Monday Musings #83 🤬

Hot Games. Cold prep.

Good Monday, Gamer!

Photo by Angèle Kamp on Unsplash

“I love hanging with you, man” —Crichton, Clutch Player

As I prep my games this week, Farscape has been my comfort rewatch, and, wow, those final episodes of the first season?! They’re an absolute workshop on using NPCs in games. Faced with a big task, the crew gathers help from characters they’ve encountered throughout the season. And Not all of them are allies. Rivals, reluctant collaborators, former enemies—everyone gets thrown into the mix, and it works so well. The tension, the grudging partnerships, the moments of “Do we even trust this person?” are all chef’s-kiss-level good.
When I’m designing NPCs, I try to keep this dynamic in mind. NPCs shouldn’t be static, throwaway characters. Give them depth. Let them evolve. And leave room for them to be recruited, reconsidered, or re-encountered. Maybe they’re the grumpy merchant the players cheated a session ago—but now they need her unique skills. Or maybe they’re the bandit who barely escaped with their life—and now they’ve got information the party needs. Those moments of turning an NPC from “background character” to “key player” are some of my favorites as a GM. When the table collectively gasps, “Wait, we’re trusting them now?” And that's fantastic!

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It’s my Birthday Month Sale!

(In case you’re stuck on what to gift me!)

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Nothing but Minotaurs

I had the absolute pleasure of playing The Clay That Woke this past week with the One Shot Monthly crew. If you’re unfamiliar, The Clay That Woke by Paul Czege is an RPG where you play minotaurs—yes, as in mythical, horned beings—in an all too human society. It’s not your standard swords-and-sorcery game; this is a deeply unique experience that leans into themes of control, morality, and the delicate balance between primal instincts and societal integration --but no lectures! A code of conduct binds minotaurs in this game, and the drama comes from how often you find yourself breaking it. It happens often at the player level, and reflexively, then you try to quickly walk it back!!

“I grabbed him by the throat, but it was instructional!”

Sure, buddy, hand over a Silence token. Breaking the code has consequences, and that tension is woven into the mechanics. The “tokens in a bag” system drives the gameplay, and the tokens have their life cycle of spending and refreshes.
I played a soldier minotaur, and while I’ve played The Clay That Woke once before, this time, I felt like I really got it. It’s one of those games where every choice feels meaningful. You’re always walking the line between control, society, and instinct. It’s alien, strange, and unforgettable. Mad thanks to the One Shot Monthly crew for letting me game with them this week!

BSH Sunday: The Iron Port
Iron Port is a gritty, sprawling coastal city that sits at the southern edge of a wide bay. It's a city of contrasts: bustling docks alive with seafarers unloading cargo, crumbling stone towers casting long shadows over labyrinthine alleys, and a melting pot of merchants, mystics, and scoundrels who call it home. It’s the kind of place where fortunes are made, and lives are lost in equal measure.
We kicked off Sunday’s The Black Sword Hack session at The Broken Oar Tavern and Inn, a familiar watering hole for rogues and wanderers alike. Here, debts were settled, drinks were downed, and introductions were made to our newest PC, Anton—broke and just hired for a babysitting job. Easy task: Keep an eye on Gideon, a young man who’s racked up some dangerous attention from a Merchant Captain. Simple enough...until Anton discovered the bounty on Gideon’s head was worth far more than the babysitting gig.
Naturally, Anton swapped clients and took on the bounty. But, in true Iron Port fashion, things went sideways. Gideon ran off, leaving the crew scrambling through Iron Port’s seedy underbelly for leads. From Heny, the smuggler who initially hired Anton, to the Blue Smoke Cathedral where Gideon had been spotted, the session was filled with antics, shady deals, and moments that can only happen at the table. The search goes on...
This session highlighted how flexible prep can fuel emergent play. I’ll be sharing the full AP notes soon, including what was prepped, what got used, and how elements were repurposed on the fly. It’s good stuff for GMs who like to keep their sessions dynamic and player-driven!

ICYMI: Cold City & Hot War Are Back!
I’m beyond excited to see Cold City and Hot War returning to the RPG scene! If you’re unfamiliar, these games delve into Cold War paranoia mixed with supernatural elements. Cold City sets its stage in post-WWII Berlin, where tensions between Allied powers are high and monstrous secrets lurk beneath the surface. Hot War takes us into an alternate 1960s Britain ravaged by the fallout of experimental weapons that unleashed horrors on the world.
These games combine tense interpersonal dynamics with player-driven narratives, and they’ve always been standouts for me. With their re-releases on the horizon, I’m itching to revisit the originals for a short run to refresh my memories and then dive into the newer versions for contrast. They’re absolutely worth your time!
Check out the Kickstarter: Cold City & Hot War

Catch ya next week!