Summer Games, part 2

A second session complete!  This log is brought to you by the letter B and Dragon's Milk Stout.

We ended last session with an encounter rolled but unrevealed, so this week we played it out.

Our intrepid band had stepped into the entrance chamber to find that another party had just entered the dungeon themselves.  This was a larger party, led by a knight of Osha, Sir Gerrard Capashen (DM note - the thief named after an MtG character made jokes about my using MtG character names...) who asked the party if they could direct him to a large room with double doors, as Osha himself had sent a vision to Gerrard, questing him to guard that chamber for a full year, and to put down whatever came through those doors.  Honestly telling him that they hadn't found such a chamber, the party moved aside as Sir Gerrard and his party - which included squires, a chaplain, several men-at-arms, some lantern-bearers/linkboys, and a muleskinner and his mule - headed down the way the PCs had come from.

(DM note - this encounter illustrates and reinforces that there are multiple adventurer groups in play, negotiations are often safer than immediate combat, the players can hire help, and that supplies for a prolonged stay might prove useful; in addition, I cannot control when or if the PCs pass through those double doors, but if they do, well...).

Observing that Sir Gerrard's company had left a makeshift ramp on the entry stairs, no doubt to facilitate the mule, Varda declared that counting out the contents of the chest would be a good plan, and the others agreed, so they began counting out the coins in neat stacks of 10.

In the dungeon entrance room.

As might be imagined, this took some time, which meant a roll for an encounter, which came up a 1.

Okay, this is technically a scene from Moria as painted by the late, great, Angus McBride, but the sentiment is the same.

While they were counting, they heard pounding from the far door by the bloodstains.  A thump followed by a clang as the first spike holding the door closed fell to the floor.  A second thump and clang as the second spike fell.  The third thump saw the door fly open and three angry hobgoblins stepped through, armed with wickedly curved scimitars.  

The largest of the three took in the situation, pointed at the party, and called out, "BREE-YARK!" which is goblin for 'time to pay your taxes'! Both Dave and Varda understood them, which influenced their actions.

Our heroes took action at the first thump and clang, with Dave and Roro readying bows, Brother Frank raising his mace and shield and standing next to Dave, Varda standing up from counting and drawing her sword, and Dack bravely moving to the rear - to protect the treasure, no doubt.

By the time the door burst open, our heroes were ready.  At the first call of Bree-Yark, Dave and Roro fired their bows, missing wildly, and the fight was on!  Varda followed up the arrows with a Magic Missile (now her permanent 1st level spell), slaying the first hobgoblin.  The other two hobgoblins passed their morale check and continued the charge.

Face-to-face, the two sides exchanged blows, with an end-state of the hobgoblins being dead - one by Dack's dagger - through the ear! - and the other from an arrow through the eye, courtesy of Roro.  

Realizing the folly of counting coins in the dungeon, the team loaded up sacks, both with the loot from the chest, and the small loot from the hobs, to include a necklace made of silver coins strung on a leather thong, which Varda claimed.  

As the coins were being picked up, it was decided that beheading the corpses and placing the heads in the chest would be a funny prank to play on whomever next opened the chest.  Furthermore, the chest and the bodies would be pushed through the hole in the door where the snake was believed to lurk.

They tasked Brother Frank to do the beheading, to which he exclaimed "clerics cannot wield edged weapons - it says so in the holy book!" and then he pulled out thin tome with red leather covers, and an image embossed on the front of what appeared to be a wizard and fighter battling a dragon of some sort.

While Brother Frank showed his work, Dack filled the chest with heads.

(DM note - During this entire first hour, I asked at least multiple times specifically about the chest.  At no time did anyone search it for a false bottom or false top.  Their loss.)

They began to move the bodies through the door when a slithering sound was heard beyond it.  Presuming it to be a giant snake, our heroes opted to head back to sunlight and safety!

At the top of the stairs waited Sergeant Bruno of the guard, his men-at-arms, and the magic-user/scribe Halaster.  Guards began exchanging money, and the party learned that bets are made about various dungeoneers' survival, and having heard the fight below, the bets ran high - against the party.

The PCs also learned that in addition to an entrance fee, there is a tax on found treasure.  After a tense moment and words with Bruno, Varda grudgingly handed over the coin necklace as payment for the group and team headed off to the Green Dragon to spend their filthy lucre. 

Hopefully the rumors about other entrances are true.

