Ye Accursed Realm – 02-07-2026

An open table OD&D game I run weekends at a local game shop

Players & Characters

  • Justin B. – Davin Mugwort, Halfling Thief 1
  • Alex B. – Corriander, Halfling Thief 1
  • Sarah B. – Alba, Human Cleric 1
  • Nic L. – Thomason, Human Magic-User 1

Summary

Our party meets in Heathford, a small walled town in fallen kingdom of Veldmere, there the Earl Aldhelm of Dunmere petitions the party to find his missing bride, Diera of Dahia, who mysteriously disappeared the night before their wedding.

The party investigated, speaking to townsfolk where they learn that a mysterious fog rolled into the town the night she vanished, and that a bandit queen known as “the Shrike” has been raiding caravans traveling through Heathford. They also acquire a hireling by the name of Hrufto, a Halfling scout who survived a massacre, and carries a black cat named Coal.

Speaking to Silas the Storyteller, they discover the Diera has been seen wandering into the Gravehills to the north. Following his lead, they travel through the forest to the northwest, they stumbled upon a dilapidated Shrine of Saint Eadburga, and Alba takes the statue.

They then came upon a strange fellow named Beortic the Hunter. Purchasing some hunted rabbits from him, they note a suspicious disposition that he carries, and notice some bloodied clothes in his hunter’s shack. He says that is due to butchering, but they notice may of the cloaks are mismatched in size and quality. Suspecting him to be a murderer, they turn down his offer to accompany him and instead continue north.

Finding the mounds, they trace Diera’s trail to a extremely large barrow, the front door open. Davin Mugwort searches the barrows, and on top he found a secret entrance, surrounded by unguarded camp supplies, including a deep yellow potion. Using a rope to descend, the party witnessed a chasm that had split open the room below on the east side, and a dead body to the west.

Going down the hallway, their hireling was attacked by a ochre jelly. The hireling was killed, and Alba was severely burned by acid, but the party slew the slime.

Continuing to the northwest, they found a sarcophagus in front of a mural of two nature deities. Opening the coffin, a pearl-colored woman with silver hair was within. Suspecting undead, Alba attempted to turn her but failed. This woman said her name was Tainwyn, and that she was the second bride of Caedwin the Red King, and that Diera of Dahia was his newest bride-to-be. The party convinced her that they were her servants, which she referred to them as slaves – a practice not utilized on the isle of Veldmere for centuries. She gave them a clerical scroll to deal with supposed robbers that the party convinced they were after.

This is where we ended the session.

Treasure & XP

28gp.
262xp total for treasure, magic items, and threats overcome.

Action-Oriented Interaction

edited 08-21-2025 after some feedback, shortening and breaking into sections

One thing I picked up playing with some of the old Twin Cities referees is how action-oriented their tables are, especially from the player-side. Referees encouraged players not to ask, “What does the scroll say?” They encourage them to say things like said, “I try to decipher the scroll,” or “I glance at the diagrams, seeing if I recognize them.”

That shift, from asking about the world to acting within it is a subtle change to the game that provides many benefits, and while it is not a be-all end-all solution, where possible it is worthwhile to try.

The Scroll Example

Imagine a cursed scroll, something Evil Dead-style where reading it unleashes a great evil.

Player: “What does it say?”

Referee: Now they either describe the curse being unleashed, something the player might feel was a gotcha, or they ask “Do you read it?” which is a suspicious question that reveals more about the situation than perhaps is desired. The game potentially now turns into an abstract Q&A

vs.

Player: “I read the scroll, trying to make sense of it,” or “I glance at the sigils on the leaf, trying to recall any of them from my studies in the Grave Cult”

Referee: Understands clear intent, and may follow with results in-fiction.

In the second case, the game is in motion. No hedging, no backpedaling. Just a character describing action and desired resolution.

Why It Works

By explaining what the character is doing, and the intent they are trying to achieve, the referee knows exactly what the stakes are and how to deliver the information.

