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Lonely TTRPG EP 54 - Sneaky Witches by M. Allen Hall
Episode 54 • 25th September 2023 • Lonely TTRPG • Black Dragon Dungeon Company
00:00:00 00:21:55

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Transcripts

SteelStash:

Greetings, weary wanderer, and welcome back to Lonely TTRPG, the

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solo actual play and review podcast.

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Tonight, we are playing Sneaky Witches by M.

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Allen Hall.

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Everything was fine until that coven moved in.

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You are a witch with a witchy name.

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You live in a swamp.

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Life has been pleasantly wretched for some time.

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But three full moons ago a coven moved in across the swamp from you.

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Their influence has been creeping into your territory.

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You cannot let this stand.

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You know the ritual.

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It's not that difficult.

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It does require some rare components, however.

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Components that you can only find in the parts of the swamp where

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that coven is now operating.

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To get caught in their territory will be a death sentence.

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Or at least, a life as a newt sentence.

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You have a plan.

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You will sneak across the swamp, collect the necessary components.

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Steal something from their lair to focus the ritual.

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You will do it all under the cover of darkness, and you will

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do it before the next full moon.

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So, Sneaky Witches is a game where we are going to be sneaking through

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this lovely little hex here, and attempt to find some components in

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order to banish this rival coven.

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The game will be played over the course of three nights, every round will last one

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hour, every night will last eight hours.

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We will start off in our hut and for that first hour we will

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be able to move or creep ahead.

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And then we have the option to either creep ahead or search for components.

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Now, you can only do one per hour.

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So the first hour is kind of a freebie.

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You get to move ahead and search or move ahead twice.

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But for every subsequent one, you can only either move or search.

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If you decide to creep ahead, then you just move on to the adjacent hex.

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But, if you're searching for components, you're gonna roll a d6.

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And if that d6 is less than or equal to your zone number,

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congratulations, you find the component.

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Go ahead and roll on the component table and see what you get.

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If it doesn't, unfortunately, you don't find anything.

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Regardless of whatever you do at the end of your turn, you're

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going to do a sneakiness check.

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You're gonna check your sneakiness.

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And that you're gonna roll 2d6.

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Now, if both dice are less than or equal to your zone number,

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then you are not so sneaky.

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And you check a block on the not so sneaky table.

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And that does have some fun little prompts on it to respond to.

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At that point, you just keep on creeping forward and back.

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Now remember, you do need to get to your hut before the end of the eighth hour.

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If you don't, then you are caught.

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However, if you do make it back to your hut before the end of the night, then

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you have two options that you can do.

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You can either roll a D six and uncheck that many items from your not so sneaky

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list, or you can perform a ritual.

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From the ritual list, and to perform a ritual back at your hut, you're

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going to use the components you've collected to perform the ritual.

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Check your book of rituals for the effects and required ingredients.

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You may only perform one per day.

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Now for your banishment ritual to end the game, that will be

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at the end of the third night.

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If you do not have the necessary components by then, you have failed.

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And the coven will surely come knocking before you get another chance.

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For your component list, you do have six items that you can find as well as a

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2d6 table for some weirdness or oddities that happens when you go to pluck it.

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And for your rituals,

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There are four rituals that you can do.

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Banishment, of course, being the key endgame that we need.

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For all eternity, the target of the spell must use every waking moment

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to move further away from you.

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But, this is going to cost nine components, plus a special

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component that the target treasures found in the Coven's Lair.

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For the other rituals you have, you have a Potion of Invisibility.

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That costs one component.

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Consuming the potion at the beginning of a round for the next three hours, roll

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an extra d6 on check your sneakiness.

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All those dice must be less than or equal to the zone number

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to count as not so sneaky.

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You can enchant a broom of flying, which allows you to move two hexes

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for every creep ahead for one night only, and that costs two components.

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And then you have summon a helpful helper.

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For the rest of the game, roll 2d6 when you search for components.

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And you can find two components in one round, but this

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does cost three components.

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And that is the basic rules.

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This is just a one page game.

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It was part of the one page RPG jam over on itch.

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io.

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So, a very simple set of rules.

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Unfortunately, this is one of those games where you do need to have a strategy.

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And we're going to lay that out a little bit right here.

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Because

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the rival coven is six hexes away.

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It would take us six hours to get there.

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And that's not including getting back.

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So...

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Right off the bat, we know that we need to be able to move 12 hexes in eight hours.

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So obviously we need a broom of flying.

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Plus, when you look at the amount of components that you need,

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you need 10 components for the banishment and two for the broom.

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So that's 12.

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We only have 16 hours and some of those are going to have to be spent moving.

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So we will potentially benefit from Helpful Helper as well.

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So, that is our game plan.

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That is what our witchy witch is going to be doing.

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Oh, Witch Hazel will be her name.

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Nice little throwback for you classic Looney Tunes fans.

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But with that, let's go ahead and dive on into the game.

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Nyehehehehehe!

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These silly little witches!

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They think that they can move into my swamp.

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But I have something for them!

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Alright, and we're gonna go ahead and move into our first hex.

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And,

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actually we're gonna go ahead and move two hexes.

