*current* Island Map

INTRO:

The first documented chapter of the Science Fantasy Roleplaying Game I’m running. Our adventures are set in a world transformed by The Abyss, a cosmic mist that forced civilization to live in the skies. Our unorthodox party having sealed a cosmic tear, reduced the Abyss layer of the Region revealing a hidden land full of mysteries and challenges, where steampunk innovations meets arcane discovery.

ADVENTURE LOG [MEGA-THREAD]

MECHANICS:

I am running this for a level 4 group using a homebrew ruleset that simplifies most values. (I may do a follow up post with my current ruleset.)

THE PARTY:

Dekkard Naofumi

-Dekkard Naofumi: A wolf-like Demi-human Commander, desperately searching for his missing wife.

Pandora Festos

-Pandora Festos**:** A Tiefling Engineer, battling her insecurities and discovering her own path.

PLoK

*-*PLoK:** A (stereotypically) Chaotic Goblin Pilot, with a primal need for Speed and Explosions.

Shan Jahn Kwan

Shan Jahn Kwan: An Oblivious “Undead” Sorcerer, suffering from a bad case of amnesia.

Relevant NPC's

RELEVANT NPC's**:** [From left-to-right]

1. Launchpad (a Duck-like Demi-human Pilot, and current love interest for Pandora)
2. Flea (A snarky Cat-like Demi-human teenager, “adopted” by Dekkard)
3. Kiara (a human Sorcerer Adept, currently studying the mystical secrets of the uncovered island)
4. Desinae (a cynically snarky human serving as Dekkard’s “right-hand” who manages the parties financial ventures, business contracts, and island development)

The \"Pastel-Goth Death Machine\"

RECAP:

Previously, the party fled towards the newly founded Western Colony via Dekkard’s Corvette, (“The Pastel-Goth Death Machine”) in search of urgent medical treatment for PLoK and Pandora, who had sustained potentially lethal wounds.

During their escape they were pursued by a relentless Specter with Red Rhinestone Eyes, who altered the environment in attempt to destroy the party.

In a devastating attempt to block the parties path the Specter opened a vast chasm in the earth between them and the Colony. In a daring maneuver, Dekkard floored the gas, leaping over the chasm to safety.

The Specter halted pursuit for reasons unknown at the time, that have since become clear. Using a Scrying Ritual the party learned that the Specter has amassed an enormous force of ‘Broodswarm Units’ (hive-minded creatures, characterized by their insect-like appearance and overwhelming numbers). They now use the open-chasm as a direct route to the Colony with a singular goal to Consume...

SESSION 25: “Swarm Rush”

LOCATION: THE WESTERN COLONY

• The Session begins on the Balcony of the “Fat Goose Saloon,” standing in the center of town. Desinae has called an Emergency Town Meeting to discuss the impending Swarm Threat with the Townsfolk, who have gathered in the Towns Square.
• Dekkard’s initial attempt to rally the Townsfolk was met with confusion as he rambled on about irrelevant information. However, Pandora, overcoming her social anxiety, stepped forward to clearly communicate the situation at hand, inspiring the town to unite.

The Townsfolk Militia

• After a quick inventory of supplies and assessment of Townsfolk capabilities, the party put together a list of defensive options: 7 melee fighters, 7 gunmen, 4 spellcasters, 3 medics, various makeshift barriers, spike traps, braziers, and a makeshift flamethrower with 6 charges.

The Main Entry Point

• Despite being vastly outnumbered the party strategically positioned barriers, spikes, and braziers in the main choke points of entry into the town’s corridor. PLoK took the flamethrower and along with all the melee fighters held ground at the main entry point. Dekkard, the Gunmen, and 2 Spellcasters all took elevated positions on rooftops for optimal range and visibility.

The Flanking Point

• Pandora and Launchpad camped out at the side road barrier to hold off flanking units. While Shan and Kiara, prepare a Banishment Ritual to use against the Specter with Rhinestone Eyes. Shan, not requiring the need to sleep, spent the previous night studying ways to deal with the Specter. Despite his companions unflattering theories of the Specter being Shan’s evil half, he could not deny there was a connection between them.

