Dicey Stories

The elves extract what information they can from their necromancer prisoner. Scene 11 Our character art by Del Borovic and the map we refer to (by me!) can be found here. Our music is sampled from Return to Wesnoth by Matthias Westlund (aka West), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, part of The Battle for Wesnoth Project. Visit them at wesnoth.org. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

Mariah, Cleve, and Marina face some unexpectedly tough negotiators. Scene 1 Scene 2 Scene 3 Our music is from Purple Planet Music. Visit them at purple-planet.com. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

A necromancer joins the battle against the elves. Scene 10 GM Notes As usual, I got my inspiration for NPCs from the Battle for Wesnoth video game. I prepped Giant Spider and Yeti encounters, since those are units found in caves and mountains. I also wanted to broaden the range of undead my players had to deal with, and so I turned to a unit line we hadn’t yet seen: Ghoul to Necrophage to Ghast. Mal Vektor’s appearance is based on the art for the Necromancer, no surprise there. And then, of course, there’s Aglana. I really like the Dead Water campaign—it’s one of the few that I can reliably complete!—and there weren’t going to be many places to involve merfolk in our tabletop campaign, so I seized this opportunity. I combined aspects of Mermaid Priestess and Mermaid Enchantress to develop her look and powers. And yes, in the Battle for Wesnoth video game, merfolk are incapable of moving on mountain terrain tiles. Our character art by Del Borovic and the map we refer to (by me!) can be found here. Our music is sampled from Return to Wesnoth by Matthias Westlund (aka West), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, part of The Battle for Wesnoth Project. Visit them at wesnoth.org. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

Data Haven enacts its plans to slow down Morgan’s Planetary Security Force. Scene 19 Scene 20 Scene 21 Scene 22 Scene 23 Scene 24 (Letter to Fritz) Our music is from Purple Planet Music. Visit them at purple-planet.com. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

When Tric, Heppa, and Ash return to the scene of their last fight, they find that the situation has grown more dire. Scene 9 Our character art by Del Borovic and the map we refer to (by me!) can be found here. Our music is sampled from Return to Wesnoth by Matthias Westlund (aka West), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, part of The Battle for Wesnoth Project. Visit them at wesnoth.org. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

The Council of Datajacks deliberates on action against Morgan Industries and alliance with the Stepdaughters of Chiron. Scene 16 Scene 17 Scene 18 Our music is from Purple Planet Music. Visit them at purple-planet.com. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

Before reengaging the undead threat in the caves, Tric and Heppa develop a plan with Ash and Aglana. Scene 6 Scene 7 Scene 8 Our character art by Del Borovic and the map we refer to (by me!) can be found here. Our music is sampled from Return to Wesnoth by Matthias Westlund (aka West), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, part of The Battle for Wesnoth Project. Visit them at wesnoth.org. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

Political talks continue in Data Haven. Scene 11 Scene 12 Scene 13 Scene 14 Scene 15 Our music is from Purple Planet Music. Visit them at purple-planet.com. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

At their request, Ash takes Tric and Heppa big game hunting for a giant spider, but the cave system holds more significant dangers than just webs and venom. Scene 3 Scene 4 Scene 5 Our character art by Del Borovic and the map we refer to (by me!) can be found here. Our music is sampled from Return to Wesnoth by Matthias Westlund (aka West), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, part of The Battle for Wesnoth Project. Visit them at wesnoth.org. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

Cleve and Mariah begin recruiting for the new Data Haven council and sounding people out on how to stop Morgan’s Planetary Security Force. Scene 5 Scene 6 Scene 7 Scene 8 Scene 9 Scene 10 GM Notes You might notice how often characters in this arc talk about “vendettas.” In the Alpha Centauri video games, factions don’t “declare war.”  To fit the sci-fi theming, they declare “vendetta” against each other. In both the video game and our campaign, however, the meaning is official violent conflict. Our music is from Purple Planet Music. Visit them at purple-planet.com. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

