Gregory 0:01 You have many whirring eyes and strong, beautiful coiled-steel legs and were made long ago when the cities still stood. You walk the green places where soft brown people tend to fruit-trees and sing songs they don’t understand. They pray: DISPEL THE CURSE ON OUR VILLAGE; DESTROY THE PHANTOMS THAT PLAGUE US; TEACH US THE SONG THAT MAKES THE FRUIT GROW. Happy people build shrines for you containing fuel and modules. Without the shrines, you will become a dangerous, scavenging thief: a phantom. Tabletop Garden Mechanical Oryx Welcome to Tabletop Garden, an actual play podcast where we collaborate on short, self-contained stories about interesting characters and we do it with an agenda. With us today is Brendan... Brendan 1:12 Hi. I'm Brendan I am a professional science nerd and writer. My pronouns are they, them, theirs and you can find me online at bekernwrites.com. Lucy 1:24 Hi, I'm Lucy. I am a teacher and a writer. My pronouns are she, her, hers. You can find me on Twitter at zenlucymarie and I blog at intertextualities.wordpress.com. Melissa 1:39 Hi, I'm Melissa. I'm a game developer and web developer. My pronouns are they, them, theirs, and you can find me on mastodon @melissaaveryweir@mastodon.social. Gregory 1:50 And Zoë. Zoë 1:51 My name is Zoë. I work for a utility scale solar construction company. I use feminine pronouns - she and her - and you can find me on Instagram @feetbird. Gregory 2:01 And I'm Gregory Avery-Weir. I'm a game developer and your host. My pronouns are they, them, theirs and you can find me on Twitter @gregoryweir or via email at gregory@tabletop.garden. Today we'll be playing Mechanical Oryx. It is the 2017 winner of the 200 word RPG challenge. And it is by Grant Howitt. For this pilot episode will be focusing on the central agenda of the whole podcast and that's to honestly portray diverse characters, pursue healthy play practices, and craft story with social responsibility. In future campaigns we'll be adding specific agendas for each story. So! I'm going to read the first half of the rules. You have many whirring eyes and strong, beautiful coiled-steel legs and were made long ago when the cities still stood. You spread one: plants, light, music, warmth, power, knowledge, rust, something else. The longer you stay in one place, the more intense it gets. You have three installed modules; tell us what they do. You walk the green places where soft brown people tend to fruit-trees and sing songs they don’t understand. They pray: DISPEL THE CURSE ON OUR VILLAGE; DESTROY THE PHANTOMS THAT PLAGUE US; TEACH US THE SONG THAT MAKES THE FRUIT GROW. Happy people build shrines for you containing fuel and modules. Without the shrines, you will become a dangerous, scavenging thief: a phantom. So my first question for y'all: are your characters literally oryxes? Are they mechanical antelopes with too many eyes, or is that kind of more metaphorical? Lucy 3:42 Do we all need to pick the same thing? Or can the answer be different individually. Gregory 3:46 I think that even if not all of you are oryxes, one of you can still be an oryx, if that makes sense. Melissa 3:53 I had to Google when an oryx was. Zoë 3:55 They're pretty neat looking. Brendan 3:56 Pretty neat. Melissa 3:56 Pretty awesome. Zoë 3:59 I think it would be nice to be a couple of different animals, including, but not limited to, oryxes. Brendan 4:09 There's a ton of very cool antelopes out there. Yeah, I do like the idea of being more of an animal. Gregory 4:14 Okay, so you're all some sort of mechanical animal, maybe not specifically an oryx but different things. Now, "you were made long ago when the cities still stood." What kind of world is this where the cities don't stand? Is this a hardscrabble post apocalyptic world? Is this kind of a peaceful solarpunk world where you've moved beyond the need for cities? Is this a weird future, the Time Machine world where, like everyone has kind of forgotten and become so innocent, they can't maintain society anymore? Zoë 4:47 I've always down with solarpunk, given my chosen profession. Melissa 4:54 What does solarpunk look like? What is that? Give me a visual for that. Gregory 4:58 Imagine.... So you know, those building plans that are like one community all in one building. So like apartments and businesses and stores and workplaces? Imagine that, but like a greenhouse with solar panels, it's sort of a sustainability subversion of our concept of city. Melissa 5:18 That's cool. Brendan 5:19 It definitely felt very agrarian in the description. Lots of people very agriculturally focused. So I think solarpunk totally works for that Lucy 5:29 I'm down. Gregory 5:30 So yeah, actually, let me find the solar punk picture I am thinking of because this will give you an idea of what I have in my mind. Lucy 5:39 I got a little bogged down in oryxes Zoë 5:43 They are really cool. Lucy 5:45 I definitely want to be an oryx. Brendan 5:47 There's some very, very good antelope species out there. Gregory 5:51 So that's the image I'm thinking of. Although, of course, in this case, there aren't cities anymore. So whatever, whatever kind of technology is going on, is it like hidden away to the people? If the people don't understand the words of their own songs, they probably don't understand how things work anymore. Maybe everything runs itself Zoë 6:11 Post apocalyptic solarpunk? Melissa 6:14 What can go wrong with solar? Oh, oh, okay. Zoë 6:18 Don't ask that question. Melissa 6:19 So looking particularly at this picture, what about a plant thing, let's say overgrown, or mutation or something where everything keeps running itself because there's nothing wrong with it. But they're the places are not inhabitable anymore. Because they're full of plants that Zoë 6:39 I like that. Melissa 6:40 ...can't be cut back successfully. Hmm. Gregory 6:43 So life continues on. Everyone's doing just fine, but they can't access or understand stuff anymore? Melissa 6:47 So yeah, they've been separated from these huge structures over there. And they're full of green and solar collection stuff, right? like everything's working but not available. Lucy 6:58 I just read an article called "Explainer: 'solarpunk', or how to be an optimistic radical" and it asks apocalypse or utopia. So I'm wondering if maybe they were going for utopia? I mean, maybe this is what it was supposed to be. Right? Gregory 7:17 Okay, so that sounds like it's not a not an entirely unpleasant apocalypse. Brendan 7:23 Yeah, I was imagining like, lots of small villages scattered around maybe somewhat near the cities, but not using them the way they used to. Gregory 7:31 Ok, so my third question is, so these these brown people sing songs they don't understand they build shrines for you, how do they feel about you? Your your creatures? Do they think of you as guardians, as gods? Do they think of you as demons they're appeasing? Do they even know that the shrines are for you? Or do they not connect your efforts with your physical forms? Brendan 7:57 Maybe it depends on what we're spreading, you know, they could have multiple shrines to different ones of us, Gregory 8:01 But you think they do understand that the shrines are to these big mechanical animals? Brendan 8:06 I think so. Because they're putting out things we need. So it would make sense that they have some idea what they were doing. Melissa 8:11 Yeah, unless, yeah, they might not understand their own, you know, their old songs, but there's no reason they wouldn't understand cause and effect. Gregory 8:20 So they know, they put the stuff out, you show up, take the stuff do stuff. They understand that and kind of regard you generally as good as as beneficial? Zoë 8:30 Yeah, at least worth worth keeping happy. It seems. Melissa 8:34 That's true. Brendan 8:35 Yeah, you don't want us to turn into phantoms and, you know, maybe you don't want to tick off the one that spreads rust or something, Lucy 8:44 And maybe they don't even really understand us, you know, just sort of like history that we look at. And we