*studying intensifies*

• From his study Shan learned that a piece of his own soul (containing his forgotten memories) has been severed and imprisoned. This void in his soul serves as a gateway or beacon that can attract or lure evil spirits. Additionally he discovered that Spirits can be weakened with intense exposure to light, and the ritual for Banishment requires them to be in a Weakened State.

The 1st Swarmling Wave

• They could be heard long before anyone saw them, as the sun dipped below the horizon, the earth trembled with the approach of the Broodswarm Army. The battle began with a few manageable waves of “Swarmling's,” which were swiftly dispatched by the gunman.

*swarm rush intensifies*

• As the following waves of Swarmling's fell to the Town Defenses, the Broodswarm increased intensity of their assault as Hydralurkers and Mutamaws joined the fight. With their Corrosive ranged attacks the Broodswarm was able to crack the barriers, pushing PLoK and the melee fighters to the brink. PLoK was able to hold his ground long enough for the medics to revive the fallen fighters at the cost of 4 Flamethrower Charges.

The Brood Queen protected by the Specter

• As the Broodswarm Units began to break through the defenses their onslaught escalated as the Specter with piercing Red Eyes emerged, accompanied by a Brood Queen, who began spreading debilitating purple Swarm Ooze.

*a dazzling display*

• As the Specter finally emerged from hiding, Shan detached his Spectral Form from his Physical Body, drawing the Specter into the Ritual Circle. In a breathtaking display of coordination, the party unleashed a dazzling barrage of light: Pandora electrified a path of water, creating a shimmering conduit; Flea switched on the car's headlights, flooding the area with blinding brightness; Kiara summoned a crackling lightning bolt; and Shan infused his Spectral Form to the flames of a nearby brazier. In a swift motion, Shan propelled a fiery ball of light directly at the Specter, then seamlessly returned to his prone body, rising through the flames in a spectacular display. Seizing the moment, Shan and Kiara activated the Sigil Circle banishing the Specter with Rhinestone Eyes to the Spirit World.

*fire beats bug*

• With their leader gone, the remaining Broodswarm Waves retreated, leaving only the Brood Queen. PLoK, with reckless abandonment, overloaded the flamethrower and alongside a spellcaster’s fireball, obliterated the Brood Queen in a fiery explosion. PLoK was caught in the resulting blast of the inferno, dealing significant fire damage that due to his natural resistance to fire, wasn’t fatal.

DESIGN NOTES:

• As the party killed Broodswarm Units I kept a tally of how many the managed to defeat. At the sessions conclusion the party managed to kill a total of 102 Swarmlings, 20 Hydras, 8 Mutas, and one Brood Queen while only suffering two Townsfolk casualties, and three significant injuries
• This is the first time I’ve attempted to run an encounter at this scale. For the sake of gameplay and pacing I opted to give the players and the townsfolk under their control a “Continuous Initiative” where they can coordinate anyone’s actions to happen at the same time which led to some fun theory crafting for the Party. The catch here however is after each individual action The Swarm get to move and attack.
• Another quick innovation made was for tracking the health of the townsfolk. Rather than keeping track on paper we set a d8 next to each character that we would decrease/increase as their health changed.

FINAL REMARKS:

I am really impressed with the defensive strategy the party came up with tonight. Having an encounter of this scale go as smoothly as it did opens a number of exciting possibilities for future sessions. Speaking of, we have a few open plot points they can choose to follow. Shan's Soul is fractured and there is reason to believe that the gateway to his lost fragment is at the Stone Altar they discovered him in Necrotic Hibernation. There is also the dilemma of upgrading the Town and Mountain Factories Defenses, this likely will not be the last enemy force we have to deal with. Additionally the party had been tasked with defending the Volcano Forge by Sky-Witness who was supposed to meet them there, yet never showed.