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Alright, so we've started off, we've crept ahead twice.

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We are now in zone two.

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And that is the end of our first hour of night one.

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So now we need to roll our 2d6 on our sneakiness table

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And we got a three and a four so we are still being sneaky.

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All right, so next up we are going to creep ahead into zone three just

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because a 50 percent chance is better than Trying to roll under a two, but

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unfortunately, that's everything we can do for this hour because we are

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being sneaky We don't want those other witches to find out what we're doing

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Rolling on our sneakiness table again, we got a 4 and a 5.

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So we are still being successfully sneaky.

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But that closes out Hour 2, it is now Hour 3.

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And now, we're going to search for components.

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And I got a 3!

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Outstanding.

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So, we found our first component.

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Rolling a 5 for the component list, it is an animal.

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That changes color to match what it's touching.

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So this is going to be a lizard.

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We're going to find, we found ourselves a little bit of a lizard.

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Ah yes, the camouflaging lizard.

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Just what we need, just what we need.

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And now, we roll our sneaky.

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We got a five and a two, so that was close, but we are still sneaky.

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And that ends

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hour three.

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Now we are going to continue to search in this area,

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because I got two hours left before I have to start heading home.

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And I got a 5, which means we don't find anything searching around.

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We haven't found anything else.

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Luckily for our sneak check, we rolled double sixes, which

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means we are still sneaky.

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But that closes out Hour 4.

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So for Hour 5, one more search for components, and no dice.

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We rolled a 4.

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Luckily, we passed our sneak check.

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Alright, so unfortunately, we have to start heading back.

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So for hour 6, we're creeping our way back home.

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And we successfully pass our sneak with another double 6 for zone 2.

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Closing out hour 6.

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We are in zone 1 now.

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And

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I did bad math.

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So, you know what?

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We're gonna go for it.

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We're gonna see if we can find anything here.

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Oh!

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We do not.

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We rolled a 2 for zone 1, so we don't find anything.

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Searching for components.

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But we do pass our sneak check.

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That ends hour seven.

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Hour eight.

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We return home.

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So we have closed out our first night and we have only found one item.

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We are not looking good for the home team.

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I gotta hope that I gotta hope that this next night is going to be better.

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Alright, so moving on to night two.

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Again, we are going to move to move into zone two.

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Gonna check our sneak, and our sneak is good.

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So that closes out our one.

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We're gonna cross into zone three,

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and that is all that we can do.

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But, unfortunately for us, we rolled a three and a one, so we were not so sneaky.

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So we're gonna mark one box on our not so sneaky.

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A raven flies overhead.

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Does it serve the other coven?

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It's been a long time since I've seen ravens in these parts.

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I wonder...

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Is it here because they are here?

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Did they send it?

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Do they try to spy on me?

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No.

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It can't be.

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Hee hee hee hee.

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Is it?

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But, unfortunately for us, that is how we end Hour 2.

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Hour 3, we're gonna sneak into Zone 4, cause we need, we need better odds.

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Once again, we're gonna roll for our sneak.

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And we got a 1 and a 4, we got another not so sneaky.

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Our luck seems to be turning.

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That's a lie, we haven't had luck to begin with.

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We notice footprints in the mud.

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They're fresh.

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Has someone noticed yours?

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Now,

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they could be out, they could be tracking me, but why would they?

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I am rather close,

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but it might be nothing.

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It might be me, it might be nothing.

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We must be careful.

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And that is how we end Hour 3.

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Alright, for Hour 4 we finally get to try to find a component.

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And of course I roll a 5.

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And another three and four, so another tick on the not so sneaky.

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You hear the rustle of movement.

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You hide.

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Did someone see you?

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I knew I shouldn't have been checking around when I saw those fresh tracks.

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Shh, witch hazel, it's gonna be okay.

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It's gonna be fine.

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They haven't seen me yet, have they?

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Curse these witches!

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And that is the end of hour four.

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And unfortunately, with that, we need to start heading back.

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So we move back into Zone 3, so hopefully our rolls go better.

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They do.

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We have not been caught.

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On Hour 6, we have moved into Zone 2.

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Ooh, good thing we left Zone 3, because we just rolled double threes.

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Luckily, it holds up for Zone 2.

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Moving back into Zone 1 for Hour 7.

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Once again, our sneak holds.

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And we return home.

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So at the end of Night 2...

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We have collected precisely one component.

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So now the question is, do we rage against the coming spell?

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Or do we accept our fate?

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And I think we're going to have to accept our fate.

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As we know, mathematically, we cannot do what we need to do on Night 3.

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We are unable to gather the components that we need for the potion.

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And it would seem that our activities have not gone unnoticed.

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Apparently our tracks were found, that's why we heard the rustle.

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They were searching for us that night.

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And it is not long before we hear the knock on our door.

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And then the incessant banging before a flash of light.

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And we are staring up.

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At what was once very normal sized furniture, but is now

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giant in its appearance.

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And...

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We find ourselves...

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We find ourselves at the same height as the lizard.

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Still waiting patiently in its cage.

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As we have been turned into a newt.

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Unfortunately, I don't think we're gonna get better.

