Campaign Postmortem

I’m working to get a new campaign off the ground. As I’m doing this the discussion of what went wrong on the last campaign has come up. I’ve been thinking about this. I want try and avoid what happened to the last one.

This isn’t the first time a campaign I’ve been a part of died. I’ve hit all of the old reasons: time got away from everyone, life moved on, people moved, had a kid, or the DM gave up gaming. These things happen to all of us. The reason I’m looking at this one is it felt different. There was a lot of guessing as to why it fell apart.

I wanted to write down what I came up with. Partially to help me, but also to see if it helps someone else.

A Bit of Background.

We were playing Rappan Athuk. I was one of the players in this group. DM duties went to a friend of mine who had run the dungeon before and really enjoyed it. Everyone was excited to play because we hadn’t played an RPG in a while. I don’t know what the typical experience of this module is but here is ours.

We created a first level party for Sword and Wizardry. Used a roll four dice keep three method and discussed amongst ourselves what the types of classes we needed were.

I’m told there are multiple ways to get involved in this adventure ours was this. My character won a deed to an old keep in a poker game. We then went up to claim it for my family, who were minor nobles. We traveled to the area, walked to the keep, and found it occupied. While on the journey there we heard rumors of other problems and threats in the area that we all assumed were hints at future adventures.

The keep was well laid out. There were multiple ways in and different paths through the keep once inside. There was a decent set of monsters. We faced a lot of goblins. We found their leader and learned they were part of a cult. We found a magically locked room we had to figure out how to get into. There was decent treasure, a couple of random standout encounters that were well designed and fit into the area, and a decent NPC encounter.

After a couple of levels and a setback or two we took the keep and started getting it back in fighting shape. We hired builders and mercenaries to stand guard over it. Then we set to investigating the rumors in the surrounding area. One of these rumors led us to a cave under a hill. Entering there we found a large sprawling complex. This is where the game started to falter.

The complex, called the Mouth of Doom, was full of hallways. There were some traps and a few monsters. A couple of large rooms with some things that were set up to thwart us. We’d lost a PC but they player rolled up a new character and we kept going.

We mapped the first level and decided to head deeper in. But before we continued it was decided that we change systems and play Pathfinder. So we spent a session creating new characters.

This is when I realized I didn’t want to keep playing. I just didn’t. I politely bowed out and said on the nights where we play Rappan Athuk I just wouldn’t show up. Everyone was okay with that and the game moved on without me. From this point I can’t speak to what happened.

I can report that they did play some more. At first they played pretty regularly. Every second or third week. They would gather and play and I would go and do something else. I’m not sure why, but they started meeting less and less frequently. I take that back, the group at this point was only three people and one of them ended up going on a long vacation with his family. With him away the others didn’t want to play with just a DM and two players.

Then they just sort of stopped playing. Even once the other player had returned from vacation they just never really played again. They met for maybe one or two sessions.

What Happened Next

I write reviews for Meeplegamers.com and occasionally I would get an RPG to review. I asked the group and everyone agreed that we could get together and try one of these games. We agreed to do it as a one or two night game. I’ve been a part of a couple of these and they were fun.

We started talking about maybe trying to play an RPG again. I thought this meant that they would be playing Rappan Athuk and I would be sitting out again. It never happened.

I watch some RP streams, LA by Night, the Dragon Friends, and Weave. As the talk of RPG’s continued I wanted to play too. The group kept not playing and I started writing a campaign document for Through the Breach. Since my group wasn’t seeming to go back to Rappan Athuk I decided to pitch them the idea of a new game. I wrote up a brief description of a couple of possible games and settings and sent them out as an email.

People responded and we got together for our regular night and everyone pitched in their ideas and opinions and we picked a game we’ll be playing moving forward. During this conversation about what to play next the question of why we weren’t playing Rappan Athuk came up.

That’s when I started this project.

Is it the DM’s Fault

It’s easy in a situation like this to pile on the DM. It was their game so it had to be their fault. I was even a part of this camp when everything started to go wrong. I decided it was how he was running the game.

I don’t know exactly why we blame our DM’s. Maybe it’s just easier to shift the blame to them. They weren’t running a good enough game. It takes the burden off of ourselves. That’s an attractive option. It can’t be my fault. I’m a god damned delight. Thus, the DM, who put so much, work, time, and effort into setting this up is to blame. It had to be them.

I’m not saying that it’s never the DM’s fault. Sometimes it just drops on their shoulders for one reason or another. Sometimes it’s completely fair that they were to blame.

However, it’s still worth a look.

What Went Wrong

Since the conversation happened there was a point afterwards where I felt it necessary to express my opinion. When doing so, I reminded the DM as well as myself of all the other times I had played with them. The different modules that we had dipped into. Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil or The World’s Largest Dungeon. These are huge funhouse dungeons filled with traps and beasts. They are laden with difficult encounters and outrageous treasures. They had both been tons of fun.

Why didn’t I like Rappan Athuk?

As I started to think about this I went through and detailed all of the things that had happened in the adventure. The first part, clearing the keep, had been fun. I enjoyed the puzzles of figuring out which entry way to take, which monsters to fight, when to set up ambushes, and the story hooks that promised later surprises.

The keep was great.

There was never a session of clearing the keep that felt stale or stagnate. Figuring out the safest way through while taking advantage of the different avenues into through the structure were a joy. I remember so many specific instances of what happened in there. Things I don’t want to spoil in case you might one day find yourself clearing that same structure.

After we cleared the keep we started looking into the rumors that abound of the area. Everything from bandits to dragons were talked about in hushed whispers at the nearest inns and trading posts. Where would we go first?

Near the keep was a hill that held the entrance to a cave complex. We decided to go there. Into what I would later learn was called the Mouth of Doom. According to the locals a group of bandits had turned it into their base of operations and were striking out at travelers and caravans.

