Dicey Stories

For the first time in their lives, Tric and Heppa meet an elf not of Estbryn Forest. Scene 8 Scene 9 GM Notes Sir Deoran is the primary protagonist of the South Guard mainline campaign of the Battle for Wesnoth video game. In Scenario 5, he is given the choice to ally with human bandits or with the elf Ethiliel, who has already lent him aid. For the purposes of our story, he made the latter choice. In the video game, she’s a Shyde unit, but given what she’s experienced in the years since, I have her as a Sylph here, more an attacking unit than a defending one. If you ally with Ethiliel in the South Guard, the campaign ends with Scenario 8a, which has her in conflict with the Elvish Outrider Eltenmir, while the Elvish Marshal Ithelden is supportive of her. In my imaginings, Ithelden was the leader of the Aethenwood council, and once he was taken out of the picture, Eltenmir seized power and exiled Ethiliel for her “betrayal” in siding with the humans against an elf. After that point, there was on-and-off open conflict with the humans, which included the battles Knots and the Beard participated in. 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!

As they prepare to head back to Data Haven with their prizes, Mariah, Cleve, and Corazon share some pieces of their pasts. 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 meet Alric’s parents, a papermaker and a falconer. 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!

The team deals with Mariah’s sudden collapse. 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!

Tric and Heppa arrive in Weldyn, the capital of Wesnoth, but not without a minor magical mishap first. Scene 1 Scene 2 Scene 3 Scene 4 GM Notes The Battle for Wesnoth video game is a tactical turn-based strategy game that also involves some resource management. Each unit needs to be paid its level in gold every turn. The standard day/night cycle has six parts: dawn, morning, afternoon, dusk, first watch, and second watch. This is the source of my payment schedule for mercenaries in Rhodri’s caravan. The day/night cycle also provides bonuses or penalties to units based on their alignment. The four alignments are chaotic, neutral, lawful, and liminal. Most elvish units are neutral (getting no bonuses), and most Dunefolk units are liminal (getting bonuses at dawn and dusk). So you may sometimes hear us reference those things. I don’t hew closely to it in my adversary stat blocks, but sometimes it results in a setback here or a boost there. This arc contains major spoilers for the Battle for Wesnoth campaign The South Guard, and of course spoilers for Eastern Invasion. There are also references to the Rise of Wesnoth and Heir to the Throne. 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 Corazon assault Morgan’s network node and encounter some unexpected phenomena. Scene 8 Scene 9 Scene 10 GM Notes Network Nodes are an adaptation from Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri. In the video game, it’s the first building which boosts science output. In our setting, with miasma cutting off long range communications, cable must be physically laid. Similar to old telegraph repeater stations, our Network Node is a data relay, ensuring communication can flow over a physical cable. The Morgan Autonomous Security-Trons, however, aren’t from anything in particular. Because of the miasma, there wouldn’t be human guards, nor remote operation. So the robots have to manage a variety of situations with limited artificial intelligence. And yet, somehow Morgan Robotics still found enough power to compute debt on the fly. Our music is from Purple Planet Music. Visit them at purple-planet.com. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

Following the ambush, Tric and Heppa get to know Knots and the Beard a bit better. Scene 14 Scene 15 Scene 16 Scene 17 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 guides Mariah and Corazon through the wilderness to Morgan’s network node. Scene 5 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!

Tric and Heppa deal with ambush clean-up. Scene 12 Scene 13 GM Notes Once again, units from the video game informed NPCs in this arc. Tomos was a perfect vehicle for leaking more information on Kachen. He is very much based on the basic human Mage. The nagas at the ambush were based on the basic Naga Fighter, except for Zlek, the Naga Myrmidon. Even the environmental hazard of the Mudcrawler was from a video game unit. The fun part of Knots and the Beard for me was getting to show off Genesys talents that my players would never take. However, they are the rare characters in this campaign not drawn from a Wesnoth unit. As far as I know, there are no dual-sword wielders or axe-and-shield fighters among the human 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, Cleve, and Corazon spend some time in Data Haven resting and preparing for their data recovery job. Scene 1 Scene 2 Scene 3 Scene 4 GM Notes Data Haven is an original location, heavily inspired by my experiences in hackerspaces and machine shops in the United States. I adapted that kind of freewheeling creative culture into a contained environment. They’ve got basic needs like food and housing covered (for now), so what do they get up to? Roze develops perhaps the most unique voice of the contingent. They embody the “information wants to be free” ethos of Data Haven. Yet they are tempered with the years of living underground, cut off from the world. Dr. Marina Citali also starts to develop. I wasn’t ready to directly introduce Deirdre Skye yet, but Marina offers us insight into the Stepdaughters of Chiron. And like Corazon (or rather, “Hypercor”), she was born on Chiron, so she sometimes challenges the PCs’ “planetfaller” expectations. Our music is from Purple Planet Music. Visit them at purple-planet.com. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

