Stonetop GM Notes
This page is my attempt to offer a peek behind the GM screen of my ongoing Stonetop Campaign; a place for me to drop some insight, share my thoughts, and help process my prep. I have specifically NOT told my players about this, and will encourage them to avoid reading it.
- If you’re looking for a review, there’s already a lot of buzz about Stonetop online; I highly recommend the 90-minute Quinn’s Quest Video Review.
- If you are thinking about running Stonetop, I hope this offers a little glimpse into what it’s like to be a GM.
- If you’re a player, this probably won’t spoil much. Each campaign of Stonetop is WILDLY different (by design).
- If you’re one of MY players, this might ruin some of your fun. You’ve been warned.
Reading The Rulebook(s)
My biggest criticism of Stonetop is that it’s hard to recommend, especially to myself. I tend to play shorter, weirder, smaller games. Partially because I get bored easily, partially because as a designer I want to try out as much as I can, but mostly because life is busy! It’s so hard to wrangle players (including myself) into a long-term regular RPG campaign. In over 15 years of tabletop sessions, only 3 games lasted longer than 6 months. And when we can all commit to a game, I’d rather play something simple, novel, and easy to learn in the short time we have together.
Stonetop, however, asks a lot out of the GM and the players. From the GM it asks you to read through 1200+ pages of rules, advice, examples, monsters, locations, lore, magic items, and more. Stonetop also has a very specific way it wants you to run the game: light on rules, but HEAVY on structure. From the players it asks them to be highly engaged, to lean on the fiction, and to resist the urge to abuse the light rules. And it also demands TIME from the whole group. This is a game that wants to be played every week for several months.
I backed the Kickstarter for this years ago, but as time went on I was more and more convinced this just wouldn’t be for me. I’ll let the PDFs simmer in storage and maybe steal some ideas here and there. However, after I saw the Quinn’s Quest Video Review and it re-ignited my imagination and my thirst for a long epic campaign.
If I can find the right group, the right time slot, and the right mindset, I think we can definitely make this work. And if we’re lucky, we’ll have created something beautiful and grand that we can treasure forever. I’m so happy to report that I found that group. I read the rules. I prepped the adventures. And we are almost ready to play!
But first we gotta talk about the 1200+ page elephant in the room. After my deep dive into zines and micro-games I find these big books hard to swallow. If a game can’t be explained in a few pages, then something’s gone amiss. I have no problem with Stonetop Book 2 being 600 pages of adventures, monsters, items, and locations. Bring it on! But 600+ pages of rules? Give me a break.
And the hard thing to explain is that, yes, you really should read the whole thing. I’ll come back to this point later, but it’s worth calling out here: The strength of Stonetop is its little details. If you are looking for something new, or innovative, or flashy, then Stonetop will probably disappoint. It’s fairly traditional fantasy stuff. But if you are willing to work for something of incredible quality, then you’ve come to the right place.
Reading Stonetop is like eating the best grilled cheese sandwhich you’ve ever had. Every element is divine, the ingredients combined and cooked to perfection, the presentation is luxurious, and all future grilled cheeses are ruined forever. But that kind of makes it hard to explain or justify to other people. “$100 for a grilled cheese? Really?” Yes.
You’ll see a chapter titled “Hit Points and Damage” and roll your eyes. Everyone knows how HP works. How is this chapter 15 pages long!? Then you read something like this:
HP are a game element: they don’t represent any one particular thing in the fiction. They’re a combination of fighting spirit, determination, pluck, luck, and skill; the ability to turn what should be a lethal blow into a graze. HP definitely are not a measure of how injured or uninjured a character is. Mechanically, HP serve as plot armor and as a pacing mechanism.
And you begin realize that this isn’t a rulebook. It’s a curriculum designed to teach you how to play Stonetop. Trust me, read the whole thing, ESPECIALLY the examples of play. Invest the time to question your assumptions. And try to learn what Stonetop is teaching you rather than trying to play it like any other RPG.
Prepping For the First Session
Stonetop has a fantastic guide for your first session. It walks you through the entire thing from start to finish. And I’m very grateful for that, because the first session is a bit of a puzzle.