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Safely aboveground, it was time to divvy up the treasure, and more importantly, the XP.  After math, each PC received 454 xp, with additional amounts of 5% or 10% going to some for high prime requisites. 

The total cash value was 30gp per PC (mostly silver in that chest).  Enough for a few days of careful living.  Or a blowout party.

Barroom Brawl by Craig J Spearing

I then introduced the group to proper carousing rules, ala' Jeff's Gameblog.  From experience, though, I have scaled down the "fire" option, because I enjoy having a city not in ashes.  That said, here is what carousing brought them:

Only Dave, Dack, and Brother Frank opted to go carousing.  Being more dignified than their human companions, Roro and Varda found a full-service spa.

Dave rolled a 2 and failed his poison save, becoming known as the life of the party here in Skara Brae, which means all his future carousing rolls cost twice as much.

Dack rolled a 5 and also failed his poison save, and it seems that while drunk, he made lewd advances towards a witch, who turned him into a swine.  (DM note - I am guessing it was Circe out slumming, having tired of her island home in the Aegean Sea).

Brother Frank rolled a 6, but made his poison save.  Praise Avrae!

None of the three had enough cash for the die rolls, so now all three owe money, conveniently from the same person...

In the morning, a messenger from Frankie Breakbone was waiting for them.  "Now that you're all awake, my boss, Ms. Breakbone, wants to have a word with you.  Given that she loaned you three money, she expects you after breakfast.  I'll wait."

Varda and Dack both recognized her name from their dealings with the underworld

And that is where we left off: 4 bipeds and a quadruped (on a leash) being escorted to meet with one Frankie Breakbone, loanshark, businesswoman, and all-around not nice gal.

At the end of the session, it was determined that Dack was the MVP, so received a bonus 250xp award.  As a thief, Dack is close to leveling up - provided he can become un-swined. 

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Yes, the principal deities this time round are Osha, God of Law; Ikea, Divinity of Neutrality; and Avrae, Goddess of Chaos.

Perhaps this game takes place in the far distant future of our world, but not quite Dying Earth distant.

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Bonus news! As a Father's Day gift, I received this from my eldest.  It's only a matter of time before the PCs run into it...  I promise I am not lifting ideas directly from Delicious in Dungeon.

Gargantuan Red Dragon

But only after its painted.  Luckily, I know a guy.

Making the Most of a Cancelled Session

Our second session was cancelled due to reasons, so I invested the time in working on my DM binder.

By DM Binder, I mean the 1.25 inch binder filled with document protectors that I can use as a reference without flipping through multiple books, a pile of printed pages, or bookmarked websites.  

While I already had a pile of printouts, I also did some research on FB, which led me to these threads on ENWorld.  There is also this post at the excellent blog Don't Split the Party about pregame prep and available tools to make me feel inadequate in my preps.  

As I write this, I realize that I will need to divide it into two parts: running the game and building adventures.  Maybe even subdivide them by general, urban, wilderness, dungeon - although I shouldn't need the wilderness for the foreseeable future.

Since I am currently running a B/X game, my focus is on what will help me running those games.

Jayemdae Tome, art by Donato Giancola

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In no particular order are:

A one-page of major house rules.

A one-page of the various ways PCs can gain XP.

The tables from the Gamemaster Screen from New Big Dragon Games Unlimited (worth the money); they are just all the B/X charts in one spot for ease of use.

A list of random names, 20 each for Humans/Halflings, Dwarves, and Elves.

A running list of encountered names and places.

The d20 list of what a failed save at carousing brings you from Jeff's Gameblog.

A dynamic list of rumors - my goal is to keep it at d30 and eventually incorporate PC antics.

The Hazard System v.03 from Necropraxis.

Lists of Smells and Sounds from Dungeons and Dragons Colour - lots of d100 lists there, both for keying a location as well as the more random things the party encounters.  I use these two for when a 1 isn't rolled on the hazard check.

Telecanter's Voices, Creepy Combat Commentary, What You Did While You Were a Werewolf, and What Are the Monsters Doing.

Several of the d100 tables from d4 Caltrops, particularly d100 Tells for Traps, but also Why This Hireling Decided to Join, This Secret Door Opens..., Why is This Door Stuck?, Where is the Key for This Locked Door?, So You've Been Brought Back from the Dead..., Rumored Remedies for Curses/Energy Drain, and Magical Mishaps & Calamitous Curses.  

