Fairy Tale Generator

July 19, 2026 / gregorywallsworth / Leave a comment

I personally find few things as nostalgic as rolling on a table mid-session, whether for a random encounter, a piece of treasure, or simply a bit of inspiration when you’re stuck.

While building Sagenlund, I found inspiration in Pixar’s Seven Sentences structure and Forbidden Lands. I read and listened to dozens of fairy tales and built an entire setting around a simple idea: fairy tales have long served as warnings, but what if those warnings were a little more literal? What if telling those stories actually brought them to life?

That idea became the foundation of Sagenlund. Reality is malleable, shaped by the stories people tell. If a small village shares a tale, that tale gradually becomes truth, never giving memories the chance to become legends, or legends to fade into myth.

So far, I’ve used this structure to create three introductory adventures for Sagenlund, all of which I’ve run as one-shots. Eventually, though, I wanted a way to generate these stories on the fly—and a simple tool that would let me share the process with others. So I took those seven sentences and turned them into a mad-lib-style story generator powered by a series of random tables.

Roll once on each table, in order, and read the results into this:

Every Day, the ⟨Protagonist⟩ ⟨Action⟩ ⟨Adverb⟩,

While the ⟨Antagonist⟩ ⟨Action⟩ ⟨Adverb⟩.

Then One Day, ⟨Noun⟩ ⟨Verb⟩.

Because of That, the ⟨Protagonist⟩ ⟨Protagonist Verb⟩.

Because of That, the ⟨Antagonist⟩ ⟨Antagonist Verb⟩.

Finally, the ⟨Protagonist, rolled again⟩ answered, and ⟨the Noun from 3⟩ ⟨Opposite from 3’s row⟩, bound by ⟨Ward⟩.

Ever Since, ⟨Ward⟩ must be ⟨Kept How⟩ ⟨When⟩, and the ⟨Protagonist⟩ has obeyed.

Until ⟨Ward⟩ ⟨Omen⟩.

Four rules help keep it consistent:

The turn and its answer are one roll. Step 3 takes the Verb, step 6 takes the Opposite from that same row. This ensures what happens and how it shifts are intricately linked.
The ward is one roll. Steps 6, 7 and 8 all name the same ward. Roll once, keep the whole row. I want to relax this in the future, which is why these are not just a sentence.
Whoever answers is someone else. Step 6 re-rolls the Protagonist table; roll again if it matches step 1.
Match the number. The Plural column tells you whether step 7 reads has obeyed or have obeyed, and which Omen column step 8 uses. This is really only necessary for the generator’s sentences to make sense, rolling on the tables this would be easy to manually adjust.

The generator below creates a simple fairy tale using the structure outlined above. The raw tables follow the generator.

The Protagonist (d20)

Roll	Who	Number	Every Day… (action)	…(adverb)	Because of That…
1	Child	—	Played	Carefully	Searched
2	Children	plural	Prayed	Patiently	Discovered
3	Villager	—	Studied	Quietly	Protected
4	Villagers	plural	Worked	Kindly	Rescued
5	Old Woman	—	Lived	Generously	Gathered
6	Old Man	—	Journeyed	Faithfully	Traveled
7	Orphan	—	Gathered	Bravely	Learned
8	Shepherd	—	Helped	Wisely	Befriended
9	Miller	—	Built	Honestly	Freed
10	Woodsman	—	Created	Humbly	Restored
11	Farmer	—	Learned	Joyfully	Revealed
12	Apprentice	—	Tended	Cheerfully	United
13	Teacher	—	Protected	Wonderfully	Endured
14	Priest	—	Shared	Creatively	Bargained
15	Alchemist	—	Traded	Confidently	Remembered
16	Sailor	—	Explored	Gracefully	Forgave
17	Thief	—	Harvested	Diligently	Sacrificed
18	Slave	—	Mended	Gently	Challenged
19	Hunter	—	Discovered	Thankfully	Escaped
20	Hermit	—	Celebrated	Hopefully	Defeated

The Antagonist (d20)