See, Stonetop wants you to emphasize relationships and connections every session. Hilden isn’t just adventuring to get rich, she’s trying to prove to her father that she can lead the militia. And depending on how this goes it will affect her relationship with her father, her friends in the militia, and everyone in Stonetop who looks to her for leadership.
But you can’t emphasize relationships before they exist. So how the heck is your first adventure supposed to work? How can the GM prepare a tense standoff between Hilden and her bandit brother when the players haven’t created Hilden yet?
The answer is to prep everything halfway. Leave lots of blanks and unanswered questions. The book has you create a Threat, something that endangers the town. But the exact details of this threat are unknown, and there are lots of missing pieces. For example:
Wolves are scaring away game and making travel unsafe. A few have even approached the ringwall, their eyes glowing a faint purple. Obviously they were drawn here because–
STOP! don’t go any further. Just leave it there. Maybe give the wolves some details and a cool magic power or something. Write down some possibilities if you like, but leave it open so you can connect with what the players come up with during the first session.
Later, when Rynan admits he dabbled in necromancy before he accepted Danu’s Light, you can tie the wolves into a mistake from his past. These wolves are not only purple-eyed, but skeletal and rotten; obviously some kind of revived dead.
So here’s the initial Threat that I came up with for our first session: The Missing Caravan
The village is expecting the annual merchant caravan to arrive in early spring with supplies. Have a short scene where different members of Stonetop talk about what they want to buy, or what supplies they need. Then reveal that the caravan is a day late. Three days late. A week late. Tensions are rising, people are angry or worried. If those supplies don’t get here soon, it could be bad!
Later that night someone spots a massive bonfire off in the distance from the direction that the carvan was expected. Obviously its because—
NOPE! Stop there. I have a few possibilities of course, but nothing set in stone(top). A few ideas:
- The Hillfolk raided the Caravan for supplies, and use a signal fire to begin negotiations.
- The fire is from a big fight or disaster. The ruined caravan is scattered around with clues.
- The Caravan lit the fire because they need help. Something is preventing them from getting to Stonetop.
We play our first session in a few days. I’ll see what the players come up with, and how I can tie everything together.
Session Two Prep
The first session was AMAZING! My players immediately picked up on the themes and goals of Stonetop. We built out a bunch of awesome relationships and details of Stonetop that I can’t wait to explore.
I want to call out another example of Stonetop being excellent in the small things. During character creation each player can pick a few questions they want to answer in front of the whole group. And in any other game, this would just be a cute prompt for creativity or to keep the conversation flowing. But these questions act like a hand grenade tossed into a tea party.
To whom do you owe a debt that cannot be repaid?
Which one of you scoffs at mercy and hope?
Who is dead because of your decisions?
Why is the village so happy to see you? And who isn’t?
Whom do you secretly watch over? Why?
These were amazing, and really juiced up the entire session. It would have been so easy to make these questions something generic. “What’s your favorite food? What kind of magic do you prefer? Who is your best friend?” But instead, Stonetop is immediately pushing players to dig deeper, to think about their past and its consquences.
Part of the reason Stonetop is so massive is that it’s showing you the RIGHT way to play, rather than just explaining the rules.
Unfortunately we didn’t really come up with anything that connected to my Threat. We have two PCs who travel a lot (Stridelong and Zavia), so maybe they know something about it. We only had one NPC who could be considered a villain (Betrys), but maybe I want to keep her as a troublemaker rather than a real Threat.
I’m resisting the urge to plan everything else. I want to continue to leave blanks in my prep. So maybe I split this threat into parts:
- Part 1: Caravan missing. Fire on the horizon. Many questions. - DONE
- Part 2: Travel to the fire, overcome some known obstacles (animals, ghosts, etc).
- Part 3: Meet with the Hollfolk, negotiate for supplies. Maybe fight alongside them?
- Part 4: Return to Stonetop with supplies. Triumphant (hopefully).
And maybe drop some hints or clues about the fate of the caravan. What happened? Is it part of something larger? Leave that unanswered for now. Just focus on the supplies.
But the Hillfolk need to have a complete story ready to go. That’s not something I can make up as I go along. I really want the Hillfolk to be a potential ally, so I’ll have them be mysterious and strange, but not hostile. They found the caravan, realized the supplies were for Stonetop, and opened negotiations. They could have just kept the supplies, but instead opt for trade.