Heppa deviates from Ash’s carefully chosen path as he leads her and Tric up into the Heart Mountains. Scene 1 Scene 2 GM Notes While preparing for this arc, I studied up on the Mountain Travel section in Skill Adventures by David Shamp, available from the Genesys Foundry on DriveThruRPG. It gave me some ideas for ways different skills could come in handy during a travel montage and directly inspired the scene with Butterbell the pony almost falling off the cliff. This arc contains spoilers for the Battle for Wesnoth campaigns Eastern Invasion and Dead Water. There are also references to Northern Rebirth. Our character art by Del Borovic and the map we refer to (by me!) can be found here. Our music is sampled from Return to Wesnoth by Matthias Westlund (aka West), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, part of The Battle for Wesnoth Project. Visit them at wesnoth.org. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

Cleve makes deliveries around Data Haven while Mariah recovers from his injuries. Scene 1 Scene 2 Scene 3 Scene 4 Our music is from Purple Planet Music. Visit them at purple-planet.com. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

Extended family helps Heppa with her corruption and Tric with taking on the mantle of his noble heritage. Scene 13 Scene 14 GM Notes As usual, many NPCs in this arc are derived from units in the Battle for Wesnoth video game. Ash is an Avenger, and with Ruthiel, we get our first Shyde, the ultimate unit in the Druid line in the mainline game. User-made content campaigns have a ton more units, though. Soliana is thus a Star, a non-mainline step above Shyde. Our character art by Del Borovic and the map we refer to (by me!) can be found here. Our music is sampled from Return to Wesnoth by Matthias Westlund (aka West), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, part of The Battle for Wesnoth Project. Visit them at wesnoth.org. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

In which the dangers of siege worms are made completely clear. Scene 33 Scene 34 Scene 35 Scene 36 Our music is from Purple Planet Music. Visit them at purple-planet.com. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

Heppa seeks guidance from Soliana, an elf steeped in knowledge of fae magic. Scene 11 Scene 12 Our character art by Del Borovic and the map we refer to (by me!) can be found here. Our music is sampled from Return to Wesnoth by Matthias Westlund (aka West), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, part of The Battle for Wesnoth Project. Visit them at wesnoth.org. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

On the way back to Data Haven, the group comes across some ominous remains. Scene 30 Scene 31 Scene 32 Our music is from Purple Planet Music. Visit them at purple-planet.com. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

Tric and Heppa present the needs of the Grey Woods woses to the most prestigious elvish council of all, the Ka’lian. Scene 10 GM Notes This whole episode with the Ka’lian is very much indebted to A War of Life and Death by Mystical_Warlord. In that non-mainline campaign for the Battle for Wesnoth video game, Scenario 13 sees the primary character, Lord Ardonath, asking the Ka’lian for aid. I took NPC names—and to some extent, personalities—from that conversation. Aolis, Theodmer, Gaelira, Soliana—they’re all from that scenario. Neia, who we met earlier this arc, is too. One other thing I’ll add about our meeting with the Ka’lian… If you are familiar with the “BOOST” series in the Genesys Foundry at DriveThruRPG, you might recognize it. I used this encounter as the basis for my submission to BOOST #7, Modular Encounters, where I gave tips for running a similar encounter and adapting it to different settings. BOOST stands for Book of Online Sourced Triumphs, by the way. They’re a variety of community-built resources for Genesys, and they’re free to download from DriveThruRPG. https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/390112/boost-7-modular-encounters This arc contains spoilers for the Battle for Wesnoth campaign Liberty. There are also references to Eastern Invasion and to Crin of Crenlyn, a User-Made Content campaign. Our character art by Del Borovic and the map we refer to (by me!) can be found here. Our music is sampled from Return to Wesnoth by Matthias Westlund (aka West), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, part of The Battle for Wesnoth Project. Visit them at wesnoth.org. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

Reunited, Cleve and Mariah patch each other up and share information on their new contacts. Scene 26 Scene 27 Scene 28 Scene 29 Our music is from Purple Planet Music. Visit them at purple-planet.com. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

Tric and Heppa enjoy a dance party with the young elves of Wesmere and then cookies with their grandparents. Scene 7 Scene 8 Scene 9 GM Notes The special items gifted to Tric and Heppa were created with input from the players on what type of item they were interested in. Tric’s player wanted something stealth-related, and since the shadow ring turned out to be too creepy, I created the cowl. Its description is based on the artwork for the Elvish Avenger unit in the Battle for Wesnoth video game. I asked Heppa’s player what type of magic she wanted made easier for her character, and based on what she said, I designed the thorny bramble wand. Our character art by Del Borovic and the map we refer to (by me!) can be found here. Our music is sampled from Return to Wesnoth by Matthias Westlund (aka West), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, part of The Battle for Wesnoth Project. Visit them at wesnoth.org. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

