Printable guide sheet: The Goblin Camp Raid

Read this to your players to start

Winter is coming to the village of Millbrook, and its whole food chest is gone. A band of goblins carried it off into Greenbriar Forest. Grandma Tilly, the oldest person in the village, asks the heroes to bring it home, any way they can.

Scenes (all session lengths — scene’s tag shows the shortest length it appears in)

1. Scene 1: Smoke on the Wind from Quick Quest on

   Crunch. Crunch. Frost snaps under your boots at the edge of Greenbriar Forest. Grandma Tilly, the oldest person in Millbrook, hurries up with her shawl flapping. "They took it!" she says. "Our whole winter food chest. Flour, apples, honey. Every last jar." She points into the dark trees. Far away, a thin line of smoke climbs into the sky. "Goblin footprints," she whispers. "Small ones, in a hurry. Please, heroes. Bring our winter home."

   Goal: Find out where the goblins took the chest.

   • Follow the footprints Clever, DN 8

     It works: The footprints lead to a trail of spilled flour, like a white ribbon through the trees. You follow it, fast and quiet.

     It doesn’t: The footprints go round and round in circles. Goblins are bad at walking in straight lines! You follow the smoke instead and get there a little later, with rumbling tummies.

   • Ask Grandma Tilly No roll

     It works: She saw three things. There were six or seven goblins, all small. They ran toward the smoke. And, funny thing, they left the silver spoons behind. "They only took food," she says.

     It doesn’t: If nobody can think of a question, Tilly tells them the three things anyway, then shoos them off: "Go on, before it snows!"

   Ask your players

   Ask each player in turn: Grandma Tilly lets each hero take one thing from her kitchen for the trip. What does your hero take? Whatever they pick can help later: bread for a hungry wolf, a honey cake for a grumpy goblin.

   Let the heroes ask Tilly anything. She is worried, not scared, and she only knows what she saw. If a child asks something she could not know, she says, "Ooh, I don’t know, dear. You’ll have to find out!" Then head into the forest.

2. Scene 2: The Rope Bridge from Short Session on

   The path stops at the edge of a ravine. That is a deep, rocky crack in the ground. A rope bridge swings across it. Creak... creak... Halfway over, two skinny goblins sit with their feet dangling, holding fishing rods. "It’s YOUR turn to watch the camp," says one. "No, it’s YOUR turn," says the other. Their tummies rumble. They have not seen you. Not yet.

   Goal: Get everyone across the bridge without the goblins running to tell.

   • Sneak across Clever, DN 10

     It works: You tiptoe over while Snig and Pob argue. Pob catches a fish, shouts "I WIN!", and nobody looks up.

     It doesn’t: CREAK. Pob looks up, squeaks, and drops his rod into the ravine. They are more scared of you than you are of them. Now they will talk, or run off to camp if nobody speaks before you count to three.

   • Make friends Kind, DN 10

     It works: "You won’t tell Grubnak we were fishing?" Snig whispers. They let you pass, and they promise to say something nice about you back at camp.

     It doesn’t: Snig and Pob squeak and scamper off to camp. Now the camp knows you are coming, and at the camp fire Grubnak will be standing right in front of the chest.

   • Charge! No roll

     It works: Use the Goblin Scout cards. After one hit each, they drop their rods and run to camp, squeaking.

     It doesn’t: If the fight goes badly, the scouts still run after one round: they are fishers, not fighters. Either way, the camp now knows you are coming.

   Ask your players

   Ask the table: The bridge wobbles. Who goes first?

   Ask the quietest player: What does your hero spot down in the ravine? Whatever they say is really there, and it can help.

   Snig and Pob are not guards. They are two hungry brothers who were sent to watch the path and went fishing for dinner instead. However it goes, the heroes get across: a failed roll only changes who knows they are coming. Never make a kind choice harder than the fight.

3. Scene 3: The Watch-Wolf from One-Sitting Session on

   Sniff. Sniff. You can smell the goblins’ fire now. Tied to a post by the path is a big grey wolf. Someone has scratched her name on the post in wobbly letters: BISKIT. Biskit is thin and shaggy, and she looks very bored. She lifts her nose. She has smelled you. Her ears go up. Her tail stays very, very still.