And now some kind of hint about what happened to the caravan. I’m leaning towards a “natural” disaster that raises questions. Like the carvan was struck by dozens of lighting bolts or something (burned wagons, charred remains, black scars on the grass, fulgerite everywhere). This could be connected to the Stone, or to Betry’s worship of Tor, or a weathermancer, or something else entirely. But lightning is already a theme of Stonetop, so that feels right.
I should have a few possibilities lined up, just in case I need to drop more hints or if the players try to Know Something. I search for “lightning” in Book 2 just to see what pops up.
- Thunder Drake - A big lizard/dinosaur thing that bursts from the ground and bellows. This is a great option if I want to wrap up the thread and have it be a little more mundane. Maybe they don’t even fight it; it’s just a warning that dangerous creatures are about. The Hillfolk could even say it, ending the quest there. “Definitely a ThunderDrake” they say knowingly.
- The Ruined Tower - Lots of fun stuff to do here and explore. The Caravan was waylaid during a big thunderstorm. Not a bad idea to drive players here. Or at least hint at it.
- Lightning Vortex - A spirit of the Tempest Lords. This could be a great boss-creature or something controlled by a larger threat.
Ooh! Okay, what if we have the best of both worlds: The Hillfolk assume it was a Thunder Drake (since they know of them). But they’ll also share they found the Caravan near the Ruined Tower, hinting at something more. And the Hillfolk gave them an air-burial, so maybe the players could stop by on the way home and get a little more info.
Maybe Betrys is messing around in the Ruined Tower? Maybe it’s an old Tempest Lord awakening? Or a Vortex gone rogue? I’ll continue to leave these as blanks. We have enough for the next session. I’ll take some notes, come up with a few small obstacles and encounters during the journey, and we’ll see how it goes!
I also whipped up a new Arcana for Zavia, who is a fan of shrooms (and it’s another excuse to use Fungi of the Far Realms)
generated with stonetop.price.town
I’ll take any excuse to give my players a copy of Fungi of the Far Realms!
Session 2 Love Letters
Another fun part of Stonetop is the advice about “Love Letters”. The GM is encouraged to write these to players each session. It’s a fun solo mini-game that also gives the GM a chance to direct or provide opportunities to each PC.
Here’s my first attempt at Love Letters:
Dear Stridelong,
You spent much of the journey to Titan Bones scouting alone, away from the group. At one point you saw some ruins. Tell who you almost asked for help, but then decided to go alone. Roll+WIS.
On a 10+ Pick 2; On a 7-9 Pick 1
- You find a piece of Makerglass in an overgrown patch of ruins.
- You avoid getting swiped by a nearby Beznpol for 2d4 damage (Big Badger/Pangolin).
- You are back before anyone notices.
On a 6- Mark XP and someone has to rescue you.
xoxo - Your GM
Dear Taliesyn,
You were up late studying one of your Arcana, trying to unlock its secrets, when someone barged in to tell you about the impending journey to Titan Bones. Who barged in? Roll+CHA.
On a 10+ choose 2; On a 7-9 choose 1
- Make progress on understanding the Arcana (check the box that makes most sense after hours of study)
- Keep your research a secret from the person
- Cause a scene that ensures no one will interrupt you again
On a 6- You reveal a concerning detail about the arcana to the person who interrupted you. Mark XP.
xoxo - Your GM
Dear Little Owl,
Instead of announcing your intention to join the journey to Titan Bones, you decide to follow surreptitiously. Why?
While everyone else is getting ready you notice that youngster Bronwin is also packing a travel bag. Perhaps he means to come with? Decide whether you will help him tag along, or try to dissuade him from coming. Roll+CHA
On a 10+ you succeed in your plan and manage to finish packing your own bags as well.
On a 7-9 You succeed, but only manage to pack a light load (mark 3)
On a 6- You get hung up talking with him and have to borrow equipment from others. Mark XP.
xoxo - Your GM
Dear Madoc,
While getting ready for the trip someone approaches you, excited for your potential. They want to give you some advice that seems…unfounded. When you try to handle them with grace, Roll+WIS
On a 10+ You realize that some part of this is useful. Gain Advantage on the next roll you make during your journey. They leave satisfied.