With some help from their new friends, Tric and Heppa ambush the ambushers. Scene 10 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!

Roze offers Cleve, Mariah, and Corazon a job, but Dr. Citali has her own ideas on what it should include. Scene 20 Scene 21 Scene 22 GM Notes In this arc, we see several characters and creatures adapted from the video games. From Civilization: Beyond Earth, we have the Wolf Beetle, the Siege Worm, and the ever present Miasma. From the original Alpha Centauri, I also lifted Xenofungus (which is perhaps related to Miasma). I only took character inspiration from Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri. During our Session Zero, I asked the players for ideas on NPCs aboard Unity that their PCs knew. For most of those, I matched player NPC descriptions with existing leader profiles from the game. Cleve’s NPCs are Sinder Roze and the Santiago family, represented by Corazon. Mariah’s are Dr. Deirdre Skye and the “killer HR” of Nwabudike Morgan. You also heard mention of Professor Prokhor Zakharov from The University and Captain John Garland, who led the Unity expedition. Aside: In this episode, we make a reference to an upside down battlestation. That was the setting of several arcs of our StarCraft: FRAWD Investigators campaign, starting with A Very Special Mission. Our music is from Purple Planet Music. Visit them at purple-planet.com. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

When a collapsed bridge halts the caravan’s progress, Tric and Heppa conduct an investigation. Scene 8 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!

Mariah, Cleve, and Corazon reach Data Haven. Scene 16 Scene 17 Scene 18 Scene 19 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 make the acquaintance of some veteran mercenaries also serving as guards on the caravan. 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!

Mariah and Cleve have their first close-up encounter with Chiron’s atmospheric miasma. 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!

