The Warren: A PbtA Game About Rabbits (Play Report)

I ran a one-shot of The Warren this weekend for my Dad and two of my sisters. It was my first time playing (or running the game) and, overall, it was a success. Here's the two big takeaways:

The Worst Thing: Presenting the Mission

These days, I think one-shots are best when there's a clear goal. So I presented a mission right away. Here's what I said: 

Dusk is coming on when you hear a voice over the hill. 'Tu-lip! Ja-ack!' It's the Widow Opal, looking for her two lost rabbit kits. What do you do?

Immediately, I felt the misstep. I presented it like a choice, but for the Players, it didn't feel like a choice. They felt they could either (A) accept the quest, or (B) derail the session I had planned.

In an effort to course-correct, I told them it really was a choice and—because the map was robust and the Players were generous— they immediately chose a different action (steal cabbage from the garden). It turned out OK, but it was a valuable lesson. If I could do it again, I'd say this instead:

Real quick before we begin, you've heard three rumors around the warren lately: (1) The Widow Opal's two kits have gone missing. (2) The cabbages are ripe in the Farmer's raised beds. (3) Strange sounds have been coming from the woods beyond the highway.

Why is this better? First, presenting multiple rumors keeps the Players from feeling railroaded down a particular path. Second, presenting the information as exposition ("Before we begin...") instead of fiction ("The NPC says...") feels way more authentic. Less like a quest seed in dialogue's clothing.

(Note: To marry exposition and fiction, place a job board in the town square. Classic way to concisely present quest seeds within the fiction.)

The Best Thing: Making a Map Together

We started the session by making a map of the farm. I put a big sheet of brown paper (a paper grocery bag, cut along two sides) on the table and penciled three locations:

• The Warren
• The Farmhouse
• The Highway

Then passed the pencil around the table. The Players made up more:

• The Henhouse
• The Briar Patch
• The Compost Heap
• The Stone Wall
• The Collapsed Barn
• The Old Windmill

Immediately the world was original, rich, and surprising. Even to me, the GM. And that's a source of a lot of fun.