Game: Treasure Island
System: Thirsty Sword Lesbians
GM: Erika Vätte
Location: Upper Hall
Age : Adult Only (ages 16+)
Players: 2-4
Genre: Fantasy pirates
Description: You are a crew of pirates down on your luck looking for the next big score. But when you discover a map with the coordinates of the legendary “treasure island” even you start to wonder if this is more than you can handle. However, given a chance at claiming the legendary treasure it contains no true pirate could back down. Upon arriving though you notice that you are not alone. Old comrades, lovers, rivals, enemies all descend upon the island and you will have to use your wit and your skill with the sword to be the ones to sail away with the treasure. That is if you don’t get distracted by the rekindling of old flames or the passionate roar of new ones. In love and battle much can happen and all is allowed.
Note that all player characters must be women or non-binary.
Tags: Rules Lite, Newbie Friendly
Warnings: Flirting, fantasy violence, swearing
Game: Bladerunner: Witness for the Prosecution
System: Year Zero Engine
GM: Bruce Laing
Location: Upper Hall
Age: Adult Only (ages 16+)
Players: 2-4
Genre: Sci-fi, Police Procedural, Investigations
Description: Premise – A Nexus 9 Companion is the key witness in a high profile murder case linked to a powerful sports management CEO. 12 hours before she is expected to be on the stand, she goes missing – Your RDU is assigned to find her and bring her back before the deadline or there will be an acquittal…
BLADERUNNER is a dystopian sci fi investigation game based of the films and expanded material
Tags: Newbie Friendly
Warnings: Violence, Hidden Prejudice (anti-replicant)
Game: The Hunt for Haldraxis
System: Dungeons and Dragons 5e
GM: Jesse
Location: Upper Hall
Age: Adult Only (ages 16+)
Players: 3-5
Genre: Fantasy adventure. Tone can range from deathly serious to comedically stupid, to be discussed at table. Likely somewhere in the middle.
Description: Not but yesterday, a red dragon flew from the mountains and attacked the city of Byriver in the night. Orange flame painted the south side of the city, resulting in the burning of three fields and two homes. Four people were killed, and eleven were gravely injured. The dragon then bellowed his demands to the city from the top of the castle: “In four days, leave me all your gold and jewels in the temple ruins in the mountain, and your city will be safe from the wrath of I, Haldraxis.” He then flew back into the mountains to await his payment. The king, unwilling to bargain with a dragon, knows that there are heroes in his midst who could save Byriver from destruction.
Heroes like you.
Tags: Newbie Friendly
Warnings: Fantasy violence, potential character death, city destruction, fire
Game: The Howling Twilight
System: 5e (homebrew)
GM: Louis Walker
Location: Upper Hall
Age: Adult Only (ages 16+)
Players: 3-4
Genre: Gritty Dark Fantasy
Description: The Howling Twilight is set during an invasion of a frontier town called Serenus. You will be playing as level 12 characters in a homebrew DND 5e system tasked with defending this town from unknown beings of hunger and bloodshed, controlled by a twisted divinity that seeks to bring this town to ruin. The playable characters are members and agents of the Expansionist’s Creed, a guild tasked with protecting new settlements during the period of their foundation. At the time of this adventure, the characters will have been stationed at Serenus for 3 years, and survived 2 similar events (known as Cullings in the setting). The adventure will start with the characters waking and preparing for the event, seeing the sky darken as the sun’s are eclipsed by the large gas giant that the planet orbits, casting the planet into a night, long and terrible. From across the lake, of which the town has settled upon, an iridescent bulb casts a mesmerizing light upon the shores of the lake and curses the people that stare into its tendrils with a hunger and blood-thirst that nothing can quench…
In this adventure, 4 developed characters are available to play, tailored towards the experience offered in this adventure, with custom character sheets! Other random, pre-generated characters will be available also, albeit without custom character sheets.
Monna (he/him), the frog-triton alchemist that is responsible for supplying the town guard and citizens of the city with medicine, elixirs and cures to diseases. He has a curios selection of small, alien-like pets and plants that he cares for in his spare time.
