Rescuing the notorious womaniser, Sanguigno de’ Masnadieri, is a desperate mission for a desperate band: a handful of knaves against all of Vortiga’s guards, among the best trained in the Kingdom. Fortunately, Sanguigno’s beheading is planned to round off the Red Carnival, a week of revelry, parties, and indecencies, during which everyone, even those guards, will be distracted and most likely drunk. Easy-peasy.

This is a spaghetti fantasy scenario set in the world of Brancalonia, an all Italian medieval, roguish, and picturesque setting for D&D5e. The PCs are knaves, mercenaries, rogues and similar rascals hired for all sorts of odd jobs, generally illicit, dangerous things that nobody wants to do. And that's on a good day... On a bad day, there are curses, demons, witchcraft, monsters and double-dealings to contend with as well.

Because of the threat of Covid our con will be a bit different this year. The big change is that we're trying to limit mass gatherings on the main floor, which means limiting announcements. As part of this, we're not doing scoring or prizes this year, because that means prizegiving, which means everyone in a room cheering. While things are normalish in NZ, we're playing this on the safe side, and trying to avoid risk. We're also duplicating the game and timetable info - "the wall of games" - so people don't have to congregate in one place to see what's on.

There'll be a QR code on the upstairs entrance and on the main floor. Please scan in each day. We'll also have hand sanitiser in multiple areas so you can decontaminate. Our registration spreadsheet provides pretty good info for contact-tracing, but we're hoping no-one needs to use it for that purpose.

Obviously: if you are sick, please let us know by email or on the KapPhone (022 341 5067) and stay home. We will provide a full refund. If you're a GM, don't stress - we will cope.

Also obviously: wash your hands!

We hope that none of this is necessary. As of today, the shields are still holding. But we want to run a safe con and that means planning for the worst just in case. Hopefully it'll just be this year, and next year things will be back to normal.

Your group of fortune-hunters and militant entrepreneurs known as the Handiwork Heroes all hail from a similar region of the Oathsworn League, in the world of Valn. Specifically, a number of the company have their roots in the settlement of Talden, a mixed community of halflings and humans nestled at the base of the mighty Cloudcaught Range, in the district of Oakfields in a country called Rutlandshire.
It is here that, after half a dozen years of adventuring together, vanquishing evil and aiding the helpless, your leader Captain Elminai “the Warbird” Bronaion has decided to return to for the occasion of Heartwinter’s Night.
You arrived in Talden three days before Year’s End of 140 Oathsworn Calendar, and spent the next three weeks either catching up with family members, helping out in the community, and/or being treated to rounds at the Frosted Flagon as the returning heroes you are while telling tall tales of your journeys. But rumours start to catch your ears something is amiss in your quaint little township...

Written by J Walton.

Partly inspired by Ursula K. Le Guin’s fantasy novel, The Tombs of Atuan (1971), this is a live-action game for 6-10 players, exploring sporadic events in the lives of a group of priestesses charged with serving dead spirits—spirits that are nameless, ancient, and often hostile.

The players will take turns portraying either the priestesses or the Nameless Dead in a series of scenes that are chronological but not clearly located in time. Moments, days, months, or years may pass between scenes. There is also no fixed ending to the game, so things continue in a cyclical pattern—even including characters dying or leaving the sisterhood and new characters being inducted as members—unless the characters themselves decide to break that pattern.

This is a ready to play game, and characters will be selected during the game. Recommended costume is "something black", and a black shawl or formless robe would be ideal (bring extras if you can). Markers for the dead will be provided.

A stack of one hundred greasy street-worn bills, American, takes up 6.89 cubic inches, or 112 milliliters. A paper bag, like the one you get your groceries packed in or like the one you are looking at right now, holds 1,428 cubic inches, or just north of 23 liters. That’s 207.25 stacks of cash if you filled it with mathematical perfection, which its previous owner clearly did not, but close enough. And if each stack was composed of 100 twenty dollar bills, the contents of the bag you are touching with such tender longing would be worth four hundred thousand of somebody else’s dollars, give or take. But there are some stacks of hundreds mixed in, and the bag you are holding lovingly in your arms isn’t full-full, so it all evens out at half a million dollars like somebody planned it.

Because somebody did. And chances are they are going to miss their grocery bag as much as you love it.

We will be playing this Fiasco Playset (by Jason Morningstar), adapted into a LARP format: a series of lovingly improvised scenes about people with lots of ambition and no impulse control in a high pressure situation. What could go wrong?

Written by Betsy Isaacson

Three mysterious travelers, all hailing from Victorian London, run into one another at a place of great power and mystery -- the famed Cave of Elixir. Within the cave there are six potions, which could perhaps grant their deepest desires, and they all seem heedless of any price they might have to pay.

