More MidSouthCon Pics

Just a quick post, I found these two pics from Midsouthcon... In Media Res!

Action pics!

[Response] Jacob's comments on Ozaka

Jacob posted this on DrivethruRPG: (paragraph breakdown is mine since DT removed all line breaks).

So, some constructive criticism... I saw your game at MidSouthCon (I was one of the two who couldn't make it to your morning game!) and decided to take a look at your game even if I couldn't be in it. Me 'n my BF have been reading through it, and we have a few thoughts.

My BF has phrased it the most bluntly: Ozaka needs to commit more to either being Classic Japan But With DnD Fantasy, or being Wild Dungeon-Crawl Fantasy In Magical Demiplane Japan. You have the basis for either of those, but there are a few things that keep either idea from soaring. If you want to feel like old-school Japan, you've taken out too much of the interesting parts of old Japan for them to pop. I understand not wanting to burden players with honor or bushido, but... really, suddenly having to care about another culture's social mores that you haven't internalized would make some great gameplay, which is why L5R focused on that.

Likewise, trying to feel like this period of Japan also blocks the "oh by the way Magic Missile and Cure Light Wounds are abundant" weirdness of it. I know you don't like characters that are inherently "scary" or would cause friction with the locals, but it feels extremely weird that warlocks get a pass when they're seemingly on the supply side of Ozaka's monster problem. If you really don't want to engage with old social mores or social constructs (the lack of the state religions really jumped out at my BF as something that made the game feel very not-like-Japan), I'd advise a revision of the game leaning into the fantasy-weirdness and making something less historically Japanese but more bizarre and exciting: "the demiplane of Hong Kong and all its precariously dangerous politics" would make for an exciting smaller-scale 5e setting whether the characters were locals or visitors.

If you want to really engage with Japan-but-it's-5e, I'd advise excising the more Euro-Fantasy classes (...mostly the non-bard magic-users) and relying on your homebrew casters to help convey the feeling of a world that isn't just not-Europe.

The overall presentation of the game is good and you've got some good art and functional layout. I am, admittedly, also not a fan of 5e, so seeing your game work with 5e-isms instead of break out from them frustrates me a little. You have the start of something really cool here, and I'd love to see it bloom outward into something that really draws eyes across a crowd.

---

Thanks, Jacob. A lot to unpack here.

TLDR: I took a middle-of-the-road approach, but whenever I had a choice, I picked that “let the GM decide for his/her game.” Also, I tried to be cognizant of future class/player options that may come in later books.

---

First off, thanks for your purchase and feedback.

Second, you will have an opportunity to try the adventure at Gencon (search for "Legacies First Ones Entertainment") when the games become available. It'll be called "Fiends of Dreams," but there will be 3 other adventures set in Ozaka: "A Stolen Daisho," "Friends we make," and "Battle of Shiro Azaki."

The points you note about 5e-isms and the design of the settings are among the elements I had to determine early on as I laid the foundation for Ozaka. Do I write my own game or use 5e (or Pathfinder or GURPS)? The decision to go with core 5e was a deliberate one (driven by sales and game attendance). Which brought some oddities and 5e-isms with it, I agree. But do they detract from the enjoyment of the game? I think moreso while reading the book than when playing.

HOWEVER, if you look at the design of the book itself and skip the sections on character options/ monsters, you will find that the setting itself was written in a non-system-specific way. (Also deliberate). As such, the setting itself has no stat or system built into it.

I don't want to create a full game - don't have the time, people, or interest in doing that. So that decision has worked well for me and for FOE. As I write more and more, I find my role is to provide YOU, the GM, with the tools to create a compelling campaign for your table. Which WILL be different from another table. And that’s fine

That’s great!

The Honor system... Ha... Yes... I wrestled with that more than anything else. Being a fan of the original Oriental Adventures and of L5R (where that is less burdensome), I remember its system for honor, which became almost a mini-game in itself, with everything the player did adding +1, -2, +3, etc. I like the game to focus on... It inevitably led to its abandonment, or seppuku. And going back to “regular D&D where I don’t have to deal with that crap.”

Let the PCs do [stuff], rather than count beans for every off-colored joke or thinking of a dishonorable plan. Samurai were honorable, but also practical men. Let the world/story deal with the consequences of their acting like bandits, burning towns, stealing from temples, and the world around them treating them like garbage for it. Therefore, I chose this "light" system.

Okay, okay.