Purkor (she/her), the region’s infamous scout and assassin. Her case is tragic but inspiring. Cursed in the beginnings of her youth by devilish powers, she fought great monsters and survived through cunning and well-placed daggers in her enemies. She carries a locket with her brother, whom she plans to see again after the settlement is fully established.
Tamelin (he/they), a strange humanoid creature of bark and leaves. Tamelin boasts a homebrew heritage, the forest Verdura, and is a competent and wise circle of the forest druid. He is known to daydream and become distracted by elements of the natural environment around him, such as insects or clouds. Lord
Charrvhetor of glory is a gold Dragonborn, oath of glory paladin who seeks to overcome his definition of evil and tends to head first into the fray, fearful that someone else will take his glory and fame.
Please note there will also be some other pre-generated characters of the same level at the table for anyone that is uncomfortable playing these characters. Also, feel free to bring along your own level 12 character, as long as it fits with the vibes!
Safety tools will be at the table as well as an explicit list of content warnings to make sure everyone is fine with the content in the one-shot.
Tags:
Warnings: General grim dark themes, gore, existential horror, mind control
Game: They Come At Night (LARP) *This game will run until 6pm*
System: Homebrew
GM: Gordon McDonald
Location: Cheviot & Braid
Age: Teen (ages 12+)
Players: 6-16
Genre: Survival Horror
Description: You are a small group of survivors at the end of the world. THEY are still out there and at night they try to get in. You found each other and have made this place as safe as you can, but every night there seems to be more of THEM.
The game is set in your shared safe place after you have finished scavenging and building for the day and before THEY start trying to get in. It is a game about how you deal with being in that stressful situation and the bonds you build. Between each game you can be hurt or killed by THEM. Either because they broke in during the night or because something happened while you were out looking for supplies.
The army is coming to save you, it’s on all the emergency broadcasts. You just need to survive six nights until they can arrange an extraction in your area.
Tags: Rules Lite, Newbie Friendly, GM’s Own System
Warnings: Building friendships and then potentially losing those friends is key to the design of the game. The main threat is chosen by the players as part of the game, but we will agree concepts to exclude at the start of the game.
Game: Fury of the Wolf-Father
System: Maskwitches of Forgotten Doggerland / Silver Road
GM: Stephen L McMorland
Location: Munro
Age: Adult Only (ages 16+)
Players: 3-5
Genre: Supernatural horror, Fantasy, Historical fantasy, Mesolithic weirdness
Description: As mask Witches, it is your vocation to travel amongst the tribes of Hunter-fisher-gatherers of The Land, bringing resolution to the troubles besetting the nomadic peoples of long-lost Doggerland, often this involves rituals to drive off or make peace with malevolent Spirits that seek to destroy humanity. Your tools are your Masks, your Amulet and maybe a Witch Knife. This is a narrative driven, collaborative storytelling game which uses minimalist rules and occasional rolling of d6s to resolve situations. The players have a lot of control over the narrative, and this game really encourages and thrives when you let your imagination take over.
Tags: Rules Lite
Warnings: There is scope for psychological horror and some dark themes of loss and suffering, Lines and veils will be discussed prior to the start
Game: Knight of Camelot! Curse Quest!
System: Monty Python’s Cocurricular Mediaeval Reenactment Programme
GM: Phil Masters
Location: Lomond
Age: Teen (ages 12+)
Players: 2-5
Genre: A totally serious cocurricular mediaeval reenactment programme.
Description: The Head of Light Entertainment believes that the old Camelot thing is due another go-round. Unfortunately, there’s not much of a drama budget left just now – but if he can pitch the show as educational, he can not only raid the schools budget, but he can bring reenactors on board instead of those silly actors. So – you’ll be reenacting a knight and retinue going on a quest.
And you’d better do it right. Reenact the stuffing out of it. Because the Head of Light Entertainment doesn’t like to be disappointed.
Tags: Rules Lite
Warnings: Silliness will not be approved of by the Head of Light Entertainment.
Game: The Curse of Klaa’tris
System: Doctor Who – Adventures in Time and Space
GM: Ian Muir
Location: Lomond
Age: Teen (ages 12+)
Players: 3-4
Genre: Sci-fi
Description: On a remote world on the fringe of two empires, our time-travelling adventurers join an archaeological dig. Their goal – the legendary tomb of Klaa’tris the Warrior King. However, not everyone wants to see the archaeologists succeed in their quest. And if our heroes manage to uncover the secrets of Klaa’tris, what price will they pay for their success? This adventure does not feature the Doctor and their companions from the TV show. But don’t let that put you off. I’m sure you’ll be just as good!
