RiftWalker Campaign - Overview and Thoughts (32-34)
This is the final arch of the first campaign of RiftWalker. Here the group goes to war against the Nega-World. I talk more about the reasons why below.
Preparing for Incursions
The Alpha Council calls for the group to assist with the coming battle on the horizon. In a couple of days, intel showed that on the Dark Anniversary, a new lieutenant would take Mosacul’s army and try to take over the Rift Plane. The group is tasked with assisting in preparations for the fight. They are introduced to Pytka - a Changeling Assassin ally of the Venture Syndicate who has had dealings with McGeckin in the past. She and Ralph first calm the towns folk down, gaining their trust and respect. Ralph then goes to help Frinkle build up defences for the city, adding to its fortification. McGeckin went to gather new recruits from the Hunter’s Guild to help in the fight, finding a strong construct and a desert battle priestess. He then used his remaining time to help the various traders and merchants, build a massive gun that could shoot defensive bubbles on the battlefield. Pytka and Khazgan went to seek new information on the enemy at their campsite, using stealth and disguises through it. Khazgan returned a second time and saw the Lieutenant’s orb of mystery, pushing past its defences to examine. The group said their farewells and wished each other luck with the battle the next day.
The tracker for the ‘war’ campaign style activities.
The Dark Anniversary
The party sought a confrontation with the lieutenant and his guards. The battle was fierce. Two major brutes were brought in for protection of their master, attacking McGeckin, Khazgan and Ralph. A corrupted summoner brought forth more minions from the dark realm “Utopia” that caused some headaches for Pytka and McGeckin. The Boss itself was fought closely by Pytka, attempting to stop the fight with intimidation. McGeckin had some luck with a major explosion early in the fight. Ralph set the final blow against the boss, crushing its plans. Khazgan destroyed the orb and created an implosion of large magnitude. After talking with one another, they returned home to RPA to see that the battle had been victorious on all fronts. There were some casualties like the contract warrior friend of McGeckin, many hundreds of Rift Guards and Mistress Kraal of the Wastelands. The victory was short lived though as over the horizon, Draden brought forth a large undead army - insisting that his time for ruling was at hand.
Alternate camera setup for the battle map.
Endings and CRAPS
The group quickly ran out to face Draden. Between them all, they used their superior social negotiation to weaken his morale, letting him know that they would not fear his bullying. The quips ran brought and Darden’s ego was hurt. He sought help from the group to travel to ‘Utopia’ to finish of Mosacul before the next Dark Anniversary. The team refused to help him, so he read their minds to find where it was, before disappearing over the horizon. The group headed to the Talisman Tavern to reflect on their adventures. They talked about their backstory - finding out about Ralph’s Grandmother; Pytka being a descendant of Zadymka; McGeckin being a former tourist guide, whose real name is Augustus. Khazgan used it for quiet reflection. The group decided they should continue new adventures and name themselves the CRAPS.
Thoughts
Session 32 was a great time to try out a new ‘war’ structure for the group. I could prep a bunch of options of things for them to help out in; play it as a tracker, and count their successes. This would then lead to various bonuses that could be applied in battle, and things that might be weaknesses for the opposing force to face - if they were not dealt with. I like this a lot as a structure and will adapt to various themes in the future. I hope to use it as a solo structure also. Session 33 was a massive tactical combat. I got to use all of my physical maps and tokens, even online. It was. Chance for me to pull out a 2nd welcome in our group video call, and control the battlefield for the group. I actually found there was just as much prep as a virtual tabletop, with it being easier to manage in the session itself. A win overall. Session 34 was a quiet talking session mostly, used it as an opportunity to talk with each other and learn about their back stories. A nice change of pace and an inadvertent great ending to the campaign.
In terms of trying something new, it felt like the right time. Me and some players wanted something lighter overall, and my future campaign ideas are more focussed on whimsy and wonder, rather than grim dark corruption. It also need up being a good time to end, as all the major campaign arcs were finished. It was a good time to refresh the rules slightly. When I transitioned to RiftWalker 0.2, having 2 characters come across for the old system, lead to some conflicting legacy rules being adapted and weird. A new campaign will mean a little more rules simplification and the characters all beginning with the same expectations from the start.
