PAX Unplugged 2023

Just got back from PAX Unplugged yesterday and—despite being absolutely exhausted—I cannot wait to go back again next year.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I got to play and run a few ttrpgs. I also got to meet a lot of really nice people who share in my love of this wonderful hobby. I'll post below a quick review summary of what I played:

Mythic Bastionland (DM'd; 5 players): 2d6=11. Flavor is amazing and the mechanics reinforce the theme perfectly. My only complaint would be running for 5 made the combat swing easier than I think it is intended—thought I bet with a second crack at the apple I think I could solve that.

The Walking Dead (Player, 6 players) 2d6 = 7. The d6 pool and stress dice mechanic incentivizing "push your luck" was a lot of fun. A lot of the mechanics I didn't see (such as the growing horde) because it was the starter set adventure so I can't comment on that. I didn't like the theme, though I might have 10 years ago. The game also seemed to really want to push player relationship conflict. Which is very apropos with the themes in the show and comic.

Dragonbane (Player; 3 players) 2d6 = 5. I would describe my experience with Dragonbane as PF2e with ducks? Mallards? I don't know. I really don't get the Mallard thing. On topic: too crunchy and I didn't really feel like I understood what those mechanics were trying to reinforce. The starter set adventure I played was a dungeon crawl—but with no tactical room to move and an absurdly deadly/railroady boss. There were some cool mechanics, such as the fact the DM doesn't roll to hit. But I think I would sooner reach for 5e.

I guess at some point I should explain the 2d6 review scale so that it looks less like an obvious reference to the blog title. Which it is. An obvious reference to my blog title. But nevertheless—it is a super fun way to review so that's what I'm going to stick with.

Generally: 6-8 is average. I'll never pick it over anything above it, but I won't groan it that's coming to the table. Anything less than a 5 would be a game I would not play, or at least, would not want to play. Pathfinder 2e for me would be a 4. Too crunchy and too close to a wargame. I'd rather play infinity or Age of Sigmar. Anything above a 9 I would play without hesitation. Mausritter would be a 10. Rules light and flavor heavy. Plus that inventory system is so crisp.

A 12 is not perfect; a 2 is not without strengths.

I'll shout out a small solo game aid later in the week, but tomorrow is Godzilla Minus One!

Reaction to Willow: A Grim Micro Setting

Summary:

Willow is designed as a "micro setting."  It contains a small hub town (the titular: Willow), a hex map of the surrounding area (a total of 33 hexes), and many interesting locations.  There are two dungeons - though only one is keyed out.

It is described by the author as "a backwater town . . . used as a waypoint to be ferried upriver to a larger, brighter, and bigger town."  Willow suffers from blight & all ferrys have stopped due to the dangers in the surrounding woods. 

I ran/am running this using Knave - which fits right at home with the tone.  However, Willow is system agnostic and I agree that it could be run using any OSR system or D&D 5e.

Obviously spoilers below...

Things I Loved:

For 33 pages this book is packed full of wonderful content.  

The key NPC's have amazing art and include bullets on "What Does She/He Want."  This is very helpful to understand their driving motivation.  There is also a section on what certain NPC's could be doing - which aids the GM in making the town feel alive.  

The town hit the highest highs during it's mundanity.  Players can see how this place is a "real" location.  I mean that to say it is not a town waiting for the Party to come save it.  The have a steady world state that - while is not the best of living - is at least stable.  Or as stable as depending on a witch to temporarily cure your blight can be . . . . But ce la vie! 

The Seaweed Shrine is also a very strong mini dungeon.  Consisting of 16 rooms - it is something that could easily be completed in a session or two.  The book does a great job of not containing too much fluff description.  A GM would be fine reading the text mostly as is.  In future projects, I think having player focused text bolded for dungeons is "best practices" but that is a super nitpick.  I dislike dungeons that are completely gonzo as these can create a narrative dissonance between a mundane town.  The Seaweed Shrine is interesting and engaging - without getting into the absurd.  This is tough balance to strike - and I accordingly weigh this heavy in my overall rating.

Lazy Litch also improved the "relationships" table from Woodfall.  I haven't gotten a chance to run/deep dive into Woodfall yet, but one thing I noticed is the relationships table of the Woodfall residents was pretty unreadable.  Not the case with Willow.  There are not just the pictures of the NPC, but their name, which helps the DM understand the social situation of Willow. 

The Fantastical:

"Evil Plants in the Corrupted Wood."

This page is dedicated to gibing a GM tools to narrate not just the types of flora that the players will observe when trecking through the woods, but their effects.  Knowing the the sap of Necrotic Wood can be used to make sleep potions or that the wood itself is sought by necromancers for it's use in constructing powerful staves/wands - again - helps tie Willow to an existing world.  A necromancer could ask the Party to gather the wood from these trees or later rant to the Party as to a lack of construction materials - giving them the opportunity to negotiate! 

Also there are skull flowers AND skull roses!  Complete with perfect art. 

Oh and the Ashen Dryad champion art is something I would want framed . . .

                                                                                          Ashen Dryad Champion

Could Be Improved:

My only real complaint is the Necrotic Trent and that plot thread seem pushed towards the back of the book despite the timeline suggesting that the Treat must be dealt with or Willow will be destroyed.  

This seems antithetical to the books premise that it is a modular town that does not demand the Party stay for a prolonged time.  I think those pages are useful (and filled with some amazing art) but I do wish this would have been changed to be less dire.

I guess also the riddle in the Seaweed Shrine is pretty difficult (at least to me).  I'm not particularly good at riddles, so I might not be the intended audience.  However, completing the Seaweed Shrine is not a requirement so it is less of a problem.  The players don't have to get through it - in fact, they might never enter it at all given the amount of other interesting locations available to engage with.  

Rating:

Overall the 2d6 = 10.  This zine deserves all the praise! 

The elements that make up the town of Willow allow it to exist completely independent of whatever setting you run.  This is really wonderful since it allows a DM to easily slot it in to their persistent campaign. 

The random tables are evocative -- especially the random treasure table. 

Finally, Willow's thesis statement is completely delivered on through consistent usage of tonally correct NPC's, locations, and enemies.