TEXT:  
  The Wind in the Willows
  The Wind in the Willows
  The Wind in the Willows
  The Wind in the Willows    RPG
  RPG
  RPG
  RPG    
    
  A Roleplaying Game by Steffan O’Sullivan 
   
  
   
   
   
   
   
  Written in 24 Hours, October 28-29 
  2012, for the rpggeek.com 24-Hour 
  RPG Contest.  Copyright 2012 by 
  Steffan O’Sullivan.  You may print and 
  distribute this document for free, but 
  may not charge money for it. 
   
   
   
  Italicized text is from the 1908 edition 
  (public domain) edition of The Wind in 
  the Willows by Kenneth Grahame.  
  Illustrations are from the same edition 
  and are by Paul Bransom.   
   
   
   
  (I recommend hunting up the Ernest H. 
  Shepard illustrations, as those are by 
  far my favorite, but they’re still under 
  copyright, at least in the USA, so are 
  not included here.) 
  
   
  Introduction 
   
  Well might tables and chairs be upset, and glass and china be sent crashing on the floor, in the panic of that 
  terrible moment when the four Heroes strode wrathfully into the room! The mighty Badger, his whiskers 
  bristling, his great cudgel whistling through the air; Mole, black and grim, brandishing his stick and 
  shouting his awful war–cry, “A Mole! A Mole!” Rat; desperate and determined, his belt bulging with 
  weapons of every age and every variety; Toad, frenzied with excitement and injured pride, swollen to twice 
  his ordinary size, leaping into the air and emitting Toad–whoops that chilled them to the marrow! “Toad he 
  went a–pleasuring!” he yelled. “I'LL pleasure 'em!” and he went straight for the Chief Weasel.   
   
  In this game, players take the roles of a Mole, a Water Rat (water vole, really), a Badger 
  or a Toad.  If you’ve read The Wind in the Willows, you know exactly what I mean.  If 
  you haven’t, well, then, you really should read it.  It’s easily one of the five best books 
  written in the 20th century.  (All right, “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn” chapter isn’t to 
  my tastes, but the rest is superb.) 
   
  This is largely a traditional roleplaying game, requiring a game master (GM) and a 
  number of players.  Since this game is written in a 24-hour period, it is assumed you 
  know what this means, as I don’t have time to explain it to you.   
   
  (For purposes of clarity, the GM and generic non-player characters [NPCs] are referred 
  to as “she” and players and player characters [PCs] as “he”.  Adjust pronouns as 
  needed for your group.) 
   
  The animals in The Wind in the Willows are quite anthropomorphic: they wear 
  clothes, use tools, wield weapons and in one case, even live in a mansion and drive a 
  motorcar.  You can play the actual characters in the book, or – if you wish to alter the 
  personalities – distant cousins.  The game is written with the idea that each player is a 
  different animal, but if two players want to be Toads, who can blame them?  Let them 
  – it’ll be more fun for all! 
   
  The setting is somewhere in rural Edwardian England – that is, in the first decade of 
  the 20th century, with motorcars that go “poop-poop” rather than “zooo-ooom”.  There 
  is a prominent River, some farms, a canal, the Wild Woods, and roads meandering off 
  to towns and eventually cities and the sea.  E. H. Shepard drew a lovely map for it, 
  well worth hunting up, but not included here for copyright reasons. 
   
  Equipment Needed 
   
  You will need some tokens in two colors, such as glass beads, or checkers, or pieces 
  from the game of Go, or even small coins of two different denominations.  These are 
  listed as black and white, but you may of course substitute any colors depending on 
  what you have.  You’ll need at most three tokens of each color per player. 
   
  
   
  Characters 
   
  Four types of characters are available: 
   
  Moles have: 
  Luck: 2 
  Wit: 1 
  Knowledge of tunnels and digging. 
  Fault: Low Self Confidence; trusts 
  the judgment of others above his 
  own. 
   