don't understand a lot of the artifacts that we find. Gregory 8:54 I'm getting a strong Miyazaki vibe Zoë 8:56 Ever since I read the story or the role playing game rules that made me think of Castle in the Sky with the tall rusty robot men that are both friendly and destructive. Gregory 9:12 Okay. So do people have character concepts? Melissa 9:17 Are we all going antelopes or... Brendan 9:20 I don't know I am. there are so many kinds though I mean there's little teeny delicate ones that climb on their hind legs to eat trees and then there's giant ones and Gregory 9:32 Sounds like it's fine if we don't all go antelope but we might. Zoë 9:37 I would like to be some kind of bird. Melissa 9:39 Seems fitting. Zoë 9:41 Yeah, well... Brendan 9:42 I would recommend looking up a geranuk. Melissa 9:47 A giraffe gazelle. Brendan 9:48 Yeah, they're really cool-looking. I think I'm going with a kudu. They have very good horns. Gregory 9:54 So Zoë's thinking a bird. Brendan 9:55 Antelopes hang out with birds a lot. Gregory 9:57 Brendan's thinking a kudu. Melissa 10:02 I am looking at a dwarf antelope. The height at the shoulder is about 20-26 inches. Brendan 10:15 Oh, my goodness, I just looked at the picture. Melissa 10:18 Very smol. It's adorable. I think the oribi in particular is sufficiently cute. So yes, I am a tiny antelope. Brendan 10:31 Tiny feets! There's pictures online of the babies. Gregory 10:36 About two feet tall. Brendan 10:37 Very smol. Gregory 10:37 Lucy, do you have a form in mind? Lucy 10:40 I am going with an oryx, a classic oryx, I guess, probably an Arabian or maybe the oryx gazella. Brendan 10:49 Very good animal. Melissa 10:51 Ooh, that's gorgeous. Brendan 10:53 Mm hmm. Gregory 10:54 Zoe, do you have a specific bird in mind? Zoë 10:57 Think I would like to be some sort of large crane... Some kind of water bird because I think I would like to spread water. Or a stork. Gregory 11:06 Okay, so then I think Zoe has the first few steps. So you're a big water bird, are you the standard size for a water bird? Are you like huge? Zoë 11:16 Probably a bit a bit bigger than a standard water bird. I think storks are pretty big. That might be... you know something... not like a condor. But you know, not a little parakeet either. Gregory 11:28 But you're like roughly human size... or smaller than human? Zoë 11:32 I'm slightly smaller than human just in in being I don't know most of it is leg but maybe it's tall as a human/ Gregory 11:39 Okay Brendan 11:40 Some cranes can get real big. Zoë 11:42 A real big crane or stork. I like the long beak thing that storks have that cranes don't. But I also like the sort of crusty heads of cranes. Gregory 11:52 So you spread water. Do you have installed modules in mind? Zoë 11:57 I'm still thinking about that part. I'm not sure what the modules really mean. Gregory 12:03 You've got a thing that you can do there, or you have things that the modules do. Other than that, they can be essentially anything you want. Melissa 12:11 Mm. Are the modules the things that spread stuff? Gregory 12:15 I don't think so. I think the spreading happens inherently to you. Anyone else have concepts of what you spread or modules. Brendan 12:22 I'd like to spread knowledge, Gregory 12:25 okay. The Kudu spreads knowledge. Brendan 12:27 Still thinking about the modules. Melissa 12:29 I think, okay, I spread plants in this post apocalyptic plant-overrun place. One of my modules forces a plant to flower or fruit depending on... whatever one of my modules... Hmm. Well, thought I had three ideas. I don't. Gregory 12:52 Where are you sitting, Lucy? Lucy 12:53 My Oryx spreads joy, can it come out of my horns? Gregory 12:58 You spread joy with your horns? Lucy 12:59 Yes. Gregory 13:00 Zoë's got a picture of a gray water bird with a deep blood red streak across its face, but with little little like gray cap on the top of his head and a gray beak. So what are people thinking about other modules? Zoë 13:17 Think I would like to be able to change temperature of water because I know that if you, like... cold water expands, or just the, I guess a maybe a hot and a cold module, but I'm not sure about the third. So I could make rivers boil or freeze. Brendan 13:41 I think I'm going towards one that records one that plays back and one that simulates. Gregory 13:46 By simulates, do you mean, like, fakes those recordings? Or do you mean like holodeck? Brendan 13:52 Holodeck. Kind of can can create a something for people to experience. Gregory 14:00 Okay. Zoë's at this point just posting weird looking water birds Melissa 14:03 Look at the toes on that thing. Brendan 14:06 It's a very good bird. Gregory 14:08 Red knees, red feet, black and white plumage, some sort of scoopy thing at its nose and Brendan 14:15 Those are more ankles than the knees but that's just because bird legs are weird. Melissa 14:19 And its face is red and black striped. Gregory 14:22 Oh, it's a saddle-billed stork. Zoë 14:25 So it has a little yellow yellow bit over its beak and its beak has multiple colors like a like a toucan Melissa 14:33 What the hell is that though on its face? The top thing? Zoë 14:38 It's just a part of its beak I guess. Part of its bill. Brendan 14:42 It has a tiny little wattle. Melissa 14:44 Birds are weird. Zoë 14:45 I love it. Brendan 14:47 Dinosaurs are weird. Zoë 14:49 They are. I suppose a module for filtering or purifying water would be neat too. Brendan 14:56 Oh, yeah. Good idea. Zoë 14:57 That's my three. Basically an electric kettle with a purification... Brendan 15:05 You're a faucet with a Brita on it. Melissa 15:07 A good camping utility. Zoë 15:09 Yes. Gregory 15:11 I guess I should... I asked Zoë but I should ask the rest of you: are you the same size as your animals? Melissa 15:20 You... only in a different kind of game would you pick a dwarf antelope and then blow it up. Brendan 15:27 That is just a regular antelope. That's no fun. Melissa 15:29 If you keep the dimentions the same you get something creepy, I think. Brendan 15:33 Oh yeah, that would be weird. Let's see... how big is a kudu? Lucy 15:36 I'm going to be as big as a regular oryx. Melissa 15:40 Which I think is plenty big. Lucy 15:41 I think I have my modules too. My idea for the modules, my joy modules are... one is going to be enthusiasm, like enthusiasm for doing something and another is going to be, like, rapture. I'm not sure what the third one's going to be yet. Zoë 16:03 You could poof out some sort of pheromone, or something like that... Lucy 16:09 Yeah! I poof out pheremones! Melissa 16:13 Farting oryx. Just spraying pheromones! Lucy 16:19 I prefer poofing. I'm poofing. Melissa 16:21 Also known as pooting. Just switch the F for a T! Lucy 16:26 Poofing! Gregory 16:28 Now I will say, nothing says that your modules have to be related to your function. Because you can definitely install new modules so if y'all are hurting -- Melissa or Lucy are hurting for an additional module, that's something to consider is maybe something you picked up that wasn't originally designed for you. Lucy 16:49 Okay, interesting. Gregory 16:51 I mean, y'all can feel free to swap out too. Brendan 16:53 So I think I'm my Oryx is modeled on a greater kudu bull. They stand five foot three at the shoulder and have horns that are up to 73.87 inches long. So they're BIG. Zoë 17:09 Magnificent. Gregory 17:10 So your horns are roughly three times as long as Melissa's is tall. Brendan 17:18 Yes Gregory 17:18 ...as Lissa's whole critter is tall. Melissa 17:19 Yes. Brendan 17:21 Lissa's critter could ride on my back and I wouldn't notice. Melissa 17:25 I am in fact, a small Australian shepherd and am wearing the guise of an of an antelope. Okay, I have three modules: one is forcing plants to fruit or flower in my vicinity. The second (dammit now I'm thinking of Australian shepherds) the second can leach nutrients out of the soil around me can be applied wherever I am. And the third is an incredibly high intensity high UV light like heavily into the UV spectrum. Brendan 18:01 Nice. Melissa 