D&D 5E Creating a Mini-game: The Keg Race

kurowa04 · Jul 24, 2017

I have a big game to prepare for on Friday and my players have enjoyed the inclusion of little mini-games to accentuate festivals/city exploration. For this event, the players will be honored guests at the Day of the Stonewife, a celebration of the gifts the dwarven deity provides the community in terms of strong stone to provide shelter and protection and the nutrients of the rock which when eroded provides them their bounty. The celebration is one of eating, drinking and plenty of games and feats of strength which are thought to entertain the Stonewife.

One of the games I wanted to include is the keg battle (an idea I took from the Adventurer's Almanac). The idea is that it is a rugby style game where teams of three face off against each other to try to be the first to gain 3 points. A point is scored when the keg is brought over the goal line over a 45' x 110' field.

Here are some of the mechanics/rules I am thinking about implementing:

A strength athletics check is needed to pick up the keg. The number dictates how fast the character can carry the keg down the field.
- DC 15: 1/3 movement
- DC20: ½ movement
- DC25: Full movement!
The keg can be stolen by attempting an opposed strength athletics check versus the creature carrying the keg. If the attacker succeeds, they gain possession of the keg.
A player can attempt to force a creature to drop the keg by making an attack (which can use either strength or dex). If the attack hits the creature’s AC, the creature with the keg must make a DC 15 strength (athletics) check to attempt to retain control of the keg. If they fail the keg is dropped and rolls 10 ft. in a random direction.
Keg too heavy? It has been pre-tapped and a character with a mug or wishing to drink straight from the keg can spend their turn drinking the beer within to help lighten the load (every time this is attempted it will give future attempts at carrying the keg a +1 to their strength athletics checks to move with the keg). Caution…spilling will result in a foul!
The keg can be rolled or passed. To do so, the player can simply make a ranged attack to judge accuracy. The AC will equal 13 plus 1 for each 5 ft. the barrel must travel. If the AC is not met, the barrel travels half the distance intended and is not possessed by the receiver. If a natural 1 is rolled, the barrel rolls twice the intended distance past the target.
The keg can only be rolled backwards, and not towards the possessing side’s goal.
If the keg rolls out of bounds, the team that last touched the keg loses possession and it is regained by the other team and the game is reset from that point in the middle of the field.
Fouls: Players may not physically tackle or obstruct creatures who do not have possession of the keg. Doing so will result in the removal of that creature until the next point is scored.

Thoughts or feedback? Additional ideas that could make this fun?

Oofta · Jul 24, 2017

I've had a lot of fun with such mini-games in the past. The biggest trick in what I did was finding something for everyone to participate and to think about how to handle things like someone casting Grease on an opponent's keg. Is it allowed? A foul? Can it be done surreptitiously?

Also think about things like using intimidate on the enemy team, or persuasion to help the carrier. Encourage your group to get creative on how to use different skills in addition to athletics.

You may also want to think about the effects of intoxication and how it's going to affect your PCs if they choose to go that way. Does the rest of the team chanting "Chug! Chug! Chug!" give the person advantage and so on.

Overall it sounds fun. Probably a little more detailed on the rules than what I would have done, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I'd probably print out the rules for the group and hand it to them or send ahead of time.

TheCosmicKid · Jul 24, 2017

Was expecting a playable race of kegs when I clicked on this thread. Disappointed.

More seriously, from a rules standpoint, it might be a little odd that a character's movement is determined by an Athletics check, because that's not normally how it works when you're encumbered. It certainly doesn't sink the game. Sounds like fun, actually. But I'm nerdy enough to think about these sorts of things.

One more piece of advice I like to give for people contemplating mini-games: make sure it doesn't go on too long. I've made the mistake in the past of setting up scenarios that the players had to play out long after the novelty had worn off. But here, three points seems about right, from my armchair at least.

kurowa04 · Jul 24, 2017

TheCosmicKid said:
Was expecting a playable race of kegs when I clicked on this thread. Disappointed.

I'll have to get on that next. I'm thinking some kind of Modron that talks like Slurms McKenzie.

TheCosmicKid said:
More seriously, from a rules standpoint, it might be a little odd that a character's movement is determined by an Athletics check, because that's not normally how it works when you're encumbered. It certainly doesn't sink the game. Sounds like fun, actually. But I'm nerdy enough to think about these sorts of things.