Roll	Who	Number	While… (action)	…(adverb)	Because of That…
1	Cult	—	Destroyed	Defiantly	Hunted
2	Cult Leader	—	Stole	Dangerously	Stole
3	King	—	Hunted	Angrily	Corrupted
4	Queen	—	Cursed	Cruelly	Captured
5	Wicked Stepmother	—	Controlled	Secretly	Hoarded
6	Noble	—	Commanded	Ruthlessly	Pursued
7	Town Council	—	Demanded	Jealously	Manipulated
8	Tax Collector	—	Deceived	Greedily	Betrayed
9	Guild	—	Corrupted	Deceitfully	Enslaved
10	Merchant Prince	—	Imprisoned	Mercilessly	Destroyed
11	Wizard	—	Banished	Relentlessly	Concealed
12	Witch	—	Consumed	Silently	Divided
13	Guards	plural	Conquered	Recklessly	Oppressed
14	Captain	—	Hoarded	Cunningly	Deceived
15	Militia	—	Watched	Sinisterly	Erased
16	Bandits	plural	Pursued	Maliciously	Avenged
17	Thieves’ Guild	—	Invaded	Viciously	Demanded
18	Necromancer	—	Threatened	Obsessively	Commanded
19	Dragon	—	Schemed	Corruptly	Imprisoned
20	Giant	—	Whispered	Darkly	Returned

The Turn — what changed (d20)

Roll	Noun
1	Darkness
2	Light
3	Death
4	Power
5	Monsters
6	Cold
7	Heat
8	Forces
9	Magic
10	Undead
11	Fae
12	The Realm
13	A Wizard
14	A Warrior
15	A Demon
16	An Angel
17	Time
18	Life
19	The Forest
20	The People

The Turn — verb and its answer (d40)

Roll	Then One Day… (verb)	Finally… (opposite)
1	Rose	Fell
2	Quaked	Stilled
3	Sundered	Restored
4	Shattered	Restored
5	Hid	Appeared
6	Appeared	Hid
7	Conquered	Enslaved
8	Destroyed	Forgot
9	Created	Destroyed
10	Fled	Returned
11	Returned	Fled
12	Conquered	Escaped
13	Enslaved	Freed
14	Vanished	Returned
15	Awakened	Banished
16	Descended	Ascended
17	Stopped	Resumed
18	Bloomed	Withered
19	Awakened	Slept
20	United	Divided
21	Spread	Receded
22	Faded	Returned
23	Claimed	Released
24	Shifted	Settled
25	Awoke	Slept
26	Spread	Melted
27	Withered	Flourished
28	Stirred	Quieted
29	Awakened	Faded
30	Rose	Rested
31	Crossed	Departed
32	Changed	Endured
33	Disappeared	Returned
34	Fell	Rose
35	Escaped	Imprisoned
36	Appeared	Departed
37	Fractured	Mended
38	Returned	Vanished
39	Spread	Receded
40	Remembered	Forgot

The Ward (d20)

Roll	The ward	Number	Kept how	When or where
1	the bells	plural	rung	at sunset
2	the night-fires	plural	kept lit	until dawn
3	the salt line	—	scattered	at every threshold
4	the gate	—	barred	before dark
5	the old song	—	sung	at the crossing
6	the offerings	plural	left	at the shrine
7	the vigil	—	kept	from dusk to dawn
8	the toll	—	paid	at the bridge
9	the ward-stones	plural	set	along the boundary
10	the lantern	—	carried	after dark
11	the fast	—	held	on the longest night
12	the names	plural	left unspoken	in the dark months
13	the doors	plural	marked with ash	before the new moon
14	the watch	—	set	upon the walls
15	the horn	—	sounded	at moonrise
16	the circle	—	walked	each evening
17	the tithe	—	given	at harvest
18	the masks	plural	worn	through the dark months
19	the last loaf	—	left	upon the step
20	the mirrors	plural	covered	at night

The Omen (d20)

Roll	If the ward is singular	If the ward is plural
1	Returned	Returned
2	Vanished	Vanished
3	Awakened	Awakened
4	Fell Silent	Fell Silent
5	Was Broken	Were Broken
6	Was Forgotten	Were Forgotten
7	Was Stolen	Were Stolen
8	Failed	Failed
9	Changed	Changed
10	Stopped	Stopped
11	Began Again	Began Again
12	Opened	Opened
13	Closed	Closed
14	Cracked	Cracked
15	Was Named	Were Named
16	Was Found	Were Found
17	Was Lost	Were Lost
18	Was Seen	Were Seen
19	Was Heard	Were Heard
20	Came Early	Came Early

Convention Players – Welcome!