As the caravan heads down the bank of the River Weldyn, Tric and Heppa search for a missing child. Scene 1 Scene 2 Scene 3 Scene 4 GM Notes This episode’s description of Falcon Sight was inspired by information from What It’s Like to Be a Bird by David Allen Sibley. In case you hadn’t guessed it yet, we really like birds. Also, this episode also introduces several new NPCs. Prior to starting this arc, I asked the players what types of characters they were interested in encountering on this journey. They gave me the basics: another spin on human mage, a precocious child, grizzled veterans, and so on. This whole arc was mainly conceived as vignettes centered around those ideas. This arc contains spoilers for the Battle for Wesnoth campaigns Eastern Invasion, The South Guard, Descent into Darkness, Secrets of the Ancients, and Liberty, with references to Delfador's Memoirs. 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 protect Corazon Santiago from the Morgan Repossession Team. Scene 10 Scene 11 Scene 12 GM Notes The Stepdaughters of Chiron is an adaptation of the video game faction, Gaia’s Stepdaughters. It remains to be seen if they are as peaceful as their video-game equivalent (which itself takes inspiration from real-world organizations like Greenpeace), or if they truly are “ecoterrorists”. Why change the name? “Gaia” is sometimes a name for Earth, but this campaign takes place on the planet Chiron. The stepdaughters are trying to adapt to their new home, not remake their old one. Note: In this episode, you’ll hear us using social material and maneuver mechanics that come from a Genesys supplement called I Declare! Adjudicated Social Encounters for Genesys by Micah-Shalom “FatCrab” Kesselman. You can find it on the Genesys Foundry at DriveThruRPG here: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/349232/I-Declare.  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 take care of their business with Damal and Heledd in South Tower. Scene 11 Scene 12 Scene 13 Scene 14 Scene 15 GM Notes Tracking currency is not something I particularly enjoy in RPGs. And yet, here I saddled my players with debt, which had the potential to push them away from story-oriented playing to money-grabbing. Why did I do this? Well, the simple reason was to continue giving them reasons to return to the Parting Glass to interact with the NPCs there. The players really liked the Parting Glass and its cast of characters, but I didn’t want them to have to bend over backwards trying to justify time in South Tower when there was a whole country of Wesnoth to explore. This way, they’re free to follow the story wherever it leads, confident that I’ll provide space for them to return to their secondary homebase at some point in the future. 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 meet another human and learn some of the current situation on Chiron. Scene 7 Scene 8 Scene 9 GM Notes Corazon is perhaps the NPC most loosely inspired by the original video game character of the same name. Rather than have her focus be militarization as in the source game, I reinterpreted that at a more personal level as someone who is a bit reckless. Plus, early on, I wanted an NPC who was born on Chiron, not a “planetfaller.” Someone who would have a different perspective on society. Both because they don’t have Earth to compare to, and because they didn’t get a choice in coming to this planet. 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 reconnect with Heledd and Alric at the Parting Glass. Scene 7 Scene 8 Scene 9 Scene 10 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 first extraterrestrial lifeforms that Mariah and Cleve encounter are less than happy to see them. Scene 4 Scene 5 Scene 6 GM Notes During our Session Zero, our group made a list of things we either really wanted to have or really wanted to avoid in the campaign. Both players were interested in something supernatural to fit into the sci-fi setting. For Cleve, this translated to an ethereal animal companion. For Mariah, it was magic-like powers tied to the new planet. Neither PC had the experience necessary for those talents right away, but because we knew they wanted them, we began laying the groundwork for that early. The items that Cleve keeps finding and the purple glow to Mariah’s eyes are the first hints of what’s to come. 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 meet with Thrandolil about their next project for him and then head back to South Tower. Scene 4 Scene 5 Scene 6 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 leave Earth aboard Unity, seeking a new life on the planet Chiron in the Alpha Centauri system. But something goes wrong on the way there. Scene 1 Scene 2 Scene 3 GM Notes You might be wondering why I set this campaign 30 years after planetfall rather than coincident with it. By setting it later, the world has already had some chance to develop into factions that the PCs have to deal with. This also ensures that there’s a mix of built-up regions and wild regions. A campaign starting right at landing would have involved a lot more exploration and “human vs nature” conflicts than we wanted. I also wanted to see how the named NPCs changed over those 30 years. This gave the players something fresh to experience even with an NPC they “made.” I did talk about the extra 30 years of cryosleep with my players before launching the campaign, however. As always, it is important to obtain consent. After all, this is a cooperative story among players and GM. I encourage groups to bounce ideas off each other (and separate player from character knowledge). In this episode, we also hear about our first planetside faction, Morgan Industries. One of Mariah’s NPCs took inspiration from CEO Nwabudike Morgan from the Alpha Centauri video game. It was straightforward to project what 30 years of unchecked capitalism might look like on a pristine planet. Our music is from Purple Planet Music. Visit them at purple-planet.com. Need context? Jump to the start of the series!

High Lord Volas commissions Tric and Heppa to undertake a task for him on their upcoming journey. Scene 1 Scene 2 Scene 3 GM Notes High Lord Volas is a character from the Battle for Wesnoth mainline campaign, Eastern Invasion. The assassination attempt we refer to is from Scenario 4a of that campaign. He does not have much dialogue in that, so his personality is mainly my invention here. His physical description is that of the Elvish High Lord unit from the video game. This arc contains spoilers for the Battle for Wesnoth campaigns Eastern Invasion and Northern Rebirth, with references to The South Guard. 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!

Tric and Heppa exchange information with Kachen before he leaves on his own job for Thrandolil. Scene 4 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!