Player Requirements: Dice, courage, psychic paper. Time machine optional.
Tags:
Warnings: None
Game: The Mavens Go Stravaiging (aka That’s Another Fine Loch Mess You’ve Gotten Us Into)
System: Brindlewood Bay
GM: ABS
Location: Lomond
Age: Teen (ages 12+)
Players: 2-5
Genre: Murder She Wrote Eldritch Horror
Description: One of The Mavens receives an invitation to the reading of the will of their second cousin (once removed). The cousin lived in Scotland and was rumoured to be as fabulously wealthy as they were reclusive. The cousin has disappeared in mysterious circumstances and after the requisite amount of time they have been declared missing, presumed dead and their lawyers have settled on a date for the public reading of the will. The lawyers contact them to advise the Maven that they and any chaperones required will be flown to the Highlands of Scotland, all expenses paid to attend the reading of the will as they have been named as one of the executors of the estate…
Tags:
Warnings: Eldritch Horror
Game: The Adventure of the Open and Shut Case
System: Blades in the Dark
GM: Ben McCallum
Location: Craft
Age: Teen (ages 12+)
Players: 2-4
Genre: Victoriana investigation and subterfuge, Sherlock Holmes style
Description: The news is all over the town! THE Sherlock Holmes, detective to beat all detectives, was arrested this morning! And not just arrested, they’re saying it’s an open and shut case. Found standing over a man, knife in his hand and blood all over his shirt.
Already the talk on the street is turning to how no one ever quite trusted the man. “Too good at it all, I say. I wonder how many of them other cases he ‘solved’ were him all along?”
“Never liked the police, did he? Now we know why”
“Just got too full of himslf, didn’t he? Thought he was above the law and the likes of you and me!”
But a few people don’t believe the stories. Surely Sherlock wouldn’t do this, no matter what the reason? Now they face a race against time to uncover the truth, figure out what really happened, and make sure justice prevails. No matter how many laws they have to break doing so
Tags: Newbie Friendly
Warnings: Violence, thievery, potential miscarriages of justice
Game: Entry Level
System: Homebrew
GM: Phil Harris
Location: Craft
Age: Child Friendly
Players: 2-5
Genre: Superhero
Description: While on your first training mission in the Malaysian rainforest, your mentor and instructor, Bobby Brighton (better known as Newton’s Cradle) is kidnapped, a cryptic note all that remains in his tent.
With a mysterious communications blackout in effect, and no way to get help, it’s up to this entry-level team to figure out what to do next and decide if this an early test, a true kidnapping, or something more?
Tags: Rules Lite, Newbie Friendly, GM’s Own System
Warnings: Mild peril and kidnap
Game: The Tower of Kuvesh
System: Numenera
GM: Simon Proctor
Location: Torridon
Age: Teen (ages 12+)
Players: 3-6
Genre: Fantasy with Sufficiently Advanced Technology
Description: Billions of years in the future mankind has returned to the Ninth World. Human civilisation tries to do its best amidst the unknowable wreckage of previous worlds. This powerful technology, far beyond the understanding of anyone alive, is known as Numenera. Those who learn to harness it can gain great power, but risk utter destruction.
In the Kingdom of Navarene in the North of the Steadfast lies the small fishing village of Kuvesh. For as long as anyone can remember the tower that looks over the village has pulsed with light day and night. For the fishing fleet of Kuvesh the tower gave them a point of navigation helping them to go out in weathers others would avoid. Two days ago the tower stopped glowing, the fleet is out to sea and a storm is blowing in.
No one from the village is willing to tempt the anger of the tower spirits to venture inside as there are many stories of people who did and never returned. The village council has approached your group and asked them to help restart the tower before the fleet is forced home and many lives are lost.
