Roleplaying games

Phenopocalypse offers four kinds of cataclysm:

Showcase: The Triptych and Diptych
Freeforms
Team (tabletop) games
Pathfinder
Other games

The schedule

New Designers

Each year Pheno is proud to encourage writers who are new to writing for Cons to give it a go.

At the end of Pheno the players of new designers' games will be asked to vote for the new writer whose game was the best, and the winner of this will receive a trophy and widespread adulation!

New designers' games are marked with the New Designer Star:

Game ratings

Pheno uses a rating system for games to help you choose games, and to help you anticipate what the GM is looking for in a game.

Games are rated from 1 (little or none) to 5 (really important) on the following:

Characterisation — portraying the characters... 1 (play the numbers) to 5 (bring out the deep insights)
Story/plot — telling a good story... 1 (A-Team) to 5 (Shakespeare)
Genre — knowing the genre, staying in the genre... 1 (post-modernist parody) to 5 (Tolkienesque total immersion)
Seriousness — romp (seriousness 1) to the big issues (seriousness 5)
Rules knowledge — do players need to know the game system (5), or is this a good introduction to it (0 or 1)?
Advisory rating — violence, horror, naughty bits. This can also be rated like a film: G, PG, M, MA, R.

System vs Systemless

Some games are described as system-based (which often means 'a published system'). The blurb should tell you which system/setting each of these games is using.

Other games are systemless. This most often means they will be run using a 'home-brew system' cooked up by the writer. The rest are probably steering close to GM fiat, or improv theatre.

Showcase: The Triptych and the Diptych

Each year Pheno invites respected designers to present bespoke single-session games: a set of three more serious games (the Triptych) and a pair of lighter, more humorous games (the Diptych).

These games have tended to be systemless (emphasising characterisation and drama over rules use and tactical simulation), and showcase what we consider the best of Pheno roleplaying: characterisation, genre, entertainment, innovation.

The Triptych and Diptych games are all for 5 players.

The Triptych

In Sceadure — In Shadow — by David James (Triptych: 1 session systemless, 5 players)
Death Journey — by Mike Walker (Triptych: 1 session systemless, 5 players)
Home — by Dan L'Estrange (Triptych: 1 session Vampire: The Requiem, 5 players)

The Diptych

Once Were Famous — by Sandra d'Argeavel (Diptych: 1 session systemless, 5 players)
Priscilla, Orcs of the Wasteland — by Adam Raymond (Diptych: 1 session systemless, 4-5 players)

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Freeforms

Freeforms are big games for 15–30 players (or rarely, and insanely, more...) players, whose characters are collected in some kind of social gathering in which they interact, intrigue and politic with each other.

A Joining of Equals — by Random (1 session, 20-30 players)
Catch Me, I'm Falling — by Emily Jackman and Travis Hall (1 session, 18 players)
Goblin Market — by Penny Sullivan (1 session, 20 players)
Holiday at World's End — by Dan Connor and Terence Janssen (1 session, 16 players)
Is Jack Back? — by Alicia Cameron (1 session, some number of players)
(Is Jack Back? has been cancelled. Morph apologises for the inconvenience.)
Libretto — by Andrew Smith (1 session, 20 players)
Messages From Earth — by Barb Kearins, Rod Kearins and Robbie Matthews (1 session, 20 players)
Moytura — by Xole (1 session, 15 players)
(Moytura has been cancelled. Morph apologises for the inconvenience.)

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Team (tabletop) games

Team games (or tabletops) are the traditional form of roleplaying, for groups/teams of about 5 players with generally one GM. There will be character sheets; there may be dice.

A Strange Day — by Michael Hitchens (1 session Vampire: the Requiem, 5 players)
A Vision of War — by Stephen Justice (1 session systemless, 5 players)
Begin Again — by Greg Tannahill (1 session systemless, 4–10 players)
For the Overlord — by Shannon Spencer (1 session systemless/Overlord, 5 players)
Friend or Foe — by Chris Foggin (1 session Three Stars, 5 players)
(Friend or Foe has been cancelled. Morph apologises for the inconvenience.)
Honeygrit — by Kane Edwards (1 session World of Darkness, 5 players)
Mage: Among the Fallen — by Joe McNamara (1 session Mage: The Ascension, 5 players)
The Antiques Roadshow of Doom! — by Nick Matthews and Stuart Barrow (1 session systemless, 5 players)
The Fellowship of the Thing — by Hugh Fisher (1 session Paranoia, 4–6 players)
Xenomorph — by John and Philippa Hughes (1 session systemless, 5 players)

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Pathfinder

Pathfinder Society adventures are for groups of 4 to 6 players (7 players at a pinch).

While everyone is welcome to play Pathfinder Society adventures, our program this weekend has been put together with new, or almost new, players in mind.

Saturday

Intro 1 In Service to Lore — by Adam Daigle (1st level characters only)
Intro 2 To Delve the Dungeon Deep — by Stephen Radney MacFarland
Intro 3 A Vision of Betrayal — by Larry Wilhelm (1st level characters only, and you should have played Intro 1 and Intro 2 first)

Sunday

We Be Goblins (You Be Food) — by Richard Pett (for 4 goblins, character sheets provided)
Mist of Mwangi — by Nicolas Logue (Character levels 1 to 5)
Frozen Fingers of Midnight — by Craig Shackleton (Character levels 1 to 5)
Silent Tide — by Michael Kortes (Character levels 1 to 5)