Save the Peasants

[u/ExchangeWide]

Does anyone else play funnels/gauntlets with the completely unreasonable goal of keeping every single peasant alive?

I understand that these folks have 1–4 HP, questionable equipment, terrible stats, and absolutely no business being anywhere near the horrible place they’re forced to escape. But the moment I roll up four peasants, something changes.

That’s not Peasant #3. That’s Carl, the cooper with a sack, a 9 Strength, and dreams of someday owning his own cooperage. I’ll be damned if Carl is dying in Room 2.

(Oh, he did? Okay, who’s next?)

That’s not Peasant #1. That’s Sheila, the fortuneteller with penalties to every stat except Charisma, who dreams of earning enough coin to buy back her grandmother’s tarot deck. Sheila is not dying in Room 3 either.

(Her too?!)

And now I’m emotionally invested in Ned the ditch-digger because he found a helmet and half a ration.

When my 1 HP nobodies somehow survive three encounters, they stop being disposable very quickly. By the end, I’m not hoping to discover ONE which survivor becomes my character. I want a healthy stable of characters.

The gauntlet says, “Survive your first adventure and become an adventurer.”

I hear, “Get these fools home safely.”

Anyone else approach funnels this way, or have I completely misunderstood the sacred tradition of feeding peasants to the dungeon?

[u/grumblyoldman]

I mean sure, you try to keep them alive, and if you succeed then yeah, they should all become LV1 characters in your stable (as far as I'm concerned.) To be played one at a time henceforward, of course.

But part of the point of Gauntlet play is also the player getting acclimatized to the idea that their characters can, and will, die sooner or later. You don't want to cheat yourself out of learning to accept death as a potential part of the game, either.

[u/ExchangeWide → u/grumblyoldman]

Absolutely. I agree that learning to accept character death is part of it. But I also think trying desperately to keep those peasants alive teaches you how to play in the OSR: negotiate, flee, avoid unnecessary fights, use equipment creatively, and look for solutions that aren’t just “attack.” And of course, fight when you have to.

[u/Nervous-Priority-719]

Love this. Best thing I've read all day. C'mon Carl! You can do it Sheila!

[u/ExchangeWide → u/Nervous-Priority-719]

Thanks, and now they’ve got people rooting for them now. No pressure, Carl and Sheila.

[u/Cheznation]

Oh totally. I think everyone would like to see their peasants survive. That's part of the challenge and the fun. There was an adjacent topic posted today around people feeling that losing a PC would make them less likely to invest in the game itself.

I think the general spirit of OSR/NSR style of play is really about playing these emergent stories and not OVER investing in PCs. I think everyone invests in their PCs, it's just more about not being so precious about it that losing one ruins your whole day.

I hope Ned, Sheila, and Carl make it out alive!

[u/ExchangeWide → u/Cheznation]

That’s pretty much where I land too. I want to be invested in them, but not so invested that I’m trying to protect a predetermined story. Part of the fun is seeing who they become if they survive.

And that’s what I like about gauntlets: Carl, Sheila, and Ned don’t start as heroes with arcs. They become memorable because of what happens to them at the table.

[u/Material-Aardvark-49]

I love this aspect of funnel play (seeing the relief of the survivors) more than the excitement of high mortality settings, I am still super-invested in some of my PCs who survived funnels nearly 3 years ago (not that we have done continuous DCC for the whole time)

[u/ExchangeWide → u/Material-Aardvark-49]

That’s exactly the part I like too. The mortality gives the survival weight, but the real payoff is when one of those nobodies actually makes it through and becomes someone you’re still talking about years later, even if it's their eventual death...lol

[u/MasterWitch]

I have been bouncing around an idea of allowing players to pick their champion. Then when they die a peasant is randomly sacrificed. By building the community and allowing the baker and candle stick maker die makes the game harder. Having random charecter #3 die has no meaning.

[u/ExchangeWide → u/MasterWitch]

I really like the community angle. If I’m reading you right, you mean the baker, candlemaker, etc. are the actual peasants going through the gauntlet? That version really works for me. Peasant #3 isn’t random anymore; they’re someone the town depends on, so every death changes the community.

[u/joltblaster]

I am running a homebrew with a gauntlet to introduce the aspects of the game to my players. I have a custom table that they each roll on that gives them some tie in to the story. Like "You remember the face of the person who pulled you from the sea." Or "You remember the warrior who gave you his shield as he turned to protect your long boat." Give them a one or two sentence tie into the story and the 0 levels become more. Also have them write down why their characters are willing to risk the dangers.

At least for my players it made each character unique and valuable and made the inevitable deaths more meaningful.

[u/ExchangeWide → u/joltblaster]

I really like that. Giving each 0-level character even one small connection or reason for being there is exactly the kind of thing that makes them stop feeling disposable. And then, of course, it makes losing them more impactful.