Jump to Arcs | Season 1 | Season 2 | Season 3 | Addendum Open Datalinks. Subject: Honest Assessment of Earth in 2100. Result: The few billion people and perhaps half as many kind souls don't agree on much, but they do agree that Earth is ruined. The environment. The politics. The war. The Mistake. Sure, there are pockets where things are mostly okay, if you've got the credits. But you know it's gotten real bad when even the rich people want to leave. Of course, with everything so fractured, no one person or state was rich enough nor smart enough to figure out how to get away on their own. So despite all of humanity's failures, we came together for one last job. Mars is a fool's errand; we shoot for the stars! FTL is a myth. We designed cryosleep pods to last us the 100 year journey at 5% the speed of light. We took what readings we could remotely. The new planet seems to be habitable, but we're bringing extra resource pods to be safe. Who knows, maybe one day the colonists will be able to come back and fix Earth. Or heck, maybe we can learn from this project to fix our own house rather than ruining someone else's. What’s more likely, though, is that humans never change, and they ruin the new planet before too long. Copy Editor Syd Meijer (under pseudonym, Dequiem), Don't Let The Door Hit You Open Datalinks. Subject: Informational Brochure on Habitable Alpha Centauri Planet. Result: Earth is the past, but Alpha Centauri holds the future! Be one of the select 100,000 colonists to a new world! Relax in our patented Peaceful Cryosleep™ pods and wake up to a planet of limitless possibilities! But it's a one-way trip, and cellular service is limited! Remote lifescans, however, show a pristine planet brimming with flora, fauna, fungi, and fun! Perhaps you'd like to generously help fund the project, and thereby secure your place as a founding colonist. Or are you a driven scientist? Then there may be room for you in the Academy or Biogenetics modules. We want the best in many disciplines. There are many ways to join and contribute to Humanity's greatest achievement! Competitive positions are limited, so act now! Copy Editor Syd Meijer, Firaxis Marketing Brochure #3 Setup Welcome to the newest campaign by Dicey Stories! Alpha Centauri: Chronicles of Chiron takes place in a sci-fi setting exploring humanity’s attempt to escape Earth’s problems on a new planet. While the focus is on our two PCs, the overall story is also at times political. Where my StarCraft campaign was more on the sillier side, I’m trying to grow as a GM by running a more narratively-driven dramatic campaign. Some concepts we address head-on are finding a place to belong, duty versus obligation, the environmental impact of human expansion, cycles of wealth inequality, and revenge. Alpha Centauri: Chronicles of Chiron is played using the Genesys roleplaying system now published by Edge Studio. We also occasionally reference the Mythic Game Master Emulator’s event meaning tables for inspiration. The release of each episode’s audio will be accompanied by a serialized, narrative write-up of the adventure. This time, they will primarily be written first-person from the point of view of one of the PCs. Background Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri and its expansion, Alien Crossfire, are the most direct inspirations for this campaign, but we also draw on elements of the more recent Civilization: Beyond Earth. If you know nothing about these, that’s fine! Neither did the players prior to starting this campaign. I enjoyed both video games, the story

The Estbryn Forest council decides Kachen’s fate. Scene 2 Scene 3 GM Notes I really enjoy the social components of the Genesys system. I like learning characters’ motivations and leaning on them when I can. I like the way social combat helps flesh out an exchange and gives players an opportunity to both gain and lose ground simultaneously. I was excited to have the chance to try out this different kind of social scene, an adjudicated encounter. Although we don’t have many more opportunities to use I Declare this way in the rest of the campaign, we really liked some of the concepts in it. Social weapons (in the form of material) and additional social maneuvers fit quite easily into Genesys and provide some additional spice for social-heavy campaigns. For that reason, even if you don’t see yourself running an adjudicated encounter ever, I still recommend this supplement to expand your social encounter toolkit. At the low, low price of pay-what-you-want, it’s definitely worth the investment. You can find it in the Genesys Foundry at DriveThruRPG here: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/349232/I-Declare 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!

Tric and Heppa take a stab at defending Kachen before High Lord Volas and the council. Scene 1 GM Notes This arc contains spoilers for the Battle for Wesnoth campaigns Eastern Invasion and Northern Rebirth. This arc uses a Genesys supplement called I Declare! Adjudicated Social Encounters for Genesys by Micah-Shalom “FatCrab” Kesselman. I do my best to explain its mechanics to my players at the start of this episode, but any mistakes in that are my own. If you’re interested in reading it for yourself, it’s available as pay-what-you-want in the Genesys Foundry at DriveThruRPG here: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/349232/I-Declare. I’ll talk more about my impressions of it at the end of the next episode. 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!

