Bay of Blackbottom: An introductory one-shot for the Draw Steel RPG

Like D&D, but want to try something potentially cooler? Come try Draw Steel! If you love it, there is a sequel adventure that will run 2-4 more sessions (schedule TBD if there is enough interest).

The characters are sailing towards the City of Black bottom... and a whole lot more trouble than any sane person would wish for. Will they make it? And what will they find when they arrive?

We'll be playing at the Stratus Professional Center, which is just a few blocks from where Mythos Games was if you ever gamed there. We have a large, comfortable, quiet, furnished seminar room to play in on the second floor. We have a huge table to spread out on, comfy seating, and everything you'll need to play, from pregenerated characters to 1-page rules summaries for each player. It should last about 3 hours.

Building is ADA accessible. LMK if you have any special needs. I'm happy to accommodate them if I can. We are very ND friendly.

I'll probably have some popcorn and bottled water. Feel free to bring your own favorite snacks or drinks to share!

Please check out the characters and some of the art on my google drive. LMK if there is a character you think looks cool, and I'll reserve it for you:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/15VTa-q8IfWgzxkT2vKDF79zhK2sDO3yf?usp=sharing
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I've dabbled in a lot of RPGs over the years, and there are some wonderful systems out there that support you doing some incredible things. This particular one focuses on and embellishes the monster-fighting and heroic-fantasy aspects of D&D. Game mechanics both in and out of combat have been built around collaborative gameplay and creativity. It has also been thoroughly play-tested and revised (which I love!).

I'm also a fan of skirmish wargames and Draw Steel uses maps and miniatures with awesome skills and mechanics akin to superheroes in Marvel Crisis Protocol. They are mechanics that keep players engaged, thinking strategically, and they avoid slog.

Character design and creation is pretty cool too. The stories it's built to portray aren't quite as character-driven as games like FATE or Torchbearer (which have extensive mechanics built around beliefs and motivations), but characters and even NPCs are definitely more 3-dimensional than D&D. More on par with games like Savage Worlds. Like any RPG, how you and the other players use it, and what you bring to it, determines a lot of what the game experience is like, but I have found that rules can have a big impact on how people play, and I think this will be fun.

I'll be running it this weekend with my kids, so I should have a reasonable handle on it for next week. I hope to see you there!