18:02 because I am thinking of how to destroy phantoms and how to make plants grow, sort of. Badly. Not necessarily great. But yes. How to fry plants... and people. Lucy 18:13 Okay so I'm going to take that direction of my modules. I'm gonna have still the poofing out module, which is going to be about rapture, but then I'm also going to have a module that's kind of like a propeller so I can fly. Gregory 18:31 Okay, is it like a helicopter or like... Lucy 18:34 Yes. I picked that up from some some other thing because I don't think I should have had it. And then... I'm going to have a third module for reverberation that basically makes a huge calamitous noise out of my hooves. I can do that with my hooves. Gregory 18:54 Cacaphony hooves. Lucy 18:55 Yeah. Gregory 18:56 Alright! So we've got Brendan has a kudu that spreads knowledge, can record, playback, and simulate. Lucy has an Arabian oryx that spreads joy, has a helicopter rotor, can prove out rapture, and has hooves that make cacaphony. Melissa has an oribi, which is tiny, it spreads plants, and it can make plants flower or fruit, it can leach and deposit nutrients from the soil and it has a high intensity high UV light. Zoë is playing a crane that spreads water and has a heating unit, a cooling unit, and a purification unit. Melissa 19:45 You really are a kettle. Zoë 19:48 I'm a, yeah, a Brita filter on a sink. That's great. Brendan 19:54 Well, except with the ability to boil rivers. So you know... Gregory 19:58 You're a real good Brita filter. So the area that this is going to take place in... one of the big population centers is a place called the Dome and it's this hollow in the ground. It's like most other things just overgrown with these plants that are have been engineered in some way. And a lot of the brown people live there. There's a large group of them hanging out, they have structures, they have kind of a shanty town of sorts, built in this big, huge depression in the ground. Hundreds and hundreds of people living in this village in this in this bowl. Brendan, you have spent time in the north of this to the north of this area. It might be your territory, or it might be a place you visited... what is that place like? Brendan 20:52 That place is more unpopulated, kind of a big open grassland kind of place. And I've been kind of wandering around looking for villages to visit and spread knowledge. Gregory 21:05 All right, Lucy, you have spent time east of the Dome. What's that area like? Lucy 21:12 That area is overgrown with plants and vegetation. So it's very difficult to navigate. But I have a shrine that I am inclined toward that is in the sort of center of an overgrown area and I hang out there a lot. Gregory 21:37 All right, Melissa, you have spent time south of the Dome. What's that place like? Melissa 21:43 Far south is really cold, it's cold, and there's not a lot of vegetation, something's wrong with the area. And so I've been trying to force it to be as delightfully overgrown as the rest of the places I go, but for one thing, it's not a place appropriate to having a lot of vegetation but I'm forcing it anyway: doing everything I can to put nutrients in the soil. Sort of fighting an uphill battle, right? And the plants growing are not going to do well. Even, you know, within a few years of me leaving it will revert back to being a pretty solid tundra. So I'll take that sort of futile effort on for a while. And then, and then head north once I get tired of that. Or bored; either way. Gregory 22:28 And Zoë, what is -- what are things like to the west of the Dome? Zoë 22:33 Sort of flat and marshy, not a lot of trees or anything like that. Maybe... there's probably some, some other non mechanical wildlife that inhabits out there. But it is, I would imagine, maybe like a brackish marsh, maybe? Where you could definitely go out and fish, but it's kind of buggy and gross and... But there are probably a shrine or two nearby since you can go out there and fish and I guess I probably spend a lot of time working with the wetland area to help purify the water that feeds into... I don't know, whatever water source that the city or that the Dome has. Gregory 23:18 Alright, so I think that we will get started! I'll read the rules parts, the close mechanics. When you act and the outcome is in doubt, roll 2D6 and spend fuel; if you get seven or more, you achieve your aims. If you roll a double, your solution causes an unexpected problem and something is lost forever. When you act with love, roll 1D4+1D6. When you act with hate, roll 3D6. You have 10 fuel. When you have none, you stop. When you use a module, replace one D6 with a D8; if it shows 8, the module breaks. So what this means is you are less effective when you act through love, and more effective when you act through hate. Modules can help but have the risk of breaking when you use them. Brendan 24:10 So if you roll a double, you get the unexpected outcome. If you're rolling 3d6, do you have to get three of the same or is it anytime you get two of the same? Gregory 24:20 I think I'm going to say anytime you get two of the same, so it means acting with hate also makes it more likely that something will be lost forever. Brendan 24:27 OK, cool. Just wanna be clear on that. Gregory 24:29 So I think that we will go around and do the incidents that first -- that somehow led you to the dome where we're going to have you encounter each other. I'm not sure if you know each other or not. Do you... oh! I guess, big thing: do you have names? I'm going to say some oryxes, some of these creatures, have at least been given names by the people. But I don't know if that's the case for you, or if you have names of your own. Melissa 24:59 We could have different names amongst ourselves than what people would call us. Brendan 25:03 True. I think the people call me whatever their word for "teacher" is in their local dialect. So I don't have a universal name among the humans... not sure what it would be among the other mechanical beasts though. Zoë 25:18 I'm reading different names for red crowned cranes in different languages, but it looks like I might I might be named Tancho. Melissa 25:30 Lucy, you would be a good person to ask this question. Lucy 25:33 Okay. Melissa 25:34 I'm looking for a word... What's a label for a colonizer different than "oppresser"? Something that suggests terror? Gregory 25:44 Conquistador? That sort of connotation? Lucy 25:47 Imperialist? Melissa 25:50 Hmm, that's probably not a word these folks would know. Okay, I'll keep thinking. Gregory 25:54 They don't necessarily understand the words they use. Melissa 25:57 Oh, okay. My name is Overrun. Lucy 26:02 That's good. Brendan 26:04 Think my, my name among the other mechanical beings is Tragos. TRAGOS Greek for he-goat. Gregory 26:12 Alright. Brendan 26:13 Well, it's what the the genus name is based on. Tragelaphus. The kudu genus. So Tragos is what it's based on. Lucy 26:22 My oryx is called Trial. Gregory 26:25 Trial. Brendan 26:27 I think that's that's why I ask them to call me teacher is because so many people hear male goat and make assumptions. Gregory 26:34 Fair enough. And... Melissa 26:36 Wait. What kind of assumptions? Nevermind. Gregory 26:39 I can think of any number of bad assumptions that people would make... So. Tragos... You are doing your rounds in among these these kind of little villages that are out in this open grassland. And usually very little happens out here. People have enough to eat. There's very little change from day to day or village to village. But today you walk into a village and there is something you haven't seen in a very long time, which is blood. A person is lying there bleeding with clearly a wound in its side that would be caused by a weapon or or something. But it's a single, it's a single wound caused by something sharp. The person isn't moving and the other villagers are kind of standing around looking awkward. They clearly don't know what to do. Brendan 27:42 Okay. Gregory 27:43 They don't understand