"But JP, you don't have a system for honor," you say. I admit. I present the concept, but let the story dictate how it's used. I prefer the less rigid approach to the rules (where my old-school roots shine through), and let the players do their thing - but now they have to worry about their honorability. I chose to place the onus of adjudication in the GM’s hands and to dictate the consequences.

Now... for "realism" vs "magic missile." I have spent years trying to create material historical gaming, and experience taught me that most people want to PLAY and don't want a HISTORY LESSON. As proof: The GURPS historical supplements are great. I have several of them that I read regularly. Whoever played them? No one. (Not sorry to the one guy who played it). Why? Because people have a passing knowledge of these subjects, and when they come to play RPG, they want the Japan-flavored D&D. Not the full-on Japan where the GM must spend 1h of the game slot explaining how it works, but that doesn't factor into the GAME.

I do.

Players don’t. They want to do “cool things.” (and they should be given the opportunity to do that.)

You are 100% correct that warlocks should be hunted. However, there are several types of warlocks that don’t deal with fiends or Cthulhu. There are some with angelic or divine ties. Would those be treated the same? How would the average person know of the pact vs a sorcerer? Or a strange type of bard? What happens if a daimyo is a warlock? Or one who becomes one? Or his wife? Would it be the same in Kobochi, Makida, or Midori? What about the Wakou?

Again. That leads to “the GM will decide for his campaign,” the story, and story potential dictating what should happen.

About the state religion. It is in there, perhaps not explicitly stated as such. The 5 gods of the pantheon (plus the Thousand Gods) are the only deities presented and discussed in the book.

I do not mind scary characters, don’t look at anything with the First Ones... (Power is Fickle, Tarsyn, Akhamet). What I mind are characters/players who have whole side-games designed around them. For example, the rogue who sneaks everywhere and never works with the party. Or the player who plays an orc just to get the NPCs to react to him. EVERY NPC.

Now, I’d LOVE to talk to you more about this. You can find my email on FoeLegacies.com (I can’t post it here). We can zoom/discord/phone. I’d like to hear about your idea for the Hong Kong setting…

I think I addressed everything. But let’s talk. I wanna pick your brain.

JP

After Action Report: Midsouthcon 41 in Memphis TN

Midsouthcon 41 is in the books. ActionMan and I headed out Friday afternoon to get settled and be ready ahead of time. Since, the con took place in a new, different, hotel. We settled, and headed to the con.

Friday evening, I participated in two panels: one about horror RPGs and one on character background, and I sat in on a few others.

The Horror panel went really well as we discussed how to succeed at doing horror in RPGs, and noted several types of horror that does not work on the tabletop. Freddy Krueger comes to mind.

My "Background" panel didn't happen since no one came. Sad. However, I talked with my fellow panelists about my Four Questions background.

Before the panels, I realized that I lost my notebook. The one where I put in all my notes (for the panels) but also in which I practiced my maps drawings and adventure making. I was in something of a panic, but following my panels, I ran to Con Operations and some kind soul had returned it. Wooo!

At the end of the evening, I spent time on Pro-Row and got to speak with Buddy Katie from Star Pod Trek and the USS Athena. Always a pleasure to talk to them and about potential projects. We keep meeting at cons and it is always a pleasure.

Meanwhile, ActionMan played a game of Vaesen. He seemed to have a great time of it. He didn't tell me much, other than he made "a few bad rolls" and things went bad for him.

We slept.

Well HE slept. His freight-train snoring kept me up most of the night!

Saturday morning, we got a quick McD breakfast and headed to the RPG room. I ran the Gencon Ozaka adventure, then the Gencon Tarsyn adventure, this time to finalize them (I had play-tested them previously). This play-test confirmed how my changes were real good. I found a few oddities that requires clarifying, but the flow issue I had were now resolved!

ActionMan played some 5e and Call of Cthulhu (IIRC) during the day.

After that, both ActionMan and I played more Vaesen. I played one and he played another. The game is fun, definitely something I would be willing to play one-shots or at cons. I'm not sure if I'd be interested in playing this in a campaign or even less likely: run it myself.

We hit the room, he snored, I kept waking.

Sunday, we hit the road, stopped at a Waffle House in Dickson TN before making it home.

We both had a great time at MSC and plan on going back next year.

[Gencon 2026] The FOE Program for Gencon

It's Gencon Season already. Today, I finalized the Gencon program for FOE and submitted everything to Gencon.

At this time, I have two adventures ready to roll already and am moving on to the next ones.