Speaking of curses, I found these Random Curses at Dyson's Dodecahedronn - other cool things there, as well.  For example, his character sheets, which we use.

Six Tables of Unusual Kit from Another Hamsterish Hoard - for when bodies are searched.

Since B/X doesn't have an Identify spell, I have this for inspiration from Archade's Tower; I don't use it as-is (it's written for DCC), but the ideas are sound.

I find all of these useful both for things that have happened as well as things that may happen down in the depths, as well as the city streets.

As might be imagined, this is a definite work-in-progress, but I wanted to share.  

Also, it looks like I will need a larger binder, and certainly more document protectors.

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In addition, I created two smaller folders for my players, who only know 5e.  It's mostly just the chart compilation in my binder, a page on how to earn XP, a page of big house rules, and the spell options.

What's in your binder?

Summer Games - B/X at Work

May is wrapping up, and with it the frenetic energy of a graduation, multiple field trips, class parties, and championship soccer games.  What it heralds, though, is a few months without any evening responsibilities beyond normal chores.

Which means that I get to play this summer!

So I'll be running some work colleagues and their spouses through a B/X megadungeon.  

It's a new ruleset for them and a new/old location for me, as it starts in the city of Skara Brae. It is a simple premise - the good citizens of Skara Brae awoke one morning to find a stairwell descending into darkness right in the middle of the main market square.

In the three months since its appearance, many people have tried their luck exploring the place.  Of the ones that returned, sometimes they are fabulously wealthy, other times they are just happy to be alive.

The government of Skara Brae soon garrisoned the market around the stairs, charging a small fee to enter, and a cut of the treasure to those that exit.  In addition, the garrison is charged with ensuring nothing monstrous leaves the dungeon.

If only they knew...

Regardless, I enjoy running and playing in a megadungeon because it allows for exploration, faction play, puzzles (of all sorts), and the occasional fight.  Most importantly, it provides a means for lots of laughter.

As some of the players have been enjoying Delicious in Dungeon, they are familiar with the concept.

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To help set the tone, I made sure that a small pile of blank Death Certificates was visible to all players during PC creation (an idea I lifted from a company commander I once knew in the Army, who would keep a copy of AR 190-55 Procedures for Military Executions visible on his desk whenever he had to call in a soldier for disciplinary reasons.  He never executed anyone, but terrified lots of people).

Free from Stormlord Publishing, found at the link above

We used Dyson Logos' free BX character sheets and soon had a likely band of adventurers ready to go.

Let me introduce our heroes:

Dave the Fighter

Roro the Halfling

Dack the Thief 

Varda the Elf 

Brother Frank the Cleric (acolyte of Avrae, goddess of chance)

I prefer to run games with the PCs already knowing some of the others.  In this case, the thief and fighter owed money to the cleric's faith, the halfling had been fired from her job with the elf and knew the fighter from work, and the elf had been helping the thief steal money from her job, which is what got the elf fired.  My players - please correct me if I am wrong on any counts!

Normally, I have players roll on a rumor table, but mine (the linked one is for a different place) wasn't ready, so I just provided a few to get them started:

Lots of gold and magic has been brought up from below.

Not everyone returns from the dungeon.

Ebenezer Hardbottle will pay for maps of the dungeon.

There are whispers of additional entrances to the dungeon.

The dungeon runs deep and all sorts of strange creatures exist there.

Not all of the creatures want to (immediately) fight the surface-worlders (because I use reaction rolls).

Relationships established around a common theme of being in debt and needing money fast, our team found themselves at the top of the stairs talking to a Sergeant of the Guard, as his bored troops looked on.  There they learned that the government of Skara Brae charges a small fee to enter the dungeon - a paltry silver piece per person.  Each person paid and then registered their name and profession (unemployed) with Halaster, the day shift wage mage assigned to this duty.

Having paid and registered, the intrepid heroes make a quick marching order and head down the stairs, finding themselves in a large chamber featuring six doors (three in each wall), a large round pool, and a statue near the pool.  

Two doors immediately caught their interest - one that was spiked shut and had fresh-ish bloodstains on the floor in front of it and one on the opposite wall that had a large hole chewed through the bottom of it.

Roro and Dack moved to check out the door with the hole while the other three moved to check the pool.  Roro noted that she couldn't see the pool anyhow, due to the height of low wall around it.  

