Blades in the dark

 

I kickstarted BitD all the way back in 2016, but this is the first time I finally decided to print the rulebook and play it.
Created a cult with two members - a Whisper and a Lurk.

For the first score, I decided that some dock gang stole a box from one of the nobles traveling on a ship, and that cargo contains a book that might be worth a fortune to some of the occult bands.

Battle plan was to direct a flock of ghosts through the warehouse where cargo was kept. This will spook the guards and make them run away. Our boys will then waltz in and take a book without anybody noticing.

The first part of the plan went OK, ghost flock entered the warehouse and scared the guards, but then ghost went rogue and decided to stay inside instead of moving forward.

Time for plan B. Whisper attuned to to ghost field to detect where the ghosts are, but he also found out that some government ghost hunters and policemen are coming, so that our heroes need to hurry and finish the job before they arrive (6 parts clock, 2 ticks).

Lurk surveyed the situation and decided the best way they should move to attract as little of ghost attention as possible.
Team tried to sneak past ghosts, but they failed, and ghost stampede right through our heroes causing some serious psychological damage.
Additionally, that ticked off the 6th part of the clock, so police arrived.

Team made desperate run out, failing the mission. Additionally - the heat was super high, giving them wanted level.
Beaten and wounded, our heroes return to their empty home....
THE END

I really enjoyed this one.
But, also I finally understood why I like one shots.
To make it interesting, I really like to keep my characters at the edge of survival and success, on a razor edge, as that is what makes an exciting session for me.
So, after that first session, they are usually too beaten to continue into the next mission, or next mission has to be light to give them chance to recover, and therefore boring. And then I lose interest to continue the campaign.

Therefore, I will be sticking to one shots.

Vaesen: Into the Mithyc North

During the Halloween season, Free League offered Vaesen PDF for free, so I had to grab an opportunity. I purchased the official solo rules and jumped into mythic north....

 My character is called Hal Jansen, and he is a writer.

Hal got a letter informing him that somebody poisoned all drinking water in the village Illustad. 

Attached to the letter was a doll, normal looking, like any girl would carry.

After traveling to Illustad, Hal talked to local bard and was informed that water is like this because people stopped respecting Vaesen. Bard knew nothing about the doll.

Then he went to speak with farmer who discovered the issue. Farmer gave our hero a special coin that was once forged by local blacksmith and thrown into the spring to please the local Vaesen. But since old blacksmith died of old age, his successors are no longer forging such a coins.

Together, they visited the local spring that was poisoned, but Hal could find no further clues. Instead farmer dropped sick on him. Hal tried to cure him but failed and farmer died, while Hal got Exhausted from effort.

With no other idea, Hal visited young blacksmith, son of the old master. He is a talkative fellow, so it was easy for Hal to inspire him into teaching our hero how to forge a mythical coin, even if Hal ended Afraid, as part of his soul was forged into coin. Blacksmith even spill out that someone in town once killed a Vaesen, and burred its body inside now poisoned spring.

But asked about the doll, blacksmith refused to talk, even though he obviously knew its history.
Hal tried to read his body language to learn why, but blacksmith kept calm, until Hal got Angry (pushed roll), when blacksmith also broke and confessed that there is another Vaesen in village - a Nisse connected with Smithy that helps him in forging. If he says too much, Nisse may leave, and the business would be ruined....

Hal then decided to investigate a doll, and he discovered that strange fluid is dripping from it, smelling on sea weeds....

Hal now has a rather good idea what he might be dealing with, but he needs to confirm it. So, he decided to go back to the stream for another investigation round, but this time he will be looking for a small grave.... 

 

 

This time, Hal had no issue to find the burial place. He decided not to act alone, but called local priest. Together they dig the shallow grave and found a body of a little girl. While at first remains looked human, remains of swimming nets between her fingers revealed the truth - she was a Sea Child, daughter of blacksmith and a Mermaid.

Priest buried girls remains on holly ground and Hal left her a doll with her. That should keep her spirit in peace, village has enough trouble than to deal with the restless ghost too.
Next night, Hal broke into the smithy, looking for clues. He found out that Blacksmith never knew that he had a daughter form his affair with the mermaid. 

But Hal also found evidence that Nisse from the Smithy knew it. And Nisse was the responsible one for deaths of both girl and the farmer. He acted to protect his blacksmith and their work, but no matter his motives, his course of action was doubtful. 

Hal returned to the river, and threw a coin he forged into the spring. As it contains part of investigators soul, mermaid will be able to read it and learn the truth. Hal decided to let Vaesen solve it between themselves.

Next morning, all waters in village were again clear and drinkable.

But the river started rising, and soon it flooded the area. Blacksmith was hit the most, his shop was completely ruined. He survived, and tried for a year to rebuild his business, but the quality of his work was nowhere near to the one before the flood. Only few people in the village guessed why.

Blacksmith left after the year, and another family took his place. Society took care that newcomers learned how to forge the soul coins. Tradition should be kept, and when you have Vaesens near by, one has to do the best possible to keep them satisfied and at peace.

The Zone RPG

For the first solo RPG in 2023 I selected The Zone, game inspired by Stalker and similar fiction, that was successfully kickstarted in 2022. You can try the game for free through web app available here: https://play.thezonerpg.com/

I played prototype playtest copy; final version will have better art.

 

In this session, I used 3 characters.

Ernest Hadingway – writer obsessed with pleasures of flesh

Albert Edinstain – scientist obsessed with being first to reach discovery and

Gilbert Oliver Dumas – politician obsessed with power over other people.

During the session, politician mutated receiving the voice with which he could force into obedience all other members of the expedition.

Writer saw a beautiful naked woman in the window of the mansion, entered the building and the doors closed behind him. He was never seen again.

Scientist mutated into tree man, and finally took root in the back yard of university building in the zone where he will spend eternity gaining knowledge.

And so, politician, as the last survivor, entered the center of the zone and earned the right to ask Zone for fulfilment of one wish.

He asked to rule the world.

The Zone granted him his wish, but he will not role the world he came from.

Gilbert Oliver Dumas found himself in the nothingness. He had no body, there was just his commanding voice floating in void. And so, the creature that used to be a man with initial G.O.D. said: Let there be light….

 

 

This was a great session.

I can’t recommend this game enough. It can create really great stories, within one hour session. 5 stars product.