Heppa and Tric continue their fighting retreat as the undead menace approaches the population center of Estbryn Forest. Scene 19 Scene 20 GM Notes In this arc, we see a few new units from the Battle for Wesnoth video game. The Revenant is one of those units. The Wolves, too. In the video game’s campaign Secrets of the Ancients, you can raise Wolves into Walking Corpses, so that was what inspired me here. 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 Battle for Estbryn Forest begins with a skirmish between elves and undead in a wooded gully. Scene 17 Scene 18 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 elves of Estbryn Forest prepare to face a new threat. Scene 14 Scene 15 Scene 16 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!

Heppa and Tric deal with the crisis caused by Fenowin’s rash response to Kachen. Scene 10 Scene 11 Scene 12 Scene 13 GM Notes Damal’s treatise on the four elements was inspired by a thread on Dunefolk Lore that I read on the Battle for Wesnoth forums here. The part that particularly caught my attention was this: Four elemental forces each bleed through into the material plane. The Sun bleeds through and creates the scorched deserts. The Seas bleed through and create the fertile coasts and river valleys. The Winds bleed through and create the windswept highlands. The Deeps bleed through and create the mineral-rich underground. forum user ghype, 14 Apr 2020 After this part, there was some discussion of the Aether, which factored heavily into my explanations of magic as our game progressed. 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!

Kachen’s first evening in Estbryn Forest passes uneventfully, but the following morning there are some problems. Scene 7 Scene 8 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!

Tric escorts Kachen to meet with Thrandolil, who has been conducting research with Heppa. Scene 4 Scene 5 Scene 6 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!

As spring advances, Heppa gets some advice from older elves about romancing humans while Tric works the Estbryn Forest border patrol. Scene 1 Scene 2 Scene 3 GM Notes This arc contains spoilers for the Battle for Wesnoth campaigns Eastern Invasion and 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!

Tric spends time growing closer to his father and his bird, while Heppa works on her relationships with her sister and Alric. 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!

The elves search Estbryn Forest for the missing necromancer’s staff. Scene 8 Scene 9 Scene 10 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!

Tric and Heppa find someone willing to talk to them about Anador. 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!

Tric and Heppa settle back in with their families in Estbryn Forest. Scene 1 Scene 2 Scene 3 Scene 4 GM Notes This arc contains spoilers for the Battle for Wesnoth campaign Eastern Invasion. 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!

Tric and Heppa fend off the skeletons uncovered by Ulf’s excavation. Scene 16 Scene 17 Scene 18 GM Notes As usual, I used some Battle for Wesnoth units as inspiration for this arc. You heard us talking about liches that have four arms. That is based on the artwork for the Ancient Lich unit. Sir Marthynec and his fellow knights were guarded by Revenants. In the caverns, our heroes are attacked by Skeleton Archers. The staffs that Tric and Heppa have recovered match the two examples in the artwork for the Dark Sorcerer. The rod that Ulf got to keep was based what a regular Mage carries. 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!

Tric and Heppa look for artifacts in the cave system below South Tower. Scene 14 Scene 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!

Before leaving South Tower, Heppa and Tric visit Damal’s apothecary shop. Scene 11 Scene 12 Scene 13 GM Notes I love it when players produce extra material for the game, like writing songs, drawing sketches, or even just doing research on their character’s interests. These sorts of things extend way beyond just learning the rules of the game and spending XP. I find this so rewarding, as it shows that the world I’m creating for them really resonates with them in some way and stretches into their lives beyond the play session. If you’re interested in seeing the map that Heppa left for Alric (and that Heppa’s player was kind enough to draw for my entertainment), you can find it here. 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!