The Regular Adventures...

Legacies: Heart of Decisions

By Bill Church

The heart of a colossus has been found. Mytenian forces must rush to obtain it before the Titans. A 3rd-level 5e 2014 adventure set in the Greece-inspired Olympia. Part of the Legacies Campaign

Status: Outline

Legacies: Fiends of Dreams

By JP Chapleau

Not All Men Seek War/ It Looms Over Sazame/ Som' Have dark designs A 3rd-level 5e 2014 adventure set in the Japan-inspired Ozaka. Part of the Legacies Campaign

Status: Ready for Playtest

Legacies: The Mirror of Basat

By Brandon Alspach

A prophetic vision leads where desire shapes reality–but some secrets were never meant to be seen. A 3rd-level 5e 2014 adventure set in the Egypt-inspired Akhamet. Part of the Legacies Campaign

Status: Outline

Legacies: What the Titans leave Behind

By Brandon Alspach and JP Chapleau

Appease a few gods, steal war riches from the Titans–what could go wrong? A 3rd-level 5e 2014 adventure set in the Greece-inspired Olympia. Part of the Legacies Campaign

Status: Expanding Outline

Legacies: Bleeding Hearts

By JP Chapleau

The trees bleed when cut. Blood-soaked knights vs desperate loggers. Is the forest crying for help? A 3rd-level 5e 2014 adventure set in the byzantine world of Tarsyn. Part of the Legacies Campaign

Status: Ready for Playtest

Legacies: A Stolen Daisho

By Chris Ketchum

A stolen daisho/ A vital chess piece taken/ Sails away slowly A 3rd-level 5e 2014 adventure set in the Japan-inspired Ozaka. Part of the Legacies Campaign

Status: Outline

Legacies: Sifting the Sands of Obscurity

By Matt Adams

You wake to find that you have been buried alive with little to no memory of how you got there save for some scribbled notes torn out of a journal that resembles your own party's handwriting. You must use these clues to solve your own attempted murder. A 3rd-level 5e 2014 adventure set in the Egypt-inspired Akhamet. Part of the Legacies Campaign.

Status: Outline

And the Epics!

Legacies Epic: Friends We Make

By JP Chapleau

Invitations sent
All Smiles and Diplomacy
Sharp Tongues and Swift Blades
A 5e 2014 multi-table epic adventure. Part of the Legacies Campaign

Status: Outline

Legacies Epic: To Find an Enchantress

By JP Chapleau

Mytenian forces won a great victory at Emessos, but the Titans are not beaten. A 5e 2014 multi-table epic adventure. Part of the Legacies Campaign

Status: Outline

Legacies Epic: Battle of Shiro Azaki

By JP Chapleau

First diplomats speak
Then the armies assemble
And the blades come out
A 5e 2014 multi-table epic adventure. Part of the Legacies Campaign

Status: Outline

Legacies Epic: River Run

By JP Chapleau

At the start of the Rainy Season, the rivers swell and the Church of Khem organizes a friendly competition. Friendly but deadly A 5e 2014 multi-table epic adventure. Part of the Legacies Campaign

Status: Outline

FOE releases... The Fiend FOELio!

Since FOE was formed in 2013, I have ran several multi-year campaigns, one-shots, and the Legacies campaign that still runs yearly at Gencon and at other smaller events through the year.

These many events resulted in the creation of several different, new, and unique opponents. These stat blocks languished in various documents, and adventures, forgotten or ignored. Some were on roll20 where I created them. A few were on pictures of a scan of a partial stat block.

Over the past two years or so, I have been collecting these stat blocks in one location. Several of them needed new coats of paints: tightening the wording, creating new art, and bringing things in line with hour we create our stat blocks now.

I added some new art, from the usual artists I work with, and a several pieces using AI. This is capped by The British Shark's awesome cover inspired by X-Men 135 by John Byrne (one of my favorite comic of all time).

The book contains:
- Over 250 fully-statted creatures and NPCs to use as allies or opponents and seven major characters from the Legacies campaign over the years.
- Unique characters from Akhamet, Olympia, Ozaka, Rhym, Tarsyn, the Truskan Empire, and even fully-statted First Ones.
- New creatures from FOE settings, presented with notes on how to adapt them to other worlds.
- Updated creatures from older FOE products. Giving a little love to these creatures after years of playtesting. Cleaning and bringing them in line with more modern standards.
- Dozens of Book of Lairs-style encounters provide immediate adventure ideas for your table.
- Though written for the worlds of FOE, most of the material contained within can be used for any campaign setting.

