Transorbital Game Pit

Weird 1776 Session 1 Notes:

Session 1: Jamaica Village System & References

• Core rules: Dolmenwood
• Setting & historical framework: Times That Fry Men’s Souls
• Rules priority: Dolmenwood by default; TTFMS fills gaps
• Content priority: Colonial-era items, names, tables from TTFMS

Characters

• Horatio Trockmorton — Bard, fiddler, social operator
• Reason Nelson — Gambler, pragmatist, socially blunt
• GM — Hexcrawl, procedural adjudication

Travel & Hexcrawl Procedures The party begins the session traveling via hexcrawl, explicitly tracking:

• Travel points
• Time of day
• Search actions
• Resource use Terrain is farmland and rolling hills along the Bedford–Jamaica Road. The GM emphasizes historical plausibility: small villages, civilian neutrality, and war pressure without clear front lines. Foraging & Exploration
• The party encounters a field of bee balm.
  • Identified as medicinal.
  • Can be brewed into tea restoring 1 HP.
  • Party gathers bee balm for later use.
• An abandoned chicken coop is searched.
  • Loot: a small hammer.
  • No eggs found. Rules note:
Search actions are resolved using Dolmenwood exploration procedures.

Civilian Contact: Fisherman While discussing food, lodging, and local knowledge, the party considers approaching a local fisherman as a potential source of information.

• The fisherman is treated as:
  • A possible guide to nearby settlements
  • A source of food or tavern directions
  • An information node, not merely color
• No roll or interaction is resolved at this time.
• The moment establishes the party’s default suspicion and awareness that civilians may:
  • Possess useful intelligence
  • Be aligned, coerced, or compromised by the war Campaign note:
This is an unresolved thread, not a confirmed spy or contact, but it sets tone: locals are watched carefully.

Roadside Incident: Loyalist Farmer The party encounters seven local youths harassing a middle-aged farmer.

• The youths claim the farmer is a loyalist and demand money “for the cause.”
• Their behavior is inconsistent and opportunistic.
• The farmer is struck when he protests. Player Responses
• Horatio opts for de-escalation through music and enchantment, playing for a full turn (10 minutes).
• Fascinate / charm effects are applied:
  • Two youths (including the leader) are charmed.
  • Others become calmer via improved reaction rolls.
• Reason delivers a firm speech redirecting the youths, framing real danger as something found elsewhere. Outcome
• The farmer is released unharmed.
• The youths disperse.
• No combat occurs. Mechanical note:
Charm is applied fiction-first but remains consistent with Dolmenwood spell duration and reaction logic.

Arrival in Jamaica Village By afternoon, the party reaches Jamaica Village, described as:

• A market center for surrounding farmland
• Civilian in character
• Hosting a small British garrison Military Presence
• Soldiers are identified as Royal Welsh Fusiliers via an Intelligence check.
• The soldiers observe the party but do not interfere.

Tavern Scene The party enters the village tavern. Food & Drink

• Sausage and hominy with dark bread
• Coffee and ginger ale (noted as unusual)
• Wine available; ale scarce due to war supply disruptions Currency & Starting Wealth Discussion Out-of-game discussion clarifies:
• Starting money per Dolmenwood: 3d6 gold sovereigns
• Colonial equivalencies discussed:
  • Gold = sovereign
  • Silver = shilling
  • Copper = penny
• Historical context about pounds, guineas, and silver standards is discussed
• The table agrees to use the written rule as-is Table ruling:
Use Dolmenwood starting funds despite historical oddity.

Gambling with the British Officer A British officer of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, Captain Hayes, is gambling with locals. Ad-Hoc Gambling Mechanics The table collaboratively designs a dice game:

• Target number around 20–21
• 2d6 rolls
• Push-your-luck structure
• Ante per roll introduced mid-game Out-of-game note:
The system is improvised and clarified through play. Outcomes
• Reason gambles repeatedly with Captain Hayes.
• Wins and losses occur over multiple rounds.
• Captain Hayes:
  • Is a habitual gambler
  • Pays debts reliably
  • Is socially impressed by Reason
  • Speaks openly once rapport is established

Information Gained Through gambling and tavern conversation:

• A local man, Eli Custis, a well-to-do loyalist roper, has gone missing.
• His wife has been pressing the garrison for help.
• Captain Hayes lacks men to conduct a search.
• Custis’ home is just outside town. The tavern keeper suggests:
• Captain Hayes could be persuaded to provide a letter of passage
• Assisting with the Custis situation would improve the party’s freedom of movement

Performance for Food & Lodging Horatio offers to play fiddle for the tavern:

• Performs The King’s March
• Receives food and goodwill
• Negotiates for sleeping space near the hearth Mechanical note:
Resolved via roleplay and reaction rolls.

Visit to the Custis Home The party visits the Custis residence outside town. Resolution

• Eli Custis is revealed to already be home, having fled after the roadside incident.
• He is grateful and relieved.
• Confirms the youths were opportunists, not organized rebels. Rewards
• Custis offers:
  • A whaling boat, acquired through gambling
  • A written note confirming his safety for Captain Hayes
  • Guest lodging for the night Setting note:
The boat is immediately recognized as strategically significant given regional waterways.

Consequences & Strategic Implications

• The party gains:
  • Shelter
  • Social capital with civilians and British forces
  • Access to water travel
• The youths’ behavior reinforces:
  • TTFMS themes of war-adjacent criminality
  • Civilian ambiguity

End-of-Session Planning (Out-of-Game) Discussion includes:

• Future travel routes by river and coast
• Staten Island, Manhattan, Harlem, Eastchester
• Strategic value of waterways
• Acknowledgment that Dolmenwood lacks detailed water travel rules The session ends with the party staying the night at the Custis home.

Open Threads

• Whether the fisherman becomes a real contact or liability
• How to leverage the whaling boat
• Whether to secure formal letters of passage
• Rebel or criminal activity in nearby hexes
• Long-term positioning between British authority and civilian interests

End of Session 1