BY JASON ANDERSON

Credits
The Veggie Patch written and developed by Jason Anderson

“the Veggie Patch” Logo: Isabella von Lichtan

Editing: Sarah Badcock

Layout: Jason Anderson

Interior Art: Sarah Badcock

Cartography: Gillian Pearce

Cover Layout: Jason Anderson

Special Thanks To: Marina Anderson, Sarah Badcock, Bob Kondrk,

Isabella ʻIzzyʼ von Lichtan, John Sanchez

The Veggie Patch, © 2006 by Polgarus Games. All rights reserved worldwide.
No part of this manual may be reproduced without the written permission of
Polgarus Games, except for brief excerpts for the purpose of reviews.

Cover image ©2006 Jupiterimages Corporation

Visit our web site at

http://www.polgarusgames.com
 Introduction

Contents Introduction
Introduction .................................................................... 3 Vegetables live in oppression,
The World Of The Veggie Patch ................................... 4 Served on our tables each night.
Events Of The Change ..........................................................5 This killing of veggies is madness,
First Contact With The Brassica ...........................................6 I say we take up the fight.
Where Everything Is .............................................................6
Map of Surrounding Area .....................................................7
Salads are only for murderers,
Map of The Patch..................................................................8
Coleslawʼs a fascist regime.
Life In The Patch .................................................................10
Donʼt think that they donʼt have feelings
Playing The Veggie Patch ............................................. 14 Just ʻcause a radish canʼt scream.
Vegetables & Attributes .......................................................14 – “Carrot Juice is Murder”, The Arrogant Worms
Vegetables Have Arms And Legs?.......................................14
The Vegetables .....................................................................15
How To “Do Something”.....................................................19 The Veggie Patch is a rather unusual role-playing
Combat.................................................................................19 game. Players arenʼt powerful wizards, out to discover
Eating & Restoring Health ..................................................21 the secrets of the universe. They arenʼt highly trained
Character Advancement .......................................................23 spies, trying to save the world, nor do they fly around
Equipment ............................................................................23 the galaxy in a space ship. They arenʼt even your
Gamemasters Only! ...................................................... 25 typical hero, off saving damsels in distress.
What Caused It All ..............................................................25
The Range Of The Effect .....................................................25 Theyʼre vegetables.
The Animal Barriers ............................................................26
The Secret of Abyss .............................................................26 No, that isnʼt a typo. Vegetables. The things that grow
Running The Veggie Patch ..................................................26 in the garden, and that most of us eat on a regular
Keep The Unknown As Unknown .......................................27 basis. To be fair, these arenʼt normal vegetables. They
Enemies of the Patch..................................................... 28 are the result of a magical experiment gone wrong.
The Brassica Collective .......................................................28
Just like regular people they can think, move, talk and
Slaves in the Collective .......................................................29
generally get into trouble. Lots of trouble.
Brassica Stats .......................................................................29
Brassica Resistance Movements ..........................................31
Where Did The Idea Come From?
The Weed Tribes ..................................................................32
Weed Stats ...........................................................................33 The idea for this setting came from several sources.
Animals ................................................................................34 The main source was a story I read on the Internet
Options For Play ........................................................... 36 many years ago about someone who had randomly
Adventure Ideas ............................................................ 38 rolled up a character in Metamorphosis Alpha. They
had rolled up a normal vegetable (either cabbage or
Character Sheet ............................................................. 40
lettuce – I forget which) that had precognition – and
Character Pictures ........................................................ 41 that was it! They couldnʼt even move. Basically their
character couldnʼt do anything but sit in the field and
be a vegetable… but it least it knew how and when it
was going to be eaten!

The second main influence would have to be when I

read the words to the song “Carrot Juice is Murder”,
by The Arrogant Worms. A small sample of the song
is given above.

Somehow these two influences combined in my mind,

and The Veggie Patch is the result!

3
 The World Of The Veggie Patch

The World Of The Veggie Patch As you can probably guess, The Veggie Patch is set in
a vegetable garden (called, rather unoriginally by the
Before the change you never really knew the world. inhabitants, the Patch).
You didnʼt need to. Time seemed to pass by at a
constant pace, but for you everything was a dream. Due to an unexplained event, the inhabitants of the
The only things you needed to know were that you fed Patch have gained the ability to think, talk and in most
from the soil beneath you, and you reached up into the cases move. No one knows what happened to give
sky above you. them these new abilities, or even why it happened.

But then everything changed. Not every plant was affected in quite the same way.

You donʼt know how, and you donʼt know why, but The Patch is the first of two vegetable gardens,
suddenly you became aware. You began to notice separated by fences and a road. The Patch had the
your surroundings, to see where you were. You began largest variety of vegetables (peas, carrots, corn, etc).
to think about what you saw. As you watched, and The second garden was planted out with plants only
thought, and tried to understand what it all meant, from the Brassica family (cabbages, cauliflowers,
you began to notice that others around you seemed to broccoli, brussels sprouts, and turnips).
be watching you… as you were watching them.
The Veggies, for the most part, became happy and
Soon, you discovered that you could speak. You spoke friendly. The Brassica became mean, almost evil. As
with those around you, and you all wondered at what all the vegetables planted in their field were from the
was happening. Some were amazed, but most were same family, they seemed to come to the conclusion
just confused and terrified. that all other types of vegetables (and other plants in
general) were ʻinferiorʼ in some way.
Then the next change took place. You discovered you
could move. In addition to the Brassica and Veggies, there are other
plants in and around the Patch.
Not just move a little in the ground, as might sometimes
happen from the wind, but actually get up out of the At one end of the Patch is a group of Apple Trees. The
ground and move around. The others around you trees didnʼt gain the ability to move (they were too
could too. Soon you discovered that there were others well rooted for that), but what they lack in movement
that looked different to you. Some a lot different. But they more than make up for in knowledge. Rather
you all shared a common trait – you had no idea what curiously, while there are several Apple Trees, they
had happened. all speak together with the one voice.

The Apple Trees had been around in the garden since it

was first created, and had already developed a limited
form of awareness before the change. So they had
become somewhat used to the goings on in the garden.
When they reached full awareness, the Apple Trees
were able to help out in the chaos of the first few days
after the rest of the plants had gained awareness.

Finally, like all gardens, the Patch had Weeds. It didnʼt

have a lot of weeds at the time of the change, which
turned out to be a good thing. If Brassica are almost
evil, Weeds truly are evil. In the first days after the
event Weeds caused a lot of damage to the Veggies
in the patch before they were disposed of. Now the

4
 The World Of The Veggie Patch

Weeds live outside the two fields, in an area commonly Then a strong, calm voice called out over the Patch. It
called the Wilds. urged the Veggies to band together, to pull themselves
out of the ground and save themselves, the others
Few Veggies head out into the Wilds if they can help it around them, and their home.
– the area is extremely dangerous, and many Veggies
who are brave enough to venture out fail to return. One by one the Veggies struggled out of the soil – and
found that they too could move around freely like the
There was one type of plant that was unaffected by Weeds. The voice began to direct the Veggies, telling
the event, although no one knows why. Grass is still them where to go to help others and organising them
grass – totally unaware, never moving, and certainly to repel the attackers.
never speaking. Many Veggies, when they think about
it, consider this a good thing. Grass is everywhere in After several hours, it was all over. The Weeds in the
and around the Patch, and would easily outnumber Patch had all fled or fought to the death, and the gate
Veggies, Brassica and Weeds combined. to the Patch had been covered with cloth from the shed
to prevent Weeds from outside the Patch getting in.
The Veggies could all hear sounds of fighting coming
Events Of The Change from nearby, but no one knew what was happening
All the plants in the gardens had been ʻnormalʼ before outside of the Patch.
the change. With the exception of the Apple Trees,
none of the plants were aware of their surroundings in With the immediate threat over, the voice called the
any way. At best, survivors of the change remember Veggies down to the end of the garden. It was there
that before they became aware there was simply a the Veggies learned that the voice that had called out
feeling of contentment. to them came from the Apple Trees. Despite being
several different plants, the Apple Trees all spoke
When the change first hit, the initial reaction from with one voice.
most of the plants was one of confusion and panic.
No one understood what was happening, or more The Apple Trees had been planted in the garden
importantly, why it was happening. Every plant knew when the garden was first created, and had been alive
instinctively how to talk, and what type of plant they for a long time (“many seasons”, as the trees said).
were. Apart from that it was a new world to them. Over that time, the Apple Trees had gained a limited
awareness of their surroundings – enough to see what
In many ways it was luckily the plants became was going on around them.
aware before they were able to move. It gave all the
plants several hours to learn the basics about their They told the Veggies about the guardians of the Patch,
surroundings, and the other plants around them, before who had tended the fields and looked after them all.
the Weeds attacked. At the time of the change, they had all collapsed to the
ground and stopped moving.
The attack had come without warning. The Weeds had
been silent and unmoving after the change, and the Now that the Apple Trees had pointed out the bodies
other plants had all believed that they were unaffected of the three guardians to them, the Veggies could see
(like the grass). the guardians for what they were (not just strange
lumps on the ground). The Veggies decided that the
This was definitely not the case. As one, the Weeds guardians should be moved to the opposite end of the
climbed out of the soil, and then began to attack the garden to the Apple Trees, and placed in a way that
surrounding Veggies without mercy. The carnage of they could be seen from the whole patch. This way,
the first few minutes was terrible – Veggies of all types future Veggies would never forget them.
lay broken on the ground, ripped apart by the Weeds.
Fear filled the Patch as the other Veggies looked on With that done, the Apple Trees began organising the
helplessly. Veggies for the tasks they would need to do to keep
the Patch running.

5
 The World Of The Veggie Patch

First Contact With The Brassica Each of the Veggies had then been tortured by the
cauliflowers, until the cauliflowers were satisfied
With their height advantage allowing them to see over
that they had learned everything. Several Veggies
the hedge surrounding the Patch, the Apple Trees were
died during the torture. The remaining Veggies were
aware that there was a second field on the other side
then assigned to groups and made to work the fields,
of the road. Unfortunately with a hedge surrounding
getting ready to plant more Brassica.
the second field, and the land in the field slopping
downhill slightly, they couldnʼt see much of what was
The pea had been part of a small group of Veggies that
going on inside it. All they knew was there had been
was working the fields close to the gate. The Veggies
fighting with Weeds in the second field as well.
in the group knew that someone had to escape to warn
the others. As it was the fastest, the pea had been
Very soon after the Weeds had been expelled, it was
chosen. On the right signal, all the Veggies in their
decided to send a group over to the second field to
group had made a break for it, the others covering the
make contact with the inhabitants. After all, they were
escape of the pea.
both in the same strange new situation, and they had
both suffered attacks from the Weeds– perhaps the
The others had all been killed in the escape.
two groups could help each other.
The inhabitants of the Patch were shocked at the news
The party made it to the gate of the Brassica field
provided by the pea. Some thought that there must
without incident, and after a brief pause were let
have been some sort of misunderstanding to cause
inside. Nothing was heard from them for two days,
the events, that the group had somehow offended the
nor could the Apple Trees see what was happening.
Brassica but wasnʼt admitting it. A few even left to go
and try to sort things out themselves. They were never
Finally, the Apple Trees spotted a lone pea come
seen again.
through the gate, and start running towards the gate
for the Patch. It was being pursued by several brussels
The Brassica Field was declared off limits by the
sprouts, and had been badly wounded. With the
Apple Trees, and the members of the first contact
warning of the Apple Trees, the Veggies were able to
group declared heroes.
send a second party out to rescue the pea. The rescue
party briefly skirmished with the brussels sprouts,
but reinforcements from the Patch saw the brussels
sprouts quickly retreat back to their field and allowing
Where Everything Is
the Veggies to return to safety. The maps on the next two pages give an overview of
the area in and around the Patch. No scale is shown
The peaʼs wounds were too great, and it died shortly on the maps, but each garden is approximately 200m
after being brought back to the Patch, but not before it x 300m. The area outside the Patch is relatively
was able to tell everyone what had happened. unexplored, so what lies out there is unknown to most
Veggies. What they do know is that the Wilds can be a
As soon as the group had been let in to the Brassica very unsafe place for an unprepared Veggie.
fields, they had been surrounded by brussels sprouts,
cabbages and turnips. The group had then been
marched to the opposite end of the garden where The Shed
the broccoli and cauliflowers were gathered. There The Patch and the Brassica Field both have a garden
the cauliflower had preached to them at some length shed containing various gardening tools and bottles
about the superiority of Brassica, and that for their marked with unknown symbols. There are also
crimes (of not being a Brassica) they were to be stores of various seeds in here, all ready for planting.
slaves for the rest of their lives – but not before they Veggies donʼt generally like going in the shed – the
all told everything they knew about the change and smell seems ʻoddʼ, so in general it is avoided. But the
the Patch. tools and seeds are needed to keep the Patch running,
so a few unlucky Veggies do have to enter at times.

