The Owlbear and the Wizard’s Staff 2024, St. Patrick’s Irish Club, Riverside Walk, Adelaide Road, Leamington Spa, CV32 5A.
Friday 13th -Sunday 15th September 2024.
https://warhorn.net/events/the-owlbear-and-wizard-s-staff-2024
So I had pledged to run my Alien RPG Star Trek crossover scenario at RPG convention The Owlbear and the Wizard’s Staff in Leamington Spa on Saturday 14th September in the afternoon. ‘Star Trek Legacy: Conspiracy’ using the Fria Ligan Alien RPG Year Zero Engine was based on the events and setting of Star Trek Picard Series 3 and was the continuing mission of the newly commissioned Starship Enterprise-G.
On the day I had intended to travel down by train to get there in time for the morning games. I hadn’t signed up for any as I hoped to land at the venue and get in a game that needed an extra player.
Of course Crosscountry Rail had other plans! What a disaster!
They had cancelled their 08:53 train from Derby so I would miss the morning games! Grrr!
I decided to get the 10:53 instead at that would get me there in time for lunch. Of course Crosscountry Rail had cancelled that one too! I was stuck at Derby Railway Station and had to wait for the 12:53 train which would have got me to Leamington Spa by 14:00, half an hour to spare to get to the venue and set up for my afternoon game. Phew, plenty of time. I had looked at getting a train to Birmingham New Street then catching a connecting train but it seemed that the disruption to the rail networks meant I would be catching the same train anyway. Better to be in Derby than waiting at Birmingham New Street Station.
I caught the 12:53 train, it was quiet on board as most people had boarded the earlier (but delayed and overcrowded) Birmingham train. I could sit and do some prep on my laptop for another game I was working on.
Trouble is as that train got to Birmingham, it was cancelled as well! Grrr!
Fortunately they had another train ready to go to Leamington Spa on another platform but because of the change over of passengers it was delayed too. It arrived into Leamington Spa just before 14:30. I ran from the railway station to the St Patrick’s Irish Club in five minutes and arrived only slightly late. Phew!
Fortunately the three players that had signed up for my game were patiently waiting at the table so I quickly set up and got the game going.
The table sign for my game, pretty cool!
We were in the downstairs hall of the venue, my table was by the bar with another eight or so gaming tables in the main part of the room. It was busy with lots of full tables of games going on. Due to the shutters that divided the hall from the rest of the bar, our gaming table was in a little alcove that seemed to dampen the sound so no issues there at all.
There was another room upstairs that had another four or five gaming tables in it so the convention seems to be getting more popular.
So I ran my scenario ‘Star Trek Legacy: Conspiracy’ using the Alien RPG rules.
I issued out the player character sheets for the players to select who they wanted to play. One player picked Ensign Alandra La Forge as they wanted to play an engineer. Captain Seven of Nine was chosen so we had our ship’s captain and the reason the Enterprise-G was selected for the mission that’s at the core of the scenario. The last player picked Lieutenant Matthew Arliss Mura, who is the Tactical Officer so would have plenty to do. I good spread of disciplines and skill sets as well as very different personality and outlooks on Starfleet.
I quickly started the game and laid out the mission brief. The Enterprise-G is called to Perintha Prime to become part of the Iconian Research Taskforce, a group of Starfleet and Federation scientists researching the ancient ruins, weird technology, and strange devices of the lost Iconian civilisation.
Their arrival at the Perintha system was met by a large Starfleet starship, with an angry stance, patrolling the outer edge. It seems the Perintha system was well protected, three more starships could be detected patrolling the outer rim of the system and four more were in defensive positions around the planet of Perintha Prime. Another four starships were moving through the system, either on patrols or transporting from one point to an other.
It was a tense moment until Admiral Janeway personally greeted the Enterprise-G and her crew.
Admiral Janeway permitted the Enterprise-G to enter the Perintha system and once safely inside she explained what the Iconian Research Taskforce were doing and the Enterprise’s part in this stage of the operation.
Starfleet had discovered that the ancient Iconians had created a Gravitron Catapult Device at Perintha Prime that could potentially propel a starship instantly across vast galactic distances, even possibly to another nearby galaxy. Starfleet have been verifying the concept with the technology and have conducted experiments using unmanned spacecraft and probes for the most part. Just recently they have escalated their testing to include manned spacecraft, shuttles and runabouts. They have been successful, for the most part, and now they are ready to send a full sized starship; the Enterprise-G has been given that honour.