Do the answers of Shan's memories outweigh the cost of abandoning the defenses? Can they afford to keep the rift his soul open? What happened to Sky-Witness, and did he really have a romantic history with Shan? Is Dekkard's Wife still Alive? Will Pandora make a move on Launchpad? How close can PLoK come to death next session?

I secently ran a one shot (well it actually turned out to be 2 sessions) for my son and his friends.

The one shot was specifically designed to have all the encounters designed to be resolved peacefully. And I wanted to check if players will actually go for peaceful resolution over violence. Like a test for the party of suspected murder hoboes. So below I am going to discribe the adventure. What is the peaceful resolution and how my party handled it for all of you to (hopefully) enjoy.

So the premise is simple. The party is riding an express train across a wast desert connecting two sides of the empire together. In the morning the train is not moving. Which is not unusual as crew sometimes need to refuel or check the engine, but that stop is too prolonged and the crew is acting a bit suspicious. This gives players a chance to meet and get together with a shared goal of figuring out what is wrong.

After some prodding around the party figures out that in the night the train was attacked. But the only things taken were parts of the engine. A request for spare parts is out but they will only come in a week or so, and in the meantime the train is in a tight spot since it doesn't have enough food and water - especially for POSH passengers on-board. But the party notices easy to follow tracks heading into the desert with clear idea that this is where the engine parts were dragged to.

That portion of adventure went mostly without a hitch. Aside from players choosing to investigate situation by themselves rather then press the crew for more details.

Following the tracks lead the party to a desert town with thick column of smoke billowing over the center and outer palisade showing recent battle damage. Short investigation shows the source of smoke - a huge pyre in the center square with works dragging and throwing human bodies into the fire.

The catch is - this is actually an ork town that was in the night raised by human nomad tribe. And upon closer examination the tracks the party follows do not go into the town. Instead they end close by it and switch to mounted tracks. Like as if the thieves got some camels.

If the party chooses violence - make them encounter some civilians who are orks. And have those civilians stress that they just want to be left alone, to hopefully give the party idea that the train thieves are not here.

My group did not attack the orks. Though hard to tell if they did that because they genuinely figured the town is peaceful or out of fear of being outnumbered. Anyway they got directions to the next stage of the adventure without figuring out the tracks and got there a couple hours ahead of time

Now the Oasis. The party rashes an oasis in the desert with a haphazard tent market set up around it. With people of different nomad tribes trading what meager supplies they could grow, scavenge or steal. There is a tent in the market that sells metal scrap some of it looking like those are the engine parts the party is looking for. The merchant asks for an exorbitant price to sell them. Refuses to just hand over the parts stating that he honestly bought them from a gang of "2 legged crocodiles" passing through earlier that day. And that the crocodiles had even more parts they refused to trade. He can provide directions to where the "crocodiles" were headed to.

How the party manages to secure the traded parts is up to them. Including - if they have someone with proficiency to recognized it - identify that none of the parts here are critical for engine operation and so can be left here. Or they of course can choose violence.

My players started by treating this market as a war camp. They snuck up on a bystander. Kidnapped them, interrogated and only then figured they can just walk in. They then released their prisoner and went searching for parts. Found the merchant. Not wanting to part with actually valuable they elected to have party Artificer to take a regular bag and infuse it to be a bag of holding. And trade this magical item for the parts. While they were taking a rest to perform infusion they were confronted by a group of people related to the person they kidnapped. The people actually wanted money. But the party chose violence. With the group of nomads scattering around leaving one definitely dead, another potentially brain dead from psychic damage and several being wounded but fleeing. In the morning the trade for fake bag of holding went without a hitch and party proceeded to the final stage of adventure

The antient ruins. The final stage is a loose collection of ruins. Around them is the ring of kobold - presumably the "crocodiles" mentioned by the merchant. In the middle they are building some mechanical contraption. And they are loudly chattering with excitement that "Soon our mother will be free!" with sometimes thundering roars can be heard from the underground.

