Gaming Roundup, Oct. 29, 2023

It’s been a while since I’ve audited what’s been going on, so this post is for everyone who’s been curious.

My List + More Games for Conventions

Immediate Gamework

2. Starfall Hard Zone [4]: Tomorrow will be the final session of playtesting as a multi-session series. I will then review feedback and consider what to do next for Starfall.
3. Eye of the Magi [5]: I’m hoping to schedule one or more dates during the Fall Break or early Winter Break.
4. Time & Tempus [5]: I’m working to schedule the previously canceled session for sometime in November.
5. Legends of the Realm [6]: I’ve scheduled two one-shot playtest sessions for the Shared Hearth online convention in November.

For Cortex Con

• Teaching/Introduction to Cortex Prime, x1: I have started a document to help guide the session as we review and create a setting, characters, and go through some rules to have a taste for Cortex Prime.
• Space Station Omega, x2: I am reusing my scenario created for Gen Con Online 2023.
• Found, x2: I am reusing my scenario I’ve run previously for The Gauntlet/Open Hearth/Games on Demand Online.
• Aethernity, x2: This is a new scenario with a game that I’ve only run for a single multi-session series. It’s one of the strangest settings.

For Shared Hearth

• Legends of the Realm: This is my game of knightly drama inspired by the game, Unincorporated. I will be reviewing my notes and translating the revisions I’ve made since Spring for online play. Two sessions have been posted.
• The Bureau (Paul Taliesin) [under consideration if I think I can find time], you play MiB-ish agents protecting the Earth from mostly non-human threats.

For Corridor Con

I’m planning to do an Indie Game Sampler with options for the two sessions.

• Morning: Fiasco, Lasers & Feelings, and Psi*Run
• Afternoon: For the Queen and The Quiet Year

Actual Gaming

• Orbital Blues: I got to play two out of four sessions and had a good time playing a sad space cowboy/bounty hunter, sorta. The GM and other players were amazing. My character was a woman who bonded with an alien species (Saints) because she was a True Believer and traveled around the system, joining up with the other PCs. Our adventure included helping a sheriff on a space station with some ruffians and also a triple-cross between a space mob and corporate authority to save a young woman with a dream to be the best singer and accordion player. In the end, my PC renounced her faith and transferred the symbiote to another character before recovering and wandering the system doing good where she could.
• Starfall: I’m planning to share my thoughts on the game after tomorrow’s final game and I can process things.
• Voyagers: Due to a number of real life things I’ve had to miss some sessions. However, the crew of the Surmise continues to explore and work to make the galaxy a better place.

Indie Shopping in St. Louis

Photo of exterior of Miniature Market taken by not-me, found on website.

While in the St. Louis area recently, I had the pleasure of stopping by Miniature Market – Manchester, in Des Peres, MO. It was a large store filled with all types of gaming things. I believe it is also one of two branches.

I was pleased to see how many indie RPGs they had in stock on the shelves and got to work looking for games to buy. Here are the ones selected with very little research or deliberation:

• Fiasco (boxed card game): I’ve been curious about the card-version for some time as my local group played and facilitated a fair amount of Fiasco (classic?) about a decade ago.
• Alice is Missing: I’ve heard this one is good and will see when I can run it.
• Runecairn: Wardensaga: I have no idea about this game as it looked interesting from the flip through in the store. I’m not a huge Viking fantasy person so we’ll see.
• CY_BORG: This the Mork Borg version and I am curious to see how easy it is to read the game.
• Voidheart Symphony: Others in my local group have played this and it looks interesting, so why not?

Photo: “Games via Miniature Market,” David MK.

Next Steps

To read and play all of these games as soon as I can manage.

To progress with the design work and survive the upcoming marathon weekends of gaming.

Feedback

Let me know what you think. Was this helpful or insightful? What’s been your experience with any of these games?