This is where things turned.

You see, the Mouth of Doom, was mostly empty. Long stretches of barren hall way, abandoned rooms, and traps. Most of the encounters were traps. And there still wasn’t a lot of them and they weren’t that clever. They were mostly just pits. We spent a long time mapping tunnels and finding nothing.

We spent maybe too much time trying to inch our way through the dungeon trying not to set off one of the infamous Rappan Athuk death traps. Super hard challenges that could wipe out your entire party with a single bad dice roll.

In truth, there were none of these.

We’d heard stories about how epic and dangerous Rappan Athuk could be. There had been evidence of that in the keep. It taught us to take our time and advance slowly, methodically through the halls to prevent ourselves from being caught out and killed.

It never happened. Not once in the Mouth of Doom did I feel threatened or in danger. I would drop in the occasional pit and feel annoyed, but never worried. There was never an encounter that made me think we weren’t going to win.

After weeks of slowly moving down one tunnel after another I was done. I didn’t want to go back into Rappan Athuk, it was dull.

I asked a couple of the other players what they’d thought of the level. If they could remember more than I could. But they couldn’t. It was all the same empty rooms to them as well.

They even described what came after and said they go to a point where in order to advance they had to mine through walls.

Rappan Athuk had performed the greatest sin of all; it was boring. That’s why I stopped, not because of the DM, though he got the blame, the module itself was just dull.

Looking at the Dungeon

I was very curious about why people remember the dungeon the way they do and so I looked into it. I read reviews, watched videos, and even hit up the wiki. In this a couple of things kept coming up.

First: Every review I found loved the adventure. They talked about the creative encounters, well written story, and challenge level. They all loved the challenge level. This makes sense, it’s a hard module. Having beat it or even just advanced a long distance is a badge of honor.

Second: They all talked about how it had been one of their first adventures and were so excited to see other people playing. They were going to get to share this adventure with new players. I get this. I love it when I hear someone else talk about the Undermountain, Pool of Radiance, or any of the other big modules I’ve played through.

The final thing they all seemed to talk about was the best parts of the adventure. They all talked about the middle and the bottom. The only upper level anyone talked about was a graveyard that apparently has multiple entrances. No one talked about the Mouth of Doom other than to show off the map since it was an early level and they didn’t feel it was spoiling anything.

I think this is where the problem comes in. Back in the day I played a lot of these funhouse dungeons. I remember fighting epic battles and getting awesome treasures. I remember all of the fun we had stomping around these sand boxes. However, when I calm down and really think about those times. I mean really think. I remember a lot of empty space.

Different DM’s have treated this empty space differently. My friend Scot ran the Undermountain for three different groups that I was a part of. He kept meticulous notes from one campaign to the next. He filled multiple poster maps of empty space with communities, monsters, warring factions, and deadly traps.

I’ve also had DM’s who left that space empty. Other adventurers had cleared these spaces and we followed in their footsteps. The tension was in the anticipation of what was around the next corner or next random encounter.

Both of these ways are perfectly valid. There really isn’t a right or wrong way to do it. However, we knew going in what we were up against. We that when Scot ran the game we had to be more careful because he’d fill every nook and cranny with details. In games with less stuff we knew to be more casual about the exploration.

With Rappan Athuk everything we knew about this place was that it was super deadly and murder came from the shadows at any moment. Unfortunately, by the time we had started moving through the tunnels they were actually empty. We were acting as if the tunnels were full to tunnels that were empty.

In the end that made the upper levels of the dungeon boring.

We played for a couple weeks in a row where all we did was map empty hallways. We didn’t face any monsters, find NPC’s, or deal with treacherous puzzles. We hit the occasional pit trap. That was exciting the first time. Then it wasn’t anymore.

I don’t know how much deeper we had to go to get to stuff that wasn’t empty hallways. I talked to one of the players who kept going after I left and he said the last game they played they had been teleported into a large section of maze where every ten foot section had been walled off. They had been separated and needed to find everyone. They spent a large chunk of a section tunneling through one wall a day in order to get to the next nearest person.

I’m sure that someone reading this has had a different experience with Rappan Athuk. I can’t speak to your experience. I can only talk about mine. That said; I’d love to hear what happened to you and how the dungeon was different than what we experienced.

I’m sure my DM will be able to tell many similar stories about when he went into the depths of Rappan Athuk.

The Dungeon Master

I know I’ve said a lot about how we had knee-jerk reaction and blamed the DM. However, I think there were a couple of places where he sort of teed up this problem.

After the fact our DM told me that one of the reasons he ran Rappan Athuk was because he felt that it was the best written adventure he’d ever used, he thought it would be fun, and he wouldn’t want to beat his head against the table while playing D&D.

He doesn’t like D&D. He has a lot of problems with the system and decided that since everyone wants to play D&D he’d capitulate and run this dungeon he loved. This sounds like a pretty good compromise.

There are a couple of problems that come from this. One of these is that if he isn’t having fun, he might not notice that someone else isn’t having fun. I was not enjoying myself. I didn’t like the system we were using. When we switched systems and I was sitting there rolling a new character, I just wasn’t looking forward to it. There’s a post here that explains why I don’t play D&D anymore. You can check that out.

This is the other problem. Our DM made the assumption that we all wanted to play D&D. This wasn’t true. We all wanted to play a roleplay game. He suggested D&D because he decided that it was what we wanted to play. To be fair, everyone else was perfectly fine with this. They all enjoy D&D and wanted to play. I wanted to play with my friends and was willing to play Swords and Wizardry. Basically, Our DM made a lot of assumptions about something he didn’t want to do but decided to suffer through.

