#the warren

[open-hearth-rpg]

#RPGCovers Week Thirteen The Warren (2015) Brennen Reece (Layout and Visual Design)

Sometimes I want clean, smart simplicity. And that’s hard. You can do it with minimalism, but to do it in a way that evokes a feeling, grabs the eye and tells a story, that’s challenging. Bully Pulpit Games has always been great at this– Fiasco, for example, reset the template of what an indie could be and look like. It used simple, distinct graphics in combination with a dynamite font to establish something immediately recognizable. 

And much as I love Fiasco, I want to talk about two of their later games (today & tomorrow). 

I really love the cover of The Warren. It is simple, with only five colors, with one of those being white. I love how the three colors of the background (red, yellow ochre, tan) shift in a rainbow. There’s the feeling maybe of a sunset, with our rabbit silhouette against that. It takes a moment to realize the rabbit’s looking away from us– I don’t know if the silhouette there is in black, but on the printed version the adjacent colors make it look more like a super-deep brown. 

The font is simple and lower case, which is appropriate, matching the background colors. 

And here’s why I think this cover is perfect. It is a rabbit, outlined roughly. We can tell that at a glance. And it could be any rabbit. One of the strengths of The Warren which gets overlooked is the variety of stories, eras, and themes which can be played out. My favorite convention game was run by Renee Knipe, with rabbits living in historical Egypt. If we had a distinct, specific image of a particular rabbit, that would have closed out the imaginative space. 

We would see a rabbit which would lock down things about the breed, the place, the health, of these animals. We might assume it is just a Watership Down game, when it is actually so much more. Instead we get a more universal image. That’s so important in games like this where players do the heavy lifting of collaborative creation. Rather than images that direct them in particular ways, the game offers a token, a platonic shadow that we can move to perceive. 

#ttrpg #rpg #rpg covers #great rpg covers #bully pulpit #the warren

[salamanderpie]

Snowball doesn't know what's wrong with the other rabbits (they're hares) but is just glad they haven't thrown him to the wolves yet (they might)

#pbta #the warren #bunny #rabbit #watercolors #dwarf hotot

[eyelessrabbit]

Sigma! Fairy Prince of Dreams! lov him so so much,, my fluffy moth boy,,, He became the sole prince and leader of his meadow at a mere 6 years old!! he very much lives his whole life to make other people happy and bring them peace BUT WATCH OUT (crippling inferiority complex)

#sigma blissen #the warren #my art <3 #moth boy #moth OC #fairy oc

[shreksstepfather]

Below the cut is a comic about Gaia with lyrics from Mars by Sleeping at Last!

Yippee... :(

#click the pictures for better quality!! #gaia #ocs #the warren #not warrior cats #blood tw #long post #i put the pages under a cut because i don't want to subject random people to seeing THAT much of my ocs #also the image quality got really bad when i posted it for some reason?? #sorry bout that guys

[onlyhurtforaminute]

BOLT GUN-THE WARREN PART 1

#BOLT GUN #POST-METAL #POST-SLUDGE #POST METAL #SLUDGE METAL; #POST SLUDGE METAL #POST-SLUDGE METAL #HEAVY METAL; #METAL; #EXPERIMENTAL METAL #THE WARREN #2023 #Youtube

[citrusratz]

Have some out of context comics from my run of The Warren

Top and bottom are vines, the middle basically happened in-game

#art #comics #the warren #rabbits #bunnies #fox #foxes #coyotes #vine comics #vines #animals #2022

[raitou-otcha]

Pitch and bunnymund are neighbours.

The Warren and lair are close enough in my books.

do you think they prank each other? or just despise?

hell maybe they have a diplomatic relationship as neighbors, anything that happens between the lair and warren stays between the lair and warren.

#pitch black #e. aster bunnymund #rise of the guardians #rotg #the warren #the lair #pitchs lair #bunnymunds warren

[themarginalthinker]

ok time to put this here so I can work it out in my head

Charlie - a runner, carrying info and physical goods all over the Warren and consequentially all over the city. Her excellent memory serves her well in forming a mental map of the tunnels and has an eerie sense of spacial awareness that helps her navigate better than even some of the older Kindred. Mostly does work on Alfred's say-so, but isn't above doing some for other groups as-needed. Even while needing to stay Masqued, she enjoys spending time out of the Warren, and social/clan obligations permitting, spends more nights out than not.

