The Basics

The Game

Over Hills, Under Tree is a game about following the exploits an adventuring party in a fantasy world as they go on a journey to discover hidden secrets, fight monsters or maybe just make it to their next performance on time.

The Players

Each player creates a character and works with the other players to create the party to which their characters belong. Each player strives to bring their character to life as an interesting, daring person who reaches boldly beyond their current safety and means.

The players work together with the Game Master to establish the tone and style of the game by making judgment calls about the mechanics, dice, and consequences of actions. The players take responsibility as co-authors of the game with the GM.

The Characters

The characters go on quests to further their own goals, the goals of the party, earn money, gain a reputation and maybe even save the world.

The Party

In addition to characters, you'll also create a party as a way of defining what kind of adventurers your interested in playing.

The Game Master

The GM establishes the dynamic world around the characters. The GM plays all the non-player characters in the world by giving each one a concrete desire and preferred method of action.

The GM helps organize the conversation of the game so it’s pointed toward the interesting elements of play. The GM isn’t in charge of the story and doesn’t have to plan events ahead of time. They present interesting opportunities to the players, then follow the chain of action and consequences wherever they lead.

Playing a Session

A session of Over Hills, Under Tree is like an episode of a TV show. There are one or two main events, plus maybe some side-story elements, which all fit into an ongoing series. A session of play can last anywhere from two to six hours, depending on the preferences of the group.

During a session, the party works together to choose a quest to complete, then they make a few dice rolls to jump into the action in progress. The PCs take actions, suffer consequences, and finish the operation (succeed or fail). Then the party has downtime, during which they recover, pursue side-projects, and indulge their vices. After downtime, the players once again look for a new opportunity or create their own goals and pursuits, and we play to find out what happens next.