Session Zero Recap: The Black Sword HackSession zeros for both the Sunday and Monday night groups are officially in the books, and the collaborative results are nothing short of incredible. I went with two separate maps and opening adventures for these groups to give each table its flavor and stakes.We went through character creation together, ensuring we avoided any duplicate concepts or roles. Then a big conversation about tone, safety tools, character introductions, the setting's antagonists, key locations, and the affiliations tying everything together. The Black Sword Hacks prompts and tables for this part are outstanding! Once the dust settled and the world began to take shape, we shifted focus to the first adventure— a short "story" story being the unit of experience in The Black Sword Hack. I want to engage the character advancement cycle early so we get one, maybe two level-ups in over six sessions. Below are the fruits of our collaborative world-building and the exciting setups for both groups. My GM Prep thoughts for session one follow.
The Cycles of Errazu. (BSH Sundays)
The spirit of the ancient King Errazu (played by Christopher Walken), Who Dances for No One, chooses a new vessel every century to inhabit and be reborn. This time, his rebirth aligns perfectly with the astrological signs heralding the arrival of the long-awaited messiah (Madeleine Yuna Voyles). The zealous Order of Truth scours the lands to find the chosen vessel for The King Who Dances for No One, determined to see their liege wishes fulfilled.
Locations:
The Sunken Kingdoms. Declining, Neutral.
Carafax (Decadent). Scheming, Favorable to Chaos.
City of the Overlords [Inhumans] Declining, Allied with Law.
Wastelander Tribes. Thriving, Neutral.
The Nothland Raiders. Warmongers, Allied with Chaos
Iron Port [Home of the Merchant League] Warmongering, Neutral.
The Hinterlands. Lost, Allied with Chaos.
The Crystal Palace (Decadant) Forgotten, Favorable to Chaos
But standing in the way of this cosmic convergence is a band of unlikely antiheroes whose destinies are far darker:
Betany, a master storyteller from the Steppe Raiders, wielding her claymore with unmatched fury.
Wulf, born of a hurricane summoned by his mother, now wandering far from the forbidden city of Malthus, shrouded in tempestuous mystery.
Vanderjack, a warlock of Carafax, carrying the weight of arcane secrets from the sunken kingdoms.
Rikvengar, a mighty warrior from the newly liberated wastelands, embodies the raw power and resilience of his people.
We begin in the ruins of Ambersoul in the Hinterlands, rescuing the 1st daughter of the reluctant Philosopher Duke Kelvin. Our band has found and secured said daughter and now must make their way past two skirmishing mercenary companies back to the Merchant Guilds to the north.May Doom forget their names.
Malpha the Fallen (BSH Mondays)
Malpha the Barbarous. Malpha the Black. Malpha the Drinker of Souls.The older sages whisper of a different name: Malpha, the Twice-Great Champion of Law, Malpha the Fallen.
An Age of Ice has descended upon the lands. The Iron Horde marches ever southward, bringing with them foul constructs and living smoke that choke the skies. Twisted insectoid men, their origins unknown, skirmish with caravans and leave tales of terror in their wake. The southern lands stand on the brink of annihilation, and chaos looms on every horizon.Locations:
Trebizond Favorable to Law - Corrupt - Gladitorial Arenas & Spectacle.
Froststorm Legions Academy Allied to Law. Warmongering. Sits outside the gates of Trebizond.
Ioun Port. Neutral. Thriving.
Aranbaru Rainforest Allied to Law. Divided.
Nazara, City of Thieves Favourable to Chaos. Divided
Yalokivikori. Crystal Palace. Neutral. Lost & Forgotten.
The Iron Hordes Allied to Chaos. Warmongering.
The Blue Smoke Palace Place of Balance. Accessible through dreams.
