I've not published SSS yet (mainly because although it's complete and could go, I'm convinced there's a part II to be told and perhaps even a part III as things escalate, but I've not got round to writing them [1]) so I can't refer to the story very well, but it was played twice successfully at TravCon a few years back - can it really be nearly 5 years already?! - and I wrote about it in After Action reports (https://www.freelancetraveller.com/features/stories/aar-travcon13.html).  Essentially it concerns dilettante 2nd sons/daughters of counts meeting together for a meal (and storytelling) and other events of a weekend.

But playing in such short segments over such a long period of time has created a very different feel than running through it in one solid four hour block.  Not that the players know any difference of course.

It may be just be me but I can't help feeling the cracks in the plot show up more with so much time to think about it.  But that may also be an artifact of the players not remembering details very well between sessions.

There is, however, much more opportunity to get side tracked into other things that weren't in the original text (the whole thing with prostitutes and drugs etc grew out of that).  I quite like that and it's added a different flavour.  As we wrapped up today one of the players did ask about that and I said it would be perfectly possible to pursue those stories in the New Year if they wanted.

It's harder to 'get into' a session as they can fly past so quickly, but it does give me more thinking time between sessions which helped when making stuff up as we went. 

Fun like the Vargr merd (https://www.freelancetraveller.com/features/cookbook/merd.html) went down well even playing at lunchtime, the wine I was dishing up was ok too although we went much easier on it than we did in convention evening sessions!

The combat at the end, which formed all of today's final session, was only just doable in the time by keeping it tight and because there are only 3 players instead of the TravCon standard of 6.  The players had an easier time of it than many of my rehearsals by virtue of good die rolls - with my baddies performing particularly badly.  I'd decided to roll all my dice in the open to prevent any fudging, but in fact - although I did so - it wasn't necessary!  The final rapier thrust of the game - when all the other baddies had been wounded or knocked unconscious - was a rather gory stab in the eye which was the final straw for the NPCs and killed him outright (he'd been wounded earlier).

(Oh, and side question... one of the PC's antique rapiers snapped off near the hilt at one point - the only result I felt was appropriate when the wielder rolled double 1.  As she continued to attack with the broken hilt with inch long 'stabby bit' - what damage would anyone suggest for such?  I decided, looking at other weapons like daggers etc, that 1d6-1 wasn't unreasonable.  Any thoughts?)

The adventure seems to have been remarkably resilient to removing three of the PCs even though I'd carefully written interconnections between them all to flesh out role playing.  I did take one on as an NPC but as ever found it hard to keep him involved properly and referee at the same time.

The players enjoyed it enough apparently that they're keen to carry it on in the new year and in effect help me write part II by playing out the 'obvious' next bits at the very least.  Not sure quite how that will work once they get into the detective work which I suspect will need more than a little behind the scenes planning.

Anyway, I'm more than ever convinced that there would be mileage in trying to finish this as a thing (or accepting that I'm not going to do any more and publishing it 'as is'), so perhaps my new years resolution ought to be to at least give it a go.... I've no doubt I'll keep you posted.

Have a great week everyone - hope you've got your shopping done!

tc