Some years back I ran a game I called Princesses & Other Childish Things using the ORE game Monsters & Other Childish Things as the basis, but I'm not linking to the write-up because it's not on a site I wish to visit. None of this is relevant, other than I think about it whenever I see this game.
The Game: Perils & Princesses
The Publisher: Outrider Creative LLC
Degree of Familiarity: None
Books Required: Just the one
So, I guess this is a game with OSR sensibilities, but I actually find it very user-friendly and interesting. You're playing princesses, but the book points out that this doesn't necessarily literally mean the female child of royalty. It's more about vibe, and Bilbo Baggins counts, as does Luke Skywalker. The game mostly doesn't have a setting other than "fantasy," but there's enough information in the book and enough instruction, complete with a good solid example of play and an introductory adventure, that it's perfectly playable (it was actually on my short list for game choices for the group that wound up playing Wildsea).
So let's make a princess! This is going to involve some randomness, including for stats.
First, we roll 3 d20s for name: 9, 11, 5 gives me "Ellis of Little Thicket." I can dig it.
My Fairy Godmother is...(roll a d8...8) a spirit of the forest! Nice!
My Gift is important; it's basically my class. I'll roll for it, but I reserve the right to reroll if I get one I don't like. A 4 on the d8 gives me...Elemental Connection! I can roll with that. "Little Thicket" sounds like a pretty rural sort of area, and I can see Ellis being able to control plants and brambles.
So I get a symbol of my elemental connection - let's say a torc made of brambles. I get a dagger decorated with symbols of my element, so probably a hilt that's made of wrapped vines? I get Alchemy and Astronomy as Talents, and then one more that reflects my element - how about Gardening? I get a couple of innate abilities, and my first magic talent is Shape (I can reshape woods & brambles).
Now Stats. I roll 4d4 for each of them and that gives Resolve 10, Grace 7, and Wits 11. I can choose to reroll one, or swap two. I think I shall reroll Grace, thanks. 13, nice.
Heart Points is a d4+4, so (roll) 7. Personality gets a 3d6 (rather, 1d6 for three tables): At first glance people notice my...unconventional beauty. Those close to me think I'm...strong-willed and courageous. Secretly down deep I...love indulging my vices. That all sounds good. What are Ellis' vices, though? I'll have to think about that. What really motivates me is...(roll d20) earning a hero's glory! Well, that all tracks.
I get one more hidden Talent...roll d20, 14 gives me Linguistics or Cartography. I think Cartography.
I get some gear standard - food, torches, and whatnot. I'm dressed like...(roll d6) a soldier. Well, that's interesting. How about armor? A d20 roll gives me no armor, just my clothes, so I'm dressed like a soldier but not dressed for war. And then I get three items (1d20 roll for three columns):
I always carry my...sewing kit. Glad I remembered my...box of sea salt. How'd this get in here? Fortune-telling cards. I think I'm gonna re-roll that first one; I don't have any skill in sewing and it doesn't really fit with Ellis' vibe so far. A reroll gets me a jar of superb glue. That's fine, we'll say it's sap he's collected.
And then I get one more bonus item...a cooking kit. That's fine.
I get a weapon, for which I roll a d12. I'm rerolling if I get parasol. Sling! Nice!
That's all the random shit, so let's say that Ellis is the son of the Laird of Little Thicket. He spends his days traipsing through the woods, eating berries and whatever other treats he finds, but one day he happened into a bramble and got stuck. The bramble-spirit came to him and tried to provoke him into accepting help, but Ellis refused - he was sure he could find a way out, and though it took him hours, he did manage to detach himself. Impressed, the spirit gave him power over the woods & brambles!
Pretty cool, actually. Definitely have to give this a whirl at some point.
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