A couple nerds debate the right way to address a demon. Is this Babylonia 4087 or Midwestern US 5787?
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play report: arden vul session 01
campaign overview
system: worlds without number
party members:
- Leena, High Mage 1
- Tynos, Warrior/Expert 1
- Fannahd, Elementalist 1
familiars and other creatures:
- demut, Fannahd's golem familiar
- a mule
session summary 2026-10-25
most of this session was spent doing character creation, so there's not much story wise to share.
Fannahd's diary
We arrived in Gosterwick today, and I cherish the joy I felt upon finally walking through its gate. First thing I did was acquire a mule so I could get this damn rope off my pack. Leena and me stocked up and Tynos went off on his own. Came back without his armor but with considerably more silver than he started with.
We secured lodging at the Yellow Cloak, a modest establishment. I wonder what Leena and Tynos make of sleeping in a common room with all us lowly folk instead of upstairs in the nicer common room or at the flouncy lodge in the temple district. I'm happy enough to be dry and warm.
I beat a carpenter at dice, but let her win her coin back so I could learn some about the ruins. Compared notes with Leena and Tynos before bedding down. They heard some interesting stories too.
- There's a series of natural caves near Set's temple where Archmage Kentillion the Magnificent had her secret compound. She was obsessed with finding the ebon sphere, which she was convinced was the same thing as the sphere of arden.
- There's a kind of creature that uses telepathy to control other creatures.
- Thoth's Beloved are buried in catacombs under the temple of Thoth, and are guarded by Thoth himself.
- The Sodality of the Fist recruits people to fight in unarmed arena duels in the ruins.
Tomorrow Tynos and I head for the mesa. Leena will follow up on some leads here in the town.
campaign stats
feature stat PCs generated 3 Highest level achieved by PC 1 Most valuable single item mule (30 sp) Sessions played 1 (with thanks to havoc for the template)
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A letter: or, how I became a player
Dungeons and Dragons is for middle aged dudes who are way too into math and playacting and misogyny. This was my belief for the first 30 years of my life.
At the beginning of covid someone invited me to join an online DnD group. I thought that meant drinking beers and staring at each other over zoom for four hours. I don't like most of those things. I said no thanks.
A couple years later my housemate turned me on to Critical Role. The storytelling drew me in. I found out that you don't have to be a middle aged dude to play. You can be hyperfemme, you can be butch, you can be soft, you can be ace, you can be hornybard. Or all of those at different times.
My next cautious step was a short-lived 5e campaign. When it ended, my otherwise awful psychiatrist told me I needed to find a group to keep playing with. So I ran a mini campaign for a couple friends.
I found some Gay People In My Area playing games. I only wanted to play 5e, ofc, until someone on the GPIMA discord brought up Worlds Without Number as a worldbuilding tool. I dove headfirst into OSR and Dying Earth and megadungeons.
It's true that the hobby is filled with middle aged men who are way too into misogyny. That's okay. I've been forcing my way into places I don't belong since I was 4, when my classmates made a We Hate Barney Club and I alone was denied membership.
upshots
Things I've done since my first DnD game in 2023:
- played in 120 sessions as GM or player
- created a 78-room dungeon (and ran some of it!)
- acquired approximately 25 physical ttrpg books
- joined approximately 25 discord servers related to ttrpgs
- changed my pronouns
- learned that I can be creative!
Systems I've played since 2024, rated from most enjoyable to least:
- Let Us Build A Tower (Sojourn)
- Vaults of Vaarn (free)
- Worlds Without Number (free)
- Daggerheart (free)
- 2d6 dungeon
- DnD 5e & 5.5e (free)
- For the Queen
- Dungeon Crawl Classics
- Wildsea
- Dungeon World (free)
- Stars Without Number (free)
- Pico
- Old Gods of Appalachia
- Legend in the Mist
- Mythic Bastionland
- Never Stop Blowing Up (free)
- Cairn (free)
- Everspark