Heppa and Alric go on a date. Tric and Heledd most certainly do not. Scene 6 Scene 7 Scene 8 Scene 9 Scene 10 GM Notes I did a fair bit of research in preparation for the date in this episode. Since Heppa had shown interest in herbalism, alchemy, and alcohol, I decided to combine them. If this is the sort of thing you’re interested in as well, I recommend the following book by Amy Steward: The Drunken Botanist: The Plants That Create the World's Great Drinks. Here also is a link to a lengthy article about milk punch from Cook’s Illustrated and America’s Test Kitchen: https://www.americastestkitchen.com/cooksillustrated/science/844-articles/story/the-key-to-crystal-clear-cocktails-milk-really. If this is of no interest to you at all, don’t worry. Once they leave the Parting Glass and Alric behind, our elves will spend much less time sampling alcoholic beverages. And finally, for a special treat from our bard, check out this ode to Alric's past: Fresh Prince of South Tow-air 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 the closing ceremony of the Full Bloom Festival, Heppa and Tric get in some weapons practice and then go birding. Scene 1 Scene 2 Scene 3 Scene 4 Scene 5 GM Notes If you’re interested in learning more about the style of draw Mhaev uses with her composite bow (the thumb draw rather than the three-fingered draw), then check out this video by NUSensei: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jK82xdoFAqY This arc contains spoilers for the Battle for Wesnoth campaigns Eastern Invasion and Liberty, as well as references to the Rise of Wesnoth, Legend of Wesmere, and the Hammer of Thursagan. 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 victory over the Rats has some unanticipated emotional repercussions for Heppa. Scene 27 Scene 28 Scene 29 Scene 30 Scene 31 GM Notes I didn’t anticipate Alric becoming a romantic interest for Heppa. When I introduced him to the storyline, my goal was to provide Tric with a different perspective on the Manu, a younger, less jaded one than some of the others. As well as to provide Heppa with a source of information on Kachen—though she ended up not prying there, out of respect for Alric’s focus on privacy. Heppa’s player, however, did express interest in adding this romantic dimension to the game. Hence the flirting you’ll observe between Heppa and Alric. It was important to me that the player guide the course of the relationship, though, which is why at the end of this episode, I explicitly ask how she wants the scene to end. I also consulted with her a lot in between game sessions to make sure this proceeded comfortably for everyone involved. 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!

Imogen and Lilly narrowly escape and make one last report. Scene 8 Scene 9 Scene 10 Note: This marks the end of our StarCraft campaign! Lilly goes on to be a real member of Raynor’s Raiders, helping Jimmy more directly with reconnaissance and combat operations in the fight against Mengsk. As for Imogen, well, once things are more settled, she opens a school for psionic children to learn techniques in a properly supportive environment. At least, that is what we imagine for them. We hope you’ve enjoyed our story and that our use of the Genesys roleplaying system inspires your own play. And now, a word from our GM…. It was a delight to explore characters, scenes, and themes from Blizzard’s StarCraft video game in RPG form. Lilly and Imogen were amazing to see brilliantly solving a problem in one scene and snapping at each other the next. Lilly’s flashbacks were a wonderful way to see backstory and sometimes deliver key information to the players. And Imogen—though her psionics fried her nearly as often as they helped her—showed how a ghost could maintain their sanity with this power. So many of the NPCs were fun to play, but it’s probably no surprise that my favorite was Malorn. He was so easy to slip into, sometimes being helpful, but always dripping with scorn. Thanks for following our escapades! Need context? Jump to the start of the series! Music: https://www.purple-planet.com

As rain sets in, a mysterious falcon joins Heppa and Tric in their fight with the Rats. Scene 26 GM Notes Once again, units from the Battle for Wesnoth video game were an inspiration for elements of this arc. The Cuttlefish has an ink attack with the poison quality. Lady Sabine is an Arch Mage. Sleidr is a Thief, and the male portrait of that inspired his look. The fight had many units from both the “lawful” and “chaotic” alignments of the video game. (Elvish units are of “neutral” alignment, by the way, which you will sometimes hear Tric’s player reference.) Henrick is a Sergeant, and that determined his armaments. He brought Bowmen and Javelineers with him. On Sleidr’s side there were Thugs, Footpads, and the Bandit Efa. Alric’s “action mode” is inspired by the Assassin—not that he was ever of that profession! 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!

Down on Dead Man’s Rock, Imogen and Lilly arrange to send not one, but two crucial messages to ensure the sector’s future. Scene 4 Scene 5 Scene 6 Scene 7 Need context? Jump to the start of the series! Music: https://www.purple-planet.com

With help from the town guard, Tric and Heppa launch their ambush against Sleidr and the Rats. Scene 24 Scene 25 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!