On a 7-9 You manage to be polite. They walk away seeing themselves as a kind of mentor and will be back to give more advice.
On a 6- They are upset and storm off. Mark XP.
xoxo - Your GM
Dear Zavia,
You spent last night with Sorsha, and had a lovely evening. As you leave you discovered that Sorsha left their forge aglow. Why did she ask you to NEVER touch her forge again?
If you spend a few hours entranced by the glowing embers Roll+WIS to commune with Helior:
On a 10+ Choose 2; On a 7-9 Choose 1; On a 6- Sorsha comes out and is embarassed that they left the forge alight. They accuse you of messing with it. Mark XP, and you left something behind at their place.
- You feel filled with a protective light. Gain +1 Armor during the trip to Titan Bones.
- You douse the forge without alerting Sorsha.
- The receive a vision or portent of a future danger.
xoxo - Your GM
Dear Railan,
As you pack for your trip, one of your crew insists on going with you, despite your orders. They have a good reason, honestly. Who is it, and what is their reason?
If you decide to bring them with you, write down their name and keep them as a follower for the journey to Titan Bones. Someone in town will use this against you as an example of poor/sloppy leadership.
If you insist they follow your orders, roll+CHA:
On a 10+ They are convinced, and hand you their lucky charm. “If I can’t go with you, at least take this, sir. It’s never failed me.” While you wear this charm you have +5 Max HP.
On a 7-9 They follow your orders, but you must choose 1 consequence.
- They cause a big scene (causing worry/fear in the village)
- You have to call in Aaron for backup (eroding his respect for you)
- The disagreement becomes physical (both take d6 damage and a bloody nose). How embarrassing!
On a 6- They leave the Crew temporarily, and must be won back.
xoxo - Your GM
Update: The session went so well! The tense negotiation with the Hillfolk was engaging and exciting. I really appreciated how well this ruleset keeps the tension high. Even a conversation roll brings the whole table to the edge of their seats!
Session 3 Prep
Time to return to Stonetop! The book recommends you speed through the return to Stonetop and start next session in a new season. But our session had a good conclusion, and I want to give the return a little space to breathe.
We don’t want to linger around Stonetop for too long; we need to keep the adventure pace moving. For Session 3 I’m thinking we try a pace like this:
- Return to Stonetop - 30 mins
- Level up if they can - 20 minutes explanation.
- Timejump to Summertime - 30 mins, play a scene of each PC.
- Drop the next adventure hook - 60 minutes
- Outfit, Pack up, and leave Stonetop - 30 minutes
(Remember to have Talisyn and Zavia play a scene during their time gone)
So by the end of this session we are well on our way to the next adventure.
A few threads I want to pull on this session:
- Betrys has been the only “villain” established so far. I want to create a few more in town. Maybe Emmet is concerned about Arcana use, and Gretchen is upset with Railan (talks to Aaron?).
- Did Madoc fulfill a prophecy? I think we need to start outlining some specifics around her potential.
- What about those boxes for Gordin’s Delve?
- Will they visit the Caravan remains near the Ruined Tower?
Hmmm….I spent some time reviewing the items that they’re bringing back, and the one that stands out is the Bleached Book. I’m going to say it’s the “Vellum Scroll” (Arcana #45) just in a slightly different form. And someone steals it. This will be my first threat writeup. A Threat is something that grows over time and can cause trouble if not dealt with. The book has a lot of good advice about designing and weaving threats into your game.
In particular I want to design threats that engage specific PCs.
Threat: Bleached Book (Taliesyn, Zavia)
Instinct: To experiment dangerously
Type: MacGuffin
Someone has stolen the bleached book (Arcana #45) and has started trying to learn its secrets. How come Taliesyn can’t sense it? Do people suspect someone? What does the person want to acquire?
- Notes in a strange language written in blood are found
- Candles and chanting seen on the edge of town. Snuffed out quickly
- A trip to the Ruined Tower, brings back an “ingredient”
- Lightning stops striking the Stone, and strikes the Old Wall instead
- A big wish is granted; something bad
- 2d4 Surplus is lost
Threat: Tor’s Militia (Railan, Madoc?)
