Overall, a very interaction-driven session following an intense combat session, but the players seemed interested in putting one over on horrible people (possibly with further reprisals down the line).
Then the PCs hatched a plan to socially manipulate the situation so that the nobles of Waterdeep wouldn't play into the wishes of the cult of Asmodeus, a montage-based social skill challenge. We've only just begun and it's going well; the PCs have laid out several more goals to pursue.
The PCs also learned that the Cassalanters had taken over the Blue Alley and turned it into a source of suffering to dedicate to their lord.
So we made a plan that they would roll up level 3 characters that would go thru Blue Alley, coached and secretly assisted by their main PCs.
He laid out a bunch of running-away options, including "laying low in the City of Doors for 500 years or so."
When pressed, he laid out a plan for him and the PCs to stand their ground until it cost Asmodeus too much to keep coming after them, mainly by tearing the cult apart.
Post-Dragon Heist Session 105
The PCs talked more with Vincent Trench, learning about how he got in trouble with Hell. Vincent explained about the Cassalanters and the cult of Asmodeus (whose name Vincent carefully never said).
Then they asked him what he wanted to do about these problems.
Yeah, uh, the multiplayer is amazing
Charon: first guy ever to try getting rich mining crypt coins
(photos taken by @lochinvar.bsky.social )
Two well-equipped rogues approach a suspicious-looking treasure chest (made of cardboard).
Two cunning rogues check the cardboard treasure chest for traps. Other treasure and gear is scattered about.
One of the scoundrels beholds the treasure: a copy of Blades in the Dark.
The knaves examine their filthy lucre, before perhaps descending into quarreling over how to split it. (Not really. The knave on the left is one of the most generous souls alive.)
Blades in the Dark
We had a great time getting into costume and doing a photo shoot of the unboxing this.
I've played about one and a half sessions of the game since then. My gaming group isn't super friendly to FitD games, which means I like them more in theory than experience.
I *have* played Trail of Cthulhu - two sessions of a three-session story. I really enjoyed that game, thanks to a great GM and players. I didn’t feel much of anything about the system, which is fine and good.
The Armitage Files
I have the Trail of Cthulhu core rules on PDF somewhere, and only this book in dead-tree format. I picked it up because I wanted to study how it works as an in-game text. I love sheaf-of-texts as a campaign backbone - we did this kind of thing in Dust to Dust LARP.
that movie was a pinnacle of optimism
We ran maybe 3-4 sessions of LoGaS, then we had a huge cluster of schedule problems and never went back to it. I couldn't figure out what to *do* with the game and the characters - they had exactly nothing in common in tone, goals, world of origin, etc., and I couldn't make it all work.
The LoGaS game came about because we had been co-DMing a 5e Birthright game, then the player of the group's regent passed away (same guy as mentioned in the posts about Dawning Star). We didn't feel good okay with any of our options for continuing BR, so we tried something new.
Lords of Gossamer and Shadow
I mentioned it with Shadow Knight above, but it deserves its own skeet. I've read and even run this one, but to be honest, I need someone else to show me how to make diceless games *work.* Reading the book absolutely didn't get me to any level of comfort with it.
Fiasco
An obligatory item in any TTRPG collection of the last 20 years.
Which isn't to indicate that I've read or played it, so much as that I have a general awareness of it.
Moar psionic content!
Psionics: The Next Stage In Human Evolution
We bought this at GenCon because psionics are extremely Rabbit's deal and we're always looking for satisfying expressions of psionics in games.
Haven't read it yet, uh, 7+ years later.
*I* don’t control how many people Like that first post!
But we’re also still early in a full list of the collection. :)
Psi*Run
If you’re not familiar, it’s a 64-page game of psychics on the run from those that would use them. Looks like it would be amazing for a one-shot; I haven’t read it yet.
And speaking of chaos goblin energy…
Goblonia by @robertturk.bsky.social
www.wicked-clever.com/gobloniagame/
Cyberrats, by @alexrineh.art
This looks like the kind of thing a lot of my gaming groups would enjoy! Big chaos goblin energy.
alrine.itch.io/cyberrats
"Something ineffable happens when you write down a thought:
You think something you did not know you could or would think and it leads you to another though. The process of writing itself leads to previously unthought thoughts [and] crystallizes half-formulated or unformulated thoughts"
- Lynn Hunt
Band of Blades
I am a huge fan of the Black Company and similar mil fantasy, and I would love to learn to run this and get it to the table. “The first step to being good at something is being bad at it for awhile” is hard to swallow for this one.
The Mouse Guard Roleplaying Game
I don’t remember where or why I got this. I’m interested in principle, but boy does that feel like it would take an incredible investment of energy at this point.
Castles & Crusades (6th printing?)
I bought this on sale at my FLGS, mainly so I could talk to @dmsamuel.bsky.social about it. At this point I’ve skimmed it, and barely that.
Monty Python’s Cocurricular Mediaeval Reenactment Programme
Still in shrink wrap! Good intentions of reading, but… time
www.exaltedfuneral.com/pages/monty-...
Earthdawn (second? edition)
@playonwords.bsky.social ran this for us back in NC. We had a good time with the story… and with making fun of skills like Slough Blame.
The elementalist’s Ice Mace & Chains kinda broke the whole magic system, but it needed breaking at that point.
Deliria
I’ve at least read this one pretty closely! It wasn’t my deal when I read it 21 years ago; I wonder if that has changed.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deliria
Shadow Knight for Amber Diceless. I don’t have the Amber main book.
I *do* have Lords of Gossamer and Shadow, and the GMing advice of SK works just as well for LoGaS, by design.
Forbidden Lands
I love that this game is purpose-built for a West Marches experience. I can scarcely imagine getting another medium-to-long-term game off the ground to really enjoy what it offers, though.