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From this.

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But, that's Sneaky Witches.

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So, this is a fun game.

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I do like this.

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I do like the concept.

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It is a very fun, very cute concept.

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It does remind me a lot of Swamp Troll Witches.

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Which is another crafting game, where you need to search for the components

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in order to conduct your spells.

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Only with that one, you're selling them on the night market.

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With this, you're trying to banish another coven.

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But I do like this game.

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I do like the conceit of it.

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I do like the The concept and the world that has been built

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It's a very easy game to pick up.

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It's a very easy game to play again It is a one page rpg not a lot of rules not

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a lot to have to figure out so this is definitely something that you can just

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pick up and run and as you saw a game is not going to take You very long now

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I don't like games that are super hard to win Me personally I know some people

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go for that and it's, it's funny that I say that because I do like wretched

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and alone games, which those games are not designed to be won either.

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But at least with the story prompting element of that, you do get a,

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you do get some type of narrative sense and you know, it's going to end and

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you know that it's going to end poorly.

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So you can build this narrative leading up to that.

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This, you don't really have that.

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So yeah, I would say my biggest complaint is the fact that, you

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know, halfway through the game, whether or not you're going to win.

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And I don't know if it's just adding some more nights, you

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know, adding a couple more nights might be the difference to that.

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So by, by all means, when you're playing add a couple more nights, you know give

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yourself a, give yourself a chance.

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And if you're going to add more nights, don't change anything to anything else.

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Leave the not so sneaky counter as is.

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Leave everything else as is.

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Just add a couple more nights to see,

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you know, if you can even give yourself a chance.

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Because again, you need 10 components just for the banishment spell.

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And the only way to get the 10th component is to get a broom so that

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you can get to the witch's shack the rival coven shack, and back.

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So that is

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12 components necessary to win.

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And you have

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24 available slots, 24 available time slots,

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except you don't because you have to move, like you can

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either move or you can search.

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And I do like, I do like the moving and searching being.

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Separate actions, because again, you're sneaking around.

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So yes, it's going to take you an hour to creep into the next area.

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It's going to take you an hour to try and find something useful.

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But yeah, once you're looking at 24 slots and you need to hit on 12 of them, that

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means you only have 12 movement slots.

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And that's not a lot.

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That is not a lot of time.

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I mean, I guess you have 15 movement slots because you can

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double move on the first hour.

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But, yeah, that doesn't give you, that doesn't give you a whole

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lot of leeway for this stuff.

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Especially considering 6 out of those 15 slots you have are getting

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to the rival coven and back.

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So, that's, what, 7 movements for night 1 and 2 that you can do.

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In order to find 13 components.

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That's rough.

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That is very rough.

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The dice have to go your way a lot.

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So yeah, add some extra nights, long winded way of me saying

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that, but outside of that great game, really fun, really enjoy it

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again.

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I like the way they divided up the hexes into zones and how your

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roles are based on the zones.

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It makes a whole lot of sense.

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The closer you get to the rival coven, the easier it is, the more to get spotted,

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you know, the more dangerous it is.

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That is a great little bit of building in there.

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Really, really enjoy that.

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Really like that.

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I like the, I like the searching and the crafting.

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Bit.

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The component bit.

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Not a lot of, not a lot of games do a lot with components in crafting.

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And I got it.

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It can be...

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Crafting is always hit or miss in games.

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It's...

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There's just a level of accounting, basically, that it turns into.

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But having something like this, where, you know, it's the sole focus

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of the game, makes it really nice.

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This is definitely a great way to use that.

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This is a great little minigame if you just want to toss it into

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one of your larger campaigns.

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Because, again, it's not going to take that long.

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You can roll through, you can roll through this with some

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serious RP in 30 45 minutes.

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You know, as long as you're not getting, as long as you're not getting bogged down

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in the RP that is not part of the game.

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So, great minigame to toss into your larger campaigns.

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Or, you know, just a fun little thing to play by yourself when you got a half hour.

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You know, you're sitting there stuck at the doctor's office or whatever,

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waiting to be, waiting to be seen for something, you know, you're stuck at

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the DMV waiting for your number to be called, you know, all this takes is

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two dice and a little bit of paper.

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And what's great is when you pick up the game, they have printable play sheets.

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So.

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A,

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one page, designed as a trifold, folds up very nicely into a nice little pamphlet.

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B, you got the printable playsheets that also don't take up much space.

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It's actually divided up into,

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It divides the paper up into thirds.

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So, you could print off a playsheet.

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Cut it in three.

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A, that's three games.

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B, it'll fit in your pamphlet.

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So, very great very great options for just keeping it accessible.

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At that point, all you need is 2D6, which, you know, dice rolling

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apps, those are perfectly fine.

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You know, go ahead and use those.

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But, yeah, great game, fun game, highly enjoyable, and a great way to...

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Kick off your spooky season.

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So if you would like to pick up Sneaky Witches, you can find it at

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m-allen-hall.itch.io/ witches and you can get it for the low low price of 1

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Which is a very good deal on this So go pick it up If you do make sure you

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tell them that SteelStash sent you and remember I mustache y'all to stay awesome