6
Map of Surrounding Area
The World Of The Veggie Patch

7
Map of The Patch
The World Of The Veggie Patch

8
 The World Of The Veggie Patch

The Apple Trees Water Supply

Due to their knowledge and long life, the Apple Trees A pipe comes out of the ground here, and it has a tap
are considered a wise ruling council by the Veggies. on the end that allows the Veggies to turn the water
What they say is law, and it is considered a great supply on and off. The water is usually allowed to
honour to be summoned to speak directly with them. collect in a small pool beneath the tap.

The Hedge The Rubbish Pile

Surrounding the two fields of vegetables, and growing Dead plant matter and other organic “rubbish” is
up through the wooden fence that had been built around placed here. Every night, whatever is placed on this
the fields originally, is a hedge. The hedge provides pile disappears. No one knows where it goes, and the
a useful barrier around the garden. Like all Veggies, few Veggies who have tried to find out (by sitting on
the hedge hadnʼt been aware before the change. Like the rubbish pile themselves) have never been heard
the Apple Trees, the hedge wasnʼt lucky enough to from again. Any non-organic material placed on
gain the ability to move. But unlike the Apple Trees, the pile (rocks, metal objects – but not soil) is left
each of the plants in the hedge is an individual voice. behind.
This makes speaking to the hedge like speaking to a
group of people – a group of people who canʼt agree
on anything they say, and who are sick and tired of The Wilds
each others company. Any area not part of the Patch or the Brassica Field is
considered the Wilds. Weeds roam around here freely
(usually in small groups, although sometimes they
The Big Shed On The Hill travel alone). Itʼs extremely dangerous for a Veggie
No one in the Patch knows what this is, although the to travel in the Wilds alone – if they have to travel,
Apple Trees do remember seeing the former guardians the saying “safety in numbers” definitely applies. The
going to and from here at times. one advantage Veggies have is that the grass is fairly
tall throughout the Wilds, providing Veggies with a
place to hide from roaming Weeds. Unfortunately the
The Road grass also provides the Weeds with the perfect place
The road between the two gardens is a simple dirt to launch ambushes from, so it is a mixed blessing.
road, although rather unusually nothing grows in the
soil (so it is still clear). The road leads up to the big
shed on the hill, and away from the shed towards the
forest.

The Pond
The pond is only just visible from the Patch (if a A Note For Gardeners
Veggie climbs to the top of the garden shed to look). If you do any gardening, you may be confused about
Strange creatures can occasionally be seen at the edge why there is a rubbish pile as well as a compost heap,
since normally they are the same thing.
of the pond, and unusual plants move around in the
water at times. Not in The Veggie Patch. Veggies never put anything
on the compost pile. The compost pile is their source
of food (without which the Patch would die), and
The Compost Pile nothing is allowed to contaminate it. The rubbish pile
Every morning, fresh (ie: fully decomposed) compost is where the garden waste (and dead Veggies) go. It
appears in this pile. The Veggies are unsure where it would be unthinkable for Veggies to consider that the
comes from, but it is an essential part of the Patch. two are the same.
Without it, the Patch would not survive.

9
 The World Of The Veggie Patch

Life In The Patch A number of Veggies have jobs administering tasks in

the Patch. In theory the Apple Trees oversee them, but
In many ways the Veggies have it easy in the Patch.
in practice the Apple Trees rarely get involved with the
However, that doesnʼt mean the life of a Veggie is one
details of running the Patch. Instead, several selected
big party. There are a number of important tasks the
administrators direct the other Veggies, and report to
Veggies have to carry out in order to keep the Patch
the Apple Trees each day (or when something unusual
running.
occurs).
The most important task is to ensure that no Weeds
The administrators handle organising the patrols
start to grow in the Patch. This is a constant job, as
around the garden, looking after the compost and
Weeds grow much quicker than Veggies (nor do they
water, and the planting of new Veggies. They also
need to be looked after as they grow). A Weed can
organise the few Protectors in the Patch.
grow large enough to leave the soil in only a few days,
and once they have done so they can cause all sorts of
problems in the Patch. Protectors
In the first few weeks after the change this was a Protectors handle many tasks in the Patch. Their two
constant problem. These days there are organised most common tasks are handling disputes, and treating
patrols of the garden, and most Weeds are found sick or injured Veggies.
well before they become aware. Unfortunately, the
occasional Weed still manages to grow in some out- They occasionally perform tasks for the Apple Trees
of-the-way place in the Patch. in the Wilds, looking for a particular resource or piece
of information that they need, or just finding out what
An equally important task is guarding the gate of is going on. If there is an unexpected death in the
the Patch, and running regular patrols around the Patch, the Protectors are the ones who investigate it.
(inside) edge of the Patch, to ensure that no outside
threats have made their way into the Patch through Crime is almost unheard of in the Patch, but
the Hedge. There have been a few isolated instances occasionally it does happen. Items have been stolen
where this has occurred, usually while the Hedge is from other Veggies, and there have even been
sleeping at night. occasional deaths. So far, there hasnʼt been a murder –
all the deaths in the Patch have been caused by Weeds,
or have been found to be an accident.

NPC - Cray
Cray is a Carrot, and the current “head” of the Veggies New Veggies
directly serving the Apple Trees. He is very no- The planting of new Veggies is one of the most
nonsense, and likes to do absolutely everything ʻby important tasks in the Patch. The Shed has a large store
the bookʼ. He remembers vividly the horrors of the of seeds in it, and each Veggie knows instinctively how
first Weed attack (seeing all the carrots around him
to plant and look after their own kind. As a result there
ripped to pieces), and he never wants that to happen
are constantly groups of Veggies working on turning
again. Because of this, he is extremely focused on the
security of the Patch and will not tolerate anything the soil over for planting, mixing in compost, watering
that might jeopardize that security in some way. the ground and seedlings, making sure other Veggies
donʼt accidentally cause damage to the seedlings, etc.
Cray was the one who first organised the Veggies to
make regular patrols around the Hedge to ensure there Once planted, seeds can take several days or
were no problems. He also put together the group even several weeks to germinate. Once they have
of Veggies who later gained the name “Protectors”. germinated, they need tending as they grow to ensure
It was his dedication to the safety of the Patch that they get all the required nutrients and water. The
caused the Apple Trees to make him their chief nutrients they can get from the ground – the water has
Veggie.
to be supplied by their carers.

10
 The World Of The Veggie Patch

Time In The Ground NPC – Ilario

If the time for germination and maturity is important Ilario is an Asparagus – a large and rather jolly
to your game, the easiest thing to do is to look up the Veggie who is in charge of handing out compost to
information in a gardening book or on a web site and other Veggies. He loves his work (imagine the happy
use this to determine how long it takes for specific owner of a restaurant), and he enjoys chatting with
seed types to germinate. They first become “aware” every Veggie who comes in to eat, asking them how
after 1/3 of the time to harvest, and they can leave the they are or what theyʼve been up to. Whatʼs even more
ground at 2/3 the time to harvest. surprising is he remembers everything told to him.
Because of this, Ilario is probably the best person to
The total lifespan of a Veggie is five times the time it go to if you want to find out whatʼs happening in or
takes for the vegetable to reach harvest. around the Patch.

The one thing Ilario doesnʼt appreciate is someone

trying to steal “his” compost. He will loudly
Growing Veggies are much like children – scared and complain about anyone attempting to do so. If the
unsure about the world around them. They need a lot thief attempts to attack Ilario, it is almost certain that
of attention and care from mature Veggies. As they any Veggies in the area will come to his aid.
grow, they are taught about their surroundings and
how to live in the Patch.

The administrators determine how many new

Veggies to plant, based on a number of factors pod from the Hedge), and then sit down to “eat” their
(number of deaths, age of current Veggies, expected meal.
requirements). They are very conscious that the Patch
Itʼs a great place to socialise, and it allows all the
can only support a limited number of Veggies, and are
Veggies to catch up on events happening elsewhere in
doing their best to ensure the Patch doesnʼt become
the Patch (or even out in the Wilds). Once the Veggie
overcrowded.
has finished their meal (it only takes an hour to feed
this way), they dump the left over soil on the rubbish
Food and Water pile.
Unlike regular plants, fully-grown Veggies no longer Water is obtained via the same method – there is a
get their nutrients and water from the soil. They can trench next to the dinning hall that is kept filled with
(if they desire), but most Veggies find it to be rather water, and Veggies can dip their roots into it whenever
inconvenient. It takes two hours to work their roots they want a drink.
into the soil enough for them to feed, and another
three to draw out enough nutrients. Many also find the It is possible for Veggies to overeat compost. When
process of uprooting themselves again (which only they do so, they tend to become bloated, their foliage
takes a few seconds) rather uncomfortable. becomes weak, and they become more sluggish.
Luckily, the Veggies are able to get the nutrients Many Veggies did overeat in the first days after the
they need by dipping their roots directly into a high change, until everyone became aware of the problem.
concentration of food. In the case of the Patch, this Some found that they couldnʼt stop themselves – they
means compost. had become addicted to the compost – and they
became rather violent when others tried to stop them
Each plant only requires a small amount of compost from feeding. All of the addicted Veggies required
to feed itself for the day. Next to the compost bin, constant care to break them of their addiction, and
the Veggies have an area many call the dining hall. even then a number returned to their old habits after
Veggies can go here at any time of day to get their others thought them “cured”.
daily dose of compost (served in the husk of a seed

11
 The World Of The Veggie Patch

These days, compost addiction is extremely rare. a tiny bit to get the full effect, and it is possible for a
There are other forms of food that are much more Veggie to die if they have too much.
addictive.
Despite this substance being illegal, and Protectors
doing everything they can to stop Veggies collecting
Addictive Foods or selling it, it still continues to make its way into the
Aside from compost and water, there are a number of Patch.
popular foods available in the Patch that can become
addictive to Veggies.
Sleep
The most common is compost tea, which is simply All the Veggies (as well as Weeds and Brassica) need
water that has had compost steeped in it. While any to spend at least 6 hours sleeping each night. This
Veggie can make a crude version themselves by sleep needs to occur at night – the plants donʼt gain
simply adding compost to water and then “drinking” any rest by sleeping during the day.
the result, the best mixture comes from allowing the
compost to steep for several days, and adding other Veggies usually return to where they first grew to
things to the mixture. sleep. The spot is like their personal room or flat,
and every Veggie can automatically find their place
There are a number of competing groups of Veggies without any difficulty. It is considered rude to sleep
making compost tea, and each jealously guards their in someone elseʼs spot without their permission
recipe. Each group offers an area for Veggies to sit – especially since most Veggies keep any personal
and drink their drink. items they have collected (spare compost, souvenirs
from the Wild, etc) there.
Compost tea is like beer – fairly common, and fine
in moderation. Very few Veggies become addicted Veggies do send out roots into the soil when they are
to it, although all Veggies enjoy drinking it (since settling down to sleep but only anchoring roots, not
it provides both water and food at the same time). feeding roots. It only takes a few minutes to do this,
Veggies who have had more than a couple of serves and the Veggies donʼt feel any discomfort withdrawing
start to become drunk. these roots from the soil.