Limited light showed a dark room through the hole in the door, but not the full size of the room.  That being the case, Roro boldly stepped through, only to find herself face to face with a GIANT FREAKING SNAKE staring at her from across the room from a hole in another door.  Lifting her handaxe, she boldly charged it, slamming her axe down into its head!  The head collapsed, revealing it was just a shed snakeskin, and it was blocking further progress - all she could tell was that there was a corridor beyond the snake door.  Not about to try that alone, she headed back out to tell her companions.

Meanwhile, Dave and Varda first tested the water (cold and clear and not too deep) by dropping a sling stone into it.  That having no effect, they moved on to the statue and discovered that its outstretched hands might move and maybe trigger something.  Varda placed a sword in its hands and they were rewarded with the sound of stone grinding and water draining quickly as the bottom of the pool turned into a spiral staircase heading deep into darkness.  As the rush of water receded, laughter could be heard rising up from the depths, laughter that turned into sobbing.

Varda reclaimed her sword, and the stairs folded back up and, inexplicably, the pool began to refill.

Throughout all of this exploration, the DM using the Hazard System from Necropraxis failed to roll up any wandering encounters, just torches expiring.  So tragic.  

Our explorers were faced with a dilemma: what to do next.  So many options (six doors, stairs down, and they didn't even look behind the stairs that entered the room!) and so little time!  At first, they used a spear to reopen the stairs down, but as they couldn't see the bottom, they decided one of the normal-looking doors would be the better choice.  Not wanting to leave the stairs open behind them, Varda went to take her spear, but before doing so, spoke down the stairs "do not despair - we'll come back for you!"  All within earshot were shocked when her voice echoed back up the stairs, saying, "I'll be waiting for you!"

With that, the stairs ground shut and the nearest door cautiously approached.  

Dack stepped forward to check the door for traps, and finding none, pulled it open.  When asked where everyone was standing, players got real specific about not being in line of sight - I wonder why?

They found a corridor and cautiously moved down it, and at the midpoint, Dave noticed two things: a closed door at the far end of the corridor and his torch flame was guttering, as if a breeze was blowing.  Calling attention to this, the party quickly discerned a secret door to the north, but could not determine how to open it, so headed to the far door.

Listening closely, they heard nothing, so Dave forced it open.  The party paused as they saw a pair of pig-headed humanoids seated at a table playing chess.  Discussion taught the PCs several things: the humanoids were Orcs, that Varda could speak Orc, that the Orcs were annoyed but just wanted the intruders to leave so they could finish their game in peace, and that Orcs and call elves knife-ears.  Despite harsh words, the party left in a huff, with Varda slamming the door behind her - and no wandering monster showing up on the DM's encounter roll.

Retreating back to the secret door, the team were in a quandary until Varda the Elf asked the PCs to extinguish their torches so she could use her infravision.  This let her determine a likely method to open it, so they did.  As the wall pulled toward them, a cold blast of air hit them - like see-their-breath cold.

As they adjusted to the cold, they could see a body crumpled to the ground in the hidden corridor.  Dave checked for obvious traps, and finding none, approached the body.  Once there, he could tell it was frozen solid and quite dead.

He headed back to the somewhat warmer main passage and Dack offered to lasso the corpse so they could drag it to safety, where it could thaw and be looted.  One coiled rope and improvised grappling hook later, they had a frozen corpse with them in the hall.  Dack pulled him to the side to better determine how to loot it (DM note - pouring oil on it and setting it alight was suggested, but not attempted).

While Dack examined the corpse, Varda and Roro moved up to the point where the body had lain, and there discovered Elvish runes for cold and death upon the floor, blocking forward passage.  They could also see a large face carved into the stone of the far wall, with its cheeks puffed and mouth open as if it were blowing something.

A hasty plan was put forward and attempted - Varda would throw Roro across the runes to the flagstones beyond.  The attempt was badly fumbled, with Roro instead landing directly on the runes, the warmth of her body activating them.  A blast of cold roared down the passage, blasting over Roro and chilling Varda to the bone (she saved and so only took 4 damage; Roro took none as it past over her).  Realizing that they could army crawl over the runes, the PCs soon crossed over and found themselves at another door.

Brother Frank was volunteered to force the door, and after several tries (and two sore shoulders) was successful, tumbling into a small room holding two chests against the far wall.

Chests which Dave immediately attacked with his bow.  It not responding gave the Dave the courage to approach it, and after some fiddling about and dice rolls, open it, to reveal the warm reflection of coins in the torchlight!

