Bad Frog Bargain
A downloadable game
An unpaid debt to an Elfland lord has put a dark cloud over the town of Burdelen in this fairytale inspired adventure.
This was my entry in the 2019 One Page Dungeon Contest.
It is inspired by Elf/Faerie folklore, Rumpelstiltskin, and Childe Rowland. Also, there are frog people.
Download
Click download now to get access to the following files:
Comments
Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.
Hi, the investigation part is tight, thanks to Tobbit’s shrewdness. But I am left with one question: why does Sigwin invest so much in the child? I think maybe there’s something alien about fae thinking that makes an oath more important than many things. But hasn’t Sigwin other things to do than claim old debts?
I based this off old fairy stories like Rumplestilskin and Changeling legends. Fae have always been interested in obtaining people's children for unknown reasons. Perhaps having a mortal child is seen as a valuable link to the mortal world or a tool for future trickery. Maybe it's just in vogue for fae to have mortal pets. But they definitely are bound to follow through with any deal they have made. They are ruled by traditions and rules. Many Fairy stories have fae making bargains and then using the language of the bargain or technicalities to trick the mortal. Fae have little else to do that is more important than tricking mortals. at least that's the impression I get from folklore
Ran this paired with another simple adventure and had loads of fun.
Favorite moment was when the players questioned a frogling outside of the town about 'magic inside the city'. He would describe various technical or aesthetic things (the watermill, horseback frog soldiers cantering along in their finery, tinsmithing, loans) and exclaim "is that the sort of magic you mean?" He conly got around to the curse on the fourth or fifth go.
Awesome! thanks for sharing