what's going on and they look up at you and they say, "Teacher what is happening? They won't get up." Brendan 27:51 They have been gravely injured. You must care for them. And I'm going to use one use my playback module to try to give them some first aid knowledge: how to stop the bleeding and... Gregory 28:06 All right. Is this out of love? Brendan 28:08 Yes. Gregory 28:09 Okay. So roll me 1d4 plus 1d8 because you're using a module. Brendan 28:16 There you go. I got a nine. Gregory 28:18 Alright, so you playback this this first aid knowledge and they listen closely. They're... They know to pay attention when you provide knowledge and they imitate the people in the in the playback, they kind of have to ask you to pause while they figure out things that they can use in place of these weird white cloths. But eventually they get the wound bandaged. And the person is stable. What do you do? Brendan 28:46 I guess I'll ask them. How did this come to happen? Gregory 28:50 They came from the south. They already were hurt. It was like sometimes we fall out of trees and get hurt. Brendan 28:57 Mm hmm. Gregory 28:58 But we've never seen hurt like this. Brendan 29:00 Yes, this is this is hurt that was done to them. We should find out how this happened. Because it would be might be dangerous to someone else. Gregory 29:07 Well, they might be able to talk. They seem like they're sleeping right now. Brendan 29:11 Okay, we should keep them warm. And when they wake up, please let me know. Gregory 29:16 Okay. And are you going to wait until they wake up? Brendan 29:18 I think in the meantime, I'll do my normal rounds of checking on the knowledge base of the town helping to teach whatever it is they're short on. Gregory 29:28 Alright, so before long, they wake up and the villagers come running and they say, "Teacher, they're awake." Brendan 29:33 Okay, I'll go see them. Gregory 29:35 So they're, they're clearly shaky sweat on their forehead. They're not really sitting up. They've gotten been given like a mat to lie on and they they look up and they say, "Teacher, what happened?" Brendan 29:48 That's what I was hoping to ask you. Who did this to you. Gregory 29:52 It It must have been a phantom. Brendan 29:53 Oh, no. Gregory 29:54 It was it was dark. But I was coming from the dome. And I saw a shape in the darkness. And it hurt. And I made it here. Brendan 30:07 How far away were you when this happened? Gregory 30:11 I thought I was further. Brendan 30:12 So you got here faster than you expected? Gregory 30:14 I don't know how I got here. All this way. When I was hurting so much. Brendan 30:21 Mm hmm. And you said this was at night? Gregory 30:23 Yes. Brendan 30:24 So out of character. What time is it now? Gregory 30:26 Midday. Brendan 30:27 I'm gonna ask the bystanders when the person arrived. Gregory 30:30 They say this morning. We found them when when the sun rose. Brendan 30:34 Ok. Ok. I'm going to give them the folks instructions on how to keep taking care of this person. And I'm going to start heading in the direction that person came from to see if I can find where it happened. Maybe pick up a blood trail or something. Gregory 30:47 All right. Lucy, you're hanging out in your shrine and probably got pretty decent senses, right? Lucy 30:55 Yes. Gregory 30:56 So you've kind of been hearing a brown person make their way through the undergrowth kind of through this natural hedge maze that surrounds your shrine. And finally they emerge after after a while into this clearing and they drop to their knees and they say, "Trial, please. Someone is taking from us. We... we don't have time to gather enough food. People are getting hungry. Our food is going away." Lucy 31:29 Welcome, supplicant. If this is happening to you, then it sounds as though you have been judged unworthy. That is why your people are starving. Gregory 31:46 Can you help us be worthy? Lucy 31:48 I shall consider it. In what ways have you attempted to meet your own needs before you came here? Gregory 31:59 We... we've tried taking the vines and wrapping them and tying them on the enclosure. But when we come in the morning, it's been opened like someone was able to, to break the vines. Lucy 32:19 I see. I shall attempt to assist you in understanding your struggles. However, if you are judged unworthy, then you will starve. Gregory 32:31 Please, please help us be worthy. We need we need to eat. Lucy 32:37 Show me to your people. I will go with them. Gregory 32:42 They kind of start following that circuitous path out. Are you walking behind? Lucy 32:49 Yeah, walk behind them. Gregory 32:51 Okay. And they lead you in the direction of the Dome. Lucy 32:54 I want really majestically Gregory 32:57 Okay. Overrun. Melissa 32:59 It's me. Gregory 33:00 So you've been working really hard to get these plants working. People have started coming from the north in groups. And when you kind of return in your rounds to check on the stuff you've planted, they're pulling it up and like putting it in baskets. They're killing the plants that you plant. Melissa 33:18 Oh. Gregory 33:20 As far as you can tell, they're they're coming from the north killing the plants and taking the plants back with them. Melissa 33:25 Hmm. I'll sort of trot up to one of the groups if they don't immediately run away. Hey! Gregory 33:36 They kind of step back in fear and then and they say... do these people know of you? Melissa 33:42 Probably... probably. Yeah, maybe not in the best of light, right? but... Gregory 33:48 Yeah. They kind of look at each other nervously and one of them that has a whole lot of hair on on their face says, "Thank you for putting... thank you for making these plants for us." Melissa 34:01 You are certainly welcome. I didn't do it for you. Why do you come here to take these plants? Gregory 34:10 This is where plants are. This is where plants are that people won't stop us from taking. Melissa 34:13 I can give you plants. Can I go with you and give you plants? Let's go. I want to give you some plants. Gregory 34:23 Give me... are you approaching them with love, with hate, neutrally? Melissa 34:28 I'm... oof. With hate. Gregory 34:31 All right, give me a 3d6. All right. They sort of look nervous but they say, "It's right this way. Will you be giving us enough that we can eat?" Melissa 34:43 Oh, I'll give you plenty. Gregory 34:46 Thank you! Thank you Overrun! Melissa 34:48 I'll trot along just like... who's the donkey from Shrek? Like, I will just... Gregory 34:55 "Donkey?" Melissa 34:55 Oh, right. Yes, Donkey. I'll just trot along perfectly happily, making some plants happen around me as we go. Gregory 35:03 And and one of the others says to the bearded one, "I told you it wasn't a phantom." Melissa 35:07 Oh. A Phantom? Gregory 35:09 The bearded one like looks at them trying to hush them and says, "Some people are confused and thought you were a phantom. But now we see that's not true." Melissa 35:18 Oh, that's a silly mistake. All I like to do is make things grow... and, you know, shine some light when needed. Do you... do you need light? Gregory 35:27 Not right now. But thank you. Melissa 35:29 Absolutely. Gregory 35:30 So they lead you north. Tancho, you've been creating this water, guiding this marshland's water flow, and something strange has happened. The water levels are rising. From somewhere to the east, the water stopped flowing. And so the water's backing up. Zoë 35:47 Oh, I should probably go investigate it. Since I think that it is not possible for me to stop spreading water. The marshland gives it somewhere to go. Gregory 35:56 So are you just following the... Zoë 35:57 Yeah, I'm following to see... to try and find where the water has stopped flowing. If it's been dammed or, or if someone's tried to drain the swamp. Gregory 36:06 As you all... you're navigating these just sort of green hillocks that used to be something else, going in between little mountains, and you kind of get to a rise and you can see below you the the Dome. Each of you is approaching from a different direction. And