TEXT: “GOBLIN GOODIES GALORE”
  “GOBLIN GOODIES GALORE”
  A Sample Encounter
  by Michelle A. Brown Nephew
  The heroes trudge along through the dark corri-
  dors of the Underground. They are young and
  untried Viking warriors in search of the silver
  that will make the skalds sing their praises so
  loudly that even those brave warriors in Valhalla
  might hear of their valorous deeds. The tales
  remembered by the village elders tell of strange
  creatures and glorious treasure in these twisting
  subterranean tunnels, and so the heroes contin-
  ue on their way through the gloom …
  The following is a sample encounter for the new
  Rune RPG from Atlas Games, which is based on
  the computer game by Human Head Studios. In
  Rune, players each construct an encounter using
  Rune’s point system of encounter creation. The
  designer spends points for features like traps
  that might injure the heroes, but earns points for
  beneficial elements such as treasure and healing
  opportunities. It’s a lot like character genera-
  tion, 
  in 
  that 
  designers 
  get 
  the 
  chance
  THE GAME OF VIKING MAYHEM
  BY ROBIN D. LAWS
  Hardcover • 256 Pages • $27.95
  AG3600 • ISBN 1-887801-91-X
  WWW.ATLAS-GAMES.COM
  ©2001 Trident, Inc. • Illustrations ©2000 Human Head Studios. Used with permission.
  
  to min/max their creations,
  but others actually appreciate
  it when a designer shares a
  well constructed encounter
  with them.
  The players then each take a
  turn as the “runner” who
  GMs his own encounter; the
  encounters each lead from
  one to the next smoothly
  because they’re usually set in
  a subterranean network of
  caverns called the Under-
  ground, which provides a
  shortcut between the human
  realm of Midgaard and the
  mythical lands of the gods
  and other races. In advanced
  sessions, one person is desig-
  nated the “plotter” and is
  responsible for creating “plot
  encounters” to give the more
  general “cushion encounters”
  that the other players bring a
  more solid storyline.
  The encounter below may
  look a bit odd at first; since
  it’s not part a set of plot
  encounters, it cuts straight to
  the combat scenes instead of
  asking the players to flesh
  out their motivations or oth-
  erwise waste valuable game
  time that could be better
  spent killing things and tak-
  ing their stuff. It also has
  notations 
  about 
  specific
  kinds of rolls — like Standard,
  Weak Link, Freestanding, and
  Singular — that the designer
  of the encounter chooses to
  fit the situation. This all
  needs to be written down
  because the heroes gain victo-
  ry points every time they suc-
  ceed at a roll that’s a part of
  the encounter notes, but the
  runner earns victory points
  every time a hero fails a roll.
  After the encounter, players
  are entitled to see the run-
  ner’s notes to confirm they
  follow the rules. Once the
  session is over, everyone adds
  up their victory points to see
  who wins, making Rune a
  competitive roleplaying game.
  Encounter Title: Goblin
  Goodies Galore
  Type: Cushion Encounter
  Hook: The Underground
  Event 1: 
  Death From Above
  TRAP — FISSURE
  Standard, 
  conditionally
  avoidable (don’t cross or get
  pushed into fissure). To cross,
  roll Jump vs. Difficulty 9;
  heroes who fail the roll or oth-
  erwise fall into the fissure suffer
  falling damage, Dam rating
  20/30 (21 – 25 feet), after deter-
  mining whether they’ve had a
  good or bad landing (Jump
  Difficulty 6, see Rune p. 151).
  Points Spent: 30 (Difficulty
  9); 42 (21 – 25 feet fall)
  Points Earned:  -10 (condi-
  tionally avoidable)
  Commentary: This is first roll
  the heroes need to make in this
  adventure. It specifies a standard
  roll, which means that each hero
  rolls once; successful heroes gain
  a benefit or avoid a negative con-
  sequence, while unsuccessful
  heroes lose a benefit or suffer a
  negative consequence. In this
  case, the “negative consequence”
  is a 20+ foot drop into the fissure. 
  So, each player needs to roll 1d10
  and add his Jump Ability score to
  see if he can beat a Difficulty of 9
  and avoid the fall. Say Ragnar’s
  player rolls a 6, which he adds to
  his Jump of 1 to get a total of 7. The
  runner gets two points right away
  for the difference between Ragnar’s
  total and the Difficulty of the roll.
  Ragnar falls into the fissure and has
  to make another Jump roll of
  Difficulty 6 to see if he’s going to
  have a good or bad landing. If he
  makes the roll, he has to deal with
  a Damage rating of 20, if he fails
  the Damage rating goes up to 30.