The world responds to action, not to abstract questions. Information is best received in game when there are risks and rewards present in gathering this information.

Instead of probing the referee for lore, players test the world directly. This encourages that thing often described in FKR play as inhabiting. It’s not method acting per say, but its thinking of the fiction from an entity within it.

I’m not saying Q&A play is wrong, verbal and textual communication is always flawed. Sometimes “What shape is the room?” is more efficient than the alternative. But when play turns into endless querying to avoid risk, something that can happen particularly in OSR-style play (although it exists in all styles and communities) it drifts from the kind of game I want, one of danger, surprises, and weird, fantastic consequences.

Not Just Reckless

Action-oriented phrasing isn’t about thoughtless actions, leaping into traps blind and rushing head-first into combat (all the time). It’s just as useful for cautious play:

“I tap the floor with my spear, testing for hollows.”

“I smell the vial, looking for any hints of its nature.”

“I put my back to the door frame, and using a mirror, I produce a reflection from the area where we heard that scuttling.”

It keeps information-gathering inside the fiction. We know how this information is gathered. It’s not detached lore spouting, nor is it the style of stepping into a room and declaring that you’re “rolling perception” (a fate I do not wish upon my greatest enemy referees).

The Payoff

I don’t care much about “immersion,” as I have mentioned before, but this style does something that I think some folks seeking immersion look for – it pulls you into thinking as your character, not as a quizzer at the table. And that makes the game richer, stranger, and ultimately more fun.

Tell me what you think, your style of narrating as a player, and anything I may have missed. Thank you!

Skies Shall Sunder Session 4

This is written by my player and friend Will F.:

Daytime

  • Ainewyn visited the Lyceum, puts her name down, learns that you must be an accredited mage to check out a library book.
  • Everyone else does reconnaisance on the Severed Hand Bathhouse
    • Construction workers hanging out
      • Raedmund and Avery pay to enter the spa,Avery spends 100g to be treated well, and does drugs with a servant girl to get info:
        • Visit the bathhouse chapel during the New Moon, ask to Look into the Mirror of the Silver Lady (i.e. the moon), for illicit worships…
          • Servant girl confirms that Seraine Malcorven was taken down under the bathhouse, but doesn’t know what’s down there.,

Nighttime

  • We staged the break-in as an attack by the Bloody Crown gang
  • We climbed on the roof to get into the bathhouse via the skylights.,
  • We attempted but failed to avoid a guard dog. We killed it, but it gave away our position.
  • After a round or so, three severed hands emerged from the basement and attacked. Raedmund took a brutal shoulder injury. Ainewyn managed to put two of the enemies to sleep; the other one was killed retreating.
  • We kept one severed hand thief alive, interrogated him
    • Got a rough map of the hideout
    • Told us of a secret entrance from the sewers through the armory that the thief could guide us to.
  • Avery hired the thief as a hireling,

Skies Shall Sunder Session 3

This was written by my friend and player Rob L., posted here with permission:

Went to Moldy Unicorn to inquire on owner of the purse + wooden nickel found at the bookshop. Barkeep Gorra identified “Latch” as the man with the scar, member of the Severed Hand Gang. Approached by “The Sage” of the Bloody Crown gang who claimed to know the way to the bathhouse that was the head quarters for the Severed Hand Gang. Super trustworthy, 10/10, no notes. The Sage lead the party into an ambush. Rosie and Theodred injured. Acquired crossbows from thieves. Party pushed on to the bathhouse, Theodred swapped out with Raybrid. Infiltrated bathhouse to find secret entrance behind the shrine to Elana which is opened when a small silver statuette of Elana is placed on the plinth. Door opens for one minute and then closes. Three guards down inside. Party moved on to question Temli. Telmi lets party into the store, and he feeds the cat. Party learns that Magister Baiene may be (TB) on the library card and Veric may be (VC). The bookstore owner (Seraine Malcorven), Veric, and Baiene summoned the demon and when the bookstore owner was at her weakest kidnapped her and took her to the bathhouse. V.C. is likely the character Latch was seen with by Temli.