The second beverage is much less common, and

much more potent. Called simply Abyss, this drink Money
is like spirits. Only one group of Veggies make this Veggies in general have little need for personal objects.
drink, and no other Veggies know what their recipe They canʼt wear clothes (a few have taken to making
is (although many have tried to duplicate it, so far grass cloaks or hats, but most find those items stupid),
without success). All that is commonly known is that nor are there any cars or stereos to buy.
it uses ingredients from the Wilds.
However Veggies do still find things that they want to
While no more addictive than compost tea, it is much buy (usually items from the Wilds – metal in particular
stronger. After only one drink, Veggies begin to show is considered extremely rare and valuable). As the
signs of being drunk. It only takes a few drinks for a Veggies have no form of printed money, Veggies will
Veggie to pass out. either pay for the item in compost or barter for the
item.
The last addictive food is also the most rare, and is
the only illegal substance in the Patch. This “food” is Most Veggies save a little bit of their compost each
animal droppings (manure) obtained from the Wild, day, and use it to buy items they are interested in.
and is popular among a few Veggies. The nutrients There are even a few Veggies who will only accept
in it are so concentrated that most Veggies who try it compost as payment (usually Veggies selling compost
go crazy for short periods of time. Veggies only need tea or Abyss). Unfortunately, compost doesnʼt stay

12
 The World Of The Veggie Patch

“fresh” for very long (usually around a week), so few The most unusual construction in the Patch is the
Veggies are ever able to obtain rare items this way. ʻbarʼ where Abyss is sold (called “The Hole” by most
Veggies). While made out of grass like other buildings,
Because of this, many Veggies end up venturing out it is totally enclosed. The roof has no gaps in it, and
into the Wilds to find items of their own to trade. The the doors in the wall can be closed when Veggies
Apple Trees discourage this practice, but they donʼt arenʼt going in/out. Inside is even more unusual, with
stop Veggies from going out. They realise they need to a maze of small rooms and cubicles in the drinking
keep informed of what is happening outside the Patch, area. The counter where Abyss is sold is the only easy
so their only rule is that all Veggies must report what thing to find inside.
they have seen to the Apple Trees (or their assistants)
when they return. The owners of the bar keep a few pumpkins and
potatoes on staff to ensure patrons donʼt get too rowdy
A few Veggies are even willing to offer their services while drinking (and to stop anyone from going out the
as payment. It is up to the selling Veggie what they back to find out the recipe for Abyss).
are willing to accept, but total slavery is not tolerated
in the Patch.
Religion
The Veggies donʼt have a formal religion to speak
Buildings of. The Apple Trees are held in high regard by all
Veggies havenʼt started to create any permanent the Veggies, but they arenʼt considered as religious
buildings in the Patch, but a number of groups have figures.
worked together to create grass walls and huts – usually
groups who are selling something like compost tea, Perhaps the only things even close to being religious
although a few like-minded groups have built walls figures are the three former guardians of the garden
around where they sleep. If the buildings have any (now propped up at one end of the Patch). Veggies
sort of roof (most donʼt) it tends to have a lot of gaps will often bow slightly when passing by the figures
in it, as most Veggies feel uneasy if they canʼt see the as a show of respect. Some even leave small offerings
sky. of compost or a valuable item behind in the hope they
will be granted good luck (especially if they have to
The dining hall near the compost pile is an example travel in the Wilds).
of the common construction. It simply has four walls
around the outside, with two gaps in the walls for But Veggies treat the guardians in their own individual
“doors”. ways. There is no formal worship of the guardians.

13
 Playing The Veggie Patch

Playing The Veggie Patch point (so if the Attribute started at 4, and you spend 2
points on it, the Attribute would now be 6). Each point
The first thing you need to do if you intend to play The you spend on Health increases it by 3 (so spending 3
Veggie Patch is to generate a character. Creating your points on your Health would increase it by 9 points).
character is fairly quick, as the system used is rather
simple. The steps you need to follow are: If the gamemaster allows, you can also choose to
lower an Attribute from its starting value. Each point
• Choose your vegetable you lower the Attribute by is another point you can
• Improve your attributes and Health spend elsewhere (so if an Attribute started off at 5 you
• Record your other traits could lower it to 3 and give yourself 2 points to spend
on another Attribute or Attributes).
Vegetables & Attributes
No Attribute can be lowered below 2. With the
All characters have five Attributes, which are also exception of the Move Attribute (which has no upper
your characters skills. The five Attributes are: limit), no Attribute can be increased above 10. You
cannot lower your Health, although you can lower
Interaction – how well you interact with other plants,
Attributes to raise your Health.
can bring them around to your way of thinking,
convince them to do something, etc.
Record Other Traits
Manipulation – how easily you can physically
manipulate items that you find. Once the basics for the character have been determined,
there are two final traits you need to work out.
Move – how quickly and freely you can move (not all
plants are able to move as easily as others). Defence – represents how hard it is for your opponent
to hit you in combat. Defence is simply your characters
Smarts – how much you understand the strange world Strength + 5.
you find yourself in.
Compost – compost is used to “buy” items, as well
Strength – how strong you are (for pushing, lifting, as providing much needed food. Roll 2D6 – the result
etc). It also determines how much damage you do if is how many units of compost your character starts
you get into a fight. with.

In addition to your five Attributes, each character has Finally you should choose a name for your character.
a trait called Health. It can be anything you like (the other players will
probably make fun of you if you choose a ʻsillyʼ
Health – how much damage characters can withstand name!) Veggies only have a first name.
in combat. All characters start with a Health of 14.

To determine your initial Attributes, you need to Vegetables Have Arms And Legs?
choose which vegetable you want to be (the list of Vegetables in The Veggie Patch move around in a
choices appears later in the chapter). Each vegetable variety of ways. Most have some form of “legs” they
has a certain starting value for each of the five are able to move around on (they might have just two,
Attributes, as well as its own particular personality or they might have many – almost like a spider). These
and style of movement. If youʼre familiar with d20 or legs might be the stalks of the plant, or even the roots
related systems, you can think of it as choosing your at the base of the stalk. A few vegetables (particularly
class. root vegetables) have to “hop” around.

Once youʼve chosen your vegetable, you have 5 points In general, a vegetable can move any part of its foliage,
to spend improving the Attributes of your character. but only two “arms” are strong enough to manipulate
Each point you spend on an Attribute raises it by one

14
 Playing The Veggie Patch

objects, carry things, etc. The rest of the foliage is too

weak to be used for anything useful. Designing Your Own Vegetables
There isnʼt really anything complex about designing
If a vegetable loses an “arm”, another piece of foliage a new starting vegetable. All you need to do is decide
strengthens enough to replace it after several days. how the vegetable moves, how the vegetable would
attack (along with any damage modifier), and ensure
that the starting Attributes all add up to 30. Each
ʻspecial attackʼ (such as in the case of onions), or
The Vegetables extra method of attack (eg: having both whip and
Below is a list of the vegetables you can choose from. club) costs two Attribute points.
If there is a particular vegetable you want to play that
isnʼt here, the gamemaster may allow you to simply
rename one of the vegetables (using the starting
Attributes as written), or let you “design” your own
vegetable. The gamemaster may even have a few
extra vegetables available for you to play. Beans
Beans look very odd
(NOTE: If you really want to be pedantic some of when they walk, as they
these ʻvegetablesʼ are actually fruit. But lets ignore are rather lanky. They are
that, ok? J ) fairly sociable, enjoying the
company of others.
If you want, you can choose to play a particular
variety of a vegetable instead of the “generic” type Interaction – 8
(for example, instead of playing a “bean” you might Manipulation – 6
play a “French bean”). In general this wonʼt have any Move – 7
affect on your characters Attributes or abilities, but Smarts – 5
make sure you discuss it with your gamemaster before Strength – 4
you start play. Movement: Walk
Attacking: Whip
To save writing out the same details for each plant
on how they move and attack, table 2-1 and table 2-
2 (next page) describe each of the move and attack
actions.
Broad Beans
Broad beans look like a larger
Asparagus
version of the standard bean.
Asparagus is a jolly sort of They tend to look down on their
Veggie, always happy to hear and smaller cousins, although not
tell stories, or to offer a word of to the point of insulting them.
encouragement to Veggies who They get on well with others.
are feeling a little down.
Interaction – 7
Interaction – 7 Manipulation – 5
Manipulation – 4 Move – 7
Move – 6 Smarts – 5
Smarts – 7 Strength – 4
Strength – 6 Movement: Walk
Movement: Glide Attacking: Whip, Shoot (-1 damage)
Attacking: Dive

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 Playing The Veggie Patch

Table 2-1: Movement Table 2-2: Attacking

Hop The plant hops along on a single stalk Club The plant uses part of itself to strike
or root of some kind. its opponents like a club.
Glide The plant moves around using the
Dive The plant leaps at their opponent,
roots at the base of their stalk. As a
driving their body into their
result, they seem to “glide” as they
opponent.
move.
Shoot The plant can shoot a seed (or similar)
Walk The plant uses two or more stalks of
at its opponent. This attack is fairly
its foliage like legs.
weak, doing one less point of damage
than normal.
Whip The plant uses its stalks as a whip
Capsicum
to strike their opponent. It is also
Capsicum are fairly outgoing, possible to wrap the “whip” around
although they prefer not to part of the opponent to try and restrain
get too attached to anyone. or trip them up (details on how to do
Their only fault is they tend this appear later in the chapter).
to change their mind a lot.

Interaction – 7 Corn
Manipulation – 6
Corn prefer to stay in groups
Move – 5
(of any type of Veggie,
Smarts – 5
not just other corn). They
Strength – 7
hate being alone, and very
Movement: Glide
quickly get depressed if no
Attacking: Club
one else is around. Corn are
very industrious - if there is
heavy work that needs doing,
you can bet a group of corn
Carrot will be the first to volunteer
Carrots tend to like things to be to do it.
kept in order, and in general donʼt
Interaction – 7
react very well to change. They
Manipulation – 5
can be very stubborn about the
Move – 4
way things are done, especially
Smarts – 5
if they have “always been done
Strength – 7
this way”. “Always” could simply
Movement: Glide
mean they saw it done that way
Attacking: Club, Shoot (-1 damage)
once before!