This is a book that took over a decade to create!

It is available on:
- Amazon for physical books.
- DriveThruRPG for PDFs.

[Gencon 2025] After Action Report Part 7

Parts 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Conclusions

This year's Gencon was an overall success.

• There were a few bumps, which I addressed after the con (once I slept) to make sure everything was fine.
• Gencon is always trying and every year, I try to get the "regular/daytime" adventures to the GMs by Memorial Day (last Monday of May) and the specials by July 4th. This year... I was late on the specials. I could say "Well JP, you did write a 110k word novel" but that doesn't change the fact... I procrastinated too much before reaching out for help.
• I was lucky to have added three good GMs to the FOE team. Welcome Clay, Joe, and Josh.
• Thor and I have very different perspectives on things, creating a very vibrant and dynamic conversation with points/counterpoints made. Only problem... we need to shut our traps and sleep! After I got in a touch late on Friday morning, we both agreed. "No talking"
• The feedback for Tarsyn was overwhelmingly positive.
• I painted hundred of miniatures for the GMs (you can see them in parts 2 thru 4) but did not take pictures of everything...

Yes, I plan on being back next year. As I say... "Gencon begins in September!"

JP Out

Parts 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

[Gencon 2025] After Action Report Part 6

Parts 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 7

Ozaka

Following the events of last year, I decided that Ozaka would be isolated for this year and not participate in the global events as a while. In many ways, this simplified how to integrate everything together, BUT I was asked about if there would be an Ozaka special. Player was sad to hear my "not this year." But this is a temporary situation...

Next year, maybe...?

Safe inside my home By Chris Ketchum. Here, the PCs are sent to track down a missing patrol along the border.

This is Chris' first formally-written adventure.

• The duelist Nito has gone away to other pastures.
• The men of Yamane were rescued from the clutches of the Kobochi forces

Sound of a Biwa By JP Chapleau. The PCs are sent to deliver a scroll to a shugenja in the village of Akemizu. When they arrive there, things are not quite as they first appear.

• Kaito Hoichi remained in Yomi.
• Lord Taira was destroyed.

Tarsyn

FOE's new setting, Tarsyn, merges elements of Arthurian Legends and the Crusades. Gencon 2025 was the first time the campaign was played for the public. The combination creates a rather unique combination of influences.

This setting was written by Rebecca and I as we traded ideas. For Gencon, we decided to use different parts of the setting and produce a different adventure style. She took the "city adventure" and I took the "wilderness adventure" to expand and present different elements of the setting. From the feedback, the setting was well-received.

Hunt for the Lady's Bowl By Rebecca Price. A researcher sends the PCs to find an artifact hidden somewhere in Tarsyn. Finding the location of the Lady's Bowl reveals the layers of Tarsynian society and its complexities.

This is Rebecca's second adventure for FOE at Gencon.

• PCs kept the map to the Lady's Bowl.
• The Leper Knight were involved in the Hunt.

White Doe By JP Chapleau. The PCs are sent to deliver a wagon of supplies to the Leper Knight on the borders of Tarsyn. However, the appearance of a dying man may change their destination.

• Werewolves were defeated.
• Sir Hubert was brought back to Auriville.

All Together (with Skytorn)

Frozen Dreams By Brandon Alspach with JP Chapleau. Prophetics dreams and visions. The PCs visited a series of dream islands, each "not-quite-right" based on Akhamet, Olympia, Ozaka, Skytorn and Tarsyn. Yet in none of them all together... An oniric adventure that takes the PCs to a dream-realm where something wishes to get access to the Prime Material.

This is Brandon's first formally-written adventure and the first special not to be written by JP.

• The Architect came thru in Akhamet and Olympia

Parts 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 7

[Gencon 2025] After Action Report Part 5

Parts 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 7

Olympia

The main situation in Olympia continues to be the war between the Titans and the gods, focusing on the Island of Mytenia. War is always a prolific ground for adventure.

Lexos Job by Bill Church. Following the events of last year's Through the Fire and Flame where the Mytenia army was enchanted into attacking Lexos, only to break free before completely burning the city down. Queen Kreomene sends a band of heroes to kidnap Queen Aria of Lexos before her Spartians turn on her.

I had this idea for an adventure trotting around in my mind and thought this would be a major plot point moving forward. So I approached Bill with the idea. He found this to be quite a challenge, but one I can say he nailed from listening to the games he ran. I may have another challenge for him for next year! He nailed this one...