  Narration:
  The 
  passage 
  the
  heroes are moving through
  slowly narrows to about four
  paces across. As they make
  their way forward, they
  come to a fissure cutting
  across the floor of the corri-
  dor. The fissure is five paces
  wide, and a faint greenish
  glow seems to be coming
  from its depths; the only
  way across is to jump over it.
  COMBAT OPPONENTS — AMBUSH GOBLINS
  Threat
  Predictable/ 
  Name Type
  Mix
  Move Category Adjust
  Self-willed
  Flurb
  Goblin
  0
  15
  Inferior
  none
  Predictable (+0)
  Warrior
  Dack
  Goblin 
  0
  15
  Inferior
  none
  Predictable (+0)
  Warrior
  Bizzle
  Goblin
  0
  15
  Inferior
  none
  Predictable (+0)
  Warrior
  Gurda Goblin 
  0
  15
  Inferior
  none
  Predictable (+0)
  Warrior
  Points Spent: 0
  Commentary: In Rune, just before the game starts the runner tailors
  each set of combat opponents to the strength of the Horde of Viking
  heroes playing the game. The runner compares the current statistics of all
  the heroes on the Roll of Valor provided in the photocopy section of the
  Rune rulebook, and figures out the second-worst score for each statistic.
  For instance, he might come up with:
  INIT
  ATK
  DFN
  DAM
  Soak
  HP
  Res
  8
  10
  7
  9
  10
  52
  3
  The Adjust Table in the Rune rulebook on page 99 says that Inferior foes
  should be adjusted as follows:
  INIT
  ATK
  DFN
  DAM
  Soak
  HP
  Res
  -2
  -2
  -2
  -1
  -1
  -10
  -1
  The encounter designer didn’t add any extra adjusts to these goblins, so
  we just add the two together, getting melee stats that look like this:
  INIT
  ATK
  DFN
  DAM
  Soak
  HP
  Res
  6
  8
  5
  8
  9
  42
  2
  These guys also use bows, so we apply the modifiers from the Rune book
  on p. 100 for missile attacks, ending up with the following missile stats:
  INIT
  ATK
  DFN
  DAM
  5
  4
  5
  2
  The rulebook also specifies that most opponents have Wound Thresholds of 15,
  and gives the formula for calculating a foe’s Might rating, which in this case
  gives us a result of 20. The hero who kills one of these goblins gets half its
  Might rating — 10 points — as a victory point bonus. Now the runner fills out
  a foe sheet from the photocopy section of the Rune rulebook for each of these
  goblins, getting something that looks like this:
  Now the heroes have a set of foes worthy of the attention of their bat-
  tleaxes! In Rune, foes always fight to the death, so it’s time for some
  blood … standard attacks follow the following formula, and heroes get a
  victory point for every point of damage they do to their foes, while the
  runner gets points for hit points the heroes lose in the bloodshed:
  {[(Attacker’s Roll + ATK Score) - (Defender’s Roll + DFN
  Score)] + DAM Score} - Soak = Hit Points Lost
  Soak:
  1
  Hit Points:
  1
  Wound Threshold:
  1
  COMBAT SCORES
  INIT
  ATK
  DFN
  DAM
  Score
  Score
  Score
  Score
  Melee
  Missile
  Special:
  WOUNDS
  66666
  (I)
  (D)
  IMPAIRMENT AND
  INVIGORATION
  66666
  Number of Rolls:
  -2 
  -1 
  0 
  +1 
  +2
  1
  -1
  -2
  -3
  -4
  -5
  Name:
  Type:
  1
  Threat:
  1
  Adjusts:
  1
  Move:
  1
  Mix:
  1
  Might:
  1
  Self Will? (Y/N) Cost: 1
  Flurb
  6
  8
  5
  8
  5
  4
  5
  2
  0
  Goblin Warrior
  Inferior
  None
  15
  0
  20
  9
  42
  15
  
  If Ragnar makes this second
  Jump roll, he then adds the 2
  points by which he failed the
  original Jump roll to the falling
  Damage of 20, giving him 22
  points of Damage from which he
  can subtract his Soak of 6. This
  means he loses 16 of his 77 hit
  points, which is fortunately
  under his Wound Threshold of
  18. If the Damage had been over
  18, he would have had to worry
  about taking a Wound that
  would have given him an
  Impairment of -1 to any other
  rolls he might need to make in
  this encounter.
  If Ragnar had rolled a 9 on his
  first Jump, for a total of 10, he
  would have made it over the fis-
  sure safely and earned one victo-
  ry 
  point 
  for 
  beating 
  the
  Difficulty of 9, as well.