Zephyr - a spy, gathering intel more in the physical work through photography and soundbites, stolen paperwork and items. Has a unique combination of Obfuscational abilities that allows her both to be unseen and unheard, meaning she's essentially a ghost. Tends to stick closer to the Warren than others unless out for a job or accompanied by close friends and allies.

Tweak - techhead, leaning more into the 'traditional' Nos occupation of using 1s and 0s as his weapon of choice. Since the crash and burn of Schreknet, has been sneakily running a small TCWarren-and-some-allies wide server, slowly playing with incorporating some of Charlie's biology experiments with technology. Been under Alfred for the longest of any of the coterie aside from Blue.

Jen - a repairman, of all sorts. His history in infostructure and almost all branches of various trade jobs has lead him to becoming something of a skillmonkey, combined with his nail-biting display of control over rotschrek, able to actually use welding and cutting tools for short periods of time. Enough to get the job done. Doesn't tend to be a people-person, even within the Warren, rarely seen topside, and when he is, it's usually with Fenster.

Fenster - a people-person, setting up various jobs for the coterie and collecting information in the slip-ups drink and blood can make flow easier. Fen loves a practical joke, and isn't afraid to play them on even his fellow Nossies, though at least not to the same destructive degree as non-clanmates. As much as he's a smooth-talker, you'll never catch him dancing with anyone but Jen.

Blue - adjunct to Primogen, helping keep people, places, dates and relevance between all three, in order for Alfred. Blue has been by Alfred's side for almost the whole four decades since his embrace, and holding on to every scrap of information the Primogen allows him to know. Blue knows more, and knows of, more people than any of the others combined. He frequents above ground almost as much as below, usually with Charlie in tow, or following after her on whatever mission (personal or otherwise) she's on now.

#vtm #vampire the masquerade #clan nosferatu #nosferatu #ocs #The Warren #Twin Cities by Night #this is most of the main characters #aside from Alfred and Avram #who are too involved in the Ploty plot to say much of just yet ;) #but I wanted to outline mostly for myself a sense of what these people do for the Warren and on a nightly basis

[sam-seer]

Play Report: The Warren

I ran a one-shot of The Warren this weekend for my Dad and two of my sisters. It was my first time playing (or running the game) and, overall, it was a success. Here's the two big takeaways:

The Worst Thing: Presenting the Mission

These days, I think one-shots are best when there's a clear goal. So I presented a mission right away. Here's what I said:

"Dusk is coming on when you hear a voice over the hill. 'Tu-lip! Ja-ack!' It's the Widow Opal, looking for her two lost rabbit kits. What do you do?"

Immediately, I felt the misstep. I presented it like a choice, but for the Players, it didn't feel like a choice. They felt they could either (A) accept the quest, or (B) derail the session I had planned.

In an effort to course-correct, I told them it really was a choice and—because the map was robust and the Players were generous— they immediately chose a different action (steal cabbage from the garden). It turned out OK, but it was a valuable lesson. If I could do it again, I'd say this instead:

"Real quick before we begin, you've heard three rumors around the warren lately: (1) The Widow Opal's two kits have gone missing. (2) The cabbages are ripe in the Farmer's raised beds. (3) Strange sounds have been coming from the woods beyond the highway."

Why is this better? First, presenting multiple rumors keep the Players from feeling railroaded down a particular path. Second, presenting the information as exposition ("Before we begin...") instead of fiction ("The NPC says...") feels way more authentic. Less like a quest seed in dialogue's clothing.

(Note: To marry exposition and fiction, place a job board in the town square. Classic way to concisely present quest seeds within the fiction.)

The Best Thing: Making a Map Together

We started the session by making a map of the farm. I put a big paper bag on the table and drew three locations (The Warren, The Farmhouse, The Highway) then passed the pencil around the table.

The Players added more locations (The Henhouse, The Briar Patch, The Compost Heap, The Stone Wall, The Collapsed Barn, The Old Windmill). Immediately the world was original, rich, and surprising (even to me, the GM— which is really important!).

#TTRPG Design #Play Report #The Warren #Indie RPGs

[frostedlemonwriter]

1188/200 daily word count

41/41 daily word count hit

So I was inspired today. Which it felt like I wrote a lot less tbh.