Final Thoughts

I think there’s a lot of blame to go around. I should have said something to the DM when I wasn’t having fun. I should have noticed in myself why I wasn’t having fun. I decided it was how he was running the game and just walked away. If I had thought about it for a while I might have noticed why I wasn’t having fun. I might even have spotted the DM wasn’t having as good a time as everyone else.

The module as we encountered it was flawed. That style of adventure was fine for the early days of D&D but anymore I want a bit more going on. I don’t think too many people are willing to sit around a table and explore empty hall for several hours. We’ve gotten a lot of entertainment options at our fingertips these days. People want their fantasies to have a plot.

Personally, as a writer, I’m all for that. However, there are people who feel D&D should be run the way it was back in the day. You went to a place because there was treasure, you fought monsters because they had the treasure, and you explored tombs and dungeons for less lofty goals. To steal from Burt Reynolds we did it for the glory, for the money, and for the fun. Mostly the money.

Rappan Athuk is glory, money, and fun. I want a plot. I want an episode of TV, a good film, or nice story. I can’t speak for everyone in my group, but part of why I walked away was glory, money, fun aren’t enough anymore.

The DM, as near as I can tell, wasn’t having a good time. I’ve been the DM not having a good time. Back in the day. When that happened I addressed it to the players. I wrote a letter and sent it out to see what everyone thought of the campaign and minded if I changed things. Not everyone does that. My friend assumed everyone was having fun.

Even after I left he joked that the only reason I did it was because I didn’t like Pathfinder. He never expressed his dislike of D&D. He assumed that we wanted to only play D&D. He should have asked. Should have told us what he wanted and would have preferred to play. I also should have corrected him on his assumption about why I left.

Why Write This

As I said, I did this for myself in a lot of ways. I wanted to organize my thoughts and see how I should move forward in starting my own campaign. One of the things I’ve already done was give my players options. I sent out an email where I listed a selection of settings and rules sets. I’ll probably share it around here at some point. Maybe next week.

I’ve also approached one of my players and asked him to let me know if he sees people getting bored. I want to know if I’m missing it.

I also think it might help someone else to think about these things. Maybe you’re in a campaign that isn’t going anywhere fast and you’re not sure what to do. I know I’m not really giving answers but maybe you can find your own here.

Anyway, I’ve gone on long enough.

I think I’ll stop here.

Thanks for stopping by, let me know what you think. I’d love to hear.

Through the Breach Campaign Document part 5: Heavy Hitters

While I think the group may end up interacting with some of the big names in Malifaux I don’t expect them to engage these people in combat. More often than not, the PC’s will be dealing with the fallout from two or more of the big guns going at each other. That said, they may interact with them on a social or informative level. I’m not sure who they’ll go to for information or who they’ll be able to talk their way into a meeting with.

Here are a couple of people that they’ll come across as they uncover the mystery of the Sin Eater and Beaufort Manor.

Guild: Sonia Crid. As head witch hunter for the Guild Sonia is the one who gets brought in when investigating the mystical goings on around Malifaux. She’ll also have custody of Randal Kreps when the campaign begins. She got involved by detecting the spikes in power around the city. She was caught off guard by the first ritual but was a bit more prepared for the second. She actually missed Kreps by minutes when she tracked the second location. She was even more prepared for the third and was able to arrive just after it started.

Since she’s captured him she’s kept Kreps alive so she can interrogate him. However, she also got some of his notes that he had on him at the ritual site and since then has become singularly focused on finding out what part of the ritual is missing. If she were actually to spend any time looking into the matter she might have figured out about the Sin Eaters and find their ultimate location.

As the group gets closer to finding the library they might encounter Sonia as her research begins to pan out. However, she’ll end up distracted by other factors.

Samuel Hopkins: As Sonia’s right hand he’s always nearby and in many cases picking up the slack when she gets too focused on her personal quest for power and knowledge. As the only person she still talks to he is aware of what Sonia is doing right now. If the groups thinks to approach Sonia and manages to get a meeting it’ll be Samuel who shows up. He’ll be helpful but noncommittal. He’ll also try and avoid letting on what’s happening with Sonia.

Hopkins may even pitch in with the group for a limited time, especially if he feels there’s an imminent threat. If it’s a minor problem he could be convinced to loan out a Witchling Handler and one or two Stalkers.

Arcanists:

Collette: As one of the Arcanists most prominent members Collette is always looking to strike a deal to get Soul Stone shipments out of the city and back to Earthside. Since she uses the sewers for transport she won’t get involved until very late in the game. In fact she’ll only become a part of this after the library is opened. If the inhabitant is allowed to roam free they’ll grab and possess one of Collette’s showgirls.

If the group encounters the inhabitant after they’ve possessed the showgirl then the group might think to approach Collette. Though she’ll be unlikely to offer aid, she might be able to give them an edge in the fight. She might also be involved if Sonia shows up at the wrong moment.

Neverbourne:

Pandora: Pandora has a wide stock of orphanages throughout the city that she uses for recruitment. The Matron who runs one of them was killed by a Sin Eater. She recognized the signs of the creatures passing and is now on the lookout for it. Unfortunately, she’ll get involved a bit too late to deal with anything concrete and if she should encounter the PC’s she’ll watch from a distance and see what they’re capable of. If she really wants information from inside the house she’ll send in one of her charges, most likely a newer less well known child.

Ten Thunders:

Jakob Lynch: A couple of the Sin Eater victims were members of Lynch’s staff and a few were patrons. He’s too new to what’s going on to know about the threat the Sin Eater poses. He is interested to learn what happened to the people connected to him so will be generally helpful for the PC’s. He’ll answer questions and point the PC’s in the right direction if they really need it but for the most part, he’ll leave them be.

Other characters they might come across but have no real impact on the story.

McMourning: if the group asks to see one of the bodies then it’s possible they’ll meet McMourning in the morgue.