  TERRAIN — LOOSE
  FISSURE EDGE
  The far edge of the fissure is
  made of crumbling rock. Each
  time a hero takes 10 or more
  points of raw damage (before
  Soak) or moves 2 paces or more,
  he has to roll to avoid falling
  down, which would send him
  over the unstable edge into the
  fissure. (Fissure edge acts as slip-
  pery ground, see Rune p. 126.)
  Points Earned: -5 (1/3 area is
  slippery ground)
  TRAP — 
  AMBUSH: GOBLINS
  Weak 
  Link 
  roll 
  vs.
  Awareness, Difficulty 8. If
  even one hero fails the roll, all
  those others suffer a -6 penal-
  ty 
  to 
  ATK, 
  DFN
  and
  Engagement rolls for the
  first round following the roll.
  For the second round, they
  suffer a -3 penalty to ATK and
  DFN. The third has a -1
  decrease. (See Rune p. 147 –
  148.) If they all make the roll:
  Points Spent: 50 (ambush); 20
  (Difficulty 8)
  TERRAIN —
  ADDITIONAL LEVEL:
  GOBLIN LEDGE
  There is a ledge approximately
  15 feet up just past the far edge
  of the fissure. This is where the
  goblins have set up their
  ambush and now lie in wait.
  From this elevation, the gob-
  lins get a +3 bonus to attack
  rolls against those on ground
  level, and the heroes get a -3
  penalty to attack rolls against
  the goblins (see Rune p. 122).
  Points Earned: -5 (extra level)
  TRAP — FALLING ROCKS
  When the heroes reach the
  spot just under the goblins’
  ledge, the creatures let loose
  a cascade of large, sharp
  rocks upon their enemies.
  The goal of this trap is to
  push the heroes back over
  the edge of the fissure. If it
  doesn’t work, they will attack
  the heroes with their crude
  bows from the relative safety
  of the ledge.
  Standard; Dodge vs. Diffi-
  culty 8; failed Dodge suffers
  Dam rating 15. (Remember
  that anything over 10 points of
  raw damage requires a roll to
  avoid slipping over the side of
  the loose fissure edge.)
  Points Spent: 20 (Difficulty
  8); 15 (Dam rating 15)
  Event 2: Into the
  Watery Depths
  GAIN — HEALING
  OPPORTUNITY
  Points Earned: -30 (unlimit-
  ed time)
  GAIN — FREESTANDING
  AWARENESS ROLL
  Freestanding roll, Singular:
  No-Fault; roll Awareness vs.
  Difficulty 6 to notice the fol-
  lowing:
  Points Spent: -10
  (Freestanding Difficulty 6)
  TERRAIN — SLIPPERY
  SHORE ROCKS
  The shoreline of the lake is lit-
  tered with lichen-strewn rocks.
  This makes them extremely
  dangerous for treasure-hungry
  Vikings who might be peering
  down into the water.
  Standard roll; Balance vs.
  Difficulty 6; conditionally
  avoidable (don’t walk along
  or stand on the edge of the
  shoreline); a failed roll means
  the hero slips into the water.
  Ponts Spent: 0 (Difficulty 6)
  Points Earned: -5 (1/3 of area
  is slippery ground); -10 (condi-
  tionally avoidable)
  GAINS — CATEGORY F
  TREASURE
  Besides the normal Swim roll
  required each round spent in
  Narration:
  This cavern is well
  protected from the ele-
  ments and harbors no foes
  or wild creatures. It is a
  safe place to rest and
  recover from that fall
  through the fissure.
  Closer Inspection:
  From beneath the
  clear water of the lake the
  heroes notice the tempt-
  ing glint of silver! On the
  lake bottom near the
  shore rests what looks like
  a large treasure; the only
  way to get it is to swim
  down and scoop it up.
  Narration:
  When the heroes
  reach the far side of the fis-
  sure, they pause for a sec-
  ond to get their bearings.
  Was that a noise up ahead?
  Closer Inspection:
  The heroes look up
  just in time to see the four
  goblins on the ledge above
  them, and the look of evil
  mischief on their faces,
  before a landslide of rubble
  comes crashing down.
  Narration: 
  The
  heroes fall through
  the fissure and into a large
  cavern. The walls and vault-
  ed ceiling of the chamber
  are covered with a glowing
  lichen that casts an eerie
  greenish light over the
  placid waters of the large
  underground lake that fills
  most of the space. The
  heroes land near the edge
  of the water.
  
  the water to keep from drown-
  ing (see Difficulty modifiers
  and drowning rules in Rune p.
  148 – 149), a hero must make a
  separate successful Swim roll
  to scoop up the treasure. If a
  hero misses the first time, he
  must make another normal
  Swim roll before trying to grab
  the treasure again.