I certainly take the point, although my group nor any group I have ever been a part of has ever paid attention to encumbrance rules as written. Additionally, using the encumbrance mechanics would likely make it a less dramatic event. Would be interesting to try both ways and see how it works out.

TheCosmicKid said:
One more piece of advice I like to give for people contemplating mini-games: make sure it doesn't go on too long. I've made the mistake in the past of setting up scenarios that the players had to play out long after the novelty had worn off. But here, three points seems about right, from my armchair at least.

Very good point. That is part of the concern and I am hoping three points is the correct number to hit. I think this group will stay invested in it for this length of time as they have done so in the past, but the big issue is how long it takes to score a point. Hopefully with so few options on the table for actions to take, they will be quickly go through turns.

kurowa04 · Jul 24, 2017

Oofta said:
I've had a lot of fun with such mini-games in the past. The biggest trick in what I did was finding something for everyone to participate and to think about how to handle things like someone casting Grease on an opponent's keg. Is it allowed? A foul? Can it be done surreptitiously?

Good thought - I think certainly the use of magic would be considered a foul, however cheating would likely be a factor that should be considered. I would think a player on the field would be unable to clandestinely be able to pull off spell casting, but perhaps a friend in the crowd could attempt a sleight of hand check to try to cast a spell without revealing that they were the person who intervened.

Oofta said:
Also think about things like using intimidate on the enemy team, or persuasion to help the carrier. Encourage your group to get creative on how to use different skills in addition to athletics.

Yeah, I could certainly see intimidation/encouragement being pathways to providing disadvantage/advantage on an upcoming skill check to make it to the finish line.

Oofta said:
You may also want to think about the effects of intoxication and how it's going to affect your PCs if they choose to go that way. Does the rest of the team chanting "Chug! Chug! Chug!" give the person advantage and so on.

This definitely will be a part of the event. The entire festival is a huge drunkfest, with the dwarves believing that for every pint you put down you are ensuring another 10 years of life...so naturally everyone attempts this and CON saves come into play to see when characters are out of commission for the night.

kurowa04 · Jul 25, 2017

Posted this to my blog: http://www.twentysidestoeverystory.com/2017/07/creating-5e-mini-game-dwarven-keg-battle_25.html

Going to run it on Friday, I'll try to give an update on how it went and tweaks to make. I'm thinking that I might remove the tapping the keg thing as a mechanic for the players and have members of the crowd rush the field to grab a drink from the keg, making the DCs easier as the game goes on to ensure that it doesn't get held up in a stalemate.

Tony Vargas · Jul 25, 2017

kurowa04 said:
Thoughts or feedback?

Are you going to use initiative and turns, or some sort of foot-by-foot or simultaneous resolution?

kurowa04 · Jul 25, 2017

Planning to use initiative, although I might use Greyhawk initiative for this event as we have been playing around with it and I think it'd be perfect for adding suspense to a sporting event scenario.

hastur_nz · Jul 26, 2017

I'd suggest playing though a few hypothetical examples in your head, and see how hypothetical players might "game the game". For example, given your rules, I think it makes sense to just get the keg in the hands of the strongest, best armoured PC, then they roll some dice until they score a point or are forced to drop it. I don't see much that their team-mates can do, because passing is risky and must be backwards, and moving is slow especially if you're not strong, and it appears that the only way to 'attack' is vs the keg carrier. That doesn't sound overly exciting.

I think American Football is probably a better model for this keg game, more so than rugby. In rugby, it's speed of player and speed of passing, as well as tactical kicking (position and penalties), vs defensive speed and tackling skill, that wins the game, and different positions require different core skills. If you make the 'ball' really heavy, you make most of the tactics required for rugby, redundant. At least in American Football, the rules allow for blocking of people without the ball (subject to restriction), and you can pass forward (subject to restriction), so the focus isn't just on the person who has the ball.

kurowa04 · Aug 1, 2017

Here is my follow-up to how it worked in action: http://www.twentysidestoeverystory.com/2017/07/creating-5e-mini-game-dwarven-keg.html

Overall, it went very well! I'd probably increase the size of the field but the overall mechanics worked out well.