Mariah and Cleve find different ways out of the dome. Scene 22 Scene 23 Scene 24 Scene 25 GM Notes It was a spur of the moment decision to have Fritz be the same character as Morris. The tailor was intended as a single-scene NPC, but Mariah took a liking to him. This was the perfect place to bring him back and showcase a consensual encounter. But who knows what fate has in store for these binary-star–crossed lovers? Our music is from Purple Planet Music. Visit them at purple-planet.com. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

Tric and Heppa get acquainted with an unexpected new relative. Scene 4 Scene 5 Scene 6 GM Notes In this episode, we meet Ash, an NPC who holds a special place in my heart for a number of reasons I’ll get into more some time in the future. But for now, I’ll share that Ash sneaking around Carcyn on the way to the Grey Woods without being spotted by humans is akin to Hide and Seek, Scenario 5 of the mainline campaign Liberty. Ash is an Avenger, which is a unit from the Battle for Wesnoth video game, one step above a Ranger. Our character art by Del Borovic and the map we refer to (by me!) can be found here. Our music is sampled from Return to Wesnoth by Matthias Westlund (aka West), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, part of The Battle for Wesnoth Project. Visit them at wesnoth.org. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

An unexpected additional rescue opportunity presents itself. Scene 18 Scene 19 Scene 20 Scene 21 GM Notes The University of Chiron in our tabletop game is a mix of University of Planet and Lord’s Believers from the Alpha Centauri video game. This melding of science and religion was itself inspired by the Supremacy affinity in Beyond Earth. Supremacy is highly technological but uses religious names for most in-game units. Time will tell how this new faction interacts with Data Haven and the Stepdaughters of Chiron. Our music is from Purple Planet Music. Visit them at purple-planet.com. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

Newly arrived in Wesmere, Tric and Heppa settle in and meet Neia, an ambitious young shaman. Scene 1 Scene 2 Scene 3 GM Notes In this episode, we meet Neia, a character from the User-Made Content campaign A War of Life and Death, and the information she shares with Tric and Heppa is basically a summary of that campaign. We also get our first look at Wesmere. As the home of the Ka’lian, the most prestigious elvish council, this forest is a pretty big deal. It has its own paragraph on the Geography of Wesnoth reference page on the video game’s wiki. That’s where I got the names for its villages and other prominent features. The description of the Ka’lian itself, to come in a future episode, is based on how it appears on battle maps. This arc contains spoilers for the Battle for Wesnoth campaigns Eastern Invasion, Liberty, The Rise of Wesnoth, and A War of Life and Death, a User-Made Content campaign by Mystical_Warlord. There are also references to Heir to the Throne and The Sceptre of Fire. Our character art by Del Borovic and the map we refer to (by me!) can be found here. Our music is sampled from Return to Wesnoth by Matthias Westlund (aka West), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, part of The Battle for Wesnoth Project. Visit them at wesnoth.org. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

Mariah and Arx search for a way out of the Hospital for Experimental Miasma Treatment. Scene 15 Scene 16 Scene 17 Our music is from Purple Planet Music. Visit them at purple-planet.com. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

Bruised and battered, Tric and Heppa leave the Grey Woods for Wesmere, bearers of the woses’ call for aid. Scene 15 Scene 16 Scene 17 GM Notes The first Wesmere elf we meet, Filvarel, is a minor character from Scene 13 of A War of Life and Death by Mystical_Warlord. This user-made campaign has many more types of units than mainline Battle for Wesnoth, and Filvarel is one of those, an Elvish Guardian. The description of his appearance and equipment is based partly on the art that was in the video game when I played it. I also wanted to indicate that Wesmere was a more industrially developed forest than Estbryn. We’ll be meeting a lot more characters from A War of Life and Death in the next arc, including more non-baseline units. Our character art by Del Borovic and the map we refer to (by me!) can be found here. Our music is sampled from Return to Wesnoth by Matthias Westlund (aka West), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, part of The Battle for Wesnoth Project. Visit them at wesnoth.org. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