Instinct: To recruit
Type: Institution
Betrys is recruiting her own militia in the service of Tor. What is their larger mission? How will this impact Railan’s militia?
- Betry’s undermines and criticizes Railan
- Gretchen leaves Railan’s crew
- Make promises about expanding the village, growing it. “retrieval missions” that are basically raids.
- Angry Hillfolk want repayment
- Hillfolk want revenge
- Hillfolk attack village! (maybe we need Tor’s Militia help?)
Threat: Daub’s Dogs (Stridelong, Little Owl)
Instinct: To Grow Out of Control
Type: Beast
Daub made a deal with a Fomoraij to make his dogs stronger. The Fomoraij is binding spirits to them, and Daub may lose control. Which Fomoraij? What is the price for this?
- Daub’s dogs find Stridelong, act strange.
- Daub’s dogs won’t stop barking
- Daub brings home a big kill, the town loves it.
- Dogs start to look strange (scales, silver eyes, etc)
- Villager attacked by a wolf (one of Daub’s)
- Daub reluctantly enlists help to put down his worst dog
- The remaining dogs get loose and go on a rampage
I also met with a few of my players to discuss some wishlist items! I’ll keep these in mind as we play.
Taliesyn Wishlist
- Wants Arcana that can help the town. Willing to take risks for it.
- Keep his Arcana a secret; don’t want to spook people
- If someone else is using Arcana, he would be worried
- Loves to decipher languages and runes
- Keep romance with Rachel a slow burn
Madoc Wishlist
- Wants specific prophecies that she can engage with or reject
- More Jeb and Jag development. They’re fun!
- Mother is from Gordin’s Delve. Is this a secret?
- More chances to take charge, accomplish something great
Now to write all this down in my notes, do a little more reading, and see how things go!
Session 4 Prep
I’m realizing as these sessions go on, the more the game kind of runs itself, and these notes will get shorter and shorter. This is for a few reasons:
- Large Cast. We have built a cast of NPCs for Stonetop that can’t grow too large. Instead of inventing new NPCs every session, instead I get to dig deeper into each one. How will Emmet deal with his suspicions of Taliesyn? Sorsha loves Zavia, but at what cost?
- Threats. I realized last week that the Myths from Mythic Bastionland are just Threats chopped into pieces and mixed around. Anyway, they can be a bit of a drain to create up front, but then they just kind of run themselves? In between sessions you advance you threats, give some clues to the players, and let things accelerate naturally.
- Player Driven. More-so than most of the games I’ve played Stonetop is directed by the players. Sure I could throw stuff at the town and make them go on adventures, but due to the above elements things end up naturally engaging the players. We had a 40 minute stretch that was just my players asking if they could add this wrinkle or that problem to the world. No other game has shared the burden of creativity as much as Stonetop!
With that being said, I have a few things I am excited to brainstorm for this session:
- Advance my threats: Daub’s dogs, Tor’s Militia, and the Bleached Book
- Gordin’s Delve. The players want to deliver the boxes back to Gordin’s Delve, and maybe secure some trade opportunities as winter looms. I need to prep some encounters for the trip.
- Fill in gaps. We had two players miss last session, and will have two different players missing this session. I need to prep some letters and some scenes for them to play out.
First, let’s advance our existing threats:
- Daub’s Dogs. I need to mention them howling and have one of the villagers mention it to the players.
- Tor’s Militia. It needs a few recruits among the named NPCs. Gretchen and Betrys for sure…but one more. Maybe Jag? He’s not happy as a Tanner. Maybe he wants to do something else. Let’s have them all wearing a uniform. And if the players investigate, they just say “It’s for Tor”.
- Bleached Book. The players stumble across evidence of a ritual maybe 45 minutes outside of town. Evidence of a blood ritual and blood candles.
I’ll try to introduce these gradually during the session.
Next, Gordin’s Delve. Coming up with a few encounters along the way is easy, so we’ll do that first. Book II is filled with so many amazing creatures, relics, threats, and ideas that it’s like choosing from a menu. Let’s see…
- A curious rain spirit clings to a PC, and tries to get something wet that shouldn’t get wet.