Alexander Clay doesn't age and doesn't die -- he's as beautiful now as he was at twenty-five. This wicked immortal has spent heartless decades seducing and discarding a string of innocent lovers. What could he possibly want with a cave of potions and wishes? He already has eternal life at his fingertips, so what could be worth risking madness and destruction?

Vesper Von Eternity lives a life of danger and adventure on the edges of the empire. She's stared down tigers, tamed snakes, studied with mystics and riddled with rajahs. In more "civilized" climes, the public thrills to reprinted accounts of her exploits. But some tragedies can't be averted with fame or guts or brains, so Vesper is determined to claim the magic she needs before it's too late.

Edgar Eakins might have been celebrated for his genius in a more tolerant age, but his obsessions and eccentricities have left him on the outskirts of London society. This shabby, sunken, despised man is rumored to have wrought hellish wonders in his taboo scientific experiments. His true goals, however, remain unknown...

It is no coincidence that these three have come across one another. Now they must parley, and palaver, and gamble their fortunes, and risk their very lives -- and drink.

--

Note Drink Me is only 1-hour long
Trigger warnings: Suicide; Sexuality

When the seal on the metal coffer in Greenapple Acre Cottage was broken without the proper precaution, an entity was released from the burnt human ashes within and into the world.

It is a dark and stormy night on a lonesome road outside Arkham. The scenario involves a group of 2 to 5 investigators quite literally running into a chain of unnatural and nightmarish events that are a threat both to the lives and sanity of all who are entangled in them. Note that pure manpower is not likely to avail in the situation presented, as experience and old-fashioned guesswork will likely provide more value in this case.

Call of Cthulhu is typically set in the interwar period between 1919 and 1939. The Cthulhu Mythos, as it has come to be called, orignates with the writings of HP Lovecraft. Subsequently a number of other authors added to the corpus, which is why it is called the Cthulhu Mythos and not the Lovecraft Mythos. Many other RPG systems now exist set in the mythos, not always in the 1920s.

Call of Cthulhu is a game of cooperative investigation but unlike many other RPGs is quite dangerous. Sanity and your very life are always at risk. It is gritty and apart from the Fantasy Horror elements, aims to be quite realistic. A stab or a gunshot can kill you outright. However, smart investigation and care can mean all the investigators can survive and solve the mystery. Players used to high hitpoints and magic potions of healing may be disappointed.

So you want to run a game But dont know where to start?
Are you looking to hone some skills?
Come and joins us at the Gm roundtable for a discussion on running games and some techniques to help you on your journey

We plan to cover:
Simple prep
Dont play for hours without your players
The Asymmetric nature of games
Your side of the game does not look like a players
How to engage in a dialogue with players
Roleplaying is a conversation lets model that.
Improv for beginners
getting beyond “ yes, and “
Basic safety tools
X Card , Line and Veils Script Changes, social contract
How to use your biggest assets at the table. Your players
Player roles and how you can get them to help you

If you want to cover a topic please contact the moderator
Paul Wilson
Pauliewilson@gmail.com

This scenario takes place in Lovecraft Country, and is suitable for up to 6 beginner investigators. Can you survive the Horror with your mind and body intact? In Call of Cthulhu games, that is the real challenge.

A landlord, Mr. Knott, asks you to examine an old house in central Boston, known as the Corbitt House. The former tenants, the Macario family, were involved in a tragedy and the owner wishes to understand the mysterious happenings at the house and set matters straight. Mr. Knott been unable to rent the house out since the tragedy and hopes that you can clear things up and restore its good name. He offers to reimburse you for your time and trouble.

Call of Cthulhu is typically set in the interwar period between 1919 and 1939. The Cthulhu Mythos, as it has come to be called, originates with the writings of HP Lovecraft. Subsequently a number of other authors added to the corpus, which is why it is called the Cthulhu Mythos and not the Lovecraft Mythos. Many other RPG systems now exist set in the mythos, not always in the 1920s.

Call of Cthulhu is a game of cooperative investigation but unlike many other RPGs is quite dangerous. Sanity and your very life are always at risk. It is gritty and apart from the Fantasy Horror elements, aims to be quite realistic. A stab or a gunshot can kill you outright. However, smart investigation and care can mean all the investigators can survive and solve the mystery. Players used to high hitpoints and magic potions of healing may be disappointed.

“Right, let’s get right to it, shall we? I need a few good deniable assets for a quick dungeon dive into the Containment Zone. You interested? Of course you are! This is what you do, and you lot are pros. Meet me in two hours, 10 PM at the Buried Treasure in Southside, a few blocks west of the Zone."

This is a Mission for Shadowrun 5th Edition. There will be a selection of pre-generated characters, or you are welcome to bring along your Missions-compatible characters.