Nicodem: Similar to McMourning the PC’s could come across Nicodem if they go to a grave site.

VonSchill: If the group spends a lot of time in the quarantine zone they could come across Von Schill’s people, it’s unlikely they’ll meet him but they might run into his people.

That’s where I am right now. I’ve talked to my group about playing a RPG I’ll come back with what we decided to do for a start.

Through the Breach Campaign Document part 4: the Plot

The Instigator: Randal Kreps. A small time operator and bit caster with a couple of magic tricks has been making forays into the Quarantine Zone in hopes of finding an unclaimed library where he can boost his cast of spells. He has been slightly successful. He’s found some books that have given him one or two new spells and formula.

He hit it big a month ago when he found a mostly intact tome that went over the existence of a large library. There were some clues that the library was found inside the city of Malifaux but held no concrete directions or landmarks. There were one or two clues that led Randal to look for other tomes and volumes that might cover the subject. The library was so obscure that Randal was able to find several book in local stores and markets that helped him advance his study. His research turned up very little new information.

Until a month ago when he was scavenging in the Quarantine Zone. He came across a small study in the skeletal remains of an old house. The area had been exposed to the weather and the contents were mostly ruined. But he did find most of one book that spoke of the library in question. The book also included some of the instructions of a ritual to summon a guide to the library.

Using the unfinished ritual in the book, and some research he’d done in other tomes Randal chose a secluded location and performed the ritual. It worked. A beast called a sin eater appeared before him and set off towards the library through a wall. Randal was unable to follow and became frustrated. The ritual said that the beast would head to the entrance and make its location known to the caster.

After several days of waiting and more research Randal tried again. Choosing a new location in the direction he believed the first demon traveled he prepared a new ritual. The same thing happened. A Sin Eater appeared and moved off in the direction of the Library. Randal followed as long as he could but again the demon moved in a way that Randal couldn’t follow.

He waited, researched some more, and tried again. This time making sure that he performed the ritual in a wide open location with lots of freedom to move around. Unfortunately, it was a bit too wide open and drew the attention of the authorities. Specifically Sonnia Crid. It did not go well for Randal.

What Went Wrong: Randal’s version of the ritual was corrupted. More specifically, rotted. Passages were missing and broken down. While enough of the ritual was intact and he was able to summon the Sin Eater guide, its purpose was to only show the caster the last portion of the route and to open the gateway. The part of the ritual that was missing was the location to cast the spell. Without it Randal was starting in a location that was too far from the door.

The Sin Eaters have been moving towards the door, but they need to feed. This is why every six days one of them stops and kidnaps someone. It then spends the next few days devouring their sins and souls before resuming its journey to the door.

Once the first demon arrives it will open the door and return to its home plane its mission complete. The second Sin Eater will arrive at the door find it open and be released from its binding. However, since it won’t have opened the door it will not return home and take residence in the library. It won’t live long though.

The Prize: The Library is certainly a prize to be held by any mage of significant power and time. The books with in are impressive. Many tomes featuring long lost secrets of machines, magic, and the harvesting of Soul Stones. The things here are impressive and if found will be hotly contested. However, there is also a resident.

The Resident: A being has been imprisoned in the library. He’s been trapped there for some time and is quite anxious to leave. Fortunately, it’s weakened by millennia of starvation. The Sin Eater will give it some energy and even if no second Sin Eater arrives it will still be able to amass power from the life force of the various creatures found in the labyrinthine sewers under Malifaux. Eventually it will even find a showgirl to possess.

Where Doctor Beaufort comes in: Beaufort has been investigating a Soul Stone smuggling operation. The investigation has brought him to Malifaux as he suspected it would. His original theory was that the Ten Thunders were behind the operation but developments have led him to believe that someone else is responsible. One of his contacts/suspects disappeared while he was looking into their background. (A victim of the Sin Eater.) While trying to discern who may have been responsible for the man’s disappearance he learned of others.

Believing they may have been connected to his case he looked deeper into the missing people. That’s when he began to track the pattern. While learning more details of the missing people he came to the conclusion that something supernatural was responsible. Being outside of his purview he looked to experts to offer aid in this adventure.

Soul Stone Smuggling: Mickey “Big Mic” Flannery is a mine foreman who’s been dipping into the till. During a survey trip to find a route for the railroad to a new mine he found a small breach to Earthside that opened near his home in Ireland. After some soul searching and questionable accident that left him the expedition’s only survivor he decided to enrich himself and a select few loyal friends. They’d been skimming only enough to make money at first being careful to spend very little of it so as not to draw attention to themselves. However, as so often happens Big Mic has a cousin who can’t follow orders.

The group was small at first focusing on small shipments of a couple of stones. Eventually it grew to ship other things and people who wanted out of their union contracts. Since its beginnings the group has grown from six people to nearly thirty with a few errand boys and contacts who don’t know exactly what’s going on but appreciate the money enough to look the other way.

The Inevitable Clash: Big Mic is well aware of Doctor Beaufort looking into his organization. He also worried that they may be getting a bit big for their own good. He’s worried about the Ten Thunders, the Guild, and the Union finding out what he’s doing. The courier that died wasn’t one of their inner circle and knew only a couple of go betweens but he knew something. Big Mic is certain Doctor Beaufort didn’t kill him. He’s less sure about the other groups. The only thing that makes him think this has been a random act of violence so frequently found in Malifaux is his awareness of two of the other disappearances. Both were members of the Ten Thunders and he’s nearly certain they wouldn’t have killed their own people; nearly certain.

Big Mic will probably insert himself into the investigation through an intermediary. He’s interested in seeing where it leads but has enough respect for the forces of Malifaux that he’s going to try and stay out of it as much as possible. However, with people watching the PC’s it’s possible that he’ll find out about the library and the things found inside. At this point Big Mic is looking for a way to quickly and quietly retire to the home lands. A quick score from the library could help that. Though he won’t try and confront anyone directly, he might watch from a distance and then slide in afterwards and walk away with something.

