Dreams of Terror & Death - Talking about the Open Table

AUDIO VERSION

Content Warning: mild descriptions of violence against the helpless.

The wind from the west. From the sundered land. Rot rides it, and the stench of blood. Cursed walker, will you travel there? To the valley of the Unfortunate Undead? Our young ones are taken by the child-thief Tergol, known for his vile crimes and alchemy of flesh.

The world dies even now. Reality decays, truth becomes dream and dream, truth. Cracks grow in the once-stable structures of the past, allowing things misshapen and vile to worm through, emerging into day's wan light. The known world closes in, bounded to the west by the massive Bergen Chrypt with its catacombs and ice-caked peaks and surrounded by the Endless Sea to the north, south and east. Many have ploughed the wave's furrow in search of new lands. They all return, against their will. Alive or dead.

- Mörk Börg

You are walking the Broken Road of Kergüs, each day a blink between nigh-endless night that seem to stretch longer and longer as the black spires of the colourless queen's palace grow closer. The taste of soot lingers after every breath. Gnarled roots and twisted, dead trees seem to observe you. The icy wind howls, carrying with it the scent of burning embers.

As you travel through these ashen wastes, foolishly hoping for an omen that would help you in your futile struggle against the tides of fate, a scream pierces the dusty valley. Down on the road ahead, about a hundred yards: a savage troop putting travellers to the death with unspeakable playfulness. Ten men carrying hatchets, naked save for war paints and ritual scars, are tormenting the survivors of a burning caravan. Dead soldiers are scattered across the debris. A handful of unarmed refugees remain, their spirits broken, patiently awaiting their turn.

What do you do?

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The opening lines would be repeated each session, to hammer in the despair and doom metal atmosphere of the campaign world, straight from Mörk Börg. The third paragraph introduces a more specific starting point - where the players begin for this given session, and what lies ahead. The final paragraph presents a situation, an injustice, a threat. Note that the vicious marauders are human, as I am interested in exploring questions of corruption and evil as inherently human, rather than an overworldly force. They have taken some of the traits of beasts, transformed by their bloodlust and greed, but they are nonetheless human. Men, in fact.

Skorne is the rulebook, and carries a lot of flavour. It will be the engine that drives play.
The structure of the game follows that of Skorne - the players are renegades, knaves and rogues, not merely attempting to survive but also struggling against the very end of the world brought forth by its corrupt, monstrous rulers, which the game calls Tyrants.

Because I want to use Mörk Börg's incredible flavour and map, that will be my main sourcebook. Queen Anthelia is the "colourless queen" I mentioned above and is one of the Tyrants. Virhu, the basilisk that prophecizes the end of the world, is Skorne given physical form. Because a giant, immortal, all-knowing basilisk is an extremely metal concept. This gives me locations filled with excellent ideas, good tables and just all around incredible artwork and music to daydream about. Both games feature prophecies of the end of the world and a countdown clock towards the End of All Things.

Another essential is Maze Rats, for its grounded yet fantastic and near-exhaustive random tables that make stocking wilderness, dungeons and cities alike a breeze. If Skorne is the bones and Mörk Börg is the meat, flavour for the system, then Maze Rats' tables are an added texture, the skin or clothings sewn into the fleshy monster that this campaign could be.

I want this to be an Open Table - I offer a weekly time and date, using HammerTime in my Discord ads so that anyone, regardless of time zone, can know when precisely the next session will be set. While I have decided for the moment to not explicitly exclude anyone, for my own comfort and to provide a safer space for marginalized folks, the ads will feature a disclaimer which I am still working on, something like:

"Although the themes and tone of the game are violent and dark, this Open Table is, by design, by and for marginalized people first and foremost. Above all, I want it to be a safe space for those who are denied one in their daily lives. If you enjoy more privilege than most, you are still welcome, but remember that you are a guest here."

Trusted friends pointed out that this may be confrontational or blunt, though my hope is that it will weed out undesirables, and deconstructed bros will understand the need for this sort of space in the first place and not feel threatened or antagonized by the disclaimer. I love my cishet straight white dudes friends, but y'all know there's already a ton of places that accomodate you before anyone else and we desperately need to change that, so here's my awkward attempt at doing my part in the hobby.

Also I really want to play freaking tRPGs again and don't want to have to do too much emotional labour to get there.

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So besides that, what do I mean by an Open Table - well, what I gain is peace of mind - no need to run after people to schedule appointments where everyone can make it, because any "core group" will defined after the fact, and remain fluid as the only commitment I ask is that if you sign up for a session, you either show up or let me know whenever possible if you cannot make it. Don't fuss it - you don't have to justify yourself, just please tell me if you're not gonna show up. Because there are certain end conditions tied to how many players die, there may eventually be a hard cap to who will be able to play. Another interesting thing about having different players often is that various sessions might happen in wildly different places, with regular players getting a peek into different areas of the setting and facing a broader variety of threats and tyrants to overcome.

For safety tools, I will rely on lines and veils plus reminding people that anyone can call for a break at any point during the sessions, which are usually two to three hours long, tops. Keep in mind that death will be on the table as the setting and atmosphere, as well as playstyle, require a fair amount of danger and pain to really shine. It is also my personal preference, and I found it easier to sell it to strangers by using pre-existing material that share the vibe I like. I aim for fairness and impartiality when I run a game, albeit Skorne asks of me as my first GMing principle to be tough and not, ever, pull punches. I intend to do just that. Victory is not assumed - doom is the default expected outcome, and only skillful play, resilience in the face of overwhelming adversity, and a bit of luck, will save you or allow you to save the world. Sounds familiar?

One of these days, I'll make a post about disempowerment fantasy and why I find that and survival horror cathartic and surprisingly refreshing. In the meantime, if this is your cup of tea and you're cool with having your lil' character die in a hole in the ground, I hope to see you soon at the (virtual) table!