Our heroic adventurers start today’s adventure in the Cats Lantern Tavern, which is in a working class area of Crodeux. We learn from our larger adventuring team that a blind beggar said there was an entrance by the Ink & Ash bookshop. The owner of which hasn’t been seen in 12 days. Our teammates earlier broke in and stole almost everything. Among the finds were a wooden nickel with a moldy unicorn on it, and a bookmark that said V.C. authorized by T.B. of Lyceum academy.

Ran from specter/ghost. Early in the day, we head to the Moldy Unicorn, in the Warrens, a rougher part of town, over the Saint’s Row Bridge. We meet some friendly guards who inquire if we’re there to solve the issues with the poor. We have no idea what that’s about.

Moldy Univorn is 3 stories tall, placard actually moldy with unicorn on it. We meet Gorra, a burly eye-patched woman and see a few straggler patrons. We can tell through reluctant conversation she knows the scarred person as Latch, he lost his coin purse 2 days ago. We pay her 4 GP for the info because he’ll be violent with her if it comes out she’s talked about him. She doesn’t know the cowled fellow with dusty cloak except he’s a student of Lyceum. Latch may be at a nearby Scaldworks bath house.

One of the patrons introduces himself as the Sage. We ask if the bath house is a thieves guild, he says yes, and can take us a shortcut through the sewers. We agree and then notice he’s taking a roundabout route that’s confusing so we mark our path between buildings.

Sage leads us into an ambush, 8-9 people with crossbows. We engage, 2 of our team nearly die, but they are no match for us. We gain their crossbows and coin. Their group is called the Bloody Crown, Sage ran away when the fighting started.

We learn Latch is part of the Severed Hand guild and bath is one of their fronts. Rumored to engage in foul sorcery, as well as abduct and eat children. We learn that the guy with robes is called Veric. We go back to our tavern and exchange a PC with a Barbarian.

We go to the Bath house, which has some goddess architecture around the entrance. Latch shows up with a cart of supplies and helpers at the house help to bring supplies in. Latch is a brawny guy with a scar that looks like it was the result of a fight or torture.

We talk to Latch, try to buy our way in, then enthrall him, neither works. We can see inside a bit and see a marble statue of Elana, ancient goddess or Purity. One in our party distracts the clerk, another sneaks in behind the serving girl bringing in supplies. He finds barrels with supplies, many small silver idols that are illegal to have. Takes one, gives to our member Rosie. Rosie pays to go into the baths.

A serving girl comes up to Rosie and mutters in thiefspeak ‘Unchained is the hand that is severed’ and shows her an idol. Rosie fails the response, and then tries the same tactic on another girl. She learns the response ‘To be severed is to be liberated’ but is confused by the next interaction, and tells Rosie to take the statue to the chapel area with the statue. Rosie finds a spot to put her if. Secret door opens, she goes in, realizes people are downstairs and she’s out of her depth, so she heads back to us and lets us know what she found.

We then go to the alley by the shop and don’t find anything. We go to the warehouse and talk to the attendant, Temli. He tells us what he saw including Latch and Veric leaving with a body-sized bag, and earlier a professor, Magister Baiene, dropping off a book. We go into the shop with Temli’s help, one of our party talks Feline to the cat, named Ser, stole a ring from Veric, gives it to us, one of us puts it on, it’s magical and is a ring of protection + 1 or equivalent. We also find a paper that says ‘on request if T.B.(Magister), summon demon with Veric’ (or something similar)

Skies Shall Sunder Session 2

This report is written by my friend and player Peter P., I have posted it to my blog with permission, with a few NPC name spelling corrections:

Following the rumor of: “There is a hidden entrance to the Spiral Archives in the Ink & Ash bookshop in the Coppergate district of Crodeux. But the door was sealed a long time ago, and the shop owner rarely seems to open for business these days. ” our party of ventures to the bookshop owned by Seraine Malcorvin. We found the store and as the rumor said, it looked to not be open, despite being the middle of the day. There were warehouses around and we bribe a worker to tell us what he saw, and he reported seeing 2 figures enter the store. We decided to return at night to break in with less eyes upon.