In addition to this is the Velvet Crane. Since some of the people who have disappeared were members of the Ten Thunders and Doctor Beaufort has suddenly been investigating those missing men the Thunders are worried that he’s looking into their organization. While the Ten Thunders is an ongoing file he keeps he doesn’t believe that they are responsible for the smuggling or the disappearances. Crane would prefer to watch the Doctor and see what he can learn but a higher up who’s new to the position and looking to cement his station has sent down orders to “intervene.” This led to Crane sending Jake Tanner to leave the amulet in the Beaufort Manor.

Over time Velvet Crane will most likely introduce himself to Beaufort and the characters. Especially, if he feels they have similar intentions. If he learns of the library he’ll end up going after it. Not because he wants to but because his superior will decide it’s a good idea. Crane is leery of the things that one might find there and would prefer to have one of his agents in the Guild deal with it. However, his superior will want a more direct hand. Crane could tip his hand to the PC’s to avoid getting involved.

The Quarantine Zone:

Since some of the investigation will take place in the Quarantine Zone and the sewers as an extension, a bit about them. The area is extremely dangerous because it hasn’t been reclaimed. The official story is that the buildings are in wide disrepair and in danger of collapsing. The area is decrepit and prone to collapses, sink holes, and people becoming lost among the maze like structure of crumbled buildings and streets. Technically, this is all true.

However, the official story leaves a little bit out. The area is filled with lost libraries, laboratories, and workshops. The Guild is interested in keeping these to themselves and work hard to keep people out.

The area is also full of Ghosts, undead, Ressurrectionists (necromancers), criminals, and wild beasts. And Hamlin far more powerful interties. As such the Guild is keenly interested in keeping people away from the area and certain death.

That’s it for today. I think one more prep bit. The heavy hitters of Malifaux who may become involved in the mystery. I’ve mentioned a couple already, such as Sonnia Crid. There are some others who come to mind and how they all fit in.

Dear Wednesday Club

There was a show on Twitch that I owe a lot to. They had a letter column that I always intended to write to. I never did because I always thought I'd have more time. Then one night, it was gone. Here's the letter I should have sent and never did.

I need to tell you this part, so you’ll understand the later part.

The first question is always how did I get into comics? This is my answer. When I was younger, I devoured superheroes on television. I loved the live action Hulk, Spider-Man, Batman, and Captain America. I watched the animated adventures of Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends, the Super Friends, even the old Marvel animated shows with Thor and Ironman. One day my mother took us to a small convenience store. They had a small spinning rack of comics. I can picture Spider-Man, Archie, and a couple of others. One book caught my attention. I still remember what is said for the most part. “Under one hundred tons of rock stands the Hulk and he’s not happy.” I had to read it. I took it home and devoured it from cover to cover and then begged my mother to take me back so I could find issues 1-3. I needed to know how they got there.

I started reading more comics after that. The Hulk, because I saw myself in David Banner. Thor because he was the only hero who wasn’t sad to be a hero; he had fun being a hero. The West Coast Avengers because I loved Hawkeye; plus the book was genuinely funny. These would be my go to books for years.

Then the 90’s happened. I didn’t like the 90’s. Comics got dark, everyone was angry, depressed, or broken in some way. I had been steadily adding to my comic file and now one by one books were leaving it. Azbat, Parallax, Red and Blue Superman, yet another Marvel summer event (didn’t we just finish one of these?) I was down to just a handful of books. Then came Image. I was enamored with Image but as the books went on it started to feel like every issue was subtitled, “See how edgy we are. So unlike Marvel.” So those left my file.

Then I found Ultraverse from Malibu. They were bright, happy, fun, and the characters took a reasonable track towards costumes. I loved the costumes. No ridiculous shoulder pads, a complete lack of unnecessary pockets, feet, and the women wore clothes that made sense and looked incredible. They felt designed for function and flair.

I loved Ultraverse.

I still own Firearm issue 0 which was a live action movie that led into the comic. I don’t own a VHS player, but I have that tape.

Some of you will know where this is going. Marvel bought Malibu and Ultraverse. Then they killed it. They retconned the history, changed the characters, erased some of them from existence, and then cancelled all of the books.

I was so angry. I cancelled my entire comics file and walked away. I didn’t go back. I even cancelled books I liked, Starman. Wednesday Club has an entire episode on why that book is awesome and I was so angry I stopped reading it. Starman wasn’t even Marvel.

I hadn’t read a comic book for around 20 years. Then I found the Wednesday Club. I had seen Taliesen and Amy in other things and was intrigued about what they thought about comics. Since I started watching the show I have begun purchasing comics again. I started with Lumberjanes, which I give to my niece when I’m done. I’ve picked up Super Sons, I grabbed a copy of Rebirth, I’m looking to get in on Locke and key and a couple of others as income allows.

This is why I love...loved the Wednesday Club. They gave me comics back.

They made it okay for me to go and read a comic book again. They showed me that I didn’t have to be mad anymore. And I get to share it with my niece. We get to talk about Lumberjanes, superhero television shows, and movies. My niece is eleven and she had to do a report on someone important for school. She chose Stan Lee and I showed her the episode about him for her paper.

I haven’t done it yet, but I need to pull down my old unopened long boxes form way back then and show her those stories.

I was sad when they announced the end of the Wednesday Club. This is why. I know I’m going to still read comics, I’ll still seek out these stories, and I’ll work to avoid the large over produced events and specials. I will still miss seeing them talk about comics every week. The things they’ve introduced me too, the "cover that later" episodes we’ll never see, and the stories we’ll never hear about.