   Goal: Get past the watch-wolf without a single bark.

   • Sneak past Clever, DN 10

     It works: You creep from bush to bush. Biskit sniffs, sneezes, and flops back down with a big sigh.

     It doesn’t: WOOF! WOOF! Far away a goblin shouts, "Quiet, Biskit!" Nobody comes, but Biskit is still watching you. You can try to make friends instead.

   • Make friends Kind, DN 8

     It works: Biskit sniffs your hand, then licks it. Thump, thump goes her tail. Untie her rope and she wiggles all over. Then she tugs your sleeve. She knows a secret way in.

     It doesn’t: Biskit backs away with a small, shy growl. She is not cross, just nervous. She lets you pass, but she will not come with you.

   • Stand tall Brave, DN 10

     It works: You stand still and calm. Biskit decides you are in charge. She lies down, puts her chin on her paws, and lets you by.

     It doesn’t: Biskit barks and barks. The goblins at the fire hear her, and now the camp knows you are coming.

   Ask your players

   Ask the table: Biskit’s tummy rumbles. Did anyone bring something from Grandma Tilly’s kitchen? If they brought food, making friends needs no roll.

   Biskit is a big soft dog at heart, tied up and hungry. If anyone offers food, making friends needs no roll. If a child wants to fight her, use Biskit’s card, but she runs off yelping after one hit: nobody needs to hurt her, and no ending needs her hurt.

4. Scene 4: Biskit’s Secret Path from One-Sitting Session on

   Biskit gives a happy little woof. She trots off the path and into the ferns. Then she looks back at you. Come on! Her secret wolf path is low and twisty. You crawl under brambles and through a hollow log. Halfway along, Biskit stops and digs. Out pops an old bread crust, all muddy. She drops it at your feet, very proud. It is her best treasure. Ahead, through the leaves, you can see the back of the goblin camp.

   Goal: Follow Biskit to the back of the camp.

   • Keep up with Biskit Brave, DN 8

     It works: You wriggle through the hollow log and out the other end, with leaves in your hair. Biskit licks your nose. You made it!

     It doesn’t: You get stuck in the hollow log, bottom first! Biskit tugs your sleeve until you pop out. It is noisy, but the goblins only shout, "Quiet, Biskit!"

   • Thank her for the treasure No roll

     It works: Thump, thump goes her tail. Biskit leans on your legs, warm and heavy. Now she will stay by your side, all the way to the camp fire.

     It doesn’t: If nobody knows what to do, Biskit decides for you. She licks the crust, then your face. In wolf, that means "You are welcome."

   • Follow her nose Clever, DN 8

     It works: Biskit sniffs out soft moss with no twigs on it. You step where she steps and reach the camp without one snap.

     It doesn’t: Biskit smells a squirrel and zooms off after it. She comes back puffing and pleased with herself, and leads you on. You get there a little later.

   Ask your players

   Ask each player in turn: Biskit gives you her muddy bread crust. What does your hero do with it? Every answer is a good one. A hero who keeps it can offer it to Grubnak at the camp fire, and he laughs so hard he hiccups.

   Play this scene only when the heroes made friends with Biskit at the Watch-Wolf, and it worked. If her rope stayed tied, skip it. The story then goes on to the Goblins’ Secret, as it always does. Play Biskit as a big, proud, wiggly dog showing off her home. Nothing later needs this scene: the camp fire already gives a bonus when Biskit came along.

5. Scene 5: The Goblins’ Secret from Full Session on

   You creep close. Orange firelight flickers through the trees. The two fishing goblins from the bridge sit by a big cooking pot. A tiny goblin sits between them. The pot is empty. "The big man took our grain," one whispers. "ALL of it. That’s why we took the humans’ chest." The tiny goblin’s tummy rumbles, loud as a frog. "I don’t like taking things," says the other. "I just don’t like being hungry."

   Goal: Find out why the goblins took the chest.

   • Listen quietly Clever, DN 8

     It works: You hear it all. A grumpy man called Big Bart, who camps over the hill, took the goblins’ grain, and now they have nothing for winter. As they get up, one drops a scrap of bark. Give the heroes the goblin note.