• Queen Aria has turned herself in to the Mytenian authorities
• A Spartian military dictatorship has been installed in Lexos after the queen was kidnapped by forces loyal to Mytenia.

Damsels in Distress by JP Chapleau. After last year's Of Laurels and Secrets, the PCs obtained assistance from Amazonia for Mytenia. Here, the PCs get involved in this greater plot through the machinations of Hermes...

My original draft ballooned into something so massive that I had to cut it into two parts, the second part I reworked into Parting Shot to limit the scope and allow the narrative to breathe. I really like this one. It has several fun things to do as a GM and the PCs feel heroic in what they do. Heroic in an homeric/ancient Greek way...

• Amazon warriors were rescued.
• Naya never reported to the authorities and is reported missing.
• Is Amazonia an ally?

Parting Shot by JP Chapleau, with help from Brandon-A, Rebecca-P, and Will-M. The Titans relocated some of their forces to the island of Mytenia from outposts out at sea. Queen Kreomene sent heroes to buy off forces that may not be loyal to the Titans, spending large amounts to give the heroes funds to buy off these forces as leverage. The heroes discovered the location of the Titans' island base where they kept the captured nymphs and amazons.

General Baerius came up with a plan to attack the island and free the prisoners. Mounted on pegasi, the heroes defeated the garrisons of the island only to discover the prisoners were kept in a large cave below the island. The PCs descended into the depths of the earth. And that's where things took a turn for the worse. Something happened and the cavern came crashing down, leading to a panicked escape...

This adventure started off completely different, with element taken out of what would become Damsels in Distress. Limiting the scope of the latter made this one feel bigger, more epic. My original idea had more fantasy elements, but the narrative flow didn't work. Changing the location of the jail made it all possible. Big thanks to the gang who listened to my whining about "this doesn't work" and provided me with solution on how "this can work..."

• Because merchants know the government minted coins, they raised their prices up to quadruple the usual price.
• Centaurs scattered with the defeat of Aretion of the Redmane clan.
• Farsian Mercenaries took the money and changed their allegiance to Mytenia.
• Harpies bought by selling a portion of Mytenian coastlines.
• Pegasus fowl were rescued and the pegasi abandoned the Titans, joining the forces of Mytenia.
• The ancient black dragon Zarnokleia was released from her bonds and escaped the island on her own.
• Yamoru Three-Fingers, an odd Ozakan mage teleported away.
• Lady Suzuka, a ronin from Ozaka was rescued during the operation.
• Most of the amazons and nymphs escaped from the island prison.
• General Baerius, the Queen's lover, switched his allegiance to the Titans and trying to bury
• Two heroes: the princess Petunia and Solon of Athenion died trying to escape the destruction of the island.

Battle of Emessos

• Heroes chose to obtain the assistance of Apollo, Ares, Artemis, Athena, and Hades
• Leviathos captured
• Queen Kreomene rescued
• Emessos still under the control of forces loyalto the Titans.
• Nerissa the titanborn Enchantress escaped
• The enemy war chest was not taken and is still under the control of Decimus Aelius.

Parts 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 7

[Gencon 2025] After Action Report Part 4

Parts 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 7

Akhamet

This year Akhamet focused on its own problems again as the situation with Pharaoh. Several people search ancient archives and documents for a way to cure Him of His condition...

Though no definitive discovery or final breakthrough was accomplished, our heroes found serious leads that may yield a breakthrough.

Children of Anum By Rees. The PCs went to meet with the Children of Anum, three unique children of Pharaoh who may have information that could help Akhamet with its current predicament.

This is Rees' first formally-written adventure.

• The Prophecy was spoken, making it real.
• The PCs turned it over to Saggakara

What ails Pharaoh is linked to the Horyrehmet. And there are only two known remedies: remove their influence or have him befriend another one to counteract the effects. Neither of these will be easy, and both will require great sacrifice

Forbidden Lore by JP Chapleau. A tribe of mesaru discovered a strange complex long hidden by the sands.

• Heshaba the Sand-Eater was released from his goal.

Cat Fight by JP Chapleau. Pharaoh's Harem arranged for the Festival of the Glorious Sun, a celebration of all things Akhamet. However, the festival quickly turned into a popularity contest between His Wives. As different factions vied for control of the Harem or draw the support for their own sides. The festivities promoted many exchange between people of different kingdoms and worlds. The festival was interrupted by a group of blemmyes, monstrosities without heads whose face are on their chests. They command and create undead.