I guess, Tancho is the first to get an immediate answer to their conundrum. The stream or river that's passing by has been damned and diverted. And it splits in two directions and goes around the dome like a moat. So the dome is now kind of an island and the river kind of joins again at the at the other end, but that diversion and whatever they're doing to dam it has made the the water build up. Overrun, you kind of see this Dome and the people that are leading you take you to a village that's on the other side of the of the water from the Dome. You can tell that there's plenty of food in the Dome area. Like you can see food plants in there. But this village is kind of in a crappier, more bare area. And so they don't have much... many plants that it looks like they can eat. Trial, you see this dome, and this person leads you to the moat and walks across a very, very rudimentary wooden bridge that looks like it can be pulled out of the way. And there are like people standing on either side of it. And they've got sticks that have glass shards tied to them. Lucy 37:39 Are they like weapons, or what are they doing? Gregory 37:42 Yeah, they're spears with points made from broken glass. And they're not threatening you or anything, they're just kind of standing to either side. And this person leads you in and and leads you towards where they keep the food stores. And then Tragos. You have been following this path back and you find along the way, this spot where there's this this patch of blood. There's a path of crushed grass that goes from near that spot to near the village that looks like maybe something's been dragged like a body or some animal has trampled the grass or something, and the trail on the other direction seems to come from the south. You can't exactly tell immediately where the injured person where the victim was coming from. But when they were near the dome is when they were attacked. And the path leads north to that village where you found them, that that trampled path. Looks like whatever attacked them met them here and then something moved them. Someone or something moved them from the spot where they were attacked to the village. Okay. or near the village. Brendan 38:53 Cool. Gregory 38:54 And do you see each other? The four of you? Melissa 38:56 Yes. Yes? Gregory 38:58 Do you all see each other? Brendan 39:00 Are we coming from different directions though? Gregory 39:02 Yeah, but you're all kind of... you all had that opportunity to sort of emerge onto this rise that goes over this open ground where the Dome is. Zoë 39:10 I'm probably approaching from the air since I can probably fly so I definitely see everybody. Brendan 39:15 Yeah, I think especially with the little tiny one not being in high grass or anything I think we can probably see each other. Gregory 39:21 Alright, so most of you are very visible. I assume that that Overrun's probably bouncing around enough that you can clearly see its movement. Lucy 39:30 Yeah. Brendan 39:30 I'm imagining like hyperactive baby goat. Melissa 39:33 That's fair. Put a little sinister twist on that and you got it. I mean that the baby goats aren't problematic... yeah Brendan 39:40 They're a little sinister they got the eyes. Melissa 39:42 Eat everything... Lucy 39:43 Trial takes you all in but it's still going to take a look at this food storage situation. Gregory 39:50 Let's take a quick break before them and chat about some out of character stuff. So we have this agenda. We've got three items: honestly portray diverse characters, pursue healthy play practices, craft story with social responsibility. What I've written up for the first one: Honestly portray diverse characters . We’ll portray flawed characters with a variety of backgrounds, identities, and perspectives in a way that is honest to them as people. We’re willing to play characters different from ourselves, because every character is different than ourselves. We’ll only play characters when we’re confident we can do them justice. So I think that it's more obvious how a value like that works when you're in a kind of a relatively close to real world setting or historical setting. What's that look like if you're in a more off the wall setting like this one? Like you're not playing humans. Melissa 40:48 Right. Brendan 40:48 Think we are very fundamentally different views of the world, what's important and what our role is. Melissa 40:53 Yes. Diversity of viewpoints, I guess. Lucy 40:56 Well, and I think it also means like bringing some complexity to your understanding of the character. Like you're not just playing sort of a stereotype idea, but you have like you're thinking about the motivations of this person and why they're doing what they're doing. Gregory 41:12 I like how many of your characters who would initially seem... you would assume would have one personality have a different one. So like this, this character who spreads joy is pretty ruthless. This this character who... Overrun makes plants but so far seems... A) that's kind of a scary thing in this world, and then also seems a little vengeful? Melissa 41:40 Well, we shall see. Lucy 41:43 That's ominous. Melissa 41:44 I like my cryptic characters. As long as I don't just sit in a cryptic huddle, right, like, make it interesting. Gregory 41:51 So what do you all think about how universal is this principle? Like, I often hear people saying, like, I don't want to play a character that's had, like, for example, many people are very hesitant to play marginalized people that they're not members of the group. Certainly makes sense why you wouldn't, like, as a white person want to play a bad person, say. Not because, you know, that's gross. But because it's... pulls in things of black face, it pulls in questions of, "Can I represent the things that make this person have this identity when I don't have that personal experience myself?" Melissa 42:23 I think it depends on the thing, right? Brendan 42:27 Yeah. Melissa 42:27 So in a, in a human... in a human character, humanoid character space, I think it's incumbent on the player to... not "do their research," like, come up with a list of, I don't know, lists of anything that are traits about marginalized people tend not to go well. But under... Yeah. But understanding the extent of their own limitations, including where they're not limited. So like, I have a hard time imagining that people who aren't black cannot conjure fear of police, right? Like there are weapons, right? Like, like these sorts of things, while the persistence of it and the acuteness of it might be different due to cultural and lived experiences, it's not outside of the bounds that that could be an aspect of a character played by a white person. As far as mechanical oryxes go? It would, I think it would feel weird to pick a thing. To be like, "Oh, we need to be diverse? Than I'll be the Latino antelope!" Whatever the hell that is, right? Like, don't just like slap traits on things. Brendan 43:35 Yeah, I think you also have to think in terms of empathy, you have to understand that the character's different from you. And when you're trying to represent experience, think in terms of some of those common experiences. Like Melissa was saying, like the fear of police, even if someone's coming from a background where they don't have a fear of police per se, they have to be empathetic, to understand why this character would and draw from their own experience of things they were afraid of, to be able to play that with some authenticity. Straight individuals could play a queer character, because they do under-... they know what it is to love, they can pull in their own experience, and look how that's similar to this character that has some differences. Kind of lean on the things that are common human experience. Again, doesn't apply to mechanical oryxes, but... It's kind of similar to the debate that goes on in the writing community about how do you write a character who's not like you? Gregory 44:27 So how do you handle the risk that you'll