, close tight the door Iron spikes for locks For beds, stone floor

In Inverted Castle, beware the Worm The mazes shift And even He will turn

The Flow of the Camp Phase

When adventuring has left the guild injured, miserable, and expended, they put down their packs and set up camp. During the Camp Phase, everyone rests and recovers from the stresses of the Crawl.

The Camp Phase runs thus:

1. Camp Actions

Set up camp and perform a Camp Action.

2. Break bread

Consume a ration. If you can't do this, check the Stressed condition.

3. No rest for the wicked

The GM checks for any random Camp events.

4. Recovery

Automatically refill your allotment of lore bids and clear the Staggered condition. For every charged Bond you burn, heal 1 Wound or regain 1 point of Resolve.

• If you are Stressed, you must burn a charged Bond to erase this condition first. Being Stressed prevents you from healing Wounds or recovering Resolve.

• If you are Injured, you must burn a Bond to clear this condition before you can heal any Wounded talents.

5. End of Camp Phase

Check to make sure you have at least two of the following: bedroll, tent, or fire. If you don’t, you wake up Stressed.

The pace of travel

Rations are the resource that drive the Camp Phase. As such, the opportunity to perform Camp Actions is dependent on the guild’s ability to manage their inventory. Likewise, because charged Bonds drive step 4 of the Camp Phase (Recovery), you have an impetus to avoid striking camp too often: only after a good exchange of role-playing scenes.