     It doesn’t: A twig snaps. "Who’s there?" squeaks Snig. Now you can talk to them, or run for the bushes. If you talk, they tell you everything about Big Bart over the hill: they are too hungry to keep a secret.

   • Say hello Kind, DN 8

     It works: The goblins jump, then shrug. "You might as well know," says Pob, and tells you all about Big Bart, over the hill, and the grain. "Please don’t tell Grubnak we told you." He gives you a scrap of bark: the goblin note.

     It doesn’t: They run off yelling "HUMANS!", and now the camp knows you are coming. On the ground where they sat is a scrap of bark: the goblin note.

   Ask your players

   Ask each player in turn: How does your hero feel about the goblins now?

   Ask the table: Is there any way you could help them? If they want to fetch the goblins’ grain back and you are playing the Epic Session, the bonus scene is next. Otherwise, head for the camp fire.

   This is the heart of the story: the goblins are not baddies, they are hungry. Hand over the goblin note here, whichever way the scene goes. Let a Kind hero shine. Knowing the secret makes a deal easier at the camp fire.

6. Scene 6: Bonus: Big Bart’s Camp from Epic Session on

   Over the hill is a messy camp. Big Bart lies in a hammock with his boots off, snoring. SNNNORK... wheeee. SNNNORK... wheeee. He has a bushy beard, a hole in his sock and a big stick by his hand. Under the hammock sits a fat sack of grain. On the sack is a small green handprint. A goblin handprint. The sack is right underneath him.

   Goal: Bring the goblins’ grain back to their camp.

   • Sneak the sack out Clever, DN 10

     It works: You roll the sack out from under the hammock, slow and quiet. Bart snores on. SNNNORK... wheeee.

     It doesn’t: THUMP! The sack is heavy. Bart wakes with a snort: "OI! That’s MY grain!" It isn’t. Now you can talk to him, or face him.

   • Talk to Big Bart Kind, DN 10

     It works: Bart scratches his beard. "Hungry, are they? Little ones too?" He goes pink. "Take it, then. And tell them... sorry." He even helps you carry it.

     It doesn’t: Bart folds his arms. "Finders keepers!" Now you can face him, or one hero keeps him talking while another sneaks the sack away.

   • Face him No roll

     It works: Use Big Bart’s card. He is grumpy, not cruel: when he is down to 2 Heart Points, he drops his stick and runs off into the trees.

     It doesn’t: If the fight goes badly for the heroes, Bart grabs his boots and runs anyway: he never liked fighting. The sack stays behind.

   Ask your players

   Ask the quietest player: Big Bart mumbles in his sleep. What do you think he is dreaming about? Whatever they say, he mumbles it out loud. It is a good laugh, and a good moment to sneak.

   Play this scene only at the Epic length, and only if the heroes want to fetch the goblins’ grain back. They know the way: the goblins said Big Bart camps over the hill. If they would rather go straight to the camp fire, skip it. Bringing the grain to the camp fire means the deal there needs no roll.

7. Scene 7: The Camp Fire from Quick Quest on

   The trees open into a clearing. A big fire crackles in the middle. Right beside it sits Millbrook’s chest, next to an empty cooking pot. Out from behind it stomps the biggest goblin you have ever seen. He wears a patched blanket for a cape and waves a giant wooden spoon. Two little goblins peek out behind him. "STOP!" he bellows. "This is MY camp! I am GRUBNAK!" He squints at you. "...Are you here to fight? Because I’ve had a VERY long day."

   Goal: Get Millbrook’s food chest back.

   • Make a fair deal Kind, DN 10

     It works: Grubnak lowers his spoon and sits down on the chest with a bump. "Go on, then. I’m listening." Read "If you made peace."

     It doesn’t: Grubnak folds his arms. "Prove it." The heroes get one more try with a different idea: a promise, a gift, a joke. The second try needs no roll if it is kind.

   • Trick him Clever, DN 10

     It works: Grubnak falls for it and spins round to look. Read "If you tricked him."

     It doesn’t: Grubnak spins round just in time. "HA! Nice try." He sits on the chest. Now the heroes can make a deal, or fight for it.