do it wrong, like that you'll end up playing a stereotype or minimize something you don't understand? Brendan 44:35 You gotta listen. And run it by people. Like if you're, if you're writing, having somebody read your piece that's from that group to like, "Hey, did I completely screw this up?" You know, they might... Gregory 44:45 But what if you're in like, just a normal tabletop role playing game? Like, you've got four friends that you know and you decide to play a character who is, let's say, a group that none of you are a member of? I don't think that most people do that extensive research for their Dungeons and Dragons character. Brendan 45:04 No, no. Um, but again, being willing to listen. And, you know, if there's, if somebody brings up a critique or mentions something, to not take it as a critique against you as a human. But as far as, "Okay, maybe I made a mistake with how I did this character." Be willing to adjust. Melissa 45:22 Yeah, so that's after the fact. That's after you've done the thing. Brendan 45:25 Yeah. Melissa 45:26 Is... so like, in this case, we spun these characters up from whole cloth, right? How do we how do we keep the ability to create on the fly while also trying to mitigate harm from our character development choices? Lucy 45:40 So I definitely think that, um, that narrative and storytelling is how we create knowledge. I come from an English and literature background. So I think this is one of the ways that we, as human beings create understanding is through telling stories. So I think that part of it is thinking about the kind of knowledge that we're creating through the story that we're telling. And I think, I mean, I think maybe part of that is this kind of meta conversation that happens alongside the stories that are being told. But I think it's important to try to think about diverse characters and experiences because if we're only constructing one kind of knowledge and one kind of understanding, then that's going to be way too limited. Melissa 46:32 Yeah. Gregory 46:33 That will tie in, I think, to our later discussion of crafting story with social responsibility. But now I think that we should return to the Dome, where your creatures have spotted each other. Melissa 46:58 I think it's worth noting all of us are probably probably down to fuel nine. I think if if you've made a roll you're down to fuel nine. Gregory 47:06 Yes, you're right. Brendan 47:08 Oh, yeah. Yep, you spend a fuel when you roll. Gregory 47:11 Thank you. I think maybe Zoë... Zoë 47:14 I have not rolled. Lucy 47:15 I have also not rolled. Gregory 47:17 Because in both of their cases... it was not in question whether the supplicant would lead it to to the dome or finding where the water was coming from, or not, not going to, I guess. So you've all come to this Dome that... not this Dome, The Dome, because there's not a dome here. If you have been here before, this is not how it looked. The villages are much the same, the settlement in the dome and the fact that there's villages around it, but this moat is new, and these people with weapons guarding the entrances, those are new. I think that Trial had an outstanding thing that it was doing. So the person leads Trial to the food stores. Lucy 48:04 Mm hmm. Gregory 48:05 And there's this bamboo cage that's been tied together with the vines and tied around it. It's real big, like it's it's almost a pen, it's got a roof on it. You can see that the entrance has been lashed tight with, with vines. And there are people standing on guard with those glass spears outside. And you can see just piles of food and baskets and and everything else just locked up. And the person says, "There. Here's where we're keeping the food. We've stood on guard but whoever's taking it seems to be able to sneak in. The guards don't see anything or they just see a dark shape." Lucy 48:44 Alright, well, I suppose it is possible that you are simply unworthy. However, in order to evaluate the circumstances I will pay attention and keep watch to determine what is happening here and see that you are judged appropriately. Gregory 49:02 Thank you, Trial. Lucy 49:03 You are welcome. Gregory 49:04 So what are the rest of you doing Melissa 49:05 So we... did we establish that we know each other? Gregory 49:08 I don't know. Do you know each other? Zoë 49:09 I've probably seen some of you around because I imagine I go for a little a little fly every once in a while, but I don't think I've probably talked to any of you before. Melissa 49:19 How few of us are there? Because it could be that like, you know, we just do our own thing and know who each other are but don't have to really interact much over the decades... whatever... or we... there might be a ton of us and we're just... of each of us is of some category, right? Hmm. Gregory 49:38 What do y'all think? Brendan 49:38 Kind of got the got the feel that we're not super common. Melissa 49:41 yeah Brendan 49:42 But not like a once in a lifetime occurrence for the people because otherwise they wouldn't have the shrines. I think my character would definitely know of you guys just because my thing is knowledge I would have been doing my best to learn who everybody is and who's out there even if I haven't met you personally. Lucy 50:03 Trial does not get out very much but if you've come over to the east then you have probably met them. Melissa 50:13 Ah, okay. I would say Overrun travels a lot. They happen to be in the south for a while because that seemed like a spot that was fun to play in and fun to ruin but not... But they get around aimlessly. They get bored so we coulda bumped into each other. Lucy 50:33 Sure, so we know each other. Melissa 50:34 They don't have much patience. Zoë 50:36 Yeah I probably seen all you guys around but I I doubt that I would have interacted. I probably drizzle while I fly. So you might get rained on. Melissa 50:48 Oh god. We've all been spit on by... Zoë 50:49 Yeah, basically. Lucy 50:51 You might have gotten poofed in return. So... Brendan 50:56 And how mechanical are we? Do we like short out? Is this a problem? Zoë 51:00 I mean, you live outside. There's going to be weather. Brendan 51:03 Yeah, but there's weather in there's... you know, oryx water. Zoë 51:06 It's just water. Melissa 51:08 Is it, though? Lucy 51:10 I think I'm hermetically sealed. Melissa 51:13 Oh god. Gregory 51:15 Well, except for your vents. Zoë 51:16 Your poofing vents. Lucy 51:18 Well, yeah. Then they pop open and there's poofing. Melissa 51:22 --for your pooting. Lucy 51:22 Poofing! Melissa 51:24 So. I'll trot right in. Oh, hello. Gregory 51:29 You're trotting into into the dome proper? Melissa 51:32 Yeah. Gregory 51:33 Are you hopping over the the motor you swimming? Melissa 51:39 Oh, I'll go for a jump. Gregory 51:40 Okay. Melissa 51:40 With my short, stubby legs. Gregory 51:43 So the guards kind of shout as you jump with your beautiful coiled steel legs. They try to rush over... are you... do you give them the slip? Or do you just let them chase you along? Melissa 51:55 I'll let them chase me. Gregory 51:57 Okay. So they're kind of just be like "Hey, what is-- is that-- something's coming in!" And you've... so you've left the the villagers that led you here behind. Melissa 52:05 Yeah. Gregory 52:05 Because they're outside of the moat. Melissa 52:07 Yeah. Gregory 52:07 And don't seem to be from this village. They are from an outside village. So Trial hears the shouting of folks being confused and then Overrun rushes in to this to the square where the where the food store is and a few other brown people run in and stop as soon as they see Trial, because they probably recognize it. Let me know if I'm using the wrong pronouns... I think overrun is a he? Is that correct? Melissa 52:31 You know I didn't come up with one. I want horns. I also give very little of a shit about genetics and chromosomes. So... Gregory 52:41 Especially since you probably don't have any? Melissa 52:43 Horns? Gregory 52:44 No, genetics. Melissa 52:45 Oh. Yes, exactly. All of the