March 29, 2026March 29, 2026 / gregorywallsworth / Leave a comment

At my table, you’ll find mythic high-fantasy adventures set in living worlds. The settings I run—like Sagenlund and Journey to Hawaiki—grow and evolve across conventions as players explore them. The first time an adventure is played, the events that unfold become part of the world’s history, shaping future games and the stories yet to be told. My games mix classic adventure, dangerous dungeons, and story-driven exploration, with a few carefully balanced homebrew options woven directly into the setting. New players, veterans, and curious wanderers are all welcome—because the best part of this hobby is stepping away from the outside world and building something unforgettable together.

At my table, stories matter. Not just the ones in books—the ones we create together.

About This Blog

If you’ve come to this page from one of my convention games, explore the blog at your own risk! I post many of the adventures I run here. Hopefully, after the convention you’ll want to come back and download a copy.

Don’t worry though—the pages have the same names as convention events, so if you want to see other things I’ve built, you’re safe.

Shadowdark

The first 30 minutes of my Shadowdark games are reserved for character creation.

Any characters that survive can be reused in my future Shadowdark events (as long as they are in the correct tier). Right now, all of my adventures are Tier 1, so there’s no need to worry about that yet.

I also use slightly modified character creation rules and offer two unique classes (a unique Bard and Ranger) you can choose from. For more information, see: here <Coming Soon!>.

Character Creation in My Games

Shadowdark can be unforgiving, so I like characters to start a little hardier. I also want players to be able to play things they enjoy.

My character creation rules are:

Roll 3d6 six times and assign the results to any stats you like.
Roll 1d8 and add it to any stat (that stat cannot exceed 18).
Start with maximum HP at level 1. Dwarves gain +2 HP from their racial trait, in lieu of advantage at level 1.
All core classes, my unique classes, and a selection of additional classes are available.
If you’re struggling to decide, arrive late, or die mid-session, I have pre-generated characters available.
Level progression follows the standard rules.

Tiers

Tier 1: Levels 1–3
New characters start at Level 1, per the standard rules.

Tier 2: Levels 3–6
New characters start at Level 3 and begin with one random magic item.

Other Games

For my other systems, I bring a wide selection of pre-generated characters.

Most of these games are playtests for adventures I hope to publish on DriveThruRPG or post here on the blog for free.

Journey to Hawaiki

I have one other living campaign, Journey to Hawaiki, but I run it a little differently.

The first time I run a session, the events become canonical lore for the setting (you can see the story so far here). After that, I run it like my other convention games. No worries though—the more times I run an adventure, the better the experience becomes, because I know the world and characters all the better.

Introducing Sagenlund.

January 13, 2026 / gregorywallsworth / 1 Comment

I have too many half-complete TTRPG projects. I have even more half-baked ideas I’d like to start. Both likely symptoms of my ADHD. It’s a blessing and a curse for creativity!

Sagenlund (story-land) is how I’m going to consolidate the largest group of ideas I have, into a Shadowdark setting. It will be one of three things I’m hoping to work on this year. The other two are finishing my Stars Without Numbers campaign (this one’s close!); and continuing to push on the Polynesian expansion for Worlds Without Number.

I have an idea for an upcoming post about my view on TTRPG rules, which explains why I choose these projects. But this post is going to focus on introducing the concept for my world. It’s an ambitious project; with a few ambitious goals for what a final product for this setting would look like.

The setting is simple. The world has two real gods: The Collector and The Teller. The Collector listens to stories and adds them to his book. Occasionally updating old ones with new versions; slowly altering the present by turning myth into reality. The Teller spreads new stories to ensure nothing spins out of control. Of course, these are not the gods that people worship, those are ones spun into existence by the stories themselves.

While the gods walk through the world, and players may encounter them (even though the characters would not know it), the protagonist and antagonist of the setting are the King and the Bard. The King has constructed his court to collect stories and retell them to cement his power. This has created a world that is safe, only when you follow a strict set of rules. Even venturing out of your home at night can be dangerous.

Conversely, the Bard, weaves tales of hope. In so doing, he changed the world. His stories created heroes, capable of addressing the threats created by the King. His legends led to the discovery of a new continent. One filled with ancient ruins, treasure, adventure, and above all else, hope.