#ramblings #the warren

[make-it-mavis]

Two NPCs from tonight’s session of The Warren that I definitely didn’t base on any beloved shitty goblins of mine nope

#art #shitgoblins #the warren #they row the skateboard like a boat

[blanketortoast-blog]

Nestled along the western coast of Dragonhome, where the Carinstone Rest gives way to the Parched Cayonwalks, lies the ancient city of Anura. Reclaimed by a clan simply known as the "Warren".

A peaceful oasis reconvened in the enchanting ruins of Anura. Bones, pennants and lanterns decorate what, at first glance, appears to be the overgrown ruins of a canyon city. An ancient temple, partially consumed by the cliffs of Anura, stands proudly as the jewel of the city. Forgetting yourself, you move forward through a throng of people. Almost as if the monument beckons you.

Suddenly it dawns on you, that the ruins are alight with excitement. A wasteland transformed into a bustling oasis complete with shops, smiths, boutiques and cafes. The entire thing feels like a dream, but the smell of grilled meat brings you back to reality. Anura is not dead, for the changelings have reclaimed this land. (Lore blurb by shanncrafter)

Inkarnate map created by Princesco (FR)

#flight rising #map #the Warren

[eyelessrabbit]

> THE RABBIT

The Rabbit is the creator of the cosmos and earth itself, a deity named after its resemblance to a white rabbit. Sometimes described as tiny as a spec, other times thought to be as large as the moon.

It refuses to interfere with the lives of humans, strongly believing that they are at their best when left to their own devices, only wishing to watch them flourish. As such, it is an entirely neutral party, allowing the humans and Dreamers to go about their life however they please, even if it causes more harm than good. It believes it has no right to judge, and even less right to punish them.

It will only involve itself when absolutely necessary to prevent the destruction of its universe, and even then it will try to keep its involvement minimal (Such as with the accidental birth of the Night-Terrors and then the intentional creation of the Dreamers).

> HISTORY

The Rabbit was born with the universe, infused with magic. An energy that when focused onto a singular task or action could bend reality itself to the user’s will. It used its magic to breathe life into its blank universe, mapping out the many stars and planets, before then moulding the many animals, plants and other life-forms that would populate them. Once its work was finished, it descended to Earth, hiding itself deep into the woods to watch the world bloom around it.

> THE CREATION OF THE NIGHT TERRORS, APPLES AND DREAMERS

The humans inevitably found and settled into its forest, creating the town of Rainshire. The Rabbit watched with glee, until it discovered that its presence had soaked the area in its magic. Without anything to focus upon, the magic instead fed upon the fears and anxieties of Rainshire, rebirthing itself into terrible monsters that would be called ‘Night-Terrors’. These monsters would stalk the humans at night, killing them and creating a panic, leading to only further Night-Terrors. The Rabbit hunted them down, erased the humans memory of them after every attack to try and stop the cycle. Only for it to restart again.

To rectify the issue, the Rabbit chose to extend its power to particular humans via infusing its magic into 7 apples. These would be called ‘The Apples of Desire’. When bitten into by a human, they would transform them into a ‘Dreamer’, who would hunt the beasts down til death. The Rabbit then made it impossible for a mortal mind to remember any sighting of magic, so that humans were free of the fear of Night-Terrors, ending the loop. With this, the issue was contained, the Rabbit continuing to recruit and work alongside the Dreamers for the rest of time.

Present-day, the Rabbit rests deep in Rainshire’s woods, wandering the streets of the city at night to communicate with its humans in a disguise, ever the sociable creature. Sometimes searching for new Dreamers, sometimes bothering the ones already chosen. It can be called upon in an instant by the Dreamers by a simple thought, though it’ll give them nothing but its own thoughts

#admd #all dreams must die #the warren #the rabbit

[shreksstepfather]

Alignment chart by @/play-now-my-lord :)

#not warrior cats #ocs #the warren #pontus #gaia #pluto #rowan #zomo #boomer #🤠🤠

[humanoidhistory]

Total eclipse of the Sun, July 1860, illustrated by astronomer Warren de la Rue.

#solar eclipse #eclipse #sun #illustration #astronomy #scientific illustration #warren de la rue #1860s

[citrusratz]

Gift for my players in my run of The Warren — I needlefelted all their bunnies 🐰

#needlefelt #needle felt #needle felting #needlefelting #rabbits #bunnies #the warren #crafts #2022