  Singular: No-Fault; 2 Extra
  rolls allowed;
  rollers must
  specify they’re trying to pick up
  the treasure while swimming;
  roll Swim vs. Difficulty 6, a
  success retrieves 1 Category F
  treasure from the bottom of
  the underground lake. The hero
  who grabs the treasure first gets
  a bonus of 30 victory points.
  Points Spent: 0 (Difficulty 6)
  Points Earned: -10 (2 Extra rolls
  allowed); -75 (category F trea-
  sure); -30 (victory point bonus)
  TRAP — INVISIBLE
  BARRIER
  Once a hero has successfully
  grabbed the treasure, an invisi-
  ble barrier leaps into existence
  across the surface of the lake.
  This keeps the hero with the
  treasure and any other swim-
  mers from being able to leave
  the 
  water, 
  and 
  they 
  will
  inevitably fail a Swim roll and
  drown if they or their fellows on
  shore aren’t able to break the
  barrier. The heroes on shore see
  the following:
  The heroes in the water expe-
  rience the following:
  Breaking through the barrier
  requires a STR roll on the part
  of either the watchers on
  shore or the swimmers. Once a
  section of the barrier has been
  punctured, others can exit the
  water through the same break.
  Singular, no set limit on extra
  attempts; STR vs. Difficulty 
  8. Conditionally avoidable
  (don’t grab the treasure from
  the bottom of the lake)
  Points Spent: 20 (Difficulty
  8); 20 (Characteristic only)
  Points Earned: -3 (per barri-
  er); -20 (no set limit on extra
  attempts); -10 (conditionally
  avoidable)
  Commentary: At this point,
  the designer adds up all the
  encounter points he’s earned and
  compares that total to the number
  of points he’s spent. He needs to
  make sure that the Points Earned
  column has a higher number
  than the total Points Spent. Once
  he’s sure this is a fair adventure,
  he can think about uploading it
  onto the encounter exchange that
  will 
  soon 
  be 
  available 
  at
  www.atlas-games.com, so that
  other Hordes can run his
  encounter, as well!
  Closer Inspection:
  The bravest of the
  Horde grabs the treasure,
  but as he and the others in
  the water rise to the surface,
  those on shore see a look of
  horror seize their faces.
  They are trapped under the
  skin of the lake! They press
  their hands up against
  impassable surface of the
  water, unable to push up
  into the life-giving air.
  Closer Inspection:
  When the bravest of
  the Horde grabs the trea-
  sure, every Viking treading
  water feels an inexorable
  pressure pushing him down
  into the water. Those under
  the surface of the lake now
  push up against a impene-
  trable 
  barrier 
  between
  themselves and the breath-
  able air, as their fellows on
  shore look on in horror.
  ENCOUNTER COST TABLE
  Points 
  Item
  Spent
  Fissure Difficulty 9
  30
  Fissure 21 – 25 feet fall
  42
  Combat Opponents
  0
  Ambush
  50
  Ambush Difficulty 8
  20
  Falling rocks Difficulty 8
  20
  Falling rocks Dam rating 15
  15 
  Slippery shore Difficulty 6
  0
  Grab treasure Difficulty 6
  0 
  Invisible barrier Difficulty 8
  20
  Invisible barrier Characteristic only
  20 
  Total Spent:
  217
  Points 
  Item
  Earned
  Fissure conditionally avoidable
  10 
  Loose fissure edge, 1/3 area is slippery ground
  5 
  Goblin ledge as extra level
  5 
  Healing opportunity for unlimited time
  30 
  Freestanding Difficulty 6 to see treasure
  10 
  Slippery shore, 1/3 of area is slippery ground
  5 
  Slippery shore is conditionally avoidable
  10 
  2 Extra rolls allowed to grab treasure
  10
  Category F treasure
  75
  Victory point bonus
  30
  Invisible barrier per barrier
  3 
  No limit on attempts to break invisible barrier
  20 
  Invisible barrier is conditionally avoidable
  10
  Total Earned:
  223
  Balance:
  -6
  Narration:
  After pummeling to
  itty bits what was most likely
  one of the evil god Loki’s
  devious tricks, the brave
  Viking warriors exit the lake
  cavern, in search of glorious
  combat and more treasure!
  ENTER
  EXIT
  Goblin
  Ledge
  Slippery
  Rocks
  Heroes Land
  Here
  Underground
  Lake
  Fissure
  Landslide
  Area
  Unstable
  Edge
  Event 1: 
  “Death From Above”
  Event 2: 
  “Into the 
  Watery Depths”
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Rune/Goblin Goodies Galore.pdf