The King and the Bard understand how The Collector and The Teller work. They vie for control over the legends shaping the world. In his domain, the King reigns supreme. His control over the stories told, time and time again, is too strong for The Bard’s influence to overcome it. However, in the new land the two spar back and forth shaping and reshaping the legends forming the continent’s history. The Bard is creates tales of treasures that could break the King’s grip, even back home. While the King sows tales of monstrous guardians and traps around every corner.

Mechanically, there is a hex-crawl on the newly discovered continent, where the heroes to go forth and face all manner of inexplicable horrors as they seek to learn what destroyed the ancient civilization that once inhabited the continent. Because, learning how it happened, may provide a path to breaking the curse at home. Adventures in the homeland focus around saving small, isolated villages from the problems sown by the King’s tales. Unraveling the complex fairy tales and putting them to a definitive end by having stories sung about the heroes’ victories.

While traditional dungeon crawls work well in this setting, there are also fairy tale quests. My ultimate goal is to create a Fairy Tale generator as a GM tool, to make new quests.

Fairy tales often provide a nice template for a quest. Here is an example fairy tale, based on The Hand with the Knife, as recorded by The Brother’s Grimm.

The Elf, The Axe, and The Girl.

Everyone knows to avoid the forest. Danger lurks around every corner, as all manner of creatures will rend you limb from limb. This is when it all started:

There was once a girl who lived just over these hills. She was the youngest in a family of four, and the only girl. The mother adored her sons more than anything in the world and always forced the daughter into chores at their behest.

The girl however, had a magical admirer. A forest elf who watched her work whenever she could. He watched her and learned her path into the forest. Each day, the elf watched her struggle to complete her work; continuing on from dawn till dusk. Then one morning, he reached his hand out from the shadows as he heard her footsteps, handing her a magical axe. With the axe, the work was done in half the time.

Each day after her work was done, she would return it. Each morning, she would bring with her a treat to say thanks; exchanging it for the axe. Eventually, she learned his favorite was anything with the warm smell of cinnamon.

Seeing how quickly she could complete her work, her brothers grew suspicious of her and followed her into the forest. They saw this exchange and made a plot to take the axe.

The brothers tricked their sister, by offering to complete her work and giving her a day of reprieve. They marched into the woods, bringing a treat with them. They sent in just one brother, quietly; to fool the forest elf.

When the hand reached out of the shadows, the brother grabbed the axe and lopped off the hand.

The next day, the girl returned to the woods. When she went to do the exchange, the elf lopped off her hand and stole the treat.

Returning home, maimed and unable to work, she was cast out by her family. She returned to the woods, sobbing, having lost the only friend she had known – and her family – in the same day.

The elf approached, to demand his axe back from the girl and throw her out of the forest. Though, the two quickly realized they had been fooled. The forest elf and the young woman stayed in the forest, and no one has been able to pass through unmaimed since.

**************************************************************************************************************

I changed a few things, to make it into something the PCs may want to investigate. We have a location, the dangerous woods; a problem, locals are afraid of or can’t pass through the woods; a potential way to lure out enemies, cinnamon. What’s better, since it’s a fairy tale the elf need not be the actual enemy. It could be anything with sharp claws drawn to the scent of cinnamon. However, it would be interesting to use some creature(s) missing a hand or foot.

I altered the story to fit my setting, you only need to make it clear the threat still exists. The sentence at the beginning, and the girl getting maimed, signal this.

Fairy tales provide pretty nice quest outlines. This was part of my inspiration for the setting. I’ll be slowly tying together a handful of adventures I have written for systems like Shadowdark, Forbidden Lands, and Monster of the Week to become part of Sagenlund.

Happy New Year!

Free Shadowdark Adventure: Descent to Thargrond

October 16, 2025 / gregorywallsworth / Leave a comment

Shadowdark is quickly becoming my favorite TTRPG. Its simplicity makes homebrewing easy without breaking balance. It also addresses by biggest issue with 5e, it actually rewards treasure hunting, since PCs must earn gold to advance.

Whenever I learn a new system (the curse of being a forever GM), I build an adventure for it. This is one of two I’ve created for Shadowdark. This one is inspired by classic OSR dungeons where rival factions vie for dominance in the dark. For good measure, I added an ancient dwarven city, long fallen, now ruled by a necromancer. The necromancer manipulates the factions into destroying one another so he can swell his undead ranks.