Mariah gets Arx released from Dr. Bingyi Khan’s care. Scene 10 Scene 11 Scene 12 Scene 13 Scene 14 Our music is from Purple Planet Music. Visit them at purple-planet.com. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

Society of Shadow remnants clash with Tric and Heppa deep in the Grey Woods. Scene 14 GM Notes This combat features more units from the Battle for Wesnoth video game. Donella, like Efa, is styled after the Bandit and was fighting alongside a Poacher. In the video game, the Bandit has a morningstar attack, while the Poacher has both a bow and a dagger. The new type of undead in this combat is a Wraith, and yes, in addition to its blade, it does have a wail attack in the video game. Our character art by Del Borovic and the map we refer to (by me!) can be found here. Our music is sampled from Return to Wesnoth by Matthias Westlund (aka West), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, part of The Battle for Wesnoth Project. Visit them at wesnoth.org. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

Cleve and Mariah overcome physical and emotional challenges on their way to the hospital where Arx is imprisoned. Scene 7 Scene 8 Scene 9 Our music is from Purple Planet Music. Visit them at purple-planet.com. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

Following the fight against Gaenyn, Tric and Heppa return to the Society of Shadow encampment to ensure no stragglers linger. Scene 11 Scene 12 Scene 13 Our character art by Del Borovic and the map we refer to (by me!) can be found here. Our music is sampled from Return to Wesnoth by Matthias Westlund (aka West), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, part of The Battle for Wesnoth Project. Visit them at wesnoth.org. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

Cleve and Mariah attract some unanticipated attention during the Planetfall Day festivities. Scene 4 Scene 5 Scene 6 Our music is from Purple Planet Music. Visit them at purple-planet.com. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

The shadow mages launch their ambush… as do the elves and woses. Scene 8 Scene 9 Scene 10 GM Notes One of the inspirations for setting our tabletop Wesnoth game in the aftermath of Mal-Ravanal’s war was me playing through A War of Life and Death, a User-Made Content campaign by Mystical_Warlord. It is set in a similar timeframe, and at the very end of this arc, we’ll even meet a character from it. The caravan attack in today’s episode was heavily inspired by its Scenario 15. Our character art by Del Borovic and the map we refer to (by me!) can be found here. Our music is sampled from Return to Wesnoth by Matthias Westlund (aka West), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, part of The Battle for Wesnoth Project. Visit them at wesnoth.org. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

Mariah, Cleve, and Takuto enter the main dome of Morgan Industries. Scene 1 Scene 2 Scene 3 Our music is from Purple Planet Music. Visit them at purple-planet.com. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

Tric and Heppa gain further insight into forbidden magic and the corruption that the woses can sense in the Grey Woods. Scene 5 Scene 6 Scene 7 Our character art by Del Borovic and the map we refer to (by me!) can be found here. Our music is sampled from Return to Wesnoth by Matthias Westlund (aka West), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, part of The Battle for Wesnoth Project. Visit them at wesnoth.org. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

Cleve, Mariah, and Takuto explore a Progenitor wreck. Scene 11 Scene 12 Scene 13 Scene 14 Scene 15 GM Notes This is the first real look we have at Progenitor technology and design. In the Sid Meier’s Alien Crossfire expansion, these aliens have lost some of their technology and are relatively peers with the human factions. On our Chiron, however, we only see ruins. To design this little prison block, I worked backward. I wanted Progenitors to be relatively large yet not just big humans. I took inspiration not only from the video game, but also from the Overlords in Arthur C. Clarke’s novel, Childhood’s End. They will likely remain mysterious for some time; how big a role they play in the overall campaign is yet to be seen. Our music is from Purple Planet Music. Visit them at purple-planet.com. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

