[Free RPG Day 2024] Mayhem at the Truffle Festival

Now in its seventeenth year, Free RPG Day for 2024 took place on Saturday, June 22nd. As per usual, Free RPG Day consisted of an array of new and interesting little releases, which are traditionally tasters for forthcoming games to be released at GenCon the following August, but others are support for existing RPGs or pieces of gaming ephemera or a quick-start. This included dice, miniatures, vouchers, and more. Thanks to the generosity of Waylands Forge in Birmingham, Reviews from R’lyeh was able to get hold of many of the titles released for Free RPG Day.

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Mayhem at the Truffle Festival: An Obojima Adventure is a scenario compatible with Dungeons & Dragons, Fifth Edition, written for the Obojima Tales: From The Tall Grass campaign setting. Both the scenario and the campaign setting are “Inspired by Studio Ghibli & Legend of Zelda”. Published by 1985 Games, it is a short affair, playable in a single session with between two and four Third Level Player Characters. It is a straightforward affair, easy to prepare and set up, with a strong emphasis on interaction between the Player Characters and the NPCs. There is the possibility of combat, but it is possible to avoid this completely if the Player Characters prefer negotiation or diplomacy.

The scenario is set in and around the village of Matango. Many villages in the Obojima setting hold annual events and in the case of Matango, it is an annual Truffle Hunt. The nearby forest is known to be home to some seventy-three unique mushrooms. Competitors have five hours in which to find and gather as many mushrooms as they can, particularly the unique ones, such as ‘The Elephant Tuber’ and ‘Flatrat’. At stake is the chance to be crowned the Truffle Prince, which enables the winner to commune with the Great Pig Spirit, Roghora, and indulge in all of the feasts held in the spirit’s honour.

Standing between the Truffle Hunt and the Player Characters is Ebrus Bellerose, an NPC willing to sabotage the efforts of any competitors in his drive to win one village competition! Thankfully, the previous year’s winner, Reheni, is much more helpful and friendly, and her pet pig, Gooma, is particularly cute. Much of the scenario is concerned with detailing the various types of mushroom that the Player Characters can find and when they do, they require the use of various different skills to harvest.

The climax of the scenario involves another run in with Ebrus Bellerose, who proves himself as rotten a character as the Player Characters will have realised after their first encounter, followed by a confrontation by some roving hyena-like Howlers. They can be fought or they can be persuaded to move on, but since they have captured poor little Gooma, the Player Characters—unlike Ebrus Bellerose—are very likely motivated to deal with the situation. The consequences of their actions are neatly summarised at the end of the scenario.

Mayhem at the Truffle Festival: An Obojima Adventure is short. It can easily be played in a single session—or less. The scenario does include an optional encounter with a ‘lovable’ companion spirit and help him with a task. It details a magical item too, a Scarf of Muffling, which has its own charm, but without resorting to some degree of duplicity, the Player Characters are unlikely to get their hands on it or use it. This runs counter to the theme and style of the scenario, and if the Game Master wants her Player Characters to get some use out of it, she may want to rewrite this section.

Mayhem at the Truffle Festival: An Obojima Adventure itself ends with not one, but four character sheets. All of them blank. They are nice, but four? Really?

Physically, Mayhem at the Truffle Festival: An Obojima Adventure is very nicely done. It is well written and the artwork is excellent, done in the style of Studio Ghibli.

Mayhem at the Truffle Festival: An Obojima Adventure is utterly charming as an adventure, but even with the addition of the optional encounter it is short. Worse, the inclusion of four black character sheets leaves the Game Master to wonder if they should have been filled in as example Player Characters for the Obojima Tales: From The Tall Grass campaign setting. If not that, then there could have been some background to setting included instead or the adventure extended even further. Overall, very likeable, but it will leave the Game Master wanting more.