The main inspirations for this dungeon are Caves of Chaos—the 5e remake of Keep on the Borderlands—and Barrowmaze. Running Caves of Chaos in the past led to some truly memorable player–monster alliances. Olly the Orc and Harry the Hobgoblin will live in infamy in my group (I needed names on the fly,I was expecting a fight, not a parlay!). The players even taught them the value of trade over conquest.

From Barrowmaze, I borrowed the idea of the mongrelmen and created a race of mutant humanoids adapted to survive the dangers of the dark.

Without further ado, here’s the back-cover summary and player pitch I use when running this dungeon in one-shots. Download the full adventure below.

Adventure Summary

Descend into a living dungeon, where every alliance is fragile and every victory feeds the darkness.

When monsters erupt from the depths beneath the village of Umberstead, desperate defenders pursue them into the caverns below. The tunnels once led to the dwarven city of Thargrond, but now form a labyrinth of warring factions and restless dead. In the heart of Thargrond, a necromancer known as the Pale Warden desecrates the city’s ruins, feeding on the chaos he’s sown and growing stronger with every fallen soul.

Player Pitch

Umberstead is under siege.
Strange mutant creatures have fled from the depths—what horrors drove them to the surface? Fight beside the villagers, then descend into a cavernous underworld where rival factions clash for survival, unaware they stand between you and something far worse.

Feedback or other comments: reach out at worldsbywally@gmail.com, or find me on Threads.

Hope y’all enjoy it!

Descent to Thargrond Playtest Download

My First Adventure

April 20, 2025 / gregorywallsworth / Leave a comment

Another round of editing and a little playtesting by another GM, and I’ll self-publish this one. Just wanted to share a small update since I haven’t posted in a while.

Super excited for this!

Gen Con 2025!!!

February 2, 2025 / gregorywallsworth / Leave a comment

I submitted my events for Gen Con 2025 today. My goal is to have all five of these adventures published or at least ready for publication by then. Two are part of the Journey to Hawaiki series. Those will include appendices with new rules.

I’ll update this post with links and description changes as the sessions are approved.

Dead Rising! – Pathfinder 2e.

Time: Friday August 1^st 9AM.

In the small village of Vasuda, people have gone missing, and undead sightings are causing panic! Find the source of the undead, conquer the dungeon, and save Vasuda!

This short adventure has two parts. The first part of the adventure will be focused on role-playing as you investigate the recent disappearances and undead sightings to find out where they came from. If all goes well, the party should embark on a short dungeon crawl filled with traps, puzzles, and of course, undead.

In the small village of Vasuda, people have gone missing, and undead sightings are causing panic! Find the source of the undead, conquer the dungeon, and save Vasuda! Enjoy a little roleplay before embarking on an undead dungeon crawl!

Isles of Intrigue – Worlds Without Number

Friday August 1^st, 2PM.

There’s a delicate power balance, three islands, alliance breaking, political marriages, and island adventures. You’ll face mythological dangers on the high seas. Save the island and prevent a war!

This is political intrigue set in Ancient Polynesia. The adventure provides a balance of roleplay and combat opportunities, with it up to the players when to apply which techniques. Each player will begin at 1^st level. In addition to the core WWN rules, the game introduces new mechanics for wayfinding (sailing between islands) and divine intervention in addition to the core rules. The rules will feel familiar if you played any classic RPGs.

War or Peace in the Ancient Pacific -Worlds Without Number

Saturday August 2^nd, 9 AM

Embark on a stealthy scouting mission and use subterfuge, sabotage, or direct force to save your island. Your chief urges caution while his advisor warns of dangers that need to be ended.

You’ll play a group of 1^st level heroes. You’re in Ancient Polynesia and your island’s chief expects a nearby island to make an aggressive strike soon. He’s recruited the island’s bravest adventurers to scout out the enemy territory. In addition to the core WWN rules, we introduce new mechanics for wayfinding (sailing between islands) and divine intervention. Overall, the rule set will feel familiar if you played any classic RPGs.

The adventure provides a balance of roleplay and combat opportunities, with it up to the players when to apply which techniques.

Echoes of the Void – Stars Without Number

Saturday August 2^nd, 2PM

Save a neuroscientist of galactic fame! Investigations so far led to a series of dead ends, until his wife received a cryptic message to send a crew. Can you save Dr. Ohno, or will you disappear too?