Ulf introduces Tric and Heppa to Gaenyn, the leader of the shadow mages, who has uncomfortable ideas about how he and the elves might collaborate. Scene 4 GM Notes Our Society of Shadow grew out of the shadow mages from the mainline campaign Liberty in the Battle for Wesnoth video game. Gaenyn’s physical appearance is based on the artwork for Shadow Lord Helicrom, the leader of those shadow mages. Unlike other human mage units, Shadow Mages have swords, which is why I gave Gaenyn one. Our character art by Del Borovic and the map we refer to (by me!) can be found here. Our music is sampled from Return to Wesnoth by Matthias Westlund (aka West), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, part of The Battle for Wesnoth Project. Visit them at wesnoth.org. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

Mariah and Cleve negotiate for the right to recover data from their cryobeds. Scene 8 Scene 9 Scene 10 Our music is from Purple Planet Music. Visit them at purple-planet.com. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

Ulf guides Tric and Heppa through the Grey Woods. Scene 1 Scene 2 Scene 3 GM Notes When preparing for this arc, I scoured the mainline campaigns of the Battle for Wesnoth for any mention of the Grey Woods. There are battles there in both Liberty and Secrets of the Ancients. We’ve already seen ideas from Scenario 6 of Liberty in all the clues that have been dropped about the Society of Shadow. Secrets of the Ancients is set much farther back in Wesnoth history, but I was able to bring in a witness to those events because woses are so long-lived. The elf Isthiniel that Dolmathengalin speaks of comes from the introduction to Scenario 12 of that campaign. The main character of Secrets of the Ancients goes by Ardonna and Ardryn-Na; we mention her a few times, too. This arc contains spoilers for the Battle for Wesnoth campaigns Liberty and Secrets of the Ancients. There are also references to Eastern Invasion, and I took inspiration from A War of Life and Death, a User-Made Content campaign by Mystical_Warlord. Our character art by Del Borovic and the map we refer to (by me!) can be found here. Our music is sampled from Return to Wesnoth by Matthias Westlund (aka West), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, part of The Battle for Wesnoth Project. Visit them at wesnoth.org. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

Morgan Prospecting’s activities at the crash site do not go unnoticed. Scene 6 Scene 7 Our music is from Purple Planet Music. Visit them at purple-planet.com. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

At the pottery market on the outskirts of Dan’Tonk, Tric and Heppa bump into an old acquaintance who is able to help them with the next stage of their journey through Wesnoth. Scene 12 Scene 13 Scene 14 Our character art by Del Borovic and the map we refer to (by me!) can be found here. Our music is sampled from Return to Wesnoth by Matthias Westlund (aka West), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, part of The Battle for Wesnoth Project. Visit them at wesnoth.org. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

Mariah, Cleve, and Takuto head out on a recovery job for Data Haven. Scene 1 Scene 2 Scene 3 Scene 4 Scene 5 Our music is from Purple Planet Music. Visit them at purple-planet.com. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

Tric and Heppa learn about a previous Manu expedition to the Sandy Wastes. Then they round out their Dunefolk education by attending a morning of Dune School. Scene 8 Scene 9 Scene 10 Scene 11 GM Notes The Dune School scene in this episode is based on the experiences of some of my childhood friends. I’m not close enough to my forebears' cultural heritage to have attended any myself, being a fourth generation American. But I had friends who spent weekend mornings at Polish school or Hebrew school or Chinese school, learning the associated languages and traditions. I drew on stories of those experiences to design the Dune School scene, and I populated it with bits and pieces of lore discussed on the Battle for Wesnoth forums. Our character art by Del Borovic and the map we refer to (by me!) can be found here. Our music is sampled from Return to Wesnoth by Matthias Westlund (aka West), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, part of The Battle for Wesnoth Project. Visit them at wesnoth.org. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

Takuto makes his case for going on the next trip out of Data Haven. Scene 15 Scene 16 Scene 17 Scene 18 Our music is from Purple Planet Music. Visit them at purple-planet.com. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

Tric and Heppa spend time in Dan’Tonk’s Dunefolk quarter meeting with the glassmaker, the weaver, and the falconer/scribe. Scene 5 Scene 6 Scene 7 GM Notes The Luminary Council and Paragon Council, as presented in this episode, had their origins in a discussion of potential Dunefolk politics on the Battle for Wesnoth forums (https://forums.wesnoth.org/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=52367). I took some of those ideas and spun them out into what you see in our campaign. This session was played in July of 2021. In the time since, the Luminary became an actual unit with the release of Battle for Wesnoth version 1.16. It’s a level 3 unit, the pinnacle of the Herbalist line and the strongest Dunefolk healing unit. In our game world, however, a Luminary is a sufficiently advanced artisan, a leader in one of the scientific disciplines. Similarly, the Paragon is now an actual unit—a powerful level 4 fighting unit separate from any of the other unit lines. Our character art by Del Borovic and the map we refer to (by me!) can be found here. Our music is sampled from Return to Wesnoth by Matthias Westlund (aka West), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, part of The Battle for Wesnoth Project. Visit them at wesnoth.org. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