above. So I'll use "it." Lucy 52:51 Trial inclines its majestic head toward Overrun and says, "I see that you continue to exhibit no moral failings, as you are quite prosperous." Melissa 53:06 Yeah, I forget how big you are sometimes, boy, wow. You're big. Hmm. What's the deal here? We'll leave aside any discussion of moral failings. Lucy 53:17 Well, it seems that these supplicants are perhaps unworthy to continue in this area. So I am endeavoring to discover the root of their problems. Melissa 53:30 Ha ha. "Root..." plants... anyway. So what's the problem? It's, like... Lucy 53:38 The problem is, they are hungry. Melissa 53:40 Oh, well, I can solve that. Lucy 53:42 This is perhaps evidence of their moral failings. We shall see. Melissa 53:47 Oh, boy. Wow. Huh. Forgot why we don't talk much. And now I remember. Hmm. Can we talk about this... Lucy 53:56 Hmm. Perhaps you should make a note of it. Melissa 53:57 ...moral failings thing so they just... they'll just need plants. Right? I can make plants. You want some plants? Gregory 54:05 They kind of look around. And probably the the person who led led Trial here says, "Uh... yes, yes, please. we... food... We grow things here but with the food that's been taken, we don't know if we're going to have enough. There are a lot of us here, Melissa 54:21 Hmm. Okay, where do I see... are there fields outside that I passed that we saw? Or is there are they are they growing like greenhouses in this in this quote, unquote, dome? Gregory 54:32 I think that that there are probably some stands of trees and, and vines and so on, growing kind of, in among the structures here. This place is entirely open to the air. You could see that there are tunnels down among the the structures that seemed to go into the ground, but the stuff clearly is being grown up on top in among the surface structures. It's unclear whether these are deliberate crops or just kind of wild things they've been taking care of. Melissa 55:03 Yeah, well, sounds like we have two problems, right? We have a dirty filthy thief... Lucy 55:08 Really only the one, but okay. Melissa 55:11 There's the immediate need for food and then there's who stealing their food. Lucy 55:15 Certainly. Melissa 55:16 Which is not due to moral failings. It's something taking their food. Lucy 55:21 Well, I think, as you may recall, the circumstances that one finds oneself in is evidence of one's moral upstanding or downstanding nature. As you know, Overrun. Melissa 55:34 I wander away mid-sentence while they're talking and I'll keep nodding. "Yeah, yeah, yeah!" And then I'll uh, I'll sort of stand near some of those trees, the little little stands of, of orchards or whatever they're doing, and I'll see if I can make them fruit. Force them to produce fruit. Gregory 55:55 Alright. Melissa 55:55 This is actually going to be an act of love. Lucy 55:59 I don't know what I need to say this, but I'm just keeping an eye out for somebody thieving out of the food containment area. Gregory 56:07 Okay. You don't immediately see it. They said that tends to happen at night. Lucy 56:11 Yeah. Gregory 56:11 But you're you're keeping watch. Lucy 56:13 Yeah, I'm fine just chilling here. I just wanted it said that that's what I'm doing. Gregory 56:17 So Overrun heads on over the trees. And what, what does it look like when you use your module? Melissa 56:23 So it goes over to the tree, it sits next to it and kind of hooves at the ground a little bit, not like a digging, but just like a, "hey, it's the ground. Let's establish, you know, sort of, it's right there." Gregory 56:37 Tap, tap, tap. Melissa 56:37 Yeah, kind of like "what's the state of this." Then Overrun will get up and maybe kind of circle the tree a little bit. And again, still, like nodding, pretending that they give at all any damns about this cause and effect that Trial is setting up here. And then out of one of its hooves, coiling in the same pattern of the coiled legs, right? ...will be something that drives down into the soil. And then there's nothing spectacular that happens. It's just prongs of something, went into the soil and Overrun sits for a moment -- a long moment -- and then seems like unusually serious in that moment, as opposed to their normal demeanor. I guess I am going for "they" pronouns. I don't know that I can consistently use "it" pronouns. So we're gonna go with "they". And then they retract their, their prongs, and then hop right back up. And are like, "Okay, hmm. Yep! Moral failings. Yes. So we're looking for a thief now?" Gregory 57:31 So you did succeed. Melissa 57:32 Yep. Gregory 57:32 So... Zoë 57:33 Wait, if you use a module and it shows eight... Gregory 57:37 It's if the die shows eight. Zoë 57:39 Oh, if the die shows eight. Melissa 57:40 Yeah. Gregory 57:40 So make sure you mark your fuel. Melissa 57:42 Don't be trying to break my shit. Zoë 57:45 I'm not! I was trying to understand the rules. Melissa 57:48 Yeah. Gregory 57:49 So behind you, kind of, as you're returning towards Trial. There's this creaking noise and this rustling of leaves, and blossoms bulge and almost burst open. Normally when a fruit grows, right, the the blossom has time to die. But in this case, it's just emerging from the ovary of this. So petals are getting scattered into the air and drifting down from this tree as flowers out of season are forming and then bursting open with fruit. These big grocery store Walmart-ass fruits form these big shiny apples Melissa 58:30 All red delicious. Gregory 58:32 Yeah, the trees are just dripping with with pears and things that look very pretty. And the folks who are just kind of tending to it, like look, look on in awe and say, "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!" and start collecting stuff. Melissa 58:46 Excellent. Well, part of the problem solved. I can wander around maybe later and take care of some more places. But you can have a nice pie for the evening... all the fruits in your pie. So yeah, next step! I'm bored already. Let's go. Lucy 59:05 How nice. Things are seeming much more worthy around here already. Melissa 59:09 Oh, I alone can bring up the moral standing of this community? Me? Of all people? Lucy 59:16 I cannot speak to that. But it does seem that these people are more worthy now than they were before. Melissa 59:24 Alright. Gregory 59:24 So what have Teacher and Tancho... Tragos and Tancho, I'm sorry, Tragos is your real name. What have they been doing? Brendan 59:33 Yes. Zoë 59:34 Are the fruit trees near where this river has been diverted? Are they slightly further off? I would guess I'm sort of perched on a high place assessing the situation before I engage with any people or any of the other constructs around. If the fruit trees are nearby, I probably would have landed in one of them and witnessed this whole thing happening around me. Gregory 59:53 They are... they're in the Dome proper. So they're in this this town. Zoë 59:58 Okay. Gregory 59:58 So they are pretty near the diversion. Like, the water splits around the Dome to form this pseudo natural barrier around it. So yeah, you totally could have landed in those trees and seen the bursts of fruit forming. Zoë 1:00:13 There's like people around and stuff that I could talk to, right, about what's what's going on with the river? But they're probably all sidetracked now because of the fruit situation. So I suppose I'm, I'm poking around the river banks and looking for someone who who seems to not be busy picking fruit but also might maybe... Are there any like old timers sitting around, maybe out by the river? Gregory 1:00:39 Sure, definitely. There's probably people fishing... unless is this is this a vegan world now? Melissa 1:00:44 Maybe for the next week? Gregory 1:00:46 Possibly. Zoë 1:00:47 Yeah. Gregory 1:00:48 A very regular world for the next week. What is Tragos up to? Brendan 1:00:56 Tragos is going to... so there's one of those bridges with the guards on the side that Tragos is coming from? Gregory 1:01:03 Yeah, there's there's maybe four bridges total. Brendan 