The Great Bake Off!
1: The Start - The party has entered a local competition for best chef in a local community.
The participants need to be a lead chef and his cooking assistants. So, the party is ok for this event. The Lead Chef must co-ordinate and guide his assistants through the recipes and cooking times while keeping to a timed schedule where all preparation must be completed within a time frame of one day, beginning at the time the sun breaks the horizon for Dawn and ending by the time the sun touches the horizon (not below it, when it touches). This is actually a fairly long time and there should be no real time crunch, right? Right?
Prize: A reputation of a good cook, a ribbon with the date on it and reason, some coin, adding your recipes to the local cookbook! (Surprise reward - this prize is unknown until the winner is announced. If the winner cannot for some reason travel, the runner up is sent) The winner of the competition will be sent to the next tier up for another cooking competition! Again, a staff is allowed to come with! 2: This next event is a regional event.
Here, there will be competition from the regional chefs! Now we are ramping up for some strong competition! Again, the timeline is breaking sunrise until the sun touches the horizon at evening. Easy, right?
The Teams are allowed to purchase up to "X" coins worth of ingredients. This time spent purchasing is also part of the time that the Team could/should be baking and prepping!
Prize: Another pass to a competition on the political territory level. Now, we are on a smaller scale of people. Does that mean that the competition will be easier? Suuuuuuuure, it does. ('nt). Again, a reputation to be spread around by Bard/Herald of your success at that level. Adding your recipe to the regional cookbook. A wooden placard with your name, date, and competition. Coins.
3: Now, at this level, we have all of the successful chefs from the political territory. Fewer people, but this competition is going to be fierce and possibly hateful.
This level of competition has a few restrictions to it. A: The time limit has been applied with a further restriction that any supplies come from within the city walls. Shopping begins at the moment the sun breaks the horizon. Shopping MUST be completed by noon. B: Preparation goes from Noon until the touching of the sun to the horizon. All food must be completed by that time. Anything not finished is prevented from being shown and counts against the Team! C: This is a four-course meal. 1: appetizer. 2: soup and salad. 3: Main course. 4: Dessert. (Palette cleansers may be allowed between courses.)
Prize: Recognition in a Placard of the National Flag with your name, date and competition. Coins. Embroidered Chef's aprons for all Team members. A Special Apron for the Lead Chef. A declaration via Herald and Bard. Adding the recipes into the National Cookbook for the Leadership of the political body (president, king, etc.) Entry into the International competition!!!!
4: This level, you are not just a competitor. You represent people from the Leadership of your political territory all the way down to your local home where you started!!
A Neutral location is selected. Competition limits: Each contestant is assigned "X" coins worth of groceries from a random location (Team is sent via teleportation with only that many coins and a two-hour shopping allowance the day before. Failure to be at the destination at that time is a forfeiture! No, they won't leave you stranded there!!). They must make do with the ingredients available at the destination, and if something gets broken or ruined, there is no replacing it!!!
The chef and crew must make a complete meal for each mealtime, Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. If one can make more, that is great, as long as it doesn't compromise the three courses!!! This time, the crews are to be woken before sunrise for the breakfast meal with a time of 2 hours to get ready!! Must be ready by sun breaking horizon for Breakfast. Aftr the morning meal, a brief break until 10am.
The luncheon prepares at 10am for the 12-noon meal. The meal is served and consumed followed again, by a brief rest.
At 4pm, preparation begins for the final meal of the day. which will include a dessert of a... random topic. This ingredient is selected by the judges, which won't be a monkey wrench, just a surprise. the meal will be served at the moment the sun touches the horizon at sunset.
Prize: A notation in the Competition records of the Team and their titles, duties. A collection of the Team's recipes will be archived by the Culinarian Guild/School. Bards and Heralds will be sent out to all territories across the lands declaring the winners. This along with posters, for those peoples who can read. A very lucrative coin reward is also granted to all of the winning Team members, each. A letter of recommendation for each participant with their status and duties in the competition to assist them in acquiring gainful employment in the food industry, should they want it. Lastly, a placard for each Team member with their name and status on it and a Flag of their Nation to hang in their home.
The participants need to be a lead chef and his cooking assistants. So, the party is ok for this event. The Lead Chef must co-ordinate and guide his assistants through the recipes and cooking times while keeping to a timed schedule where all preparation must be completed within a time frame of one day, beginning at the time the sun breaks the horizon for Dawn and ending by the time the sun touches the horizon (not below it, when it touches). This is actually a fairly long time and there should be no real time crunch, right? Right?