Interaction – 6
Manipulation – 7
Move – 4
Smarts – 7
Strength – 6
Movement: Hop
Attacking: Dive

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 Playing The Veggie Patch

Leek Onion
Leeks are hard workers, who will Onions are total cry babies,
do what needs to be done for the getting upset and bursting
good of the community. But once into tears at the slightest
their work is done, leeks certainly reason. Nevertheless, if they
know how to have a good time. can be kept happy, they work
Their motto is “work hard, play very well. The only problem
hard”. is, no one has figured out how
to keep them happy for very
Interaction – 6 long!
Manipulation – 6
Move – 5 Interaction – 4
Smarts – 6 Manipulation – 7
Strength – 7 Move – 5
Movement: Glide Smarts – 6
Attacking: Dive Strength – 6
Movement: Glide
Attacking: Dive
Special Notes: If they succeed at hitting their opponent,
onions have the option of forcing their opponents to
Lettuce cry. The onion loses its next action in the fight, but
Lettuces are distrusted by their opponents Attributes are reduced by 1 for the
most Veggies due to their rest of the fight. They can only do this once per fight.
similar appearance to
cabbages. Some lettuces
become bitter about this,
and tend to only look out
for themselves. Others Peas
try to constantly prove Peas enjoy the company of
themselves to others, by doing dangerous tasks that others. They especially love
other Veggies arenʼt willing to do themselves. being the centre of attention,
and if they arenʼt they will go
Interaction – 4 out of their way to get people
Manipulation – 5 to notice them. Many Veggies
Move – 7 find them rather “clingy”. Like
Smarts – 8 beans, they are fairly gangly
Strength – 6 when they walk, but they can
Movement: Hop move at a quick pace.
Attacking: Dive
Interaction – 5
Manipulation – 5
Move – 8
Smarts – 5
Strength – 5
Movement: Walk
Attacking: Whip, Shoot (-1 damage)

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 Playing The Veggie Patch

Potato Radish
When they walk, potatoes look Radishes are like hyperactive
like large green spiders. Many children. They grow much
Veggies feel unsettled by them quicker (and live a much shorter
and avoid them if they have a life) than other Veggies, so
chance. Despite this treatment, they try to get as much done as
potatoes are very kind and possible in as short a time as
generous to those who make possible. Often impulsive, many tend to play practical
the effort to get to know them. jokes on others.
Potatoes value friends above
everything else, and will do Interaction – 6
everything they can to help a friend in need. Manipulation – 5
Move – 10
Interaction – 4 Smarts – 4
Manipulation – 5 Strength – 5
Move – 7 Movement: Hop
Smarts – 8 Attacking: Dive
Strength – 6 Special Notes: Unknown to the other Veggies, radishes
Movement: Walk are actually a Brassica (not even the other Brassica
Attacking: Club know this). Not surprisingly, Radishes keep this
secret to themselves. As they have always grown in
the Patch, they are nothing like their Brassica cousins
(nor do they wish to be).

Pumpkin
Pumpkins are the
ʻgentle giantsʼ of the
Patch. They tend to Tomato
be rather large, and Tomatoes are the daredevils of
sprawl out over a the Patch. They will try anything
larger area than most once, and live for the chance to
vegetables. As they be the first at trying something
are so large, they new. They like inventing, and
move fairly slowly along the ground, dragging part of tend to make a lot of “weird”
their foliage with them. They also talk rather slowly, (at least in the minds of other
giving many Veggies the impression they are rather Veggies) contraptions to fulfil
stupid. This couldnʼt be further from the truth – they their daredevil instincts.
are actually reasonably smart, they just choose not to
show it to other Veggies unless they have earned their Interaction – 5
friendship. Manipulation – 8
Move – 7
Interaction – 6 Smarts – 5
Manipulation – 5 Strength – 5
Move – 3 Movement: Walk
Smarts – 8 Attacking: Club
Strength – 8
Movement: Walk
Attacking: Club

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 Playing The Veggie Patch

Zucchini Table 2-3: Target Numbers

Zucchinis suffer from mood Easy 9
swings - one minute they
Average 12
will be friendly, the next
they will be angry about Hard 15
something, and then they Very Hard 18
will burst into tears. They Impossible 21
donʼt like to sit around and
do nothing – they always
have to be on the move. Collaborative Actions
When two or more players work together to perform
Interaction – 6 a single action, the player with the highest Attribute
Manipulation – 6 rolls the dice, then adds +2 to the result for each
Move – 5 assisting character.
Smarts – 6
Strength – 7 If all the contributors have an equal Attribute score,
Movement: Glide the character that goes first in initiative (see later)
Attacking: Club rolls.

How To “Do Something” Opposed Actions

Whenever you want to do something that the When two characters or a character and an NPC
gamemaster feels has a chance of failure, you will oppose one another in a task, they both roll as normal;
have to roll the dice to work out if you succeeded or the character with the highest result wins. In the case
not. This is commonly called making a skill check. of a tie, the character with the highest Attribute value
wins. If these are also equal, roll again and repeat as
To make a skill check, just roll 2D6 and add whichever needed until a victor can be determined.
attribute your gamemaster tells you to. If you roll
equal to or more than the target number (TN) of the
task (which the gamemaster may or may not tell you Combat
beforehand), you have succeeded at whatever you are Sometimes PCs find themselves in situations that can
trying to do. Table 2-3 shows common TN for various only be resolved by violence, and The Veggie Patch is
difficulties of tasks. no exception.

Of course, sometimes a task might be easier or more Combat is run using the method common to most
difficult than normal. In this case, the gamemaster role-playing games. Combat is broken down into
may give you a modifier to your roll. You need to add “rounds” (roughly a few seconds in time), with all
this modifier to the result when you calculate the final the combatants taking actions each round to try and
total of the dice roll. determine the result of the fight.

Favourable conditions for what you are doing give you In any given round, a character may move and attack.
a positive modifier to your roll. Difficult conditions Other actions like talking, readying a weapon, etc. do
for what you are doing give you a negative modifier not count against their movement or attack actions.
to your roll.

No matter what the final result is, rolling 2 (two ones) Initiative
on the dice is always a failure, while rolling 12 (two Initiative is determined once at the start of the fight.
sixes) is always a success. There is no such thing as a Combatants act in the order of their Move attribute,
“critical” success or failure. highest value to lowest. If more than one combatant

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 Playing The Veggie Patch

has the same Move, they both roll 2D6 to determine do 6 points of damage, but as the character only
who goes first. has a Strength of 3 the attack only does 3 points of
damage.

Surprise The calculated damage is then subtracted from the

Occasionally, an enemy may get the drop on the characters current Health. If the Health drops to 0 (or
players, or vice versa. If the gamemaster determines below), the character falls unconscious. The character
that the players or enemies are surprised, the surprising will also continue to lose a point each round until
characters are entitled to a free attack against the they succeed at a Difficult Smarts task, or another
victims. Combat then proceeds normally. character tries to aid them and succeeds at an Average
Manipulate task.

Movement If a characterʼs Health ever drops to below -10 points,

In general, movement in The Veggie Patch is handled they are dead.
narratively. The gamemaster informs the players how
long in rounds it takes to move from Point A to Point See later for details on how a character can heal
B; the actual distance covered is unimportant. As a damage.
rough guide, a character can move up to their Move
attribute in feet each round.
Armor and Weapons
Anytime movement is important to the course of the Any armor the character is wearing adds to the
game (if the players are running after or away from characterʻs Defence score.
someone, for instance) use an opposed Move check to
determine the outcome. Weapons may add a bonus to either the characters
Strength or the damage value.

Attack
Special Attacks
To have a character hit an opponent (either with a
melee or ranged attack), they make a Strength test. If It is very easy for combat to simply become a slugfest,
they roll higher than their opponents Defence value, with each side just trying to hit the other until one falls
they have hit. down. After a while, this can get rather boring. To
avoid this, characters have the option to make special
If the character rolls 12 on the dice (an automatic attacks.
success), but the total isnʼt higher than the opponents
Defence, they do 1 point of damage (no damage A special attack is where a character does something
bonuses allowed). to try and gain an advantage in the fight. In game
terms, the player and their opponent make an opposed
test on a relevant Attribute (see below). If the player
Determining Damage wins, they get +1 added to their attack roll in that
The amount of damage done in an attack is the total round, and do +1 damage (in addition to any other
rolled minus the targets Defence value. This value bonuses to damage they already have).
cannot be higher than the attackers Strength rating
If the player loses the test, they have -1 to their attack
(if it is, simply reduce it to the Strength rating). Any
roll for that round.
bonuses for damage are added after the initial damage
is calculated.
The player needs to describe what they are doing before
they can make a special attack, and the gamemaster
Example: A character with a Strength of 3 rolls 11
then selects the Attribute that best fits the action being
on their attack (for a total of 14), easily beating
attempted.
their opponents Defence of 8. This would normally

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 Playing The Veggie Patch

Table 2-4: Example special attacks While tangled, the opponent cannot move or attack. In
addition, their Defence value is -2.
Throwing dirt into an opponents Manipulation
eyes Unfortunately, the player who has tangled their
Distracting an opponent with talk Interaction opponent cannot attack either. But they can attempt
Feinting Smarts to drag their opponent somewhere if they win the
Sliding along the surface of Move opposed Strength test for that turn.
an object to out-manoeuvre an
opponent
Combat Example
Swinging off a vine to reach an Move
Cary (a Capsicum – Move 6, Strength 9, Defence 14,
opponent
Health 14) gets attacked by a Weed (Move 8, Strength
Tripping an opponent up Manipulation 6, Defence 11, Health 12). The gamemaster decides
Diving off a high object onto an Move that no one has the element of surprise, so initiative
opponent proceeds normally. The Weed has the higher Move
Zipping around an opponent or Move attribute, so it acts first in the round.
between its legs
The Weed closes in and attacks Cary. The gamemaster
Tricking an opponent somehow Smarts makes a Strength roll for the Weed, rolling 6 (giving
a total of 12). This is less than the characters Defence
The gamemaster has the right to deny a special attack value, so the Weed misses.
if the player is simply repeating the same action
over and over again. The idea of special attacks is to Now itʼs the playerʼs turn. They donʼt have to move
encourage interesting combats (and reward players (the Weed is already close enough to hit), so they just
for their creativity during the fight), not to provide an attack. The player rolls an 11 for their Strength roll
easy way to get a bonus. (giving a total of 11+9 = 20), well above the Weeds
defence. They do 9 points of damage.
Table 2-4 shows some examples of special attacks,
and a suggested Attribute for the opposed test. The Weed is hurting, but it continues to fight. The
gamemaster rolls a 10 this time on the dice, giving a
Keep in mind that in general, a special attack wonʼt Strength roll of 16. This is enough to hit the PC, and
stop the opponent from acting (itʼs assumed they are causes two points of damage to Cary.
able to recover in time for their next action). There is
one exception to this, and thatʼs when a player uses a The player again attacks the Weed, rolling an 8 this
whip attack. time (giving a total of 8+9 = 17). This is again enough
to hit the Weed, and does 6 points of damage. Since
the Weed only had 12 Health to start with, and the PC
Whip Attack has done 15 points of damage, the Weed falls down
When whipping, a player can voluntarily try to tangle unconscious.
up their opponent. They have to announce this as their
intention before the attack. If they hit, they donʼt do
any damage. Instead, they have managed to tangle Eating & Restoring Health
their opponent. Their opponent loses their action All plants (Veggie, Brassica and Weed) need to eat
for this turn (if any), and has to try and break free in every day to remain healthy. Plants that donʼt eat
future turns. enough begin to get sick and slowly die.
The player and the opponent make an opposed In game terms, the amount of nutrients a plant requires
Strength test each round. If the player wins, their is measured in compost units. Each plant needs to eat
opponent remains tangled. If the opponent wins, they Strength number of compost units a day to maintain
are able to break free. Retest for ties.

