#rpgboardgame

[ID: left to right, Kugrash, Sofia Bicileta, Ox, Pete the Plug, Ricky Matsui, Kingston Brown, Misty Moore sitting on a couch, with the word Heroes in the Friends TV show font. END ID.  Design by: https://www.artpal.com/ltbaucum]

AHHHHHHH!!! Uhmmm so this is definitely going to be me fangirling, but honestly one of the best thing in 2020 was that the full season 1 of The Unsleeping City was put on the Dimension 20 YouTube channel.  I have been following this show since it first started then had to stop because they put the rest of them on Dropout.tv(as they should, but like I couldn’t pay for it sooooo). But now we can talk about Season 1.

Cast:

Pete the Plug(Vox Phantasma- Wild Magic Sorcerer) played by Ally Beardsley

Sofia Bicileta(Drunken Master Monk) played by Emily Axford

Ricky Matsui(Oath of Devotion Paladin) played by Zac Oyama

Kingston Brown(Vox Populi - City Domain Cleric) played by Lou Wilson

Kugrich/Kugrash(Man turned rat by powerful witch- Circle of  the Shepard Druid) played by Brian Murphy

Misty Moore/Rowan( Fae- College of the Lore Bard) played by Siobhan Thompson

Dungeon Master, All the NPCs, All the Bad Guys played by Brennan Lee Mulligan

(Info and spelling from Unsleeping City fanwiki: https://dimension20.fandom.com/wiki/The_Unsleeping_City)

This is a Dungeons and Dragons campaign, set in New York City, where magic lies just beneath the surface behind the Umbral Arcana, that hides the magic from mere mortals. The Unsleeping City is the sixth borough (aka Nod) where dreams live and thrive; we visit this land when we sleep. In this campaign, our intrepid heroes must stop Robert Moses from(what do I say here without spoilers...) from misusing the power of dreams for his dastardly plot. 

So why are we talking about this? The storytelling is incredible. The character development is flawless. And the fact that this is a board game, really brings it to life.  The cast is incredible, these are just people playing a board game, but honestly I got so invested because the acting is so amazing. There were definitely moments where I got choked up or cheered( I mean that moment with Esther and Ricky, like if you know, you know and cheered with me). Not only are they incredible actors, but the strategy is on point. Like these people are here to win and have fun. Like Emily, girl, some of the things she thought up I could never in a billion years. Watching Ally play Pete and portray him  so well, making me laugh whenever someone brought up his drug selling; I couldn’t. The stories of Kingston and Kugrash;  Lou and Brian killed those roles, like the museum scene...THE MUSEUM SCENE, y’all wanted me to ugly cry.  Zac’s tiny smirks whenever Ricky’s physique was mentioned was everything and his portrayal made me want to protect Ricky at all costs. And the lovely Misty Moore. Siobhan gave a stellar performance, what a star! She was incredible. And Rowan, what a stellar encore. We love to see it, darling!

Some of these moves were slick and creative and Brennan being an amazing DM, knew when to bend the rules for something cool to happen. I appreciated this because it made it fun and like that is what it is all about, it is a game after all. And seeing them have fun made it super fun to watch. This campaign fueled my imagination and just I watched it wide-eyed under my covers. 

Brennan Lee Mulligan is an evil genius! The fact that he could play so many characters and each has their own story and voices and mannerisms, INSANE!!!! The fact he created this based off of Neverwhere by Neli Gaiman!! I love that book and no wonder it felt familiar, just couldn’t put ,my finger on it at the time. Also I am just biased because I just love stories where magic lives beside the real world, I don’t  know it just makes reality a bit more magical. The depth he put into this story and still managed to make some social commentary, I just can’t even. I just can’t say enough, like this was inspired; I felt like my imagination was having so much fun.  This man is truly a treasure. 

This campaign is incredible and honestly inspired me to write my own one day, first I have to learn how to play and the rules and such. It’s a lot, but honestly it is such a unique way to tell a story and bring it to life.

[ID: Brennan tossing gang signs , mouthing I’m gonna kill that dog, with yellow text saying “I’m gonna kill that dog.” END ID. Op:fromuptown]

In late summer of 2015 we were watching Geek & Sundry’s show TableTop. Host Wil Wheaton and his family were going to play a role-playing game-style board game called Mice and Mystics, about a group of mice who battle evil. We only watched about 20 minutes and then turned it off, because we knew we HAD to get a copy of the game for ourselves, and we didn’t want story spoilers.

One of the benefits of an RPG board game is that it makes it easy for novices to try out the genre in a relatively low investment/low effort way. The game contains all the rules, maps, figures, and story content that you need, and the characters come pre-generated! No choosing ability statistics, no pouring over spell lists, no clunky rulebook, no math, no pencils! If you are looking for a gateway to entice your friends and family into RPGs, could there be a better way than ADORABLE, spell-casting, sword-wielding mice?

Although the world of Mice and Mystics is a universe away from the Pacific Northwest, (Or is it? We have a lot of mysterious forests...) what unites all RPGs are their characters, lore, and setting. The framework for magic, commerce, and even government informs the story world in large and small ways. Is magic rare or common? Are the yeomen prospering or suffering? Is the mayor giving the group a quest, or maybe a bishop rules the area? Or a wise woman?

It’s not farfetched to consider a different setting that offers the same abundant array of options. These good and courageous mice could be panning for gold in the mountains of Oregon, braving the Straits of Juan de Fuca, or riding with Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce as he tried to relocate his people to Canada, pursued by 2,000 US cavalrymen…. But those are stories for another time, another place, another M&M expansion!

Plaid Hat Games released Mice and Mystics in 2012, and it’s still in print. The core game, for 1-4 players (some chapters can accommodate up to 6), has an extensive storybook offering 11 chapters of gameplay. Each chapter takes about 60 minutes to play, so you have many hours of fun crammed into one small, beautifully illustrated box. The quality of the art and components are top-notch. Players can choose campaign mode that spans across multiple sessions and character development, or a group can dip in and play a particular chapter instead.

"Mice & Mystics" by Plaid Hat Games.

When it comes to enduring role playing games, having interesting characters to portray is key. Even in the first chapter, players gradually become acquainted with the personality and strategy options available for each mouse, which lends some replay-ability even after the story has been revealed. (Will Tilda the healer buff the party’s defenses or lend aid after they are wounded? Which one new treasured item will Maginos the Mystic decide to bring to the next chapter?)