Playing Pendragon 6E Solo
Mechanics, tools, oracles and a session report of Sir Aeric, Year 508-509
Thanks so much for all the positive feedback on the last article. As requested, this one will be a concise play report, with the nuts and bolts and mechanics or decision making process included in italics.
Last week, I introduced Aeric in a sort of “Session 0" - we left him and three of his brothers-in-arms taking Saxons prisoner after a battle with 7 raiders in the southern woods of Salisbury. It is the summer of 508.
My intention was to have two years to play and get acclimated to the game and the character before 510, when the adventure in the Starter Set begins. My box with the Starter Set, the Grey Knight, and the Core Book just arrived, so next week I’ll be diving into that.
But for now - I’ll bring you up to speed on the story so far, and how things unfolded last session.
First: My tools.
I’m using the 6e Core Book, alongside a simple solo oracle.
- Throw two dice, one white for “yes,” one red for “no.” The highest roll gives an answer to yes/no questions. If something is likely or unlikely, add a third die, and tack its result on to the yes or no, as the situation calls for. Sometimes you will still get an unlikely no or yes, and this makes for interesting situations and twists.
I have three printed sheets of “One Page Mythic” pages - one is a basic double list of words to help determine general situations, the second is to help answer questions about places, and the third to help generate adventures or "story beats.” I don’t rely on these often and usually go with my gut, but they’re nice to have in a pinch if my brain’s being slow.
Then, I have this curious little flow-chart document, called “Book of Solos,” which was really an MVP for me. I ignored parts of it that seemed house rules or that I simply didn’t understand and used it to generate downtime events and determine what happens to Aeric in parts of the year that I wasn’t “adventuring.”
And, of course, my little campaign notebook, nothing more than a folded and staped booklet of 11x17 printer paper. Invaluable!
The knights swiftly assist a wounded Gwion back onto his horse, hearing the hoofbeats of the approaching Saxons they spotted from their copse of trees.
One Saxon is bound, the other breaks free and flees toward his comrades.
DEX check to bind the Saxons quickly failed, then Madog failed his opposed STR test to manhandle the other)
Aeric throws their prisoner over the saddle of his charger, Clarion, and they ride like hell - the Saxons, headed on horse in a different direction, and at some distance yet, do not spot the little group.
(Do the Saxons see me/are they riding this way? 6-1 NO!)
At this point after the battle, I realized that squires might fight alongside their knights, and I’d totally forgotten. I mitigated the mistake by deciding that since my squire is only 14, and somewhat inept, though well-meaning (poor starting Squire skill), that I brought him on as a favor to his father, someone I owed from the past. I deliberately command him to stay out of battles and conflicts until he’s older and better trained, as I don’t want his death on my conscience.
The four high-tail it to Sarum with a prisoner and some more experience with their hated foes, the Saxons.
Here, I marked down 100 glory, split 4 ways, 25 apiece. I’ll get a handle on Glory awards as I go, especially as I play the Starter Materials, and I’m not too worried about getting it “wrong” especially playing a single character.
Their deeds do not go unrewarded or unnoticed back at court. Feasting has been postponed due to aggressive Saxon raiding, and the rest of the summer season is spent skirmishing with Saxons along the border. Word has it that this year, they’ve established themselves firmly in the kingdom of Wessex, two brothers who are fierce warlords.
Here I decided to use the tables in Book of Solos to determine what would happen in the Fall/Winter seasons, coupled with stuff from the Core Book. I won’t walk you through every single roll here, and just explain what occurred - everything was determined by rolls on one of those mentioned resources and occasionally the yes/no oracle if I was uncertain about how something should go.
In the Fall, Aeric accepts a wager and a bout - a not altogether friendly challenge from a young knight his age named Haldred. Aeric wins the bout and a new courser with tack and gear. The young knight clearly has some grudge - this only seems to have worsened it.