Tags: Newbie Friendly
Warnings: Light horror / tension
Game: Winter’s Daughter
System: Old School Essentials
GM: Robert
Location: Torridon
Age: Teen (ages 12+)
Players: 3-5
Genre: Fantasy (romantic fairy tale, in the Brothers Grimm sense)
Description: The tomb of an ancient hero, lost in the tangled depths of the woods.A fairy princess who watches with ageless patience from beyond the veil of the mortal. A forgotten treasure that holds the key to her heart.
—
Nine hundred years ago, during the war between mortals and the Cold Prince, the fabled hero Sir Chyde met a mysterious sorceress called the Lady of the Wood deep in the heart of Dolmenwood. The two fell in love, pledging their hearts to one another and exchanging rings of engagement.
The mortal armies were victorious, and the Cold Prince was exiled into his dominion. Sir Chyde was slain in that final battle between mortal and fairy: his dying wish, to be interred in a tomb built deep in the forest. After that day, the Lady of the Wood was never seen again. Some say she died in the depths of the forest, in the glade where she and her love first met.
—
Recently, your estranged great-uncle Tamrin died at an advanced age. Though only distantly related, it turned out that you were his closest living relatives, and so you inherited his estate. In his papers, you found an old charter and pedigree chart, proving that you are a distant descendent of Brigford the Wise, the brother of Sir Chyde.
Not only does the charter show the location of the long-lost tomb where Brigford is interred alongside his brother, but it also notes that Sir Chyde’s legendary sword and ring were buried alongside him. The ring is even claimed to have the power to open a doorway to the realm of Fairy. As the hero died childless, these too are legally yours.
That, at least, must be worth more than a modest cellar of mediocre wine, a few dozen stony acres, a house with a leaky roof.
Tags:
Warnings: None
Game: Storm Eel’s Rest
System: Adventures in Rokugan
GM: Roderick Easton
Location: Torridon
Age: Teen (ages 12+)
Players: 3-5
Genre: East Asian Fantasy
Description: The monks of the Unnamed Isle have guarded the remains of the great Storm Eel for centuries, ensuring that its twisted spirit remains contained. They have taken an oath to ensure that the beast will never again be able to torment the waters of Earthquake Fish Bay or the Sea of the Sun Goddess. With the help of Storm Eel’s Rest, a village nestled along the shore and stewarded by the Yasuki family of the Crab, and the aid of the ever-vigilant waterborne ningyo, the monks have been successful – until now.
The storms rage, and something below the waves answers the Storm Eel’s screeching litany. Now, a ship is missing, the monks are silent, and the waters are stalked by amphibious monstrosities. The region is on the cusp of a catastrophe, and the Empire needs you—so take up your blade, pray to the spirits, and prepare to take on the storm in Storm Eel’s Rest.
Adventures in Rokugan is built on the framework of Dungeons and Dragons 5e, with different Backgrounds, Classes, and Species.
It is set in the long established world of Legend of the Five Rings.
Tags:
Warnings: Depictions of Violence and Murder. Drowning.
Game: Tumbledown
System: Cursed Be Our Name
GM: Chris Dean
Location: Ochil
Age: Teen (ages 12+)
Players: 2-6
Genre: Post-apocalyptic super-powered fantasy
Description: “Cursed Be Our Name” is a “super-powered post-apocalyptic fantasy” RPG, set 200 years after the emergence of six Primordials beings, whose appearance, existence and deaths forever devastated and mutated the continent they arrived upon.
All of humanity, the creatures, and even locations and objects are Cursed, each possessed of an (often unnatural) physical Mark, and for the living, a Compulsion related to their Curse. Each Curse is defined by a word or phrase, and manifests in individuals differently. One human with the Curse of Gold may have shining golden hair, and kleptomania, for example, whilst another may have golden skin and deck themselves in the finest jewellery.
Player characters, however, are amongst the Transformed; they are possessed of Cursed Talents (mundane feats that they can achieve more easily due to their curse) and Power (a unique ability bestowed by their curse).The Curse of Gold might provide Talents when “searching for valuables, attracting attention, proving your value”, and give you a Power that lets you transform inanimate materials into gold.
A Little on the Rules: Cursed be Our Name is a highly descriptive game where players have a lot of ability to alter the narrative and their environment, and where complications and success often mix.