• By a narrow margin, Sebtet chosen as leader of the Harem
• Foreigners supported Saggakara in large numbers
• Final "scores" were Sebtet 9 and Saggakara 8. It doesn't get closer than that!
• Two of His wives, Meritset and Minaset, were killed by the blemmyes.

Parts 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 7

[Gencon 2025] After Action Report Part 3

Parts 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Saturday

Whenever Saturday comes, we're now in the groove, like we've done this for a long time. It's difficult to explain until you are there. A clear feeling that you've made it through the toughest part of Gencon. But that's a fake feeling. There is so much more left to do.

For some reason that wasn't clear to me at the time, our sales for the Saturday afternoon slot were very low. It allowed me to give Bill a chance to play something else. In this case, he became a knight of Tarsyn. I later learned that this slot also had the Critical Role announcements. No matter... We had a great time and the FOE gang delivered.

As a testament to the awesome work of the FOE GMs is that I had 7 players with Generic tickets waiting to play. At the last minute, EVERYONE with a full ticket showed up and I had to turn these guys away. That's always bittersweet to do, but I value the experience more than cramming more players at the tables. I've yet to play a table of 7 with a positive outcome, so I keep FOE tables to a strict maximum of 6.

The evening's Battle of Emessos turned out to be quite a challenge. The encounters flowed into each other with multiple groups failing the goal. Now mind you, it was designed to be challenging and combat-heavy.

The adventure delivered.

The GMs delivered.

Sunday

Sundays are always tough. Fatigue takes over and willpower is the only thing dragging you forward. Even if tickets are sold, whoever shows up is different set of people. This was the first special created by Brandon-A, making this special a collaboration between FOE and Player Hater Gaming. Last year, Brandon ran an adventure in Skytorn...

A rather oniric adventure...

The drive down was quick and without incident. I sat, ate dinner with my wife, then slept until Monday, then took three naps during that day...

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the return drive is that Thor and I talked about some of the low-budget indi movies I've been watching on Tubi... As an exercise to keep our minds awake, we began taking apart one of the plot and reconstruct it as a DND adventure. The original idea (and movie) was set in Rome, so we moved it to Olympia. But as we discussed and ironed out the kinks, it felt more like Ozaka to the both of us. It blends supernatural horror and real-life elements that makes for a compelling samurai drama.

So... It looks like we may have an adventure for next year already in the works.

Yes, before I forgot everything, I opened a Word document and put the outline in there with as much detail as I could. I'm excited to return to it.

Parts 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

[Gencon 2025] After Action Report Part 2

Parts 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Thursday

Thursday started early as I had to carry everything a mile and a half to the stadium. It was quite a long haul. I had so many things to carry. Lucky for me, I split the miniatures for the specials into "what I need Thursday" and "Later," with the size of the two sets being roughly the same.

Before that first slot is always a worry... Will ALL the GMs show up? What will people think? Will everyone show up? Will we be able to seat everyone with a generic? What will the overall vibe be?

Well... All this worry turned out for naught. Everyone showed up and the morning was off to a roaring start.

Now a fun thing... Mike-B showed up at the doors of the stadium for his badge and I waited for him at the tunnel. Then, to our devices stopped connecting: no text, no calls, no messenger... Lucky Steve-E was there to save the day!

The evening slot was lighter in ticket sales. A mixed blessing. However, since the adventure had a lot of social interaction, this turned out to be a blessing because it allowed everyone to get more involved in the adventure, as each table got to do more things. There were SO many things to do.

When GMs asked "How can they do it all?" The answer was a simple "They can't."

Players have a way of surprising me when I write these types of epics. They make choices that, at first leave you perplexed, but after a moment stir the creative juices going and push the setting into new and excitig directions. This is one thing I love about writing these epics specials...

Then bed and sleep.

I survived Day 1.

Friday

Day 2 started somewhat differently as I got a later start and miscalculated the time it would take me to reach the room... A late start put me on the back foot to get everything ready.

But once everything got rolling, I settled down and slept on a chair.

The afternoon and evening came by without much to report...

EXCEPT.

During the evening's Parting Shot, there was a moment when I had an NPC betray the PCs in a very opportune moment. I was both worried and stoked for this secret reveal.

As the discovery happened, two people reacted aloud with "Oh fucker!"

That filled me with dark, morbid joy.

Parts 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7