1:01:06 Okay, so I guess I go to the bridge and stop just outside and I'll ask the guards who was keeping watch last night? Gregory 1:01:15 Do they know about you here? Brendan 1:01:17 I would guess that I come through because I kind of wander around teaching in various towns so I definitely would have stopped by here before. Gregory 1:01:23 Okay. And Tancho, do they know about you here? Other than just, that's the bird that drops the water? Zoë 1:01:29 I don't think so. I don't think that I interact a whole lot with anyone. Maybe maybe just fisherman would know about me. If they come out into the river that goes to the marsh. Gregory 1:01:39 Okay. The Fisher person kind of looks up at you as you land and kind of makes a weird gesture and sings "Alouette, gentille alouette, Alouette, je te plumerai." In an almost reverent way. Brendan 1:01:55 Watch your head feathers. Zoë 1:01:56 I'm gonna I'm gonna shake off a little bit and do a little birdlike bow and ask, "The river is, is wrong. What, what have they done to it?" Gregory 1:02:07 Across the river, you can see this kudu that you've seen from afar. Zoë 1:02:12 Oh my. Gregory 1:02:13 It's talking to one of the guards there and the guard says, "Uh, I think it was Trace? They're on the northeast bridge now." Brendan 1:02:23 I will need to speak with them. Gregory 1:02:24 Okay, they're on the northeast bridge now. Brendan 1:02:26 Can they be brought here? Gregory 1:02:28 Uh, okay. Brendan 1:02:29 Or could you bring me to them? I would prefer not to have to circumnavigate the entire town. Gregory 1:02:34 Okay, and the the guard walks with you to the kind of the next bridge over and Tancho, you can see it being led away from you. The old timer says, "Well, we needed to move the waters so that we could keep out the folks that are stealing our fruit." Zoë 1:02:53 Water cannot simply be moved with no side effects. Do you know what is happening in the marsh lands? Do you not venture out into the marshlands to fish and to bring food back? What about that food? Gregory 1:03:06 Well that food's here now! The fish came with the water. Zoë 1:03:09 This is... this is not this is not the way of the river! The river flows... I sort of gesture with my wing to the way it's supposed to go. I do not understand. Why is there not enough food? There is a small this this small horned thing making fruits left and right and yet you have no food? What... what have you What have you done? Gregory 1:03:32 Oh, no. Overrun is here? Melissa 1:03:34 Doot doo doo doo! Zoë 1:03:36 The small... the small goat... the small... Gregory 1:03:39 You have to get them out of here! Zoë 1:03:41 A scampering thing... wait, but why? It's not my responsibility. Gregory 1:03:44 They say they're the ones that ended it! They say that they're the ones that made the cities fall. Zoë 1:03:48 That the little goat made a city fall? I do not believe that. Melissa 1:03:52 A lot of responsibility. Gregory 1:03:54 That's what they always say. All the old people. Zoë 1:03:56 You're an old person. Gregory 1:03:57 No, the people who were old when I was young. Zoë 1:04:00 Oh. Well, where are they? Can we speak to them? Gregory 1:04:04 You said they were here. Don't you know where they are? Zoë 1:04:07 No. I meantt where the old people? The older people? Gregory 1:04:11 Oh, they're dead. When you get too old you die. Zoë 1:04:13 When YOU get too old YOU die. I'm still here. Gregory 1:04:17 Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot myself. So this guard leads you to the other bridge and says, "Uh, Trace? Teacher wanted me to bring it to you." And Trace kind of looks up and it's like, "Oh, uh, hello." Brendan 1:04:35 Hello. I am in need of some information. Gregory 1:04:37 Okay. Brendan 1:04:39 You were on guard last night? Gregory 1:04:40 Yes. Brendan 1:04:41 I need to know someone was attacked just in that direction... I'll gesture with my head. and it appears that they were gravely injured and I am trying to determine what happened. Gregory 1:04:50 They weren't trying to steal food, were they? Brendan 1:04:52 I don't believe so. They did not mention that. But they were quite badly injured. Which makes it appear that something quite dangerous is occurring. Gregory 1:05:01 Maybe someone thought that they were from here and attacked them in order to take food from them. Brendan 1:05:07 They did not mention having food taken from them. Gregory 1:05:10 There's less and less to eat around here. The person could have been confused. Maybe they didn't have food. But the person that attacked them thought they did. Everyone's trying to take our food. Brendan 1:05:19 But why would stabbing somebody hope that? Humans do not eat other humans? Gregory 1:05:24 I mean, I don't know. Maybe... maybe they stabbed first and then figured out that they were wrong. It's probably easier to take something from someone if you hurt them. That's why we've got things to hurt people back. We made them! Brendan 1:05:35 Yes. I I saw. Gregory 1:05:36 We found sharp things in the tunnels. Brendan 1:05:38 That was not something I taught you. I am concerned that this knowledge has reentered the world. Gregory 1:05:42 We figured it out! You taught us how to learn. You taught us how to figure things out. Thank you! You're helping us protect ourselves and protect our food and keep the other people from taking it. Brendan 1:05:51 Well, in this case someone was hurt who appeared not to have done anything wrong and then they were dragged... Gregory 1:05:58 Right, we need to find who did this and hurt them! Brendan 1:06:00 Yea... uh, mmm... let's learn more first. I've taught you. You should learn and then act. Gregory 1:06:06 Ok, ok. We'll we'll wait for you to teach us before we go and try and stop them. Brendan 1:06:12 That's... not... If Tragos had opposable thumbs, they would be grabbing the bridge of their nose right now. Gregory 1:06:22 Let's let's see if you can convince this person. Brendan 1:06:24 Okay. Gregory 1:06:25 Are you acting with a certain emotion? Brendan 1:06:26 I think exasperation isn't on the list. So I'm gonna say no. Gregory 1:06:30 Okay. Brendan 1:06:31 So that's just /2d6? Gregory 1:06:33 Yep. Brendan 1:06:34 Okay. Gregory 1:06:34 All right. Make sure to mark fuel you're down to eight now? or nine? Brendan 1:06:38 Eight. Gregory 1:06:38 Okay. Trace says, "Okay. Yes. We will... you always say, 'Wait to choose a conclusion until we have all of the...'" Brendan 1:06:48 Data? Gregory 1:06:48 Yes... yes. Brendan 1:06:50 Yes. Gregory 1:06:50 Let us know... Brendan 1:06:51 You should never act in ignorance. Gregory 1:06:53 Yes. As soon as we figure out what data is we will... Brendan 1:06:56 It's information. Knowledge. Gregory 1:06:58 Yes, the data will give us knowledge. Good. We will look for it. Brendan 1:07:02 This is why teacher has whirring eyes. This is where they sigh from. Gregory 1:07:12 Next time on Tabletop Garden: Where cities are there often voids in the earth. Melissa 1:07:17 Hey, what's under the town? Gregory 1:07:20 One of the guards kind of looks up and says, "Oh. Tunnels. It's where we get the glass." And we will give you the gift of knowledge that you have given us. And they kind of look at each other and start heading on the bridge out of town carrying spears. Brendan 1:07:34 Oh, no. Lucy 1:07:38 Pardon me, I'm going to have to ask you to pause for a moment. Trial is now in session. Gregory 1:07:55 Mechanical Oryx was written by Grant Howitt and was a winner of the 2017 200 Word RPG Challenge. For more by Grant Howitt, visit: rowanrookanddecard.com Tabletop Garden was created by Gregory Avery-Weir. The music for this campaign is "Amphibian Circuits" by Dirtwire, available under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial Share Alike 3.0 license. For more Tabletop Garden and to find out how to follow us, visit tabletop.garden. Check out the other podcasts created by people who participated in this campaign: Ludus Novus, Audacious Compassion, the Future Proof Podcast, and EXO 101: Introduction to Exobiology.