Excited at the real loot, Dave was ready to do the same to the second chest, but as he moved it from the wall, he noted an acrid smell coming from it.  Dack came forward and determined that there was a trap on the chest, most likely triggered by opening it.  The group suspected gas of some sort (DM note - they weren't wrong), so began discussing how to safely open it.

Two plans were put forward - the first to open it in the pool, gambling that the gas couldn't disperse in the water and the second to gift it to the chess-playing Orcs and let them die to it.

The group slowly brought the chests into the hall and knocked on the Orc-door.  The orcs answered, and after a heated exchange with Varda, they took the chest and closed the door.  

At this point, the party decided to head to the surface with the chest of coins.

Our heroes had gotten the chest into the main room when finally the dice rolled an encounter - and on that note we closed for the evening on a dice-based cliffhanger.  Tune in next week to find out what has responded to the noise and how the PCs react!

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After about an hour getting settled, explaining rules, and creating our first PCs, the rest of the session took two hours.  Our current plan is to meet weekly for two hours (some of us have a bit of a drive) for the rest of the summer, and maybe beyond.

Which means weekly session logs for those that enjoy them!

My in-session time-keeping needs work, and I need to remember to incorporate smells better in my descriptions, instead of only doing so when asked.

For my players - if I forgot or misreported something, please tell me!

Tempting Traps

I like traps, to the point where I have written about them three other times.

As a DM, part of my job is to design adventure sites and encounter areas, which means traps.

While 'gotcha' traps have their place, I firmly believe that traps are far more entertaining when players know there is a trap and willingly trigger it.  These traps use bait to tempt the players and through them, the PCs. 

I'm talking about situations where the DM describes the scene and the players turn to one another and say 'you all know this is a trap, right?  Who's gonna trigger it?'  More vocal players may start voicing ideas about what might happen - and if those ideas are better than yours, there is no shame in using them.

Overall, these are traps that cannot be disarmed, only ignored and walked away from.  The last part is key - the PCs can clearly ignore the bait and continue forward or head back, if so inclined.  None of these baited traps should block forward movement.

Some may cry foul at the breaking of the fourth wall or some such, but the reality is that all these elf games are for the players to play, and for many, these traps make for a good session.  

As a player, I love encountering these situations in game, trying to balance my curiosity with my desire to have a PC survive.  Then again, risk big, win big, so I tend to give in - mostly with sensible precautions.  

Grafdigger's Cage by Daniel Ljunggren

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Here are d10 examples of such baited traps.

1. A glowing sword pinning a fanged and horned skeleton to the wall.

2. A door hastily spiked shut, with the words DANGER and KEEP OUT scrawled across them.

3. A sarcophagus that is chained or caged shut, perhaps with muffled sound coming from it.

4. A sealed door with a curse (probably in rhyme) chiseled into it. 

5. The 'helpless' person begging for help from the middle of a pentagram/pentacle (I get these two confused).

6. The glowing gem on the pedestal.

7. The floor covered with either sand or knee deep in bones.

8. Waist-deep, murky water with a shiny prize at the far end.

9. A corpse seated on a throne, grasping something valuable (a jeweled scepter or crown, perhaps).

10.  The glowing portal in the wall, with visions of a far better place beckoning from the other side.

From the movie Conan the Barbarian

There is no doubt that something will happen when the item is grabbed, the portal opened, or the ground trod upon, but just what that something might be is unknown to the players until they mess with it

Goblin Punch writes about what is tested in an encounter, and in that vein, these traps all test the players - do they stifle their curiosity, missing out on danger but the likely reward, or do they give in and maybe get killed in the process.

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What types of baited traps have you used in your games?  Or had used against you?

Magic Item: Ring of Shadows

Occasionally referred to as Lightbane, the Ring of Shadows is a tarnished silver band that feels chilled and greasy when first donned.  Runes of power etched upon it can be seen to glow a noticeable blue when the ambient temperature is below 0 degrees Fahrenheit (-17 Celsius for my metric readers).

It radiates necromancy and illusion magic under a Detect Magic spell or its equivalent.

Attunement: this is a permanent loss of 1d4 Constitution points as it binds itself to the flesh of the fool being that slips it upon their finger.  Even if the ring is successfully removed, those Constitution points are gone.

Passive Powers: once attuned, the wearer gets Advantage on all hiding-related checks.  In addition, shadows shift about the wearer, granting them both an AC bonus as well as Advantage on intimidate checks in dim light.

