Monday Musings #81 🤬
Black Sword Hack and the Snowpocalypse
Good Monday, Gamer!
“I agree to, or rather aspire to, my DOOM.” —Pierre Corneille, Most Excellent Player
It’s the Froz-Snowpocalypse here in Kansas City, but I’ve got my coffee going, and the giant pups are outside living their best lives in the snow—the perfect setup for a Monday Musing post.
TWO helpings of The Black Sword Hack!
I’m running The Black Sword Hack in not one but two groups this month. Yesterday, we wrapped the Sunday group’s Session Zero, and tonight the Monday crew kicks off their adventure. We’re using Let’s Role as our virtual tabletop (VTT), and it’s been pretty smooth so far! The interface is a bit quirky, and the players got the hang of it quickly. Dropping images into the game is a breeze, and there are no annoying permission issues—it just works. I’m using the free Black Sword Hack module on Let’s Role, so I haven’t had to create a new RPG module yet. I'm digging it thus far! The Sunday game is a 6-8 session arc with four incredible players, each session running around 2.5 hours. Here’s where we landed at the end of Session Zero with an initial cold open:
The Cycle of Death
The Spirit of the Ancient King Errazu, Who Dances for No One, chooses a new vessel to inhabit and be reborn every century. This time, the astrological signs heralding his rebirth align perfectly with the arrival of the long-awaited messiah. The Order of Truth, zealous in their mission, scours the lands to find the chosen vessel, determined to fulfill their liege’s destiny.
But standing in the way of this cosmic convergence is a ragtag band of antiheroes whose destinies are far murkier:
Betany: A master storyteller from the Steppe Raiders, wielding her claymore with unmatched fury.
Wulf: Born of a hurricane summoned by his mother, now wandering far from the forbidden city of Malthus, shrouded in tempestuous mystery.
Vanderjack: A warlock of Carafax, burdened with the arcane secrets of the sunken kingdoms.
Rikvengar: A mighty warrior from the newly liberated wastelanders, embodying the raw resilience of his people.
The adventure begins in the Hinterlands, where our band has just rescued the estranged first daughter of the reluctant Philosopher Duke Kelvin. Now, they must navigate their way past two skirmishing mercenary companies to return her safely to the Merchant Guilds in the north.
As night falls, a haunting growl shatters the silence—the supernatural cry of some foul beast of Chaos, hunting them through the ruins. ROLL YOUR DOOMED DIE!!
May Doom forget their names.
Tonight, the Monday group kicks off their own Session Zero with a different crew of players. I initially thought about running the same world or even the same starting map, but nah—I’m leaning into the lessons learned and the fire from the first session zero. Time to craft a whole new world with this group of hardened adventurers!
ICYMI
The Critshow Podcast: I listened to the Critshow podcast session zero of The Clockwinders and loved it. I wrote The Clockwinders for Evil Hat Fate Adventures several years ago (6+), my first commercial RPG work. It's amazing that The Critshow crew has picked it to play their seventh-season podcast. Session zero sounds a lot like my home table at play, and I love that. They talk through what the setting is, where it's working for them, and where it comes up short for them, and they fill in those gaps. They get it, and that's the best validation for me. Give 'em a listen: The Clockwinders on The Critshow.
Sarah Doom’s Substack: Sarah Doom is the creator of Velvet Glove, one of my favorite RPGs to be a player in, and co-author of the award-winning Bluebeard’s Bride. Go and take a gander!
Githyanki Daydreams: Judd is Daydreaming about 2025 games in The Githyanki Diaspora dreams of reincarnation, Into the Odd and Strange Traveller!
On Deck for This Week
Wrapping up my pre-game prep for The Black Sword Hack. Both groups are heading into some dark, chaotic territory, and I’m stoked to see where they go. APs later this week!
Catching up on some snowy reading with Outcast Silver Raiders. I might be running it IRL in my city soon—stay tuned for details.
And, of course, wrangling these pups in the snow. MOAR Coffee!!
It's my birthday month; catch my Play Fearless Birthday Subscription discount this month!
Catch ya next week!