Come night, the party breaks in through a window on the 2nd floor in the back to get in. We find that the place is unoccupied and no one is around. We take a look around and find several magical artifacts.

Some of which we take. Some if which we don’t take, by leaving it in the glass cases. Some of which teleport us to rooms right next to guard dogs that bite your arm. Some of which blind you by just opening them. Fun times.

Oh and there is a black cat named Ser. Who is friendly.

Still searching for the Spiral Archives we find a basement next to the dining room and venture inside. On the ground we saw clear boot prints and dust turned about, signs of a scuffle and a Library card for a “Codex Relgor”. There we find an archway, that has been mortared closed, with the word “cherished” written in Sunlander above. It was clear to us this was a secret entrance. Now a smart party would have taken the time to try and figure out what the words meant to get through. We are not that party. (The password was the black cat’s name: Ser. Cherished was he) We choose to simply break down the wall with hammers, the constant banging of which attracted a gang of rat mutants living in the sewer connected to this basement.

There was battle with the mutants, but they were no match for us. After the battle we dispose of the wall as well and we ventured inside to find 2 magic circles. One being a protection circle, the other being able to summon the demon Relgor at the call of his name. Doing so we try to talk to Relgor. However Relgor just wants to be free, and he can’t leave the summoning circle so long the circle of salt around it is unbroken. Finding him unwilling to cooperate with us we decide to dismiss him.

He however appears to be guarding a secret. behind his circle is a rotating wall. We can’t rotate it all the way though, or else we will damage the salt circle holding Relgor in place. But we can peek through and we can see a door with spiral patterns on it.

Gaming Update and Skies Shall Sunder Session 1

I have been very busy with Blight Upon Sombreval, but I have been getting a lot of gaming in, fortunately. I’ve been doing a bunch of cons, but I have also been hard at work organizing my local meetup.

I have been running a BRP game called Cosmic Wound in a long-time setting of mine, as well as Gradient Descent in Mothership. Both are open tables and through the local adventure game meetup. Mothership has been running strong, although it does seem like we’re approaching the end of the module sooner than later.

Cosmic Wound has been great, but it struggled a bit with the open table format. It was also a every-other game, and it had a few unfortunate bouts of getting a few sessions in a row cancelled.

After talking to a bunch of friends at GaryCon, I decided to try utilizing the numbers of the meetup to run an actual West Marches. I have ran and participated in West Marches in the past, some more successful than others, but given my past experiences and recent open tables, I feel like I have a good setup for the campaign. I will do a post on how I set it up in the future, but for now I want to post actual play sessions.

The above is the back of the flyer (sans contact info) for the West Marches campaign. This is a sequel to both the Doomed Reach and Cosmic Wound campaigns I have ran recently, although every campaign always gives an opportunity for a bit of a retcon, as well as trying out alternative takes. This particular take is to shift the setting to be more AD&Dish than I typically run. People often showed up to prior campaigns looking for many of the AD&D or later classes, and it can become difficult to sell people on the 3LBB perspective of “if you want to be a thief, just steal something.”

With the flyer and a bit of cross-group posting, I got somewhere around 30 bites expressing some form of interest. Out of those 30, 16 folks signed up for the kickoff. Here we met for pizza and discussion at an FLGS, talked about the campaign, and made several characters. As this campaign will require the use of downtime due to the utilization of 1:1 time, everyone was recommended making two to three characters.