- A burrow tomb is actually a Shellback Drake. Maybe they’ll plunder it?
- A piece of the ruined tower, smoking from a lightning strike. Atherium ingot?
- The Pale Hunter pursuing a —
Just got a genius idea. What if the Pale Hunter corrupts Daub’s Dogs? Or even makes a bargain with Daub? Or something….yes. This is way cooler than a Fomoraij. I’ll tweak the threat later, but for now let’s introduce the Pale Hunter.
- The Pale Hunter pursuing a terrible ghost. PCs hear the clashing, and see flashes of ghstly light. It manifests as a large snake made of green smoke. The Hunter is everywhere, slashing, attacking, and throwing magic. One of his dogs is crushed.
And maybe I’ll write down a few questions to ask the players about the Flats and weather as they travel.
As for Gordin’s Delve itself…I want things to be focused but not limited. I don’t want my PCs wandering around the markets shopping for 3 hours. I also want to have some kind of twist that gets the PCs wrapped up.
So for pacing:
- 30-45 mins of hinting at threats, prepping to leave
- 60-90 mins of travel and encounters. Pale Hunter especially.
- 30 mins Arrive at Gordin’s Delve. Try to drop the big twist right at the end of the session.
As for the twist itself, here’s what I’m thinking: Odo Thriceborn is trying to make the most of a power vacuum, but he needs more of an edge. He reached out to several Hillfolk bands trying to negotiate for mining rights. Obviously most of the Hillfolk rejected him, but Kiln of the Lower Green Moon might have been curious. So Thriceborn sent the supplies as a gift/bribe/threat. Even if Kiln wanted to accept, she couldn’t without causing a stir. So instead she tries to pass the problem off to Stonetop, and throws the boxes in with the Carvan they found. Meanwhile Thriceborn knows his offer has been rejected, and is pissed. Who are these savages to defy him?
So he’s going to offer the Stonetoppers to deliver a message to the Hillfolk, or maybe offer them a chance to help him. That’s when we end the session. Big reveal, an offer, implied threat, etc.
If they reach Gordin’s Delve with lots of time left, then we can do some shopping and exploring; but I really want to get to the meat of this to end with a cliffhanger. Maybe Madoc’s mother can give some useful information that gets them to Thriceborn quickly.
Let’s see if I can pull it off! Tune in next week to see how things went.
Oh! Letters. Right. Zavia and Taliesyn were working on the secrets of the wooden spiky ring. We can play through that. Maybe they even find evidence of rituals happening, and we can skip that on the journey to Gordin’s Delve. I’ll come up with a move for them both.
Session 4 Letters
Dear Zavia,
When you returned from Titan Bones, Sorsha blames you for leaving the forge lit. “Maybe you shouldn’t spend the night here until the weather cools down…” Later, she wanted to open the Gordin’s Delve crates. Did you agree? Was there a fight about it between you two?
One of the requirements for the Spiky Wooden Ring is to find someone with “Forest Eyes”. Who in the village inherited this from a mysterious parent? What did you offer in exchange for their help?
When you pierce your skin with the Spiky Ring, roll+CON
On a 10+ the spikes slide under your skin as if they were always there. The resulting infection is minimal, letting you have enough energy to help Taliesyn with some of his Arcana research. To cure it will only require a rare mushroom and a forge-hot ember.
On a 7-9 The spike hurts, of course, but the real misery comes from the infection. You’re bedridden, exhausted, and relient on others to find the cure. What do you owe them for bringing you the ingredients you need?
On a 6- As 7-9 above, but Taliesyn is also infected. His own efforts are hindered and he will owe someone for the cure ingredients. He chooses 1 less option from his own letter.
xoxo - Your GM
Dear Taliesyn,
The Bleached Book is missing. Shit. Shit. It’s fine.
Choose 2 from the list below. If you share everything with Zavia, she can choose one more option from the list below.
- Make Progress on one of your Arcana, whichever makes the most sense.
- Find evidence of a strange ritual. Are those….blood candles?
- No one else finds evidence of this strange Aracana ritual.
- Convince several villagers that your Aracana could help the village. They may want more proof…but they’re open to the idea.
xoxo - Your GM