You’ll play a group of 1^st level heroes. The adventure will begin as you meet his wife, Debra Walford. She describes a series of dead ends and disappearances associated with people who have investigated her husband’s disappearance. She received a message saying to send a crew and purchased passage for your group to investigate. The adventure provides opportunities for combat and roleplaying.

Mystery in Elanysia! – Pathfinder 2e

Sunday August 3^rd, 9AM

Imps in the World’s safest city! Two wizards are under investigation for a series of robberies involving Imps and have hired you to help clear their name.

This adventure focuses on solving the mystery, starting with a chance to talk to witnesses of the three recent crimes. The first half will be heavily skewed towards roleplay, with the second part involving a short dungeon crawl.

Upcoming Publications!

January 20, 2025 / gregorywallsworth / Leave a comment

The post title might be a little ahead of itself. But I’ve got two adventures for the without number series ready (one for worlds, one for stars). Now, I’m looking for play testers. I want feedback from both players and GMs. I’m thinking about starting a discord server to do play testing. If you’re interested, head over to my contacts page and reach out!

Echoes of the Void

Introduction: Dr. Ohno, A famous nuero-psientologist went on a short-term research assignment and went missing. His wife Debra started investigating his disappearance, and everyone she talked to started to go missing. A week ago, she received a cryptic message and hired the PCs to follow this clue to find her husband.

Shortly after taking the assignment, Dr. Ohno realized his research was intended to create psionic super-soldiers for a biotech megacorp. This bio-tech firm discovered a lost world with strange psionic properties. Not only did this lead to breakthroughs in psionic research, but the system’s position could completely change the sector’s economy by breaking up monopolistic trade routes. Realizing what was happening, Dr. Ohno attempted to sabotage the research and managed to leak a short cry for help to his wife Debra.

This adventure is a roughly four-hour adventure for 4-6 first level characters in Stars Without Number. It’s part of a longer campaign that I have outlined but haven’t been able to run in its entirety yet. I have run this part of the adventure a few times using SWN and Fantasy Flight’s Star Wars RPG. My plan is to publish the whole campaign in parts, making each module a standalone product.

The adventure starts on the most populous planet in the sector, with a chance for the PCs to follow up on the leads that turned into literal dead-ends for Debra. Then the PCs take a shuttle to a backwater space station to follow the message from Dr. Ohno.

On the space station the PCs get to the space station they’re able to acquire a ship, but it comes with some string attached in the form of a powerful new enemy. They’ll be pursued by local authorities as they leave the backwater space station. The players then end up at an abandoned research station, where Dr. Ohno was conducting research, in a unknown system. The station itself is basically a space dungeon, inhabited by aggressive robots and a torched psychic. Here they can piece together what happened, find Dr. Ohno (in the one-shot version), and realize how big an enemy they’ve made by taking this job.

Mystery in Elanysia

Introduction: Below the Tower of Arcana in the sprawling metropolis of Elanysia sits a seemingly endless maze of passages. For centuries the doors have been sealed shut, and in that time their purpose was long forgotten. Recently, a local thieves guild has taken up residence in these catacombs and allied themselves with forces they don’t fully comprehend, threatening to bring disaster to Elanysia.

This adventure is a dungeon I’ve placed in almost every campaign I’ve run. It’s inspired by the lost woods in the original Zelda game. The module is based on a one-shot version of the dungeon I put together while quarantining with Covid (it’s been sitting half-done for a while!) The adventure has the PCs following a series of robberies, where Imps provide a distraction while something valuable is stolen. Eventually, the PCs should figure out that George, and indebted gambling addict, is at the center of all events. Following him should lead the PCs to an endless dungeon maze where a local thieves’ guild has taken residence. Then the fun begins, as the PCs learn how to navigate the maze. They must stop the thieves’ guild from allowing a demon trapped in the maze from threatening the safety of Elanysia.

Pamona Cider RPG Night January 2025

January 12, 2025 / gregorywallsworth / Leave a comment

Hi all, making a short post for my next one-shot. If you’re in the Milwaukee area come join for the third installment of Journey to Hawaiki. Follow this link for sign-up details: https://forms.gle/ZixRYorCpsTS2TgT8

This adventure will take you to a volcanic island to commune with a fiery god. Your island’s Kahuna received a vision, clouded by smoke and ash, and suggests you can decipher the vision atop this volcano. Escort your princess to the island to find out the meaning of this vision!

I’ve also formalized a couple more things to test with the setting as well.