When you make a Choice, you pick from one of five Approaches, each unique to the character, with a Value of 1 to 4. Successful Choices create Effects. Effects are spent to achieve what you describe, and possibly more (and you may not have enough to do all of what you wanted).
When you make your Choice, the GM describes between 0 to 3 Sources of Pressure. If you have no or only one Source of Pressure to achieve what you want (such as somebody hearing you whilst you pick a lock) you can choose to make a Quick (diceless) Choice with 1 Effect, and can spend from one of your stats to get further Effects.
Otherwise, roll d10s equal to the Approach’s Value (between 1 to 4). Each roll of 6 or above creates Effects. Effects can remove the Sources of Pressure, but you can accept them to achieve other things. A point of Pressure alone does not necessarily impact you, but every 3 points of Pressure taken causes a Setback, which can result in both success and complications.
Tags: Newbie Friendly, GM’s Own System
Warnings: Blood and gore, some pregens will be “morally flexible”
Game: Track Dogs open playtest
System: Track Dogs
GM: Alexa
Location: Ochil
Age: Teen (ages 12+)
Players: 3-5
Genre: Weird Science Fantasy Adventure, like Mortal Engines meets Sunless Sea/Fallen London
Description: A vast expanse of old-growth forest called the Cedar or Seven Cedars covers the Earth, filled with monsters, treasures, and mysterious clues to the world that came before. Above the tree canopy on the criss-cross of railways maintained by an inscrutable god-computer; you, the TRACK DOGS, wend your way between the settlements that poke above the treeline, in search of fame, fortune and glory.
TRACK DOGS is an in-development Powered By The Apocalypse game about post-apocalyptic train pirates. Players will be asked to provide feedback at the end of the session. The attendance and opinions of all levels of experience are welcome – a broad spectrum of perspectives is critical for further development.
Scenarios will be constructed communally during play, and have a broad range of possible themes. Will your crew get into an exciting train chase with the law? Descend into the horrifying depths of the subcedar, there to encounter monsters like the horrid soilshark and pistol shrimpman? Carry out a perfectly timed heist on a high-value target in port? It’s all up to you…
Tags: Newbie Friendly, GM’s Own System
Warnings: Some allusions to benthic/subaquatic horror (in a transplanted context)
Game: Who watches them?
System: City of Zeroes
GM: Ciaran O’Sullivan
Location: Ochil
Age: Teen (ages 12+)
Players: 3-6
Genre: Superheroes
Description: City of Zeroes is a game about super powered people. But the players are not super-powered. They are just trying to get by while these powerful people dominate society.
The setting is one where the first Supers have manifested their powers, and society is learning to make a place for them. The players take the roles of ordinary citizens on the fringes of society making their way in the world. They might be low-level criminals adjusting to the new form of law enforcement, or they may even be actively resisting these newly created super enforcers.
City of Zeroes is set in the near future where Supers are emerging around the world. The players live in the recently resurgent city of New Las Vegas which has gained considerable importance with the establishment of Herotek – a large multinational focused on organising and supporting Supers in their growing industry. They now represent most of the heroes in the western world. Global warming and rising sea levels have also left many of the coastal cities devastated, resulting in a drastic shift of power towards inland cities.
The system is easy to dive into, and requires no prior knowledge. This version of Forged in the Dark is a playtest for me seeking to publish the full text in the next year. The content is all PG13 in nature, as it is about Superheroes, even if they might not be the good guys.
The game itself is very flexible and players can do a wide variety of things.
Tags: Newbie Friendly, GM’s Own System
Warnings: Comic Book Violence
Game: Blood on the Clocktower
System: Blood on the Clocktower
GM: MaggieBob
Location: Highland
Age: Teen (ages 12+)
Players: 7-15
Genre: Social deduction
Description: Blood on the Clocktower is a game of murder and mystery, lies and logic, deduction and deception for five-to-twenty courageous players and one devious storyteller.
A social game played in person, seated in a circle, each player receives either a ‘good’ or ‘evil’ token with their unique character on it. Good players share information to solve the mystery whilst evil players lie about who they are and what they know. The good team wins if they can piece together their knowledge, trust each other, and execute the demon. The evil team wins if the demon can sow distrust, evade detection, and wipe out the village.
Tags: Newbie Friendly
Warnings: Murder, execution, deception