  Water Rats have: 
  Loyalty: 2 
  Practicality: 1 
  Knowledge of all things about the 
  River. 
  Fault: Subject to poetical fits; 
  becomes “anti-practical” at such 
  times. 
    
  Badgers have: 
  Strength: 2 
  Common Sense: 1 
  Knowledge of tunnels, ruins, digging. 
  Fault: Gruff – “anti-charm”, even 
  when trying to be charming. 
   
  Toads have: 
  Charm: 2 
  Acting: 1 
  Knowledge of the price of motorcars 
  and gadgets. 
  Faults: More than you can shake a 
  stick at, but just pick a couple.  
  (E.g., Thinks he is highly dexterous 
  and a great driver when he’s not 
  even close; or “Perhaps he's not very 
  clever – we can't all be geniuses…” or 
  “It's no good, Toady; you know well that 
  your songs are all conceit and boasting 
  and vanity; and your speeches are all 
  self–praise and—and—well, and gross 
  exaggeration and—and——”   “And gas,” 
  put in the Badger, in his common way.  
  You’ll find others in the original 
  novel.) 
   
  Running the Game 
   
  In addition to an area of Knowledge, 
  each character has two positive traits, 
  one of value two and one of value one.  
  The higher value attribute is their 
  primary one: each player starts with 
  two black tokens to represent this 
  ability.  The lower value (secondary) 
  trait is represented by white tokens: 
  each player starts with two white 
  tokens. 
   
  White tokens have a value of 1 each.  
  Black tokens have a value of 2 each.  
  You never get “change” if spending a 
  black token to resolve an action 
  requiring only a value 1 token. 
   
  When an incident occurs which may or 
  may not succeed, the GM assigns a 
  difficulty level to the encounter.  She 
  does not have to tell the players what 
  the difficulty level is, though she may 
  hint when something is well above or 
  below average: 
   
  Very Easy: no tokens needed 
  Easy: a token of value 1 
  Almost easy: tokens of value 2 
  Medium: tokens of value 3 
  Hard: tokens of value 4 
  Very Hard: tokens of value 5 
   
  The player(s) need to give the GM the 
  correct value (or more) in order to 
  succeed at a given task – they may help 
  each out in these tasks.  This is 
  accomplished by playing their roles in 
  such a way that it’s obvious they are 
  using their primary or secondary trait.  
  The sole meaning of “obvious” in this 
  case means the GM is convinced. 
   
  Example: Toad is confronted with a 
  witness who refuses to talk.  The 
  player plays Toad as very charming 
  in soliciting information.  The player 
  slides a black token (as his primary 
  trait is Charm) towards the GM, who 
  
   
  must first decide if Toad was indeed 
  charming enough to warrant this 
  expenditure.  She decides that Toad 
  was indeed charming enough, and 
  takes the black token.  However, she 
  says, the witness, though softening, 
  is still not giving any information.  At 
  this point the player of the usually 
  practical Ratty offers the witness 
  some food, and slides a white token 
  (as his secondary trait is Practicality) 
  towards the GM.  The GM hesitates, 
  and then decides yes, this witness is 
  indeed hungry, and the total value of 
  3 is enough to win her confidence 
  and she tells the player characters 
  what she knows. 
   
  A player would have to be very 
  Charming, Lucky, Loyal, Strong, etc., to 
  earn the right to turn in two tokens of 
  the same color at once. 
   
  Gaining Tokens 
   
  Each player starts with two of each 
  color token and spends them as above.  
  The maximum a player can hold is 
  three tokens of each color.  The 
  principal way to gain tokens is for a 
  player to roleplay his character’s Fault.  
  If the GM (at least!) is entertained by 
  the roleplaying of the Fault, the GM 
  may reward the player with one or more 
  tokens, of either (or both) colors.  The 
  key is to be entertaining – play it to the 
  max! 
   