Prize: A reputation of a good cook, a ribbon with the date on it and reason, some coin, adding your recipes to the local cookbook! (Surprise reward - this prize is unknown until the winner is announced. If the winner cannot for some reason travel, the runner up is sent) The winner of the competition will be sent to the next tier up for another cooking competition! Again, a staff is allowed to come with! 2: This next event is a regional event.
Here, there will be competition from the regional chefs! Now we are ramping up for some strong competition! Again, the timeline is breaking sunrise until the sun touches the horizon at evening. Easy, right?
The Teams are allowed to purchase up to "X" coins worth of ingredients. This time spent purchasing is also part of the time that the Team could/should be baking and prepping!
Prize: Another pass to a competition on the political territory level. Now, we are on a smaller scale of people. Does that mean that the competition will be easier? Suuuuuuuure, it does. ('nt). Again, a reputation to be spread around by Bard/Herald of your success at that level. Adding your recipe to the regional cookbook. A wooden placard with your name, date, and competition. Coins.
3: Now, at this level, we have all of the successful chefs from the political territory. Fewer people, but this competition is going to be fierce and possibly hateful.
This level of competition has a few restrictions to it. A: The time limit has been applied with a further restriction that any supplies come from within the city walls. Shopping begins at the moment the sun breaks the horizon. Shopping MUST be completed by noon. B: Preparation goes from Noon until the touching of the sun to the horizon. All food must be completed by that time. Anything not finished is prevented from being shown and counts against the Team! C: This is a four-course meal. 1: appetizer. 2: soup and salad. 3: Main course. 4: Dessert. (Palette cleansers may be allowed between courses.)
Prize: Recognition in a Placard of the National Flag with your name, date and competition. Coins. Embroidered Chef's aprons for all Team members. A Special Apron for the Lead Chef. A declaration via Herald and Bard. Adding the recipes into the National Cookbook for the Leadership of the political body (president, king, etc.) Entry into the International competition!!!!
4: This level, you are not just a competitor. You represent people from the Leadership of your political territory all the way down to your local home where you started!!
A Neutral location is selected. Competition limits: Each contestant is assigned "X" coins worth of groceries from a random location (Team is sent via teleportation with only that many coins and a two-hour shopping allowance the day before. Failure to be at the destination at that time is a forfeiture! No, they won't leave you stranded there!!). They must make do with the ingredients available at the destination, and if something gets broken or ruined, there is no replacing it!!!
The chef and crew must make a complete meal for each mealtime, Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. If one can make more, that is great, as long as it doesn't compromise the three courses!!! This time, the crews are to be woken before sunrise for the breakfast meal with a time of 2 hours to get ready!! Must be ready by sun breaking horizon for Breakfast. Aftr the morning meal, a brief break until 10am.
The luncheon prepares at 10am for the 12-noon meal. The meal is served and consumed followed again, by a brief rest.
At 4pm, preparation begins for the final meal of the day. which will include a dessert of a... random topic. This ingredient is selected by the judges, which won't be a monkey wrench, just a surprise. the meal will be served at the moment the sun touches the horizon at sunset.
Prize: A notation in the Competition records of the Team and their titles, duties. A collection of the Team's recipes will be archived by the Culinarian Guild/School. Bards and Heralds will be sent out to all territories across the lands declaring the winners. This along with posters, for those peoples who can read. A very lucrative coin reward is also granted to all of the winning Team members, each. A letter of recommendation for each participant with their status and duties in the competition to assist them in acquiring gainful employment in the food industry, should they want it. Lastly, a placard for each Team member with their name and status on it and a Flag of their Nation to hang in their home.
Plot points/Scenes
This competition can be started anywhere, so any political affiliation can take part as they all are going to meet up at some point anyway!
1: a local bake-off.
2: Regional competition.
3: National competition
4: International Competition
1: a local bake-off.
2: Regional competition.
3: National competition
4: International Competition
Themes
Competition - Food competition
Reputation - Personal, Town, Political Entity
Become history - recipes placed in Cookbooks!
Treasure - coinage, memories
Relics - Placards and ribbons
Travel - from local to international!!!
Comraderies - fellow competitors
Rivals - Fellow competitors
Reputation - Personal, Town, Political Entity
Become history - recipes placed in Cookbooks!
Treasure - coinage, memories
Relics - Placards and ribbons
Travel - from local to international!!!
Comraderies - fellow competitors
Rivals - Fellow competitors
Structure
Exposition
A friendly local competition to see who can bake the best whatever you choose! there are several areas! The most relished is the "meal" competition!