Other systems are ready for playtesting like trade and crafting, but I won’t be including them in the one-shot.

Upcoming One-Shots

January 6, 2025 / gregorywallsworth / Leave a comment

I’ll be hosting a series of one-shots, starting with three events at the Midwinter Gaming Convention on the 9th and 10th of January.

I’ll be submitting games for additional events, and will share details on those events in this post.

Midwinter Gaming Events:
I’ll be using Stars/Worlds Without Number deluxe rules for all the games below. The Journey to Hawaiki games will include pieces of the Ancient Polynesian rule set I’ve started building.

Journey to Hawaiki-1 and Journey to Hawaiki-2:

Embark on an episodic campaign in the mystical world of Ancient Polynesia.

The gods are meddling in human affairs, each god searching for a heroes to champion their cause. They aim to reclaim the sacred Hawaiki (the mythical homeland to all Polynesians) and need the mightiest champions to undertake this perilous journey. Heroes from various islands are pitted against one another in divine contests, as the gods seek their hero. Every one-shot changes and develops the world for this setting.

Each adventure will start with the chief of your island assigning you an urgent mission. Most involve a balance of roleplaying, combat, and puzzle-esque game opportunities.

Echoes of the Void:

This is a snippet from a longer sci-fi campaign I’ve been writing. The heroes are given a mission by a brilliant widow whose husband disappeared on a work assignment. In classic soap opera style, the heroes will quickly find themselves irreversibly involved in a larger set of problems. It features classic sci-fi action (space combat), some sci-fi horror, and a little science fiction esque magic.

Session Two: War or Peace

November 17, 2024 / gregorywallsworth / Leave a comment

After the excitement of the wedding celebration had subdued, the Chiefs Pauihito and Temaunota quickly turned to deciding what must be done about Tahitia. Pauihito urged an aggressive strike, while Temaunota pushed for a more cautious approach. Chief Temaunota was weary of going to war while Borotonga recovered from the recent plague. Ultimately, they agreed to send a scouting party to Tahitia so a more informed decision could be made.

The chiefs sought the adventurers with the greatest Mana from Morotana and Borotonga to send on the mission. They brought in the renowned navigator Wake, Root the Warrior, and the old but wise Kahuna Leilani. They shared with the adventurers the pressing need to gather information as the Chiefs debated the best course of action. Like the Chiefs, the adventurers themselves were also divided on the best course of action. They listened as the chiefs bickered back and forth, Pauhito encouraging sabotage and assassination and Tamaunota hoping to avoid a conflict.

Eventually the conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Kahuna HareHare. He pulled the group outside the hut and shared with them a vision gifted to him by the gods. “I presume you all remember the story of Maui and Tuna. Tuna continually harassed Maui’s mother Hina angering Maui. Maui chased Tuna from island to island, each time Maui caught up, the slippery eel escaped. Eventually Maui cornered Tuna, and slayed him. Maui buried Tuna’s head and cast aside the body. Where the head was buried, the first coconut tree grew.” The Kahuna paused, after reminding the adventurers of the story.

“It seems as if the Gods, after all these years, are teaching my like I teach our children. The version of the story I saw was different. Maui and Tuna made peace, and Tuna became guardian of Hina’s home. Still, could you imagine a world without coconuts? While I employ you to be cautious in your approach, Parau-tia must be stopped.”

The group of adventurers then prepared to depart Morotana. Nearly ready to set sail for Tahitia, the group returned to the two chiefs before departing and asked if they had anything that belonged to Parau-tia, to enable them to call upon the power of Hina to guide them directly to the evil Kahuna. The chiefs recalled the adventurers who helped stop the plague on Borotonga and the bones of Parua-tia’s servant the brought back from the island of Moti-Poti.

Ready to set sale, the group set sail for Borotonga. On the last day of the journey, Wake saw a wicked storm approaching. Seeing no other option than to leverage the winds of the storm and race to the island, that’s exactly what they did. Masterfully tacking into the wind, the group managed to reach the island just as the storm intensified.

Once on the island the group sought out the Princess’ Manao and Tepiti shared the mission they were on and inquired about the bones. The princesses sent for an old Kahuna, and they found the bones were securely wrapped away at the islands main alter. Throwing the old man on his back, Root carried him to the alter and retrieved the bones.