  Theoretically it is easier to gain tokens 
  as a Toad than as a Mole, because 
  Toad’s Faults are more entertaining.  
  Allowances should be made for Moles – 
  it’s not easy to entertain while decrying 
  your ability to do things well.  And a 
  word to Badgers: your gruffness is most 
  entertaining when you’re actually trying 
  to be charming but blowing it badly!  
  And so as not to leave the Rats out, a 
  bout of poetry will probably not happen 
  in the heat of action, but can hit just 
  before or after.  Here we can see it 
  triggered by listening to the tales of a 
  wandering seafaring rat: 
   
   
  Um, Okay, but What If … 
   
  What if characters want to do 
  something outside their listed traits?  
  In the original book, for example, they 
  all fought the weasels and stoats, yet 
  only Badger in this game has a trait 
  that looks applicable … oh, I suppose 
  Rat does too, if he’s coming to 
  someone’s rescue, no matter what the 
  odds, or Mole could use his luck to 
  score a hit in an attack.   
   
  But there will come a time when Toad 
  really does have to take some sort of 
  action, when Charm and Acting simply 
  
   
  won’t let him escape from the jail he’s 
  thrown into for stealing a motorcar, or 
  flee a hostile band of police intent on 
  recapturing him, or from an angry 
  barge woman whose horse he’s stolen… 
   
   
   
   
  Right.  There are some things the 
  players can do in these situations: 
   
  One is simply to find some way to make 
  their traits work for them.  Be creative 
  in applying the traits, such as I listed in 
  the first paragraph in this section: Rat’s 
  Loyalty, or Mole’s Luck. 
   
  Another way is to support another 
  character who does have an 
  appropriate trait.  The GM should be 
  generous when players work together, 
  even if it might seem like they’re trying 
  to skate by.   
   
  Examples: “If we all help Badger try 
  to move the rock, can his black token 
  count as a 3?”  Or perhaps, “Seeing 
  Ratty charge loyally into battle 
  inspires me, and I follow, yelling my 
  battle cry: A Mole! A Mole!  Since his 
  Loyalty motivated me, can his black 
  token count as a 3?”   
   
  If they’re being entertaining and 
  creative, reward them.  (If not, don’t let 
  them get away with it, the weasels!) 
   
  A third way is to allow the players to 
  use their Knowledge areas as if they 
  were virtual tokens.  That is, no tokens 
  are passed in these cases, but Rat, for 
  example, can succeed at a task by 
  swimming or boating or by knowing 
  every twist and bend of the River. 
   
  “Believe me, my young friend, there is 
  NOTHING—absolute nothing—half so much 
  worth doing as simply messing about in boats.” 
   
  And finally the GM can simply tell the 
  players in these cases: “Roleplay it.”  
  The players’ tokens won’t work in these 
  situations – they have to tell the GM 
  what they’re doing in such lovely detail 
  that she’s swept along in the sheer 
  brilliance of the moment and agrees 
  with them.  In fact, a player may 
  actually earn a token if roleplaying his 
  character’s fault, and still succeed at 
  an action!  But this is a roleplaying 
  game, so roleplay it well if you want to 
  succeed. 
   
  That’s Really All There Is to It 
   
  Basically, the GM comes up with a plot 
  and runs the characters through it.  
  There is no character progression – the 
  game is played solely for enjoyment! – 
  and no one dies, not even the weasels.  
  Think of each session as a one-shot 
  game, without worrying about a sequel. 
   
  A sample adventure is included in the 
  following pages.  If you wish to be a 
  player (as opposed to the GM), do not 
  read any further! 
  
   
  Attention: For the GM Only! 
  Sample Adventure:  
  The Terror of the Wild Woods 
   
  He thought it was only falling leaves at first, so 
  slight and delicate was the sound of it. Then as it 
  grew it took a regular rhythm, and he knew it for 
  nothing else but the pat–pat–pat of little feet still a 
  very long way off. Was it in front or behind? It 
  seemed to be first one, and then the other, then 
  both. It grew and it multiplied, till from every 
  quarter as he listened anxiously, leaning this way 
  and that, it seemed to be closing in on him … In 
  panic, he began to run too, aimlessly, he knew not 
  whither. He ran up against things, he fell over 
  things and into things, he darted under things and 
  dodged round things. 
   