   • Fight for it No roll

     It works: Use Grubnak’s card. He screeches for one Goblin Scout to help. When he is down to 5 Heart Points, he gives up. Read "If you fought."

     It doesn’t: If the fight goes badly for the heroes, Grubnak stops anyway, puffing: "Can we... just talk? I’m too hungry for this." Go to Make a fair deal. It needs no roll.

   Ask your players

   Ask the table: Grubnak’s tummy rumbles, loud as thunder. Why do you think the goblins took the chest? If the heroes have not learned the secret yet, Grubnak blurts it out now: "Because Big Bart took OUR food!" Or they spot the goblin note, pinned to the chest with a fork.

   Ask the quietest player: What does your hero say to the two little goblins?

   Making a deal: no roll at all if the heroes brought back the goblins’ grain. Otherwise roll with +2 if they know the secret, Snig and Pob are their friends, or Biskit came with them (+2 once, however many are true). If Biskit came, she trots in and lies down on Grubnak’s feet, and he cannot stay cross. If the camp knows the heroes are coming, Grubnak stands right in front of the chest, so a trick needs two heroes: one to distract him, one to grab. Short on time? Every length gets the twist: if the heroes have not learned the secret, Grubnak blurts it out the first time anyone asks why, or they find the goblin note pinned to the chest with a fork. When it is over, read the ending that happened, then the homecoming.

   How it ends

   Read the ending that happened, then the homecoming.

   If you made peace. Grubnak stares at you. His big ears droop. "Nobody ever asked why," he mumbles. He pushes the chest toward you with one foot. "Take it. But... could we maybe keep one jar of honey?" The little goblins hold their breath. If you say yes, they cheer so loud the trees shake.

   If you tricked him. Grubnak spins round. "Who said that?" By the time he turns back, the chest is gone and so are you. Far behind you, you hear him yell, then laugh. "Sneaky! Sneaky little heroes!" Back on the path, you find a scrap of bark pinned to the chest with a fork. It is a note from the goblins.

   If you fought. Grubnak’s spoon spins into the bushes. He plops down on a log. "Fine. FINE. Take it," he huffs. The little goblins peek out from behind him. "We were only hungry," Grubnak says, much more quietly. "Big Bart took our grain, and winter is coming." For a moment, nobody says anything at all.

   Homecoming

   Every ending: home to Millbrook. Grandma Tilly opens the chest and counts every jar out loud. Then she counts you. "All home," she says. "That’s the best treasure." That night the whole village eats pancakes by the fire. Tilly gives each of you a little wooden spoon. "For luck," she says, "and for second helpings."

Player handout — show this to your table

A Note on Bark

A scrap of bark, scratched with charcoal. Four little pictures: a sack of grain. A big man with a stick, running off with it. A sad goblin with a rumbling tummy. An arrow, pointing at a chest. Under the pictures, in wobbly letters: SORY. WE R HUNGRY TOO.

Monster stat blocks

Rewards

• Millbrook’s winter food chest, home safe, and a seat at the pancake feast.
• A Lucky Spoon for every hero, from Grandma Tilly: once in your next adventure, roll again.
• If you made peace: the Goblin Friendship Token. In your next adventure, a goblin turns up to help, once.
• A real-world bonus, if you like: pancakes for breakfast tomorrow.

Tips for running this one

• This adventure rewards talking as much as fighting. Don’t push a table that loves a fight into a deal, and don’t push a chatty table into a fight. Follow the players.
• Play Grubnak loud and huffy, never cruel, so the twist lands: the goblins are just hungry. Snig and Pob are squeaky brothers who finish each other’s sentences. Biskit has no words, only ears and a tail.
• Short on time? The Quick Quest is the first scene and the camp fire, and it still has the twist: see the camp fire’s DM notes.
• Playing with 5- and 6-year-olds? Take 3 off every DN and skip the roll for anything kind. For 9- and 10-year-olds, add 2.
• Every roll here says what happens when it works and when it doesn’t. A failed roll never stops the story; it only changes what happens next.
• Read each read-aloud box out loud once before you play, if you can. They are written to be spoken: a full stop is a small pause, not a place to hurry.