Gencon 2025 Recap: Scheduled Games

George de Forest Brush

 

Rapid fire play reports from my Gencon 2025 games. The scheduled games were reruns of old mellonbread adventures, so I'll just post what happened without digging deep into the context. Click through the links to get the full story about the scenarios.

(I'll do a little editorializing after each one).

 

Fear & Hunger: Singing Sand Masterpost

David Roberts

 

In the year 1913, archaeologists, scholars and financiers from across the Old World descend on the Valley of the Gods in Songhai, Abyssonia, where researchers from the Temple of the Sun Amon have just unearthed the tomb of the legendary New God Djoser Parahu Daoud. 

 

An adventure in the style of The Mummy and Raiders of the Lost Ark, set in the world of Fear & Hunger. Contains the rules and mechanics necessary to play, along with the pregens, scenario documents and maps.

• Scenario Folder with all necessary files
  
• Playtest 1
• Part 1
• Part 2
  
• Playtest 2
• Part 1
• Part 2
  
• Bonus: Music Post

Singing Sand Music Post

Another day, another Singing Sand post with a David Roberts illustration. 

 

I uploaded the Saint Kotar OST to Soundcloud myself since nobody else even noticed when it came out. It's a cool adventure game that released to basically zero acclaim. If you like Delta Green or Fear & Hunger you should try it.

Fear & Hunger: Singing Sand - Playtest Two Part 2

 

The entryway to the tomb had been scoured of useful items, save a mostly-empty pack of cigarettes. The group heard prayers to the Revered Ancestors and the Moon God from the next room. The Sun Priest went through the door and found the expedition leader Na'Od, an archaeologist from the Sun Temple of Amon. Na'Od brandished his magical chac chac and threatened to blast the Sun Priest. The Sun Priest made some progress, explaining the contestants weren't here to kill him or participate in the Termina festival at all. Then the Student pointed his shotgun at the expedition leader. Na'Od cast hurting and blew the Student's leg off. The Student fired his shotgun and nearly caved in the expedition leader's chest. 

 

The Financier defused the situation by yelling at the expedition leader. He spent a LOT of money financing this dig, and he wasn't going to tolerate his investment going to waste. The Priest told them to get the fuck out of his sight, they could use his ritual circles if they wanted. And if they made it to the sarcophagus of the Immortal Ego himself, opening it would banish the Moon God back to space.

Fear & Hunger: Singing Sand - Playtest Two Part 1

Abyssonia, birthplace of civilization, 1913. The nation of Songhai is wracked by tensions between the Deeds Of The Fathers and the Control Faction. The Deeds Of The Fathers believe in isolationism, ancestor worship, collaborative decision making (between adult males) and banning the worship of the Old Gods. The Control Faction believes in international trade, freedom of religion, a strong military, and a form of modernizing authoritarianism based on enlightenment principles rather than the worship of deified heroes. 

These tensions only got worse with the discovery of the fabled tomb of Djoser Parahu Daoud in the Valley of the Gods. The tomb’s discovery ignited a firestorm of controversy, with factions arguing it should be turned into a pilgrimage site, excavated by archaeologists to learn more about the heroes of ancient Songhai, or left undisturbed out of respect to the legendary king. A compromise was reached when the site was turned over to the scholars of the Temple of Amon, universally respected seekers of truth and balance.

 

In their search for knowledge, the sages of the Temple immediately re-ignited the debate by inviting experts from across Abyssonia, Europa and the East to help excavate the ruins of the temple. That’s you. Whatever your personal reasons are, you’re on your way to the Valley of the Gods. Some of you are coming from farther away than others, but the trip is hard on everyone due to the isolation of the desert site, far from the lush forests and river deltas of Songhai’s more populated regions. The last leg of the journey is aboard a military truck, driven by a soldier and carrying supplies for the dig. There’s a nasty sandstorm on the horizon, but once you get into the valley you should be safe.

Fear & Hunger: Singing Sand - Playtest Part 2

 

The car was equipped with big sand tires and glided over the dunes, down the wadis and up again. The Financier drove the group North past the excavation pit, up the valley to the explosive storage tent marked on the map in the foreman's office. They passed the weird looking vagrant they spotted earlier, who yelled incomprehensibly at them as they sped by.

 

The explosive storage area was an earth dugout lined with sandbags. There was a single dead man outside, brains blown out and acacia flowers growing from the wound. Most of the dynamite in the pit proved to be useless, the nitroglycerin inside had "sweated" outside the sticks and would explode if handled. The Technician was able to salvage a few sticks that could be carried safely, and distributed them to the team. With the bombs in hand, they got in the car and drove back to the pit.

 

Or tried to.

 

Fear & Hunger: Singing Sand - Playtest Part 1

 

Abyssonia, birthplace of civilization, 1913. The nation of Songhai is wracked by tensions between the Deeds Of The Fathers and the Control Faction. The Deeds Of The Fathers believe in isolationism, ancestor worship, collaborative decision making (between adult males) and banning the worship of the Old Gods. The Control Faction believes in international trade, freedom of religion, a strong military, and a form of modernizing authoritarianism based on enlightenment principles rather than the worship of deified heroes. 

These tensions only got worse with the discovery of the fabled tomb of Djoser Parahu Daoud in the Valley of the Gods. The tomb’s discovery ignited a firestorm of controversy, with factions arguing it should be turned into a pilgrimage site, excavated by archaeologists to learn more about the heroes of ancient Songhai, or left undisturbed out of respect to the legendary king. A compromise was reached when the site was turned over to the scholars of the Temple of Amon, universally respected seekers of truth and balance.

 

In their search for knowledge, the sages of the Temple immediately re-ignited the debate by inviting experts from across Abyssonia, Europa and the East to help excavate the ruins of the temple. That’s you. Whatever your personal reasons are, you’re on your way to the Valley of the Gods. Some of you are coming from farther away than others, but the trip is hard on everyone due to the isolation of the desert site, far from the lush forests and river deltas of Songhai’s more populated regions. The last leg of the journey is aboard a military truck, driven by a soldier and carrying supplies for the dig. There’s a nasty sandstorm on the horizon, but once you get into the valley you should be safe.