  The player characters are visiting 
  Ratty’s house and just finishing a 
  springtime luncheon picnic when a 
  worried field mouse shows up.  The 
  young mouse is very nervous, but 
  apologetic and shy and it takes a bit to 
  get her story out. 
   
  “It’s my brother, Sirs.  He’s been missing 
  since last night and we’re ever so worried 
  about him.  Dad always says you 
  gentlemen have been kind to us mice 
  since even before his time.  So I’ve come 
  to ask your help.” 
   
  After much more of this, she finally 
  reveals that a rabbit reported this 
  morning having seen her brother, 
  Roderick, in the Wild Wood yesterday 
  evening.  Nothing has been seen of him 
  since.  It turns out the PCs know 
  Roderick – he’s the current star of the 
  plays the field mice put on, and it’s 
  feared his theatrical swashbuckling 
  persona has overcome his good sense. 
   
  The GM should play on the PCs’ code of 
  honor towards the small folk, and how 
  much they enjoy the field mice’s shows.  
  It shouldn’t take too much to enlist 
  their help in finding Roderick. 
   
   
  Roderick is deep in the Wild Woods, 
  and very frightened.  He actually went 
  in on a dare and is regretting it.  He’s 
  holed up beneath the roots of a very 
  small shrub (so the weasels, stoats and 
  ferrets can’t get at him) but is too 
  frightened to leave. 
   
  The PCs will have to explore the Wild 
  Woods to find him – he’s nowhere near 
  Badger’s place.  While getting to the 
  Wood, tempt Toad with a motorcar, 
  apparently abandoned, though the 
  owners are actually picnicking over a 
  hill. 
   
  “I wonder," he said to himself presently, "I 
  wonder if this sort of car STARTS easily?” 
   
  There will be witnesses in the Wild 
  Wood, but most are too frightened of 
  the “mob” to dare to tell much.  There 
  should be mouse footprints which are 
  sometimes covered up with weasel 
  tracks and perhaps a dropped mouse 
  
   
  glove or two.  If there’s no Badger in the 
  party, threaten the PCs with being 
  overwhelmed by the Wild Wooders.  
  (They wouldn’t dare if Badger’s there.  
  In that case, use some large feral dogs 
  instead of weasels and stoats.) 
   
  Tell the PCs they know the following 
  quotation from the book (indeed, it’s 
  Ratty who says it): 
   
  There are a hundred things one has to know, 
  which we understand all about and you don't, as 
  yet. I mean passwords, and signs, and sayings 
  which have power and effect, and plants you 
  carry in your pocket, and verses you repeat, and 
  dodges and tricks you practice; all simple 
  enough when you know them, but they've got to 
  be known if you're small, or you'll find yourself 
  in trouble. 
   
  Have them come up with some of the 
  passwords, signs, sayings, plants, 
  verses, dodges and tricks themselves. 
   
  There should be a bit by the River, so 
  Rat can shine, and some tunnels so 
  Mole can come to the fore, and some 
  old Roman Ruins with secret passages 
  so Badger can show off his knowledge, 
  and perhaps an abandoned bicycle or 
  other gadget so Toad can be heroic – or 
  at least spectacularly comic! 
   
  Ultimately, there will be a final 
  showdown at Roderick’s hiding place 
  between the PCs and the Wild Wooders 
  (with or without feral dogs, depending 
  on Badger’s presence).  It should be a 
  close match, but if the players are 
  creative in their descriptions of how 
  they take on the Wild Wooders (use of 
  the aforementioned signs, plants, 
  verses, tricks, etc., will help), they 
  should win the day, gallantly chasing 
  off the weasels, stoats and ferrets (and 
  possibly feral dogs).  And a good time 
  will be had by all.
   
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Kid Friendly/3. Rules Lite Collection/The Wind in the Willows.pdf