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 Playing The Veggie Patch

their current Health. If they eat less than their Strength Getting Drunk
rating, they begin to lose Health (one Health point for The combination of food and water in compost
every two points they donʼt eat). tea and Abyss cause strange effects in plants. For
every compost unit that is drunk this way, the plant
On the other hand, if they eat more than they need they temporarily loses two points from Strength, Smarts
start to heal damage. For every two points more than or Move (players choice – both points donʼt have
their Strength Attribute they eat (up to a maximum of to come from the same Attribute). Once they have
2 x Strength), they heal one point of Health. stopped drinking, they regain two lost points for every
hour of not drinking.
The gain or loss of Health occurs the following
morning (not immediately). Drinking compost tea counts as consuming one
unit of compost. Each drink of Abyss counts as two
All Veggies receive (Strength x 1.5, round up) units of
units of compost. Both also count towards the daily
compost each day from the compost pile, handed out
requirement of food (so a plant can become both fat
to them by Ilario. If they are uninjured, they only have
and drunk!)
to eat Strength units (and can keep the rest for trade,
or in case they get hurt later). If any Attribute falls to 0 as a result of drinking, the
plant falls unconscious (and will wake up when the
The length of time it takes to consume the compost
Attributes return to 1 as normal for not drinking).
doesnʼt vary, no matter how much (or little) the plant
is eating.
Side Effects of Manure
Other Ways of Healing Eating manure has a similar effect on plants to drinking
compost tea or Abyss, due to the high concentration of
If a Veggie is injured, there is another way for them
nutrients. For every compost unit eaten from manure,
to regain Health. The Apple Trees possess a special
the plant temporarily loses three points from Strength,
Poultice (made from a mixture of compost and apple
Smarts or Move (players choice – all points donʼt have
juice) that they give Protectors when working out in
to come from the same Attribute), plus three points of
the Wilds. Applying the Poultice immediately heals
Health. These points start returning one hour after the
2D6+2 Health.
plant has finished the manure (one point to either an
Attribute or Health per hour, players choice).
Getting Fat
But there is another effect from manure. Every time
Eating more than (Strength x 2) units in a day causes a a vegetable eats some manure, there is a chance the
plant to start getting ʻfatʼ. The next day they will lose plant will go “crazy” and become violent to those
one point of Strength or Move (players choice) to a around them. Roll 1D6 – if a 1 is rolled, the character
minimum of 1. goes crazy (see below).
To regain the lost points the plant has to “starve”, and Weeds are an odd exception – they never suffer the
eat less than half their normal Strength (round up) in negative effects of eating manure.
units. Each day they do this they will regain a lost
point of Strength or Move. Plants who are starving
this way donʼt lose Health for not eating enough.

Starving this way isnʼt a pleasant experience for a

plant – they must succeed at an Average Smarts test
each day, or the plant will go “crazy” and do whatever
they can to eat (Strength x 2) more units of compost
from wherever they can find them. See later for the
details of going crazy.

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 Playing The Veggie Patch

Going Crazy Equipment

A plant going crazy temporarily gains an extra 8 Health In general, the Veggies donʼt have or use much in
and an additional +2 to Strength. The downside is they the way of equipment. They donʼt need to – they can
can no longer recognize friend from foe. If they are in do pretty much everything they want to with their
combat, roll 1D6 each round – on a result of 1-3 they “hands” (foliage). But thatʼs not to say that they donʼt
attack an ally. use tools at times.

The craziness (and the bonuses) wears off after 2D6 As far as tools go, Veggies are limited to what is
minutes. found in the shed, or what they have been able to
salvage from the Wilds. The shed contains the usual
assortment of garden tools, while a few broken tools,
Character Advancement scraps of metal, etc are all that have been salvaged
At the end of each session, the gamemaster may reward from the Wilds.
the players with one of the following benefits.
Improvised tools are much more common. There are
Improve an Attribute: One of the characterʼs Attributes a lot of fallen branches and the like available in the
is increased by one point. The Attribute to be improved Wilds, and they can be easily used for moving dirt or
should reflect the events of the completed adventure. simple construction.
Participating in a brutal fight might increase Strength
or Move, solving a tricky puzzle could increase Finally, some Veggies are experimenting with weaving
Smarts, etc. grass into simple baskets, mats, etc. The baskets in
particular are popular, as it makes it much easier to
Increase Health: The characterʼs Health is improved carry items around. Some Veggies have even started
by 2 points. wearing grass weaved cloaks – especially those
who help guard the Patch or travel in the Wilds – as
they provide some limited protection from damage.
Veggies who wear such things as “fashion” are viewed
as being slightly weird.

In the list below, most items have a cost (in compost

units) associated with them. For some items, PCs
wonʼt be able to buy the items directly. Instead the
cost can be used as a relative bartering value.

PCs donʼt start with any equipment (unless the

gamemaster allows them to). They have to purchase
everything with their compost.

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 Playing The Veggie Patch

Table 2-5: Common Equipment

Abyss 3 One serve of Abyss.
Cloth 5 A strip of cloth (large rag, etc)
Compost Tea 2 One serve of Compost Tea.
Glass Bottle 35 There are a few bottles in the shed (being used), but some have also been found in the
Wilds. +2 to damage if used in a fight, breaks if user rolls 2 for their attack roll.
Glass Shard 9 A piece of glass, great for cutting things. Provides +1 to Strength roll, but if either
die shows a 1 when attacking the user also takes 1 point of damage (they cut
themselves).
Grass Bag 5 A simple woven bag that allows Veggies to carry items (including spare compost).
Grass Cloak 5 Simple woven cloak, provides +1 to Defence.
Manure 4 Like all successful drug dealers, most sellers of manure offer the first “hit” free to
their customers.
Poultice 15* Heals a plant (restoring 2D6 + 2 Health). Usually only obtained from the Apple Trees,
the price represents a “black market” value.
Rusty Nail 10 A rusty nail (+1 to Damage, but -1 to Strength roll as it is difficult to use).
Stick 2 A basic stick – easy to find lying around in the Wilds, but has to be traded for in the
Patch. Provides +1 to Strength roll.
String 6 A piece of string approximately 2 meters long.

Table 2-6: Uncommon Equipment (Weapons) from The Shed

Fork unique Provides +4 to Strength roll. Only larger Veggies (pumpkins, potatos) can use it.
Hedge Shears unique A deadly weapon in the right hands. If the user makes a successful attack, they must
make an Average Manipulation test - if they succeed, they kill their opponent outright!
(cutting them in half). Otherwise they do normal calculated damage.
Hoe unique Provides +4 to Strength roll. Only larger Veggies can use it.
Lopper unique A deadly weapon in the right hands. If the user makes a successful attack, they must
make a Hard Manipulation test - if they succeed, they kill their opponent outright!
(cutting them in half). Otherwise they do normal calculated damage.
Rake unique Provides +3 to Strength roll, but can also pull a plant towards the wielder on a
successful Strength test. Only larger Veggies can use it.
Secateurs unique Has a -2 Strength penalty when used in combat, but on a successful hit does
+6 Damage.
Spade unique Provides +3 to Strength roll. Only larger Veggies can use it.
Trowel unique Provides +2 to Strength roll.

24
 Gamemasters Only!

Gamemasters Only! few people came all the way to bother Pete. Those
that tried to visit (to ask for his help or advice) were
The rest of the book is intended for people running quickly sent away by the magical servants.
The Veggie Patch. If you are a player, you should stop
reading now – youʼll spoil the various surprises the But all that changed.
setting has to offer!
Pete had been researching a rare plant that he had
As the gamemaster, itʼs up to you how much of the found on his travels – it seemed to react to magic, and
information in this section you reveal to the players he was curious to find out why. Unfortunately, one of
at the start of the game. In general, itʼs recommended his experiments caused a large magical explosion.
that you only reveal what is in the first part of this
book, unless you have a specific reason to pass the Pete, at the centre of the explosion, was killed instantly.
extra information on. With their creator gone, the magical servants that Pete
had created all stopped moving. Other magical spells
in place around the area were either unaffected, or
What Caused It All altered in some way.
The Patch was originally the garden of a powerful The final result of the magical explosion (and perhaps
wizard (who had the somewhat unimpressive name of the most unexpected one) was that most plants nearby
Pete). Pete rather liked his privacy. After many years became sentient, and able to move.
of travel and research (and amassing a large fortune),
he built a home far from any large cities where no
one would bother him while he was carrying out his The Range Of The Effect
research.
Luckily for the rest of the world, the effects of the
Being so far from most people, he needed to grow magical experiment gone wrong didnʼt extend too
most of his own food. So he created several magical far from the wizardʼs house. The magic from the
servants, and commanded them to create and maintain explosion covered a radius of one kilometre from the
the gardens (along with performing the basic chores wizardʼs house, just reaching the edge of the forest
around the house). past the two vegetable gardens.

In addition to vegetables, Pete liked to eat meat. The blast wasnʼt a once-off effect either – it created a
He knew that looking after animals was a task too magic field over the area of the explosion. This magic
complex for his magical servants. Not to mention field is what keeps the plants sentient, and why new
the noise and smell they would cause. So before he plants growing in the area also become sentient.
secluded himself away he set up several agreements
with the few farms that were within a couple of days The strength of the magic field weakens the further
travel of his new home. In return for prepared meat, from the wizardʼs house you go. So while the
Pete would provide the families of the farms with inhabitants of the Patch are aware, can talk and (in
a large supply of vegetables (much more than they most cases) move, plants further away from the house
could buy if they sold their meat at a market). can only talk, although nearer the edge of the magic
field they may talk slower, and/or appear to be more
Every few months Peteʼs magical servants would “stupid”.
travel to the farms with a large load of vegetables,
and exchange the vegetables for the meat. The meat Because the magic field is what keeps the Veggies
was brought back in cold-enchanted boxes, and then sentient, Veggies need to stay close to the wizardʼs
stored in a cold room Pete maintained in his house. house if they want to remain unchanged. As they
move further away, they start to feel drowsy. Their
Everyone was happy with this arrangement, and awareness of the surroundings begins to fade, and
life continued in this way for over thirty years. Very their “limbs” grow heavy. Finally, Veggies will take

25
 Gamemasters Only!

root in the soil and remain there. They may still be One such group went out, but due to an attack by the
woken, but will be very sleepy (mumbling or slurring Weeds on the Patch were forced to move deeper into
their speech) and hard for others to understand. the Wilds instead of scout around the Patch like they
had planned. Because they had come without food or
If a Veggie who has taken root is brought back to the water, they stopped at a puddle to drink.
Patch, they will slowly regain their awareness over a
day. The time while they were rooted will seem like After they woke up from the affects of the puddle (raw
a dream to the Veggie, and they will remember very Abyss), they realised what a potential goldmine they
little of what happened around them. had. The water in the puddle was more potent than
compost tea, and certainly more enjoyable to drink!
At the gamemasters discretion, Veggies brought However the puddle would only last so long, so the
back from the edge of the magic field may suffer a Veggies began trying to figure out what was in it so
temporary (or even permanent) penalty to some of they could make it themselves.
their attributes.
It didnʼt take them long to discover the raw ingredients.
A living plant grown outside then brought into the At the bottom of the puddle they found the decayed
magic field will not gain sentience. body of a Weed (a stinging nettle), while at the edge
of the puddle there were traces of animal manure.

