As most of you know, Eppy, Jim, and I are part of the nerdnyc.com community. A couple of times a year, we nerdnycers rent out a big space and have ourselves a  little mini gaming convention. Sure, a lot of us game together outside of these events, but it’s always fun to fill up a room and maybe play new games with people you don’t hang out with too often.

This weekend was Thanksnerding, our pre-turkey day occasion, and I ran an impromptu game of Trial & Terror for two members of the community, including fabulous contributing artist John C. Although John has run the game before, I think this was his first time playing it. And it marked the first time I’ve seen the players *lose* a case!

The plot revolved around prostitutes being sacrificed by a cult that worshiped the demon queen of the succubi. It got a little prime-time unfriendly when the rookie detective went undercover to try to infiltrate the cult in a little Eyes Wide Shut-esque scene. Luckily, his “Purity” trait allowed him to resist the temptations of the flesh. They eventually rounded up the main cultists, but due to some unlucky dice for the players and some lucky dice for me during Jury Deliberation, they all got off scot-free.

Such a loss presents a perfect opportunity for a follow-up case if were playing a campaign, but I don’t know if we’ll ever see the return of these particular characters…

The end result of a playstorm is not always a complete game. Occasionally, all that survives is little more than an idea, a lone mechanic. A month or so ago, we had a tough playstorm that didn’t seem to find it’s feet until just before we wrapped up the session. Jim was game-bearer, and although things picked up a bit at the end, ultimately he decided he was dissatisfied with the project. He told me this and I, not without a bit a glee, asked him if I could swipe one of the mechanics we ended the session with.

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