Monday Musings #87 🤬
Dead-ends and Cold Wars.
Good Monday, Gamer!
"This is just a detour, not a dead-end street!"—Zig Ziglar, Party Caller
In the “Play to Find Out” space—or even in the halls of “Honor Your Prep”—players will, at some point, unknowingly run straight into a dead end.
What do you, the honorable and esteemed GM, do?
Do you shuffle the cards, slip the real answer under another shell, and pretend they just missed it? The players might never know… but I would. And I can’t do that.
Instead, I look for ways to make the dead end engaging rather than punishing. Maybe it costs them time, resources, or reputation. Maybe it introduces a new wrinkle they didn’t expect. In my Black Sword Hack Sunday game the crew returned to the Blue Smoke Cathedral, hoping to dredge up fresh clues about a bounty. But I knew they had already squeezed that lead dry. There was nothing new there.
So what now? Here’s where good session notes do the work. In the fiction already established is The Broken Bell Mercenary company. Capt Zupaan has already had a not-friendly interaction with our band of adventurers. They’re both looking for the same bounty. So the characters seeing the Broken Bell Mercenary Company at the Blue Smoke Cathedral when they arrive invokes a WTF Is this BS?, instead of Huh? Whaaat; Ok GM?! And now we’re back to playing to find out. From this session, we get deeper into BSH combat mechanics, an understanding of the Blue Smoke cult’s problems and position, and a great interaction between Capt Zupaan and Betany the Barbarian in the fight. Honoring the prep yields Gideon, the bounty being captured by another faction. This ‘story’ ends. Everyone levels up. A fantastic mix of events.
I’m always looking for ways to turn dead ends into new doors—ways that feel organic, not like the GM is hand-holding or forcing a plot. More on that in future posts, but I’d love to hear your takes—what do you do when players hit a wall?
Cold City Playtest – Agents Assembled!
I got my hands on the Cold City 2E playtest materials, and I’m hyped to see this game returning. There’s a strong pull for me in its Cold War paranoia, supernatural horror, and fractured trust between factions. If you haven't played Cold City, it’s a hidden gem from the early 2000s that blends Cold War paranoia, supernatural horror, and inter-agency distrust into one sharp, character-driven RPG. Originally written by Malcolm Craig and followed up by its spiritual successor, Hot War.
Set in 1950s Berlin, a city divided and teetering on the edge of political chaos, players take on the roles of operatives from different nations, all working together—but never truly trusting each other—in the secret "RPA" (Reserve Police Agency). Their mission? To hunt down and contain Nazi-era occult horrors left behind after the fall of the Third Reich.
Fast forward to today, and Handiwork Games has picked up the torch to bring back Cold City and Hot War. Handiwork is known for its gorgeous books and thoughtful design, so this is shaping up to be a brilliant revival.
I’ve gathered some willing agents, and we’ll be diving into the shadows soon. Expect some notes from the field in future musings.
Final Acts in The Black Sword Hack
Both groups are heading into the final chapters of their current arcs:
🔹 The Cycles of Errazu (Sunday)
Two stories under their belts, now 3rd level, and heading north to the barbarian territories. Their employer, Captain Harkon, is hoping to uncover what the Knights of the Order of Truth are after… and get his hands on it first.
🔹 The Fall of Malpha (Monday)
The crew is heading north to the Legion Academy, where they mean to claim the Maul of Heaven—not to wield it, but to trade it to a Scorpion Knight. That deal alone is going to have consequences.
Excited to see where these finales take us! May DOOM forget their names!
ICYMI
🗡️ Blades'68 Playtest Preview – Blades in the Dark meets 1968? Yes, please. Check out Actual Play on Twitch!
📜 100 is Enough – Sean McCoy & Tyler Brown on Kickstarter’s Make 100 and Time and the Coyote. I want to do a Make 100… I just don’t know what I’d make 100 of. 🤷🏾♂️
🎲 What Are You Playing? – From Githyanki Diaspora. Always a good read.
Catch ya next week!