So it should not take a genius to figure out they are trying to set free a dragon. The thing is - this is a Good dragon. She went into the cave to fight some evil but the fight gamaged the exit. And now she needs the kobolds to excavated her out.

So the party can just wait for the kobolds to finish the excavation and then have the parts to bring back to the train.

Or the party can assist the kobolds and as a gratitude the dragon will share some treasures from under the ruins and give the party a lift back to the train.

*But my players chose violence. They outright attacked the perimeter guards. The center group of kobold engineers scattered while the guards held the party off. It culminated with a thundering wave from the party annihilating a big number of cobolds. Then they dismantled the contraption taking all the parts for the train and went back on their merry way. *

So... What do you think? Did my players pass the murder hobo test? (I think yes... Mostly...)

We'd finished The Lost Mines of Phandelver and were in the middle of a homebrew follow up campaign, we'd just got a tip about a possible vampire sighting in a town nearby, and the session started with us turning up. The first thing we do is head to the local tavern, where one of the players at the table decides to pick a fight with an old guy. Turns out, the old guy was a level 20 retired Wizard and almost killed him. After that shambles, that lasted way too long, we got barred from the tavern and were forced to go knocking on people's doors asking if they've seen any signs of vampires. We decided to split up in 2 groups of 2 to cover more distance in a shorter amount of time. Unfortunately, the guy who picked a fight with the old man, went with a chaotic evil player, who decided to instead rob the houses they went to. The plan was, 1 person go knock and ask about signs of vampires, while the other goes around the back and sneaks in to steal stuff. The first house they go to is just a young girl (16-18) who was all by herself, her parents having died some years prior. Whilst the guy at the door was distracting, the other guy failed his stealth check and got caught by the girl, and instead of trying to escape, HE DECIDED TO JUST KILL HER. After too many hours of them two trying to cover it up, he was eventually found out by one of our other players, and we decided as a group that we should hand him in. End of a very boring session, with no progress in the actual main plot.

I then decided to run a one-shot for everyone, with all new characters, given a quest to take down a cult, and that they already sent the local wizard but he's not been back in a while. After the players get where they need to go they find the Wizard outside a cave with a locked entrance, the Wizard tells the PC's he is for some reason unable to enter, and there's magical runes surrounding the entrance of the cave that prevents him from going inside, however the PC's can. The Wizard tells them of a cursed child inside, that is plaguing the town, and they need to bring her to him so he can revert the spell that caused the curse. After the players get the girl to safety and remove the curse, the spirits of her parents appear, and explain that they had visions of her dying and tried to come up with some kind of spell to prevent her from dying, but something went wrong, and it placed a curse on her, so that instead of her dying, everyone who stays near her dies. The PC's eventually take her back to her home.

The twist? They take her to the town where my group went in our main campaign, and to the same house where one of our players killed a girl, the same girl my players just saved in the one shot. I thought it was the perfect way to add a tragic backstory to an otherwise forgettable main campaign session, all the players were shocked.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/209670/Cortex_Command/

Cortex command is an old game. One I always had fond memories of watching on youtube when I was a kid. (Ill still say I am quite young at 15.) I always rememberd the mods the community the youtubers! A sprawling community with a even greater modding scene! And I tried to find it many many times. And I did... A lucky streak on a unrelated reddit post. I was overjoyed. I ran to the computer installing it. I played its and it was decent and filled with nostolgia from when I watched it. I loved it. The gameplay isent that refined but it still has its charm weird phycics and all that.

I then checked more. Searched more about the game. A quite tragic tale that I fear many other games will follow. I found it was dead in its tracks. The dev had stopped updating years ago. As I checked the reason the dev abandoned it for a new game which never gained traction. The playerbase abandoned and not getting any more updates or even new games slowly died. For me to then stumble appon it many many years later. A sad sight to see makes me fear for what will happen to other games with a strong modding scene when games of the franchise stop hope is lost and creators leave. I cant do its downfall justice enough there is a reddit sadly dead as everything else though. And im sad I was to young to young to play it and experiance it as its a great game. And it will probaly always have a place for me.