The Animal Barriers The group took a sample of the “water” back to the
The hedge surrounding the Patch and Brassica Patch with them, and set about trying to duplicate
Fields does more than provide a clear marker of the it. It took some experimenting, but in the end they
boundaries. When his servants first began to work managed to get the result they sell today.
the fields, Pete placed a spell on the fence line that
ensured no living creature could enter the fields unless The group now has several small teams they send out
they opened and went through one of the gates (he into the Wilds to not only find the animal manure they
didnʼt want rabbits helping themselves to his crops). need, but to also ambush and kill groups of stinging
nettles. The groups donʼt bring back the whole body
Luckily for the Veggies, this spell has continued to of the stinging nettle – just the youngest shoots on the
work unaffected by the explosion. So the outside Weed.
wildlife has been unable to break into the garden.
So far no one has stumbled onto the secret of Abyss,
The spell affects humans as well as animals – anyone but it is only a matter of time. The group of Veggies
trying to enter either of the fields without opening and who make and sell Abyss have a very nice position
going through the gate will find an invisible barrier because of the profits they make, and they are unlikely
stopping them. The hedge might also have a thing to allow their secret to be revealed.
or two to say to someone trying to force their way
through!
Running The Veggie Patch
The Veggie Patch, as I am sure you have gathered
The Secret of Abyss by now, is not a serious game. Even this rulebook
Only a few Veggies know exactly what goes into doesnʼt take itself seriously. And Iʼd be very surprised
Abyss – and they arenʼt telling. If what was in Abyss if there are many players who would take the setting
became general knowledge very few Veggies would seriously.
drink it anymore. The Protectors would also stop its
manufacture, as it uses a few “irregular” ingredients. It is very easy for the game to degenerate into one gag
after another, so you end up getting nothing done. Or
Abyss came about by accident. Early on, many Veggies worse, the game can become stale – there is only so
went out into the Wilds to explore their surroundings. much of a laugh people can take in one sitting.

26
 Gamemasters Only!

However, bear in mind that the characters in the Think about how the vegetables would perceive this
setting take everything very seriously. To them, the new creature, and then take it from there.
world has suddenly gotten a lot more confusing (and
dangerous). Of course, creatures arenʼt the only things you can
play up. The vegetables are unlikely to know about
While sessions are unlikely to remain serious for anything outside of the garden. While they will have
very long (“Iʼm playing a carrot – how can I be seen the garden shed, a house would look wondrous
serious!?!”), the best humour comes from being an to them. And imagine their surprise when they enter
outsider looking in on what is happening, not by this “giant shed”, and discover that there are no tools
playing the characters in a goofy way. Characters in inside.
the game are simply trying to survive as best they can
in a world they know nothing about. Better yet, imagine if they looked inside the cool room
and found (dead) vegetables stored there!
On the other hand, trying to take things too seriously
will ruin the whole point of the game. The Veggie You can have a lot of fun with this, but do keep in mind
Patch is intended to be a light-hearted diversion for your players reactions to this. Some people donʼt like
an afternoon or evening. to try and “guess” what it is youʼre talking about, or at
the very least find it a distraction from trying to figure
So by all means play French beans with a French out what to do next. It is probably best to only use the
accent, and the leeks with a Welsh or Scottish one. mystery element for major items.
Play up the potatoes with an Irish accent, and the
radishes with excited childrenʼsʼ voices.

Itʼs a very fine line for a gamemaster to walk.

Ultimately, you are the best judge of the style your
players will enjoy, so the final style really is up to
you.

(BTW, if someone runs an in-depth political game in

this setting, let me know – Iʼd love to hear about it!)

Keep The Unknown As Unknown

One of the enjoyable things about the setting (as
gamemaster) is that you can play up the unknown
element.

We may know what a fox, bear or moose is. But

most likely the vegetables donʼt. So donʼt say “You
see a moose walking around up ahead.” Instead
say something like “Up ahead, an impossibly large
vegetable is moving around. It is a rather unusual
brown colour instead of the usual green, and it seems
to be walking around on four stalks of a similar colour.
You donʼt see any sign of roots, although it does have
what appear to be two branches at one end of its body,
sticking up in the air.”

27
 Enemies of The Patch

Enemies of the Patch broccoliʼs personal troops. Brussels sprouts provided

the muscle to combat not only external threats like the
Weeds, but also the few Brassica who disagreed with
The Brassica Collective what was happening.
Like the Patch, when the change hit the Brassica This left the cabbages and turnips. None of the
Fields there was chaos for the first few hours. Unlike other Brassica particularly liked the cabbages (they
the Patch, the Brassica had no Apple Trees to rely reminded the Brassica too much of lettuce), so it was an
on for guidance. They had to figure out everything almost unanimous decision to give them the labourer
themselves. type jobs. This was met with initial resistance by the
cabbages – until the brussels sprouts surrounded the
It was the broccoli that rose to the challenge. They
cabbages. The cabbages who had been the most vocal
started to rally the other Brassica together and through
were taken away and executed, while the rest set to
their combined efforts, the Brassica were able to repel
work doing the tasks given to them by the broccoli.
the Weeds from their field.
By far the most numerous Brassica in the patch, the
Once the immediate threat was over, the Brassica
turnips were also the most stupid. The turnips found
began to take stock of their situation. No one knew
themselves being drafted into a militia, becoming the
what was going on, where they were, or why they
general troops of the Brassica. They didnʼt mind – as
were here.
long as they had food, water and a place to sleep, the
turnips didnʼt seem to care what happened. While not
It was a cauliflower called Rel that first suggested a
particularly skilled at fighting, the turnips more than
solution. It was obvious to him that the Brassica had
been chosen for some purpose by a higher power.
After all, they were all members of the same plant
NPC – Rel
type. They had been gathered together and granted
their new knowledge for a reason. They had been Rel was an old cauliflower at the time of the change
selected to build a new world, and it was their duty – by all rights he should have been harvested weeks
to do so. before the change. But he wasnʼt, and as the carnage
of the Weed attack became obvious to him he began
The broccoli immediately saw the power this to wonder why. Why was he the oldest Brassica in
the garden? Why had the change happened? Why had
ideology could give them if they took advantage of
he survived the carnage? Why was he here?
the opportunity, and they became the first group to
support it. With the broccoli behind the idea, the other The answer came to Relʼs mind in a vision as
Brassica quickly agreed. he looked over the devastation. He had survived
because he had been chosen to lead the Brassica to
Using the influence the new religion had over everyone, their destiny. They were the ultimate plant, and they
the broccoli quickly set about creating a society. They, should rule over all.
of course, were the leaders of this new society. The
cauliflowers were made the religious speakers, as they Unfortunately, Relʼs unwavering belief in his vision
had been the first to spread the idea of the grand plan. has blinded him to the realities of the Collective. He
The other Brassica were all assigned to less important hasnʼt yet realised he is nothing more than a pawn to
the broccoli in their plans for controlling the Brassica.
roles, depending on their abilities.
While he continues to make public speeches about
the strength of the Brassica and their destiny, he
Brussels sprouts had proved to be superb fighters in holds very little actual power in the Collective. It is
the efforts to repel the Weeds. Despite their combat only a matter of time before the broccoli decide to get
prowess however, they were not the most creative rid of him… perhaps framing several Veggies for his
of the Brassica. The broccoli saw their value – when death, and using it to spark an all-out war between
they were pointed in the right direction – and assigned Veggies and Brassica.
them the task of security. In effect, they became the

28
 Enemies of The Patch

made up for their lack of skill with their large numbers. Brassica Stats
The broccoli organised the turnips into squads, each
PCs are likely to run into Brassica at some point in the
squad led by a brussels sprout.
game, so below are common statistics for the various
varieties. These values are for the average Brassica
– individual Brassica can have higher or lower stats
Slaves in the Collective as you see fit.
With the belief that Brassica are a superior to all other
plants, it didnʼt take long for slavery to appear. The first You will notice interaction has two values. The first
attempts came soon after the change, when the Weeds number is used when dealing with other Brassica. The
were beaten back by the Brassica. Unfortunately second number is used when dealing with Veggies.
Weeds proved to be useless as slaves – they kept
attacking their captors, and had to be killed. Alliances between small groups of Veggies and
Brassica are possible (and happen on occasion),
The diplomatic party from the Patch was seen as a especially if both groups face a common threat. But
gift from their maker (by the cauliflowers anyway). unless the Brassica are members of Freedom, such
Those that survived the torturing were formed into agreements are always short-term affairs at best and
work gangs, and made to work the fields with the break down as soon as the threat is gone.
cabbages.

The Brassica will attempt to capture any Veggies they Broccoli

encounter in the Wilds, to add to their slave stock. The broccoli rule the
Slaves usually only last a month or so before they Brassica with an iron fist,
die of mistreatment, so the total number of slaves the silencing anyone who
Brassica have tends to stay fairly low. disagrees with what they
say. The broccolis present
There has only ever been one successful escape from a united front to the other
the Brassica: the pea from the first group of Veggies Brassica, but in truth there
who attempted to make contact. Several other escape is political manoeuvring
attempts have been made, but they have all failed going on in the background,
(with those attempting to escape executed). as each broccoli tries to
gain an advantage over the others. They are not above
The Brassica now punish all slaves if there is an escape (covertly) sabotaging the plans of other broccoli if it
attempt – so far this has ensured that there have been will make them look good.
few attempts, with some slaves even turning in others
who are planning an escape. Interaction – 11/3
Manipulation – 7
There has been some talk from the broccoli of obtaining Move – 7
the seeds of some of the Veggies, and growing them Smarts – 11
in the collective as slaves from germination. Luckily Strength – 6
nothing has come of this talk yet, but it is only a matter Health – 17
of time before a broccoli decides to attempt the plan. Defence – 11
Movement: Glide
Attacking: Club
Special Notes: Any other Brassica immediately obey
the orders of broccoli. Whether other broccoli will or
not depends on the rank of the one giving orders.

29
 Enemies of The Patch

Brussels Sprouts Interaction – 3/3

Brussels sprouts are extremely Manipulation – 4
bloodthirsty, and gain extreme Move – 5
pleasure from causing pain to Smarts – 6
others. They arenʼt as stupid as Strength – 7
the broccoli think they are, but Health – 14
they know a good thing when Defence – 12
they see it. The brussels sprouts Movement: Glide
benefit greatly by having the Attacking: Dive
broccoli in power – they have
a comfortable position in the
Cauliflower
collective, and they get to cause
pain to other plants as part of Cauliflowers are the
their job. While not true believers in the “great plan” religious zealots of the
the cauliflowers always go on about, they do believe Brassica, firmly believing
that Brassica are superior to other plants. in the superiority of the
Brassica to all other plant
Interaction – 6/1 life (and telling this to
Manipulation – 8 every other plant they meet,
Move – 8 whether they are willing to
Smarts – 7 listen or not). They also preach at great length about a
Strength – 10 “great plan” that their maker has for them – although
Health – 26 they are very quiet on what this plan actually entails.
Defence – 15 They are unaware of the broccoli using them, and are
Movement: Walk instead convinced that the broccolis are the strongest
Attacking: Club believers of the Brassica.
Special Notes: Cabbages and turnips will always obey
the commands of a brussels sprout. Interaction – 9/1
Manipulation – 5
Move – 5
Cabbage Smarts – 7
Cabbages hate their lot Strength – 6
in life. Treated almost as Health – 14
badly as the slaves, the Defence – 11
cabbages are glad if they Movement: Glide
are able to get the full Attacking: Dive
amount of food and water Special Notes: All Brassica (apart from broccoli) obey
they need each day. Of their commands immediately.
all the Brassica, cabbages
are the most likely to
help Veggies (as long as
there is no chance other
Brassica will find out). Many of them are aware that
the broccolis have twisted the cauliflowers teachings
to their own gain, but none say or do anything for fear
of reprisals.