Roze shares information gleaned from the network node job. Scene 11 Scene 12 Scene 13 Scene 14 Our music is from Purple Planet Music. Visit them at purple-planet.com. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

A travel montage gets Tric and Heppa from the Wesnoth capital Weldyn to its largest city, Dan’Tonk. Scene 1 Scene 2 Scene 3 Scene 4 GM Notes If you listen to as much folk music as I do, you may recognize the name Lily the Pink. I heard it on an album from the Irish Rovers. I don’t consider it a fabulous song, but it was the perfect source for a spur-of-the-moment charlatan NPC. I thought it was particularly apt because two major streams of magic in Wesnoth are white and red, and pink is a combination of those two. This arc contains spoilers for the Battle for Wesnoth campaign Liberty. There are also references to Eastern Invasion and to Crin of Crenlyn, a User-Made Content campaign. Our character art by Del Borovic and the map we refer to (by me!) can be found here. Our music is sampled from Return to Wesnoth by Matthias Westlund (aka West), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, part of The Battle for Wesnoth Project. Visit them at wesnoth.org. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

Mariah spends time in the medical center while Cleve helps Tenoch with expedition equipment. Scene 6 Scene 7 Scene 8 Scene 9 Scene 10 GM Notes Tenoch’s rover is a direct copy of the Alpha Centauri video game rover. It does look something like a futuristic, more aerodynamic jeep that’s fully sealed. For Mariah and Cleve it means faster and safer transportation through the wilderness. As anyone who’s owned a car can relate, however, a vehicle can come with its own set of troubles. Our music is from Purple Planet Music. Visit them at purple-planet.com. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

Tric and Heppa enjoy a spooky nighttime ghost tour of the battlefields around Weldyn. Scene 14 Scene 15 GM Notes The Battle for Wesnoth mainline campaign Eastern Invasion can end one of two ways: a giant battlefield or a private duel. I decided to make both versions of Scenario 17 true as far as the history of our tabletop campaign is concerned. I use details from those in the ghost tour. Many of the units from the video game also fed into those descriptions, such as Paladin, Mage of the Light, Shadow, and Nightgaunt—the latter two are the scarecrow-like members of the Ghost line. Note: The audio for this episode also includes events that really belong with the start of the next arc, so their write-up will be released with that. Our music is sampled from Return to Wesnoth by Matthias Westlund (aka West), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, part of The Battle for Wesnoth Project. Visit them at wesnoth.org. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

Mariah and Cleve return to Data Haven along with Corazon, Dr. Citali, and their prizes. Scene 1 Scene 2 Scene 3 Scene 4 Scene 5 GM Notes The discussion of what’s edible and how to process different foods is lightly inspired by the Alpha Centauri video game. In that, xenofungus tiles only produce food and other benefits after extensive research—except for the faction that inspired our Stepdaughters of Chiron. In our game, the characters have to work out what changes to the environment (or to themselves) they need to make. Finding that balance and blending is an ongoing theme of the campaign. Our music is from Purple Planet Music. Visit them at purple-planet.com. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

Tric and Heppa share a meal with Alric’s parents and learn more about the Manu clan. Scene 10 Scene 11 Scene 12 Scene 13 Our character art by Del Borovic and the map we refer to (by me!) can be found here. Our music is sampled from Return to Wesnoth by Matthias Westlund (aka West), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, part of The Battle for Wesnoth Project. Visit them at wesnoth.org. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

After Mariah and Cleve get rid of the repo squad, they encounter another familiar face out in the wilds of Chiron. Scene 19 Scene 20 Scene 21 Scene 22 Our music is from Purple Planet Music. Visit them at purple-planet.com. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!