Winning this opens an invitation to Regional, then on to Political Territory, National. Finally, winning National, you get to try for International chef status!!
No matter if you win or lose, your name is going to be remembered and how it went down!!
Are you nervous, yet?
Winning this opens an invitation to Regional, then on to Political Territory, National. Finally, winning National, you get to try for International chef status!!
No matter if you win or lose, your name is going to be remembered and how it went down!!
Are you nervous, yet?
Conflict
The conflict is between chefs and their teams of assistants. There REALLY shouldn't be any kind of violence. Right?
I mean, this is a friendly competition between chefs.
I mean, this is a friendly competition between chefs.
Rising Action
As the level of competition rises, the amount at stake grows!
In the beginning, the players were just locals entering into a friendly cooking competition. By the last level of the competition, they are representing not only theirs, their communities, their political territories, and the International honors of their skills as chefs for all to see and witness.
In the beginning, the players were just locals entering into a friendly cooking competition. By the last level of the competition, they are representing not only theirs, their communities, their political territories, and the International honors of their skills as chefs for all to see and witness.
Climax
The final level of competition is against the most skillful food artisans in the world. All competing for the single winning position of Internation chef. For some, it isn't how you win, it is IF you win. For others, it is how you ran your team.
What are the players motivations?
What are the players motivations?
Falling Action
Interesting. Interesting.
The players will describe their actions and team distribution. The GM will record this data and all participants skills. Behind closed screen, the GM will make the rolls for the players using their skill modifiers and the organization modifiers of the Chefs team allotment.
The players will never know until the Judges declaration if they have won or lost!!
(GM's, please be honest and honorable with your players and don't fudge against them!!)
The players will describe their actions and team distribution. The GM will record this data and all participants skills. Behind closed screen, the GM will make the rolls for the players using their skill modifiers and the organization modifiers of the Chefs team allotment.
The players will never know until the Judges declaration if they have won or lost!!
(GM's, please be honest and honorable with your players and don't fudge against them!!)
Resolution
Whether they win or lose, each level of competition has a reward.
All participants for each level are recorded and put in the annals of the records for all to see. Usually in the Mayor's office building, though sometimes in other places. The local library, perhaps? If the town is big enough to support one!! (My world, literacy is actually very rare. Refer to Dark Ages to Rennaissance period.)
However, winning the International chef award will bring all kinds of opportunities, obligations, and distractions. Anonymity, anyone?
All participants for each level are recorded and put in the annals of the records for all to see. Usually in the Mayor's office building, though sometimes in other places. The local library, perhaps? If the town is big enough to support one!! (My world, literacy is actually very rare. Refer to Dark Ages to Rennaissance period.)
However, winning the International chef award will bring all kinds of opportunities, obligations, and distractions. Anonymity, anyone?
Components
Goals
To win each level of competition!
The physical prizes aren't nearly as nice as the non-physical ones! Reputation is at stake here!
The physical prizes aren't nearly as nice as the non-physical ones! Reputation is at stake here!
Hooks
The competition happens every year, so if you fail out at some level, it doesn't mean this is your only shot at it! You can always try again next year!
If you win, your travel is paid for you. If you fail out, you can still go to the next round of competition at your own expense to watch and cheer on your favorite rival!
It is against the rules, but, as long as you don't get caught, there is always less than honorable ways to win a competition.
If you win, your travel is paid for you. If you fail out, you can still go to the next round of competition at your own expense to watch and cheer on your favorite rival!
It is against the rules, but, as long as you don't get caught, there is always less than honorable ways to win a competition.
Stakes
Until higher up in the competition, the expenses for your supplies are all on you! What can you do on a budget?
Your reputation as a chef in on the line!! When you enter, everyone will know if you win or lose, and how it went down!
Your reputation as a chef in on the line!! When you enter, everyone will know if you win or lose, and how it went down!
Moral Quandaries
To be morally correct in your competition, or cheat in some way!?
Cruel Tricks
Oh, so many ways to cheat or be true to your moral convictions!
Red Herrings
An ingredient that is actually designed as a throw away or a ruiner! Noting toxic, of course!! (At least it isn't supposed to be!)
If the Red Herring isn't caught and removed, the team is disqualified!!
If the Red Herring isn't caught and removed, the team is disqualified!!
Relations
Protagonists
THE Culinarian Guild/School of highest regard is sponsoring the competition!!
All kinds of people will be met, not all of them with your best interests at heart! This IS a competition, after all!
All kinds of people will be met, not all of them with your best interests at heart! This IS a competition, after all!