30
 Enemies of The Patch

Turnip Freedom
Turnips arenʼt very bright, This group is the most well known dissident group
but they will follow orders within the Collective, and also the largest. As a result,
to the end with a mindless it is also the group the broccoli spend the most time
determination. Fairly trying to root out. The group believes that the core
weak by themselves, they teachings of the cauliflower are wrong – Brassica are
can be dangerous in large no better (or worse) than any other vegetable. They
numbers. They are happy also believe the Collective should be run as a form of
with the status quo in the democracy with no Brassica restricted in the jobs they
collective. They donʼt can do based on vegetable type, and open cooperation
really understand what the with the Veggies.
cauliflowers mean by a
“great plan”, but it sounds interesting. This group has the most sympathy within the cabbages
(who are the worst off of the Brassica). However
Interaction – 4/2 surprisingly few cabbages are actually willing to
Manipulation – 5 join the group, mainly out of fear. The bulk of the
Move – 5 membership is made up of turnips, who resent being
Smarts – 4 treated as fodder by the broccoli. Many members (and
Strength – 4 suspected members) have been killed by the broccoli,
Health – 12 but like many dissident groups this has merely
Defence – 12 strengthened the resolve of its members.
Movement: Hop
Attacking: Dive Of the three, this group are the most willing to work
with Veggies if encountered. A few Veggies have heard
rumors of Freedom, but there are no solid contacts
Brassica Resistance Movements between the group and the Veggies.
Every totalitarian regime, no matter how oppressive,
has its dissidents and rebels. The Brassica Collective Reform
is no different. While the broccoli have tried to stamp
out any resistance to their rule, they havenʼt been This group is rather unusual, as its leader (Bran) is
totally successful. They have learned that the old a broccoli. Its membership is a fairly even mixture
saying is particularly accurate – the more you try to of turnips and cabbages, although to the surprise of
get a grasp on a problem, the more it slips through those members Bran has also managed to recruit a few
your foliage. brussels sprouts to Reform. The stated core belief of
this group is similar to Freedom – Brassica shouldnʼt
Still, the broccoli have managed to keep any such be restricted in what they can do based on vegetable
resistance movements small and secretive. Since the type. The group does still believe that Brassica are
penalty for any sort of dissent within the Collective is superior to Veggies.
death, no group is willing to risk revealing themselves
to many Brassica for fear of being found out. In most Unknown to all the turnips and cabbages, Bran is
cases they are even unwilling to reveal themselves using the group for his own purposes. He intends to
to any Veggies they find, for fear that those Veggies use the group to take over the Collective, and install
will one day be captured and reveal their secret under himself as sole leader. While he will make a few minor
torture. changes to keep his members happy, he doesnʼt intend
to free the cabbages and turnips like they expect. The
There are three main dissident groups within the brussels sprouts in the group know of his real plans,
Brassica Collective. and fully support them.

31
 Enemies of The Patch

This group try their best to remain hidden, in general groups (tribes) constantly looking for food and water.
pinning any activities they do on Freedom and at times As they donʼt have a compost pile like the two gardens,
even “leaking” Freedom members useful information. they are forced to either feed from the ground, or use
For the most part this has been successful, although concentrated sources of nutrients.
some broccoli are beginning to suspect that another
group is working in the shadows. Manure is the easiest way for Weeds to feed, so is
the most common method used. As a result most
While they will pretend they are willing to work with Weeds are constantly high, making them even more
Veggies if encountered, members of Reform wonʼt aggressive than normal. If they are forced to feed from
have any hesitation in double-crossing the Veggies the ground, Weeds can get the nutrients they need in
when they are no longer useful. only an hour (compared to Veggies and Brassica who
require at least 5 hours).

Believers Weeds do have a third way of feeding – they can feed

This group is by far the smallest, made up almost directly from vegetables. This is a horrible scene to
entirely of cauliflower (with a few cabbages making witness, as the Weed forces its roots into the vegetable.
up the rest of the membership). Their members have If the vegetable wasnʼt dead before the feeding started,
realized the broccoli are corrupting the teachings it is by the end. It only takes them 30 minutes to get
of Rel, using them simply to build their own power the nutrients they need this way.
base while controlling all the Brassica. So far they
have done nothing to give themselves away, merely Even before the change Weeds by nature were
bidding their time until they feel they can take control aggressively competitive. This aggressiveness has
from the broccoli and rebuild the Collective as a true been increased and warped by the change. Weeds will
theocracy run by the cauliflower. attack any vegetable on sight, unless they are badly
outnumbered. Even if the odds are bad, some Weeds
This group will not consider working with Veggies will still attack. Weeds never allow themselves to be
under any circumstances (after all, Brassica are the captured – they fight to the death.
true vegetable race).
Strangely enough, Weeds ignore the grass in the Wilds
(not even feeding from it). No one knows why.
The Weed Tribes
Luckily for all the other vegetables, the tribal nature
When the change occurred, all the Veggies initially of the Weeds has ensured there has never been a
thought the Weeds had been unaffected, as they didnʼt coordinated attack on either garden. At most, several
talk. They soon learned just how wrong they were. tribes have happened to attack the garden at the same
time. If a Weed were ever to start uniting the different
Weeds donʼt talk because they communicate via
Weed tribes into one large tribe, the vegetables would
telepathy (a unique ability that only Weeds have for
be in trouble.
some reason). This telepathic link only works over a
distance of 50 meters or so, and only with other Weeds. Weed tribes can have as few as three Weeds, and as
But it does mean that Weeds are able to coordinate many as twenty. Any type of Weed can be in the tribe
strategies without any vegetables learning what they – all Weeds are considered equal. The tribes donʼt
are up to. This was how they were able to surprise the have a leader or chain of command. Instead, the Weeds
vegetables with their attack shortly after the change. decide on major actions by group consensus. With
their telepathic link, this decision making process is
Weeds can talk out loud if they need to – they just
very quick.
choose not to.
In general, Weeds donʼt attack other Weeds. This
Weeds donʼt have an organised society. Instead they
means that a small Weed tribe can join a larger tribe
tend to be nomadic, wandering the Wilds in small
without any difficulty. Occasionally individual Weeds

32
 Enemies of The Patch

may come to blows, but that is rare. If a tribe starts to Table 4-1: Extra Weed Attacks
get too large (more than twenty Weeds), it will break
into two smaller tribes. This may happen immediately Slice The Weed uses the sharp edge of their
after two tribes merge, with the new tribes an even leaves to cut their opponent.
mix of both old tribes. Smother The Weed leaps onto their opponent
and tries to smother them. They remain
attached to their victim (doing 3 points
Weed Stats of damage each round) until they are
forced off, or their victim dies. Their
Once again, as gamemaster you should feel free to
victim can pry them off by winning a
alter these stats as you see fit. There is no set method
Strength roll (the Weed has a +3 bonus).
for coming up with the stats for new weeds – simply
Others trying to help must first make an
use what you feel is right.
Average Manipulation roll to try the
Weeds have no Interaction score (their society doesnʼt same Strength roll
need it, and they donʼt interact with Veggies or
Brassica). If you ever need to make an Interaction roll
for a Weed, just roll 2D6. Oxalis
Oxalis are even crazier than most Weeds, throwing
Weeds have several new methods of attack they can themselves at their opponents without any regard for
use, in addition to the standard methods that vegetables their own safety. This tactic tends to work quite well
can use – see table 4-1 for details. for them.

Manipulation – 7; Move – 5
Daisy Smarts – 5; Strength – 6
Daisies hide well in the grass, and like ambushing Health – 16; Defence – 11
their opponents if given the chance. Movement: Glide
Attacking: Smother
Manipulation – 7; Move – 5
Smarts – 8; Strength – 5
Health – 14; Defence – 10 Pigweed
Movement: Glide Pigweeds like to hang back a little from battle. If
Attacking: Slice given the chance, they will drag a fallen vegetable off
the battlefield to a secluded location and feed, rather
than risk themselves in the fight. But if forced to fight,
Dandelion they can be deadly.
When alone, dandelions prefer using their slice
attack. However when they are in a group of other Manipulation – 5; Move – 5
dandelions, they will all jump on the same opponent Smarts – 7; Strength – 7
and try to smother it. Health – 19; Defence – 12
Movement: Glide
Manipulation – 6; Move – 4 Attacking: Club
Smarts – 6; Strength – 6
Health – 17; Defence – 11
Movement: Glide
Attacking: Slice, Smother

33
 Enemies of The Patch

Ragwort Animals
Ragwort like to wade into the thick of battle, Residents of the two vegetable gardens are very lucky
surrounding themselves with opponents to kill. One – the barrier around the two gardens prevent any
of the first weeds into battle, it is usually the last to animals from entering them and causing problems.
leave. Once vegetables get outside the gardens though, they
begin to run into the native wildlife.
Manipulation – 5; Move – 7
Smarts – 4; Strength – 6 For the most part, the wildlife stays away from the
Health – 15; Defence – 11 now-moving plants. They have had enough run–ins
Movement: Walk (especially with Weeds) to realise itʼs much easier to
Attacking: Club stay away from the large cleared area where the food
tries to hurt you!
Stinging Nettle But animals do still wander near the gardens
Stinging nettles are very dangerous due to their toxin. occasionally, so PCs may run into them (especially
They can kill a vegetable simply by grabbing it and at night).
not letting it go. When they walk they look like large
green spiders, although not as large as potatoes. Only a few animals are listed here. Gamemasters
should feel free to use whatever animal they like for
Manipulation – 9; Move – 8 PC encounters. If you wish, you could even use a
Smarts – 6; Strength – 5 monster from a fantasy setting. Imagine a group of
Health – 18; Defence – 10 Veggies running into a dragon!
Movement: Walk
Attacking: Whip, Smother Animals donʼt have Interaction or Manipulation
Special Notes: Successful hits from a stinging ratings. The Smarts rating represents their instincts
nettle continue to do 1 point of damage for the next and ability to notice things - not intelligence. Finally,
two rounds after the attack. This extra damage is Health isnʼt how much damage the animal can take
cumulative with previous stinging nettle attacks. before they fall unconscious – for animals, it means
how much damage they will take before they run
away from the “strange plants that are hurting them”.
Thistle
Thistles are the only plant more bloodthirsty than (To cause an animal to fall unconscious, vegetables
brussels sprouts, and they love to hurt other plants. need to do five times the listed Health in damage).
Given the chance they like to capture opponents, and
torture them over a long period of time, simply for the While some animals list unusual names for their
fun of it. attacks, all attacks work the same way as a normal
attack in the game.
Manipulation – 6; Move – 5
Smarts – 6; Strength – 7
Health – 17; Defence – 12 Bird
Movement: Glide Birds love to feed on juicy vegetables, and will swoop
Attacking: Club down to try and get a free feed during the day. Luckily
Special Notes: Thistles do +1 damage when they hit. the magic on the Hedge keeps birds out of the Patch,
but in the Wilds they can be a real problem. Individual
birds can be fairly easily scared off (an Average Smarts
task), however they usually attack in large numbers
(where they become quite brave). If half the flock is
driven off, the rest will leave.

34
 Enemies of The Patch

Move – 10; Smarts – 4; Strength – 5 Snake

Health – 8; Defence – 11 Snakes resent being disturbed if they are sunning
Movement: Fly themselves, no matter what it is that is disturbing
Attacking: Bite (peck) them. Very aggressive, they rarely see vegetables
as threats.
Boar Move – 7; Smarts – 5; Strength – 5
Boars are extremely nasty creatures that live Health – 22; Defence – 13
mainly in the forest around the wizardʼs house. Movement: Slither
They rarely come out into the Wilds during the Attacking: Bite
day, preferring to stay hidden in the forest. At Special Notes: Snake venom has no effect on
night they come out to forage, usually alone but vegetables.
sometimes in groups. They tend to leave Veggies
alone unless somehow provoked.
Wolf
Move – 9; Smarts – 3; Strength – 15 Wolves donʼt quite know what to make of the
Health – 24; Defence – 15 moving plants – they move like animals, but
Movement: Walk they donʼt smell or taste like animals. Sometimes
Attacking: Gouge, Charge/Trample they will avoid them, sometimes they will
Special Notes: Boars do two attacks per round attack. Wolves usually travel in packs, although
– both gouge and charge/trample. occasionally they can be found alone.