I do hope that on occasion they will get together at a comic convention and hold a panel from time to time. I’d love if they could get together for an afternoon every once in a while and record a handful of five minute topics to dole out on YouTube. These things likely won’t happen, but I will dream.

I’ve said it in chat and on Twitter. But I want to say it here too. They were the Trinity of Geek & Sundry’s Heroic Age. They were our Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. Matt Key asked me on Twitter which one he was. I assume he was joking, but I explained anyway. Matt is tall, proud, full of hope; he is Superman. Taliesen looks at the world through a slightly different lens colored by purpose; he is Batman. Amy leads with her heart, is full of love, acceptance, and forgiveness; she is Wonder Woman.

As I said then, I wish I were a better artist. I am a writer and I cannot draw. I wish I could do fan art of the mental image I have in my head. The picture of the three of them standing on a cliff side holding the lasso of truth and introducing themselves to one another. But I am not an artist and I cannot draw it so I hope my words here suffice.

I want to thank Taliesen, Amy, and Matt. I wish I had better words for what your show meant to me and what it gave me.

The only thing I can think of I’m going to have to steal it.

Excelsior!

Through the Breach Campaign Document part 3: the House

THE BEAUFORT MANOR

Like most structures in Malifaux no one is certain of who the original builders were. The estate rests in Malifaux near the area where the wealthiest house give way to the poorest. It’s also close enough to the quarantine zone that people mistake if it belongs there.

The house is a large manor with a thriving estate. From the street outside you can discern very little of the house or grounds. The large stone wall is topped with iron bars ending in jagged points. A huge gate wrenches and squeals when opened. A hedge built inside the wall grows wild and unkempt stretching high above the outer wall blocking all view of the house. This is an extremely well cultivated image. Thatcher works hard to maintain this illusion.

Once through the gate and inside the walls the view changes substantially. The grounds are covered in wonderfully maintained topiary’s. The grass is green and thriving. Numerous flowers, fountains, and shade trees dot the landscape. A huge spiraling hedge maze rests in the backyard covering a large stretch of property. There’s a fine orchard filled with cherry trees that. The orchard hosts a small pavilion for intimate moments.

The house is a picture of style and sophistication. The large white two story manor house is covered in ivy. A series of six marble pillars hold up a balcony on the second level. The interiors are elegant and serviceable.

Doctor Beaufort likes a house that feels lived in. As such the interiors feel lived in. He uses the furniture, walks the floors, and encourages what few guests he’s had to do so as well.

There are several rooms in the house that are easily available:

First floor: Grand Hall, Kitchen, Dining Room, Study, Library, Ball Room, Music Room, Cloak Room, Family Room, Sitting Room, Mud room, and a Pantry. Possible rooms: a pool, weapons room, gallery, billiards room, and a trophy room.

Second Floor: Hosts six guest rooms, a fabulous main bed room, a bathing room, and a private bath.

The Basement: A couple of storage rooms, a large furnace room, and a wine cellar. Possible rooms: lab, workshop, weapons room, and a cold storage room.

There is also an attic.

A few notes on the rooms.

Grand Hall: a large wrought iron and blue crystal chandelier hangs in the hall. In the presence of powerful magic the chandelier glows green.

Library: a faint breeze blows in this room. Beaufort has searched for a secret passage but has yet to find one. He’s even removed all of the books and shelves, pulled up the carpet, and is considering pulling bits from the walls.

Trophy Room: The room is filled with the hunting trophies. They came with the house. The centerpiece of the trophies are the three sabretooth chimera heads over the large fire place. Beaufort is still trying to figure out what to do with the trophies. The only reason he keeps them is he’s confident that some of the trophies disappear from time to time. The mystery of it fascinates him. Though he is confident that it’s dangerous due to some of the animal trophies kept here.

Bathing Room: The bathing room is a large tiled space with a few smaller iron tubs with privacy screens set up. The center of the room features a large inset heated pool. It’s not deep but is ringed by seating and can host several people at once.

Dining Room: The room is dominated by a large table capable of seating twenty guests. The only room with soul stone powered lights. The lights can change color. The color of the lights is controlled by a dial near the kitchen. Possible colors: red, green, yellow, blue, and an odd violet color.  Do the lights have an effect based on the color?

Sitting Room: a large comfortable room. An ather vox (magic radio) rests on a small side table. Several comfortable chairs, a sofa, and a chaise lounge are situated around the room. A small tray with various alcohols and glasses rests in one corner. It also features the only picture of Beaufort. A large portrait of Beaufort, a woman, and a young boy hangs over the large gothic fireplace.

Guest rooms: Each of the guest rooms is done in a different color. Other than that, they are all warm, inviting rooms. They each have their own small fireplace and a private toilet. Each room also contains a wardrobe decorated with a different woodcut scene on the front. Green: Stags in a forest clearing. Blue: Dolphins leaping through waves. Pink: A merry go round filled with fantastic animals. White: Rabbits in snow. Yellow: A field of wild flowers. Beige: Prairie dogs playing a dessert valley. Do the wood cuts move? Are the significant? Do they foretell anything?

The Wine Cellar: The wine cellar is not original to the house. When Malifaux was occupied the first time before the breach closed for one hundred years the family that lived here built over the original room. Beaufort hasn’t realized this. The room was originally a scrying chamber. If the hardwood floors are pried up it will reveal several symbols carved into the floor. A clue to the room original purpose is carved into the walls. A fate reading is inscribed there. It begins up the left wall from the stairs with two lines, one line on the far wall, and the final two lines are down the right wall and finish by the stairs. The prophecy will be created during character creation. It will be the fate of the house/campaign.

I should explain Fate. In Through the Breach characters are generated through a sort of tarot reading mechanic that gives them numbers to use as stat and skill numbers. It also generates a characters fate. These are five line poems where each line is played out over the course of a single session. The campaign will last until each character plays through their entire poem. I intend to have an additional fate reading done that will pertain to the campaign or house, I haven’t decided.