Against this backdrop of encroaching doom, a ragtag group of adventurers finds themselves in Nazara, the infamous City of Thieves. Nazara is a dangerous place, no quarter given—save for the sanctum of the Order of the Fulcrum. There, the monks provide a sanctuary of neutral ground and restoration. But the sanctuary is no longer safe. The talk of the streets speak of the Dream Thief, a spectral figure who steals memories and leaves only confusion in her wake. Her next target is said to be Gawne, one of the elder monks of the Order. Gawne holds the key to the Blue Smoke Palace, a mythical lost stronghold said to be a place of perfect balance—a beacon of hope in a world unraveling. The adventurers arrive, drawn by personal ties to the sanctuary and the Order. Each carries their own burdens, secrets, and reasons for standing against the encroaching darkness:
Latulei, a Legacy Legionnaire, the pride of the Froststrom Legion Academy, embodying discipline and martial prowess.
Peto, a spirit talker from the forgotten palace of Yalokivikori, guided by voices from the beyond.
Iride the Lodestone, raised by the enigmatic Arranburu Insect People of the lush Arranburu Rainforest; their presence is a mystery even among the strange.
May Doom forget their names.
It’s my Birthday Month Sale!
Session One Prep
For both Sunday and Monday groups, I’m aiming to make the first session a welcoming space where we can explore the game’s mechanics in a broad, non-punishing way. A cold open is key here—it lets us skip the slow burn of introductions, backstories, and motivations, throwing the players straight into the action.
Sunday Group: They've already rescued their target from cultists and prevented her ritual sacrifice. Now, the challenge is getting her safely back to their employer.
Monday Group: They’ve been tasked with protecting an elder monk of the Fulcrum Order from the sinister Dream Thief.
I want the players to experience the flow of combat early on, so I’ll plan for encounters involving Threat Levels 1, 3, and 5 to get a sense of how the system scales. Hopefully, everyone gets a taste of action without it being catastrophic. I’ve been using the map generator at Watabou to create cities and towns FAST! These get dropped into Let’s Role, which I’m coming around to liking.
The Cycles of Errazu (Sundays)
The characters start in the forgotten city of Ambersoul, hunkered down in the ruins of an abandoned building. Beyond that? I have no idea what the players will plan or do—and I like it that way. Here’s what I’ve got prepped to build the session around:
Mercenary Companies: Two rival companies are skirmishing in the streets. Both groups are unaware the girl has been rescued. It’s only a matter of time before they realize she’s missing. Each company is led by a captain who can be negotiated with or bought off. Mechanics like Threat Level will modify any rolls we make here, but at their core, these captains are running businesses, so negotiation is a strong option.
The Beast of Ambersoul: Straight out of The Black Sword Hack’s Impossible Creatures section, I’ve created a unique monster: a lion-octopus chimera. This creature is hunting one of the PCs to eat, but which one and why? We’ll play to find out.
Cultists: Scattered remnants of the cult are still lurking in the area, holding onto their goal of completing the ritual. I’ll keep them in reserve to use as needed.
The Twist: The girl the players rescued is furious. She wasn’t kidnapped—she agreed to the ritual willingly because it was going to make her a god. Now that her ascension has been interrupted, she will attempt to escape from the party, creating a moral and logistical dilemma for the group.
Malpha the Fallen (Mondays)
This one feels a little trickier to prep, as it’s more reactive to what the players will decide. Their mission is to protect an elder monk of the Fulcrum Order from the Dream Thief. I’m a sketch thinker, so I doodle out a tower and diagram to work out a plan:
The Sanctuary: The monk’s sanctuary is a tower with four floors, a roof garden, and a storage cellar. I’ve mapped out key NPCs and designed the space visually to help me keep track of things.
The Dream Thief’s Tactics: The Dream Thief isn’t charging in directly. Instead, it sends memory-janked stooges to test the sanctuary’s defenses, sabotage its operations, or harass its clients. These incursions serve as a prelude to the Dream Thief’s attempt to get close to the elder monk.
Memory Theft: The Dream Thief steals memories with a touch action. I haven’t nailed down the exact mechanics yet, but the PCs will get a chance to resist, NPCs not so much. We’ll see how it plays out at the table.
The Road Ahead
Both these adventures are intended to conclude in the first play session. To make that happen, I’ll need to lean on GM tools like pacing, scene framing, and saying “yes” to keep the action moving toward the core of the adventure. That said, I’m fully aware that players are going to play—and all it takes is one unexpected action to send us down a completely new trail of strange and interesting. I’m here for it. 🤘🏾
Catch ya next week!