Allies
While it may not seem like it during the earlier rounds of competition, your local followers and former competitors may turn into valuable allies later in the competition. How did you treat the townsfolk and competitors earlier in the competition? Kindly, Cruely, Arrogantly, Honorably?
Competitors
Oh, and aren't they a diverse group of people!
The competitors will have various levels of experience. Some have been in the competition before, while some are new to it. Morals can vary as widely as the people you are competing against!!
All races and genders will be represented. So, too, political territories.
The competitors will have various levels of experience. Some have been in the competition before, while some are new to it. Morals can vary as widely as the people you are competing against!!
All races and genders will be represented. So, too, political territories.
Adversaries
Perhaps, during later levels of the competition, the politics of each Nation may come into play? What resources may come into play for such a reputation as International Chef. To be a Nation which has the previous winner amongst it's people?
Backdrops
Locations
The adventure begins at a very small local level and escalates to a more and more grand level of travel and experience and exploration. The actual competition may take place at any small local area in any territory!
Threats
There will be time in between each competition in which the characters may explore and adventure! So, they may bring harm to themselves. They could also spend time working on their teamwork in the kitchen or on their Craft - Cooking, skills!!
The competitors may not have the same moral values as the party!
Red Herring ingredients may intentionally be placed in a team's supplies, to see if they remove it. Failure to do so will disqualify the team!
Bribed judges, perhaps violence in the form of hired thugs. (is it appropriate to use lethal force in this situation?!?!?)
The competitors may not have the same moral values as the party!
Red Herring ingredients may intentionally be placed in a team's supplies, to see if they remove it. Failure to do so will disqualify the team!
Bribed judges, perhaps violence in the form of hired thugs. (is it appropriate to use lethal force in this situation?!?!?)
Encounters
Each competition site is an adventure awaiting the party to explore. Most of the sites can be a shopping excursion with barter, haggle, and coin happening!!!
Do you remember all those odd background NPC's that are in people's backstories that never make an appearance? Here is an opportunity for them to appear!
*Negotiation - Prices
*Discussion/Interaction - Rival Teams meeting each other. Are there some intimidation or negotiations happening?
*Meeting/Introduction with cast - Three will be judges to impress, rival teams to snipe comments at, shops and markets to negotiate with!
*Travel/Exploration - The party goes from local all the way to International during the adventure/competition.
*Investigation - locating the best/freshest ingredients. Perhaps discovering any sabotage that may occur during the competition...
*Romance - Perhaps...happenstance does often occur at the oddest of moments!
*Planning - Definitely. Meals have to be organized with the resources at hand. Then the workload and execution!!
*Daring Enterprise - What happens when a team manages to actually DO SOMETHING with a red herring ingredient!?!?!? IS it safe to make a course of a meal smaller to add a palette cleanser or extra course???
*Riddle solving/Enigma - The surprise ingredients. The random locations for the competition!!
*Disaster/Mishap - recovering somehow from a failed course. Working around/through a sabotage?!?
Do you remember all those odd background NPC's that are in people's backstories that never make an appearance? Here is an opportunity for them to appear!
*Negotiation - Prices
*Discussion/Interaction - Rival Teams meeting each other. Are there some intimidation or negotiations happening?
*Meeting/Introduction with cast - Three will be judges to impress, rival teams to snipe comments at, shops and markets to negotiate with!
*Travel/Exploration - The party goes from local all the way to International during the adventure/competition.
*Investigation - locating the best/freshest ingredients. Perhaps discovering any sabotage that may occur during the competition...
*Romance - Perhaps...happenstance does often occur at the oddest of moments!
*Planning - Definitely. Meals have to be organized with the resources at hand. Then the workload and execution!!
*Daring Enterprise - What happens when a team manages to actually DO SOMETHING with a red herring ingredient!?!?!? IS it safe to make a course of a meal smaller to add a palette cleanser or extra course???
*Riddle solving/Enigma - The surprise ingredients. The random locations for the competition!!
*Disaster/Mishap - recovering somehow from a failed course. Working around/through a sabotage?!?
Past Events
The cooking competition has a long running history of at least twenty years.
Completion Date
Begins at late Spring/Early Summer and goes until late August/Early September annually.
Begins at late Spring/Early Summer and goes until late August/Early September annually.
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I really like this idea of a cooking competition and there is a lot of "flavor", pun intended, for a short adventure. I can understand things were intentionally left vague so anyone can use them but some locations would be nice. Overall i really love the premise and hope to use something like this in a game of mine sometime! Thanks for sharing!