Activated Powers: the wearer can shadow walk, at the cost of a Constitution save.  Failure to save (DC 12) means an exhaustion level is acquired upon exit from the shadows.  The wearer can bring others with them on this shadow walk, if all involved are holding hands.  The ring-wearer must make saves for each additional person on the walk; these saves increase by 2 each time, so taking three people on a shadow walk requires four saves (the wearer and three companions) at DC 12, 14, 16, and 18.   

Shadow Walking allows quick transit, up to 50 miles per round moved.

In addition, the wearer can sever a sentient being's shadow, resulting in the being going increasingly mad as their shadow darts around them and taunts them from a distance, because it has limited freedom and sentience.  Others can plainly see the shadow moving of its own accord and act accordingly (probably in a fearful fashion). This is a slow process, and mechanically, this madness manifests as the being refusing to rest until it reattaches the shadow (impossible without magic), gaining a level of exhaustion per day until death, spending all of their energy focused on the shadow, to the point of not eating.  Then they rise as a free-willed shadow of maximum hit dice.

Manifestations: the wearer's breath is always visible, as if breathing out on a chill frosty morning.  This is noticeable to anyone with eyes. In addition, shadows within 30' of the wearer dance and twist of their own accord, as if trying to attach themselves to the wearer.

Drawbacks: While living, the wearer suffers Disadvantage to all rolls in daylight. When the wearer dies, they become a shadow with maximum hit points and twisted memories of the past, leaving them convinced that their former allies (the surviving PCs) were at fault for their death and undeath.  As such, they can be used as a source of information about said allies, but only the most potent of necromancers can bind them long enough to gain that knowledge.

The ring can only be removed by severing the living finger or removing it from the shrunken husk of a corpse.   Furthermore, those who die while wearing the Ring of Shadows can be neither resurrected nor reincarnated under normal circumstances.

Research suggests that traveling to the Underworld and making a trade with the God(dess) of Death can restore a person lost to the Ring of Shadows to life, but the same research suggests that the cost is more than most mortals are willing to accept.

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For all its over-reliance on rules and books and more books, 5e's exhaustion is a lovely mechanic.  

Even more lovely is the idea of advantage and disadvantage.  I daresay this is both elegant and easily portable as a houserule into other systems.

Creative Updates

Just a short bit on my current goings-on, creatively speaking.  

I have about 50 started and unfinished blog posts in various degrees of completion, most of which are elf game-related, the rest being about MtG.

My YouTube channel continues apace, and I've added a new segment titled Ben Reads.  

These are longer videos where I read aloud, and so far it's been a pair of Rose Estes' Choose-Your-Own-Adventure books and an Alan Dean Foster short story.  

Frankly, I'm enjoying making these videos as they give me a chance to revisit old favorites. 

My goal is one or two such videos per week - I have many favorite short stories!

So this is what I've been up to: Ben Reads

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In order to make this post somewhat usable, I recommend browsing the Wilds of Eldraine: Enchanting Tales card art for inspiration - you'll be seeing some of it on my future blog posts.  The non-Anime style art, at least.

Here are some of my favorites.

Rumor Tables and Thieves Cant

Thieves Cant has historical roots, and in theory, heavy roleplaying groups use it at their tables, which is actually pretty awesome.  My group is not counted among that number, and that is fine.

I began reading this post at A Knight at the Opera and felt inspired.  Then I finished reading the post and am thrilled that my inspiration isn't lifted wholesale from the post.  Be sure to take the time to read that post though, as its worth it to Gamemasters of all stripes.

My default table rule for rumor tables is that each PC that begins a session in an urban environment gets to roll 1 + Charisma modifier (but at least 1) time on that area's rumor table.

Since larger towns and cities of all sizes have thieves' guilds - this is a fantasy game, after all - this means lots of people using Thieves Cant.

My new house rule is that rogues and others familiar with Thieves Cant get an additional 1 + Charisma modifier rolls on the rumor table, if only because the more interesting information, game-wise, tends to be known and whispered about by the seedier elements of the town. 

This might cut in a bit on the bard's role as an information gatherer, but I don't really mind, as they still learn several rumors each time (is there such a thing as a noncharismatic bard?) and they can use their class-specific skills to focus on whichever rumor(s) the PCs pursue.  

I like it because it doesn't require anyone to learn new slang unless they want to do so, and it makes it more worthwhile to be a rogue of some sort.

Curse of Verbosity by Kieran Yanner