It’s one of the things I like about Through the Breach, the campaign has a set length. We play five sessions for each character and then the story is over. You can keep playing, but I like the fact that the story has an ending and we reach it. It lets players bring in new characters and ideas. I will be adding an extra five games to this story by including a fate reading beyond the players.

I'll be back next week with starting notes on the overarching story and the evil plot.

Through the Breach Campaign Document part 2: Characters

There are a few people who help maintain the house. I think these should be fun people who are sources of support and help but could also function as red herrings.

Mrs. Galling: Housekeeper. She’s a stern older woman who’s been employed by Doctor Beaufort for a short time; a few months at the best. She takes her job seriously. Does excellent work. Leaves every day by 6PM, just after finishing dinner. She’s used to Doctor Beaufort, and has gotten to know him better than even he understands. That said, she’s very loyal to her employer and won’t speak a cross word against him. She also won’t reveal any of his secrets.

James Mason: Driver. James has worked for Doctor Beaufort for the last few weeks. He’s anxious to do a good job. He’s a former Guild Guard who got shot during a mine uprising. His leg never healed right, but he’s still formidable. Large and stocky he moves with a slow uneven gate. He keeps the coach in excellent condition and takes pride in how the chrome and bronze shine as the coach rolls down the road. He also takes care of the two horses that pull the coach; Church and Mimsey. James doesn’t live on the property but is close enough that he can arrive in around five minutes should his services be needed. James has a reasonable understanding of who Doctor Beaufort is though he doesn’t know much about him. Being the driver he’s rarely in a position to speak with the doctor. He does know everywhere the doctor frequents should the players need to track him down.

Thatcher: Groundskeeper. Thatcher came with the house. He’s been here since before the doctor owned the property. Thatcher keeps the grounds well. The grass is green and the plants are healthy. He purposely keeps the shrubs ringing the property looking unkempt and forgotten. He is quiet, seems to pop up when no one expects it, and gets angry if anything happens to one of the many plants and topiaries one the grounds. Thatcher has spent some time speaking with Doctor Beaufort and has a good opinion of the doctor. If asked he won’t discuss the specifics of any conversation willingly but will indicate they talked about the house and grounds with specific attention paid to the hedge maze and the possibility of a greenhouse. Thatcher lives on the grounds. He has a hut located inside the hedge maze. It’s possible to find but requires finding two separate hidden levers that cause sections of the maze to open.

Thatcher may be a member of the Neverborn.

The good Doctor: Doctor Beaufort is a dogged researcher with a strong sense of civic responsibility. Finding several patterns of disturbing behavior cropping up around the city he’s tried and failed to get the Governor and the Guild involved. Since then he has taken steps to insert himself into these matters. Beaufort has always been a skilled physician, but a crippling illness has taken his once steady hands and made it impossible for him to perform any of the form surgeries he was once capable of. Still wanting to help, he recently discovered a series of disappearances that were plaguing parts of the city. While researching these matters, he’s discovered far more irregularities. With the Guild rebuking his efforts he’s decided to find outside assistance.

He will be absent during the first session, a puzzle map has been stolen from the entry way of the house. He’s gone to retrieve it from the thieves. By the end of the first adventure the puzzle will return via courier. When Doctor Beaufort returns? I’m not sure right now. He will eventually be back at the manor house, but it may be a few sessions.

Possible Characters:

Abigail Mason: Sister to Jake Tanner, Abigail is invited into the home by Doctor Beaufort. She may be encountered by the party while investigating Jake’s suicide. Abigail is a seamstress who’s struggling to make ends meet in Malifaux since her husband died in a mine “accident”. Abagail and her son Benjamin are innocents in this. If introduced they will be a source of character development and people to protect.

Benjamin Mason: Benjamin is a normal ten year old. He moves into the house with his mother. He will mostly be included as a red herring since my players will probably assume I’m going with the possessed child bit. I will play into this. He will probably spend time in the play room talking with his uncle.

The ghost of Jake Tanner: Jake is the man who stole the puzzle board. He was put up to it, sort of. He was actually there to hide an amulet on the property but was discovered by Mrs. Galling as he was leaving after hiding the amulet. When she found him he grabbed the puzzle board as a distraction from his real purpose. He thought he had made his escape but Doctor Beaufort cornered him. With fear of revealing who hired him and endangering his family, Jake took his own life. Unfortunately, his spirt became bound to his wedding ring. Beaufort took the ring, an engraved pocket watch, and a photo of Jake’s family for further investigation. Jake bears no ill will to the Doctor and depending on how the party treats him and his sister and nephew he could function as a sort of ally.

Outside NPC’s

Sargent Percy: Elizabeth Percy is a Guild officer. She’s one of the few street level soldiers responsible for dealing with crime. She exhausted with Beaufort. He’s tried to bring the disappearances to her attention and she has ignored him. Ultimately, she just doesn’t care. She once believed in the law and trying to help but Malifaux has worn her down. She no longer cares about the little people from the slums. In her experience they’re always killing each other, stealing, and running away. She’s given up on these small cases of trying to figure out who went missing. It no longer matters to her. Is it possible to recruit/redeem her? Maybe. The group would have to put in a nearly titanic effort to do so.

Fa Ping, The Velvet Crane: Ping was born with a frail constitution. His body had betrayed him. However, he was smart, and looked innocent, this gave him an air of being above suspicion. A trait the Ten Thunders enjoy. He was recruited to the criminal organization as a look out and a courier. He spent several years as a child working his way around the organization and getting to know people. Eventually he began to overhear things that people needed. Then he started introducing people to others who needed their aid. Soon he started incurring favors. People owed him. Ping, is the man who gets things done. He knows someone or can find someone who needs help and gets them to do what you need. When you owe the Velvet Crane a favor you keep your end of the bargain. The shadows whisper the stories of those who failed or betrayed him, the ends are never pretty.