Once we wrapped up, I wanted to at least try playing a bit, as many folks were either new to tabletop adventure games entirely, or they were new to the style. So I started everyone in front of a recently-discovered dungeon, in search for a ring of some ancient star-mage that the Church wants recovered. 16 characters entered into this cavernous dungeon They found rooms with amphora bearing the symbols of winged serpents. They dug through the sarcophagus of ancient astronomers. A halfling was obliterated by a hammer trap, and the party gave most of his corpse to stalking mountain lions. They fought animated statues, and found a hidden entrance to a deeper dungeon complex before we ran out of time.

Running for 16 people is an interesting experience. I have had 11 and 12 player tables in the past, and obviously every person you add in above maybe 6 or so kind of compounds the chaos. It was a fun experience, but I obviously had to abbreviate a lot of the procedures and systems just so we didn’t get too bogged down, but I think we were able to make sure everyone experienced that traditional adventure gaming experience.

Upcoming is the session report for the first player-scheduled session.

A Blight Upon Sombreval Campaign is Live

I just launched my zine quest kickstarter for A Blight Upon Sombreval, a dark fantasy, haunted manor style adventure for old-school and classic RPGs and their modern cousins: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cryptic-codex/a-blight-upon-sombreval.

I’d love for you to check it out, I’ve put a lot of work into this adventure over the past year or so, and have had a lot of fun running it, and hopefully other folks will as well!

Tabletop Adventure Games Community

Maybe its the whole middle life thing or distance decades-makes-the-heart-grow-fonder, but I’ve been reminiscing quite a bit about places I chatted on and hung around online throughout high school and college, and all of the benefits of forums, in contrast to the current contender of Discord, have seemed very appealing.

The obvious first benefit is the whole indexing and reference problem – Discords are highly segmented, private, and even the big ones you can search – have terrible tools for actually finding things. I don’t know how many times (a day) we have a “what is OSR” debate where everyone is making the same points, and maybe forums don’t completely solve that, but having a publicly searchable topic is WAY more appealing than beating the grave of long-deceased equine or trying to convince someone to peruse Discord’s search.

Another benefit, for me, is just the asynchronous nature of forum communication. I’ve been (failing to) curtail my social media usage, and when I try to limit Discording to a specific time, that often means I am pinging someone from hours ago, outside of the context of the conversation, and sometimes interrupting an ongoing conversation.

Somewhat related to the first point, but the fact that forums are often referenced years later I think can serve to maybe (slightly) reduce the amount of hot takes and thread conversation-crapping that occurs in Discord. Sometimes I’ve just become sensitive to it recently, but the negativity and “dunks” on Discord have seemed to increase in the past few years. I’m not going to claim I don’t contribute to this, but I think there is something to the format of semi-private throwaway conversation that promotes this behavior.

Each of the above also have their own downsides of course, I’m not going to claim forums didn’t have a recession for a reason. I just feel there are benefits in the above, and I’m in a position where I at least think I want more of the above.

I’ve tried looking around for forums to call home, and there are a few places I still like reading or lurking on (like the classic odd74), but I haven’t found a place that really feels like home to me. So then I thought – why not just throw an instance on one of my servers?

I will mince no words and say this is likely to be a pretty sleepy place, but I’ve done some community building locally, and I feel like I know the kind of community I would like to participate in, and if you’re a reader of this blog, you’re likely to understand what that sort of thing is. So if you feel similar to the above, feel free to join me at Tabletop Adventure Games.

Thank you!

Playing a Role-Playing Game is Role-Playing

When you play a role-playing game – you are role-playing. If you’re making decisions for your fictional character, you’re playing a role.

This may include speaking in a voice, but it doesn’t have to.

This may include considering things like “motivation” and beliefs and things like that, but it might also just be what you’d want to do if you were in the fictional situation.

When you engage in combat, you’re role-playing. When you’re negotiating with other players or NPCs, no matter if you go into detail or you abstract it with “I tell them the story” – you’re role-playing. When you decide to engage with one downtime activity over another, you’re role-playing.

There’s nothing inherently better or worse about any activity in a role-playing game than any other, outside of personal preferences and expectations. It’s all role-playing either way.