The NCC-1701-G USS Enterprise is uniquely positioned due to its recent refit that has left the ship with extra warp coils in its nacelles, a carryover from the old USS Titan. These warp coils were constructed with an energy signature that will work well with the Iconian Catapult Device. Also the Enterprise-G has a highly qualified Captain with experience with long term and long range journeys, wormholes, slingshot methods, Graviton Catapults, and transwarp technology. Captain Seven of Nine is that Captain and has a dedicated and loyal crew that will follow her through any dangerous situation or encounter as proven by their previous actions in saving the Federation.
The players certainly picked up on the strange behaviour of the Starfleet personnel, especially the three scientists that were going to accompany them on the mission. They were Commander Zandra Taitt, Scientist Paul Stubbs, and Dr Whelan. They were locking out the player characters out of their own ship’s systems, the data that they were providing was inaccurate, and they kept moving around the vessel with impunity.
Starfleet’s presence in the Perintha system was very defensive and secretive, contrary to the Starfleet code. Though understandable with the ancient technology being researched, it still made the players uneasy.
Fortunately I was able to keep that feeling of unease and almost paranoia going throughout the scenario, throughout the game session.
As their starship was catapulted across the galaxy the game and the mission got more intense with the start of the second act.
I had changed into my Captain Riker uniform to GM the rest of the game from Act II in character and became another thorn in the side of the player characters as he was also on the mission. It was Riker’s secret mission that escalated the stakes and caused the moral dilemma for the crew of the Enterprise-G.
They discovered sabotage, misdirection, murder, and a Starfleet wide conspiracy that threatens the entire Federation, if not the Alpha Quadrant itself.
The players did manage to work out who was responsible and stop the alien invasion in an explosive manner.
It was a very satisfying conclusion to an intense and investigative game. In the nick of time too!
We finished the game late into the afternoon, just as other games were also finishing so we made good time. Especially after the rough start due to my late arrival.
The players of my Star Trek game.
I really enjoyed the game, the players were great!
But I think that I wasn’t on top form to Game Master it properly due to the hassles I got getting to the convention with all the train delays and cancellations. Missing the morning games certainly dampened my stride. I don’t like being late, I prefer to be early and set up my gaming table with plenty of time available. Arriving late I think made me rush my game, especially the introduction, so I always thought I was out of step. The players were very helpful, even buying me drinks so I did relax a bit, so I shouldn’t complain but I think I did them a disservice in my game delivery by not giving my usual 100%.
As I packed away all my game props, dice and papers I chatted with the players. They were familiar with Star Trek but none of them had seen the new Picard series, especially the third one. They had enjoyed the game and really appreciated the additional work and effort that I had put into the handouts. They loved the character sheet designs and the folding agenda sheets. They weren’t used to investigation scenarios but were happy with what they achieved.
One player wasn’t comfortable with the secret agendas and working against the other players. He thought I should have labelled my game description to indicate that!
Weird, I had Hidden Agendas, Horror, Player-Led, Pre-Gens, PvP, and Harsh Language tags labelling the game, a game called “Conspiracy” by the way, so I am not sure what more I could do?
So with that feeling I headed off to the White Horse pub early with some of the other gamers, though normally I would stay and help move tables and chairs and help clear up.
I had a nice meal at the pub with a drink and it was good to chat with some friends and familiar faces. I just love talking about RPGs in a social setting without people looking at you like you’re weird. ;)
With that I headed back to the railway station and headed home.
Unfortunately the trains home were also delayed due to the football crowds, and when the trains did arrive they were packed full of loud and obnoxious footie fans singing and swearing. No seats were available so I ended up stuck on a luggage rack all the way home to Derby.
The journey home was made simply awful and unpleasant by the state of the trains. I didn’t get home until just before midnight.
Would I attend again?
I think next time I’ll book a full weekend, possibly in an AirBnB, so I could take advantage of the whole convention.
I would like to thank Matthew Broome for organising the Owlbear and Wizard’s Staff so wonderfully and with such a friendly demeanour too.
No dates set for next year as yet but watch this space.
My Table Set up for my Alien Star Trek Legacy game.
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Me GMing as Captain Riker doing the Riker Manoeuvre!
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Captain Riker on the Bridge! - Me As Captain Riker.