In truth, the reputation is only slightly earned. Few people have ever failed Ping and he’s usually very understanding about such things. He forgives you but you will repay the debt. Betrayal is a different matter. A few people have turned against him or the Ten Thunders and he’s called in favors to have them dealt with. Favors from very dangerous people. While he would prefer to not get so bloody, a message must be sent to those who betray the organization, and he does so with a heavy heart. He’s the one who sent Jake turner into the Beaufort Manor. It was an attempt to dissuade the Doctor’s investigation. It’s also the reason Jake killed himself to escape capture. Having heard the stories he was afraid for his family.

I should take a moment to talk about the Guild here since I’ve mentioned them a couple of times. The guild are the law in Malifaux. They control the production of Soul Stone and use that to keep people in line. They also control the Breach and the train that leads between Malifaux and Earthside. The Guild are corrupt beyond all reason. They’ve outlawed the use of magic, replacing body parts with machinery, or investigating any on the long lost technologies that were discovered on Malifaux when the first explorers came through the Breach. To do this they employ, magic users, people with body replacements, and lost technologies. The only thing they’ve made illegal but don’t employ themselves is necromancy.

It is of note that they’re really bad at their job. The lead forensic investigator and the city’s grave keeper are both leaders of the necromancer movement. There are many other examples of this. The Guild is corrupt and dangerous. They use some old world tactics to keep people in line. The only legal currency in Malifaux is Guild Script, actual money is illegal.

That said, they do have some heroic figures working for them who are trying to make Malifaux safer. Lady Justice is a Guild Officer who hunts the forces of the roaming undead and protects the citizens of the city. The Ortega family are a group of demon hunters who live in the wilds keep the land safe from attack.

Basically, the Guild as an organization is corrupt but many of its members are not.

I think that’s good for today. I’ll come back and post some more later. Next time I’ll talk about the house.

Through the Breach Campaign Document part 1

I’ve decide I want to run a campaign for Through the Breach. For those of you unfamiliar with TtB, it is an RPG based in the Malifaux world. Malifaux is a parallel world found by passing through a giant hole in the fabric of reality. Thematically, it’s a fantasy, western, Victorian, gothic, steampunk, wuxia, Lovecraftian, comedy, horror. I know that’s a lot, but it’s pretty accurate. Basically, the world is filled with necromancers, magic users, cowboys, inventors, gremlins, and unspeakable nightmares all vying for control of the world and a resource called Soul Stones.

That’s as much as I’ll describe the world. I will give brief descriptions of things as I come across them. For the most part, it’s a nice hodgepodge of all these wonderful genres that meld in a beautifully fun and unique way.

PLOT:

For my campaign I’ve been playing with a couple of different ideas. I’ve decided that my group will be brought together by a Doctor Anton Beaufort. Each member of the team will be summoned by a letter that will indicate some personal detail that may hint to a useful exchange. They message will also include a train ticket from Earth through the Breach and into Malifaux.

As the campaign continues the group will be guests in Beaufort Manor. From there they will investigate various events that and mysteries that occur around Malifaux City. Each mystery will be connected to an overarching plot. What that plot is and what the players will need to do to reach the end of the puzzle will be the key thrust of the story.

Immediate mysteries: Several people have been disappearing from the streets of Malifaux city. Every sixth night at exactly midnight a person goes missing. The person who vanishes lives two streets over from the person who previously vanished. The path is making a direct route across Malifaux City. Beaufort is the only one paying attention right now. However, if the pattern continues it will enter the wealthier district of Malifaux City in three or four kidnappings. What Beaufort doesn’t know is there are actually a kidnapping every third night. There are two lines moving across the city from different direction. In eleven kidnappings the lines will intersect.

Someone broke into the manor house to steal a puzzle board. It’s not even a particularly valuable board. They ignored everything else to try and steal the board. Beaufort will retrieve it quickly but why steal it and who did the thief work for. The thief threw himself into the way of a large wagon when cornered and was crushed under the hooves of the two massive steam powered horses pulling the wagon. Beaufort managed to retrieve a locket and a picture from the man’s remains. Where do they lead?

Beaufort has been tracking a series of magic power flares through the city. There’s no pattern he can detect but they are becoming more and more frequent.

As a sub-plot the Beaufort Manor will hold a few puzzles for the party to solve. Over the course of the campaign they’ll find some of these puzzles. I intend for them to find a couple in the first session.

POSSIBLE PUZZLES

1: There will be a diary that refers to rooms that aren’t in the manor house.

2: A Puzzle board that hangs in the grand foyer has been stolen and will return by the end of the first adventure.

3: A riddle inscribed in the wall in the wine cellar leads to a lost passage.

4: A set of keys that fit no lock in the house.

5: A door in the attic that’s been boarded up.

6: An antique Mirror that’s been covered in a tarp, locked in an iron cage with a sturdy lock, and hidden in the back of a large wardrobe.

7: A broken jewelry box that holds a locket with a torn picture.

8: A wind up ballerina statue that only/always dances at midnight.

9: A painting that shows a room in the house that doesn’t exist.

Some of these should appear in the player’s rooms. I like the diary, mirror, ballerina statue, and painting for this. I may come up with more. I don’t really have any idea what these lead to yet. I may use some, none, or all of them. Also, they probably won’t come across some of these right away. I can see missing the attic and cellar items for a few games. The key ring would probably be in a study desk and could be grabbed in hopes of helping them get around the house.

That's what I have for now. I'll drop some more here later. I think I'll start writing up stuff on the characters. If you have any input, ideas, or places I can go for cool puzzles O'd love to hear.