Before departing, Princess Manao paused the adventurers and told them she thought Prince Tiape was a good man. They inquired if he was rather eel-like, and although a euphemistic miss-understanding occurred, she mentioned he kept his head shaved. Leilani then asked the princess if she perhaps still had anything that once belonged to Prince Tiape, and she provided them with a massive snail shell he had gifted to her. Princess Tepiti scowled at Manao upon finding out she held on to this gift, although it was clear there was no real ill-will between them.

The trip to Tahiti passed by quickly and uneventfully. Upon arrival they were hailed by a pair of warriors on a small patrol canoe. The group convinced the warriors they were traders blown off course by the whims Tahwhiri in the recent storm, unsure of where they were and looking to trade for supplies. Wake pulled of the rouse masterfully, and quickly befriended the pair of warriors.

Guiding the PCs through the reef, the warriors seemed overly concerned with ensuring the adventurers avoided the south side of the isle. Following the warriors’ lead, the party came ashore and began negotiations.

The island seemed abuzz with activity. The sound of stone axes echoed across the island, celebrations with Kava were everywhere, and disagreement on the course of action taken by Chief Aturu (and whether he was even in charge) seemed to permeate every conversation. While Wake negotiated to get as many supplies for his rare feathers as possible, Leilani and Root began to meander south to look for a quiet place to conduct their ritual.

Reaching the edge of the forest near the cove on the south side of Tahitia, Leilani and Root saw two massive Pahus under construction. While not necessarily instruments of war, these boats could carry hundreds of warriors the short distance to Morotana and Borotanga. To avoid suspicion Leilani pulled a full-on Grama Taly act. Acting a bit eccentric in song and dance, she eventually shifted into the actual ritual of finding as the sun set. Once complete, Leilani looked at the stars and realized Prince Tiape was not on the island.

Realizing something was amiss in Tahiti and trusting the advice of Princess Manao, the group immediately set sail and followed the stars. However, it seems the gods were not in favor of this course of action, and the group was blown off course and into the tentacles of a Kraken looking for a meal.

A brief and violent battle ensued, but the adventurers fought heroically. Leilani was grappled by an arm, and pulled back by Root. Then Root expertly deflected the attacks of the kraken, pushing Wake out of the way to be grabbed himself, then cutting his own way out of the Kraken’s grasp. Leilani converted Hina’s healing energy into a dark necrotic force to help subdue the beast, and Wake swung his leiomano at the beast. Eventually, the Kraken decided this meal was not worth the effort.

The adventurers continued to sail north, trying to adjust their path and follow the stars shining in the sky, when a massive burst of light occurred not too far off their current course. Setting sail in that direction, the group found Prince Tiape later that evening.

They found out that Prince Tiape, dis-illusioned with his father’s leadership, was seeking out a new island and planned to steal one of the three war Pahu’s under construction and take with him those who shared his viewpoint and wished to avoid war. A short negotiation took place between the prince and the adventurers. The adventurers agreed to help the Prince in exchange for a Mele Hoku to a magical island where the Prince found the oversized snail shell he gifted to Princess Manao.

The prince and the adventurers set course back to Tahiti, and used the time on the journey back to make a plan on how to deal with the dangerous Kahuna Parau-tia. Root shared a magical potion he had been given allowing him to take the form of someone else for a brief time. Practicing how to impersonate the Prince’s Kahuna Kalahari, the group decided they would have Prince Tiape surrender to be brought to Parau-tia once on the island.

Upon reaching Tahitia, the plan worked as expected. During the Prince’s absence Kahuna Parau-tia ended the rouse of Chief Aturu having any authority, completely seizing control of the island. The group was escorted directly to the evil Kahuna. Parua-tia, not seeing through the enchantment worn by Wake, asked who he thought was Kahlahari, of his loyalty.

Wake bluffed excellently, making up a story of remaining loyal and brining the prince back to him. Wake slowly approached the Kahuna, and waited for the perfect moment to break his disguise. The moment came. The Kahuna dropped his guard for a brief second, and Wake swung his leiomano at the Kahuna’s throat. The shark’s teeth found their mark, and the Parau-tia instantly collapsed.

Afterwards, the group found Queen Maroa prisoner in the Kahuna’s hut and saw the compulsion enchantments fade from Chief Aturu. Prince Tiape set off the next day with hundreds from the island and headed north to follow a Mele Hoku to an unknown future with two of the great Pahu’s that had originally been made to prepare for war.

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