Move – 9; Smarts – 6; Strength – 13

Fruit Bat Health – 30; Defence – 15
For some reason these bats are attracted to the Movement: Walk
animated plants around the gardens – even plants Attacking: Bite, Claw
that are not part of their normal diet. Like birds, Special Notes: Wolves do two attacks per round
the magic of the Hedge keeps them out of the – both biting and clawing. Both attacks from a
Patch, however they are fairly common in the wolf do +2 damage.
Wilds at night where they attack in groups. They
attack until driven off.

Move – 12; Smarts – 4; Strength – 5

Health – 14; Defence – 13
Movement: Fly
Attacking: Bite

Rabbit
Rabbits are fairly timid, but may accidentally
start nibbling on a “tasty meal” (in other words,
a sleeping vegetable). Usually solitary creatures,
they can be encountered day or night. If they are
able to escape, they usually will.

Move – 10; Smarts – 7; Strength – 7

Health – 10; Defence –13
Movement: Walk
Attacking: Bite, Claw

35
 Options for Play

Options For Play necromantic magic would involve raising dead

plants (not dead animals), and may not necessarily be
Here are a few thoughts on the different ways you considered bad.
can use the material in The Veggie Patch, and some
options you have while running the game. In the Patch, it is likely that any Veggie would be able
to learn any type of magic. The Apple Trees would be
powerful sorcerers, but all their magic would involve
Using The Veggie Patch In An Existing Campaign ritual magic that takes some time to cast.
On thing that may throw your players in a loop is to
use this material in an existing campaign. The PCs For the Brassica, cauliflowers would know divine type
are on their journey to (wherever), or are seeking the magic, while broccoli would be regular magic users.
aid of the wizard Pete, when they come across this The other Brassica wouldnʼt be able to use magic (and
strange area where most of the plants can move and if they showed any sign of using magic, they would
talk. What do they do? be executed).

If they are attacked by Weeds or Brassica before they

Developing Technology
meet any Veggies, they may assume that all the plants
in the area are evil. Or they might destroy the plants If you set the game some time after the change has
anyway, since anything plant–like that moves must be occurred (months, if not years), then the Patch
evil! may have had a chance to change quite a bit. New
inventions would be made to make life easier, and
Or they may decide to help the Veggies in some way parts of the Patch may begin to resemble a city.
– expand the Patch, get rid of the Weeds or Brassica,
etc. (A good example of what this might look like is the
animated movie The Secret of Nimh).
It doesnʼt necessarily have to be a fantasy setting to
use this material either. A modern day setting could You could go to town with this. Computers and other
have the Patch the result of genetic engineering of advanced electrical technology would be out of the
food going horribly wrong. Or in a modern day setting question, but advanced mechanical devices could
with magic, the cause could be the same as presented be appropriate. You can even add many steampunk
here. elements – weird devices all powered by steam.

Even using this in a science fiction setting is possible Do remember that most plants will have a fear of
– instead of just a single area, the entire planet may fire. Perhaps this setting would require that a group
have intelligent plant life (admittedly, this isnʼt too of plants had overcome this fear, or maybe the plants
uncommon in some sci-fi stories). have found an alternate source of power to fire?

You could have a lot of fun exploring this theme!

Introducing Magic
An interesting addition to the setting would be the
Post Apocalyptic
addition of magic.
A rather unusual variation of the basic Veggie Patch
Any list of magic spells would do. The main thing to theme would be to have the Veggies awaken in some
remember is that the casters are plants, not humanoid, sort of post apocalyptic setting. Perhaps the world was
so a number of the standard spells either wonʼt apply, destroyed by a huge magical war waged by wizards,
or will have a different interpretation. or perhaps it was some sort of plague on modern day
Earth that killed everyone.
As it is so destructive to plant life, any plant knowing
fire magic would be viewed with suspicion, while In this setting, people may or may not be still alive.
If they are still alive, itʼs a good bet that they would

36
 Options for Play

view the Veggies as some sort of abomination that

needs to be destroyed!

For an added twist, perhaps animals also became

aware as a result of whatever happened. Carnivores
may be willing to work with the Veggies (or at least
leave them alone), while herbivores would probably
be considered mortal enemies!

If you use this option, it would be best to remove the

distance restriction for the Veggies, and allow them to
travel as far as they like.

PCs as Brassica
A final option that some groups may be interested in is
to play the game as Brassica (most likely as broccoli).
If no one takes it seriously (and since everyone is
playing vegetables, they shouldnʼt!) this can be a lot
of fun. The players all get a chance to plot and scheme
to take over land (the Patch), and secure their own
position (by eliminating Brassica above them).

This option could probably only be used for a session

or two (the players are unlikely to keep their superiors
happy much longer than that if they fail in their plans),
but could give everyone a chance to be evil (for a
plant), without having to be evil (for a human).

Alternatively, if the gamemaster prefers he could have

the players play evil Veggies. They could either be
agents for the Brassica (which would likely mean they
have a short life span once their usefulness is over), or
they could just be out to profit for themselves.

37
 Adventures

Adventure Ideas animal (gamemasters choice, but make sure it is large)

to break through the hedge and get into the garden,
Coming up with an adventure to run set in The Veggie where it enjoyed a very nice meal. The animal plans
Patch may be a bit difficult at first. Here is a collection to return to continue its feast. The PCʼs need to find
of ideas that might be some help to you. At the very out what the creature is, but more importantly find a
least, you should be able to use them as a springboard way to stop it from getting back in.
for your own ideas. Remember, the players are all
vegetables – anything is possible! 8) A strange disease has struck the Patch. Many
Veggies have been struck down, their bodies slowly
1) The few nearby farms are beginning to wonder blackening - some have even had body parts fall off!
where the wizardʼs magical servants are, as the next The disease is actually a fungus. The Apple trees
trade of food is overdue. One of the families may even remember it from the past, and also remember that
be relying on the trade, having not put aside enough the servants used to spray affected plants with a spray
vegetables of their own to survive the coming winter. from the Shed. Unfortunately, the bottles of spray in
So they send someone to the wizardʼs place to find out the Patch shed are empty, so the PCʼs will have to
whatʼs going on. somehow sneak into the Brassicaʼs shed. And which
spray is the fungicide, and which is the herbicide?
2) A former rival of the wizard has decided to track
his enemy down and settle things once and for all. Of 9) The Brassica seem to be rather busy with something,
course, when he finds his former enemy dead he will and strangely enough they arenʼt saying what theyʼre
be all too happy to remove any interesting items from up to. In fact, theyʼve managed to find an old magical
around the place – and burn the rest. plough that the wizard experimented with (before
abandoning it for more magical servants), and they
3) A wizard has heard rumours of enchanted plants are attempting to learn how to control it. If they
that can move and talk on their own, and wants to succeed, they could cause havoc on the Patch. The
capture several specimens to study. PCs have to find out what the Brassica are up to, and
(more importantly) stop them!
4) The water supply to the Patch has suddenly dried
up. The PCʼs must find out what has happened (the 11) One of the wizards magical servants has somehow
inlet to the pipe is blocked), and fix the problem. Of managed to reanimate, and has decided that it is time
course, the pond that supplies the water is right next to work on the garden. Of course, the wizard liked
to the other side of the Brassica Field… things to be kept in order, and anything that was out
of place disposed of. With most of the Veggies in the
5) The unusually warm weather has meant that more Patch “out of place”, the magical servant is going to
weeds than before have started to germinate. These be doing a lot of disposing unless the PCs somehow
rampaging weeds are starting to cause problems, for stop it!
both the vegetables and the Brassica. They will need
to work together to combat the huge number of weeds 12) The Patch is starting to get crowded, and some
– but can the Brassica be trusted? Veggies are starting to advocate taking over the
Brassica field. Can these Veggies be talked out of their
6) More weeds than normal are getting into the Patch plans? Is there an ulterior motive for them advocating
and causing problems – yet the Brassica seem to be the use of force?
unaffected by them. Have the two groups formed an
alliance of some kind? 13) The Apple Trees have decided that the “huge
shed” on the hill (the wizards house), needs to be
7) A mysterious creature was spotted in the Patch investigated, to see if there is anything useful in there.
the previous night, and the carnage was terrible. Unfortunately, the Brassica have had the same idea…
Everyone is in a panic. Unknown to the Vegies, the and exploring a wizardʼs house uninvited can prove to
barrier surrounding the Patch (keeping all the animals be “interesting” to say the least.
out), is starting to weaken in places. This allowed one

38
 Adventures

14) A Veggie has started preaching the “teachings 19) The Brassica have heard about the poultice that
of the guardians”, which were revealed to him in protectors have access to, and they are rather keen on
dreams. He is starting to gain a few followers, and the getting some for themselves. To do this, they need
group is beginning to disrupt the work in the Patch. apples. The Brassica plan to stage a diversion at one
Is everything as it seems, or is there a more sinister end of the Patch, and hope to slip an agent through the
motive behind it? hedge at the other end of the Patch in to grab some
apples during the confusion. Itʼs up to the PCs to
15) The PCs come across a wounded cabbage in discover the plan, and stop the theft!
the Wilds, surrounded by many other dead Brassica
(turnips, cabbages and a few brussels sprouts). The 20) The insect population has had a sudden explosion
cabbage claims to be a member of Freedom, a group in numbers, and they are starting to attack the Veggies
of Brassica trying to reform the Collective. Their cell in the Patch. The PCs need to find a way to repel the
was discovered by the broccoli; they had managed to insects, or find out where they are all breeding and put
escape into the Wilds, but had been hunted down by a stop to it.
the brussels sprouts. The cabbage begs for their help,
and asylum in the Patch. Is the cabbage telling the 21) The Wizard had an apprentice at the time of the
truth? How will other Veggies react to them? How explosion. The magic from the explosion put him into
will the Brassica react if they find out the Veggies are a form of hibernation. He has just woken up and is
hiding a known dissident? trying to find out what happened, and what is going
on around him.
16) A Radish PC receives a note that says the writer
knows their secret (Radishes are really Brassica). The (This is actually a great way to run a “normal”
note then threatens to reveal the secret if they donʼt do adventure, where the players are human. The PCs
as they say. Starting off with small “jobs”, the notes were all apprentices of Pete, and were all put to sleep
soon escalate in what they want. Can the PC find their by the explosion. How will they react when they wake
blackmailer (and stop them) without revealing the up to discover their master dead, and all the plant life
Radish secret? around them is moving? Especially if the first plants
they run into are wild Weeds who attack without
17) The Veggies who make Abyss approach the PCʼs warning!)
and ask them for a favour. They need some ingredients
from the Wilds to make their next batch, but their
usual contacts havenʼt returned. In return for finding
out what happened to their previous group, they will
get free Abyss for a week (longer if they are willing to
do more jobs). Of course, when the PCʼs finally find
the missing contacts they learn exactly what goes into
Abyss. What will the PCʼs do when they discover the
secret?

18) A Veggie has started to complain about hearing

voices when he goes near the edge of the Patch (and
not the hedge either). After some investigation, it is
discovered he is able to hear the Weeds communicating!
This could give the Veggies a huge advantage in
defending the Patch. Unfortunately, the Weeds arenʼt
too happy about someone being able to hear their
communications (they can pick up his thoughts as
well). To make things worse, the Brassica are rather
keen on obtaining the “services” of this Veggie.

39
Character Sheet

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Character Pictures
To make it simple to add a picture for your character, all the Veggie pictures are available below. Just print out the
next two pages, then cut out the pictures you need.