For the Winter stuff, I did the Core Book, made a mistake and raised ALL my skills under 15 by one, then realized how experience checks work, went back and fixed what errors I could, etc. This was a fun experience, and I took my time with it. I also used the aging tables for Aeric’s father and mother after determining their ages and current stats randomly. Each Winter, I roll to see if Aeric’s father has forgiven him or sent word - he disowned Aeric after his conversion to Christianity, himself a staunch pagan.
Some illness must have gone through the stables, as nearly all of Aeric’s horses die, including his loyal charger, Clarion, who served him well for the last few years. His lord provides him a new one, which he names Truth.
Here, I realized I actually wasn’t even certain who Aeric’s liege is - he’s a household knight in Sarum, but I need to flip back through some resources to see who is supposed to be ruling that place in 508…for now, I simply handwaved it and didn’t want to get bogged down - I’ll sort it later and retrofit it.
During the Winter, Aeric visits with the Saxon prisoner, Aethelric, a stern warrior in his mid-thirties, several times, and they form an unlikely sort of bond, that Aeric keeps hidden.
This development was due to a random Winter roll that brought down my Hate: Saxons passion, and I thought this made sense.
The Spring of 509 arrives, and with it, love (or lust) is in the air for Aeric, now 22. He woos a girl at court of higher station than himself, a beauty (16 APP!) named Gwyneth. He makes a few comical blunders in the process, but succeeds where it counts, apparently, and they see a great deal of each other through the Spring.
(Using Book of Solos here, and due to one of my rolls, her brother challenges me to a duel, to first blood, with his arms and horse at stake - if Aeric loses, he may no longer woo Gwyneth. Here, my inner GM came out and I thought - oh, hell. Is this the knight who bears me a grudge? Roll oracle 6-1 YES!)
Aeric accepts the duel thrown down by Haldred, Gwyneth’s brother, and soundly defeats him, injuring him in the process.
After his defeat I rolled against Haldred’s Hate: Aeric to see if he’d go ballistic etc. and he didn’t, slinking off to lick his wounds. Aeric considers gifting his horse and arms back to soften the new damage, but fails his Forgiving check and decides not to. Rolls successfully vs. Merciful and decides not to go further and humiliate Haldred as well.
Rolled Gwyneth’s stats randomly. She is very beautiful, very lustful, lazy and cruel. A real catch! Nonetheless, she rolls high and has Devotion: Aeric 16! We will see how long this troublesome courtship lasts. Aeric gains Devotion: Gwyneth 10.
The Lord assembles all the knights. There is an urgent mission at hand.
This adventure was played out and generated using Mythic One Page Adventure Generator which gave me some good ideas to work from. The rest is a product of being on a steady diet of Malory and NC Wyeth art right now, and wanting a cool turn of events in the ongoing Haldred situation. Lots of rolls were made on the yes/no oracle, keeping whatever they decided as HOLY WRIT.
A fearsome Saxon warrior, said to be a giant, has issued a challenge to the knights of Sarum: Either they meet him and his army at the river ford and do battle, or his wizard will lay a curse on the land, bewitching the crops and water so they will neither grow, flow, nor nourish.
The Cymric knights prepare for battle against their hated enemy near the full moon of the Summer Solstice, riding for the Naddar River.
Relations with Haldred have only grown worse as Aeric’s courtship continues with Gwyneth. Of Aeric’s close friends, Madog, Gwion and Tyngyr, only Madog rides with him, the others being on knightly business further north. Madog has a position of some authority as he is more veteran in battle than many of the young knights. There are also some older knights with them, and footmen - the troupe is led by Sir Dafyd, the knight under which Aeric squired.
I made a few rolls on the Mythic tables to see how the ride/march to the river ford went and got “Damaged/Decreased.”
Halfway there, they come under attack by what appear to be a well armed and organized group of bandits, but that Aeric and a few others recognize as having knights from Silchester among them.
