House Dok Goes to Momocon

We came, we saw, we Con’d!

This year, Dave from House Dok was invited to present at Momocon, an Atlanta, GA,  an anime and gaming convention. There is a ton to do there from panels, to gaming of every stripe, to the dealers area, and, as you might expect, we ran more than a few games of Metahumans Rising. 

Players of all ages and experience levels joined us, from the grizzled vets of gaming, a quartet of children no older than ten, including an eight year old learning to play for the first time. Something to remember, is how creative younger kids can be. This paired so well with the freewheeling power system of Metahumans Rising, as the kids came up with creative ways to take on villains and work together to save the city.

Our go-to demo was Burning the Midnight Oil, the introductory adventure included with the core book. We also ran a few games using the upcoming (at some point, soon I hope) One Shots, single scene jumping off points that can be used to build larger stories.

At one point though I found myself staring down a table of seven players, all ready to jump into the action. 
Passing out the Steel Aces, there was a brief primer on mixed power level teams and we were off to the races. The group zeroed in on Elf’s background, and the team origin. So instead of using anything prepared we tried something different. 

Asking the players to describe their base we established they lived in an underground missile silo, with the launch tube serving as the home for their team jet. After that, I went around the table to find out where each person was. Each of them creating new rooms in their base just by describing their downtime. Elf placed herself on a hill overlooking the base meditating. PERFECT! 

Flipping to the entry for Chimera, it was on! A Slither Tank, Chimera’s Bio-mechanical troop transport, a dragon, tends open the silo cap as it and another tank begin dropping pods of Drifters into the base. Drifters are genetically rebuilt humans, spliced with a dozen different types of DNA to make the perfect, adaptable, soldier,  completely controlled by Chimera. Before Elf was freed by the Steel Aces in their origin story.
Using the Serendipity mechanic, we established how far each of the heroes were from the hanger. This leads to some amusing scenes, including Bulwark melting through a wall to dive into the fray. 

The Drifters and Slither Tank did a good job of distracting the team, leaving Elf to deal with the second dragon solo. There were many great moments in the battle: Elf’s leaping take-down of a Slither Tank, Bulwarks’ “People’s Elbow” from halfway up the silo, Guardian tearing specialized gym free weights heavy enough for her to use as a hammer.

Through the battle Elf worked her way into the underbelly of the Slither Tank. This led to a conclusion I could not have planned for, a cliffhanger! The Aces arrived at the tip of the silo just in time to see the other dragon in the distance, Elf having trapped herself in its drop pods. 

 
On Friday, I was invited to do a brief interview, and we spent some time talking about the differences between Fractured Kingdom, and Metahumans Rising. Namely how the genre changes inspired the Willpower mechanics and Drives.

Finally, it was great to see an extremely diverse crowd at the gaming hall. Momocon, both accepted and encouraged an open environment. At the registration table were banners for Ally and Gaymer, along with stickers for pronouns. When I first started gaming, RPGs seemed the exclusive purview of the socially ostracized or awkward boys. Of course, media representation didn’t help to change that appearance.

This weekend, the gaming floor looked as diverse as the world around us. We enjoyed hosting players of every race, gender, and orientation. This is a hobby for everyone, and I hope to see that inclusive spirit continue to grow.

Pick up the PDF at DriveThruRPG or Pre-Order the physical book at Studio2Publishing.