Awareness and Recognize rolls, critical success. I read in one of the books that the Knights of Silchester and Salisbury hate each other or have some standing rivalry so decided this would be a good time to introduce that and put on the burner.
A fierce battle is fought, during which time Dafyd is wounded, as are many other knights and footmen. Their force is greatly depleted, and Madog is put in command, the others encamp or must ride back to Sarum for aid. Madog is reckless, and makes the decision to continue on and trust in fury and aggression to fight the Saxon.
He is both Proud and Reckless, as well as Indulgent - not a great combo for a leader, but he’s also tough as hell with incredible stats, so there you go. Flawed characters are fun. Being clear, Aeric’s friends are NPCs, but I have basic stat blocks for all of them.
At the river, a hulking Saxon, far larger than the biggest man Aeric has ever seen, silently stands in the water. He is adorned with human skulls, his chainmail is blackened by fire, and his masked helm is grim and fearsome. He speaks no word, and wears glove and fur cloak so that no part of him can be seen save armor and armament.
Beyond him, on the far bank, a much larger force of Saxons than expected - many more than the Cymric knights can hope to defeat - stand like a forest of spears and shields, eerily silent.
His herald, a twisted and bent old man with an ill look about him speaks.
”Defeat this warrior in single combat, save many lives, and Saxon will stand down and return home.
Be defeated, and you must promise him one request only.
What will you choose?”
Madog immediately dismounts and rushes into the shallow water, despite shouts from his brothers to consider his options.
”There are no options for a brave man but to fight,” he snarls, and the battle is engaged.
The Black Saxon: HP 35, does 7d6 damage with his huge axe! Let’s see how Madog fares against this giant, no slouch himself with 29HP and a Sword skill of 16.
Madog battles back and forth with the giant, dodging his immense swings, the Black Saxon still making not so much as a groan of effort. The terrible axe clips Madog once, stumbling him, but he returns the attack with ferocity. His blade rings off the scorched mail, and the giant strikes him again, the axe knocking Madog face down in the water.
He attempts to rise, staggering backward, and the axe comes around in a glittering arc - CRITICAL HIT!
Here, Madog will take 7d6 damage +4d6 for the critical. He’s only taken two light wounds so far, but the damage rolled is a massive 44.
Madog’s chest explodes in a spray of gore, and his body is flung into the river, the water running scarlet in the shallows.
Aeric fails his Prudent check, and crits on his Reckless check.
I decide to try to get that sweet inspiration bonus from my (now decreased due to burgeoning friendship) Hate: Saxons, and fail. Following the battle, Aeric will suffer Melancholy. Worse, he gets no bonus, and has charged into the fray, maddened by the death of his friend!
Aeric strikes like a lightning bolt, his sword scoring first one wound, then another. All watch with held breath…
As Aeric, his sword slick with water, makes a mighty swing - and his sword flies into the water. (FUMBLE).
And is struck. Hard.
Takes 15 damage after armor, a major wound. Aeric is debilitated and loses 1 point from his APP - a gruesome scar on his face, as his helmet is shattered from the grim Saxon’s axe.
He swoons in the river and fades to blackness.
Tune in next time as we follow Aeric through the second part of this session - the plot thickens, things get more complicated at home, and Aeric has an opportunity that may reshape his fate for good.
Next time on…PENDRAGON!
Keep your blades sharp! (And don’t fight huge Saxons in a river)
- Castle Grief
More great stuff! Really like your Saxon = very evocative! I have often wondered whether Pendragon would work as a solos game - I played 2nd Ed with a group a loooonng time ago & really enjoyed it. Thanks to you I can see that it does! Please keep it up!
Winter events can be much fun - I had 'rumours of a necromancer' 3 years in a row (IIRC) so in the end decided to denounce a cousin!
What an absolute *banger* of a write-up! Thanks so much for including your notes on rolls and how you went about stuff.
Very dramatic - can’t wait to read what happens when Aeric awakes!